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How to add CSRF anti-spoofing to forms
From Joomla! Documentation
Revision as of 16:43, 23 January 2008 by CirTap (Talk | contribs)
What is a CSRF Attack?
A Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attack relies on the trust a website has for a user to execute unauthorized requests and or transactions. For example, say a user is logged into their Joomla! websites' administrator interface in one tab and is browsing a compromised site in another tab. A simple CSRF attack can be launched simply by tampering with IMG elements in some browsers so that they point to something like
When the user browses the compromised site, that image will be requested and because the user is currently logged in to the administrator interface of her Joomla! site, the forged request will be positively authenticated and executed. To prevent simple CSRF attacks like the one above, request tokens have been added to all forms in the front-end and back-end Joomla! interfaces. The tokens are randomized strings that are used to authenticate that the request being made is coming from a valid form and a valid session. This simple measure is very effective at preventing a large percentage of potential CSRF attacks, however, due to the nature of CSRF they are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to secure against completely.
Protecting Against CSRF Attakcs
Joomla! attempts to protect againt CSRF by inserting a random string called a token into each POST form and each GET query string that is able to modify something in the Joomla! system. This random string provides protection because not only does the compromised site need to know the URL of the target site and a valid request format for the target site, it also must know the random string which changes for each session and each user.
The Joomla! Framework makes it easy for you to include such protection in your components as well. This is simple to implement in both POST and GET requests.
POST Request
POST requests are submitted in HTML using forms. In order to add the token to your form, add the following line inside your form:
<?php JHTML::_( 'form.token' ); ?>
This will output something like the following:
<input type="hidden" name="1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef" value="1" />
GET Request
GET requests are submitted in HTML using query strings. In order to add the token to your query string, use a URL like:
echo JRoute::_( 'index.php?option=com_example&controller=object1&task=save&'. JUtility::getToken() .'=1' );
This will generate a URL with the token in the query string.
Checking the Token
Once you have included the token in your form or in your query string, you must check the token before your script carries out the request. This is done with the following line:
JRequest::checkToken() or die( 'Invalid Token' );
If the request is coming from the query string, you must specify this. The code then becomes:
JRequest::checkToken( 'get' ) or die( 'Invalid Token' );
Recommended Security Procedures
While these methods help to prevent against these types of attacks, it is important to realize that as a system administrator, there are good security practices to follow which will prevent a site from being compromised.
1. Don't browse other sites in the same browser while you are logged into your site.
2. Log out from your site after you are done.
3. Don't stay logged into your site while you are not doing anything.
4. Ensure that the address in the browser bar matches the address of your site.
By practicing these safe surfing habits you will eliminate most threats to your web site.
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Reaping Souls
A piece I did almost a year ago. When I first got into graphics I spent most of my time working on photo manipulation pieces, I still do them from time to time but recently I have been getting into the whole UI and web designing.
Here is the updated version (Better in my opinion): http://zak-keen.deviantart.com/art/Reaping-Souls-335788398
Feel free to watch the process of me making this piece (first verision): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beSMIoxXH7U&feature=plcp
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Need help? Check out our Support site, then
Go To Your Dashboard
1. Mark,
When writing a post if one needs to place a mouse at the beginning of a sentence already written (like if I needed to place code, or a word/ letter, anything, prior to the first word above... "When you're unable to do so. You have to go to the end of the sentence prior-to to get there, or delete some of the "When". Gosh I hope I described that in some way helpful. ;)
2. It's kind of a shame this is in Off-Topic, because THIS is how feedback should be given. It's a very useful thread. If only everyone in the forums gave feedback this way.
Also: has anyone else noticed the direct link to the forums go poof, bye-bye? And still we were flooded. I think a direct link from the dashboard and any admin page should be restored, although I certainly understand if they wait till Monday. Still, not very facilitative for an open source product.
3. I found a direct link to the forum up on the top right hand side of the dashboard. I used to use the one on the bottom left, it was usually there most everywhere you went. Now it's just that one tiny top right corner that I can find so far.
4. Oh, I've yet to look there. I have a class I'm teaching in seven days, so I'd better get this stuff down by then.
Part of the reason this thread is so useful is that it steers clear of the "I want to turn back time" thing. The fact is that whether or not we love it, we're stuck with it and so information about our preferences is irrelevant to Information about bugs in the new system is, however, HIGHLY useful to them, so that's the only kind of info we need to give to them. Everything else is just a version of the Grrrr thread or the Wahoo thread, blowing off steam.
5. Link to forums is now at the right top of the dashboard next to the log out and profile links.
6. I wish the search function hadn't been borked back in what was it, November? Because it's utterly useless now and I can't find those very helpful posts you wrote about Flash and Widgets. Most annoying. I'm going to start keeping a google search of the forums in my bookmarks.
7. paperdollsforboys
I like the new color but other than that, I'm annoyed. Posting photos is a royal pain
Topic Closed
This topic has been closed to new replies.
About this Topic
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22263
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Muscovite Civil War
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For the Second Muscovite Civil War, see the Time of Troubles
Sophia of Lithuania insulting Vasily Kosoy during a wedding feast. Painting by Pavel Chistyakov.
The Muscovite Civil War or the Great Feudal War was a prolonged conflict which cast its shadow over the entire reign of Vasily II of Moscow (from 1425 to 1453). The two warring parties were Vasily II, the Grand Prince of Moscow, as one party, and his uncle, Yury Dmitrievich, the Prince of Zvenigorod, and the sons of Yuri Dmitrievich, Vasily Kosoy and Dmitry Shemyaka, as the other party. At the intermediate stage, the party of Yury conquered Moscow, but at the end Vasily II regained his crown. This was the first civil war in the history of Muscovy, whose largely peaceful rise had been predicated on a lack of conflict within the ruling family.[1]
The Mongol invasions of 1236-1241 left the Russian principalities dependent on the Golden Horde. In the 13th-15th centuries, the Khan of the Golden Horde appointed the Great Prince, who in the 14th century resided in Moscow. In the 13th century the medieval Rus' consisted of a set of relatively small and weak principalities, fighting and making alliances against each other. The larger states (like the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the Republic of Novgorod) progressively conquered or absorbed the smaller ones. One bigger principality, the Grand Duchy of Moscow, grew due to a series of clever policies and became the biggest one in central Rus'. In 1380 Dmitry Donskoy, the prince of Moscow, even managed to fight the troops of Golden Horde in the Battle of Kulikovo and to win. Whereas formally Moscow remained dependent on the Horde, and the Khan needed to approve position of the Prince, the Grand Duchy of Moscow had become a major regional power, and the Moscow princes aimed to conquer the remaining lands around Moscow and to append them to their Grand Duchy.[2]
First period (1425-1434)[edit]
The Muscovite boyars pledge their support to the dethroned Vasily II
In 1389, Dmitry Donskoy died. He appointed his son Vasily Dmitrievich a successor, with the provision that if Vasily dies as an infant, his brother, Yury Dmitrievich, will be a successor. Vasily died in 1425 and left a child, Vasily Vasilyevich, whom he appointed the Grand Prince (known as Vasily II). This was against the existing rule, when the oldest living brother and not a son, should have received the crown. Yuri thus became the pretender, and moved from Zvenigorod, his main residence, to Galich, to be further from Moscow. In 1428 he formally conceded, under pressure from Metropolitan Photius, who personally travelled to Galich. However, in 1431 he decided to seek the title of the Prince of Moscow with the Khan of the Horde. The Khan ruled in favor of Vasily, and additionally ordered Yuri to give Vasily the town of Dmitrov which he owned. The formal pretext to start the war was found in 1433, when during the marriage feast of Vasily his mother, Sophia of Lithuania, insulted Vasily Yuryevich, the son of Yuri, in public. Both sons of Yuri, Vasily and Dmitry, left for Galich. They plundered Yaroslavl, ruled by an allied of Vasily II, allied with their father, collected an army and defeated the army of Vasily II. Subsequently, Yuri Dmitrievich entered Moscow, declared himself the Great Prince, and sent Vasily II to Kolomna. Eventually, however, he did not prove himself as an efficient head of state, having alienated some Muscovites who fled to Kolomna, and even alienating his own sons. Eventually, Yuri allied with Vasily II against the sons of Yuri and returned the Moscow Princedom to Vasily II, who, in his turn, started to persecute former supporters of Yuri. Then Vasily sent an army against his cousins, sons of Yuri, Vasily Yuryevich and Dmitry Shemyaka, in 1434. His army was defeated in a major battle, in which troops of Yuri were fighting against Vasily. Then Vasily conquered Galich, and Yuri openly joined his sons. The army of Vasily II was finally defeated close to Rostov. Yuri became the Prince of Moscow again, but suddenly died, and his son, Vasily Yuryevich, became his successor. At this point, Vasily II was in Nizhny Novgorod and was preparing to travel to the Horde to leave a complaint with the Khan.[3]
Second period (1434-1436)[edit]
The brothers of Vasily Yuryevich, Dmitry Shemyaka and Dmitry Krasny, refused to lend him any support. Anticipating that Vasily will not be able to keep Moscow for long time, they preferred to ally with Vasily II so that eventually they could get from him additional lands. Indeed, Vasily gave Rzhev and Uglich to Dmitry Shemyaka and Bezhetsky Verkh to Dmitry Krasny. Vasily Yuryevich was driven out of Moscow, he also lost Zvenigorod to Vasily II and was left landless, having to flee to Novgorod. In 1435, he managed to collect an army in Kostroma and moved in the direction of Moscow. He lost a battle on the bank of the Kotorosl River to Vasily II, fled to Kashin, then managed to conquer Vologda, and built up a new army with the support of Vyatka. With this new army he moved again to the south and encountered Vasily II in Kostroma. The two armies were stationed on two banks of the Kostroma River and could not start fighting immediately. Before the fight started, the two cousins concluded a peace treaty. Vasily Yuryevich recognized Vasily II as the Great Prince and got Dmitrov. However, he only spent a month in Dmitrov and subsequently moved to Kostroma and further to Galich and to Veliky Ustyug. In Veliky Ustyug, the army formed in Vyatka, which supported Yuri Dmitrievich for a long time, joined Vasily. Vasily Yuryevich plundered Veliky Ustyug and with the army went south again. In early 1436, he lost a battle in Skoryatino, close to Rostov, to Vasily II, and was captured. Subsequently, when the Vyatka people continued to attack the lands belonging to the Grand Prince, Vasily II ordered to have Vasily Yuryevich blinded. Vasily Yuryevich was since then known as Vasily Kosoy. He lived till 1448, and chronicles do not mention him between 1436 and 1448. Apparently, he was imprisoned all this time.
At the same time Vasily II let Dmitry Shemyaka, who at the time was exiled to Kolomna, go and concluded a treaty with him similar to the treaty he previously concluded with Vasily Kosoy, returning Shemyaka all his lands.[3]
Third period (1436-1453)[edit]
Blinding of Vasily II. A miniature from the Illustrated Chronicle of Ivan the Terrible.
In the early 1440s Vasily II was mostly busy with the wars against the Khanate of Kazan. The Khan, Olugh Mokhammad, besieged Moscow in 1439. Dmitry Shemyaka, despite being under the oath of allegiance, failed to appear and to support Vasily. After Tatars left, Vasily chased Shemyaka, forcing him to flee to Novgorod again. Subsequently, Shemyaka returned to Moscow and confirmed the allegiance. In 1444, Tatars led by Mustafa, the Khan of the Golden Horde, plundered the Ryazan lands, before being defeated by a much larger army sent by Vasily. In 1445, Olugh Mokhammad conquered Nizhny Novgorod, was defeated in a skirmish near Murom but won the second battle in Suzdal, capturing, among other prominent Muscovites, Vasily II.[3]
Vasily was released after negotiations, having promised to pay an enormous ransom. This resulted in increase of taxes and, consequently, in discontent, which strengthened the party of Dmitry Shemyaka. In early 1446, Vasily was captured by Shemyaka in the Trinity Sergius Lavra, brought to Moscow, blinded, and then sent to Uglich. Shemyaka started to reign as the Prince of Moscow. In the fall of 1446 he traveled to Uglich to seek peace with Vasily. They made a deal, Vasily gave an oath of allegiance and promised not to seek the Great Princedom any more, and in return he was released and got Vologda in his possession. In Vologda, Vasily traveled to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, and the hegumen released him from the oath. Vasily immediately started preparations for the war against Shemyaka.
In addition, Shemyaka and his ally, Prince Ivan of Mozhaysk, ruled inefficiently, did not manage to attract allies, and nobility started to defect from Moscow to Vologda. Vasily also managed to ally with Kazan Tatars. In the end of 1446, when Dmitry Shemyaka was out in Volokolamsk, the army of Vasily II entered Moscow. Vasily then started to chase Shemyaka and Mozheysky, who had to retreat, with both armies ravaging and plundering the country. In 1447, they asked for piece, and agreed to accept the superiority of Vasily. Nevertheless, Dmitry Shemyaka continued resistance, trying to attract the allies and to collect a big enough army to fight against Vasily. In 1448, Vasily started military action, which included mostly Northern lands up to Veliky Ustyug and with some interruptions continued till 1452, when Shemyaka was finally defeated and fled to Novgorod. In 1453, he was poisoned there following a direct order of Vasily.[3]
Subsequently, Vasily managed to remove all local princes who previously supported Shemyaka. In particular, Ivan Mozheysky had to flee with their family to Lithuania, and the Principality of Mozhaysk was made a part of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Similarly, the Principality of Serpukhov was made a part of the Grand Duchy, and the Principality of Vereya remained after the war the only independent state in Moscow lands.[3]
1. ^ "Vasily II". Britannica. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
2. ^ Gascoigne, Bamber. "History of Russia". Historyworld. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
3. ^ a b c d e Соловьев, Сергей Михайлович. "2". История России с древнейших времен (in Russian) 4. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
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Scratch (programming language)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Scratch Logo.svg Scratchcat.svg
Paradigm event-driven, imperative
Designed by Mitchel Resnick
Developer MIT Media Lab Lifelong Kindergarten Group
First appeared 2005; 10 years ago (2005) (test) July 25, 2006; 8 years ago (2006-07-25) (full)
2.0 / May 9, 2013; 2 years ago (2013-05-09)
Implementation language
Squeak, ActionScript (Scratch 2.0)
License GPLv2 and Scratch Source Code License
.sb, .sprite (Scratch 1.4 and below) .sb2, .sprite2 (Scratch 2.0)
Scratch allows users to use event driven programming with multiple active objects called "sprites". Sprites can be drawn—as either vector or bitmap graphics—from scratch in a simple editor that is part of the Scratch, or can be imported from external sources, including webcam.
Scratch 2 is currently available online and as an application for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.[1][2] The source code of Scratch 1.x is made available under GPLv2 license and Scratch Source Code License.[3]
A spinoff of the Scratch programming language is also used in the game creation tool Stencyl.[citation needed]
Origin of name[edit]
“Scratching” in the language of computer science means to recycle code that can be beneficial and effectively used for other purposes and easily combined, shared and adapt to new scenario, which is a key feature in Scratch – “remix”, in which users can download and build up on public projects uploaded by other users. It also gives credit to the participant who built on the original work and to the participant who created the original program.[4] The name was derived from the turntablism's technique of scratching[5] (i.e. mixing sounds), relating the ease of mixing sounds to the ease of mixing projects made with Scratch.
The first web-based Scratch in 2006
The MIT Media Lab's Lifelong Kindergarten group, led by Mitchel Resnick, and its Montreal-based consulting company Playful Invention Company, co-funded by the latter with Brian Silverman and Paula Bonta, together developed the first desktop-only version of Scratch in 2003. Since 2007, projects could be shared online with other users and the shared projects could be "remixed" (i.e. saved with changes) by other users.
Since the introduction of Scratch version 2.0, custom blocks can be defined by a user within a project.[6]
Mitchel Resnick created Scratch for the purpose of aiding young people (mainly for ages 8 and up) to learn programming.[7]
Educational Usage[edit]
Scratch was made popular in the UK through Code Clubs. These use Scratch as the introductory language because of its relative ease to make interesting programmes as well as because skills learnt through Scratch can be applied to other basic programming languages like Python (programming language) and Java (programming language).
Scratch is not exclusively for creating programs, since it provides a lot of visuals programmers can create animated stories such as “The Pizza Dude”, “Haiku”, or “Gemclan”. For older students, they can utilize Photo Journalism that teaches the basic background of journalism. Students that want to specialize in math can use Lemonade Stand, “Dino Odd and Even”, “Data Workshop”, or “Ellipserator” that mainly focuses on geometry. Scratch flexibility allows teachers to create conceptual and visual lessons and science lab assignments. As Scratch is a useful tool to create animations that help visualize difficult concepts such as plant cell mitosis, water cycle, Galileo Thermometer and Hooke’s Law Experiment. Within the social sciences, instructors can create quizzes, games and tutorials that stimulate the mind and interact with the student.[8]
A lecturer at Harvard University, David J. Malan, prefers to use Scratch over commonly used introductory programming languages, such as Java or C, for his introductory computer science course. However, there is a limited benefit in a college level education. Dr. Malan switches his course’s language to C after the first week.[9][10]
User interface[edit]
Scratch 2.0 development environment and its different areas at startup
From left to right, in the upper left area of the screen there is a "stage area", featuring the results (i.e. animations, turtle graphics, etc., everything either in small or normal size, full-screen also available) and all sprites thumbnails listed in the bottom area.
There are multiple ways of creating a personal sprites and backgrounds. First, users can draw their own sprite manually with color tools provided by Scratch. Second, users can choose a Sprite from the Scratch library that contains default sprite, user’s past creations, a picture using a camera, or clip art.[11]
With a sprite selected in the bottom-left area of the screen, blocks of commands can be applied to it by dragging them from the Blocks Palette onto the right area of the screen, containing all the scripts associated with the selected sprite. Under the Scripts tab, all available blocks are listed and categorized as the Motion, Looks, Sound, Pen, Data, Events, Control, Sensing, Operators, and More blocks as shown in the table below. Each can also be individually tested under different conditions and parameters via double-click.
Category Notes Category Notes
Motion Moves sprites and changes angles Events Contains event handlers placed on the top of each group of blocks
Looks Controls the visuals of the sprite; attach speech or thought bubble, change of background, make the sprite bigger or smaller. Control Conditional if-else statement, “forever”, “repeat”, and “stop”.
Sound Plays audio files and programmable sequenced audio Sensing Sprites can interact with the surroundings the user has created and can import from PicoBoard or Lego WeDo.
Pen Draw on portrait by controlling pen width, color, and shade. Operators Mathematical operators, random number generator, and and-or statement that compares sprite positions.
Data Variable usage and assignment More Blocks Custom procedures (blocks) and external devices control.
Hello, World! in Scratch
Besides the Script tab, there are two additional tabs, the Costumes tab and the Sounds tab. An expandable bar at the right is Help area.
Next to the Scripts tab, there is the Costumes tag, where user can select a pose for the sprite can take on. And the last tab is the Sounds tab, where users insert sounds and music to a sprite.[12]
In comparison to the previous versions of Scratch, the areas have been rearranged in version 2.0, as previously the blocks palette was in the left area, the selected sprite area and scripts area associated with a selected sprite were in the middle of the screen, and the stage area with sprites thumbnails listed below it were in the right area of the screen.[13]
Community of users[edit]
The Scratch website after the release of public project sharing
Scratch is used in many different settings: schools,[14] museums,[15] community centers, and homes. For example, younger children can create projects using ScratchJr (Scratch Junior) or using Scratch with their parents or older siblings as it's quite simple, and college students use Scratch in some introductory computer science classes (including Harvard's introductory computer class).[16][17] Via localization files downloaded with Scratch its interface language can be changed to a language of choice since Scratch is used in different parts of the world. The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth offers an online course on Scratch programming for students in grade 6 and up through the CTYOnline program.[18]
Empirical studies were made of various features[citation needed]—those that interfered with intuitive learning were discarded, while those that encouraged beginners and made it easy for them to explore and learn were kept. Some of the results are surprising, making Scratch quite different from other teaching languages (such as BASIC, Logo, or Alice).
Online community[edit]
The Scratch online community's slogan "Imagine, Program, Share" indicates that sharing and the social aspects of creativity are important parts of the philosophy behind Scratch.[19] A few influential members of the Scratch online community made great personal strides in innovative methods with scratch programming.
Scratch projects are not seen as "black boxes", but as objects for remixing to make new projects. Projects can be uploaded directly from the development environment to the Scratch website and any member of the community can download their full source code to study or to remix into new projects.[20][21] Members can also create project studios, comment, tag, favorite and "love" others' projects, follow another member to see their projects and activity, and share ideas. Projects range from games to animations to chatbots. All projects on the website are shared under a Creative Commons attribution and share-alike license and can be played in a web browser (using the Flash Player, which is not available for iOS devices). The website receives close to 10 million page views per month[22] and as of August 10, 2014 it had 3,726,565 registered members (however, only 402,697 users have shared projects), and over 6,100,000 projects (every minute more than one project gets uploaded).[23] The website frequently establishes "Scratch Design Studio" challenges to encourage creation and sharing by providing users with a basic design concept. There are custom home pages for Mexico and Israel that display local content in some sections of the home page. Scratch has participated in Hour of Code several times. There are also local independent Scratch websites in countries such as Portugal[24] and the United Arab Emirates.[25] In 2008, the Scratch online community platform (named "ScratchR") received an honorary mention in the Ars Electronica Prix.[26] There is also an online community for educators, called ScratchEd.[27] Scratch is also a fun literary structure, with online roleplays that range in many different genres.
Features and derivatives[edit]
The current version of Scratch does not treat procedures as first class structures and has limited file I/O options with Scratch 2.0 Extension Protocol; an experimental extension feature that allows interaction between Scratch 2.0 and other programs.[28] The Extension protocol allows interfacing with hardware boards such as Lego Mindstorms or Arduino.[29] In addition Scratch 2 only supports one-dimensional arrays, known as "lists". Floating point scalars and strings are supported as of version 1.4, but with limited string manipulation capability. There is a strong contrast between the powerful multimedia functions and multi-threaded programming style and the rather limited scope of the Scratch programming language. On May 6, 2013, Scratch closed for 3 days to update to Scratch 2.0. The update changed the look of the site and included an online project editor. A new beta version of the Scratch 2 Offline Editor is currently available. This version replaces the old Scratch 2.0.[30]
A number of Scratch derivatives[31] called Scratch Modifications have been created using the source code of Scratch version 1.4. These programs are a variation of Scratch that normally include a few extra blocks[32] or changes to the GUI.
Some of them additionally introduce shifts in underlying approach to computing, such as Snap! programming language, featuring first class procedures (their mathematical foundations are called also "Lambda calculus"), first class lists (including lists of lists), and first class truly object oriented sprites with prototyping inheritance, and nestable sprites, which are not part of Scratch.[33] Snap! (its previous version was called BYOB) was developed by Jens Mönig[34][35] with documentation provided by Brian Harvey[36][37] from University of California, Berkeley and has been used to teach "The Beauty and Joy of Computing" introductory course in CS for non-CS-major students.[38]
The source-code of Scratch and its derivatives are based on Squeak, which is based on Smalltalk-80. Version 2 of Scratch is implemented in ActionScript, with an experimental JavaScript-based interpreter being developed in parallel.[39]
Catrobat is a visual programming language for smartphones and tablets inspired by Scratch. Pocket Code is an app with which you can create, download and upload programs created in Catrobat. Catrobat and Pocket Code are available under open source licenses.[40][41]
See also[edit]
The following youth computing projects also originated in the MIT Lifelong Kindergarten Group:
Other educational programming languages include:
1. ^ "Updated Scratch 2.0 Offline (Beta) is now available!". Scratch. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
2. ^ "Scratch 20 Preview". YouTube. MITScratchTeam. 1 May 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
3. ^ "Scratch source-code download page". Scratch Documentation Site. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
4. ^ "Bookmarkable URL intermediate page". Retrieved 2015-05-09.
5. ^ Schorow, Stephanie (14 May 2007). "Creating from Scratch". MIT News Office. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
6. ^ Kids’ Programming Tool Scratch Now Runs In The Browser, TechCrunch, May 2013.
7. ^ Shapiro, Jordan. "Your Five Year Old Can Learn To Code With An IPad App". Forbes Magazine. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
8. ^ "Bookmarkable URL intermediate page". Retrieved 2015-05-09.
9. ^ Young, Jeffrey R. (July 20, 2007). "Fun, Not Fear, Is at the Heart of Scratch, a New Programming Language". The Chronicle of Higher Education. ISSN 0009-5982. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
10. ^ "CS50 Syllabus". Retrieved 2015-05-17.
11. ^ "Science Buddies: Scratch User Guide: Installing & Getting Started with Scratch". Retrieved 2015-05-09.
13. ^ Maloney, John; Hernández, Andrés; Rusk, Natalie; Eastmond, Evelyn; Brennan, Karen; Millner, Amon; Rosenbaum, Eric; Silver, Jay; Silverman, Brian; Kafai, Yasmin (November 2009). "Scratch: Programming for All". Communications of the ACM 52 (11): 60–67. doi:10.1145/1592761.1592779. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
14. ^ "Canadian schools starting to teach computer coding to kids". 2014-04-30. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
15. ^ "Scratch Day". Science Museum of Minnesota. Archived from the original on 8 April 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
16. ^ "Scratch for budding computer scientists". ACM SIGCSE Bulletin 39 (1): 223–7. March 2007. doi:10.1145/1227310.1227388. ISBN 1-59593-361-1.
17. ^ Malan, David. "Scratch for Budding Computer Scientists". Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
18. ^ "Scratch Programming". Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth.
19. ^ Monroy-Hernández, A.; Resnick, M. (March 2008). "Empowering kids to create and share programmable media" (PDF). ACM interactions 15 (2): 50–53. doi:10.1145/1340961.1340974.
20. ^ Monroy-Hernandez, Andres; Hill, Benjamin Mako; Gonzalez-Rivero, Jazmin; Boyd, Danah (2011). "Computers Can't Give Credit: How Automatic Attribution Falls Short in an Online Remixing Community" (PDF). Proceedings of the 29th International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '11). ACM. pp. 3421–30. doi:10.1145/1978942.1979452.
22. ^ "Traffic and Demographic Statistics by Quantcast". Quantcast. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
23. ^ "Scratch Statistics". Scratch. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
24. ^ "Scratch". Scratch (in Portuguese).
25. ^ "Scratch". Scratch (in Arabic). Retrieved 25 January 2014.
26. ^ "Prix Ars Electronica". Ars Electronica. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
27. ^ "ScratchEd". ScratchEd. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
28. ^ "Scratch Extension Protocol (2.0)". MIT.
30. ^ "Updated Scratch 2 Offline Editor". Scratch Announcement homepage. MIT.
32. ^ "Blocks". Scratch Wiki.
33. ^ "BYOB homepage". University of California, Berkeley.
34. ^ Mönig, Jens (June 2007). "Jens on Scratch". Scratch. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
35. ^ "Mönig's blog post announcing BYOB as bringing protypal inheritance to Scratch". Chirp. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
36. ^ "HomePage for Brian Harvey". Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
37. ^ Harvey, Brian (July 2008). "Brian Harvey user contributions page". Scratch. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
38. ^ "The Beauty and Joy of Computing course homepage". EECS Instructional Support Group Home Page. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
39. ^ "We're seeking contributors to help finish our HTML5 Scratch player (now open sourced!)". Scratch. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
40. ^ Slany, Wolfgang; Koitz, Roxane: "Using Catrobat, a Scratch-like visual programming language for smartphones, in a middle school physics course", SPLASH Portland 2014.
41. ^ Catrobat developer site.
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Uranus Uranus symbol.svg
Uranus as seen by Voyager 2
Uranus as a featureless disc photographed
by Voyager 2 in 1986
Discovered by William Herschel
Discovery date March 13, 1781
Adjectives Uranian
Orbital characteristics[3][a]
Epoch J2000
Aphelion 20.095371 AU
(3006224700 km)
Perihelion 18.283135 AU
(2735118100 km)
19.189253 AU
(2870671400 km)
Eccentricity 0.047220087
• 84.016846 yr
• 30687.15 d[4]
• 42718 [[Uranus [[solar days[5]
369.66 days[6]
6.80 km/s[6]
Inclination 0.772556° to ecliptic
6.48° to Sun's equator
1.02° to invariable plane[7]
Known satellites 27
Physical characteristics
Mean radius
25362±7 km[8][b]
Equatorial radius
25559±4 km
4.007 Earths[8][b]
Polar radius
24973±20 km
3.929 Earths[8][b]
Flattening 0.0229±0.0008[c]
Circumference 159354.1 km[4]
8.1156×109 km2[4][b]
15.91 Earths
Volume 6.833×1013 km3[6][b]
63.086 Earths
(8.6810±0.0013)×1025 kg
14.536 Earths[9]
GM=5793939±13 [[km3/s2
Mean density
1.27 g/cm3[6][b]
8.69 m/s2[6][b]
0.886 g
21.3 km/s[6][b]
0.71833 d (Retrograde)
17 h 14 min 24 s[8]
Equatorial rotation velocity
2.59 km/s
9,320 km/h
North pole right ascension
17h 9m 15s
North pole declination
0.300 (Bond)
0.51 (geom.)[6]
Surface temp. min mean max
bar level[10] 76 K (−197.2 °C)
0.1 bar
49 K 53 K 57 K
5.9[12] to 5.32[6]
3.3″ to 4.1″[6]
27.7 km[6]
Composition by volume
(Below 1.3 bar)
83 ± 3% hydrogen
15 ± 3% helium
2.3% methane
0.009% (0.007–0.015%) hydrogen deuteride[15]
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It has the third-largest planetary radius and fourth-largest planetary mass in the Solar System. Uranus is similar in composition to Neptune, and both have different bulk chemical composition from that of the larger gas giants Jupiter and Saturn. Therefore, astronomers increasingly place them in a separate category called "ice giants". Uranus's atmosphere, although similar to Jupiter's and Saturn's in its primary composition of hydrogen and helium, contains more "ices", such as water, ammonia, and methane, along with traces of other hydrocarbons.[11] It is the coldest planetary atmosphere in the Solar System, with a minimum temperature of 49 K (−224.2 °C), and has a complex, layered cloud structure, with water thought to make up the lowest clouds, and methane the uppermost layer of clouds.[11] The interior of Uranus is mainly composed of ices and rock.[10]
Uranus is the only planet whose name is derived from a figure from Greek mythology rather than Roman mythology, from the Latinized version of the Greek god of the sky, Ouranos. Like the other giant planets, Uranus has a ring system, a magnetosphere, and numerous moons. The Uranian system has a unique configuration among those of the planets because its axis of rotation is tilted sideways, nearly into the plane of its revolution about the Sun. Its north and south poles therefore lie where most other planets have their equators.[16] In 1986, images from Voyager 2 showed Uranus as an almost featureless planet in visible light, without the cloud bands or storms associated with the other giant planets.[16] Observations from Earth have shown seasonal change and increased weather activity as Uranus approached its equinox in 2007. The wind speeds on Uranus can reach 250 metres per second (900 km/h, 560 mph).[17]
Though Uranus is visible to the naked eye like the five classical planets, it was never recognized as a planet by ancient observers because of its dimness and slow orbit.[18] Sir William Herschel announced its discovery on March 13, 1781, expanding the known boundaries of the Solar System for the first time in history. Uranus was the first planet discovered with a telescope.
William Herschel, discoverer of Uranus
Sir William Herschel observed Uranus on March 13, 1781 from the garden of his house at 19 New King Street in Bath, Somerset, England (now the Herschel Museum of Astronomy),[21] and initially reported it (on April 26, 1781) as a comet.[22] Herschel "engaged in a series of observations on the parallax of the fixed stars",[23] using a telescope of his own design.
Replica of the telescope used by Herschel to discover Uranus
Although Herschel continued to describe his new object as a comet, other astronomers had already begun to suspect otherwise. Russian astronomer Anders Johan Lexell was the first to compute the orbit of the new object[28] and its nearly circular orbit led him to a conclusion that it was a planet rather than a comet. Berlin astronomer Johann Elert Bode described Herschel's discovery as "a moving star that can be deemed a hitherto unknown planet-like object circulating beyond the orbit of Saturn".[29] Bode concluded that its near-circular orbit was more like a planet than a comet.[30]
Maskelyne asked Herschel to "do the astronomical world the faver [sic] to give a name to your planet, which is entirely your own, [and] which we are so much obliged to you for the discovery of".[33] In response to Maskelyne's request, Herschel decided to name the object Georgium Sidus (George's Star), or the "Georgian Planet" in honour of his new patron, King George III.[34] He explained this decision in a letter to Joseph Banks:[31]
Herschel's proposed name was not popular outside Britain, and alternatives were soon proposed. Astronomer Jérôme Lalande proposed that it be named Herschel in honour of its discoverer.[35] Swedish astronomer Erik Prosperin proposed the name Neptune, which was supported by other astronomers who liked the idea to commemorate the victories of the British Royal Naval fleet in the course of the American Revolutionary War by calling the new planet even Neptune George III or Neptune Great Britain.[28] Bode opted for Uranus, the Latinized version of the Greek god of the sky, Ouranos. Bode argued that just as Saturn was the father of Jupiter, the new planet should be named after the father of Saturn.[32][36][37] In 1789, Bode's Royal Academy colleague Martin Klaproth named his newly discovered element uranium in support of Bode's choice.[38] Ultimately, Bode's suggestion became the most widely used, and became universal in 1850 when HM Nautical Almanac Office, the final holdout, switched from using Georgium Sidus to Uranus.[36]
Uranus is named after the ancient Greek deity of the sky Uranus (Ancient Greek: Οὐρανός), the father of Cronus (Saturn) and grandfather of Zeus (Jupiter), which in Latin became "Ūranus".[1] It is the only planet whose name is derived from a figure from Greek mythology. The adjective of Uranus is "Uranian".[39] The pronunciation of the name Uranus preferred among astronomers is /ˈjʊərənəs/,[2] with stress on the first syllable as in Latin Ūranus, in contrast to the colloquial /jʊˈrnəs/, with stress on the second syllable and a long a, though both are considered acceptable.[e]
Uranus has two astronomical symbols. The first to be proposed, ♅,[f] was suggested by Lalande in 1784. In a letter to Herschel, Lalande described it as "un globe surmonté par la première lettre de votre nom" ("a globe surmounted by the first letter of your surname").[35] A later proposal, ⛢,[g] is a hybrid of the symbols for Mars and the Sun because Uranus was the Sky in Greek mythology, which was thought to be dominated by the combined powers of the Sun and Mars.[40] In Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese, its name is literally translated as the "sky king star" (天王星).[41][42][43][44]
Orbit and rotation
Uranus orbits the Sun once every 84 Earth years. Its average distance from the Sun is roughly 3 billion km (about 20 AU). The variation of that distance is greater than that of any other planet, at 1.8 AU.[45] The intensity of sunlight reduces quadratically with distance, and therefore on Uranus, at about 20 times the distance from the Sun compared to Earth, it is about 1/400 the intensity of light on Earth.[46] Its orbital elements were first calculated in 1783 by Pierre-Simon Laplace.[47] With time, discrepancies began to appear between the predicted and observed orbits, and in 1841, John Couch Adams first proposed that the differences might be due to the gravitational tug of an unseen planet. In 1845, Urbain Le Verrier began his own independent research into Uranus's orbit. On September 23, 1846, Johann Gottfried Galle located a new planet, later named Neptune, at nearly the position predicted by Le Verrier.[48]
The rotational period of the interior of Uranus is 17 hours, 14 minutes, clockwise (retrograde). As on all giant planets, its upper atmosphere experiences strong winds in the direction of rotation. At some latitudes, such as about 60 degrees south, visible features of the atmosphere move much faster, making a full rotation in as little as 14 hours.[49]
Axial tilt
Uranus has an axial tilt of 97.77°, so its axis of rotation is approximately parallel with the plane of the Solar System. This gives it seasonal changes completely unlike those of the other major planets. Other planets can be visualized to rotate like tilted spinning tops on the plane of the Solar System, but Uranus rotates more like a tilted rolling ball. Near the time of Uranian solstices, one pole faces the Sun continuously and the other one faces away. Only a narrow strip around the equator experiences a rapid day–night cycle, but with the Sun low over the horizon as in Earth's polar regions. At the other side of Uranus's orbit the orientation of the poles towards the Sun is reversed. Each pole gets around 42 years of continuous sunlight, followed by 42 years of darkness.[50] Near the time of the equinoxes, the Sun faces the equator of Uranus giving a period of day–night cycles similar to those seen on most of the other planets. Uranus reached its most recent equinox on December 7, 2007.[51][52]
Northern hemisphere Year Southern hemisphere
Winter solstice 1902, 1986 Summer solstice
Vernal equinox 1923, 2007 Autumnal equinox
Summer solstice 1944, 2028 Winter solstice
Autumnal equinox 1965, 2049 Vernal equinox
One result of this axis orientation is that, averaged over the Uranian year, the polar regions of Uranus receive a greater energy input from the Sun than its equatorial regions. Nevertheless, Uranus is hotter at its equator than at its poles. The underlying mechanism that causes this is unknown. The reason for Uranus's unusual axial tilt is also not known with certainty, but the usual speculation is that during the formation of the Solar System, an Earth-sized protoplanet collided with Uranus, causing the skewed orientation.[53] Uranus's south pole was pointed almost directly at the Sun at the time of Voyager 2's flyby in 1986. The labelling of this pole as "south" uses the definition currently endorsed by the International Astronomical Union, namely that the north pole of a planet or satellite is the pole that points above the invariable plane of the Solar System, regardless of the direction the planet is spinning.[54][55] A different convention is sometimes used, in which a body's north and south poles are defined according to the right-hand rule in relation to the direction of rotation.[56] In terms of this system it was Uranus's north pole that was in sunlight in 1986.
Internal structure
Size comparison of Earth and Uranus
Diagram of the interior of Uranus
Uranus's mass is roughly 14.5 times that of Earth, making it the least massive of the giant planets. Its diameter is slightly larger than Neptune's at roughly four times that of Earth. A resulting density of 1.27 g/cm3 makes Uranus the second least dense planet, after Saturn.[8][9] This value indicates that it is made primarily of various ices, such as water, ammonia, and methane.[10] The total mass of ice in Uranus's interior is not precisely known, because different figures emerge depending on the model chosen; it must be between 9.3 and 13.5 Earth masses.[10][58] Hydrogen and helium constitute only a small part of the total, with between 0.5 and 1.5 Earth masses.[10] The remainder of the non-ice mass (0.5 to 3.7 Earth masses) is accounted for by rocky material.[10]
The standard model of Uranus's structure is that it consists of three layers: a rocky (silicate/iron–nickel) core in the centre, an icy mantle in the middle and an outer gaseous hydrogen/helium envelope.[10][59] The core is relatively small, with a mass of only 0.55 Earth masses and a radius less than 20% of Uranus's; the mantle comprises its bulk, with around 13.4 Earth masses, and the upper atmosphere is relatively insubstantial, weighing about 0.5 Earth masses and extending for the last 20% of Uranus's radius.[10][59] Uranus's core density is around 9 g/cm3, with a pressure in the center of 8 million bars (800 GPa) and a temperature of about 5000 K.[58][59] The ice mantle is not in fact composed of ice in the conventional sense, but of a hot and dense fluid consisting of water, ammonia and other volatiles.[10][59] This fluid, which has a high electrical conductivity, is sometimes called a water–ammonia ocean.[60]
According to research conducted at the University of California, Berkeley, the extreme pressure and temperature deep within Uranus may break up the methane molecules, with the carbon atoms condensing into crystals of diamond that rain down through the mantle like hailstones.[61] Very-high-pressure experiments at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory suggest that the base of the mantle may comprise an ocean of liquid diamond, with floating solid 'diamond-bergs'.[62][63]
Internal heat
Uranus's internal heat appears markedly lower than that of the other giant planets; in astronomical terms, it has a low thermal flux.[17][65] Why Uranus's internal temperature is so low is still not understood. Neptune, which is Uranus's near twin in size and composition, radiates 2.61 times as much energy into space as it receives from the Sun,[17] but Uranus radiates hardly any excess heat at all. The total power radiated by Uranus in the far infrared (i.e. heat) part of the spectrum is 1.06 ± 0.08 times the solar energy absorbed in its atmosphere.[11][66] Uranus's heat flux is only 0.042 ± 0.047 W/m2, which is lower than the internal heat flux of Earth of about 0.075 W/m2.[66] The lowest temperature recorded in Uranus's tropopause is 49 K (−224 °C), making Uranus the coldest planet in the Solar System.[11][66]
One of the hypotheses for this discrepancy suggests that when Uranus was hit by a supermassive impactor, which caused it to expel most of its primordial heat, it was left with a depleted core temperature.[67] Another hypothesis is that some form of barrier exists in Uranus's upper layers that prevents the core's heat from reaching the surface.[10] For example, convection may take place in a set of compositionally different layers, which may inhibit the upward heat transport;[11][66] perhaps double diffusive convection is a limiting factor.[10]
Main article: Atmosphere of Uranus
Although there is no well-defined solid surface within Uranus's interior, the outermost part of Uranus's gaseous envelope that is accessible to remote sensing is called its atmosphere.[11] Remote-sensing capability extends down to roughly 300 km below the 1 bar (100 kPa) level, with a corresponding pressure around 100 bar (10 MPa) and temperature of 320 K.[68] The tenuous corona of the atmosphere extends over two planetary radii from the nominal surface, which is defined to lie at a pressure of 1 bar.[69] The Uranian atmosphere can be divided into three layers: the troposphere, between altitudes of −300 and 50 km and pressures from 100 to 0.1 bar (10 MPa to 10 kPa); the stratosphere, spanning altitudes between 50 and 4000 km and pressures of between 0.1 and 10−10 bar (10 kPa to 10 µPa); and the thermosphere/corona extending from 4,000 km to as high as 50,000 km from the surface.[11] There is no mesosphere.
The composition of Uranus's atmosphere is different from its bulk, consisting mainly of molecular hydrogen and helium.[11] The helium molar fraction, i.e. the number of helium atoms per molecule of gas, is 0.15 ± 0.03[14] in the upper troposphere, which corresponds to a mass fraction 0.26 ± 0.05.[11][66] This value is close to the protosolar helium mass fraction of 0.275 ± 0.01,[70] indicating that helium has not settled in its centre as it has in the gas giants.[11] The third-most-abundant component in Uranus's atmosphere is methane (CH4).[11] Methane has prominent absorption bands in the visible and near-infrared (IR), making Uranus aquamarine or cyan in colour.[11] Methane molecules account for 2.3% of the atmosphere by molar fraction below the methane cloud deck at the pressure level of 1.3 bar (130 kPa); this represents about 20 to 30 times the carbon abundance found in the Sun.[11][13][71] The mixing ratio[h] is much lower in the upper atmosphere due to its extremely low temperature, which lowers the saturation level and causes excess methane to freeze out.[72] The abundances of less volatile compounds such as ammonia, water, and hydrogen sulfide in the deep atmosphere are poorly known. They are probably also higher than solar values.[11][73] Along with methane, trace amounts of various hydrocarbons are found in the stratosphere of Uranus, which are thought to be produced from methane by photolysis induced by the solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation.[74] They include ethane (C2H6), acetylene (C2H2), methylacetylene (CH3C2H), and diacetylene (C2HC2H).[72][75][76] Spectroscopy has also uncovered traces of water vapor, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide in the upper atmosphere, which can only originate from an external source such as infalling dust and comets.[75][76][77]
The troposphere is the lowest and densest part of the atmosphere and is characterized by a decrease in temperature with altitude.[11] The temperature falls from about 320 K at the base of the nominal troposphere at −300 km to 53 K at 50 km.[68][71] The temperatures in the coldest upper region of the troposphere (the tropopause) actually vary in the range between 49 and 57 K depending on planetary latitude.[11][65] The tropopause region is responsible for the vast majority of Uranus's thermal far infrared emissions, thus determining its effective temperature of 59.1 ± 0.3 K.[65][66]
Upper atmosphere
The middle layer of the Uranian atmosphere is the stratosphere, where temperature generally increases with altitude from 53 K in the tropopause to between 800 and 850 K at the base of the thermosphere.[69] The heating of the stratosphere is caused by absorption of solar UV and IR radiation by methane and other hydrocarbons,[79] which form in this part of the atmosphere as a result of methane photolysis.[74] Heat is also conducted from the hot thermosphere.[79] The hydrocarbons occupy a relatively narrow layer at altitudes of between 100 and 300 km corresponding to a pressure range of 10 to 0.1 mbar (1000 to 10 kPa) and temperatures of between 75 and 170 K.[72][75] The most abundant hydrocarbons are methane, acetylene and ethane with mixing ratios of around 10−7 relative to hydrogen. The mixing ratio of carbon monoxide is similar at these altitudes.[72][75][77] Heavier hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide have mixing ratios three orders of magnitude lower.[75] The abundance ratio of water is around 7×109.[76] Ethane and acetylene tend to condense in the colder lower part of stratosphere and tropopause (below 10 mBar level) forming haze layers,[74] which may be partly responsible for the bland appearance of Uranus. The concentration of hydrocarbons in the Uranian stratosphere above the haze is significantly lower than in the stratospheres of the other giant planets.[72][80]
The outermost layer of the Uranian atmosphere is the thermosphere and corona, which has a uniform temperature around 800 to 850 K.[11][80] The heat sources necessary to sustain such a high level are not understood, as neither the solar UV nor the auroral activity can provide the necessary energy to maintain these temperatures. The weak cooling efficiency due to the lack of hydrocarbons in the stratosphere above 0.1 mBar pressure level may contribute too.[69][80] In addition to molecular hydrogen, the thermosphere-corona contains many free hydrogen atoms. Their small mass and high temperatures explain why the corona extends as far as 50 000 km, or two Uranian radii, from its surface.[69][80] This extended corona is a unique feature of Uranus.[80] Its effects include a drag on small particles orbiting Uranus, causing a general depletion of dust in the Uranian rings.[69] The Uranian thermosphere, together with the upper part of the stratosphere, corresponds to the ionosphere of Uranus.[71] Observations show that the ionosphere occupies altitudes from 2 000 to 10 000 km.[71] The Uranian ionosphere is denser than that of either Saturn or Neptune, which may arise from the low concentration of hydrocarbons in the stratosphere.[80][81] The ionosphere is mainly sustained by solar UV radiation and its density depends on the solar activity.[82] Auroral activity is insignificant as compared to Jupiter and Saturn.[80][83]
Planetary rings
Main article: Rings of Uranus
In December 2005, the Hubble Space Telescope detected a pair of previously unknown rings. The largest is located twice as far from Uranus as the previously known rings. These new rings are so far from Uranus that they are called the "outer" ring system. Hubble also spotted two small satellites, one of which, Mab, shares its orbit with the outermost newly discovered ring. The new rings bring the total number of Uranian rings to 13.[89] In April 2006, images of the new rings from the Keck Observatory yielded the colours of the outer rings: the outermost is blue and the other one red.[90][91] One hypothesis concerning the outer ring's blue colour is that it is composed of minute particles of water ice from the surface of Mab that are small enough to scatter blue light.[90][92] In contrast, Uranus's inner rings appear grey.[90]
Voyager's observations revealed that Uranus's magnetic field is peculiar, both because it does not originate from its geometric centre, and because it is tilted at 59° from the axis of rotation.[93][94] In fact the magnetic dipole is shifted from the Uranus's center towards the south rotational pole by as much as one third of the planetary radius.[93] This unusual geometry results in a highly asymmetric magnetosphere, where the magnetic field strength on the surface in the southern hemisphere can be as low as 0.1 gauss (10 µT), whereas in the northern hemisphere it can be as high as 1.1 gauss (110 µT).[93] The average field at the surface is 0.23 gauss (23 µT).[93] In comparison, the magnetic field of Earth is roughly as strong at either pole, and its "magnetic equator" is roughly parallel with its geographical equator.[94] The dipole moment of Uranus is 50 times that of Earth.[93][94] Neptune has a similarly displaced and tilted magnetic field, suggesting that this may be a common feature of ice giants.[94] One hypothesis is that, unlike the magnetic fields of the terrestrial and gas giants, which are generated within their cores, the ice giants' magnetic fields are generated by motion at relatively shallow depths, for instance, in the water–ammonia ocean.[60][95] Another possible explanation for the magnetosphere's alignment is that there are oceans of liquid diamond in Uranus's interior that would deter the magnetic field.[96]
Despite its curious alignment, in other respects the Uranian magnetosphere is like those of other planets: it has a bow shock at about 23 Uranian radii ahead of it, a magnetopause at 18 Uranian radii, a fully developed magnetotail, and radiation belts.[93][94][97] Overall, the structure of Uranus's magnetosphere is different from Jupiter's and more similar to Saturn's.[93][94] Uranus's magnetotail trails behind it into space for millions of kilometres and is twisted by its sideways rotation into a long corkscrew.[93][98]
Uranus's magnetosphere contains charged particles: mainly protons and electrons, with a small amount of H2+ ions.[94][97] No heavier ions have been detected. Many of these particles probably derive from the hot atmospheric corona.[97] The ion and electron energies can be as high as 4 and 1.2 megaelectronvolts, respectively.[97] The density of low-energy (below 1 kiloelectronvolt) ions in the inner magnetosphere is about 2 cm−3.[99] The particle population is strongly affected by the Uranian moons, which sweep through the magnetosphere, leaving noticeable gaps.[97] The particle flux is high enough to cause darkening or space weathering of their surfaces on an astronomically rapid timescale of 100,000 years.[97] This may be the cause of the uniformly dark colouration of the Uranian satellites and rings.[85] Uranus has relatively well developed aurorae, which are seen as bright arcs around both magnetic poles.[80] Unlike Jupiter's, Uranus's aurorae seem to be insignificant for the energy balance of the planetary thermosphere.[83]
Main article: Climate of Uranus
Banded structure, winds and clouds
In 1986, Voyager 2 found that the visible southern hemisphere of Uranus can be subdivided into two regions: a bright polar cap and dark equatorial bands.[16] Their boundary is located at about −45° of latitude. A narrow band straddling the latitudinal range from −45 to −50° is the brightest large feature on its visible surface.[16][101] It is called a southern "collar". The cap and collar are thought to be a dense region of methane clouds located within the pressure range of 1.3 to 2 bar (see above).[102] Besides the large-scale banded structure, Voyager 2 observed ten small bright clouds, most lying several degrees to the north from the collar.[16] In all other respects Uranus looked like a dynamically dead planet in 1986. Voyager 2 arrived during the height of Uranus's southern summer and could not observe the northern hemisphere. At the beginning of the 21st century, when the northern polar region came into view, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Keck telescope initially observed neither a collar nor a polar cap in the northern hemisphere.[101] So Uranus appeared to be asymmetric: bright near the south pole and uniformly dark in the region north of the southern collar.[101] In 2007, when Uranus passed its equinox, the southern collar almost disappeared, and a faint northern collar emerged near 45° of latitude.[103]
In the 1990s, the number of the observed bright cloud features grew considerably partly because new high-resolution imaging techniques became available.[17] Most were found in the northern hemisphere as it started to become visible.[17] An early explanation—that bright clouds are easier to identify in its dark part, whereas in the southern hemisphere the bright collar masks them – was shown to be incorrect.[104][105] Nevertheless there are differences between the clouds of each hemisphere. The northern clouds are smaller, sharper and brighter.[105] They appear to lie at a higher altitude.[105] The lifetime of clouds spans several orders of magnitude. Some small clouds live for hours; at least one southern cloud may have persisted since the Voyager flyby.[17][100] Recent observation also discovered that cloud features on Uranus have a lot in common with those on Neptune.[17] For example, the dark spots common on Neptune had never been observed on Uranus before 2006, when the first such feature dubbed Uranus Dark Spot was imaged.[106] The speculation is that Uranus is becoming more Neptune-like during its equinoctial season.[107]
Seasonal variation
For a short period from March to May 2004, large clouds appeared in the Uranian atmosphere, giving it a Neptune-like appearance.[105][109] Observations included record-breaking wind speeds of 229 m/s (824 km/h) and a persistent thunderstorm referred to as "Fourth of July fireworks".[100] On August 23, 2006, researchers at the Space Science Institute (Boulder, Colorado) and the University of Wisconsin observed a dark spot on Uranus's surface, giving astronomers more insight into Uranus's atmospheric activity.[106] Why this sudden upsurge in activity occurred is not fully known, but it appears that Uranus's extreme axial tilt results in extreme seasonal variations in its weather.[52][107] Determining the nature of this seasonal variation is difficult because good data on Uranus's atmosphere have existed for less than 84 years, or one full Uranian year. Photometry over the course of half a Uranian year (beginning in the 1950s) has shown regular variation in the brightness in two spectral bands, with maxima occurring at the solstices and minima occurring at the equinoxes.[110] A similar periodic variation, with maxima at the solstices, has been noted in microwave measurements of the deep troposphere begun in the 1960s.[111] Stratospheric temperature measurements beginning in the 1970s also showed maximum values near the 1986 solstice.[79] The majority of this variability is believed to occur owing to changes in the viewing geometry.[104]
There are some reasons to believe that physical seasonal changes are happening in Uranus. Although Uranus is known to have a bright south polar region, the north pole is fairly dim, which is incompatible with the model of the seasonal change outlined above.[107] During its previous northern solstice in 1944, Uranus displayed elevated levels of brightness, which suggests that the north pole was not always so dim.[110] This information implies that the visible pole brightens some time before the solstice and darkens after the equinox.[107] Detailed analysis of the visible and microwave data revealed that the periodical changes of brightness are not completely symmetrical around the solstices, which also indicates a change in the meridional albedo patterns.[107] In the 1990s, as Uranus moved away from its solstice, Hubble and ground-based telescopes revealed that the south polar cap darkened noticeably (except the southern collar, which remained bright),[102] whereas the northern hemisphere demonstrated increasing activity,[100] such as cloud formations and stronger winds, bolstering expectations that it should brighten soon.[105] This indeed happened in 2007 when it passed an equinox: a faint northern polar collar arose, and the southern collar became nearly invisible, although the zonal wind profile remained slightly asymmetric, with northern winds being somewhat slower than southern.[103]
The mechanism of these physical changes is still not clear.[107] Near the summer and winter solstices, Uranus's hemispheres lie alternately either in full glare of the Sun's rays or facing deep space. The brightening of the sunlit hemisphere is thought to result from the local thickening of the methane clouds and haze layers located in the troposphere.[102] The bright collar at −45° latitude is also connected with methane clouds.[102] Other changes in the southern polar region can be explained by changes in the lower cloud layers.[102] The variation of the microwave emission from Uranus is probably caused by changes in the deep tropospheric circulation, because thick polar clouds and haze may inhibit convection.[112] Now that the spring and autumn equinoxes are arriving on Uranus, the dynamics are changing and convection can occur again.[100][112]
Many argue that the differences between the ice giants and the gas giants extend to their formation.[113][114] The Solar System is believed to have formed from a giant rotating ball of gas and dust known as the presolar nebula. Much of the nebula's gas, primarily hydrogen and helium, formed the Sun, and the dust grains collected together to form the first protoplanets. As the planets grew, some of them eventually accreted enough matter for their gravity to hold on to the nebula's leftover gas.[113][114] The more gas they held onto, the larger they became; the larger they became, the more gas they held onto until a critical point was reached, and their size began to increase exponentially. The ice giants, with only a few Earth masses of nebular gas, never reached that critical point.[113][114][115] Recent simulations of planetary migration have suggested that both ice giants formed closer to the Sun than their present positions, and moved outwards after formation (the Nice model).[113]
Main article: Moons of Uranus
The Uranus System (NACO/VLT image)
Uranus has 27 known natural satellites.[115] The names of these satellites are chosen from characters in the works of Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.[59][116] The five main satellites are Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon.[59] The Uranian satellite system is the least massive among those of the giant planets; the combined mass of the five major satellites would be less than half that of Triton (largest moon of Neptune) alone.[9] The largest of Uranus's satellites, Titania, has a radius of only 788.9 km, or less than half that of the Moon, but slightly more than Rhea, the second-largest satellite of Saturn, making Titania the eighth-largest moon in the Solar System. Uranus's satellites have relatively low albedos; ranging from 0.20 for Umbriel to 0.35 for Ariel (in green light).[16] They are ice–rock conglomerates composed of roughly 50% ice and 50% rock. The ice may include ammonia and carbon dioxide.[85][117]
Among the Uranian satellites, Ariel appears to have the youngest surface with the fewest impact craters and Umbriel's the oldest.[16][85] Miranda possesses fault canyons 20 kilometres deep, terraced layers, and a chaotic variation in surface ages and features.[16] Miranda's past geologic activity is believed to have been driven by tidal heating at a time when its orbit was more eccentric than currently, probably as a result of a former 3:1 orbital resonance with Umbriel.[118] Extensional processes associated with upwelling diapirs are the likely origin of Miranda's 'racetrack'-like coronae.[119][120] Ariel is believed to have once been held in a 4:1 resonance with Titania.[121]
Uranus has at least one horseshoe orbiter occupying the Sun–Uranus L3 Lagrangian point—a gravitationally unstable region at 180º in its orbit, 83982 Crantor.[122][123] Crantor moves inside Uranus's co-orbital region on a complex, temporary horseshoe orbit. 2010 EU65 is also a promising Uranus horseshoe librator candidate.[123]
Main article: Exploration of Uranus
Crescent Uranus as imaged by Voyager 2 while en route to Neptune
In 1986, NASA's Voyager 2 interplanetary probe encountered Uranus. This flyby remains the only investigation of Uranus carried out from a short distance and no other visits are planned. Launched in 1977, Voyager 2 made its closest approach to Uranus on January 24, 1986, coming within 81,500 kilometres of the cloudtops, before continuing its journey to Neptune. Voyager 2 studied the structure and chemical composition of Uranus's atmosphere,[71] including its unique weather, caused by its axial tilt of 97.77°. It made the first detailed investigations of its five largest moons and discovered 10 new ones. It examined all nine of the system's known rings and discovered two more.[16][85][124] It also studied the magnetic field, its irregular structure, its tilt and its unique corkscrew magnetotail caused by Uranus's sideways orientation.[93]
The possibility of sending the Cassini spacecraft from Saturn to Uranus was evaluated during a mission extension planning phase in 2009.[125] It would take about twenty years to get to the Uranian system after departing Saturn.[125] A Uranus orbiter and probe was recommended by the 2013–2022 Planetary Science Decadal Survey published in 2011; the proposal envisages launch during 2020–2023 and a 13-year cruise to Uranus.[126] A Uranus entry probe could use Pioneer Venus Multiprobe heritage and descend to 1–5 atmospheres.[126] The ESA evaluated a "medium-class" mission called Uranus Pathfinder.[127] A New Frontiers Uranus Orbiter has been evaluated and recommended in the study, The Case for a Uranus Orbiter.[128] Such a mission is aided by the ease with which a relatively big mass can be sent to the system—over 1500 kg with an Atlas 521 and 12-year journey.[129] For more concepts see Proposed Uranus missions.
In culture
In astrology, the planet Uranus (Uranus's astrological symbol.svg) is the ruling planet of Aquarius. Because Uranus is cyan and Uranus is associated with electricity, the colour electric blue, which is close to cyan, is associated with the sign Aquarius[130] (see Uranus in astrology).
See also
1. ^ Orbital elements refer to the Uranus barycentre and Solar System Barycentre. They are the instantaneous osculating values at the precise J2000 epoch. Barycentre quantities are given because, in contrast to the planetary centre, they do not experience appreciable changes on a day-to-day basis from the motion of the moons.
3. ^ Yeomans, Donald K. "HORIZONS Web-Interface for Uranus Barycenter (Major Body=7)". JPL Horizons On-Line Ephemeris System. Retrieved July 18, 2014. — Select "Ephemeris Type: Orbital Elements", "Time Span: 2000-01-01 12:00 to 2000-01-02". ("Target Body: Uranus Barycenter" and "Center: Solar System Barycenter (@0)".)
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Williams, Dr. David R. (January 31, 2005). "Uranus Fact Sheet". NASA. Retrieved August 10, 2007.
15. ^ Feuchtgruber, H.; Lellouch, E.; Bézard, B.; Encrenaz, Th.; de Graauw, Th.; Davis, G. R. (1999). "Detection of HD in the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune: a new determination of the D/H ratio". Astronomy and Astrophysics 341: L17–L21. Bibcode:1999A&A...341L..17F.
19. ^ René Bourtembourg (2013). "Was Uranus Observed by Hipparchos?" (PDF). Journal for the History of Astronomy 44: 377–387. doi:10.1177/002182861304400401.
28. ^ a b Lexell, A. J. (1783). "Recherches sur la nouvelle planete, decouverte par M. Herschel & nominee Georgium Sidus". Acta Academia Scientarum Imperialis Petropolitanae (1): 303–329.
30. ^ Miner, p. 11
31. ^ a b Dreyer, J. L. E., (1912). The Scientific Papers of Sir William Herschel 1. Royal Society and Royal Astronomical Society. p. 100. ISBN 1-84371-022-6.
32. ^ a b Miner, p. 12
34. ^ "Voyager at Uranus". Nasa Jpl 7 (85): 400–268. 1986. Archived from the original on February 10, 2006.
35. ^ a b Herschel, Francisca (1917). "The meaning of the symbol H+o for the planet Uranus". The Observatory (The Observatory) 40: 306. Bibcode:1917Obs....40..306H.
44. ^ "Asian Astronomy 101". Hamilton Amateur Astronomers 4 (11). 1997. Retrieved August 5, 2007.
46. ^ "Next Stop Uranus". 1986. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
48. ^ O'Connor, J J. and Robertson, E. F. (1996). "Mathematical discovery of planets". Retrieved June 13, 2007.
49. ^ Gierasch, Peter J. and Nicholson, Philip D. (2004). "Uranus" (PDF). World Book. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
74. ^ a b c Summers, M. E.; Strobel, D. F. (November 1, 1989). "Photochemistry of the atmosphere of Uranus". The Astrophysical Journal 346: 495–508. Bibcode:1989ApJ...346..495S. doi:10.1086/168031. ISSN 0004-637X. edit
102. ^ a b c d e Rages, K. A.; Hammel, H. B.; Friedson, A. J. (11 September 2004). "Evidence for temporal change at Uranus' south pole". Icarus 172 (2): 548–554. Bibcode:2004Icar..172..548R. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2004.07.009. edit
103. ^ a b Sromovsky, L. A.; Fry, P. M.; Hammel, H. B.; Ahue, W. M.; de Pater, I.; Rages, K. A.; Showalter, M. R.; van Dam, M. A. (September 2009). "Uranus at equinox: Cloud morphology and dynamics". Icarus 203 (1): 265–286. Bibcode:2009Icar..203..265S. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2009.04.015. edit
104. ^ a b Karkoschka, Erich (May 2001). "Uranus' Apparent Seasonal Variability in 25 HST Filters". Icarus 151 (1): 84–92. Bibcode:2001Icar..151...84K. doi:10.1006/icar.2001.6599. edit
106. ^ a b Sromovsky, L.; Fry, P.;Hammel, H. and Rages, K. "Hubble Discovers a Dark Cloud in the Atmosphere of Uranus" (PDF). Retrieved August 22, 2007.
107. ^ a b c d e f Hammel, H.B.; Lockwood, G.W. (2007). "Long-term atmospheric variability on Uranus and Neptune". Icarus 186: 291–301. Bibcode:2007Icar..186..291H. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2006.08.027.
108. ^ Hammel, H. B.; Rages, K.; Lockwood, G. W.; Karkoschka, E.; de Pater, I. (October 2001). "New Measurements of the Winds of Uranus". Icarus 153 (2): 229–235. Bibcode:2001Icar..153..229H. doi:10.1006/icar.2001.6689. edit
110. ^ a b Lockwood, G. W.; Jerzykiewicz, M. A. A. (February 2006). "Photometric variability of Uranus and Neptune, 1950–2004". Icarus 180 (2): 442–452. Bibcode:2006Icar..180..442L. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2005.09.009. edit
111. ^ Klein, M. J.; Hofstadter, M. D. (September 2006). "Long-term variations in the microwave brightness temperature of the Uranus atmosphere". Icarus 184 (1): 170–180. Bibcode:2006Icar..184..170K. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2006.04.012. edit
112. ^ a b Hofstadter, M. D.; Butler, B. J. (September 2003). "Seasonal change in the deep atmosphere of Uranus". Icarus 165 (1): 168–180. Bibcode:2003Icar..165..168H. doi:10.1016/S0019-1035(03)00174-X. edit
114. ^ a b c Brunini, Adrian; Fernandez, Julio A. (1999). "Numerical simulations of the accretion of Uranus and Neptune". Plan. Space Sci. 47 (5): 591–605. Bibcode:1999P&SS...47..591B. doi:10.1016/S0032-0633(98)00140-8.
116. ^ "Uranus". Retrieved July 3, 2007.
117. ^ Hussmann, Hauke; Sohl, Frank; Spohn, Tilman (2006). "Subsurface oceans and deep interiors of medium-sized outer planet satellites and large trans-neptunian objects". Icarus 185: 258–273. Bibcode:2006Icar..185..258H. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2006.06.005.
121. ^ Tittemore, W. C. (September 1990). "Tidal heating of Ariel". Icarus 87 (1): 110–139. Bibcode:1990Icar...87..110T. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(90)90024-4. edit
122. ^ Gallardo, T. (2006). "Atlas of the mean motion resonances in the Solar System". Icarus 184 (1): 29–38. Bibcode:2006Icar..184...29G. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2006.04.001.
123. ^ a b de la Fuente Marcos, C. and de la Fuente Marcos, R. (2013). "Crantor, a short-lived horseshoe companion to Uranus". Astronomy and Astrophysics 551: A114. arXiv:1301.0770. Bibcode:2013A%26A...551A.114D. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201220646.
125. ^ a b Pappalardo, Bob and Spiker, Linda (2009-03-09). "Cassini Proposed Extended-Extended Mission (XXM)" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-08-20.
128. ^ THE CASE FOR A URANUS ORBITER, Mark Hofstadter et al.
Further reading
External links
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22270
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England, Kent, LatheEdit This Page
From FamilySearch Wiki
Revision as of 14:29, 21 July 2013 by Paynescrossing (Talk | contribs)
A lathe is an ancient administrative subdivision into which Kent was formerly divided. Usually compared to the hundred, each lathe comprised several hundreds.[1]
Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765) describes them thus: "In some counties there is an intermediate division between the shire and the hundreds, as lathes in Kent, and rapes in Sussex." (Vol. 1, p. 116).
1. "lathe" in David Hey (ed.), The Oxford Companion to Family and Local History (2nd ed., 2008, Oxford University Press; ISBN-13: 9780199532988) published to Oxford Reference Online, 2009-2012; eISBN: 9780191735042. Accessed 22 Jul 2013.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22272
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Help:LinksEdit This Page
From FamilySearch Wiki
Revision as of 20:49, 4 June 2013 by Parrisl (Talk | contribs)
Types of links
There are four types of links:
1. Internal links to other pages in the Wiki. These links pertain only to the Wiki. They do not include any other FamilySearch sites.
2. External links to other websites, including other FamilySearch sites
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To switch to the Standard Editor, click on [Disable rich editor].
If you are using the Rich Editor, See Help:Create an internal link and Help:Create an external link for step by step instructions on how to add links to a page.
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To switch to the Rich Editor, click on [Rich Editor].
See Advanced Linking for instructions on how to create links using the "Standard Editor" and Wikitext.
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Don't forget to summarize what you have done so others know the change you've made.
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Example 1:
Page Title: Mennonites
Linking Text: Researching Mennonite Records
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Linking Text: Biographies
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Yes. You do this by typing the title of the non-existing page as your link. This works only for internal links and will display the new page link in red text. When you click on the link, you will be taken to a new page that will not exist until you edit and save it.
Before you use this method to create a new page, search the FamilySearch Wiki to make sure it does not already exist. If you have not already done so, please read the material on the Creating a page page.
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What do the symbols at the end of the External Links mean?
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22287
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Fixed #10833 -- Corrected load_backend so that it actually loads the …
…requested backend, rather than always loading settings.DATABASE_BACKEND. Thanks to Alex Gaynor for the report and fix.
• Loading branch information...
commit f0d75dbe3e7f3715130921214330f088134159cb 1 parent bd8afb1
@freakboy3742 freakboy3742 authored
Showing with 1 addition and 1 deletion.
2 django/db/
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ def load_backend(backend_name):
# Most of the time, the database backend will be one of the official
# backends that ships with Django, so look there first.
- return import_module('.base', 'django.db.backends.%s' % settings.DATABASE_ENGINE)
+ return import_module('.base', 'django.db.backends.%s' % backend_name)
except ImportError, e:
# If the import failed, we might be looking for a database backend
# distributed external to Django. So we'll try that next.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22290
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Google Groups
On Tegmark: Different most-suitable forms of mathematical logic, information, probability, uncertainty across Level III?
Benjamin Udell Apr 20, 2003 12:46 AM
Posted in group: Everything List
I've read Tegmark's Scientific American article, & the related article "Is the 'theory of everything' merely an ensemble theory" at his Website, & they're mind-benders all right.
I notice that he does not mention universes wherein unconventional (for our everyday purposes) forms of logic, information, or probability would hold as most suitable. He does put predicate logic at the base of his mathematical structure. But would variations in suitable logical structure - different numbers of truth values, for instance - be most likely to be found only across Level IV?
More generally, _wouldn't variations in the suitable form of mathematical logic, information, & probability & uncertainty, more plausibly reflect something pertaining to quantum coherence, decoherence, etc., which are at the basis for the idea of Level III, than anything pertaining to the ideas for the other Levels?_ (Not that I know a great deal about quantum coherence!) But Level III seems like the place for such variations, if anywhere. No?
Tegmark does discuss how different lightcone structures (reflecting variation across Level II) would affect one's capacity for inference, but inferential processes in an intelligent system are a different thing than the subjects of mathematical theories of logic, information, probability, & uncertainty. I mean that differences of lightcone structure would affect intelligent (including inferential & other philosophically interesting) processes as they would affect cybernetic, stochastic, & sensitive dynamic processes. But these differences would not necessarily reflect different forms of *mathematical* logic, information, or probability or (more generally) uncertainty.
I don't know whether variation in "most-suitable" forms of math-logic (e.g., different numbers of truth values), math-information, math-probability across a multiverse would tend to lead to the "high-energy messes" that Tegmark mentions. I don't know whether they would lead to qualitatively more universes in Level III than in Level II. It seems to me like they might, but I'm no physicist! Maybe it would amount to a violation of ergodicity as Tegmark warns, but perhaps for some quantum-related reason these particular alternate kinds of universes would be counted differently by the theory.
As for information, probability, & uncertainty, I don't know enough about mathematical theories of them, to know what element in them one might consider as perhaps varying across a multiverse. Sorry, I wish I could do better. As regards three- or higher-valued logics, where these prevail as suitable, there perhaps they would start to impact the view of mathematics itself in strange ways, I don't even know that much. For all I know, if alternate forms of logic, etc., hold as most suitable in some places, maybe this impacts those places' view of the structure of the four-level multiverse itself. Maybe some places would regard there as being nine or 27 rather than four levels? Should predicate logic, if the root of such radical variations, therefore be put, as Tegmark already puts it, at the base of the mathematical structure? (On the other hand, do the four levels have to have a rigidly Comtean hierarchy? They might have some kind of 4-chotomical structure with a subtler kind o
hierarchicality. After all, some consider mathematical logic an applied field while others regard it as Day One 8 a.m.)
What got me asking these questions was that Tegmark's four-level multiverse picture struck me as seeming to reflect, somewhat, a structure of the fields of research as I had pictured them.
If all possible universes exist, & if the idiosyncrasies of histories are reflected at Level I, & the far reaches of abstract mathematics at Level IV, one might well wonder whether there is a reflection, a similarity to be seen, between the set of the four Levels of multiverses & the outlines of the most general kinds of research -- science, mathematics, & intermediate fields. A similarity between multiverse "constellations" & the "city" of research. This would require at the least that researches collectively have developed to a point where their "natural" (unplanned, but persistent & making some kind of sense) outlines could be seen. And of course who knows what multiverse-theory will be like (if it persists at all) in even only a few years. So in a way this is a lark.
I wanted to pursue the analogy, because it seemed to be roughly working for Levels I, II, & IV. Tegmark's III & my "III", if they do roughly match up, are less than obvious about it to me.
Tegmark's multiverse levels:
I. Different initial conditions, different histories.
II. Different constants.
III. Different quantum branches.
IV. Different mathematical laws.
Arrangement of areas of research:
I.. Empirical sciences/studies (from human/social studies to physics).
II. Mechanical/systems/process theoretical research with generalized applicability (e.g., philosophy itself?, cybernetics, statistical mechanics, complex (conditions-sensitive) mechanics).
III. Applied yet mathematically deep fields (math. theories of logic, info., probability, & perhaps some other mathematical theories of uncertainty, like possibility theory).
IV. Pure mathematics.
Actually I tend to put these fields of research in exactly the reverse order, it's become a habit. My habits are a unusual kind of subject, marked as they are by the fact that, about them, I actually know something.
Thank you for your patience, anybody who has read all this, & any responses will be appreciated.
Benjamin Udell,
Lifelong layperson who likes 4-chotomies, reads some philosophy, & enjoys articles on cosmology for the educated public.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22295
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Scoad is a potent Troll beer made from various mountain grown grains, and honey. The beverage is actually quite tastey, but is so strong that most other name-givers (except for Orks) cannot handle it’s potency in quantity. After every mug that any “No’a’ul” (non-Troll) drinks, the drinker must make a Toughness (6) test; Failure means the drinker is completely drunk and suffers a minus 4 step penalty to all action tests, in addition to all defenses being dropped by 4. However, the drinker is now quite happy, as the drink has mild stimulant effects.
Each subsequent mug requires another Toughness test, at a plus 4 increased difficulty per mug. Failure a second time, and the drinker passes out. For whatever reason, perhaps their fondness for Hurlg, Orks are far less effected by this drink than other non-troll races.
(Brad’s note: These rules are made up using the Hurlg notes as a base. The drink is described (not named) in the book Crystal Raiders of Barsaive.)
Heroes Unchained Stilicho
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22339
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Bug#464129: problems with intel dg33bu motherboard and dvd-rom
Package: installation-reports
Boot method: CD rom
Date: today / yesterday
Machine: Intel db33bu motherboard, 2 Gb RAM, DVD/CD rw drive model DH-20A4P,
paralel ATA.
Processor: core 2 duo
Output of lspci -nn and lspci -vnn:
Base System Installation Checklist:
Initial boot: [ x]
Detect network card: [- ]
Configure network: [ ]
Detect CD: [ -]
Load installer modules: [ ]
Detect hard drives: [ ]
Partition hard drives: [ ]
Install base system: [ ]
Clock/timezone setup: [ ]
User/password setup: [ ]
Install tasks: [ ]
Install boot loader: [ ]
Overall install: [ ]
System cannot detect cd-rom. i trying both debian version, stable and
unstable, with many options - pci=nommconf, all-generic-ide, and changed hdd
mode in bios throught native, agci, ide, etc, but results is not changed -
after boot, setting an language, location, then is "detect and mount cd-rom",
and in final - "No common CD_ROM drive was detected " :((
maybe anyone can help me?
Reply to:
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22340
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Bug#2390: pop2d uses flock() mail file locking
Package: netstd
Version: 1.26-1
The source for pop2d reveals it uses flock() to lock mail files, rather than
using the Debian .lock mechanism.
Btw, pop3d appears to be fine. (Does anyone still use pop2?)
Robert Leslie
Reply to:
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22341
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Re: fixhrefgz - tool for converting anchors to gzipped files
: (Anyeay, even fast machines may be unable to run a web server,
: if they need to be secure. Running extra daemons is insecure.)
Running a web-broser on the machine may also be insecure. If
you run a 8Meg binary on the machine anyways what an issue
could 150K for a webserver be?
: > The big issue here is that you want to change an existing
: > very public API (http protocol) to include compression which
: I'm sorry, but you don't know what you're talking about.
I definitely do.
: When a web browser requests the documentation via HTTP, it
: will be uncompressed by the web server. This already works
: fine. No problem at all.
Yes and I would like to keep it that way. As I understand it you
are proposing to make serving documentation through the webserver
very problematic.
: When a web browser reads the documentation directly from disk,
: it needs to understand how to identify .html.gz as HTML, and how
: to uncompress it, so that it can display it. This works (except
: for some versions of Netscape, and that might be fixable). The
: only problem is that the documentation contains links to other
: files. The browsers are not (yet?) capable of understanding
: that when the link is to foo.html, and foo.html doesn't exist,
: that they should look for foo.html.gz instead. Because of this,
: the link must be modified to point at foo.html.gz directly.
If you change the links in order to accomodate the Webbrowsers running
on the machine itself then that will change the files that webserver
can sever to the outside world. They are the same files right? Or
is there a separate /usr/doc for html code for webbrowsers running on
the machine?
Which means in turn that the webservers will be forced by the proposed
approach to serve links with .gz suffixes. This is what I object strongly
against because many web-browswers will not be able to handle those suffixes
without special configuration. The user friendliness of the documentation is gone.
: Being able to read documentation directly without running
: a web server is very important.
So far I cannot discern why.
Please always CC me when replying to posts on mailing lists.
[email protected] .
Trouble? e-mail to [email protected] .
Reply to:
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22342
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Re: the new style "mass tirage" of bugs
John Goerzen writes ("Re: the new style "mass tirage" of bugs"):
> Here's the thing. If bugs I submit actually get looked at by a human, and
> humans are fixing a reasonable percentage of bugs submitted, I don't mind
> testing things out on new versions whenever I can.
I think this is a key point.
I've had a number of cases recently where very old bugs of mine have
had responses apparently by people other than the maintainer saying
`can you reproduce this' or `is this still relevant in the new
version'. These messages are IMO useless, in the vast majority of
A good test is: what would I do if I were both the maintainer and the
bug submitter ? Looking at it that way avoids getting confused, and
avoids adopting approaches which just shuffle work about or which even
create more work.
If I have reported a longstanding bug in a package of mine, I don't
usually say to myself `oh look this is years and years old let me see
if I can still reproduce it so I can just forget about it if not'.
Rather I'll ask `has anything changed in the package which one might
expect to have a bearing on this bug'. If the answer is `no' then the
bug should stay open until I have effort to actually investigate it.
That this might take months or years if the bug is not very important.
If the answer is `yes, the package has changed', then the next
question is `what is the best way forward'. Sometimes it will be
obvious that the code which had the bug has been entirely removed, so
that the bug report no longer serves a useful purpose. At other times
a quick glance at the relevant code changes shows that actually the
changes couldn't fix the reported symptoms. And then there are cases
where the best approach is to try it again with the new version. etc.
But these decisions cannot be made by unskilled `triagers' who just go
around sending emails to what they think of as `stale' bugs.
Of course there are packages (OOo and Mozilla are probably examples)
which are so huge and so full of bugs that dealing properly with all
of the bugs is impossible. In particular, if a package has so many
bugs, or is generally so large or in such poor shape, that it is
inconceivable that anything but a small inority will ever be properly
investigated and fixed, there is no point recording minor bugs in the
Debian BTS. That just serves to clutter the bug listings to no useful
So I don't mind it at all when then Mozilla maintainers say `is it
still doing this crazy thing'. After all I don't even bother
reporting most of the bad things Mozilla does; one-offs definitely
don't make the cut. If I can't reproduce it then if I were both
submitter and maintainer I wouldn't spend any more time on it. So
then just closing it is fine.
Whether or not a package is like this is probably a question for the
maintainer to decide - but if the number of bugs is only a few dozen
then I think saying the package is unmaintainable is not a reasonable
point of view.
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Re: HP 712/60
On Wed, Sep 03, 2003 at 02:24:08PM -0400, Larry Crouch wrote:
> Hello,
> I got Linux working on my 712/60 yesterday. I will put together a "How to"
> in a couple of days.
> I have another 712/60 that I can test the instructional material on.
I think it's not so much the 712/60 that's interesting as how you
configured your server. Something that's in a format we can put on
the p-l.org website would be of interest, I think. You can check the
website out of CVS and send a patch.
Reply to:
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22344
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DDTP stats/graphs
On the front page of ddtp.debian.net there are a number of graphs.
These graphs are, um, a little weird, as the underlying data is just a
bunch of text files and due to various issues with the database over
the years they fluctuate a bit.
What I'm proposing is the replace the graph data with the tracking of
the creation time of a translation. With this information the graphs
could be created on the fly and we could make many more kinds of
graphs. In particular, the volume information needed to make the
graphs relating to milestones is making the debian-admins nervous.
Tracking the timestamp of translations would make this redundant as it
could be generated on the fly. So:
- more kinds of graphs possible (progress per section, for example)
- less susceptible to temporary database problems
- takes less disk space
- seems like information we'd like to track anyway
- no longer immutable
- we don't have the info now so it has to be guessed. I only have
enough information to accurately estimate back to August 2006, so we'd
lose any graphs from before then. But looking at the graphs I don't
think I trust the current data before then anyway.
- not really auditable, but I don't think people really expected it to be.
Adding the information I don't think is controversial, I guess the
question is more whether we want to keep the old data. Do people even
care about the graphs?
Any comments/thoughts?
Have a nice day,
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22348
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Re: faulty sound on imac
> Bastien Nocera wrote:
> <snip>
> > This bug is already worked-around for the Pismo. As I have the hardware,
> > I'll try to look at it soon, and submit the fix to BenH and on
> > linuxppc-dev. In the end, this is definitely a kernel problem.
> You might want to try this out (not tested at all):
> around line 2543 of dmasound_awacs.c, try adding the lines with a + in
I tried this with BenH's 2.4.8-pre4 but to no avail. I even tried it
without the if clause to force it to be big-endian but it still didn't
Of course I could have made a mistake. I'd be interested to hear if you
get it working.
Jonathan Riddell
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22350
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Re: What about doing security updates automatically?
On Sat, Sep 01, 2001 at 12:38:43AM +0100, Christian Jaeger wrote:
> I (or I'd be sure my fellow sysadmin) would appreciate a bit more
> automation. Maybe really the best thing would be to prepare
> everything needed for an upgrade (i.e. receive the security
> announcement, parse it, see if it concerns an installed package on
> the system, if yes fetch it and compare the checksum, and inform the
> admin. The latter then only has to login, finish the install and
> check if anything is broken. (And maybe if he doesn't react within a
> day install it automatically anyway...)
Currently, the patched "tiger" (an old Unix security tool)
available in Debian does check installed packages versus Debian released
advisories (parsed automatically from the WML sources).
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22351
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new debian kernel
Hello, using debian kernel 2.4.18-11 on some servers, after "ps ax"
command at the end of input I noticed "Segmentation fault" message.
"strace ps ax" gave:
open("/proc/1048/environ", O_RDONLY) = 7
read(7, <unfinished ...>
+++ killed by SIGSEGV +++
Is it unsuccesfull patch for
http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CAN-2003-0501 or other
problems? Is this patched on 2.4.18-12 ?
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22352
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Re: centerim stable update for CVE-2008-4776
Il 31/01/2010 12:29, Dmitry E. Oboukhov ha scritto:
> Hi, there!
> I am not subscribed this list (@debian-security), so please CC me.
> I prepared package with patch which resolves CVE-2008-4776 and want to
> upload it. It is the first package which i want to upload into stable
> and I want somebody to check (and help to upload) it. debdiff can be
> found in attache. It contains one additional patch which was
> backported from 4.22.8 (from git) and it is built fine with pbuilder.
> PS: debdiff between centerim 4.22.5-1 (lenny) and 4.22.5-1+lenny1
The distribution field in the changelog should be stable-proposed-updates,
and not stable-security.
Patch looks fine, but you need to contact[1] the stable release team
before you upload.
Attachment: signature.asc
Description: OpenPGP digital signature
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22354
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RE: Avoid booting direct to X.. I want my starx back
Wouldn't it be cleaner to just remove S99gdm from rcX.d? They're just
symbolic links to the same file in init.d, right? As long as you don't lose
that, it's fairly straightforward to relink.
(I'm a total novice, so spank me if I'm wrong :)
Richard Wurdack
-----Original Message-----
From: dman [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, March 01, 2002 1:07 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Avoid booting direct to X.. I want my starx back
On Fri, Mar 01, 2002 at 10:32:50AM -0800, Harry Putnam wrote:
| Well, I got X working in my fresh woody install, but there are a few
| rinkles.
| 1) I want to boot to console mode and call x with startx.
| Currently, I get popped right into X.
| I thought this could be contolled by setting the defalult run level
| /etc/inittab But I see nothing in there that looks likely.
| In fact it claims the default is runlevel 2. Or is runlevel 2 X. I
| don't think so.
| In my redhat dealings it was possible to set default to runlevel 5
| which force boot to bring up X. setting runlevel 3 gave you a console
| login.
| Where is this choice made on debian?
# mv /etc/rc2.d/S99gdm /etc/rc2.d/notS99gdm
(if you using gdm)
Debiain doesn't force any runlevel structure on you. By default
they're all the same (except 0, 1, 6), but you can tweak them to your
heart's content.
Note that you can press Alt-Ctrl-F[123456] to get to a virtual
console, and Alt-Ctrl-F7 to get back to X.
The Lord detests all the proud of heart.
Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 16:7
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [email protected]
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact
Reply to:
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22355
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Re: Per-item "quorum" and truncated ballots
[email protected] wrote:
On Fri, May 23, 2003 at 05:24:59PM -0400, Buddha Buck wrote:
Imagine a vote along the lines of:
100 ballots of the form:
[1] Red, [ ] Blue, [ ] Default
100 ballots of the form:
[1] Red, [ ] Blue, [1] Default
25 ballots of the form:
[ ] Red, [1] Blue, [ ] Default
with an R of 105.
I presume you mean with a quorum of 105. Which would mean that we have
something like 44100 debian developers.
The defeats matrix looks like
Red Blue Default
Red --- 200 100
Blue 25 --- 25
Def 0 100 ---
In this example, Red is the IDW, and absolutely no one thought that Red was worse than the default option. Yet Red is rejected because fewer than 105 people thought it was better than the default option, so default wins.
Is this the "expected" behavor?
Out of more than fourty thousand debian developers, less than one hundred
stated that they preferred red over the vote defaulting?
Yes, I'd say that this is the expected behavior. Those other votes,
which rank red and default equally above blue, constitute votes against
blue, not votes for red. Those people would have accepted red as being
no worse than the current situation, but they didn't actively think it
was a good idea.
So you are saying it is acceptable and desirable for there to be no way to express truely equal preference for "Further Discussion" and some other option? Using my example, voting red equal to blue doesn't hurt or hinder either options chances of winning in relation to each other. But voting red equal to the default hinders red's ability to get accepted in favor of defaulting.
We've made three changes to SSD:
1) We've instituted a per-option quorum, requiring a minimum number of votes
for a particular option over the default in order to be considered.
2) We've instituted the ability to rank options as equal on a ballot.
3) We are using the ranking relative to the default option as proxy
for an approval ballot, and only considering options that are approved by the majority.
Our analysis of 1 and 3 have been based on the law of the exclused middle:
for any ballot, either A>D or D>A. We haven't considered the effects of 2.
I think that the combination of all three changes has unforseen effects.
In particular, I think change #2 sets up the expectation with developers that they can vote "I don't care which of these two options win", while the other two changes do not treat a ballot equating an option and the default as neutral with regard to that option and the default -- they favor the default.
I think change #1 is the most troubling for me, and I would not mind seeing its removal. It's designed to eliminate options that don't have many supporters. But surely if there are enough ballots cast, an option that doesn't have many supporters will be unlikely to win anyway. The only time an option that doesn't have many (active) supporters has a chance of winning is when it also doesn't have many (active) detractors -- and when everyone else is expressing no preference one way or the other.
Why shouldn't the will of a small number of supporters win out over the will of a smaller number of detractors when the majority opinion is "I don't care"?
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22363
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Profile Information
I'm running a pastry-by-wire-business in Sweden, Germany and Poland.
Full Name Magnus Äng
Display Name Pastry
Job Title Founder
Company Pastry Group
Type of Work Business Owner
Location Malmo, Sweden
Favorite Thing About SEO Never fully learned.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22364
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Export (0) Print
Expand All
Creating Bootstrapper Packages
Updated: August 2011
You can use the Bootstrapper Manifest Generator to create the manifests that describe the bootstrapper package. Alternatively, you can generate the manifests by using the XML Editor in Visual Studio. For more information, see How to: Create a Package Manifest and How to: Create a Product Manifest. To see an example of creating a bootstrapper package, see Walkthrough: Creating a Custom Bootstrapper to Show a Privacy Prompt.
To create a bootstrapper package, you have to supply the redistributable in the form of an EXE or MSI file.to the Bootstrapper Manifest Generator. Then, the Bootstrapper Manifest Generator creates the following files:
After these files are created, put the product manifest file into a folder named for the custom bootstrapper. The package manifest file goes into a folder named for the locale. For example, if the package manifest file is for English redistribution, put the file into a folder called en. Repeat this process for each locale, such as ja for Japanese and de for German. The final custom bootstrapper package could have the following folder structure.
Finally, copy the redistributable files into the bootstrapper folder location. For more information, see How to: Create a Localized Bootstrapper Package.
\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.0A\Bootstrapper\Packages
You can also determine the bootstrapper folder location from the Path value in the following registry key:
On 64 bit systems, use the following registry key:
Each redistributable component appears in its own subfolder under the packages directory. The product manifest and redistributable files are put into this subfolder. Localized versions of the component and package manifests are put in subfolders named according to Culture Name. For more information about culture names, see the table in Localization Property.
After these files are copied into the bootstrapper folder, the bootstrapper package automatically appears in the Visual Studio prerequisites dialog box. If your custom bootstrapper package does not appear, close and then reopen the Prerequisites Dialog Box. For more information, see Prerequisites Dialog Box.
The following table shows the properties that are automatically populated by the bootstrapper.
The name of the application.
The processor and bits-per-word of the platform targeted by an executable. Values include the following:
• Intel
• IA64
• AMD64
The version number for Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows ME operating systems. The syntax of the version is Major.Minor.ServicePack.
The version number for the Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, or Windows 7 operating systems. The syntax of the version is Major.Minor.ServicePack.
The version of the Windows Installer assembly (msi.dll) run during the installation.
This property is set if the user has administrator privileges. Values are true or false.
The installation mode indicates where the component needs to be installed from. Values include the following:
• HomeSite - prerequisites are installed from the vendor's Web site.
• SpecificSite - prerequisites are installed from the location that you select.
• SameSite - prerequisites are installed from the same location as the application.
You can prevent your redistributable files from being deployed in Setup projects. To do this, create a redistributable list in the RedistList folder in your .NET Framework directory:
The redistributable list is an XML file that you should name using the following format: Company Name.Component Name.RedistList.xml. So, for example, if the component is called Datawidgets made by Acme, use Acme.DataWidgets.RedistList.xml. An example of the redistributable list's contents might resemble this:
<FileList Redist="Acme.DataWidgets" >
August 2011
Added 64 bit registry key.
Content bug fix.
Community Additions
© 2015 Microsoft
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Export (0) Print
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SharePoint Team Services 1.1
FLDTYPES.XML defines how the different field types that are used in Web sites based on SharePoint Team Services from Microsoft are rendered. It is located at Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\50\templates\1033\xml.
If you add a column, you can choose the type of information, or field type, that is used to render the column. Two elements that you will probably be interested in using are the following:
DisplayPattern — This is used in computed fields to define how the field is rendered.
RenderPattern — Provides field definition when a field is being declared in a list schema, or when a piece of data is being rendered.
See Example 1 — Adding a new field type for Flash movies for an example about how to edit FLDTYPES.XML to add a new field type to your Web sites based on SharePoint Team Services.
See Also
Field Element
Location of CAML
How to Use CAML
Introduction — What Is CAML?
© 2015 Microsoft
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22369
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Great OER sites we've found
This is a place for all of us to share OER sites we've found. Just click the Edit button to add to this. Thanks for sharing!
(Please make sure the sites you list are open licensed and include the license if possible.)
Clipart provides clipart which is mainly original or remixed work with some captures from public domain works. All files are specifically released with/into public domain "license." Files may be taken in PNG format or SVG format. SVG has the advantage of making the graphics easy to modify and resize without loss of resolution. If you plan to re-work the graphics, the Inkscape program is a suitable open source tool with versions for Mac, Windows and Linux.
Photos From the Web site: "The Geograph Britain and Ireland project aims to collect geographically representative photographs and information for every square kilometre of Great Britain and Ireland..." Creative Commons licensed, contributore identified.
MIT Open Courseware - Lectures, video, multimedia and notes from a large collection of MIT courses.
Diskutera uppgift
|
global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22398
|
A Rakuten Company
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As if solving the ad world's most notorious murder on deadline wasn't enough, Molly must contend with a fickle editor with her own agenda, a best friend colliding head-on with true love, and ex-boyfriend Peter Mulcahy trying to worm his way into her story and back into her life. Will it all be too much for Molly's current boyfriend, NYPD homicide detective Kyle Edwards?
Determined to catch the killer and beat the competition, Molly Forrester digs in her four-inch Jimmy Choos because there's no turning back. In Manhattan, when you strike a deal, you see it through. Even if it kills you.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22400
|
Abuse of the ad network
Our policy
We want ads to be useful, varied, relevant and safe for users when serving them across the Google Network. As a result, we don't allow any of the following:
• malicious ads, sites, or apps
• businesses that attempt to bypass our review processes
Examples of what's not allowed
Here are some examples of content that we don't allow:
Malicious or unwanted software
These requirements apply to software hosted on your site or linked to from your site, regardless of whether the software is promoted through the Google advertising network.
See our requirements around malware
Promotions that violate Google's Unwanted Software policy
See Google's Unwanted Software policy
Your entire site must comply with Google's Unwanted Software policy. If Google detects unwanted software hosted on or linked to from your site, we may disable your site from advertising until the problem is fixed. Similarly, if your promotion isn't absolutely clear and conspicuous about the behavior or functionality of the software, we may disapprove your ads or suspend your site from advertising.
If your site is suspended from advertising, all ads pointing to your site will stop running. To avoid this stoppage, you should make sure to keep your entire site clean of unwanted software and links that lead to unwanted software, even if you aren't directly promoting that unwanted software in your ads. If your site is suspended for unwanted software, see additional information and resources for webmasters about binary malware and unwanted software.
Low value content
Content that is designed for the primary purpose of showing ads
• Landing pages that are solely designed to send users elsewhere
• Gaining an unfair advantage
• Gaming the Google Network
• What you can do
Malicious content
2. Clean your site. If you're unaware of having malware on your site, your site or computer could have been infected. See our instructions to remove malware. If you fix your site and we don't find any problems, we might be able to run your ad again.
Low value content
1. Read the policy above to learn about the behaviors that we don't allow. Check your website to see where you can replace low value content with rich original content.
• Examples of low value content that we don't allow:
• Websites with excessive advertising (See examples)
• Websites that scrape content from other sites (See example)
• Websites with deceptive site navigation that never deliver the promised service or product or that prevent a user from doing anything other than clicking an ad
• Websites with ads that are indistinguishable from the rest of the site's content
• Landing pages that are solely designed to send users elsewhere
• Landing pages that copy the content of other websites
• Examples of changes you might make to your site or landing page:
• Add more original content or functionality to your site. Focus on providing the user with useful, unique, and original content immediately when a user first visits your site.
• Don't use a landing page that has excessive advertising or is otherwise designed primarily to show ads. The main focus of your website shouldn't be ads, regardless of how relevant the ads are to your ad text.
• Create unique, original content, including, but not limited to, original logos, business names, and images on each domain that you own.
• If your site has a search functionality, make sure that the search results aren't just copied from other sites.
2. Change your ad's landing page. To run your ad, you can either fix your landing page to make it comply, or you can choose to change your destination URL to point to another page of your website that does comply with our policy. If you fix your site to comply with our policy, use this link to let us know:
Review my fixed website
If you want to use a different landing page instead, just edit your ad's destination URL.
Gaining an unfair advantage
1. Read the policy above to learn about the behaviors that we don't allow. Check your ad campaigns and other AdWords accounts to make sure that you're not trying to show more than one ad at a time for your business or site. Here are some examples:
• Each website that you promote should offer distinct value to users.
2. Change your website. If the site that your ad leads to violates this policy, please change it to make it comply. You'll then need to request a site review before moving on to the next step of changing your ad text.
Review my fixed website
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Take me to my account
• Click Save when you're done.
Gaming the Google Network
We take this violation very seriously and consider it to be an egregious violation of our policies. Advertisers or sites that are found to be gaming the Google Network will be suspended and won't be allowed to advertise with us again.
Webmaster Guidelines violations
1. Read the policy. Review Google's Webmaster Guidelines and modify your website so that you're not using any techniques to artificially inflate ranking or popularity. Here are some examples of what we don't allow:
• Spamming social network sites: sites that spam social network sites to inflate a site's ranking or popularity
2. Change your website. Once you fix your site to make it comply with our Webmaster Guidelines, let us know by requesting a website review.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22416
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Skip to main content
Open Source, P2P, Weblogs, and Slime Mold
Posted by brhubart on July 2, 2003 at 11:18 AM PDT
How often have you asked yourself, "What do Open Source software, peer-to-peer file sharing, and Weblogs have in common with, say, a big lump of disgusting mold?" Never? Neither have I. But that's no reason to leave the question unanswered.
In a chapter in Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software, author Steven Johnson describes the apparent intelligence behind the activities of slime mold. Slime mold is just what it sounds like -- imagine a school cafeteria desert that's about three weeks past its prime and decides to venture out into the world. That's right, slime mold is self-propelled goo. But that's not the interesting part. (For more on slime mold, check out the link.)
Slime mold is actually a collection of tiny, individual mold cells that get together when the mood strikes them to form into a single unit and move to a different neighborhood, where there's more of whatever it is slime mold needs to be healthy and happy. There's no central brain, no single point of consciousness, no hulked-out single cell with a big ego telling the other cells what to do. Each cell acts in its own self-interest. From this individual action emerges a collective intelligence, in this case a free-ranging aspic on a mission.
And so it is with OSS, P2P, and Blogs. The genuinely mind-boggling thing about these concepts is that never before in human history has there been a way to channel and capture the collective intelligence that emerges from the utter chaos of millions and millions of human brains all flailing away at who-knows-what. It's grid computing, using human grey matter instead of PCs. OK, maybe CB radio came close, but...
Think about what has already happened. The music business is in a major snit because the vast music listening public has discovered a way around cookie-cutter radio stations and other mass-media outlets that dictate what's hot and what's not. (Don't get me started...) If the business is to survive it must learn to tap into the emerging intelligence of the file-sharing community in order to identify the real markets. (Hint: there's more than one.)
OSS, P2P, and Blogs are collaborative concepts that embrace chaos. They reveal chaos as nothing more than a collection of problems that will solve themselves -- if we allow them to, if we learn to recognize the patterns in the eddies and currents of the human enterprise. These concepts and technologies allow us to finally catch up to slime mold, which figured this stuff out a long time ago.
Related Topics >>
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Skip to main content
Web 3.0: Enter the matrix
Posted by mkarg on May 16, 2010 at 5:24 AM PDT
When I attended college decades back in the early 1990ies, for students of information technology the future looked bright and safe. The cold war was over, the web was growing fastly, and thanks to the pill's baby bust it was clear that everybody able to program computers would have a safe job for livetime. While I had some experience with modems and fido net before, it actually was in college where I first touched The Web. With a blazing speed of 64Kb/s over a single ISDN channel, 25 students at one time had the chance to surf it concurrently. While there was not so much thrilling entertainment in the web back then, though we spend lots of hours to try out this new medium. In my small home town, I was one of the first customers of the first internet provider, using the web mostly for scientific purposes.
Since that time, a lot has changed. The web made its way into the live of everybody in the western world. Having no Facebook account or not having seen the latest #fail videos on YouTube is a bigger reason for getting dissed for a current child than wearing no Reeboks and Levis in our times. And having no internet banking or web shopping account makes our lives rather complex in the times of closing branches. In fact, I have to confess to do more than 75% of my purchas on the web. Even my rather old parents-in-law, who never had used a computer for most of their lives, are booking their flights online. Yes, times have changed.
Lots of years later I'm back at the same college. This time standing in front of a crowd of young students. Lots of them majoring in the areas of media informatics or distributed systems. So those are the ones building the next generation of the web! What to tell them, shortly before leaving college and starting a professional live? Something about the lies around being always flexible and mobile and that the best guy allegedly is getting the job (which both are some of the myths my generation was told at graduation)? I chose to tell them something about Terminator and The Matrix.
For computer scientists, and especially for those majoring in the area of distributed computing like me, the internet, and the web in particular, are just fascinating: Information of any source, located anywhere, can be aggregated easily using one single command to return the answer to virtually any question typically asked by the majority of users. While this sounds like the holy graid of information warehousing (and it potentially is), it bears risks not currently foreseeable.
With existing technology and real information collections (using Semantic Media Wiki, a semantic extension to the Media Wiki software driving Wikipedia) I demonstrated an easy and simple query returning the names of all mayors of all municipalities in a particular county. The fascinating thing was not the result itself (which someone could find out using Google within few hours manually, too) but the fact that both, query and result was machine readable (thanks to existing standards), that the result was there in a few seconds and last but not least that the result was not set up explicitly for this demonstration but actually was already existing in a human readable Wiki which had been machine enabled within half a minute (by modifying a single template). What I wanted to show the students was: Right now, a machine is already able to understand and join lots of information found in the web. The semantic web is not a future thing. It is here already. Machines already can find out things within seconds already which humans can join only with hard work and googling a lot.
The actual problem is not that machines can do that or can do that fast. The problem is the future fusion of several technologies. In the future, most web access will be done by robots, according to the Google Internet Summit 2009. Most of the robots in first place will be cars and room cleaners, but as more robots (including already existing things like military combat robot, surveillance drones, house automation, but also remote controlled health care systems like heart monitors and insulin pumps) there are, the more problematic will be their usage of the semantic web. In first place, it is a good idea that a heart monitor learns about new abnormal ECG curves from scanning the web, so it could inform your doctor automatically. On the other hand, we have to drop rose-coloured glassed and look at the naked truth.
The web is, to a large extends, dominated by two types of providers: Commercial companies and criminals (and not always both are sharply separated due to divergent laws). A commercial company is not interested in your actual health. It is interested in getting your money. So it is clear that it will not try to reduce the amount of drugs automatically getting pumped into your veins. Just as not everybody trusts Microsoft Windows's "Auto Update" feature, how many would trust a similar feature included in a insuline pump? Even worse, in one that is automatically scanning the web for new information to learn. Even if this could be explained with profit maximisation, it shows that a machine controlling your live will be an increased risk if you attach it to the web. And for criminals, the semantic web is an invitation to maximize their profit, too. I don't say that there will be public killer services where you type in the name of a person you want to get rid of, but theoretically that could come true. What I actually fear is that terrorists learn how to hack security devices (like they already did in the past). It is not impossible that some day a terrorist hacker manages to confuse military devices by adding a viral firmware update to the vendor's site, or by adding misleading semantic information into the web (maybe replacing himself as the target person with the president of the united states by swapping two links on a CIA web server). If the virus contains AI, steps are not far from there to SkyNet (Terminator) or The Matrix: Machines that just get out of control, using their man-made intelligence to control man.
This all is impossible you think? Well... Did you also assume in 2000 that it is impossible to crash three planes into the World Trade Centre and even the Pentagon at the same day? Terrorists are not dumb. They also attend college, they also learn how to program computers, they also learn how to hack them, they also know what a Mashup is and what the semantic web is good for. Do you still think it is a good idea to have any information in a machine readable syntax stored in a public place? Do you still think it is a good idea to have more and more information stored not in a cache but actually as a live stream?
Example: There already is a live stream of all radar tracks of planes on the web. A smart service allowing me to see where my parents-in-law currently are when flying to some tropical island. But is it a good idea that this is really a live stream? If I were a terrorist, I won't dare the risk to go aboard to hijack a plane. I would instead hack into some badly secured Third World country's Air Raid Defense network and convince that web service that it's target is to be found on that radar track service and let the mashup do it's destructive work. Iraqi insurgents already hacked a US drone. As I said, they are not dumb.
We have to face the actual risks and deal with them before building the Web 3.0. This is the responsibility of the new generation of information scientists. Not to find out how to make machines understand the knowledge found in the web, but to find out how to prevent machines (either automatically or driven by humans) from using the web against man. That is what students must know when starting to build the next web.
You can find a collection of all my blog entries and more on Head Crasing Informatics.
I second the view that the
I second the view that the current Semantic Web already provides a good bunch of data to aggregate and explore. To counter a typical argument that many raise at this point (not without a rationale), that is "people have been saying that the Semantic Web is already here for ten years) I'd like to cite a presentation that Roberto Palmisano gave a few time ago at JUG Lugano:
At slide 40 there's a picture representing a bunch of useful and interconnected resource providers. Roberto told me that this "semantic island" is growing at a much faster pace that in the past. In particular, I've found that BBC is doing an excellent job - given a bird species you can easily query their multimedial catalog and retrieve all the pictures and video they have about that species, plus other information (too bad that the media aren't apparently available outside the UK, but I hope this is just temporary).
BTW, if readers whithout a knowledge of how Semantic Web works could have a look at the mentioned presentation, that I found excellent.
No slides available, unfortunately
Unfortunately there are no useful slides, as it was a live demonstration using Semantic Media Wiki queries against the live instance of, which is a German Regional Wiki powered by that software. The few slides only contained German catchwords. Sorry.
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28 Articles
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Delamination Among 230-Foot-Long Bike Path's Minor Issue
Smart highway uses simple technology to save engery
Glow-in-the-dark road markings have replaced streetlights on a small stretch of highway in The Netherlands.
We have all seen the team-building exercise where people fall backward and trust other team members to catch them. The Dutch military has its own version, where a Leopard tank barrels towards a group at full speed and everyone hopes it stops in time. It's like a your average brake test, but with a 68.7-ton tank in place of a car and human life on the line.
We met up with the well travelled Victor Muller at The Quail gathering at Monterey and talked turkey regarding the re-entry of Spyker production cars in the United States. He was showing off the running prototype of his new B6 Venator Spyder with 375-horsepower supercharged V6.
Yeah, yeah, you liked to build with Lego bricks when you were a kid. But could you build a go-kart large enough and sturdy enough to carry your own weight? Don't answer yet. Could you then make this monster kart actually move under its own power, albeit slowly, like the real thing? We thought not, hotshot.
Spinning off isn't usually a good thing when you're making a show about cars, unless the spinning in question relates to the series itself and not to the cars being driven. And while Clarkson, Stig, et al, have certainly spun enough cars on and off camera, their mishaps are surpassed by the number of spin-off shows that have resulted from the original BBC program.
The Bewerp Savage Rivale Roadyacht GTS -- Click above to watch the video after the break
Spyker is -- once again -- talking about a new line of vehicles that will take on four-door sports sedans like the Maserati Quattroporte and Porsche Panamera. Two years ago Spyker mentioned an E-line with eight- and twelve-cylinder engines would join the C-line sports cars and D-line SUVs. With the trouble the company had simply surviving, those plans were left outside to die. Now with the D8 Paris-to-Peking SUV back in progress and cars like the LM85 to crow about, Spyker CEO Victor Muller beli
Reuters is reporting that Alexander Antonov, the owner of flamboyant Dutch supercar company Spyker, has been seriously wounded in an apparent assassination attempt while leaving his Moscow residence. The Russian billionaire, who is also the chairman of the board of the Konvers Group (a banking concern), was shot along with a bodyguard.
After showing practically no signs of life since being revived in a joint venture between Zap! and Youngman Automotive Group last February and officially striking out on its own less than a week ago, Detroit Electric has emerged, in Malaysia, as a Dutch company with $300 million in backing and a fleet of prototypes. Say what? We had a hint of this earlier but this seems to make it all official. The company, reportedly majority owned by CEO Albert Lam (Lam joined Zap! management late last year) h
It's easy to argue that road taxes are quite unfair because they're flat: You pay fees to drive around; it doesn't matter how much you actually use the car.
If you thought that the Dutch only were known in the auto industry because of their cool DAF cars from the '60s, (which, by the way, had a very clever CVT system), they're out to prove you wrong. The Netherlands has a manufacturer that has a very interesting EV that looks to be ready in April. It's called the duraCar Innovan, and it's made from light recyclable fiber.
Retrofitting DPFs in your car is not an easy task to do (some would even say troublesome), but Ford reached a partnership with the Nederlandse Rijksdienst Wegverkeer (RDW) to officially approve the procedures. Starting January 1st, all diesel Fords sold in the Netherlands have a DPF installed as standard.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22459
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Bill summaries are authored by CRS.
Shown Here:
Passed House without amendment (07/01/2010)
Supports the designation of a National ESIGN Day.
Reaffirms the commitment of Congress to facilitating interstate and foreign commerce in an increasingly digital world.
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Title: Moments
Author: Chibi-Suiko
A/N: I thought this up during my History class and, because I'm officially obsessed with the fluffy/angsty/shortness of one-shots (THAT'S RIGHT! I WILL NOT TELL A LIE!), I figured it would be cute to post an OAV. It's my first purely fluffy drama in a while so take it easy when you review. We all have a lot to learn about Inu and I haven't seen nor read it for awhile so there's a lot that I have to catch up on.
PLEASE READ: I just wanted to say that you should only read this fic if you're 90 to 100 percent sure that you'll like it. When posting on another site, a couple of my one-shots have gotten reviews quoting 'It sux' and, for lack of a better way of wording things, I won't be taking that crap anymore. If you decide you wanna read a certain type of fic, don't flame someone whose created a perfectly fine storyline. And review postings like the above stated are hardly any type of criticism so I plead that you at least try and stick with the rules of FFN if you plan on flaming me and give me a reason to improve.
Summary: Eyes met... He lifted a hand and flecked the cornflower from her hair... WAFFY! Inu/Kag fluff. Pointless; but who cares?
Disclaimer: I don't own it. Only Rumiko Takahashi owns it. But I'm glad cause I'd rather kill myself than know that she'd handed over to some other person.
Dedication: To Uranasu because she's been completely supportive of all my work, no matter what couple or anime it's for. I wrote this for you because you deserve something special, Ura! SMILE! ^_^
Also, just to let you know, there will be random time-span change. You'll be able to figure out where and when.
They were currently alone--Alone as in together, but with no one else beside them, with them, or around them. No monk staring from behind the trees, no large pink bulb floating to oversee their actions.
Currently, the sun was just beginning to set. There was no word to assume they should stop to rest. A wind blew past them, rippling their garments with a flutter. Branches creaked and birds erupted from the trunks of nearby willows to fly through the sky. No eyes peered curiously or suspiciously at them as they continued on.
An hour later (though time was of no essence in the Feudal age, and it was only known by the rise and setting of the sun whether it was closer to mid-day or night), the full moon was glowing, emitting an orb-like luminosity over their heads. The quiet of the night air calmed their senses and they fell into a nightly stupor of silence.
The only life acknowledgeable, besides the licks of the embers dancing in their eyes, was their breath, which was like a soft hum of wellness.
The wind was blowing swiftly around them again. They stood in a field filled with layers of soft grass and wild flowers. The trees were swamped with cornflower.
The air smelt of honeycomb and drifting salt water (from an unseen river nearby). Fluffy white clouds floated calmly passed over their eyes.
As another gust threw the loose ends around, there was a sudden spur of wildly-strewn petals. Though kept at bay for the most part, a few managed to end up getting tangled in the young girls hair.
Eyes met, they were glowing. The man reached out a gentle hand to her silken covered head. He was being so...
Eyes still bored into each other as he softly flecked the cornflower from her hair. As it would be, he happened to get a whiff of the sweet scent. An idea came to him and he caught the small golden yellow leaf before the wind carries it away and held it out in his palm for her to accept it.
A soft grin, full of grace, thanks, love... Shone through to him, leaving him there as she took the small beauty from him and placed it 'rightly' in her hair. Her eyes were glimmering lightly, and she took his hand and pulled him on. Just like that one time; that promise that neither had yet forgotten, nor had it been broken.
He felt a small grin tug at his lips as she turned the other way and continued on, whisking him alongside her.
She herself couldn't stop smiling. He had showed compassion towards her, showed kindness... He had showed disregard of his past in order to soothe her with the love that he felt for her and her alone.
...If only for a moment.
Soft arms held her into the air and whirled her around. It was over! Feelings of knowledge, of calmness, of safety--All in the arms of her lover. Honey colored walls layered the grounds, soft petals whisked about by the wind. Laughs, tears, hugs, soft breathless kisses in the rain; loving each other was the sweetest rose of all.
A night blanketed in soft, sweet, melodic darkness; velvet skies holding the constellations at bay. Tears of Heaven graced the calling of Mother Nature, eve vines cascaded down the iron walls of will as they held each other. A spot of winter was acknowledged; white quilts of snow assured that no others were out.
Shooting star; clear cerulean waters, the healing of two hearts, knowing requitence, knowing no more than each other. Still they held on as smiles were worn thin, balances were finalized, bindings were tight, and home was right where they were.
No questions...
No doubts...
No others to still their current love.
Pulling her close, he took the initiative, and nicked at her lips. It was only to last for one second. He was to let go because he knew it was wrong. But, still, he didn't let her go... He couldn't let her go... Addiction; he wasn't able to reject her.
Numbing minds, soft breath as they broke away from each other. Hands falling to their sides, knowing that it was over. Grim faces as they were torn apart. Love couldn't be left alone?
But even as the grip was broken, the loss true, she smiled, thinking... That he held her there because he cared, he loved, he was aware of how they felt about each other...
And he held that kiss for the sake of the two of them...
...If only for a moment.
To say goodbye...
The final day together; they knew. It was known that she couldn't stay with him forever, no matter how close they had gotten to breaking all the taboo's of his promise to his other lover. So close... Be being loved, for who they truly were. And though time would be would hold them back, they were still to love each other until the end. There was nothing else to it.
She asked to be held, to confide in tears and, strangely enough, he accepted her. He pulled her close and whispered sweetly into her ear things that he'd never been able to say before. And she whispered back. Hands held tightly onto each other, never able to let go. They were alone again--Just like that one time.
Softly, he embraced the fallen sensitive and watched as she turned her sights on the well, her return, her vengeance and escape at one time. Now it was her Hell.
But the decision had to be made now. He had made his, and she now had to make hers. She had an obligation back home; family, friends, lessons, future. Words flashed before her as she turned back to him, almost pleading for him to change his mind. His eyes replied.
He wanted to, Kami, did he ever. But promises were not so easy to break. Hell would be bleak without his angel but, he swore; one day he would be returned to her. And there would be nothing that would stop them from being together.
She understood. She would wait. And she would stand forever if it meant that he would follow after him.
And, she could tell that, though the time had come and she couldn't last through their gaze much longer that he had held that expression of certainty for them...
...If only for a moment.
One... Five... Ten years into the future and, still, she stood. There was nothing to doubt about. He would come. They held a bond stronger than Kami himself. There had been times she would cry, hoping that he'd hear or smell her tears and come bounding to her. There were times she smiled, hoping that only her happiness would be his guide.
There had been times when friends' suspicions were confirmed, times when she had hoped they could tell that she was pained and yet, unbroken because she knew...
...That he would be back.
She stepped up to the shrine and rang the bells, bowed her hands and prayed, like every other day, for him to return. Yet the prayers did nothing and soon, she would be old. She would be ill, hard of hearing, and then dead; totally unrecognizable.
It happened on a day of rain, of modern inconvenience, of hatred of the skies, of love for the comfort of home. That was where she was in fact, when her door was slid open. She didn't turn, didn't even take notice of who stood there. She only knew that it could be no one but him.
So, letting the tears fall, the smiles run free, she flew into his arms and lay, held securely as his grin danced upon his face. There would be no more to hide, no more to worry about, no more questions, no more doubts. All was confirmed...
...And only, this didn't last for a single moment.
They both knew that there would be other moments like this, and these were the moments that they had waited over five 'centuries' for.
A/N: Okay, I know that that was weird, strange, confusing. Flame if you like, just have a reason behind it. I've become totally obsessed with this out look on InuYasha. I like adding either no dialogue or all dialogue. It just makes it sound more dramatic or something; I don't know. This is all too much for a fifteen year old.
But, anyway, how does that sound? Sweet waffy, slightly angsty (though it was re-established as a romance) Inu/Kag..? What more could a fan ask for? And I'm hoping that none of you shout sequel or anything like that because I don't plan on it. Besides, what would I write that would follow up on this? And that was rhetorical question so don't answer it! Sorry for the continued rambling, thanks for reading, and REVIEW with kindness! Ja!
--Chibi ending transmission. (.^_^.)
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Perfect Tragedy
Ten years later
Kioko pushed a freshly clipped finger between the cloth of her bandana and her hair, roughly scratching at an itch behind her ear. She hated having to press her sensitive hanyou ears against her head all day but now that she and her siblings had started their schooling with the public school system any traits of hanyou origins had to be kept hidden.
She sighed and glanced over at her sister, the girl sat up listening attentively to the lecture. Toshi was always good with school work, the perfectionist. Toshi, father named her well, Kioko thought, she looks so much like Mama sometimes. Toshi, unlike her brother and sister looked the most human. Their brother Taro, kept his silver hair cut short despite their father's disapproval, whenever asked he blamed his eye color on contacts. It hurt Kioko to see her brother ashamed of his heritage; even Toshi had Grandma trim her hair sometimes.
Kioko kept her hair long like their father, he always told her that is that way Mama would have wanted it. She seemed to have a stronger bond with Inuyasha because she felt she was the most like him, not just because of her ears but because of her longing for her mother and how she had taken to the new baby after the death of their mother Kagome. She had stayed with her father while the others adjusted to the modern world, Kioko wanted stories of her mother's childhood and how her parents met. While Taro and Toshi were making friends Kioko would stay home spending many hours brushing her little brother's grey locks of silky hair entertaining him with the stories her grandmother told her.
She sighed not paying any mind to the teacher's lecture; Tomoe is turning 10 years old today. Ten years…..ten years since mother's death, ten years since father had brought them to mother's era to live a normal life.
Inuyasha lit the candles of his dead mate's shrine with shaking fingers. His youngest son was in the house with the old man doing school work, the other pups would not return home until 3:30 that afternoon. He did not like the idea of his children in a public high school but Kagome's mother had said it would be best from them. He wanted them to have the best; it's what his wife would want. Mrs. Higurashi had gone to the store to buy something to make for dinner, he would be alone.
A soft wind blew against the fur of his ears he closed his eyes and let out a long shaky breath. Cherry blossoms swirled around the shrine; he clinched his fists and lowered his head, his bangs hooding his eyes as they filled with tears.
"Kagome…" He spoke her name softly, "It's been ten years, my wife, ten long…" his voice broke with a sob, "…years."
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Chapter Fifteen: William
It was sunrise and Monica had been the first to awaken. Wearily, she glanced around to see John, who was driving and then to Mulder and Scully who were in the back.
Suddenly aware of Monica's movement, John averted his gaze. "Morning, sunshine," he joked.
Monica smiled as she playfully hit his shoulder. "Mmm, very funny John."
She sighed when the memories of last night came rushing back. Out of habit, she turned around to see if anyone had followed them.
"Relax Mon, we lost them hours ago," he coaxed.
"We can't be too sure these days."
John sighed and said nothing. Monica turned her head briefly to see Mulder and Scully huddled next to one another in the back seat. They were still asleep.
Ten minutes or so passed and Monica jumped as a high pitched noise sounded throughout the air. It took them a moment to register that it was the sound of a cell phone. Monica slumped back against her seat. "Who could that possibly be?" she wondered aloud.
John took his eyes momentarily off the road to glance at the caller id. "Unknown number," he responded without looking at her. Monica swallowed as he answered the phone. "Hello?"
"John, it's Skinner again," came a familiar voice at the other end of the receiver.
"Sir…Walter, what is it?" he asked.
Monica met John's gaze as she heard the voice on the other line speak.
"I know this isn't safe, but I'm calling from a payphone. After this phone call we will meet in person, but I have some important news for you," Skinner continued.
"What is it, sir?"
"You are heading towards the west coast right? Where are you now?" Skinner asked.
John took a moment to observe his surroundings. "Right now, in the middle of nowhere, why?"
"Which state?"
"We're almost into Wyoming."
Skinner closed his eyes. "Okay, keep on going till you hit the city of Buffalo. That's where Mulder and Scully's son is."
Monica's jaw dropped. John turned away. "Why are you telling us this, sir?"
"His adoptive parents aren't who they say they are. I'm sorry, I swear I didn't know when Scully gave up the boy, but you need to get him out of there as soon as possible," Skinner finished.
"Will do, sir, take care of yourself."
"You too, John. See you soon."
Once the other line went dead, John turned off his phone to prevent the call from being traced. He looked over at Monica and he knew that she had heard everything.
"Who was that?" a voice sounded from the back.
Monica and John turned to see Mulder and Scully, who were now wide awake.
"Agent Doggett?" Mulder pressed.
John sighed. "Assistant Director Skinner."
"What did he have to say?" Mulder asked his tone now serious.
"In a few hours, we'll hit the city of Buffalo. That's where your son is," he replied.
Scully looked over at Mulder. Tears formed in her eyes and she gasped in hope.
"I don't want to alarm you two, but his parent's aren't who they appear to be. Skinner has reason to believe they are working against us."
Of course Mulder and Scully were more than alarmed.
"Speed up, Agent Doggett; we need to get to our son."
Several hours later, the four of them finally reached their destination. John brought the SUV to a stop a mile or so away and decided to park in a shopping center. John turned on his phone and realized he had a voicemail. He took a moment to listen to it and realized it was Skinner again confirming William's address.
A few moments later, the four of them nearly jumped out of the car without hesitation. Mulder looked at Scully. Meeting his gaze she looked up. "What is it, Mulder?"
Mulder waited until John and Monica exited the other side of the car and he pulled Scully closer to him. "Maybe you should just let the three of us go."
Scully gave Mulder an incredulous look. "You have got to be kidding me, Mulder."
When Mulder's expression failed to change, she averted her gaze. "He's my son, Mulder, our son. I was the one who gave him up to these people and now you tell me to stand back and watch?" she demanded in a hysterical whisper.
Mulder slid his hands around her waist and pulled her closer to him. He placed his hand gently on the growing bulge of her stomach. "I know, Scully. I just couldn't bear it if something happened to you or Vera," he said as he smoothed his hand over her stomach in slow circles.
Scully looked down and made no attempt to move his hand. She sighed when she felt the baby move against his touch. She bit her lip and looked into Mulder's eyes. "I'll be fine, Mulder," she whispered.
Knowing that arguing with her would be a mute point, Mulder nodded as Monica and John came round to their side. "Are you ready?" he asked.
"As ready as we'll ever be," Mulder replied, looking over at Scully then turning back to face the road. Scully looked down as she followed the three of them. She knew Mulder was angry, but she had to do this too. She felt responsible for giving him up in the first place; this was the least she could do.
Minutes later, they finally neared the secluded house which was William's new home. Come to think of it, it was the only house they had seen within the last mile from the shopping center. It looked a bit old, but not run down or anything.
As they pushed passed the weeds, Mulder started to hear Scully pant. When she saw his gaze she gave him a firm look. "I'm fine, Mulder," she lied. She knew she should have brought water, but all she could think about was getting William and seeing him for the first time in over a year.
Mulder said nothing and turned away.
They reached the door and came to the conclusion no one was home, judging by the lack of vehicle or noises. For a moment, they weren't sure how to get in. Should they knock first? John swallowed and decided to knock. They waited anxiously by the door for minutes and then suspected that no one was home.
Scully could hear the pounding of her heart flooding her eardrums. She felt her arm outstretch to try the doorknob and gasped when the door opened. As she moved to enter, Mulder pulled her back. "Scully, what the hell are you doing!?"
Scully struggled against Mulder's grip. "Let me go!" she demanded.
Mulder slid his arms around her waist and pulled her back firmly. It took him a moment to realize that his grip was too strong over her abdomen and not wanting to harm her or the baby, he released her.
Scully took this chance to dash into the large house and out of sight. "Scully!"
Shockingly, the door had slammed shut on the rest of them, almost as if someone closed it.
Against Mulder's protest, Scully dashed through the house which had taken her son. Her heart pounded against her chest in anticipation, would he remember her at all? Once she reached an open doorway, she slowed down to a halt to peer inside the room. "William?" she whispered. When she didn't receive a response, she slowly made her way inside. "William?" her voice broke.
"Momma!" she heard an excited cry from the corner of the room. Scully turned towards the direction of the voice. She couldn't believe it; it was too good to be true. All of a sudden, a two year old little boy emerged from the side of the room in which he had been hiding. He was a lot bigger since she had last seen him, a year ago. He had fair skin and blue eyes much like her own, complimented by light brown hair. And she didn't even have to give another thought about where his smile came from. The little boy came around the corner to embrace her leg. "Momma!" he repeated once more.
Scully fought her hardest against the tears which were welling in her eyes. She gently pulled away to lean down next to him. "Hi," her voice trembled. She looked away and gently took his small hands into her own, unsure what to say.
"Miss you," he managed.
Scully no longer could hold back the tears and she turned back towards him. "I missed you too, sweetheart," she managed, wondering how he could possibly remember her after giving him up a year ago.
"Mommy sad?" his smile had been replaced by a frown.
Scully managed a small smile. "No, mommy's not sad. She's very, very happy."
William's eye's moved from Scully's tear ridden face to the bulge of her tummy. Slowly and gently, he placed his hand on its round surface.
"Baby?" he asked.
Scully smiled once she felt little flutters inside her stomach at William's touch. The baby was moving.
She covered his hand with her own. "Yes, mommy is having a baby." She explained. William's eyes grew wide in amazement. "Baby!" he said excitedly. Startled, Scully pressed a finger to her mouth. "Shh, someone might hear." Her voice grew quite at the approaching footsteps. She suddenly felt her heart rate go up; she dared not turn her head. "Mu…Mulder?"she asked. A moment after no response, Scully turned her head only to be grabbed roughly by the collar of her shirt.
"Maybe you'll have a spontaneous abortion," she heard the voice growl. She couldn't see his face, but the last thing she remembered was being sailed through the room and connecting with glass before everything went blank.
Mulder, Reyes and Doggett were finally able to get into the house after carefully removing the lock from the door... "Scully!" Mulder had cried out numerous times to the point he was desperate. He had told her not to go inside the house without him, but it was a mute point. Suddenly, they heard the rising of voices and a sudden crash a moment later. "Scully?" Mulder's pulse quickened and he hurriedly tried to make his way to the other end of the large house.
"Mulder!" he had heard Monica and John's voices calling after him. God, he had to get to her before they hurt her or their baby. A figure had appeared out of nowhere and clubbed him from behind. Luckily, he had manage to dodge it just enough to avoid going unconscious.
His head throbbed. Doggett looked from Mulder, who was struggling to get up, to the culprit with a bat in his hands. "You son of a bitch," he growled. He threw himself onto the culprit.
"John!" Monica's voice called after him. Luckily, John was able to knock the bat out of the culprit's hands. Doggett felt kicks and punches coming out of nowhere. He continued to flight with all of his strength until he heard a female grunt and a moment later, felt the taller man subside. John looked up to see a needle in the man's neck and quickly pulled away to avoid being subjected to the green which poured out.
He looked from Mulder, who had managed to pull himself up, to Monica. She pulled out a few needles from her back pocket and showed it to the other two. "I figured these might come in handy," she explained.
John frowned as he helped Mulder to his feet. "Where did you get those, Monica?"
Monica swallowed. "When we were at the hospital. Once you escaped, I followed Amy Anderson to her office and found these."
"But, why would they have vaccines to kill super soldiers?" John looked skeptical.
"It makes perfect sense," Mulder stated blatantly as he turned to continue down the hall way. "Let's go before someone else gives us a warm welcoming."
The three of them rushed towards the other side of the big house and into a door that had been left ajar. "Scully!" Mulder cried out. Silence. He quickly moved into the room. Glass and toys were everywhere. Mulder turned the corner to see Scully lying limply on the ground near the shattered glass. She must have been thrown into a glass door, he figured. He could see blood trickling down her face from the wound on her forehead, most likely from shattered glass. Once he got closer he could see red underneath the white shirt Scully had been wearing. She was unconscious. He hurried to her side and pulled the top part of her body into his arms. "Scully, wake up, it's me," he cried.
Monica and John followed closely behind. Once Monica got closer to Mulder's side, she could hear whimpering coming from a corner. Mulder and John had been too preoccupied to take notice. Monica moved towards the direction of the sound and slid open a door to a closet. She gasped at the sight. A little boy no more than two years old was sitting in the closet, crying. Monica kneeled down. The little boy sniffled and looked her up and down. Monica immediately recognized those deep blue eyes and pouting lips. "Shh, it's okay sweetie," she whispered. The little boy relaxed at her touch.
Monica was startled by the child's surprising memory. It was almost impossible, he couldn't remember her from nearly a year ago, much less her name. Brushing that thought aside, she moved to take the small boy into her arms. "It's going to be okay, sweetheart. No one else will hurt you, I promise," she whispered.
William looked up into her eyes and sniffled. "Mommy, hurt."
Monica sighed sadly and said nothing.
John walked into the room, before coming to a halt. He instantly recognized the small child Monica was holding.
William looked over at John. "Dog-get," he smiled. John made a face. "Call me John, buddy." He hid a smile.
"J-on." William repeated.
Monica looked over at John. "How is Dana?"
Thinking back to reality, he frowned and said nothing.
After several tries, Mulder was finally able to get Scully to open her eyes. "Scully," he said softly.
Scully opened and closed her eyes for a moment, in a daze before memories flooded back to her. She felt a throbbing pain in her abdomen for a brief moment, and when it subsided she looked into Mulder's eyes. "I saw him, Mulder, our son," she whispered. Her lips trembled. Tears filled her eyes as she took in a breath. Suddenly, she felt another sharp pain rip through her belly. This one was a lot more forceful than the last. She doubled over in agony. "Oh god, no!"
Mulder felt his heart rate go up. "Scully? What is it, what's wrong?" he started to feel sweat beading his face as he feared the worst.
Scully trembled as she gingerly placed a hand to her abdomen. Startled by the wetness, she pulled her hand back and looked down. Her hand was covered in blood.
Mulder's voice got caught in his throat.
She couldn't feel the baby. 'I can't lose this baby, not now,' she thought. "My baby, our baby, oh god Mulder…this isn't happening."
As Mulder reached out to place his hand on her abdomen, Scully pulled her arms closer to herself and hugged her body in a protective motion. "NO!" she shrieked.
"Scully, it's just me. I'm not going to hurt you or our baby, you know that," he shouted a little too loudly. A moment later, she collapsed back into Mulder's chest and violent sobs wracked through her body.
John and Monica came running. "What's going on?" John asked.
Scully gripped Mulder's shoulder's harshly as another pain cursed through her body.
"Call 911!" Mulder demanded.
"Mulder, we can't."
"Dammit, I can't lose her or our baby! Just do it!" he demanded.
"Mulder, Dana and the baby will be in even more danger. We have no idea who runs the hospitals around here and once they find out what's happened here, they will come after us." Monica said, as she knelt by Scully and started rubbing her back soothingly.
Tears started to plague Mulder's eyes as well. "Dammit!" he broke.
"Daddy!" he heard a voice from the other side of the room.
Suddenly overwhelmed, Mulder turned and looked at the boy he hadn't seen since he was weeks old. The coloring of his hair and eyes soon became apparent and he knew without a doubt who this boy belonged to. "William," he replied.
William kneeled down next to Mulder and Scully. "Mommy and baby, hurt," he said. Mulder could tell the boy had tears in his eyes and his lips were quivering. "Bad man hurt them."
Mulder nodded. He didn't bother to ask himself how William knew his mother was pregnant. "The people who were taking care of you are the bad guys. They hurt Mommy and your sister," Mulder's voice broke.
Instinctively, Mulder pulled their son closer towards them. A moment later, William pulled back. He gently lifted his mother's shirt and placed his hand on her tummy. "S' okay, Mommy." Scully watched as he closed his eyes. A yellow light emanated from his touch. She felt warmth fill her entire body, the pain slowly went away and she started to feel those fluttery motions in her stomach. The blood and gash on her stomach slowly disappeared. William gently pulled his hand away as Scully sat up. Mulder lifted Scully's shirt only to reveal the smooth pale skin of the cocoon which held their daughter.
William smiled and placed his head on Scully's belly. "Mommy and baby okay now," he whispered.
John and Monica watched in shock.
"I can't believe it," John whispered.
"Well do you have any other theories?" Monica questioned.
John reluctantly shook his head. Since Mulder's trial, he could no longer consider himself a skeptic.
"You okay, Dana?" Monica asked softly.
Scully smiled and tried to will away the tears. "Yeah, we're fine." She said as she gratefully smoothed a hand over her belly.
Deciding that it would be an opportune time to leave the three of them alone, John walked forward. He placed his hand gently on William's shoulder. "Monica and I will get your things ready."
William smiled. "I help?"
"Sure, buddy." John looked over at Mulder and he nodded.
William pulled himself up and put his arms as best he could around his mommy and daddy. "I knew you'd come," he said softly before leaving the room with Monica and John.
Mulder looked over at Scully. His partner was in awe and her look never left her son as he disappeared out the door with Monica and John.
The tears she had somehow managed to keep under control the last few minutes finally started to pour. "Scully?"
She avoided his gaze and her lips trembled. "This is why I had to give him up, how can I possibly promise him a normal life?"
He pulled her closer to him and placed his hand over her own. "God gave him to us for a reason; we just need to have faith, Scully. We we're meant to find him; we are the only ones who can guarantee him a life as close to normal as possible. He saved us, and our baby. If I lost you, or our baby, I don't think I could go on living."
Scully smiled through the tears.
"He may be different, but he is our son Scully."
"You're right," she whispered. "Our son."
A/N- Once again, thanks so much to my BETA for getting this one to me so quickly! You're the best!!!
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Disclaimer: I don't own the original story and characters of Voltron. This is a non-profit fan-based fiction; the prose and dialogue are of my own creation. Please don't use them without getting my permission.
Author's note: Warnings: innuendo, sensuality and fluff. This is a reworking of 'The Flame of Desire', a one shot that I wrote for the KAEX mailing list back in 2001. I hope you'll enjoy it!
Room's On Fire
By KittyLynne
Well maybe I'm just thinking that the rooms are all on fire
Every time that you walk into the room...
- Stevie Nicks
I knew that something was amiss the minute I entered my chambers.
What is it with people breaking into my bedroom lately? I thought in irritation, as the flickering of candlelight caught my eye and the aroma of heavenly scented wax tickled my nose. I've called on security three times in the last twenty-four hours! Those poor men must be so tired of me …
For that reason, I checked out the room before summoning the guards. After a moment or two of pondering, I decided to forgo the emergency call. A single red candle was too sweet and simple a gesture for Lotor, who was into much more garish romantic displays, like shrine building and gold statues. Besides, it was highly unlikely Lotor or his minions would have returned so quickly after the Voltron force had just handed Planet Doom a resounding defeat. By all accounts, our enemies had slunk home with their tails between their legs...
...at least for the moment.
So who could have brought it? Who had the ability to gain unforced access to my sanctuary?
Not Coran, certainly; he would never have thought of something so basic and yet so frivolous. It couldn't have been Nanny- she didn't approve of the use of candles in the castle; spilt wax makes a mess, unattended candles are a fire hazard, and all that rubbish. The maids might have thought of it, but wouldn't dare to disobey Nanny's directives. Cheddar and the other mice could have brought it to me, but they wouldn't have been able to light it.
I inhaled deeply; the calming sweetness of lavender permeated the air, soothing my jangled nerves even as it refreshed my flagging spirits. I am a strong believer in aromatherapy, and whoever chose the candle's scent must have known that it was just what I needed after a long and particularly stressful day. But how could anyone have known? I hadn't let on to anyone how much things were getting to me lately. 'Perfectly Princess' was my credo in life, after all. Never let down your guard. Never allow anyone to see you sweating with fear. Never allow anyone to see you're a woman alone...
Closing my door, I walked to the bedside table to get a closer view of the mysterious gift.
I was surprised and charmed to see that the candle was heart shaped, and held in a beautiful crystal saucer that followed its contours. The burning wick in its center stood sentry over its base, dancing like a drunken little soldier over a highly polished floor. I stared at it, completely mesmerized by the flame, until a sudden awareness that I was not alone sent a delicious shiver down my spine.
Slowly I turned to confront the intruder who had chosen to hide away in such an intimate place. And still I was not afraid. Curious.
He was silhouetted against the window, in the part of the room that lurked in darkness. From what I could see of his outline, he was tall and long legged, with a body that was muscular and fit. Heat swept over me from head to foot as I sensed I was being looked over as well.
Neither one of us moved. Neither one of us spoke. Even so, my instincts were still telling me I wasn't in danger from this man, whoever he was.
The anticipatory silence stretched tighter and tighter between us until I could stand it no longer.
"Thank you for the lovely candle." I said boldly.
"You're welcome, Princess."
His voice was soft and had a slight rasp to it. A quivering started within me as I quickly realized to whom it belonged.
"Keith..." I breathed. "Wh-what are you doing here?"
As he stepped forward into the light, the glow of the candle brought out amber highlights in his raven colored hair, and the decals on his flight suit flashed silver as he took a deep breath. Another thrill went through me at seeing the unwaving intent in his beautiful dark eyes.
"You seemed like something was bothering you, so I thought I'd try to cheer you up." He answered, taking yet another step forward.
"You succeeded!" I laughed shakily. "I can hardly believe it! You of all people, sneaking into my room and-"
I broke off as he started advancing toward me with the rolling grace of a panther stalking its prey. Somehow I remained motionless, although my heart had started to pound and I could feel the bottom of my stomach dropping down to my loins in an excited rush.
He stopped a little over a meter in front of me, the distance between us perfectly acceptable and proper. His gaze was another matter entirely; it felt like a lick of flame as it trailed down my body in a way that was positively scandalous.
My mouth went dry and my knees started to tremble as he inspected me from my circlet down to my boots.
I'd known for a long time that I'd fallen hard for Keith and wanted him desperately, but had despaired of ever seeing him look at me with anything other than a guarded respect. Despite that knowledge, whenever my mind wasn't on matters of state, it was busy concocting scenarios of what I would do if he ever showed any direct interest in me as a woman. Those dreams were always filled with laughter and innocent fun, romantic walks through sunshine-filled meadows, and magical kisses in the moonlight.
I guess that's why they're called dreams. Now that the impossible reality was here I was completely in the dark, literally and figuratively; a tongue-tied, wide-eyed virgin, gaping foolishly at the most desirable man on the planet, feeling totally out of my depth in this atmosphere of highly charged intimacy.
Then he smiled, and I relaxed. This was Keith, the man I admired and adored. I had no cause to be fearful of him.
"Forgive me for not asking permission first, Princess." He began. "I really shouldn't be here-"
"Let me be the judge of that!" I interrupted, lifting my chin. "It's all right with me that you're here!"
My defiant statement seemed to increase the intensity of his regard.
"I think I'm losing my sanity," he said, moving closer. "It's driving me crazy not knowing."
"Not knowing...what?" I half-whispered, relishing the spicy warmth of his body as it enveloped me.
A muscle jumped in his cheek, and his eyes grew even darker. His hands clenched as if fighting to stay by his side. "I've been trying and trying to hold back... but, dammit, after coming that close to losing you to Lotor this last time-" He stopped and swallowed hard, but kept his gaze steadily on mine. "I have to know if there's any kind of chance for me...I need to know if you'd ever want me just as a man."
My eyes lowered to his broad shoulders as my world was turned upside down. What would it feel like to grip them as I undulated beneath that incredible torso, I wondered. How would it feel to have his hair brushing like butterfly wings against my nude body, along with the gentle touch of his lips? What would the hands that were so strong and capable on the controls of Black Lion feel like when caressing my flesh? What would touching him that way do to my sanity?
My breasts felt heavy and I could feel a liquid pooling of desire moistening the folds that guarded my chastity. Every fiber of my body screamed out for the man, but no sound came from my throat, the words were lodged on my tongue, but my trembling lips could not form them.
An awkward silence fell between us. As it stretched on, his expression grew bleak. "It was very wrong of me to do this." He stated, with the stiff formality that always cut me to the quick. "I apologize, and I won't bother you any more, Princess."
As he began to walk away, the words that were stuck in my throat forced their way out in a hysterical burst.
"NO! Don't go, Keith! I-I..."
He looked over his shoulder at me, one thick brow quirked upward, his lips set in an uncompromising line.
"I do want you, Keith! Since the very moment I first saw you!" I blurted, my voice shaking uncontrollably. "I love you." I added, totally humbling myself before him by saying it first.
I sighed in relief as he turned around to face me, then immediately became flustered at seeing the naked hunger in his eyes. My goodness, I thought dazedly. He really has been holding back...
"God help us both, I love you too." He said huskily. "Allura."
We stared at each other, our eyes sending messages that our lips and bodies would hopefully act on later. But how much later? I thought feverishly. It wasn't like I had any experience in these matters...
The scent of lavender filled my nostrils once again as I took a steadying breath.
"So now what happens?" I asked.
His lips curved in a slow, undeniably sexy smile. "Well, my Princess…" the title seemed to fall from his lips like a caress, "…you did just say that you wanted me, didn't you?"
I nodded, acutely conscious of my burning cheeks and parted lips as I watched him grasp the zipper on his uniform. With a single, hard tug, the center white stripe over his chest parted, revealing the shallow valley between two of the most perfectly formed male pectorals I had ever seen.
My breathing caught and then resumed in shallow puffs as the hand hesitated, then continued slowly downward, stopping at last at the top of the column of dark hair that arrowed down to his manhood. My gaze lingered there before being drawn upwards to the hand raking back the unruly strands of black hair that had fallen forward to cover his eyes.
Then he extended that hand to me.
"If you want me, then come here." His eyes narrowed seductively as he issued the invitation.
My gaze was drawn from his outstretched hand to the hardened ridge of flesh straining against the part of him that was barely covered by his uniform. My heart thumped wildly as I stood in the throes of temptation. My satiny soft bed suddenly loomed in my peripheral vision; a bed in which I had slept alone and untouched for twenty three years, but was big enough to share if I chose to do so. The candle seemed to beckon from the nightstand for us to come hither, and the scent it gave off seemed to intensify in tandem with the throbbing of my most secret places.
I was met halfway as I glided towards him. He groaned lustily as I reached out a hand and lightly stroked my fingers over his bare chest. I then spread that hand over his heart, which I could feel was pounding as rapidly as mine. He covered my hand with his. Our eyes met, and his were filled with such tenderness that it took my breath away.
"Allura...it's all right if you don't want this just yet. You don't have to prove anything to me."
A rush of love for him overwhelmed me, and that feeling alone decided the issue. Determinedly swallowing my virtue, I spoke softly. "You are the only man I've ever loved and wanted to lie with. Do with me what you will, and I beg you to let me serve you as well."
I held his rapt gaze as I reached for the fastening on my jumpsuit and slid the garment over my shoulders and down to my waist.
"Like a moth to a flame." Keith whispered, as we came together at last.
The End
This has been a production of EvilLynne Enterprises.
The management claims all responsibility for shamelessly unfulfilled expectations. ;)
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[A/N: sorry about the fight scene
[A/N: sorry about the fight scene. The numbers just didn't work]
Anakin held up a hand just before they walked through the door. "Wait."
Domion frowned at him. "Wait for what?"
"Stretch out," Anakin said. "Who do you sense out there?"
"A few passerby," Luke said, "A couple….wait. Two minds saturated with the dark side."
"That's right," Anakin said, "and they also have the mind-texture of drop ins."
"Wait," hissed Nacht, "you see that building over there to the right?"
Maul nodded. "Yes."
"Let's climb it. If we leap down from there, we can take out one or two more quickly and even the odds a bit."
Maul nodded silently. They leaped quickly to the to the top of the one-story building, and crouched at the edge, waiting.
They did not have to wait long.
The six Jedi exited the gym, sticking together in a tight group.
"Keep an eye out," Anakin murmured. "They might atta—"
Before he could finish, the two Sith dropped down from above, instantly lashing out. Domion caught a kick to the jaw and fell backwards, only half-conscious. Maul's foot impacted Obi-Wan's stomach hard, knocking the wind out of him. Anakin and Luke attacked Nacht, who was hard-pressed to stay ahead of two sabers. Mara and A'jin were fighting Maul, who was having a bit of trouble. Sadly, teenage clumsiness had accompanied his reemergence, and soon enough he was disarmed. Mara started to move forward to help her husband, but before she could, Maul slid forward, and kicked at her, abandoning the saber and using some impressive hand-to-hand combat moves. Mara blocked his foot with an arm, then grabbed his leg and twisted. He allowed himself to be flipped onto the ground, then scythed his other leg at her ankles, trying to take her down. She simply kicked back, her toe catching his instep painfully. He winced, glancing toward Nacht for support. He wasn't going to get any. Darth Nacht was having problems of his own, trying to deal with multiple Skywalkers. Finally, Nacht had to admit defeat.
He glanced at Maul, then used the Force to boost himself into a high leap. He landed a few meters away, then ran. Maul followed him.
Anakin sighed, glancing at Luke. "Good job," he said with a grin. Luke nodded, smiled, and glanced towards Mara and A'jin, who were crouching beside the half-conscious Domion. "Is he going to be all right?" Anakin asked.
"Yeah," said Mara. "He just got kicked in the face a little too hard, but there's no permanent damage."
Domion shook his head slightly, trying to clear it. "Kinda screwed up, didn't I?" he asked.
"Hey, no prob," Anakin told him. "They're gone, we're heading home. Guess we shouldn't have worked so hard during practice."
Luke shrugged. "We had no way of knowing this would happen."
"Who were they?" asked Mara.
"Sith, obviously," replied Obi-Wan. "The tattooed one was around when I was an apprentice, but I don't know his name."
"Maul," Anakin said. "His name is Darth Maul. He was an apprentice of Palpatine's." Unspoken was the comment before me. "The other one, he's an old Sith Lord, from a millennium or so ago, named Darth Nacht. He's considered one of the famous ones, which is a pretty bad thing for us. He's the closest to respected a Sith can get."
A'jin frowned. "Rather than standing here discussing this, why don't we get back to the apartment and maybe get some sleep?"
"Hey," Domion said, "why would we want to do that? I was having fun out here getting bit by insects."
They started to walk back, sticking close together and not talking much.
When they arrived, Yoda was busy in the kitchen making swamp stew for the returning Jedi (cue groaning). Qui-gon was on the balcony, studying the Coruscant skyline. Margara was already asleep, as it was late. He entered the living room as Anakin collapsed into a chair. Luke and Mara sank onto the sofa, and Domion, Obi-Wan, and A'jin took up places around the room. "What happened?" Qui-gon asked. "You all look like you've been fighting in a war!"
Anakin gave him a wry look. "Well, that's sorta what we've been doing," he said. He related the tale of the fight outside the gym, and Qui-gon made a face.
"I'd hoped no Sith would bother us out here," he commented.
Domion snorted. "We should be so lucky."
Obi-Wan said with a barely repressed grin, "In my experience there's no such thing as luck."
"Yeah," said Anakin, "that's because you've never had any."
Obi-Wan sniffed. "Hmph. You should talk."
"Well," Anakin replied, "I've had more than you."
"Prove it."
"Oh, uhm, how about that race I won on Tatooine, the one that ensured you'd get home? I'd say that was pretty good."
"That was skill, not luck."
Anakin laughed. "Well, I suppose I should take that as a compliment. How about that time on the crawl that I nearly got gooshed by some tough in a bar but didn't because he tripped?"
"Nope, because it was you who tripped him."
Everyone else was listening to the banter, laughing.
"Sounds pretty exciting," Mara commented. "Didn't know humans could podrace."
"Most can't," replied Anakin with a grin. "I can."
"And you're not exactly shy about letting everyone know," Domion chimed in.
"Are you saying I boast?" Anakin sounded offended, but his eyes were sparkling with restrained laughter.
"You? Boast?" Domion snickered. "I have never heard Anakin Skywalker boast."
A'jin replied. "Maybe once or twice."
Domion grinned. "When he deserved to."
"When it seemed convenient."
Amid general laughter, Anakin held up his hands. "Okay, okay, so I like to talk about what I can do. You're not exactly humble, Mr. I'm-so-cool-I-beat-the-teacher. You've done your fair share."
"Slander!" Domion exclaimed. "Foul lies! I'm the picture of innocent humility." He pressed his hands flat, palms together, and fluttered his eyes towards the sky.
Anakin snorted. "Uh-huh. Right. Sure y'are. And I'm shorter than Yoda."
"Heyyyy!" Came the indignant shout from the corner. "Not short am I! Vertically challenged I am, yes."
They decided to head for the Jedi Academy the next day. It wasn't actually involved at all with the Sith attack; the only real reason was that Luke and Mara's Coruscant apartment was the proper size for two people, and trying to cram in nine was a bad idea.
Their arrival on Coruscant required some serious explanation, but once the Jedi students there understood the situation, they were extremely enthusiastic about the drop-ins. Tionne wanted to be able to talk to all of them, since her particular interest was history; Kam wanted to know if they'd be willing to assist with the lessons. During the trip from Coruscant to Yavin IV, Anakin had been commenting (whining, if you asked Domion or Obi-Wan) that he didn't want to go by his real name, that he was afraid the Jedi Academy would be closed or at the least frosty to him. Luke and Mara had spent the entire trip assuring him there wouldn't be any problems; Luke was quite confident of this, remembering the way Kyp had been treated after the Exar Kun episode. Anakin hadn't been so sure, but in the end he was willing to trust his son's judgment on the situation.
Luke had been right, too. Some of the newer trainees were hesitant, but the majority accepted Anakin as though he was just any person, not the ex-Sith lord.
A few days after they all arrived, Luke received a call from the planetary leader of Anomil, an Outer-Rim planet near Tatooine. The leader, Milimoa Diunnach, wanted Luke and Mara to come out and talk to him about concerns he had regarding the Jedi Order.
"Now," Luke said very seriously to Anakin and Domion later that day, when he'd described the situation to them, "travel takes time between here and Anomil. Mara and I should be gone for about two weeks or so. Your mission, should you two choose to accept it, is to make the ultra-serious and no-sense-of-humor staff of the Jedi Academy laugh. You are free to use any methods necessary, as long as they do not incur any permanent damage."
Anakin and Domion high-fived. "All RIGHT!" Anakin exclaimed. "The Triple-T is back in business!"
"Dum da dum dum," added Domion dramatically.
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Disclaimer: again i own nothing except for my characters in the story.
Meanwhile across town at the lab, Danny was showing up two hours later for work making it the third time in the past week. Mac was getting frustrated with Danny's current lateness problem and finally figured that he should do something about it before the higher-up's hear about it.
"Danny, my office now" (Mac)
"Sure thing, Mac" (Danny)
"I've been noticing a problem with your sign-in sheet lately, care to explain?" (Mac)
"Bike problems, can't seem to get it starting properly for the past few days. Sorry if it's been a problem" (Danny)
"Yeah it's been a problem Danny a big one. Once in a week is fine but three times is a problem and your bike isn't at fault for all three" (Mac)
"Aren't we on the prowl, this morning" (Danny)
"Watch it Danny, I'm trying to help you I can't do that if you don't let me in" (Mac)
"What's there to help? The girl I'm in love with wants nothing to do with me and my best friend hates me. And this…this is nothing just another place that will turn its back on me, sooner or later" (Danny)
"Not true Danny. I'll always be here for you so will, Stella, Hawkes and everyone else" (Mac)
"Not Lindsay or Flack. The two of them both want nothing to do with me" (Danny)
"Can you blame them Danny? There daughter is fighting for her life right now, and Don just found out you've been sleeping with his girlfriend. Why'd you do it in the first place?" (Mac)
"Tell you the truth Mac, I don't know. I've had a crush on Lindsay since I met her at the zoo…" (Danny)
"There has to be more, Danny. You and Don have been friends for way to long to make a stupid mistake like what you did. How did it start?" (Mac)
"I know Mac, it was a stupid thing. Montana and I went out for drinks one night after work, while Flack was out of town and the kids were at his parents place. We got really drunk and one thing led to another and we just started" (Danny)
"You had to of known it was wrong, she's your best friend's girl, the mother of his kids, it should have ended with that one night. Not lasted for over a month" (Mac)
"That's the thing Mac, after that one night it was like an addiction I had to feel that way with Lindsay again and again, I just couldn't stop and apparently she couldn't either" (Danny)
"I'm trying to help you Danny, but the best thing for you would probably be to focus on your work and forget about everything with Don and Lindsay. I thought I heard Adam say something about you having a girlfriend a nurse or something like that, what about her?" (Mac)
"What about her, there's nothing really to say" (Danny)
"How is she going to feel if she finds out about you and Lindsay sleeping together during your relationship" (Mac)
"Who cares, she's only a means to satisfy my needs till Lindsay decides she wants me instead of Don" (Danny)
"Not going to happen, Danny. Lindsay made a mistake something that she's working on fixing. Her life is and always will be with Don and the life they created together" (Mac)
"Everybody says that Mac, but it's not true. Linds has been so much happier since her and I have been hooking up. She smiles more, something Flack hasn't gotten her to do much lately and she flirts all the time with me and hasn't been doing that with him so it means something" (Danny)
"Don't do this to yourself Danny, she's not going to leave Don and the life they have together for you. It just doesn't work that way" (Mac)
"What does everybody have against me being happy?" (Danny)
"We don't have anything against you being happy Danny. Its just that the one you want to be happy with, is already happy with somebody else" (Mac)
"But what if she's lying to everybody Mac and she isn't happy or in love with him anymore?" (Danny)
"Then it's not your place to continuously throw yourself in the middle of her current relationship. Let Lindsay decide what she wants and if she wants you she'll come to you after Emily is better. Just don't forget she'll come bearing the children from hers and Don's relationship and they probably won't like being taken away from there dad" (Mac)
"They probably won't be, but they love me" (Danny)
"Yeah as uncle Danny, not as daddy replacement. Those two children love there dad so much, I remember going over to there house for there birthday party the twins never left Don's side the entire time" (Mac)
"Things can change Mac; you know that I know that. And eventually the twins will have to learn that, so if you don't need anything more, I have work that I need to do" (Danny) "Fine, but just remember this Danny…if you ruin Lindsay and Don's life just for your own gain. I will not be held responsible for whatever might happen to you" (Mac)
"Understood" (Danny).
In a sense Danny knew that what Mac was saying was true he was in for serious trouble if he kept trying to interfere with Lindsay and Don's life, like he has been doing. Now all he had to figure out was how much does he actually care for Lindsay, because if he cared about her as much as he says he does then he'd have no problem ruining her relationship with his former best friend. Danny knows that the next move to be made wasn't exactly his to make but he needed Lindsay to know that he wanted to be there for her and the twins when ever she or them needs him, even if Don is still in the picture. All he had to do was figure out how he was going to tell her this without having her or anybody else go off on him for trying to interfere with her current family problems. All that Danny wanted to do was to be happy himself and that meant having Lindsay in his life, he decided it doesn't matter if he hurts his ex-best friend in the process because he was already hurt by the guy himself. For Danny the day three years ago when he found out that Don and Lindsay were dating, hurt him but he was alright with that because he could still have a chance with her. But then they announced she was pregnant and he knew his chances were over, yet he still held out hope he watched the two of them raise the twins. But then that fateful night came when Danny got his chance and he took it and he wasn't going to let go of her again.
Mac was concerned for his friends, colleagues and his goddaughter and brother because they all are bound to be hurt by what's to happen next. It didn't take much for Stella to notice that something was up with her husband especially after the conversation he had just had with Danny, so she decided that Mac needed a small distraction and she was just the one to provide it.
"Hey, sweetheart. You alright?" (Stella)
"Yeah I'm fine. Just got a few things on my mind at the moment" (Mac)
"Anything you care to share and by share I mean tell me?" (Stella)
"It's just this thing with Danny and Lindsay is worse then we thought, at least from Danny's side of things" (Mac)
"How so?" (Stella)
"He's in love with her" (Mac)
"Of course he would be she's one of his closest friends why wouldn't he be in love with her as far as friendships go?" (Stella)
"No not that kind of love, he's head over heels crazy in love with her. The kind where you don't care what happens to anybody else as long as you get what you want kind of love. Meaning he's willing to risk everything just to be with her; and the worst part is he doesn't care about who gets hurt in the process to make it happen" (Mac)
"This is not good Mac, we need to stop him, from causing anymore harm to those two. If this was to have happened two years ago, fine. But it's been three years Lindsay has a life, heck a family with Don and Danny want's to ruin that for her, just so he can be happy. We can't let him do that Mac" (Stella)
"Yeah I know we can't but it's hard to stop Danny when he's willing to do what ever it takes to get what he wants and I mean whatever it takes" (Mac)
"Yet Mac, we've got to try and stop him. So how are we going to do that?" (Stella)
"I don't think there's anything we can really do other than to be there for them and help them when they need us" (Mac)
"I know that, but I wish there was something else that we could do, and onto another matter was Don at our apartment this morning?" (Stella)
"I know I wish for that too, and yeah he was" (Mac)
"Honey, why was he there?" (Stella)
"He needed somebody to talk to and I was it" (Mac)
"Okay, as long as you were providing him with advice and not telling him what he should be doing" (Stella)
"Yeah, I was giving him advice. He's in a really bad place, Stella" (Mac)
"I know Mac, he loves Lindsay and there life but the whole Danny thing and Emily being in hospital are not helping him at the moment" (Stella)
"True" (Mac)
"I just wish that his parent's knew about what's going on, between him and Lindsay. And not just about their granddaughter being in hospital" (Stella)
"What? They don't know yet?" (Mac)
"Nope and somebody needs to tell them. Because they can talk some sense into there son and help them out with Robert" (Stella)
"I know, but you know Flack. He hates appearing weak" (Mac)
"I know that, yet his parents need to know" (Stella)
"So who do you think should call them?" (Mac)
"I'll do it, Mac. His mom; adores me" (Stella)
"Really; and why may that be?" (Mac)
"That would because I am very motherly to him and she loves it" (Stella)
"I see so you go ahead and do that. While I have work to get done" (Mac)
"I'll see you later?" (Stella)
"You better Mrs. Taylor" (Mac). And that was the last thing said between Stella and Mac for the rest of the day.
Today was slightly different then the day before when Lindsay looks at her little girl and when she starts to think about it she realizes that the difference is that her little girl doesn't appear that little anymore. It's knowing that in her little lifespan of fifteen months, this little girl has been through so much more than either of her parents have gone through and is still going through it. Just looking at her they knew she was fighting for her life and that's what truly scare's them more than anything else, is not knowing whether or not there little girl will ever wake up from this nightmare.
"Emi, it me. Wake-up now" (Robert)
"She's trying really hard to buddy" (Lindsay)
"Why can't she come home with us?" (Robert)
"Cause she can't at the moment. Remember when Uncle Adam was in the hospital?" (Lindsay)
"Yeah, he hurt working" (Robert)
"Yeah and you wanted him to come home from the hospital then too, you remember that?" (Lindsay)
"Uh huh" (Robert)
"And he couldn't because he wasn't allowed to, that's the same thing for Emi" (Lindsay) "Dada, momma saying Emi can't go home?" (Robert)
"Yeah buddy, that's what momma's saying. You understand?" (Don)
"Tiny bit, but me still want Emi, home with me" (Robert)
"I know buddy boy, I know. I want her home with us too" (Don). It was during that conversation that hope shined through for them, little Emily Aiden Flack balled her little hand up into a fist for them.
After calling a nurse over to see for herself they called for a doctor to come in and take a look for himself. Sure enough the moment turned out to be a normal reaction that comes about when a body hasn't actually moved itself in so many days or hours. By the time lunch arrived neither of the people standing around the bed wanted to move, until they were ordered out by one of the nurses. Resulting in Bobby getting his diaper checked and getting a meal from his parents before being taken back to the daycare, under duress.
"Alright little man, you've been fed and changed. You know what that means" (Lindsay)
"Not going" (Robert)
"Yes you are buddy, it's nap time" (Don)
"Me not sleepy" (Robert)
"Robert Donald Flack, don't make me…" (Lindsay)
"Not going; can't make me" (Robert)
"Robert, you have to listen to your parents" (Mac)
"Uncle Mac?" (Robert)
"Yep, it's me buddy. Now you should really go down for a nap" (Mac)
"Don't wont to. Me not like the center" (Robert)
"Why not?" (Mac)
"Lady like daddy, daddy like lady. Momma mad" (Robert)
"I see…what did you do Don?" (Mac)
"Nothing I was just being nice to the lady in charge of the daycare nothing else" (Don)
"For crying out loud, Don…never mind, Bobby you want to spend sometime with me and aunt Stella tonight?" (Mac)
"Want to stay with Emi, but want to stay with you too" (Robert)
"How about this you take a little nap for me at the center then when you wake up we'll spend some more time with Emily then well go to mine and aunt Stella's apartment how does that sound to you?" (Mac)
"Alright" (Robert)
"Great, now…who do you want to take you to the daycare for your nap?" (Mac)
"Momma. Dada would stay with lady if he goes" (Robert)
"Alright, and I promise I'll be here when you wake up" (Mac)
"Okay and you promise we stay with Emi?" (Robert)
"I promise; I'll see you in a little while" (Mac)
"Yep…love you dada and uncle Mac" (Robert)
"Love you too buddy can I get a hug?" (Don)
"Okay" (Robert)
"I'll be back soon Mac" (Lindsay)
"Don't worry Lindsay take your time I wanted to talk with Don anyways" (Mac)
"Sure thing" (Lindsay). After hearing that Lindsay knew she didn't want to come back anytime soon to hear what Mac has to say to Don.
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Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.
This is it! The last chapter!
Edward left when Charlie began to wake. He didn't want to, but I'd insisted that he go. I wanted a chance to talk to Charlie on my own, to convince him that Edward is the best thing for me. Edward had left, but I was sure he was waiting nearby. I made Charlie breakfast, trying desperately to calm my nerves.
It didn't work.
What had seemed a brilliant idea with Edward in the room suddenly wasn't so brilliant.
As Charlie got ready to face the day I managed to control the shakes enough to make eggs without covering myself in oil. I was serving them up when he entered the kitchen.
"Morning Dad!" I said, keeping my voice cheerful.
"Morning, Bells," he replied gruffly. He eyed me suspiciously as I moved around, finishing his breakfast.
"Here you go," I chirped, placing the plate on the table. He looked at me critically before shrugging and tucking in.
I toyed with the spoon in my cereal, trying to decide the best way to start.
"Dad?" I began cautiously. He grunted in response.
"Dad I'm going to go out with Edward again," I said in a rush, hurrying to continue before Charlie could interrupt. "I love him, Dad; I love him with all my heart. When I'm with him…." I struggled to find the right words. "When I'm with him I feel whole, complete, like he's the other half of my soul. He's the centre of my world and to be wrenched away from him again would kill me," I looked straight at him, begging him to believe me with my eyes.
"I can't live without him,"
"Have you tried?" he asked suddenly. "Have you tried to live without him, to move on? Bella, you can't find your soul mate at such a young age. It's not possible. You need life experience to find such a person."
"But I have Dad." I protested, I wanted him to understand, I needed him to understand. "And as you trying to live without him….that's what he wanted for me when he left. He wanted me to be happy without him, a clean break, because he knew how much it could hurt us if we stayed together,"
Charlie snorted.
"Dad, can you just listen to Edward, please?" I made a last ditch effort to convince him, "Edward is my life, my everything. Please just listen to what he has to say, and then decide."
"He didn't have anything to say yesterday,"
"That's because yesterday you wouldn't have listened," I argued, "You weren't very rational yesterday, only thinking through anger. Please Dad, just listen to him."
"Fine," was the abrupt response, "but I don't like this."
"Ok, I'll go call him," I got up and left but Charlie called out to me.
"Let them sleep a while longer,"
"Oh, erm…the Cullens are really early risers," I lied quickly, picking up the phone and dialing a still familiar number.
"Hey Alice," I replied. "Is-"
"He's already on his way over," huffed Alice, "Honestly Bella; do you really think I wouldn't see this?"
"Of course not; I would never bet against you Alice,"
"Glad to hear it," Her tone softened after a moment, "Don't worry Bella, everything will be fine,"
"Thanks, Alice,"
We said our goodbyes and a few minutes later I could hear the quiet purr of the Volvo outside. I raced to the door, eager to see him again. I opened the door to face the bronze-haired god in front of me.
No matter how many times I saw him, I would never get used to his beauty.
He smiled gently and pulled me into his arms, resting his chin on the top of my head. We needed no words; we only needed to convey how much we missed each other in a single touch. I looked up at him to see my favorite crooked grin on his lips, before they latched firmly onto my own.
No matter how many times we kissed, I would never get used to the feeling of his lips on mine.
The feeling of rightness, exquisiteness, happiness, wholeness and pleasure.
We pulled back only because Edward knew Charlie was in the house. His gold eyes were smoldering at me, and I found myself pulled into those pools of golden fire, leaning in for another kiss.
Charlie coughed behind us.
A blush crept onto my cheeks whilst Edward let out an embarrassed chuckle. A sound so unlike him I giggled, which didn't help us win Charlie over.
"Kitchen, now," he ordered, marching in with us trailing behind.
"Sit," We sat. Charlie leaned back and looked at us, eyeing our joined hands on the table top.
So Edward did.
He told Charlie how much he loved me.
How much I meant to him.
That I was his soul mate.
I was crying before he was even halfway finished.
"Without Bella, I can barely make it through a single day. All the time I was away all I thought about was her, and how much I hoped that she moved on, that she would find someone and be happy. But I was wrong, so very wrong. I had doubted the strength of her love, and she paid the price for my mistake.
That won't happen again. I love Bella; she is the centre of my world, the one that keeps me chained to earth. I will never leave her again, never hurt her. She is my everything, and I wouldn't give her up for anything,"
We sat in silence whilst Charlie digested his words.
"Take care of her," was all he said, before walking out and slamming the door behind him.
"Is he okay?" I asked Edward, tears still making faint tracks down my face.
"He's fine." He said, pulling me into his lap and brushing my tears away, "He thinks this is a mistake, but he acknowledges the sincerity of our feelings,"
"Okay," I said, burrowing into his shirt.
"What do you want to do today then?" he asked after a few moments. I raised my head from his chest to speak.
"Can we go see everyone?" I asked, I had seen them all just yesterday, and it felt like so long ago.
"Then we will," he said, leading me to his car.
The silence in the car was charged with memories I had suppressed, that just the scent of the leather seats unleashed form their carefully crafted chains. Memories of long conversations, of times when he demanded I tell him everything.
We travelled in silence, but it was no longer the awkward. It was comforting, yet being so close to him charged the air with electricity, making my skin prickle deliciously.
When we arrived and walked in, I was assaulted by a tornado named Alice.
"Omigosh Bella!" she squealed, "We have to go shopping. I took a look through your suitcase and it's terrible! Jeans and t-shirts won't work all the time! You need…"
I lost track of what she was saying. I knew she just wanted a shopping trip to torture me. It didn't matter though. I saw Jasper laughing quietly as Alice reeled off names of items. Emmett and Rosalie snuggled together on the couch. Carlisle and Esme stood together, their arms wrapped round each other, caring over their adoptive children.
I was among family again.
Wow! I finished it! Yay!
Thankyou to everyone who stuck with this to the end, through the bad jokes and the terminal fluff. Thankyou all who have reviewed you have supported me throughout writing this.
So one last time....
Love or Hate?
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"Off The Page" Contest
Pen Name: LittleClareStar
: Only One
Book/Written Work
: Twilight/Highlander
Summary: There Can Be Only One. Will history repeat itself, or will Edward prevail.
Word Count: 8158
For Rules and Other Submissions, please visit: http://www(DOT)fanfiction(DOT)net/u/1981556/
San Francisco, September 2009
The lights above our heads gave everything a falsely golden luminescence. I squinted as I looked around the room. Even at this late hour the place was busy, every sage and white gingham cloth covered table occupied, harried looking waiting staff feigning interest at the orders they were taking and delivering. The streetlights glared in through the ceiling to floor glass fronted building, adding to the false atmosphere, the midnight sky outside made darker by the distorted glow around us. I looked at Bella who was sitting across from me at our corner table against the back wall, her typically alert and intelligent chocolate brown eyes down-turned, her usually confident fingers twisting and untwisting the green paper napkin that sat on her lap. Her shiny brown hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun effort, but red tinted strands were starting to come loose, making her look less professional, more vulnerable.
"I've worked it out," she said, her normally confident voice now a mere whisper. "I've traced you back. You disappear and reappear throughout the last three hundred years of history, maybe more." She rubbed her eyes with the slender index finger and thumb of her left hand, while the right hand continued to fiddle with the napkin on her blue denim clad thighs.
She sighed. I remained quiet. She had to tell me what she had discovered. It sounded unbelievable coming from me. The forensic scientist in her would tell her that it was me, the killings pointed to me, each one led back to me. She had to know, to work out for herself, that it wasn't me, that it was James.
That it had always been James.
For over three hundred years, it had been James.
As I opened the front door to my loft apartment I peeled off my raincoat, chucking it onto a slightly scuffed, dark wood, Edwardian dining chair that sat just inside the front door, next to a matching occasional table onto which I flung my keys. Without turning on a single light I threw myself down onto the late nineteen sixties sofa which was positioned towards the back of the open plan living/dining room. I looked out through the room-wide window, staring across the bay taking in the views towards Marin that had made this apartment so desirable. Or so the real estate agent had told me, the greed evident in his sly eyes, the desire to make as much from the seller and I in the forefront of his mind. I had just wanted somewhere to live, somewhere to call home, somewhere that was unlike anywhere I had lived before.... A change.
Around me, casting shadows over my sorry soul, were the remnants of my past life. My past lives. My grand piano sat on a slightly raised plinth, paintings from eighteenth century France lined one wall, first edition English novels from the nineteenth century filled the large bookshelves on the other. On the wall behind me hung two pictures, both photographs of modern day Scotland. One of Glenfinnen, one of Glencoe. Suspended in between them, glinting gently by virtue of the moonlight that peeked in through the glass front of the room when the clouds allowed, were two shafts of carefully crafted metal: my twa handis swerdis, my claidheamohmor, my claymore sword, and next to it Jacob's Spanish longsword. I dropped my head into my hands, as passages of our conversation in the cafe ran through my head.
Edward - how old are you?
Edward - how long have you been twenty-eight?
A while.
I loved her and I knew that I couldn't lose Bella the way that I had lost Isabella. I would not let James do that to me again. He had taken too many people from me over the years - my birth family, my teacher and inadvertently my first love. He was not going to fuck this up for me.
I stood up and ran my hands through my hair repeatedly as I walked slowly towards the swords.
There would be only one.
My name is Edward Cullen. I was born in the year of our Lord, fifteen hundred and eleven, in the village of Glenfinnen on the banks of Loch Shiel. I was the eldest son of the clan's chief, Carlisle, my younger brothers Emmett and Jasper following a year each behind me. Three lads could never have been considered closer, each of us a part of the other, inseparable as we grew up, learning to fight and to farm side by side. Each of us though, was obviously also an individual. We looked nothing alike, although we were all obvious combinations of our parents. We were all judged to be above average height, each of us apparently as broad as we were long, but where I had hair the tones of the leaves in autumn and eyes the color of the hills in the Spring, Emmett was black haired with eyes as dark as the night. Jasper was blue-eyed, his hair the gold of the sun. We did almost everything together. Hunted together, fished together and chased the women together.
By the time Jasper had reached his eighteenth year and Emmett his nineteenth, they had both caught the women they had been chasing. Jasper was married to Alice, the tiny dark haired daughter of the Clan's weaver, and Emmet to Rose the statuesque fair-haired daughter of our mother's cousin. I remained alone, enjoying soft warm company when the nights drew in, but happy not to have to stay attached when each morning arrived.
By the time Jasper had reached his nineteenth year and Emmett his twentieth, we were in conflict with the clan Fraser.
What had started as night time raids on our livestock and thieving from our fields soon escalated to much, much more and just after the twenty second anniversary of my birth, I found myself riding into my first battle, my sword at my side, brothers flanking me, our Cullen plaid, the colors of the heather and the peat, wrapped around each of us. The cold nip in the late Autumn air was evident through the gooseflesh on our arms and the steam emanating from the nostrils of our over excited and somewhat skittish horses.
With the rest of the able bodied men of the clan riding and walking behind us being given a subconscious morale-boost by the swirling screeches of the clan's piper and drums, my father, my brothers and I lead the way to meet the bastard Frasers. The damp morning mist swirled around our heads, the tops of the mountains of our home hidden behind it. The elder men and the young boys had stayed in the village to watch the women and the bairns, to keep them safe. Too old or fragile or young to fight effectively at our sides, they were ready if we lost the battle, if the battle broke through and came to them.
As we rode towards our destinies I began to feel an unexpected fear mixed in with an irrational excitement. All our lives we had trained for this. Prepared for the day when we would have to defend our homes and livelihoods. And yet, it was possible that we could lose this battle, we could lose our homes and families.
As we came around the bottom of the mighty Sgurr nan colreachan I could all but smell the foul stench of our enemy. The horses started to get more giddy, our nerves affecting them, their senses telling them that they weren't safe.
And then there they were. Ahead of us, about a half of one mile away, were the bastard Frasers. I sucked my breath in, and exhaled again hard, my exhalation looking like smoke coming from the snout of an imaginary beast.
Carlisle held his huge bulky sword aloft, brandishing it high and steady as if it weighed no more than an eagle's feather. We stopped. The men behind us stopped. The pipers and the drums came to a tuneless halt. Suddenly there was a deathly silence behind where we stood. Not a sound from a man nor beast. God's works still continued around us - the burn gushed by at the mountain's feet, the birds were waking and starting their shrill calls, and the wind was blowing the leaves on the trees against each other.
I witnessed Carlisle deliberately lower his shoulders, keeping his claidheamohmor, his great sword, held high where his men could see it. And then he roared. The usually quiet, peace loving man whom I adored and who had raised me to be the best I could be, roared. The unearthly sound bounced off the hills, reaching up through the mists to the tips of the mountains, surely to be heard by the heavens. Then he dropped his arm down, and we charged forward. Yells and shrieks and cries and howls coming from every man, rough panting emerging from the horses as we pushed them towards similar sounds coming from across the land directly towards us. This was it. There was no backing out, no turning around. Kill or be killed.
I raised my heavy sword above my head as my horse thundered towards the Frasers, noises I couldn't identify as my own issuing from my mouth, fear gone, anticipation of victory filling my every bone as I charged along with my father and my brothers. Victory or death.
The sky was an early morning blue, the sun just appearing from behind Sgurr nan colreachan, still not yet warm. Fine mist billowed around us as we met our foe in the middle of the battlefield, our feet squelching through the peat and into the burn, their war cries matching ours. Within seconds broadswords were meeting claymores, our targes repelling their blows and theirs forcing back our attacks. Around me I could see my friends falling, my family fighting. Emmett making short work of anyone who stumbled into his path, his a thump and chop mentality. Jasper was slyer, ducking and anticipating his opponent's moves, planning each move he made.
It only took a moment for me to realize that no one would fight me. I was standing amongst bodies, in the thick of the battle, and no one would touch me. They seemed to run away from me, seeing me and at the same moment turning to fight elsewhere. Anywhere else, and anyone other than me.
"Here Edward, come stand with me, that way I'll stay safe," yelled Emmett, laughing whilst still fighting, his glee at being in the centre of the battle evident.
Still the Frasers ran from me, a silent pool of safety in the mire of battle. I wanted to fight, longed to fight, and yet was alone. A strange sensation started to fill my being, starting at my feet and filling me, an almost searing pain enveloping my body, spiking at my veins, surging through my soul.
And then, amongst the chaos, the fear, the smoke, the mud, I saw him.
Hair the color of straw, eyes the blue of frozen water, a sword longer than I had ever seen, he stood a good head taller than me, made all the taller by the helmet he wore, which was made from the skull of a stag.
"You're mine, Cullen," he screamed as he raced towards me, his claymore held high, his tigne thrown to one side.
I raised my claymore, ready for the fight. And then I felt a sharp crippling pain. A non ending pain. With his first strike the man in the skull had stabbed me. As the sword twisted in my gut, the last thing I remember were deafening screams as Jasper and Emmett rushed him, jumping past me, pulling him off my flailing body, his words ringing and fading simultaneously in my ears, "Cullen. You WILL be mine. There. will. be. only. one".
I woke up after at least one night's deep sleep, knowing from the sun's low position that it was early in the morning again. The pain in my side was gone, and I was alone. I ventured from my croft house and out into the village, and upon hearing noises from the tavern and clan council, headed in that direction, bracing myself for the onslaught of laugher and goading that I would no doubt receive having passed out like a lassie on the battleground.
I entered the wooden structure, and the noise stopped. Dead. The silence was deafening. My fellow clansmen and women moved out of my way, staring at me, whispering to each other as they moved back to create a path towards my family. Jasper and Emmett stood up with my father, all facing me, their faces confused and stern, shocked and sad, all emotions evident at the same time.
I grabbed the arse of Jessie, a lassie that I had been enjoying time with more recently than most and brought her in for a kiss, still walking as I crammed my tongue into her usually more than receptive mouth.
She pulled back, a sneer crossing her freckled face, her mouse colored hair swinging as she spoke roughly, "See how he stands. He walks. He was all but dead this past night." She paused as she built up her breath. "He is with the devil".
And that was all it took for my life as I knew it to be over. I was jumped by many men, and carried outside. All the while I fought for my life, trying to see my brothers, my father, as the mob beat on me, bellowed obscenities at me. Where it not for the fact that my father was the chief and wielded power, and that Jasper and Emmett stood to defend my body, the mass would have killed me. Instead, at Carlisle's insistence they turned me out, banished me, to leave Glenfinnan, Loch Shiel, my family, my Clan. To be alone.
I travelled for many days, perhaps weeks, my physical wounds inflicted by my fellow Clansmen healing, the wounds in my heart and head not.
And then on a normal, murky day, with tiny drops of rain sprinkling from the sky, the clouds a pale grey color, and a rough wind in the air, I met her. Isabella. Daughter of a blacksmith who took me in, gave me a chance, and honed my skills. Our pull towards each other was instant, like a force unknown to either of us, and within months we were wed and living in Glencoe in our own croft house beneath the two peaks known as the Three Sisters, where we lived and loved and laughed. Nothing else mattered, just Isabella and I, our lives entwined always, our bodies as often as possible, and our hearts as we promised in God's sight for eternity.
I loved to just watch her. As I struck at the iron horseshoes and the broadswords which I made in my forge, I could see her as she tended to our animals and our small holding of crops. I'd never seen myself as a one lassie man. But Isabella had changed that. Her eyes were the color of the finest bark, her hair so brown and yet so many other colors that shimmered in the highland sun. When she ran, her body moved as if it was water running through the burn, smooth and yet rippling. Her beauty was beyond compare. And she was mine. I was grateful every day that she was mine, that she chose to love me. Before, I was a worker, a farmer, a fighter, and a lover of lassies for the short term. Now I was a husband with a wife who looked at me as if she had won a prize at the Whitsun celebrations, as opposed to the reality. The reality showed that it was I who had won the prize. Her.
It was a typically cold and wet day, the first time we met Jacob Black of the Quilluite Tribe.
Neither Isabella or I had seen such a man, with long dark hair tied up behind his head as if it had been combed through, with clear fine skin the color of warm sand. He was as tall as me, but broader, the muscles in his arms and on his torso evident through the soft red outlandish clothes he wore.
I knew of him before I could see him. A familiar yet strange sensation filled my body from my toes to the ends of my long hair, the near pain that had enveloped on my body on the battlefield, pushing at my veins, surging through my soul. Fear struck me, which was unfortunate as Isabella and I were as one at that moment, enjoying the feel of the air on my back and the moss on hers. As the sensations increased, the strength of my pounding decreased, and by the time he was upon us, I was pulling out of her, away from her, getting her to cover up while I pushed myself back into my plaid and groped around for a weapon, a rock, a branch, anything.
An amused voice called to me, "Greetings Edward Cullen, of the Clan Cullen, my humblest apologies for interrupting your pursuits this afternoon."
I stumbled up, pushing Isabella behind me, whilst she pushed her breasts back into her dress.
"Who are you? What to you want," I called back.
He smiled at me. "I've come to help you" he replied, "to train you, to teach you".
Pulling out my sghian dubh, I faced the tanned faced man sitting above me on my horse.
"Who the devil are you? How do you know who I am? Who I was?" I demanded, one arm out with my wee knife held aloft, the other behind me, holding Isabella to me, trying to keep her safe, keep us both safe.
"If you let me get down from my horse and let me rest for a while with you, then I can tell you everything," Jacob Black responded, his grin still wide. "I'm like you, I feel the sensations too. And I know all about you". He slid off his horse. "Look," he said softly, holding both hands up indicating that they were empty. "No sword, no knife, nothing. Please. Let me speak with you. Both our lives depend on it. Yours more than mine, mind you".
He walked towards me slowly, hands still up, his red velvet outfit moving with his body, softly, unlike my plaid that just kind of hung there, his dark long hair shining somehow in the sunlight, his teeth almost sparkling, white like a wolf's. The pain increased greatly, the sensations building again, and then they subsided. They were still there, just bubbling along under the surface, but the intense crippling feelings had gone.
Isabella moved around from behind me, and ran off to the croft, hair flying behind her, stumbling a little as her bare feet came into contact with some loose rocks hidden under the grass, her skirts getting tangled up with her ankles. She recovered herself, and getting inside, closed the heavy wooden door roughly behind her.
Jacob Black and I walked side by side, me eyeing him carefully, taking in his fancy clothes, his strange appearance, keeping a watch on his hands at the same time so that I could counter any attack that he might make. He just kept grinning at me, his arms still slightly aloft making sure they were in my sight.
For one day and one night we talked. Isabella silently moved around us, cooking us food, pouring us drinks, making sure that we were attended to. She never said a word, listening to everything that Jacob Black had to tell us about himself, about his recent past, his travels, and a little of what he knew about James.
The next morning, as was already planned, I took out my boat onto the loch to catch some fish. I enjoyed my time on the loch, the peace and quiet of the mountains drawing me in, the gentle lapping of the waves against the sides of the wee boat that I rowed out to the same point once each week and caught enough fish for a few meals, making me feel at rest. Waking early as I did, I ventured outside to find Jacob Black, who proceeded to invite himself to join me.
The sun was coming up around the back of the hills as we rowed out to the spot that I usually went to, about one hundred feet from the shore, neither of us speaking, both just taking in the morning around us. When we stopped rowing, he started talking.
"You realize," he said bluntly, his grin that I was now beginning to understand was usual for him, plastered across his face, as he rocked the boat slightly from side to side, "that you are immortal?" I looked across at him "Immortal? D'ya mean I cannae die?" I made a humphing noise, and standing up, put the lines out for the fish, making sure that the worms were firmly attached at the ends to attract the prey. Jacob rocked the boat a little faster "Yes Cullen, immortal. No dying. It's what we all are. You, me, James, a few others. Immortal".
I looked at him feeling slightly panicked, "Please don't rock the boat. I cannae swim"
He laughed, a belly laugh, deep and forceful as he rocked the boat faster and faster
"I. Can. Not. Swim" I repeated, wobbling more and more, and unable to clutch the boat's sides quickly enough, I toppled over the side. As I fell, I could hear him laughing harder and harder and his voice calling out to me "Immortal Cullen, Immortal".
As I plummeted though the freezing waters, I kicked my legs, and waved my arms frantically, but couldn't get my body to rise back up through the murky waters. Someone had told me that just before you died your life flashed before your eyes, but as I sunk like a rock all I could see was, well, the water in front of me. I hit the bottom with a thud and started to panic, my feet tangled up in the kelp that lined the loch floor and rocks that littered it. And then I noticed that I wasn't actually dying. That I wasn't so much struggling for breath as apparently actually still breathing. Somehow, I wasn't dying.
I wasn't dying.
I was immortal.
I made my way across the bottom of the loch, marveling at the world around me that I had never seen before. It wasn't easy, but as I didn't seem to have to worry about dying, I just went with it, struggling a little to walk but managing to make distance. Somehow.
When I eventually reached the lochside, the sun had moved across the sky and the shadows were indicated that it was past the time we should have been heading back to the croft. I threw myself down on the first bit of dry grassy ground that I came upon, and found myself with the point of a sword at my throat.
"The water didn't kill you then, man" said Jacob Black "but I could have". He pulled his sword away, and I backed off pulling myself away from him with my hands, my clothes sticking to me as I went as quickly as I could. "We have to speak Edward Cullen. I have to teach you. Because otherwise he will win. There can be only one and it cannot be James. You have to find the way to stand a chance against him, and I will be the one to teach you to live".
Over the next few hours, days and weeks, Jacob Black became part of my, and Isabella's life. He ate with us, he slept in the croft and he made himself scarce so that Isabella and I could be one, although we often either just snuck out or waited until we could hear him snoring and went about it anyway. But more than anything he trained me, he taught me, he gave me physical and mental strength, and he gave me the wherewithal to keep myself alive. "Just remember Cullen. Keep your head. If you keep it mentally you win. If you keep it physically you win. If you lose it, that's it. No more life, no more immortality. Wounds heal, but you can't stick your head back on."
One of the first things he explained was regards to that pain, the one that I could feel in his and in James' presence. "The Quickening," he called it "It compels Immortals to battle each other" he explained, "we pursue The Prize within The Game. When the few who remain participate in the final battle, known as the The Gathering, there will be only one of us left. One will live, one will attain the prize. It might be you, it might be me. It just can't be James".
Each day we would venture to a different area near to where we stayed. Perhaps the loch side, or at the top of the Glen, and sometimes in the forest. One day as we were fighting with our swords, Jacob accusing me of having all the skill of a child with a wooden stick, he managed to break my heart.
"You shouldn't love her, you know" he shouted as we dodged around the trees, trying to outsmart one another, ducking and diving, our swords clanging as they met forcefully.
"I can't help it. She's my life, my everything"
"But you can't love her forever, you won't die, she will. And you'll probably break her heart before that - you cannot give her children, she wants children. You should leave her"
I could feel the rage building up inside of me, as I fought harder and harder, my anger and sudden resentment pushing me to try to hurt him physically as his words had somehow managed to hurt me mentally.
"I will not leave her. We will work it out".
"I loved three times over the past eight hundred years. And each time, they have not had the children that they desired, they have lived to be old and I have stayed young." His breathing was becoming ragged as he tripped and stumbled as I managed to move him backwards into the trunk of a large tree. I pinned him up to the bark, my sword angled towards his throat.
"I will work it out. I will beat James. I will win the prize. She and I will have our lives together."
I brought my arm down, my temper abating, and turned on my heel, running back to my Isabella, to assure myself that she was there, for me. My love.
I couldn't help myself that night. I had to be with her, lay with her, make her mine, claim her again and again. She was my everything, more important to me than anything, and it seemed that because I could not die, I also could not give her what she wanted, bairns of her own to bring into the world, to love, to teach, to cherish. She never mentioned children, but I could see that it was something, perhaps the only thing, we were missing. If I was immortal, and she was not - that was another matter. I would perhaps live eternally. She would probably see another thirty winters. A lot to look forward to, but not enough, not an infinite amount. One day we would be apart forever. The thought tore through my head into my heart and caused it such pain that I thought perhaps I wasn't immortal after all.
I took her hand after we had finished eating dinner and Jacob was sleeping in front of the fire, his britches covered in grass from the days training, his boots caked in mud, and creeping past him I lead her silently outside. The sky was dark and full of clouds, the only light coming from the fire and candles in the croft and occasionally from the moon when the clouds past it by leaving it exposed to the world for a few moments at a time.
We sat a little distance away from the croft, resting underneath the only tree next to the burn, and as we sat against it, I pulled her to me, hugging her tiny waist with my rough hand. She rested her head on my shoulder her dark hair waving down both our bodies, and she sighed a deep, happy, sigh, pushing herself into me as closely as she could.
"I love you, lass" I whispered, my lips skimming over her forehead
"I know," she whispered back "I love you too".
She lifted her head and looked at me, her eyes studying mine, one of her hands steadying my chin.
Very very slowly, she moved towards me, her eyes staying fixed on mine, her right hand still holding my face, controlling and restricting my movements.
"Isabel-" I started
"Weeshed" she quietly interrupted, as she moved her face still closer to mine.
It seemed like a lifetime, but eventually our noses met, her eyes closed and she moved hers against mine, the tips rubbing so gently together. Her right hand moved up to my cheek and her left under my shirt, rubbing circles on the skin at the bottom of my backbone, causing my flesh to shudder at her touch.
She gently moved her head to one side and moved her nose away from mine. I froze at the lack of contact. Then she equally gently pushed her soft lips to my chapped ones, licking the bottom one lightly, causing me to open my mouth to hers.
I couldn't bare it any longer, I clamped my mouth onto hers and kissed her as hard as I could, my tongue in her mouth, pushing in and out, licking along the gums just above the backs of her top teeth where it made her laugh, as I maneuvered us around and pressed her perfect, yet unfortunately still clothed body onto the damp ground.
Isabella wriggled a little underneath me, and let out a giggle against my mouth "tree root in my back" she muttered with a wide grin, squirming her fantastic, and yet still clothed body until she found a more comfortable position to lie. The jiggling underneath me caused a number of things to happen at the same time. Firstly, she found an area of ground that was root free, soft with moss and grass, and thankfully nothing left by the sheep or deer. Secondly, my cock that had already been on the way to becoming hard just having been in her presence, literally sprung into life, the friction between our bodies meaning that I was going to lose any semblance of gentlemanly behavior that I thought I could muster, and I was going to have to have her. Now. Now would be good. I kissed her harder, and harder, her sweet tasting mouth meeting me in retaliation, our hands grasping at each other's clothes, trying to find flesh as quickly as possible.
Around us, the wind was starting to pick up, and I could feel the smallest of rain drops hitting the bare sections of my legs that my kilt kept naked. I lifted mouth away from hers and smiled down at her, her face flushed already, her brown eyes dancing.
"Just 'cos you have a crooked grin that could melt the winter ice on the burn, doesn't mean that you can charm me, Edward Cullen..." she teased.
"You think, Isabella Cullen, that you can resist me?" I queried, grinning broadly at her words. Her eyes opened wider, and I went in for the initial kill, attacking her neck with my mouth, licking and sucking my way down towards her collarbone, then along and back up the other side. I nipped at her ear and she laughed, a throaty chuckle, and then I started kissing her again, gentle soft kisses, brushing the stubble on my chin against her silken skin until I reached the uncovered rise of her breasts, which as she was now arching her back were conveniently closer than they had been moments before.
Her fingers were pulling through my hair, scraping roughly at my scalp, backwards and forwards, then brushing around the tops of my ears as if she held a feather. Every touch, both the rough and the smooth, felt unimaginably magical. I could never believe that she was mine, that she could control me like this, that she could make me feel like this. So powerful that I could take on the most dangerous and fierce of the stags on the mountain, and yet as delicate as newborn lamb, breakable at any comment, not stable on my own legs.
I ran one hand up to cup her face, her head moving to kiss and suck the tips of my fingers. My other hand started to untie the front of her dress, removing the strings that held her bodice together as quickly as possible, so desperate I was to feel her in my mouth, that I was not being gentle about it. Within a moment, she was exposed to me and to the elements, her nipples dark pink, hard, taut, waiting for me.
The rain was starting to come down a wee bit harder, off the leaves on the tree we were lying under, and just nearby splashing into the burn and back out again. We were both breathing a wee bit harder now, and as I took one nipple into my mouth and began to tug on it with my teeth she yelped, really yelped and then moaned. I brought my hand away from her cheek, brushing my fingers through her mane of hair and to the currently ignored breast, which then felt heavy in my hand I rubbed my thumb backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards over the waiting nipple. Her hips were starting to buck, just a little, and her breath was warm on my head as she kissed where her fingers had been raking through my hair. I was licking and kissing her breasts now, faster, devouring them, as my hands moved down to pull up her skirts, allowing myself access to her soul. At the same time, she was moving her hands up and down my arms, bringing my shirt with her on the downward strokes until it was off my arms and we were skin to skin, both shuddering, not at the cool air and the rain, but because of the desire, the ache that we both felt.
I ran my hand up her exposed thigh, savoring the soft skin under my fingertips, and the gasps that I could illicit from her just by being that close to her. I could feel the heat radiating from her, and as my fingers crept closer, her face twisted in the sweetest of agonies.
"Please Edward. More. Now. Touch me," she gasped, and subconsciously bucked her hips towards me again. I moved myself down her body, and kissed her thighs, alternating between the left and the right, starting at her knees and moving up, inch by inch, torturing her, making silent promises of things to come, my fingers touching each kissed spot when my lips left it. She was writhing around underneath my touch, her hands scratching at my shoulder-blades and back now, her moans becoming louder and closer together, her breathing erratic,
"Edward Cullen, For God's sake, touch me" she demanded, her voice deeper than usual, husky with her lust "you're bloody killing me here." She was trembling now, spasms passing through her body. I slowly, almost cruelly, licked gently around her folds, teasing her, making her unsure of when it would happen, and then without any warning, let my tongue slip in, while one moved her left leg out to an angle and my other lightly breezed around her clit, causing her to moan loudly again. "Christ, love, you are so wet," I muttered against her, the vibrations from my words causing her to shudder again.
The rain was now starting to pound down around us, and neither of us cared. The rain was pelting onto my back, running in streams off me onto Isabella, and still neither of us cared. What remaining clothing we had on was soaked through. And even then neither of us cared.
All that mattered was that she was starting to tense up, as my tongue drew circles on her folds, drinking in her wetness, and then as I started to plunge it in and out, still playing with her clit with my fingers, she started to become unraveled.
"Ahh, Edward," she breathed, her panting becoming more irregular. I made her feel like this; I made her sound like this, I was the king of the fucking mountains... I could do anything.
"Edward, please, I'm -"
I moved my head slightly and fastened my mouth to where my fingers were on her clit, and moved that hand down a little, pushing one finger, two fingers, three fingers into her, making her gasp and then pant even harder. I twisted them around inside her and felt her muscles clench around them.
As she came, she screamed my name. Best. Fucking. Sound. Ever. Immortality may be mine, but I knew I'd never hear anything as beautiful as my name on her lips as she came. My cock was growing harder with each passing moment, I wanted her so badly, to make her mine again and again, to pound my body against hers, but this was good, this was pleasing. I couldn't give her the bairns she surely wanted, but I could give her this.
She threw her head back as she violently quivered, her whole body vibrating. "Christ, Edward, that was..." The water from the heavens was running across her face, her hair was soaked, she never looked more beautiful. I pulled myself up to her and kissed her. She kissed me back, hard, passionately.
"I love you Edward Cullen." She shifted slightly and onto her side. Her smile widened into a wicked grin. "More!" she demanded, and rolled me over, so that I was now facing the heavens. God, I loved this woman, adored her, worshiped her. She crawled down on all fours towards my feet, wriggling her beautiful arse as she went, and then she turned around, looking back up at me through her eyelashes, her glorious hair hanging loosely around her head, sopping wet, dripping, her breasts hanging deliciously down, her skirts back around her legs, but not for long if I would have my way. She smiled at me, a wicked grin, and licked her lips. I put my head back on the moss, and groaned, allowing the rain to run over my face unfettered, as her hands moved up my legs, pushing the folds of my kilt at they went.
She prowled towards me like a cat after it's pray in the grass, slow and low, looking at me the whole time through her long lashes still, her wicked eyes sparkling as she took in every breath, pant and grunt I made. She seemed to move more slowly than I thought was possible, kissing and licking as she went, moving the rough material of my kilt inch by inch, teasing me, kissing, licking, teasing, kissing, licking, teasing. I felt my breath hitching in anticipation of what was to come. My cock was as hard as the rocks underneath my body, my heart was pounding within my chest, and I pleaded with myself to hold off, to wait for her before I exploded. Suddenly, my cock was cold and wet, and exposed to all the elements. Moments later it was warm and wet, as she carefully and gently put her mouth over it, spiraling her tongue around the tip, sucking and licking, and very very carefully nipping. I gasped to stop myself shouting out, as she took me in further, sucking and licking and humming as she went, one hand working the end nearest my body, the other on my balls, squeezing lightly, teasing with her nails, scratching between the sac and my arse, softly, tickling.
As her mouth went up and down, still licking, still nipping, still sucking, I grabbed at her, trying to be soft in my touch, but knowing that I was almost at the point of no return. My balls started to tighten and I knew that she would feel it. My hips were moving in time with her head, up and down, faster and faster
"Fucks sake Isabella" I gasped, knowing that any second it would all be over.
And then she bloody well stopped. She looked up at me....
"You want me, Edward Cullen?" she asked slowly, seductively, back on all fours, crawling up my body, slowly, purposefully.
"FUCK YES," I yelled.
She grinned again, sat up and then pulled herself up on her knees slightly. She concentrated for a second and bit her bottom lip, and pushing her hair back over her shoulders, slowly, so very slowly moved down onto my cock. She was still so wet. Or wet again. Whichever. I didn't care. She started to move up and down, her head thrown back, her still naked breasts thrust forward, her bottom lip still being chewed in concentration. She looked like a goddess. My goddess. My goddess who was giving me a damn good seeing to, her breathing becoming ragged again, matching my own.
I sat up carefully, meaning that she could draw me more deeply into her, holding her to me so tightly that I couldn't tell who's heartbeat was who's, where she finished and I began. She started to move more quickly, using her knees to position herself, give herself leverage on me. I placed my hands on her shoulders, and took one nipple back into my mouth, nipping at it again, enjoying the react that it garnered from her. The friction between us was almost unbearable, and I could feel the familiar feeling inside my stomach as my climax began to reach its final build up. Her walls started to clench around me again, and I dropped one hand from her shoulder down to her clit, rubbing it in time with our movements
"Isabella, now, come with me now," I cried into her chest, my head between her perfect breasts, and as if on cue she screamed again, repeating my name over and over again as she came for a second time, just as I came, hard, exploding into her, marking her again and again, making her mine, again and again. I clutched her to me, shuddering, and then pulled us both over, still joined, so that she was lying on my chest, and I was back on the ground, my back wonderfully situated on the sticking out tree root.
"I love you, " I said to her, my head and hers at the same level, each word punctuated by a kiss.
"I love you too, Mr. Cullen," she smiled back, copying me by placing a kiss between each word. "But," she continued "I'm soaked as well as satisfied. Can we go back in now? I'm sure he'll be asleep still, we can sneak in and go to our bed". She rolled off me and attempted to loosely tie her bodice back up. I jumped up, fetching back my shirt, and making sure that my kilt was in some form of order, and then swept her up into my arms, and carried her back through the onslaught of water from the sky, both of us soaked, both of us tired, and both of us unbelievably happy.
I left the next morning, entrusting my darling Isabella to the care of Jacob. I knew that he found her beautiful and serene, and I also knew that I could trust him with her. I couldn't bear to leave her for long. Two nights at most, less if the weather held and didn't make the pass difficult to travel. Enough time to get to market with the swords I wanted to sell, a day there, and then back again. She cried when I left. She clung to me for a moment, her arms flung around my neck, her head buried into my shoulder, her legs dangling from the ground, until I pulled them around my waist. I whispered my love for her into her ear, breathing in her sweet clean smell, trying to burn it into my memory. I left quickly after that, not wishing to see the tears, knowing that it wouldn't take much for me to stay with her, to wait until the next market, four weeks later. But she wouldn't wish that - the sooner I left, the sooner I would be back.
I kissed her hard, one last time, holding her still tightly to me, and then gently dropped her to her feet, and left amid much back slapping from Jacob, and promises to keep her safe and happy.
The journey to the market was easy, the rain held off, and the roads were not too uneven and the horse remained fast and unworried. The market itself was as I expected, I delivered and took further orders for more broadswords, and other goods that I could make at my forge. I returned home as quickly as I could, arriving back in Glencoe after the Sun had set on the second night, cold, exhausted, but beyond excited at the thought of seeing Isabella again.
As the croft came into view I knew that something was wrong. I could feel it. I could feel a desperate energy around the glen, the hills seemed darker than usual for that time of night, sadder somehow.
There wasn't a single light coming from the croft. Not the flicker of a candle, not the light of the fire.
No smoke coming from the chimney stack.
Silence apart from the noises from God.
I panicked.
I spurred the horse on to get there faster, faster, kicking my legs against the tired beast's sides, willing him to give me a final chance.
I was aware of someone screaming. Then I realised that it was me. I was screaming her name. As I reached the croft, our home, I jumped off my horse, letting him head towards the burn for a drink, and threw myself at the croft. I bounded through the door, my broadsword in one hand, my sghian dubh in the other. I was aware of my voice booming around the tiny smallholding "Isabella? Isabella? Jacob?"
The furniture was in disarray as if there had been a fight. The table which we ate at was on its side, both benches broken and against the wall. The fire had obviously not been lit today; it looked as if it had been out for a while. There was ash everywhere. And the strangest feeling kept filling my soul, as if he had been here. I kept shouting, screaming her name. When I finally silenced myself, I heard a noise coming from the second room, a whimpering noise mixed in with weeping. I carefully pushed back the curtain separating the areas, my sword leading the way in.
"Isabella, Lassie? Is that you?" I whispered, hoping to God that she was there, that she was okay.
There she was, huddled into a corner, cowering, apparently naked, with the rug from our bed covering her as best she could manage.
"Oh E-e-e-edward," she whispered, shaking violently, her face whiter than snow, black circles lining her dull barren eyes, purple patches showing on her cheeks, her arms, her exposed legs, blood evident above her perfect breasts, which were partially hidden by her limp hair. "Edward."
San Francisco, September 2009
I brought myself out of the mire of my memories, shaking my head as if that could make a difference now. My brain was moving at a mile a minute, my past was my past, and as much as Isabella was the love of my life, Bella was the love of my future. I sank back into the soft brown leather sofa, running my finger carefully along the blade of the claymore that I had removed from the wall.
I would not let James near Bella, I would not let him defile her the way he had Isabella. I would keep Bella safe, I would not, could not fail her as well. I would find him, I would finish him. I wanted The Prize: I wanted to live, laugh and love with Bella, be mortal, have children, have a real life.
I would battle at The Gathering. I had to win.
There would be only one.
AN: A huge thank you to Kat, who beta'd this for me. And who puts up with me all day, every day. Kat - you are a star.
Quick Glossery:
Bairn - child
Burn - small river / stream
my twa handis swerdis - Claymore sword in broad scots
claidheamohmor - Claymore sword in gaelic (pronounced claymoore)
sghian dubh - small knife (pronounced ski-an du)
Cannae - cannot / can't
Sgurr nan colreachan - the name of one of the larger mountains near Loch Shiel (pronounced s-cuer nan crachan)
If I've missed any - please do PM me.
BTW: This is my first ff & my first attempt at writing smut..... Hope it's ok!
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Author's Notes: Still alive and kicking
I don't own Bleach
This is STILL not for kids
Ch. 16 Shattered Facades
For over a thousand years the Central Forty Six has acted as the soul governing body of the Soul Society. With all the might of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads behind them there had never been a serious threat to their legitimacy. That is until roughly ten years ago when everything seemed to change in the span of a few short days.
A decade ago a masked man rose from the shadows to rally the masses. His words combined with the harsh reality that nearly all of them lived with created a movement calling for revolution. With a surge of momentum and energy the rebels stormed a powerful lord's manor for their own headquarters, several powerful individuals joined their ranks dawning masks to hide their identities, and for the first time in over a thousand years they successfully met the forces of the Seireitei on the battlefield and prevailed.
After the revolutionaries initial victories the Seireitei unleashed the full fury of some of their greatest warriors. In response countless riots broke out throughout Rukongai and the rebels' numbers surged. This naturally triggered an escalation from the Seireitei causing them to unleash their mightiest soldiers. As a result the entire Soul Society was engulfed in the bloody hellfire of war that spread to every corner of Rukongai and dyed the ground red with blood.
*South Rukongai*
A large group or rebels had established a base on top of one of the largest hills in South Rukongai. This allowed the rebels not only a great spot to spy on shinigami movements from miles away, but it also created a highly defensible outpost that was effectively a meat grinder for the shinigami who had to take it in order to open a path to their headquarters.
"WE NEED ARTILLERY NOW!" a female shinigami with short blonde hair and green eyes shouted as she and her other soldiers were pinned down by numerous spells and arrows raining down from the hilltop.
"THEY'RE ALL DEAD MA'AM" another shinigami nursing a bloodied right arm roared from a couple dozen yards down the hill taking cover behind a large stone.
"SHIT" she swore as she turned her gaze towards the enemy stronghold which seemed to sport three different levels of archers and spell slingers "no choice we have to retreat…" her line of thought was cut short when a particularly large blast exploded just in front of their position throwing her and three of her subordinates down the hill.
When she finally stopped the female shinigami looked up to see another volley of attacks soaring towards, thinking it was the end she took a deep breath and closed her eyes but suddenly the temperature began to drop and a large ice dragon soared through the sky intercepting the attacks and saving her life.
"What's the situation?" Lieutenant Toushirou Hitsugaya of Squad Ten asked calmly as he helped the woman to her feet.
"A thousand pardons sir" the woman replied "they're too well fortified and our artillery unit was destroyed…" she wiped a spec of blood from her lip "…I'm afraid we have no choice but to…"
"Gather the wounded and fall back" Toushirou commanded calmly as his eyes began to glow and the temperature fell even further "I'll take care of this."
"He's not going to…" the shinigami thought before turning her attention back to her men and yelling "GET THE WOUNDED AND FALL BACK!"
Coldly, calmly observing the battlefield Toushirou began to walk up the hill towards the enemy base. Sword in hand he walked past over a dozen shinigami who were fleeing the scene, helping their wounded comrades escape from certain death, or providing cover with kidou or their shikai from the enemy barrage.
As the Lieutenant of Squad Ten drew closer and closer to the rebel stronghold and his soldiers fell further and further back, more and more spells and arrows shot towards him. None of this did the rebels any good in the long run as the wind picked up in intensity and snow began falling rapidly causing their attacks to literally freeze in the air before shattering into dust.
The wooden planks which made up the bulk of the improvised fortress began to loudly creak while the stones began to crack from the moisture inside expanding as it rapidly froze. Needless to say the rebels, most of whom were lightly clothed were shivering madly as they tried in vain to stop the approaching shinigami.
"Reign over the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru" Toushirou chanted calmly as the sound of thunder cracked over the skies and a massive dragon of water and ice lunged from the tip of his sword towards the rebel's stronghold.
Multiple screams roared mixed with the sounds of wooden planks snapping, stone pillars collapsing, and the loud thuds of men, supply containers, and pieces of the once mighty fortress falling to the ground as the massive leviathan tore its way through their precious base. With a loud thunderous roar the dragon exploded into a massive cloud of powdered ice which momentarily hid the scene of devastation from view.
As the wintery cloak faded the shinigami who were both alive and conscious looked in stunned silence at a large pile of wood, stone, and other forms of debris where the rebel encampment had been earlier. The icy particles from the Lieutenant's attack blanketed the scene in a thin layer of snow as the skies cleared, the wind died down, and the temperature began to raise bringing a pleasant warmth in its wake.
"If you're any good at medicinal kidou help treat the wounded until Squad Four arrives" Toushirou ordered calmly as he headed towards the scene of the destruction he has just caused "I want the rest of you to help me secure the area."
Due to the sheer shock of what they had just witnessed it took the numerous shinigami time to realize they had just been given new orders. In spite of this roughly half a dozen shinigami soon joined their Lieutenant in searching through the debris where they pulled out a couple of heavily wounded rebels…and a few civilians who had been hiding in the basements in the nearby houses when Toushirou's attack brought everything crashing down around them.
"Damn it" Toushirou swore as his soldiers quickly and carefully dug the civilians out of the rubble to get them medical attention.
Roughly twenty minutes later the shinigami had set up a temporary encampment with lookouts, medical tents, and other essentials. In the middle was a small camp fire where soldiers were relaxing and attempting to enjoy their rations as the sun began to set. That was the scene which greeted the reinforcements from Squad Ten and the unit of healers from Squad Four they were escorting when they finally arrived.
"What's your report Toushirou?" Shukun asked as his subordinate saluted his arrival and his soldiers took up position.
"By the time I arrived the soldiers had been pinned down by enemy fire and the artillery unit was dead" Toushirou answered as he waved his hand to the surrounding wreckage "I successfully destroyed the fort with Hyourinmaru, but there was…"
"Collateral damage?" Shukun offered as his Lieutenant hesitated momentarily as he showed him the destroyed houses "so how many casualties were there?"
"We lost ten men during the initial climb along with their artillery, in addition we have another seven injured" Toushirou sighed heavily "though we're still digging through the rubble we have twenty four confirmed rebels K.I.A. and six injured prisoners."
"And the civilians?" Shukun asked with an unusually stoic tone.
"Seven dead, five injured" Toushirou answered "by me…"
Shukun sighed at his protégé's distress before placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and saying "you did what you had to do."
"I know that but…" Toushirou replied as his Captain took a seat next to him.
"Remember what I told you once about war?" Shukun asked.
"That it's a special kind of hell you can't imagine until you've seen it" Toushirou answered weakly "or something to that effect" he shook his head and cracked a sardonic smile "after ten years I think I know what you were talking about" he rubbed his eyes with his left thumb and index fingers, the dark bags under them clashed with his normally pale complexion.
"There is many a boy here today who looks on war as all glory, but boys, it is all hell" Shukun chuckled weakly as he rubbed his own dark bagged eyes.
"Another quote from that general you told me about?" Toushirou asked calmly.
"Yeah" Shukun replied "just remember you're not alone" his eyes led Toushirou's to their comrades who were sporting similar signs of immense emotional and psychological strain.
"Any advice for dealing with the civilian deaths?" Toushirou asked weakly.
Shukun was silent for several seconds before answering "remember them; let them be your motivation to do better" he stood up and brushed himself off "and try not to blame yourself as much as possible…this kind of thing is unfortunately unavoidable in war" he extended his hand to help his Lieutenant to his feet.
"Well…here's hoping it'll end soon" Toushirou replied weakly.
"With this outpost we're now right on Usotsuki's doorstep, it should be over soon" Shukun stated as the last rays of the sun disappeared over the horizon "get something to eat and whatever rest you can Lieutenant Hitsugaya; we should be getting a visitor soon."
"Yes sir" Toushirou sighed, wearied from all the fighting and destruction he had seen over the years.
War is never kind regardless of which side you fight for. Shinigami, Rebel, and civilian alike had at least witnessed if not taken part in battle where combatants had butchered one another in mass. Regardless if they supported the Seireitei, the Rebels, or held no particular leanings; thousands if not millions of civilians had been killed in the cross fire.
It was particularly trying for Toushirou for two reasons. The first being that as a Lieutenant he would be deployed to far more battles which were far greater in intensity with fewer breaks from the carnage to rest his body and mind. This strain was only compounded by the fact that his power was so destructive by nature.
Whereas most shinigami only had to worry about what was right in front of them, Toushirou had to be careful lest he wipe an entire block off the map with just his shikai. Though he did everything he could to control the damage, with so many battles in so many crowded and highly populated areas, the civilian death toll inevitably grew quite high. A fact which weighed heavily on the youth's heart.
About two hours later the encampment had grown considerably with numerous tents housing weary soldiers. It was then that the visitor Shukun had mentioned earlier had arrived garbed in a long sleeved white haori with a dark orange inlay.
"Yo, Toushirou, Captain Shugyou" the woman called out to the leaders of Squad Ten.
"Good to see you Captain Shihoin" Shukun greeted as the new Captain of Squad Two beckoned them to one of the larger tents which was warded to prevent anyone from hearing what was said on the inside "how did the other units do?"
"Point Delta and Point Epsilon are still in enemy hands, but they've got reinforcements coming in" Yoruichi answered as she pointed to their locations on the map "hopefully we'll be able to launch an assault on the Rebel Base within the next three days."
"What of Usotsuki and his Lieutenants?" Toushirou asked.
"Same M.O. since Faburikku and Shizen" Yoruichi sighed "they come, they go…and unfortunately there appear to be more and more casualties every time they appear…"
"So they've managed to make Ketsueki, Kyuusho, and Koujou stronger" Toushirou stated calmly earning him a nod from his wife "and I'm guessing they've fined tuned their control over my parents and…the Shibas…" his tone grew heavy as he thought to the two additional masked soldiers that appeared shortly after Shizen and Faburikku."
"Can you imagine what it'd do to our troop moral if everyone outside the Captains, Lieutenants, and elite forces?" Shukun sighed heavily.
"I don't even want to think about it" Yoruichi replied as she scratched her temple "oh and before I forget what's the situation with Squad Ten at the moment?" she looked at glanced curiously at Shukun and Toushirou "It's clear that your mission was a success but…"
"Our people have already completed their assignments and Rangiku's distributing our reinforcements in the south" Shukun answered "we've taken casualties and we've already requested some supplies; but we should be battle ready in time for the Head Captain's plans."
"That's a relief" Yoruichi yawned "Squads Five, Six, and Eight are also in position and Squad One is heading South along with Squads Nine and Three" she stretched out her arms to get some relief in her stiff joints "as soon as my people show up I think I'll just send a messenger to the old man if you don't mind."
"Not at all, you'll need your rest Captain Shihoin" Shukun replied.
"Much appreciated" Yoruichi said gratefully before asking "anything else either of you'd like to ask me?"
Toushirou and Shukun shared a glance before the former asked "any new clues on who exactly this Usotsuki is?"
"No, none of my people have gotten close enough to find out" Yoruichi answered "at least none who lived long enough to tell us anything."
"Any news on the barriers they raised around the compound?" Shukun inquired.
"Judging from what my spies have reported and what the…dazzling duo back in the Seireitei have told us…the barriers require a series of intricate incantations and a number of incredibly rare reagents" Yoruichi explained calmly "that's probably why they only bothered with using them for their main base."
"I'm pretty sure you can guess my last question" Toushirou offered.
"Still have Soi Fon leading a team on that but we still haven't found any hard evidence we could use" Yoruichi answered sounding more than a tad frustrated with how difficult the information gathering process was.
"That is unfortunate" Shukun sighed as he let out a small yawn "best case scenario we have three days before we attack the rebels again…I suggest making the upmost of it…" with a lazy stretch the Captain of Squad Ten exited the tent to get some much needed rest.
"As tired as I am" Yoruichi said with a playful tone of voice "I'm inclined to take your Captain's advice, how about you?" the Captain of Squad Two received her answer in the form of a sudden kiss on the lips "my you're breaking from your usual decorum" she chuckled.
"Is that a complaint I'm hearing?" Toushirou asked as he snaked his left arm around Yoruichi's waist and pulled her closer to him.
"Of course not" Yoruichi chuckled as she wrapped her arms around the man's shoulders and kissed him gently.
Gently pushing Toushirou back, Yoruichi unsheathed her arms from her Captain's Haori and laid it on a nearby stool. Smiling as Toushirou smirked slightly the two shinigami removed their sheathed Zanpakutou and gently laid them next to each other on top of Yoruichi's haori before embracing again in another heated kiss.
Toushirou ran his left hand through Yoruichi's beautiful violet hair as his right hand gently held onto her left wrist. Toushirou's plan was to slowly travel up the woman's arm to reach the folds of her kimono just below her collarbone. That plan however was interrupted when he progressed a couple inches before hitting a bulky obstruction.
"What the hell?" Toushirou wondered.
"Sorry about that" Yoruichi chuckled and pulled up her sleeves to reveal what he recognized as a pair of bracers meant for shooting senbon, tiny needles usually dipped in poison at enemies.
Toushirou rolled his eyes as she unstrapped the deadly weapons and placed them on the ground behind the stool. Getting back into their rhythm, Toushirou resumed stroking Yoruichi's hair with his left hand as his right gently made its way down her spine until it made contact with yet another obstruction.
"Seriously?!" Toushirou asked in disbelief as Yoruichi started laughing in obvious amusement as she pulled out a short sword she had hidden the small of her back through a small hole in the back of her uniform "you're armed to the teeth, you know that?"
"Well…I am kind of a spy and assassin" Yoruichi stated in a tone that echoed pure amusement before gently rubbing the younger man's silver haired "tell you what I think I have a better idea."
Taking a couple steps back Yoruichi smirked as a soft pop echoed in the room and a thin veil of smoke surrounded her body and her clothes just fell to the ground with a soft thump. Seconds later a black cat with very familiar eyes emerged from the clothes pile looking up at Toushirou before a second pop and a second smokescreen revealed a now naked Yoruichi standing in front of the Lieutenant of Squad Ten in all her glory.
"I like the way you think sometimes" Toushirou said in approval before locking lips with the dark skinned goddess again.
"Only sometimes?" Yoruichi asked curiously.
"You are a troublemaker" Toushirou stated as attacked her neck with his mouth earning a soft moan from Yoruichi.
"Oh please, you know you like it" Yoruichi chuckled as he made his way down to her shoulder causing her to wrap her slender arms around his torso.
"Guilty as charged" he chuckled softly before grabbing her left breast with his right hand and sucking on the hardened nipple earning him a soft gasp from the nude Captain.
Smirking silently Yoruichi snaked her hands into the folds of Toushirou's robes and peeled open both the black kimono and the white undershirt exposing his well-formed shoulders. Licking her lips in anticipation Yoruichi wrapped her arms around Toushirou's shoulders and her legs around his waist.
Yoruichi's sudden lunge towards Toushirou caused the exact reactions she was hoping for, namely he fell backward so that she had him pinned to the ground. Toushirou rolled his eyes in minor annoyance that he fell for such a cheap trick especially when he saw the highly amused expression in her eyes and face.
Any thoughts of protest were silenced by Yoruichi's right index finger over his lips and traced a path down his neck and chest to his waist where she sat on top of him. Right below her crotch Yoruichi could feel a very familiar hardness pressing up against her, the heat radiating from Toushirou's stiff members sent chills down her spine.
Silently, and without breaking her mischievous grin Yoruichi lifted herself up slightly and went to work on Toushirou's obi freeing his aching manhood. The Lieutenant of Squad Ten let out a soft moan as Yoruichi wrapped the long slender fingers of her right hand around the base in a firm grip and slowly began to rub the length up and down.
Enjoying the subtle feedback she was receiving, Yoruichi quickly decided it was time to up the ante. Using her left hand to hold back her long hair so it wouldn't be in the way, Yoruichi lowered her head to Toushirou's throbbing penis and let out a hot breath on the head as she increased the speed of her right hand. A smirk crossed her face as the silver haired Lieutenant's fingers dug into the ground below him.
Of course it was all nothing compared to what he felt when Yoruichi wrapped her lips around his length and began to bob her head up and down. Each motion sent a wave of mind numbing pleasure up Toushirou's spine, the sensations were amplified a hundred fold when Yoruichi added her tongue into the mix. The Captain of Squad Two mentally patted herself on the back when she felt a familiar pair of hands bury themselves in her hair urging her to increase her pace.
Eventually Yoruichi parted from Toushirou's cock creating a loud popping noise and leaving a thin trail of saliva and pre-cum. In spite of how many times he had seen her naked, Toushirou still couldn't help but marvel at Yoruichi as she positioned herself right over his dick. From her long violet hair and captivating golden eyes, to her ample breasts and silky smooth stomach, to her firm rear and her long curvaceous legs which seemed to go on forever.
"Feeling more relaxed yet?" Yoruichi chuckled noticing how he looked at her with a mixture of love and lust.
"I think you already know the answer to that" Toushirou replied in a loving yet snarky tone which made the dark skinned goddess chuckle again; it was true simply being with Yoruichi helped ease the burdens that he had to bear due to the violence he had witnessed and taken part in. Now he was determined to do the same for her because he knew that she probably had to deal with worse pain and she had to do it from the shadows "I'd say we better do the same for you."
"So thoughtful, good to see that hasn't changed my little ice prince" Yoruichi thought with a smile on her face as she lowered herself onto Toushirou's stiff penis feeling the soaked head easily press in between her folds and causing her to let out a series of soft moans as she felt the heat of his manhood enter the very core of her being "…it's…been too long…" she sighed in relief as she began to move her hips so that she was moving up and down his throbbing member, gripping it like a vice with her pussy.
It didn't take long for Yoruichi's pace to increase along with the tightness of her vagina's grip on Toushirou's dick. No sooner had she impaled herself upon her husband he had his left hand wrapped around her waist while his right reached up to grab her left breast. Not wanting to let her other 'twin' be neglected, Yoruichi quickly began to squeeze and pinch her right breast with her right hand as she used her left hand to help her keep her balance.
"I…heard…you like to…suck…on…Isane's…boobs when you're on bottom…" Yoruichi squeezed out between moans as she continued to ride the silver haired Lieutenant.
"That…only works because…she's so tall…" Toushirou struggled to explain as he continued to thrust up into the violet haired Captain.
"Aaaahhh!" Yoruichi moaned as she had a small climax over Toushirou's dick "…in that case…why…don't you try coming up with something clever for me?"
Closing his eyes momentarily in contemplation an idea struck Toushirou as he pulled out of Yoruichi so he could sit up using a nearby chair as a support "alright come here" he commanded, his eyes betraying a rare moment of mischievous excitement for the usually serious noble.
Yoruichi's heart skipped a beat in excitement as Toushirou spun her around so that her back was facing him. Yoruichi licked her lips in anticipation as she felt his dick press against her ass while it slowly forced its way into her depths earning the Lieutenant a long drawn out moan; though Yoruichi was enjoying the sensations sending toe curling pleasure throughout her body, she couldn't help but be curious about Toushirou's schemes especially since he was still on bottom.
As if to answer the dark skinned Captain's unspoken question she felt her husband's arms wrap around her legs as she descended upon his shaft starting at the base of the hips and slowly working their way down to just below her knees effectively pressing her thighs against her upper body. This was a position that would have most people crying in agony, unless of course they possessed a superhuman level of flexibility like one Yoruichi Shihoin Hitsugaya.
"How do you like this?" Toushirou asked with an unusually playful if vindictive tone of voice as she placed her hands on the back of her head for comfort.
"Not bad" Yoruichi teased as she felt his hands grip her breasts tightly and his fingers pinched her nipples earning him a small gasp causing him to smirk in victory.
With Yoruichi now firmly locked in his grasp, Toushirou began to thrust him hips into the depths of her ass earning him a series of moans which escalated in volume as his speed and force both increased. Each thrust sent powerful waves of pleasure throughout Yoruichi's body causing her breasts to push and pull against Toushirou's hands further stimulating her feelings of arousal while her legs waved around frantically from the knees down.
Words could not describe how truly grateful Toushirou was for the special runes inside the tent which insured that no one outside could hear what was going on within, though he was sure the thought of being seen in such a situation was more amusing than anything for Yoruichi. As he began to thrust deeper and harder into Yoruichi's anus he sent wave after wave of pleasure through her body, each more powerful than the last. In turn Yoruichi ass would squeeze his dick harder and harder as if trying to strangle it, which then increased the pleasure Toushirou was feeling spurring him to thrust even deeper and harder.
This cycle of escalating pleasure naturally had both shinigami moaning in ecstasy. Yoruichi vagina was glimmering in the candle light due to the clear fluids leaking from her folds soaking both of their sexes while a thin layer of sweat covered both of them. Eventually the sheer pleasure Toushirou was experiencing pushed him over the edge and he unleashed a load of his seed deep into Yoruichi's depths. The feeling of hot semen deep within her also caused Yoruichi to experience a massive orgasm which had put the previous ones to shame leaving the two shinigami panting heavily.
Eventually regaining their composure, Yoruichi gently pulled herself and began to put on her clothes and her numerous weapons followed quickly by Toushirou "that was nice" Yoruichi said with clear satisfaction "when this is all over we'll have to catch up" she added with a chuckle as she got to the article of clothing which in spite of its nearly nonexistent weight seemed to be heavier than lead, her Captain's Kimono.
"Rangiku's stationed with the rest of our squad miles away, and I've hardly had any chance to see the rest of you since the war broke out" Toushirou stated solemnly as he fastened his Lieutenant's badge to his left arm before smiling weakly in a bemused fashion "knowing Rangiku she'll probably want to catch up to all the drinking, slacking off, and all round partying she's missed out on immediately."
"And what do you plan to do?" Yoruichi asked curiously.
"I imagine I'll have to reign her in after a month or two at the very least or it'll be impossible for anyone in Squad Ten to get any damn work done" Toushirou replied simply earning him a chuckle from Yoruichi as he fastened Hyourinmaru to his back "all that aside…I must say I'm looking forward to getting used to peace again."
"Yeah, I'd have to agree with that" Yoruichi said softly as she gently wrapped her left arm around his right and rested her head on his shoulder.
In spite of what many legends, folk tales, books and other forms of literature, and even future forms of media such as movies, television, and video games might have you believe; there is no honor or glory in war. While there may be honor and virtue in one's reasons for taking part in war, such as the desire to protect their homes and families or secure a better future for their people; the truth is that war and the battles which comprise it are devoid of any such redeeming qualities.
In times of war good people on both sides are often forced to kill each other in mass simply because they've committed themselves to conflicting causes. Though Toushirou knew and understood that the rebels were his enemies, a part of him couldn't help but sympathize with them. While he held nothing but contempt for Usotsuki and for the two shinigami who were aiding him from the shadows, the fact is that he had also seen the sources of many a grievances which may have caused him to join in their cause had he been less fortunate.
He had seen the poverty, the lawlessness, the corruption, the hopelessness, and the all-round misery which was the day to day reality for far too many souls who lived in Rukongai. While the leadership of the rebellion was undeniably rotten, Toushirou was sure that the vast majority of their warriors were only fighting because they honestly believed they were creating a better future for themselves and their families. A belief that was reinforced every time he heard one of them utter the name of a spouse or child as they drew their last breath, usually by his own hand.
Unfortunately the horrors of their battles could not be contained between the soldiers in spite of the best efforts on both sides. It was a tragic fact that civilian towns tended to form and grow around key resources or strategic locations such as river junctions or particularly high hills were one could see their enemies coming from miles away. As a result countless civilians were often caught in the crossfire of a war they may have prayed to avoid being involved in.
After ten years, the horrors of war weighed heavily on many a shinigami and rebel alike. So many good and innocent people dead, so much destruction and ruin, and not one good thing had been created as a result. And all of it was due to the sins and machinations of a few greedy can unimaginably cruel souls that few knew anything about.
Deep within his heart Toushirou hoped with all his being that the war would end within the next three days as Head Captain Yamamoto planned. But even more than that, he hoped that a time of healing might take its place so that perhaps such tragedy could be avoided for the rest of his lifetime if not longer. Though he knew that was likely wishful thinking, he still couldn't help but hope.
In the sixty hours that followed many of the Seireitei's strongest warriors gathered in Southern Rukongai to lead the full might of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads in a battle aimed at finally crushing the rebellion exactly where it had begun. The most prominent of the warriors were ten of the thirteen captains leaving only the captains of Squads Twelve, Seven, and Four back in the Seireitei.
This of course meant that the shinigami would be lead into battle by the mightiest shinigami in history; the Captain of Squad One and the Head Captain Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto. His mere presence filled the countless shinigami with confidence and determination. After all with the legendary Head Captain leading them directly, how could they possibly lose to a band of rebels?
If one were to look upon their forces from the skies they would be able to practically see how their numbers grew as more and more shinigami arrived to the front bringing with them supplies and weapons. Of particular note were the large mortar like devices which required four people to carry, a recent weapon developed by the department of research and development. With their superior numbers and weapons, the shinigami were certain that the coming battle would bring victory.
*Rebel Headquarters*
"So they've moved into position just like you said they would" Usotsuki stated calmly as he sat across a small table from the male conspirator, his mask and two hot cups of tea laying between them "the two of you have made excellent eyes and ears on the inside, I'm grateful."
"It helps that we're privy to such information" the man replied calmly as he took a sip of his steaming hot beverage "I must admit your plan is as brilliant as it is devious."
"I'm flattered" Usotsuki chuckled weakly as his burns sent a tremor through his body "so they'll attack in the morning?" the man nodded in confirmation "good, they shouldn't find out they've fallen into a trap until it's too late."
"Don't forget you'll only have a couple minutes Usotsuki" the man warned "no matter what happens we need to get the nine of us through along with any more men we can manage, any fewer risks complete failure."
"I know" Usotsuki stated firmly "ideally all nine of us get through along with a healthy number of soldiers; but things rarely play out on the battlefield in an ideal fashion" he lifted up his white mask and gazed into its empty sockets "you'll just have to have faith in us" flipping the mask around before pressing it gently against his scarred face, Usotsuki stood up and turned to the man before saying "we'd best prepare ourselves."
*The following Morning*
The former estate which had been turned into a main base for the rebels and the surrounding areas had changed drastically over ten years. The homes, brothels, pubs, and various other structures surrounding the dome within one hundred yards had been torn down, replaced with the occasional outpost which were linked to each other with walls made of stone and lumber. The streets which would normally be overflowing with beggars, drug dealers, thieves, whores, and other lost souls were deathly quiet and empty as shinigami took their places.
From his position on top of a nearby hill Toushirou could tell that even more radical changes had occurred behind the dome. What was once a wide open estate of flat plains adorned with the occasional mine or farm was now a series of extremely steep slopes which featured only a few small paths that would allow even remotely easy access to the higher sections of the compound.
Though he was no farmer, miner, tiller, or anything of the sort; Toushirou couldn't help but admire the rebels' ability to move so much earth around and rearrange it into such a highly defensible position. But at the same time the soldier and the officer within him knew that those few paths would be major choke points where a lot of blood would have to be spilled in order for their forces to advance. A fact that was only made clearer by the presence of thick stone walls, gates, towers, and canons throughout the area making it obvious that there would likely be far more shinigami casualties than rebels at each point.
Thankfully most of the shinigami either didn't recognize or chose not to recognize the grim implications of the enemy's fortifications. After all if they spent too much time focusing on what was going to be an inevitable blood bath then there was little hope that they'd have the sheer force of will to do what needed to be done. That aside the air amongst them was thick with nervousness and anticipation.
Though their numbers paled in comparison to the shinigami that had come to crush them, the rebels were clearly stationed in their headquarters in force forming what seemed to be a sea of the Soul Society's castaways. Though lacking the thorough training and experience of many of their enemies, the rebel soldiers were prepared to lay down their lives for the future that Usotsuki had promised them. Grasping their weapons tightly the rebels readied themselves as Usotsuki stood at the very front of his men calm, composed, and ready to lead them to victory.
With a series of dull flashing light images of Usotsuki's face appeared in the sky above his soldiers as the battle to determine the war drew ever closer. Taking a moment to draw a deep breath Usotsuki began what for many of them would be the last speech they ever heard.
"Brothers, Sisters" Usotsuki called out to his followers "as you all know the Seireitei have gathered outside our doors in force; in fact they're lead here today by none other than the Head Captain himself."
Precious few rebels were able to stop themselves from gulping audibly and licking their lips in fear not only at the sheer numbers of their enemies, but by the man leading them whose brutality in the past was the stuff of legends.
"But do not give in to despair" Usotsuki commanded his tone becoming much more forceful and confident as if he was glad for it all "instead ask yourselves; why has he seen the need to come here himself instead of letting one of his little lap dogs handle it?" the rebels looked up at the image of their leader curiously "I'll tell you why, it's because they know!"
They didn't need Usotsuki to remove his mask to know that he was smiling, but the question on everyone's mind of course was what he was smiling about.
"Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto is here today because they know!" Usotsuki declared his volume and his tempo increasing "they know that we have the true support of the people on our side! They know that what they fight is not a man or even an army, but an idea which cannot and will not be silenced! They know that our hearts forged by hardship and tempered by ten years of bloody struggle cannot be enslaved through fear, nor can we bought, and we will persevere until the war is won and we bring about the one absolute truth that all people are equal and all are accountable for their crimes!" his hands served to amplify his statements "they know and they are afraid!"
The rebels felt their collective spirits rise as Usotsuki rallied them as he done so many times in the past decade through victory and set back.
"Today is the day that we make the final stand of this war!" Usotsuki continued "Today is the day that the Central Forty Six's reign comes to an end and the aristocracy crumbles! Today is the day that we win a future for every soul who ever had the audacity to dream of a better tomorrow" loud chants of 'Usotsuki' began to echo amongst the rebels "Brothers, Sisters I am proud of each and every one of you! I know that you will fight with courage, tenacity, and heart the likes of which haven't been seen in centuries! I know that with your strength will cast off the shackles of oppression and usher in a new era for all!" with his words a thunderous roar filled the domed fortress.
Overlooking the shinigami army on top of a large hill just outside the barren zone between Usotsuki's base and his forces stood Head Captain Yamamoto flanked by his loyal Lieutenant Sasakibe Choujirou and his two former students Shunsui Kyouraku and Jyushiro Ukitake.
"Are the preparations complete Sasakibe?" Yamamoto asked calmly.
"Yes sir" Sasakibe replied his arms covered in black ink in a root like patter "I've established a link between the Captains, Lieutenants, and a few others as you requested via Tenteikura (if you need a reminder this is the kidou spell Isane used in canon to broadcast Aizen's betrayal to the Soul Society; so basically there's a psychic link between the Captains, Lieutenants, and a few others with Sasakibe acting as a hub)."
"Alright time to rally the troops" Yamamoto thought to himself as he took a couple steps forward and looked out to the countless shinigami before planting his staff into the ground before him "Attention soldiers of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads!" his voice boomed across the fields of shinigami "for ten years you have fought and bled on the battlefield against these rebels…"
"So it begins…" Toushirou thought as he stood on top of a hill towards the front and center of the gathered army, his Captain about twenty yards away "…they should be making their move soon…whatever that may be."
"…today your efforts pay off!" Yamamoto continued "today you stand before the very heart of the rebellion!" countless shinigami began to flex their fingers on their dominant hands preparing to draw their weapons "once we win this last battle peace, justice, and order will return to the Soul Society!"
"You really get into this old man" Shunsui thought in amusement "though of course you're most interested in the 'order' part than anything else."
"I expect you all to give every last measure of strength and devotion you possess to this end!" Yamamoto declared "even if the flesh should fall from your bones or your blood should paint the ground beneath you; so long as there is breath in your lungs…YOU ARE TO KEEP FIGHTING!" his eyes opened "ARTILLERY TEAMS PREPARE!"
At the old man's command countless teams of shinigami lowered their mortars to the ground pointing them towards the dome. As soon as the heavy tools of war were secured four rods rose from the corner which the shinigami rested their palms on top of to power the large weapons.
"Let's get ready Toushirou" Shukun's voice echoed in his Lieutenant's mind as both Captain and Lieutenant drew their swords and he chanted "Send them to Hell Mikonhonoo!" the area surrounding the Captain of Squad Ten was immediately engulfed in flames so intense people could see and feel them from miles away.
"Reign over the frozen heavens Hyourinmaru!" Toushirou chanted calmly as his eyes began to glow and the skies above turned dark before suddenly it was snowing lightly and his sword gained a chain with a crescent blade on the end.
"These things had better work Kurotsuchi" Yamamoto thought before yelling "FIRE!"
As soon as the Head Captain gave the command a series of loud booms echoed throughout the area followed quickly by hundreds of balls of light which lit up the sky. Seconds later the shots crashed into the large orange dome which had protected the rebel stronghold for a decade creating a large number of small holes in the shield. Within a matter of moments a second wave of shots followed creating even more holes and a series of large cracks. This was quickly followed by a third series hit their marks and caused the whole barrier to shatter as if it were made of glass followed quickly by the mysterious gems which supported it.
"ATTACK!" Yamamoto yelled causing virtually every shinigami to draw their blades and ran towards the enemy base.
No sooner had they crossed into the barren middle ground when another series of booms came from the other side as they entered the firing range of the rebels' canons. Though they lacked the sheer range and firepower of the shinigami's mortars; the half dozen or so corpses that flew through the air each time one of them exploded was proof they were still more than lethal.
"We have our targets now!" Shukun declared as he thrust his Zanpakutou sending a huge ball of fire shooting towards the enemy base which was followed quickly by another barrage of artillery.
"Roger that!" Toushirou replied as he thrust his blade just as his Captain before him sending a large serpentine dragon made of ice flying towards the rebels.
With a series of loud yells and explosions numerous rebel soldiers and cannons were blown to bits either by the artillery strikes or by the explosive attacks from the officers of Squad Ten, though there was still plenty more where they came from. In addition a number of the walls and towers they had built had been hit resulting in a couple collapsing while the rest suffered mere structural damage or was feeding a small fire.
"Get more archers on the ledges!" A rebel commander demanded as another wave of mortar shells, flames, and ice dragons came raining down upon the land around them "water teams get to work on extinguishing those fires, anyone who can make a barrier reinforce the…"
The man was cut off as someone standing behind him suddenly pressed one hand to his lips and used the other to slit his throat. Many rebels were startled by the sudden appearance of what they suspected was a shinigami agent disguised as one of them. But what scarred them even more was how the person seemed to vanish as quickly as he had appeared. This was happening at numerous spots across the battlefield. Though she was considerably nobler than her father, Yoruichi knew how to fight ruthlessly; knowledge she made a point of sharing with her soldiers.
In the fields below the rebel and shinigami foot soldiers finally clashed face to face; the clang of swords, the crunching of bones, the tearing of fabric and flesh, and the explosions created by rebel canon fire and shinigami kidou sung the terrible song of war. In a matter of minutes the sea of combatants began to paint the ground beneath them red with blood.
"Fall back steadily!" Usotsuki commanded as he withdrew his sword from the torso of a now dead shinigami, as he ordered the sea of his men began to retreat at a slow and steady pace making sure to focus on staying alive as their allies picked them off from above "Good…if this keeps up…"
Usotsuki's train of thought was brought to a sudden halt as an immense spiritual pressure erupted from the Shinigami's flank as the weaker soldiers did the only intelligent thing and made way as it came rushing towards the Rebels' leader. Focusing his might into gripping his sword as tightly as possible, Usotsuki quickly raised his blade and dug in his heels as an explosive force came crashing down upon him causing everyone nearby be they shinigami or rebels to be blown away.
The mere fact that Usotsuki survived such an attack was a testament to his strength and skill. Just above his head his sword had locked blades with a long jagged sword wielded by an enormous bear of a man with long black hair worn into a few large spikes with bells attached to the ends, a simple black eye patch over his right eye while his left sported a long vertical scar. In addition to the standard black shinigami robes he wore a tattered, sleeveless, white haori with the kanji for eleven on the back.
"Good" Kenpachi chuckled as he grinned in delight as applied more pressure to Usotsuki but the man didn't budge "looks like you can do more than run your mouth."
An unsettling and childlike giggle came from Kenpachi's back as a small child like shinigami with bubblegum pink hair emerged from his collar "you excited Kenney?"
"We'll have to see" Kenpachi replied as he licked his lips in anticipation "don't disappoint me."
"Captain Kenpachi Zaraki of Squad Eleven" Usotsuki stated calmly as they separated "it would seem your blood lust is not exaggerated."
Kenpachi smiled in a manner that was more befitting a feral beast as he raised his sword over his shoulder and Yachiru leapt off of him to find a good spot to watch the coming battle as her foster father rushed towards Usotsuki and the two warriors clashed once again.
As time passed, Toushirou noticed that fewer and fewer mortar shots lit up the sky. Evidently the weapons drew too much spirit energy for them to be used continuously. Thankfully though, they had served their primary function of destroying the barrier which shielded the rebel strong hold. And judging by the sheer number of craters, fires, and debris piles Toushirou spotted in the distance; they had done a decent job of serving their secondary function of softening the enemy's defenses.
"There isn't much more we can do from back here" Shukun stated as he willed his flames to die down a bit but not extinguish "it's time we joined the front line."
"Yes sir" Toushirou replied as his own freezing aura died down slightly before the Captain and Lieutenant of Squad Ten vanished with their skilled and practiced shunpo.
In less than a minute the two officers spotted their subordinates struggling to push forward against the wall of rebels that seemed hell bent to hold them at bay while the canons and arrows from above rained death upon them. Nearly half a mile away they felt the familiar spiritual pressure of Kenpachi Zaraki as he clashed with Usotsuki.
Turning their attention back towards their soldiers, they quickly spotted Rangiku leading from just behind the very front as she used her Haineko to provide some shielding from the canons and arrows being fired upon them. The two shinigami nodded in understanding to one another as Shukun took point and appeared between his men and the rebels so suddenly that both sides needed a moment to register the fact that the Captain had appeared before them.
A moment Shukun was not going to let the rebels have. No sooner had he finished his shunpo, he swung his sword in a wide horizontal arc sending a large wave of inferno crashing into the rebels' defensive line. The more fortunate among the rebels had their vital organs utterly destroyed before they knew what had happened to them; the less fortunate rebels however, quickly found themselves on the ground nursing horrid burns on their bodies or screaming in agony as the flames had literally destroyed part of their bodies.
The sound of men and women screaming in pain filled the ears of everyone present with horrid cries of pain in agony, most of which were silenced quickly by the blades of the now advancing members of Squad Ten. However even when the victims fell silent it did nothing to change the horrific smell of seared flesh which permeated the air and filled the lungs of all nearby shinigami and rebel alike. If not for the sheer adrenaline everyone present was experiencing at that moment; the sights, sounds, and smell of what a single swing of Shukun's destructive power had wrought would likely have caused anyone present who was fortunate enough not to be struck to vomit or faint from the hellish experience.
As soon as Shukun's attack hit its mark, Toushirou appeared in air above his Captain half way up the nearby slope with dark storm clouds forming in the sky above as the wind picked up in velocity and the temperature plummeted. Now that he was closer to the action Toushirou had an easier time making out individual archers, towers, and most of all canon teams which had been hard at work striking his soldiers with a constant stream of death. Focusing on his targets intently Toushirou thrust his sword forward creating not one, but more than a dozen dragons of water and ice the size of a small desk.
Though they lacked the power of the larger single dragons Toushirou usually used, they still had more than enough power to cause towers to collapse, canons to explode into a mess of wooden and metallic shrapnel, and of course to crush and freeze a lowly foot soldier who could only fight thanks to the weapons supplied by Usotsuki. As the Lieutenant of Squad Ten descended upon the ground below; the sounds of collapsing buildings, exploding weapons, and the screams of the dying echoed right behind him.
As soon as he landed on the ground next to his Captain, Toushirou and Shukun immediately turned their attention towards a nearby wooden gate which blocked their advance which was unguarded thanks to Shukun's horrific but effective attack. Without a single word between them the two men used a shunpo to close the distance between themselves and the enemy obstruction as they thrust their blades into the middle, the Captain's radiating an intense heat while the Lieutenant's seemed to be engulfed in a mix of snow and ice.
As soon as they buried their weapons into the gat it shattered into an untold number of pieces as a pair of massive blasts of fire and ice shot through the large trench killing anyone unlucky enough to be in the way effectively clearing a stretch for the invading shinigami.
"SQUAD TEN ADVANCE!" Shukun ordered earning a quick cheer from his men as they rushed push the enemy further back "how are we holding up Rangiku?"
"Sir we've suffered numerous casualties but we've held together" Rangiku reported her breath heavy as she tried to form words while experiencing so much raw adrenaline from the battle thus far.
"So far so good then" Toushirou stated when suddenly a large number of arrows, spells, and the occasional bomb fell into the trench from the artificial cliffs above.
"Take them out Toushirou!" Shukun commanded as he swung his sword diagonally creating a literal wall of flames above his soldier to shield them from the assault from above.
Wasting no time, Toushirou began to run forward and thrust his blade in an upward angle creating a large serpentine ice dragon which he leapt onto. Taking a deep breath, Toushirou focused his Tenso Jurin to provide himself and the ice dragon he was riding a thick layer of ice and snow to act as a shield as they passed through Shukun's flames. Before the rebels knew it, a large ice dragon emerged from the hell fire below them and flew into the skies over their heads.
Taking a moment of pick as many targets as possible, Toushirou's eyes glowed with a snowy white aura before he swung Hyourinmaru horizontally causing the ice dragon he was riding to literally shatter into numerous smaller dragons which proceeded to rain down on the enemies below. The impact from the dragons crushed men and tools alike ending their deadly assault on the shinigami below with their own barrage of wintery death.
As Toushirou landed back in the trench among his men he looked back at his Captain and Rangiku and nodded. Without saying a word, the Captain and the Third Seat began to make their way forward. They had successfully penetrated the first layer of the enemies defenses, however there were many more ahead. And even with all their power and skill, the fact of the matter was that the rebels had the better positioning and many of the shinigami who entered the enemy's compound, wouldn't be leaving it alive.
With a heavy sigh the two shinigami resolved to see the battle through to the end. Knowing full well it was going to be a truly bloody and terrible battle, especially for the countless pathways that didn't have a Captain or Lieutenant to provide cover.
In a dark, cramped room in the Department of Research and Development; Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi of Squad Twelve gazed at the contents on a large steel table with eager curiosity. Just behind him stood Captain Tejina Majo of Squad Seven with a devilish smirk of her own.
"I must say this Usotsuki man has made the most interesting toys" Mayuri chuckled as he looked over a recent shipment of gems that allowed even normal souls to mold and wield spirit particles in the forms of weapons such as sword and bows that had recently been liberated from captured rebels "this reminds me of the Quincies…"
"Perhaps he was familiar with them" Tejina quipped with an amused tone of voice.
Mayuri's face relaxed to a much more calm and composed; yet still chilling expression "I must say I'm curious about you Majo."
"Pardon?" Tejina asked curiously.
"We've been studying the tools used by these rebels for ten years" Mayuri stated "though they're clearly sophisticated, I noticed an unusual number of…hitches as my people have tried to figure them out."
"No one is perfect Captain Kurotsuchi" Tejina said simply.
"True, but still…I couldn't help but wonder…" Mayuri continued "…so I started to look into the problems…" he turned his gaze towards the blonde haired shinigami "…it seemed that someone was deliberately sabotaging their research…this person appeared to be going to great lengths to cover-up their activities…" Tejina's eyes lost their usual playfulness "…tell me, why would such a wealthy noble like you develop such lovely toys for Usotsuki and his little band of riffraff?"
Silence fell between the Captains for what seemed like an eternity before Tejina finally answered "that's bit of a long story and I doubt it would really interest you" she batted her eyes to her fellow Captain before continuing "however I do have something I think you will find interesting."
"Anyone else and I'd simply kill you where you stand" Mayuri said with a disturbingly jovial tone "you better not disappoint me."
"Stop, you'll make a girl blush" Tejina chuckled as she lead her fellow Captain out the door.
Silently the two Captains made their away across the rooftops of the Seireitei until eventually arriving in front of Squad Seven's main administration building. No sooner had they exited their shunpo then two of Tejina's soldiers approached them.
"Captain Majo, Captain Kurotsuchi, what brings you here?" one asked in near alarm annoying the latter.
"Have we received orders to mobilize?" the second asked with grave concern.
Tejina simply smiled softly and gently placed her hands on their shoulders, little did either of them know that she had her index and middle fingers pointed straight at their throats before she chanted "Hadou 4: Byakurai" causing them both to fall to the ground after a thin blast of pure energy shout right through their necks "follow me please" she proceeded into the building, paying her two latest victims no heed whatsoever.
"Using two kidou attacks simultaneously and without the incantation; even if it one of the most basic spells it's not a half bad display" Mayuri thought in approval as he casually stepped right over the bodies following the woman who fascinated him.
Eventually Tejina led Mayuri to a large vault like door that was easily ten feet high and twice that length in width deep in the basement of Squad Seven's main office building. The path to the door had been concealed with a plethora of highly complex runes and spells designed to create illusions and block out any sound. The Captain of Squad Twelve licked his lips in anticipation as the doors slid open.
Once the doors opened Mayuri quickly found himself standing with Tejina in a massive underground bunker which was more than a hundred yards wide and deep, and with a ceiling roughly twenty feet above their heads. The walls of the bunker were covered in various charts, notes, and experiments for kidou based trinkets Tejina was developing. The floor was divided into aisles filled to the brim with the very same gems Mayuri had been studying, specimens used to resurrect Usotsuki's officers, and various other implements.
But what truly caught Mayuri's eyes was the large semi-circle like gate in the back with stood roughly fifteen feet high and had a series of cords the diameter of a large man's arms stretching out connected to a series of large energy tanks which were more than twice the size of a normal person.
"What is this?" Mayuri asked in astonishment.
"I trust you're familiar with Jikanteishi and Kukanten'i" Tejina said calmly earning her a nod from the man who simply smiled maniacally "think of this as a gateway, or rather half a gateway; my partner is standing by at the other end."
"So it utilizes two forbidden kidou which freezes the time in a given area and transports a space to another location" Mayuri noted earning him an approving nod from Tejina "so these gates allow…"
"Instant teleportation across time and space between the gates" Tejina finished for him causing Mayuri to flash a freakishly wide and toothy grin "tell me how would you like to study them?"
"Don't tease me girl" Mayuri warned as he turned his gaze back to the traitorous Captain.
"Oh I would never tease a fellow scientist" Tejina reassured him "once government's been overthrown I'm going to be busy with my new seat of power, once that happens we could definitely use someone of your intellect and skills" she smiled as she closed her eyes momentarily to congratulate her own cunning "besides my creations are perfect I have no use for such…hobbies."
When Tejina opened her eyes she witnessed something that was the complete opposite of what she expected from her fellow reprobate. She thought the…man or whatever the hell Mayuri was would be ecstatic at her offer and jumping at the opportunity, at the very worst she feared he would be apathetic to the whole matter. Instead Mayuri was shaking as if his entire body was suffering from severe tremors; his right hand with the freakishly long fingernails seemed to contort unnaturally making it particularly unnerving. And his eyes expressed deeply homicidal thoughts which would be alien to any semi descent being.
"Did you just refer to research as a hobby?!" Mayuri asked in disgust "Did you just say you were giving up research and development for political schemes?!" his teeth seemed to scrape against one another as he took a step towards Tejina "And did you just claim to have created perfection while calling yourself a scientist?!"
"What has gotten into you May…" Tejina began but was cut off.
"SILENCE!" Mayuri yelled as he drew his sword in outrage over the woman's sheer audacity and released a massive amount of spirit energy "you better make a descent dissection if nothing else!" he hissed.
"Idiot" Tejina thought in annoyance as she quickly drew her Zanpakutou and locked blades with the enraged Captain of Squad Twelve "I'll have to end this quickly" she coldly and calmly locked gaze with her opponent before chanting "conjure…"
*Back at the battle for the Rebel Headquarters*
Dozens of bodies surrounded Usotsuki and Kenpachi Zaraki as their swords clashed repeatedly creating a powerful shockwave with each strike and counter. Kenpachi who lived to fight was smiling and laughing with a very maniacal tone as the thrill of combat coursed throughout his body making him feel truly alive and neither warrior had managed to harm the other.
"You are good" Kenpachi said in delight as he licked his lips with his unusually pointed tongue.
"The rumors don't do your strength justice Captain Zaraki" Usotsuki politely complimented "my arms are still shaking from that last attack of yours" surveying the battlefield Usotsuki quickly realized that his men were being pushed back and staying so far out was too dangerous.
"And to think the fun's just getting started" Kenpachi chuckled eagerly as he prepared to lunge towards the masked man only to have him appear right in front of him with his left hand buried in the folds of his robe.
"My apologies, maybe some other time" Usotsuki replied as he pulled out a small paper talisman and slammed it onto Kenpachi's chest before slamming it with a right roundhouse kick.
As soon as Usotsuki's foot made contact with the talisman it glowed brightly and Kenpachi was literally sent shooting backwards like a rocket. Though it obviously wasn't enough to kill him or even seriously injure him, it did separate him from the rebel leader long enough for him to take back command of his troops.
"FALL BACK TO THE 2ND DEFENSIVE LINE!" Usotsuki ordered as he made his way back amongst his subordinates killing the occasional shinigami to give his men some breathing room "we need to draw them in deeper, the timing will be key."
*Seireitei-Two Hours Later-Squad Seven Bunker*
Tejina's bunker had been utterly trashed by the battle between the Captains of Squads Seven and Twelve. Broken machines, shards of glass, vials of various fluids, and other miscellaneous objects laid strewn about the floor; though luckily for Tejina her gate was still perfectly intact thanks to the extra shielding she had put around it just in case Mayuri didn't play along.
Near the center of the bunker Tejina stood calmly, her hair ruffled, her clothes torn in several spots, and he skin marked by a couple bruises and minor burns but otherwise in good condition. Just two feet away from her stood Mayuri whose whole body seemed to shake involuntarily and appeared to have been thoroughly burned from head to toe, his robes and his haori a charred and shredded remnant of what they had been mere hours ago, his hat had been utterly destroyed leaving his hair standing high on end, and his sword had been broken leaving only a few inches of blade above the hilt.
"What a pity" Tejina sighed "we could have used you."
Mayuri's face contorted in rage before hissing "this isn't over yet!" much to Tejina's surprise he pressed the tip of his now broken sword just underneath his soft palate and thrust it upwards, even more surprising was the fact that instead of slumping forward and dying, Mayuri's body seemed to explode into a strange green goo.
"What the hell?" Tejina asked in stunned curiosity as the goo began to flow away from her towards the exit.
"Don't bother" Mayuri's voice echoed as Tejina raised her weapon preparing to strike at the strange substance "while in this form I'm unable to attack you, but I also can't be harmed" the Captain of Squad Seven smirked at his explanation "it'll take me a few days to regain my strength, but once I do…" his voice became much more venomous "…you'll know the terror of having crossed a true scientist!"
"Good thing this bunker is so far underground and he's too vindictive to alert that Retsu girl…" Tejina thought as she sealed her Zanpakutou and sheathed it "…I'll have to rest while I can…Usotsuki…the two of you had better do your jobs!"
*Rebel Stronghold-Three Hours Later*
The rebels' efforts over the past ten years to build a fortified base of operations had clearly born fruit. From the very outskirts of their territory to the shinigami's front lines, the bodies of countless soldiers from the Thirteen Court Guard Squads laid strewn about, their blood dying the dirt beneath them a very dark shade of red.
That being said, there was only so much their tactics could do for them. Throughout the battlefield and particularly on top of the artificial cliffs overlooking the trenches, many rebel corpses dotted the landscape. And in spite of the significantly higher casualties suffered by the shinigami, the sheer loss of life suffered by the rebels had virtually extinguished their fighting power.
At the very top of their compound; a virtual sea of shinigami were pressing against the last line of rebel soldiers. Their defense was well organized but it simply didn't have the strength to hold back certain powerful shinigami who forced their way through.
One of these shinigami was the Captain of Squad Six Ginrei Kuchiki, upon exiting his shunpo he turned his gaze back towards the rebel lines and thought "this is Squad Six Captain Ginrei Kuchiki…I've breached the line, still no sign of Usotsuki or his Lieutenants…" his thoughts broadcasted through Sasakibe to his fellow officers.
"Very well" Yamamoto's voice echoed in Ginrei's mind "proceed into the manor and find them, leave the foot soldiers to our men."
A series of voices echoed 'understood' along with Ginrei's as he stood up to survey his position. He found he was in front end of the courtyard, the past ten years had taken a toll on its decadence through salvaging and vandalism from the rebels combined with disrepair. As he quietly made his way to the front door he found a large pit had been dug right in the center, at the bottom he could see the form of a young, dirty, naked, and slightly emaciated woman; her black hair was matted and torn and unevenly cut.
But what disturbed the seasoned Captain the most were her eyes. Though brown like many souls in the Soul Society they lacked any sense of life when he looked into them. Though her heart and other organs were still functioning, the sheer emptiness in her eyes was more akin to a dead person's than a live person's.
"She must be Shitsui Zetsubou's wife…" Ginrei thought in contained disgust "…even times of war should demand some decency…"
Calming his emotions Ginrei turned his focus towards the stairway leading to the front door of the manor. Right now he and the rest of the shinigami who made it through the enemy lines had to focus on the objective of finding and eliminating the rebel leaders to finally bring the war to an end. Only then could they afford the time to find help for Shitsui's wife.
*On top of a hill just outside the compound*
As the shinigami who breached the enemy's defenses made their way through the manor's hall they sent mental reports through Sasakibe which then fed directly into the mind of Head Captain Yamamoto. The ancient Captain of Squad One and leader of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads took note as some of his most skilled and powerful subordinates covered more and more of the once opulent mansion's floor space searching for their man. Little did he know that Usotsuki had one last trick up his sleeve, and this one was the greatest of them all.
In the distance Yamamoto spotted what was undeniably another barrier wall just like the ones that had shielded the entire compound for a decade. A quick report from the recently promoted Lieutenant Rukia of Squad Thirteen told him that it effectively blocked the bulk of their forces from entering the manner. In other words that small band of soldiers was now trapped alone with eight; perhaps nine of the most dangerous people in the Soul Society and it would be hours before the mortar teams would regain enough energy to use their weapons and at least one additional hour to move them into range so they could break the barrier.
As if to torment the old man further a familiar orange cone appeared in the sky above the decrepit manor and an even more familiar masked face appeared though it now had a small crack above the left eye.
"Well done brave soldiers of the rebellion Usotsuki" called out in a tone that suggested he was on the verge of victory "through hell and death you have carried out your duty in this battle."
"He must be going mad" Yamamoto thought to himself "he's only bought time for himself…"
"I imagine our shinigami friends believe they have won" Usotsuki stated "but that couldn't be further from the truth; you see killing large numbers of shinigami as you try to take our base was only one of our objectives in this battle and a secondary one at that."
"A secondary objective?" Shunsui asked in slight confusion "what is he up to?"
"I dare say we're about to find out" Ukitake answered.
"Our primary objective for this battle was to draw the bulk of the Seireitei's fighting power here where we could chip away at it" Usotsuki continued "killing as many shinigami as we could and exhausting the ones that we couldn't…but our ultimate goal is something much bigger…I'll let my friend explain it to you."
"And here I thought he loved the spot light" Shunsui chuckled when suddenly a familiar figure came into view.
He was a large and extremely well built man; his arms seemed to be the diameter of liquor kegs, his arms and face was covered with callouses and small burns, his eyes were a cold steel colored grey, and his hair was so short he was nearly bald. But what stood out most was his shinigami robes and the badge draped around his left arm which identified him as Lieutenant Kokuzoku Meikou of Squad Seven.
"But…he's supposed to be in the Seireitei…" Ukitake said in disbelief the expressions of Sasakibe, Shunsui, and even Yamamoto himself showed they shared his surprise as the view seemed to zoom out revealing Usotsuki standing behind him and seven familiar masked figures behind him with a large half circle like object standing in the very back.
"I'm not one for big speeches like Usotsuki here is so I'll make this brief" Kokuzoku said calmly "the gate behind us acts as one half of a two way 'portal' of sorts; once we activate it and walk through the portal we'll emerge from the other end which with my Captain Tejina Majo in the Seireitei!"
Countless shinigami eyes opened in sheer shock and terror as they realized what they were planning. Kokuzoku walked towards a small pedestal which stood in the center just in front of the portal and reached his hand over a small green crystal.
"From there we will eliminate not only the meager forces you left in the Seireitei, but the Central Forty Six itself!" Kokuzoku continued his thirst for power and domination evident in each word he spoke "afterwards we'll garrison the city with our sleeper forces we positioned at the four gates…"
"Master Yamamoto it'll be hours before we can break the barrier and the Seireitei is at least two days away for even the fasted Captains" Ukitake said in a worried tone of voice "if they manage to secure the four gate we'll never be able to take back the Seireitei…not to mention…"
"With the death of the old government a new one will emerge" Kokuzoku stated as he pressed his hand to the crystal causing what appeared to be a film of light blue energy to start swirling within the gateway "farewell" without saying a word the rebel leaders walked through the gate to conquest.
*Back in the Seireitei*
"Glad to see the nine of you made it" Tejina offered cheerfully as they emerged from the gate.
"This place is a mess, what in the world happened?" Kokuzoku asked.
"Me and Mayuri had a…disagreement of sorts" Tejina replied as she looked over her nine subordinates with anticipation "well then let's get going" they walked through the bunker doors not noticing that in spite of the fact that Kokuzoku had only poured in enough energy to keep the portal up for a minute, it was still glowing.
*Back at the manor*
"This is Squad Six Captain Ginrei Kuchiki" Ginrei thought communicating with his fellow shinigami "I located their gateway…I'm keeping it open with my spirit energy…" his hand was rested upon the same gem that Kokuzoku had used earlier "…I'm not sure how long I can hold it though…"
No sooner had he finished his thought when he heard Yamamoto's voice "You are all ordered to converge on Captain Kuchiki's location and pursue the enemy through the portal, no matter what we cannot lose the Seireitei or the Central Forty Six!"
"I'll hold it open as long as we can…" Ginrei thought when suddenly one of his colleagues appeared before him "go" he command calmly the red headed Captain pursued the enemy through their own contraption.
As the minutes dragged on more and more shinigami appeared before Ginrei and pursued their enemies through the portal. When the last pair aside from Ginrei himself made it through he fell on the ground causing the portal to vanish instantly.
"We're all counting you" Ginrei said softly as the sheer loss of energy caught up with him "don't…let them…" his vision faded as exhaustion took over.
*Back in the Seireitei*
Shukun quickly climbed his way up a series of tunnels and stair ways until he finally sensed ten familiar beings who had just made it to the surface. Steering himself and knowing that there was simply no way in hell he could take on all ten of them he focused on the familiar spiritual pressure of his predecessor and with a skillful shunpo appeared right before her momentarily before grabbing her by the scruff of the neck and using a second shunpo to take them both to the air just above Sokyoku hill causing them to both fall gently to the ground.
"A wise choice" Yuki said gratefully as she drew her sword and her mask fell off before facing her old friend.
"This is where we can fight while risking the fewest outside deaths" Shukun stated solemnly as he readied his own blade.
"This won't be like last time…" Yuki warned as their spiritual powers began to rapidly spike "…I can't hold myself back like I did then…Tejina…altered this body…"
"I understand…I won't hold back either" Shukun replied acknowledging what he had to do and what it entailed.
Both the current and the former Captain of Squad Ten's spiritual pressure skyrocketed to the point that the average shinigami wouldn't be able to get close to them without risking being crushed to death under the sheer weight of their combined might. The raw display of power was amplified more than a hundred fold when both combatants uttered the word "Bankai."
Within a matter of moments the skies surrounding Sokyoku hill were painted by a strange mixture of red hot flames and ice cold snow and winds. Every few seconds one would take the other's place in specific sections of the sky. The opposing extreme temperatures created an enormous amount of steam and the fierce winds from Yuki's Bankai were amplified a hundred fold as the two combatants prepared for a deadly clash.
*With Tejina*
"Shugyou, damn him!" Tejina thought in fury as she turned her attention back to her party "no time to fool around!" she turned her focus to her masked soldiers "Ketsueki secure the east gate, Kyuusho you've got the South, Kaein and Miyako are on the West, and Nagoyaka will take the North!" the five figures vanished with a series of skilled shunpo with the last three trying in vain to defy her orders "Koujou it's time for that revenge I promised you, go take care of that Retsu bitch" beneath her mask Koujou smirked viciously as she headed for Squad Four "well Usotsuki it's time for the three of us to take care of the Central Forty Six."
"It's been a long war" Usotsuki replied eager to accomplish the goal he had devoted his very existence to.
*Squad Four Main Medical Facility*
"What the hell is going on out there?!" a young black haired male shinigami asked as he looked out the window to see a swirling tower of flames and ice coming from Sokyoku hill "is the world coming to an end or something?!"
"Calm down" Retsu commanded as she seemed to materialize right next to her subordinate scaring him slightly "that's Captain Shugyou's spiritual pressure right there in the middle along with one I don't recognize but it's very similar to Toushirou's..." she closed her eyes momentarily to focus on sensing less explosive spiritual pressures that the two goliaths might hide form detection otherwise "…there are a pair of spiritual pressures I don't recognize and three that I do heading for the four gates…and…" her eyes opened as she recognized the approaching threat "I want everyone brought inside now!"
"Captain Unohana?" the young medic asked.
"No one is allowed outside until I give the word" Retsu continued as she grabbed her sword and headed for the exit "tell third seat Iemura he's in charge while I'm out" the boy nodded in understanding as he rushed to find the blonde third seat "I wish Isane wasn't in the front lines right now…"
Roughly a minute passed as Retsu sped through the halls of her squad's headquarters, she bobbed her way through dozens of her subordinates repeating her earlier orders. Upon reaching the front door she unsheathed her Zanpakutou and tossed the sheath aside before vanishing with a skillful shunpo.
"So you've stolen my station" Koujou chuckled darkly as she removed her dark green mask and drew her sword before clashing with her former Lieutenant.
"I didn't steal anything from you" Retsu replied coldly as they separated and she immediately leapt towards her predecessor and swung her sword vertically with both hands.
The undead woman quickly raised her own blade above her head and braced for impact. The force of Retsu's sword falling upon her sent a cloud of dust rushing out in all directions and the concrete tiles beneath their feet cracked and crumbled into dust.
Koujou smiled wickedly as she parried Retsu's sword and thrust her blade towards the younger woman who leapt backwards to avoid having her throat cut open "careful girl, I'm much stronger now than when I was alive…" Koujou taunted while Retsu's braid came undone and her black hair began to blow in the wind "…and I want you to last long enough for me to truly enjoy my revenge!"
"I went through a lot to be free of you" Retsu said calmly as she shot the older woman a glare which was loaded with murderous intent "I'll make sure you don't come back after this" her voice was disturbingly cold and calm giving the usually gentle and nurturing Captain of Squad Four a truly terrifying aura.
*With Tejina, Kokuzoku, and Usotsuki*
"We're nearing the entrance to the Central Forty Six" Tejina stated calmly as she and her two male companions carved their way through the honor guards charged with protecting the highest governmental body in the Soul Society.
"Excellent" Usotsuki replied as he cut down the last man and continued towards their goal only for a twenty story tall clear white barrier to materialize in front of him.
"It would seem the Central Forty Six has some defenses we were never made privy too" Kokuzoku noted calmly as Tejina placed her hand upon the shield.
"Not too shabby at all" Tejina stated honestly impressed with the power behind the defensive spell "it'll take some time but I should be able to…" she was cut off by a sudden eruption of immense and destructive spiritual pressure "…shit!"
No sooner had Tejina cursed when the large almost demonic form of Kenpachi Zaraki came crashing through the walls and lunged for Usotsuki prompting the rebel leader o swing his sword in a counter attack. The sheer force created when their blades clashed sent all matter of dust and debris along with the bodies of the fallen shinigami flying away from them as Tejina and Kokuzoku dug in their heels to avoid being blown away.
"You didn't think you'd get away that easily did you?" Kenpachi asked in clear amusement as he locked gazes with the masked man.
"You're persistent Captain Zaraki" Usotsuki sighed as he turned his attention towards Tejina and Kokuzoku "I'll keep him busy" earning him a nod from the Captain of Squad Seven before turning back to Kenpachi "I suppose you want to pick up from where we left off?"
Kenpachi licked his lips in anticipation as Yachiru took a seat on top of what little was left of one of the walls he had run through to watch the approaching carnage. The two swords parted from one another only to quickly clash again countless times in a seemingly endless barrage of slashes, swings, and thrusts. Each time the two blades struck one another they created nearly blinding flashes of light and the loud clangs could be heard from miles away.
Seeing an opening due to Kenpachi's lack of technique, Usotsuki thrust his sword forward cutting into the large man's left shoulder drawing blood from the battle crazed Captain. Not wanting to waste his opportunity, Usotsuki flicked his left wrist revealing a hidden dagger which he immediately drove into Kenpachi's abdomen.
"That's rather unbecoming of you" Kenpachi stated in a tone which showed more annoyance than anything else as he swung his sword down vertically forcing the small man to leap backwards to avoid being split like a log "someone as strong as you shouldn't need cheap tricks like this" he continued pulling the dagger free from his body and tossing it aside.
"I don't fight for enjoyment Captain Zaraki, I fight for the future" Usotsuki declared a definite line running down the middle of his mask causing it to crack and then suddenly shatter into countless little pieces as he removed his hood "I'm sorry but I have to kill you now that you're standing between me and Central Forty Six."
Kenpachi raised an eyebrow at the sight before him. Usotsuki's face could barely be recognized as human due to the dark red and black hues his seemingly cracking skin was colored. Half of his top lip looked as if it had been burned off, his left eye in particular was burned so badly it looked to be about a third the size of his right, and his nose seemed to have been shriveled up so badly due to a lack of moisture that it seemed miraculous he could breathe. With the exception of a small patch just above the top of his neck which sported a small amount of black fuzz, he was bald due to burn marks.
"I admit, while I don't condone your little tricks, I have to admire your spirit if nothing else" Kenpachi said calmly as his green eye locked with Usotsuki's misshapen brown eyes "not too many guys out there who could still prove so entertaining after being burned so badly."
Kenpachi immediately dashed towards the rebel commander and swung his sword down vertically. Usotsuki responded quickly and side stepped to his left to avoid the devastatingly powerful attack. Kenpachi countered by swinging his sword to his right putting his blade on a crash course with Usotsuki's waist. Sensing the approaching danger, Usotsuki leapt backwards to avoid be bifurcated, however due to the sheer speed and power of Kenpachi's swing the stomach portion of his robes began to quickly turn a distinct dark red from soaking up the blood from a fresh wound.
Accustomed to being in near constant pain, Usotsuki was hardly affected from the wound much like his opponent. Without missing a beat he lunged back towards Kenpachi veering slightly to his left in order to attack Kenpachi from his right side, in other words his blind side thanks to the eye patch. Kenpachi smirked inwardly that he had finally found an opponent who was smart enough to use that to his advantage.
Usotsuki thrust his blade towards Kenpachi's neck intending to slice his throat open when the massive Captain thrust his sword towards the burned husk of a man. Seeing his chance Usotsuki leapt up on top of Kenpachi's right hand burying his blade into the ground before slashing Kenpachi across his massive chest spilling even more of the battle crazed man's blood.
The sheer ferocity of Kenpachi's smile was unnerving, even to a hardened warrior like Usotsuki. It was moments like this which proved that all of the tales of Kenpachi Zaraki's seemingly demonic love of fighting were gross understatements of the highest caliber.
"Very nice, I thought I had you there" Kenpachi chuckled as he swung his right arm upward propelling Usotsuki into the air.
Saying nothing as he landed gracefully on his feet Usotsuki again raced towards Kenpachi determined to inflict a wound that even he couldn't survive. Once again Usotsuki veered slightly to his left to attack Kenpachi from his blind side prompting the Captain of Squad Eleven to swing his sword to his left. Knowing that he had less than a second to respond Usotsuki ducked as close to the ground as he could causing Kenpachi's blade to his nothing but air creating a strong breeze in its wake.
Usotsuki smiled in victory thrust his sword towards Kenpachi's head, planning to run his blade through the right side of the man's skull and skewer his brain. What he didn't count on however, was for Kenpachi to instinctively jerk his neck back so that instead of piercing his skull just above the ear, it scraped along the side of his head leaving a shallow diagonal cut from just in front of his ear to his temple.
"Damn it" Kenpachi swore in annoyance as his now shredded eye patch fell to the ground unceremoniously.
A part of Usotsuki wanted to ask Kenpachi what he was swearing over given the fact this wound was by far the least serious of the ones he had suffered. However his natural instinct caused him to turn his sword ninety degrees so the edge of his blade was right in front of Kenpachi's face in an attempt to diagonally split his entire head. This plan was obviously foiled however when Kenpachi's spiritual power exploded so violently, it literally threw Usotsuki back a couple dozen yards causing him to crash into a nearby wall.
Gritting his teeth Usotsuki picked himself up only to gasp in horror at the sight of what appeared to be a bright yellow mountain of raw power radiating from the Captain of Squad Eleven. The sheer ferocity of the display sent tremors running through his arms as the very ground beneath them seemed to shake from the raw display of pure power.
"What…what the hell are you?!" Usotsuki asked in stunned disbelief.
"That eye patch served two purposes" Kenpachi sighed "the first was to limit my vision to give my opponents an edge, and the second was to take the edge off my power so I couldn't attack with all my strength" he turned his gaze towards Usotsuki "the whole point was to make fights more difficult so they'd last longer, but now you've ruined it" he pinched the bridge of his nose with left thumb and index finger "looks like this fight is as good as over" his monologue was cut off when Usotsuki appeared in front of him with his right hand just above his left should preparing for a horizontal swing.
"Over for you apparently" Usotsuki thought as he swung his sword.
Letting out a soft sigh Kenpachi swung his sword vertically down upon Usotsuki with an almost godlike level of speed. Before Usotsuki knew what hit him; Kenpachi's sword had sliced through the center of his forearm causing his sword along with roughly a quarter of his right arm to fall to the ground. Then it began to dig its way into the man's shoulder and into his body until finally stopping at the base of his chest.
"Well it was fun while it lasted" Kenpachi chuckled softly as he removed his blade from Usotsuki's body causing him to fall into a shallow pool of his own blood when he noticed what seemed to be weak breathing coming from his fallen foe "still alive? That's impressive…maybe we can do this again sometime soon" Kenpachi smiled at the prospect of fighting Usotsuki again.
No sooner had Kenpachi finished his sentence then Tejina appeared in front of him and scattered three scrolls before chanting "Infinito Negacion (Infinite Negation)" causing Kenpachi to be consumed in a large black box before vanishing into thin air.
"Kenny, where'd you go?!" Yachiru asked in shock at the disappearance of her foster father.
"To another dimension little girl" Tejina chuckled in delight "and he'll stay there for at least an hour or two, by then Central Forty Six will be demolished!"
"Oh" Yachiru replied since in truth she never really cared about their attempt on Central Forty Six "well I guess I'll go find some sweets until Kenny gets back" both Tejina and Kokuzoku were left bewildered as the small pink haired shinigami ran off in search of candy.
"The barrier's coming down" Kokuzoku stated as the protective wall shielding Central Forty Six began to crack and sections began to disintegrate "what about him?" he pointed towards the twitching form of Usotsuki.
Tejina knelt down next to him and rolled her eyes at the sight "his heart wasn't completely destroyed, but with that kind of damage he won't last long even with that body I gave him."
"Body…you…gave me?" Usotsuki asked weakly as he raised his head slightly to look upon Tejina "…what are you…talking about?!"
"Strange I didn't see him damage your ears or your brain" Tejina replied calmly as she began to examine the man's head, her finger caused him immense pain as they pressed against his burnt flesh "didn't you hear me? I said '…with that kind of damage he won't last long even with that body I gave him'…or something to that effect."
"I don't understand…" Usotsuki said weakly as more of the barrier began to crumble and fade away.
"Fine" Tejina sighed "tell me where were you born?"
"Rukongai" Usotsuki answered "what does…"
"What district?" Tejina followed up causing the man to pause "what squad were you in before your comrades burned you for insubordination?" again Usotsuki said nothing "tell me, what's your given name?"
"I…I…don't know…" Usotsuki answered weakly.
"The name 'Usotsuki' means liar, I felt it was…poetic" Tejina informed the bleeding man "you see I had been planning to overthrow the government for years because I wanted become the new ruler of the Soul Society…to that end I applied myself to various…studies…spells for utilizing hollow like abilities, the reanimation and forced subjugation, items to allow even normal souls to wield spirit energy, the dimensional gateways, and so on."
"But there was only so much she could accomplish without an army" Kokuzoku added earning a nod from the small woman.
"Indeed, even with all these toys I still needed an army to do my bidding and I couldn't find someone either living or dead who could rally and lead such a movement" Tejina continued "so I decided to make one" Usotsuki's eyes shot open in shock at her words "it was easy really, all I had to do was make gigai, enhance it to be harder to kill and more adept at combat, and then animate it with an artificial soul with a preprogrammed personality and memories that suited my needs."
"It…it can't be…" Usotsuki said weakly.
"I chose to name this simple piece of artistry 'Usotsuki' after all everything about him is a lie" Tejina chuckled as most of the barrier separating her from Central Forty Six fell "of course I had to…alter its appearance to fit his tragic memories" Usotsuki tensed at the feeling of her fingers just above the top of his neck were his last bits of hair located "all that work roasting you over an open flame and we still never managed to get that spot…oh well" the last sections of the barrier came crashing down clearing the way for the woman and her cohort "don't worry I'll have another you up and running in three or four days, I'm sure it'll make an even better figure head for me than you would have."
Before Tejina and Kokuzoku could head towards their final goal they sensed a number of strong spiritual pressures throughout the Seireitei causing the form to scowl in annoyance that so many had apparently followed her people through the gate.
*East Gate*
Ketsueki licked his lips eagerly as he slammed a bloodied and screaming female shinigami with green eyes brown hair who was half his size onto the ground as all her comrades were either dead or too injured help her. Eager to claim his conquest he tore open her robes revealing her small but ample breasts causing her to scream and cry out in terror. His right hand reached for her bosom only for his entire arm to be cut off just below he shoulder by a large crescent blade that came flying through with a cloth attached to the handle freeing the girl from his grip.
"Even in death you're still one sick fuck" Ichigo said in disgust as the female shinigami made her escape and his constantly released Zangetsu returned to his hand.
"So we meet again, eh kid" Ketsueki chuckled as he picked up his own sword "you're going to pay for interrupting my fun."
*South Gate*
"You vicious little…" Kyuusho hissed as he was held to the ground by Yoruichi who had the blade of her Shikakuken buried in his throat.
"Didn't you always tell me the throat was an even better target than the heart or brain? No rib cage or skull to get in the way?" Yoruichi asked sarcastically as he rolled over and attempted to slash her only for her to leap away "a pity that body of yours doesn't follow the same rules."
*West Gate*
"Listen whatever happens, you must stop us" Miyako pleaded from behind her yellow mask as the conditioning forced her to ready her blade.
"I'm afraid that traitor won't let us hold back, so you guys better not let your guards down" Kaein warned.
"Understood" Shuhei replied as he took his stance and turned to the Lieutenant of Squad Three "ready Izuru?"
"Yeah" was all the blonde shinigami said as they prepared to fight their old colleagues.
*North Gate*
"So you're a Captain now" Nagoyaka noted as his younger brother calmly approached him with his sword drawn "while I'm happy to see you again Sosuke, it still pains me to see that you still have that same look in your eyes."
"I'll end this quickly Nagoyaka" Aizen assured his brother "then Tejina and Kokuzoku are going to pay dearly for this…depending on how lucky they are…"
*Back with Tejina and Kokuzoku*
A pair of shinigami stood before the renegade Captain and Lieutenant of Squad Seven. Both were males and both had badges draped around their left arms marking them as Lieutenants, but that's where the similarities ended. The taller of the two had long, well-kept jet black hair with three kenseiken in front, his eyes were a cold shade of grey which game a very composed and focused appearance.
The shorter man had short but wild silver hair which seemed to spike off in about half a dozen different directions. His eyes were an unusual blue green color and his face was that of a person who was doing their upmost to remain calm and focused, but underneath it was completely and utterly enraged with the people in front of him.
They didn't need to say anything to each other. Both Lieutenant Byakuya Kuchiki of Squad Six and Lieutenant Toushirou Hitsugaya of Squad Ten had found their enemy. And if they had anything to say on the matter, they would both fall before the day was through.
And so it was that the fate of the Soul Society fell into the hands of several extraordinary shinigami, almost all of them little more than children by the stands of the Soul Society. Shukun Shugyou, Sosuke Aizen, Ichigo Kurosaki, Yoruichi Shihoin Hitsugaya, Izuru Kira, Shuhei Hisagi, Retsu Unohana Hitsugaya, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Toushirou Hitsugaya. These were names that were now fated to leave their marks in history as the outcome of the war relied on them.
Author's Notes: Finally done here. Anyway not much to say except I'm glad this wait at least wasn't as bad as some of the ones in the past but still pretty bad. Just moved to St. Louis so I'm probably going to be pretty damn busy. Not sure which fight(s) I'll focus on first but I look forward to writing them.
And if you'd be so kind please leave a review and tell me what you think.
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Hi all hope you enjoy my new fanfiction. Its set around 1994 and the story is told by Alex. Feedback please.
Emylou x
Alex sat next to Holly on their outdated 80's sofa, watching the TV. Well Alex wasn't watching TV she was watching Holly, Holly reminded Alex of a little girl she knew over ten years ago she would have been the same age as Holly is now, ten years old.
"What Mum?" Holly asked accusingly. Alex considered her answer and sighed sadly. "What's wrong?" Alex looked at her and a smile pulled at the corners of her lips.
"I'm lucky to have you Hols." Alex gave her a hug, but Holly pulled back baffled by the statement her mother had just made.
"What do you mean by that," Alex wished she had never said anything, but now she had to go on. Confusion filled Holly's eyes and Alex though she should tell her.
Alex let out another sigh, "Hols I almost lost you once or maybe two times," Alex looked miserable.
"What you mean you left me in a shopping trolley or on the train," Holly let out a smirk at her own suggestions. But Alex's expression was not a joking expression.
"No, do you really want to know?" Alex hoped she could wriggle out and not have to relive the pain.
"Yes Mum I love hearing stories from when you and Dad were younger," Alex took a deep breath before she began the story.
"When your dad and I were first married, your dad didn't want kids," Alex paused again hoping Holly wasn't going to be interested.
I woke up a normal day in our new house. Gene had gone to work I had a half day to try and "sort out the house". A shot of guilt ran through me when I remembered my plan of not taking my pill to get pregnant and oh no. I'd got my wish but would it drive me and your dad apart. You were not an accident I had planed you but your farther hadn't. I had to tell him sooner than later. But I had to blame the pill not working, which was my plan.
I walked up to Boots to give myself room to breathe. I wandered in to the aisles and all I saw was mothers and children, I wanted one, I had one (maybe) inside me. I found the lane I wanted, the ones that sold contraception, the morning after pill and (deep breath) pregnancy tests. I picked the one that promised the most accurate result. I picked up one and stared to walk down the aisle the back tracked to pick up not one but three more. I didn't want to not be one hundred percent sure so Gene wouldn't question me. I practically ran back to the house, when I got there to cover my tracks I popped out the pills I had "missed" and washed them down the sink. I was all sorted; I did all four tests the next after the previous tests result had shown. All four were positive, I was overjoyed and I patted you inside me but Gene probably wouldn't feel the same way. I felt like I had betrayed him, well I had betrayed him. I never had betrayed someone this badly before, I felt awful. I had betrayed my husband, but surely in sickness and in health come in to this somehow, this is my sickness.
I gathered the four tests up and placed them in to my bag. I walked once again to think of what I could say. The walk didn't help, I was clueless when I walked in to the office for the first time as Mrs Hunt. I filtered out the "whoop whoop" and the "Look everyone it's the new Mrs Hunt" comments. My brain fixed on one thing and one thing only, you. I entered Gene's office with a deep breath. I would normally draw the blinds when I wanted a private conversation, but not knowing how he would react I left them open so everyone could see.
"Gene," He looked up with a grin, the same grin he'd worn since our wedding day. I was about to wipe that grin of his face.
"Hello my beautiful Bolly," He beamed up at me I kept a serious expression so he would know we had to talk. "What's the matter Boll's?" I looked ashamed and my head hung, my eyes glued to the floor. "Bolls?"
"I …I have to….. tell you something, Gene," I looked up locking my eye's with his. I thought I'd let the evidence do the talking, so I fumbled in my bag to pull out one test. "Here." I passed the small white stick to him, he grabbed it with forcefully. He looked at it then put both hands on his head in despair.
"You can't be Alex," I nodded then pulled out one more stick and put it on the table next to the other then pulled out the other two. All four positive tests lay on the desk one next to the other. He grasped all four and smashed them against the wall. "Get rid of it, Alex," His brow furrowed and his trademark pout grasped his lips.
I protectively wrapped my arms around you. I looked at your farther determinedly. "No Gene, we may not be ready now, but we can be ready," He eyed me suspiciously, inside I panicked he could have been on to me.
"Alex, is this a surprise or?" He did question me, he was on to me. I had to deter him from that thought.
"Or what? Are you accusing me of plotting this?" My voice raised and I waved my hands over my stomach.
"Yes I might just be, well?" I kept composed.
"Just because I want to keep the baby doesn't mean I planned this behind your back, I made a promise to you in front of God that I would not betray you," He turned his back to me and rubbed his hands over his face.
He was suddenly calm, so calm it scared me, "Alex get rid of it." He said simply but those words hurt like I had just been shot again.
Alex trailed off remembering that not only had she been shot in 1982 but she had been shot in 2008. Holly looked at her Alex's eyes were full of bad memories.
"Mum you alright? You were shot?" Holly's eyes were trained on her mum as she shifted in her seat to face Holly fully.
"Holly, this is going to sound like I have completely lost it but you have to believe me," Alex looked truthfully at Holly who just nodded. "I was shot in 2008, I travelled back in time to 1981, and then I have lived my life from that point on here with your farther," Holly looked blankly in to Alex's eyes.
"But Mum its 1995, 2008 hasn't happened yet."
"I know I sound crazy but it's true. I couldn't get home, to 2008, because I died in that time but got given a second chance."Holly sat staring beyond Alex deep in thought.
"So you're telling me that currently there is another you wondering around that's going to get shot in 2008," Holly's words were monotone as she began to surface from here state of shock.
"Well I suppose so, I did meet myself once, I , she was about your age," Alex was thinking about what she had left in 2008 but she couldn't think that far back all she could truly remember was this life.
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Chapter 25
Karen knew that she had to keep the party small or Greg would rebel and never attend another one.
She called Donna first.
"We're going to have a little dinner party, can you come?"
"Of course I can!" Donna had been thrilled that everything had worked out between them and she was looking for an excuse to come and visit.
"And," Karen began, "Guess what?"
"I don't like guessing."
"James is single. If you're interested."
"Really? Well, I'm not sure, but that will certainly affect what I wear."
They both laughed and Donna agreed to come for the entire weekend of the party.
Karen walked across the lawn to knock on Kathy's door. Rocco greeted her with happy barks and a few licks as she told her neighbor about the party.
"Oh, I'd love to come! But would it be alright if I brought a date?"
"If you mean Rocco, of course it's okay. He and Daisy can play together."
"Well, thanks, and of course, I'll bring him, but I wasn't talking about Rocco. I've actually started dating someone."
"Ooh, tell me!"
"Oh my God, he's gorgeous. He looks a lot like Hugh Jackman, just without the accent."
"Wow! Hey, any guy that looks like that is always welcome in my house."
"As if you have anything to complain about."
"Nope. But it's still nice to have good-looking men around."
After some giggles over that, Karen gave her the particulars and left.
Karen also convinced House to invite Rita and her husband. He'd talked about the woman to her, so she wanted to meet her. He grumbled some more, but finally agreed.
Rita was surprised by the invitation, but was pleased as well and happily accepted.
The evening of the party was cold, but clear. Karen and the kids had spent the previous few days cleaning and scrubbing the house, and Karen had decided on a Mexican theme and had made salsa, guacamole, enchiladas and burritos, among other dishes. House was amazed that despite claiming it would be a simple party, she had still managed to cook a shitload of food.
Still, as he stole some, he wasn't complaining.
Donna arrived late in the afternoon of the party and helped Karen get everything ready. Then she went to get dressed and came down looking dazzling in a low cut top and skin tight pants. She was New York chic and very sexy.
When House saw the conspiratorial looks between the women, he had an idea what they were up to.
"You didn't have to go to that much trouble." He told Donna. "He's going to be very needy. You could wear a sack and he'd still be an easy target."
"I don't dress for men, I dress for me." She said. "But if I want a man to sit up and take notice, I may enhance the outfit a bit."
"Whatever," House said, bored with talking about women's clothes.
The party was a success. Donna managed to distract Wilson and although he arrived with a hangdog face, he soon lost it under her attention.
Kathy had been right about her date – he was gorgeous. Having three handsome men in her house made Karen smile, although she was sure hers was the best of all of them.
Rita and Karen hit it off right away, both moms and patient woman who understood Gregory House. Rita's husband was a friendly, down to earth guy who fit in with the other guys.
The kids had each been allowed to invite two friends and Karen prepared some trays of snacks for them to take to the family room with sodas where they could watch movies or play video games.
The adults talked and laughed and even managed to convince House to play the piano for them.
When everyone had gone and Karen was finished putting away the leftover food, she stopped and reflected how much fun the evening had been. Everyone had gotten along and House seemed to enjoy himself. She wondered where he'd gone and peeked into the living room and family room for him, but he wasn't there. Then she saw a dark form out on the deck.
House sat on a chair on the deck, staring out at the dark yard. Yes, it was cold, but he really didn't care. He was sipping a tequila. That wasn't his favorite drink, but Karen had served it with the Mexican food and somehow he ended up with one. He thought about tequila and a bottle he'd had in Mexico once with the worm in it. Where was the worm now?
He'd taken several big steps over the past year since Karen had come back into his life. Several big gulps of the tequila, a drink he never really chose, but somehow ended up with anyway. Where was the worm in his life? Would it appear?
Actually, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that the two of them, no, make that the four of them had faced many worms. Each had been conquered as they continued to sip the tequila.
He stood up and walked over to the railing, looking at the property that belonged to them. He smiled when he thought about that. As he stood there, he felt arms go around his waist.
"Watch out." He said. "If Karen finds you here, she's gonna be mad."
"I can handle her." Karen said with a smile. "Aren't you cold out here?"
"Nah." He turned and pulled her into his arms.
"What's up?" She asked him.
"Nothing. I was just thinking."
"About what?"
"Thinking that it's good to be home."
She smiled and pulled away, reached for his hand and led him into the house.
The End
A/N: Thanks everyone for reading and commenting. I do appreciate it. This is the end of House and Karen's saga, unless they decide to pop up in a one shot here or there. If the muses allows, hopefully, I'll have another story in a little while. Until then, take care. Feel free to contact me if you want - I love hearing from my readers.
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I don't own these characters; Disney does. I do own Trin, Shin (the non-cute one), and Tatsu. Shin (Kim and Shego's child) belongs to Blackbird. The twins, Kasy Ann and Sheki belong to NoDrogs. Ryuijin and Mirage are owned by YogurthFrost. This story is based on a concept and several pictures by YogurthFrost.
5.11: Ostrogoth
Junior could not believe that Shego had the balls to charge his Citadel, even if it was grounded. But, he knew why she was coming in. Little did she know, but he would kill every slave in his realm before he allowed her to free them and he would do worse than that to her precious brothers. He smiled.
"I'll give her some help in that department. A family reunion will do her some good," Junior decided. First, he would give her the family reunion and then he would have his way with her until he grew bored with the sport. "Give Shego just what she wants!" Junior ordered.
"Stay together!" Shego warned her troops as they made their way into the Citadel through the massive hole made by their rockets. The inside was as massive as the outside led them to believe. "Shit, this is like being onboard the Death Star," she muttered.
"Can you have your geek moment when we're not being shot at?" Betty commented.
"And when might that be?" Shego remarked before they broke apart, going in opposite directions.
Thanks to Hench, they had a vague idea of the layout of the Citadel. He had really come in handy and Shego could only wonder why he chose to flee instead of joining them fully. Shego was on the hunt for Junior while Doctor Director was going to try shut the Citadel down with Wade, the Possible twins, Trin, and Shin. Shego had Shadow Hand and his top ninjas with her as well as Hyperion.
Most of the forces that they had to go through were Bebes, which showed signs of being infected with the virus. Many of them fought for a few seconds and then dropped to the floor in a heap. It seemed like they would have a clear path to Junior's office, but that all came crashing down when they turned a corner. Shego gasped.
"Bros?" Shego's voice trembled against that simple word.
But, it was clear something was wrong with Team Go. Their eyes were cold and blank. They were dressed in jet black instead of their team uniforms. There were thick, electronic collars around their necks that made Shego's stomach drop into her feet.
"We got this, Shego. Don't worry about it," Shadow Hand told her.
"Don't hurt them if you can help it," Shego pled.
"Don't worry, Auntie. We'd never purposely harm your brothers," Ryujin assured her.
"Just get going!" Shadow Eyes ordered the western leader.
Team Go charged the group with the Wegos making dozens of clones, filling the corridor. Shego flared her powers and bowled through the copies like a wrecking ball. Hego turned to follow his sister, but Shadow Hand appeared in between them.
"Dance with me, big guy. We can see whose blue glow is stronger." Shadow Hand was quickly covered in a sky blue aura, which he flared.
Hego growled like a wild animal, flaring his own glow slightly and charging at Shadow Hand. He took a wild swing at the ninja, who dodged. The large man's fists went clean through the metal wall and he pulled it back, clearly unfazed. He turned right back to Shadow Hand, still growling.
"Don't hurt him too much," Shadow Eyes reminded their leader.
"I haven't even touched him," Shadow Hand replied, ducking another punch directed at his head. Hego was powerful, but slow. The master ninja assumed that he could dodge the larger man all day.
While Shadow Hand ducked and avoided Hego, his sister, son, and Hyperion handled the other brothers. The Wego twins continued to make copies of themselves, which made movement almost impossible in the now tightly packed corridor. The ninjas and Hyperion were almost pinned.
"If we hurt the copies, does that hurt the originals?" Hyperion asked.
"I remember Aunt Shego telling me that hitting the copies hurts them, but it won't kill them," Ryujin explained.
"Okay. Then, I'll take care of the copies, you two take down the originals," Hyperion said.
"Do your worst and don't worry about us," Shadow Eyes replied as she and her nephew leaped into action.
The pair sported similar glows like Shadow Hand and they went right for the original Wegos. Hyperion flared his flames, engulfing much of the hall in fire. The fire devoured the copies of the Wegos. But, just as those were gone more showed up, fighting off the ninjas with a style that was rather familiar to them.
"They fight like Shego, but much slower and kind of awkward," Shadow Eyes noted while ducking several Wego punches and sweeping them off of their feet.
"They didn't get to evolve like Aunt Shego and they probably haven't fought since they disappeared," Ryujin replied. "Shouldn't there be another one?"
As soon as that question left the blond's mouth, he found out that there was another one. Mego came up behind him and wrapped up his arms. Tons of Wegos piled onto the teenage warrior.
"Ryujin!" Shadow Hand growled, but he could not say much beyond that because Hego showed that he was faster than the ninja first assumed.
The former hero's fist slammed into the side of Shadow Hand's head. He barely could register the fact that he was hit. It was like being punched by a high-speed train. He went flying down the hall and through several walls. Showing how fast he was, Hego was on the ninja in a flash, wrapping his hands Shadow Hand's throat. The shinobi was in danger of having his head popped clean off of his shoulders.
"Get off!" Shadow Hand roared as his aura exploded around them, bringing down the walls surrounding them and blowing the larger man off of him.
Hego was embedded in the ceiling briefly, but righted himself as he was falling. Shadow Hand was on him before he knew it, though. A black booted foot connected with Hego's squared jaw, knocking him off balance. Hego did not go down, though, swinging at the master ninja.
Shadow Hand caught his fist and pushed him back. The shinobi attacked with several well-placed punches to the chest and he finished it off with a harsh punch to the chin. A tooth flew out of Hego's mouth when the punch landed, but Hego did not flinch. In fact, he stepped forward, showing no signs of being hurt.
"Of course, he's not going to show signs of being hurt. He's being controlled. Junior probably has him programmed to go until he dies, if only to get as much out of Hego and hurt Shego at the same time," Shadow Hand realized.
Ducking a punch, Shadow Hand wondered how he could stop Hego short of killing him. The former hero was stronger than any tank and obviously would not give up. Glancing up, he remembered that Hego was wearing a strange collar. He would go for that first and hope to hell something good happened when he broke the damned thing. If that did not work, he would probably have to knock Hego unconscious, if that were even possible.
Shadow Hand blocked several punches from the hulking man. The strength behind those blows began to make Shadow Hand's arms throb and he was certain that if he were not careful, the former hero would break his arm just from defending, even with his mystical monkey powers. Cosmic powers seemed to trump mystical powers as far as raw strength seemed to go.
Hego switched tactics and stomped hard, causing a small earthquake. The floor flew out from Shadow Hand and Hego. They plummeted to the floor beneath them and both landed on their feet. Hego came at the ninja like a truck, barely pausing to get his feet under him. Shadow Hand weaved the punch and pushed the outreached arm out of the way. He lunged, hitting Hego in the throat with hand.
The former hero gagged while the collar around his neck shattered. The pieces sprinkled to the damaged floor. Hego's eyes rolled back into his head and he fell backward. Shadow Hand fell to his side to check his pulse and breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Shego would have had his head if there were no heartbeat.
"Now to see about the others," Shadow Hand muttered.
He figured that Hego should be all right on his own since he was supposedly almost indestructible. Besides, the hall that they were in was empty and he doubted Hego would regain consciousness soon anyway. Finding his way back to the original fight, he found Shadow Eyes and Ryujin both bathed in blue auras, but drowning in a sea of red.
"Is the no limit on how many copies they can make?" Shadow Eyes huffed as her back hit the ceiling just from the pushed up by the numbers.
"That's it!" Ryujin growled as he flung several Wegos off of him. He barreled toward the twins.
"Break the collar!" Shadow Hand called to the teen as he held off some of the clones.
"I'm on it!" Ryujin's aura flared higher, forming something that looked like a screeching monkey.
He dived at one of the twins, who actually surprised the boy by dodging. Ryujin recovered by spinning into a kick move that the Wego blocked. His aura flared again as he moved into another attack, coming at the Wego with a palm strike that was blocked, but he expected that.
Ryujin went into a series of rapid moves, drawing his opponent in. As soon as he had the Wego locked in, he flared his aura again, breeching the Wego's defense and engulfing his red glow. The Wego grabbed his arm with both hands, but Ryujin had the collar. The blond ninja growled and gave a powerful yank.
The collar came off, shattering in Ryujin iron grip, and the Wego's hands dropped. The Wego then dropped as his eyes rolled up into the back of his head. Half of the copies instantly vanished and Ryujin turned his attention to the rest of them. The last Wego was up to Shadow Eyes and she was all over that task.
Shadow Eyes was in the other Wego's face with her foot in his throat. She growled as she backed off of that attack because it had not broken the collar. As the Wego lunged for her, she ducked and grabbed his shirt. Flipping him over her head, she slammed him into the ground only to have him kick her in the head. As she backed away, he spun to his feet.
"You got some bite to you, huh? I shouldn't expect anything less from Shego's baby bro," Shadow Eyes commented.
The Wego did not respond, not that she expected a response from a zombie. Going in again, she looked for an opening while attacking with rapid punches to keep his attention. She dodged a few counters before knocking his hands down and coming at him with roundhouse kick to the neck.
The power behind the blow flung the Wego several yards away, only stopping when he hit a steel beam. The collar snapped off of his neck and he fell to the floor in a heap. Ryujin turned to his aunt.
"What happened to not killing them!" the blond teen shouted in disbelief.
"That didn't kill him … I don't think," she replied in a sheepish tone and she went to check on his pulse to make sure.
"What happened to the other one?" Ryujin asked curiously, looking around.
"I froze his collar a while ago," Hyperion replied as if it was so simple. He nodded to where Mego was laid out, unconscious with a bare neck.
"Then, I guess the rest is up to Shego," Shadow Hand said, looking ahead or them. Junior was the last man standing.
Shego found her way to Junior's office simply by asking slaves, who were hanging all of their hope on her killing him. Hell, even some of his soldiers and bodyguards lowered their weapons, allowing her to pass. Before she went to the point of no return, she silently vowed not to let them down.
Shego entered the room with a confident smirk on her face. "Been waiting long?" she asked in her usual smart-aleck tone. "Your receptionist didn't want to move my appointment early," she remarked as she noticed that he was sitting at his desk and was cool as could be. The office itself looked horrid, which was to be expected from the crash. She could only wonder if he had actually forced people to right his desk afterwards.
Junior had the nerve to look her in the eye and smile. She smiled back. He could not rattle her, not when she was so certain that she had his number. Doctor Porter had given her and the rest of the military the run down on the thing that made Junior think he was immortal – his armor.
Vivian had designed the armor especially for him and modified it several times over the years, even though he did not fight his own battles anymore. He had used it in battle many times before crowning himself emperor of the world and killed many people with it. It had helped him survive countless situations that would have left others as little more than dust. Supposedly, it could withstand being hit by a comet. Shego would put that theory to the ultimate test today.
"You made it here. I'm surprised. I guess you wanted me bad enough to actually kill your own brothers," Junior commented.
Emerald eyes rolled and she scoffed. "So, you gonna get up and dance or cry at your desk all day about your fallen empire? Bet your dad is proud." She knew that would get a rise out of him quite literally.
Junior snarled like a crazed animal as a wild look overtook his eyes. "Don't you dare say anything against my father, you heartless, worthless bitch! I'll destroy you and claim the world for him!"
For the second time, Junior flung his desk away, launching it across the room with ease, as if it was a flimsy book. Shego expected the super strength supplied by the armor. Now, she had to find out if he could do something with it beyond throw his weight around.
Junior charged her, showing off super speed also. His fist connected with her jaw, forcing her into the wall. She was surprised, but only briefly. The power drew blood from her lip, but she ignored it. As he came at her for another hit, she ducked his punch and clawed his belly, just wanting to see she could cut through the armor. As she expected, her nails just slid across the armor.
"Pathetic," Junior hissed, looking down at her with contempt and burning hatred tearing through his entire visage.
"Just what I was thinking," she remarked, blasting him in the face with her plasma.
Junior screamed in pain just from the flash of light. Shego's powers bounced off of a shield provided by the armor. So far, everything that Vivian told her about the armor was accurate, which meant that she had to cut the power tubes running through out the suit. Which means I have to knock the shield out to get to the power tubes. Fucking Porter just couldn't be incompetent like Drakken, huh?
"I'll kill you! You're so fucking dead!" Junior roared, his face flushed and his eyes wide with madness.
Grabbing Shego, he shoved her through the wall. She merely grunted, which seemed to piss him off. Picking her up by the throat, he flung her with all of his might, sending her flying for almost a mile through the massive fortress. She landed at Doctor Director's feet.
"What the hell happened to you?" Betty inquired.
"Remind me to slap your girlfriend when we get back home," Shego grumbled, speech slurred.
Betty could not figure out what the western ruler was talking about before Junior was in the room and in her face. He did not ask questions of her presence, just attacked with the ferocity of a crazed lion. Even with her cybernetic implants, Betty could hardly keep up with Junior, blocking attacks from him. Shego jumped up to come to her aid, but Junior seemed to only want to play with Shego.
Junior used energy from the armor to blow Betty far away from the fight, hitting her with a pulsing orb of blue energy. The cyborg was sent through several walls and the force took out her shield, allowing the energy beam to tear into her chest cavity. Betty would not get up again.
"You dead?" Shego screamed to the downed warrior. The response was groan, which Shego could only hope was not a death rattle.
The western ruler blazed her hands high and tried to cut threw the tube on Junior's shoulder. He turned and caught her wrist, throwing her again. Shego wondered if she would see the whole Citadel in this manner. She turned herself in the air and flared her whole body, gaining control of herself. She pushed off the next wall that she hit, meeting Junior head on with her body bursting bright emerald.
The two powerhouses clashed and caused an actual explosion that blew the Citadel apart. Shego was flung outside of the collapsing part of the fortress and she skidded across the dry, rocky desert floor. She did not move.
"Shego!" Kim screamed as she noticed the western ruler rolling across the desert.
The Paladin pilots had left the safety of their suits because the Paladins had run out of power in the Demigod Mode. They were merely returning fire to anyone in the Citadel and continuing to cover for their military. Kim left her cover from behind the Toltec and stones.
"Kim!" the others called.
"I have to get to Shego!" the redhead replied.
Kim took off for her lover only to be intercepted by a furious Junior. His face was severe and his eyes streaking with hatred. Even his hair seemed to be standing on it end, raging like the locks of Medusa. Kim did not care.
"Stay away from her!" the Legend screamed, pulling her staff out for up close combat.
Junior turned and his eyes widened, as if they were going to leap from his skull. "Kim Possible!" The way he said her name would have sent most other people running in the opposite direction in fear. He bellowed it, like blood-thirsty dragon.
Kim went to crack him with her staff, but he caught it with ease. Not to be deterred, Kim growled and spun into a kick. He caught her foot with his other hand. He was clearly not the Junior that she remembered.
"Let her go!" Bonnie ordered as she aimed a gun at her husband.
"Bonnie? You were with Shego all this time?" he demanded.
"It doesn't matter where I was. Let her go!" Bonnie ordered with a steady hand on her gun.
"Or you'll shoot? You'll hit her then," Junior pointed out as he pulled Kim closer, holding her upside down. Tossing the redhead up, he grabbed her by the throat and squeezed before Bonnie had a chance to even react. "I'll have popped her head off and killed you before you even pull the trigger, not that you have the courage to do that." He offered his wife a condescending and demonic smile.
"Don't tempt me."
Junior growled and moved, suddenly in front of Bonnie. She gasped, falling back into the dust. Kim was gagging and clawing at his hand, trying to escape. He glared menacingly at Bonnie briefly before a powerful blast to the back caused him to tumble forward. Snarling, he turned to see Shego standing, bathed in a halo of emerald and black to the point that it was making her hair dance wildly with her glow. Her powers seemed to even come out of her eyes.
"Leave them alone and let Kim go," Shego commanded in a deadly calm.
Junior chuckled and squeezed harder. Kim's eyes bugged out and then she went slack, struggling over. Shego moved so quickly that Junior did not notice anything beyond the jade flames trailing from the space that she had occupied. She planted her hand in the center of his chest, squeezing his armor like a wrinkled shirt.
"Monster!" Shego roared with her plasma even coming out of her mouth as she grabbed the arm that he held Kim with and crushed it with surprising ease.
Junior hollered as his bone snapped, his hand automatically releasing Kim. The redhead hit ground, unmoving. Seeing Kim on the ground made Shego howl in pain, her glow spiraling around and pushing upward like a green burning tornado.
Shego snapped on Junior like a ravenous lioness. Twirling, she brought her fiery foot across his face. He brought his arm up too late to block. Trying to push her away, he blasted her in the face with an energy beam. Her glow actually devoured his attack and seemed to mock him right after with swishing noises that sounded like laughter to his ears. He twisted his body, intent on stopping the laughter, but she did not give him a chance. Shego reached out with a flaming hand and ripped the glowing, teal tube from his shoulder. Her other hand grabbed onto his chest plate and savagely tore it off of his body.
"AHH!" Junior screamed as if Hell itself was pulling him under.
"You took my parents from me! Kidnapped and used my brothers! Set my brothers in a war against me! And now you've taken the love of my life and mother of my children! No more!" Shego raged and her glow consumed them both before drawing back in, imploding.
A blinding flash of jade light erupted from the pair before pulsing outward. A soft moan escaped Shego as she collapsed while Junior's armor shattered. He fell to the ground with a pained groan. Blood painted the dreary landscape beneath them, turning the dust almost black.
Shego woke up on a cot in the medical tent. Groaning, she made sure to keep down the urge to throw up, which was difficult considering her whole body throbbed. What the hell happened? Feels like a house landed on me. Just letting those thoughts go through her head caused her temples to pound. Her eyebrows even hurt. Glancing around, she saw Kim slumped in a chair next to her cot and their twins were asleep on a cot across from her.
The beautiful sight gave her hope and strength. Shego managed to sit up, causing blood to rush to her head and she suddenly recalled what happened. "I'm lucky I didn't kill myself using my powers that recklessly, not that I knew I could even do that. At least Kim is okay." With great strength, she reached out, caressing Kim's knee.
Pulling herself up to stand, she needed to find out what was going on and she needed food. The movement proved too much for her and she vomited once she was standing. Thankfully, it did not wake Kim or their adorably sleeping babies. Oddly enough, she felt better getting that out of the way. She continued on with her plan to see what was happening now. As soon as she stepped out of the tent, the whole camp exploded into cheers. There were applauds, whistling, and banging on things.
"Glad to see you up and awake. It's been two days," Trin commented as she came over.
"Just tell me Junior's dead and there's food," Shego replied.
"No and yes, but Junior isn't going to be able to hurt anyone else. You broke his arm in several places, gave him burns all over, broke most of his ribs, I can't even begin to describe his left leg, and gave him an assortment of other injuries. It's better that he lives. Let's him live with the knowledge that he failed," Trin stated.
"It's gotta be tearing him up inside," Bonnie commented with a chuckle.
Shego nodded. "Good. We'll need to figure out what to do with him, though. Him and his croonies that stuck by him. Did my brothers make it?"
"They're fine. Weak a bit and disorientated. They were being used to power the Flying Citadel. Apparently, somebody figured out how to harness the comet glows into batteries that never need to be recharged. It'll be a while before they're back to normal," Trin informed the western ruler.
A small smile worked its way onto Shego's face. "They're alive. That's good enough for me. What happened with Kim? Is she all right?"
The blond doctor waved it off. "Kim's fine. Some bruises around the neck, but nothing serious. I've already treated her."
"I figured as much. Thanks for that."
Trin nodded. "Yeah, just doing my job, both as a doctor and sister. Now, I'll have someone bring you some food. Don't leave Kim's sight. She freaked and thought you died when she regained consciousness. We're ready to move out at your command."
Shego nodded and went back into the tent. She met open olive eyes and smiled. Kim smiled back. Shego wordlessly went to her cot and lay down with her arms open. Kim took the hint and eased down into those loving arms. The pale woman kissed Kim's forehead.
"I thought I lost you," Shego muttered, holding Kim tightly.
"I know how you feel. I was so scared you weren't going to make it. You practically burned yourself out. Your skin was torn and split. Blood was coming from everywhere. It was awful, so awful," Kim replied, curling into Shego as close as she could.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm healed and I'm here. You're here and we don't have to worry about Junior anymore. We have our family and a future." The western ruler kissed Kim again. The redhead pushed herself up and gave Shego a proper kiss. A moan echoed through the tent, but they were not sure whom it was from. They were interrupted by Shego's stomach growling. They broke apart and chuckled.
The army returned to Kimber as celebrated heroes. They marched through villages, letting everyone see that Junior was caged. Shego allowed people to pelt him with garbage and rocks. As long as no one tried to kill him, she was fine with it. He was gagged, so he could not even scream as it happened.
People gave gifts to the passing soldiers. They gave food and quarter if the group stopped. When they came to Isabella, it was like the whole city was having a massive festival. The army was exhausted, so most of the warriors just went home. The Elect wanted to do the same, but Shego called a meeting before she and Kim even had a chance to take their twin daughters home.
"We need to do something about Junior ASAP. I don't want to have that hanging over us," Shego stated.
"Amy has cages," Wade pointed out.
"Sounds good. All prisoners should be stripped, searched, and held in animal cages. Meeting over!" Shego announced. They wasted no time getting out of the room and going home.
"Mom! Momma!" Shin cheered as the front door opened. She was standing in front of her mothers as soon as they entered the apartment. Her brow wrinkled when she saw that they were each holding small bundles.
"Shin, we have a surprise for you," Kim said with a smile.
"You beat the evil Emperor!" Shin proclaimed with a certainty because her mothers did not lose.
"Yeah, we did. Kicked his butt just for you, Peewee!" Shego declared, grinning.
Shin cheered while her mothers went to sit down with their bundles. They smiled at Jessie, who was on the couch with a book in her lap. Kim waved her over.
"Shin, Jessie, meet our twins," Kim said as she removed the blanket from the redheaded baby. "This is Kasy Ann."
Shego did the same for the dark-haired child. "And, this is Sheki."
"Oh, my god. They are so cute," Jessie cooed and then she grabbed her charge by the shoulders, hugging the girl. "Shin, you're a big sister."
"Big sister?" Shin echoed, scratching the side of her head.
"Yes, baby. You're a big sister. You have to love and protect them. You have to look out for them. When they get bigger, you can show them how to have fun," Kim explained with a bright smile.
Shin nodded, but her brow was still furrowed. "Will they love me?"
"They will adore you," Shego promised with a smile. "We're a family."
Shin smiled, too. "Then I'll be the best big sister ever!"
Kim laughed while Shego rubbed the little girl's head. Olive eyes then went to Jessie. She smiled at the teen.
"You'll help her, right?" Kim requested.
"Of course, and you know I'm here when you need a babysitter," Jessie replied.
"You're the first person we'll think of. Now, you go and handle your affairs," Shego said.
Jessie took a deep breath and nodded. She gave Shin another hug and looked at the parents again, smiling at them. She then left the now family of five. She had to talk with Ryujin. She called him and told him to meet her in a park. He eagerly agreed.
They hugged as soon as they saw each other and sat down on a bench. Ryujin, feeling bold, leaned in for a kiss. Jessie stopped him, putting her index finger to his puckered lips. He yelped in surprise and blushed.
"Forgive me! I don't know what came over me!" he apologized.
"That's not it, Ryujin. I have something really important to tell you. Once I tell you, you can kiss me if you want to. In fact, I hope you want to. All right?"
He nodded and took a deep breath. "All right."
Jessie took a deep breath. "Ryu, I'm sure you've heard, but ignored that Doctor Vivian Porter is my mother. She is my mother. She built me."
His face scrunched up. "Built you?"
She sniffled. "I'm a Bebe."
"A Bebe?" he sounded even more confused than before.
She nodded. "My mom made me as a Bebe. I'm alive, though. I was her greatest challenge, but her greatest success. She made me as a little kid and raised me and taught me. I'm not a mindless robot. I like to think I have a soul …"
He nodded and stared off into the night. "You're a Bebe? But, you look normal …"
"I am normal," she squeaked, straightening up to the point of being stiff. "Ryu, I am normal. You've been around me more then anybody else here. I am normal."
He looked at her sharply. "Wait, why were you even here? You lied about your family dying in an attack?"
She could only nod for that question. She had take a deep breath and exhale slowly before she could trust her voice. "I was spying for Junior at first."
"What?" he shouted and shot to his feet. "So, all of was a lie? Everything?! You lied about everything?"
She reached out for him, needing the contact, but he stepped away. He glared at her, almost as if he thought that she was the enemy. Tears gathered in her eyes.
"It wasn't a lie! Just listen, please! I started out wanting to help my mother! The only person on Earth that loved me, but the more time I spent here with you, your family, and friends, I changed! I stopped helping Junior, even when he threatened to kill me! I stopped! My mother disowned me for betraying him and siding with you and none of our time together was a lie! I love you, Ryujin! I love you!" she wept.
Inhaling deeply, Ryujin looked to the sky. "I need time to think on this."
And with that said, he walked off into the cool night air, shoulders slumped. The first night that they did not have to worry about Junior, the first night that they did not have to worry about dying in a battle, the first night that they were truly free, and he felt like the world had collapsed in on him. Every sob from Jessie was a knife to his heart, shredding his soul and tearing at his insides. They were the war's last casualties.
I began writing an epilogue and got stuck less than two paragraphs in. Please, tell me what loose ends you feel need to be tied up and I will try to have an epilogue out as soon as possible.
Until then, I would like to thank the following: Yogurth for letting me use his ideas and characters, LordofSparks (helped with much of the planning and outlining), my betas williamsoft1 and mrTomC, Blackbird for allowing me to use Shin (the cute one), and NoDrogs for allowing me to use the twins Kasy Ann and Sheki.
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Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.
We hope that you enjoy this update. Thank you for your patience and all your supportive words of encouragement.
Chapter 3
As we were getting ready for the party, I couldn't help but think about all that has happened in the last week. We've only been together since Christmas Eve, but it feels like it's been longer.
I can't imagine my life without him now.
He makes me feel complete and totally happy.
I never knew anything like this; I've never been in love before and I can't help but smile. I know that my father is looking down on me with a smile on his face.
He always wanted me to find happiness. He worried about me so much in the last weeks of his life. He wanted me to be okay with his passing, and he worried about me being alone. I'm sure he'd be happy that I found Edward.
He'd be totally over the moon knowing that he is a pitcher for the Seattle Mariners.
I just had to chuckle at that. It's kind of ironic, that the Mariners were his favorite team and now I'm dating one of them.
I watched as Edward dressed in his suit, damn he looked hot.
I slipped on the dress Alice picked out for me and it fit perfectly.
As I looked in the mirror, Edward came and wrapped his arms around me.
"Love, I'm going to have a hard time keeping my hands off you tonight," he murmured.
I looked at him and smirked.
"Seriously Bella, you look gorgeous," he said as I blushed. "Even more so now that you're blushing," he smirked as he kissed my neck.
"Edward, you look pretty hot yourself."
I turned in his arms so that I could kiss those beautiful lips.
The kiss was soft and loving. His lips parted mine as he slipped his tongue into my mouth.
Mmm...nothing in the world compared to the taste of Edward.
I couldn't help the moan that escaped me.
He moaned also as he pressed my body against his semi hard cock.
"Mmm...Bella," he growled against my neck. "Baby, we gotta stop, as much as I'd rather peel this dress off you, and ravish your body right here and now, I think we better go so I can show you off; then I will take you back to my place and make love to you all night long."
"Mmm...that sounds like a plan, baby."
The ache between my legs intensified as he kissed me once more. I couldn't wait for this party to be over and we were alone.
I loved the feel of him inside me, and most of all, I loved being with him. He made me feel things that I've never felt before.
Pulling away from him, I grabbed my coat.
He walked over to me and took it from me and helped me put it on.
He even tried to button it for me, but I shooed his hands away.
He was so loving and sweet, it made my insides all fluttery.
He thinks he'll have a hard time keeping his hands off me, but I think I'll have just as much of a problem as he would.
He looked totally gorgeous.
He wrapped his arm around me as he grabbed my overnight bag by the door, even though I'm sure I'd have no use for the clothes I packed once we arrived at his place later tonight.
He led me to his car and helped me in.
"Thank you," I said as I slipped into the seat.
He ran around to the drivers side, and threw my bag in the backseat as he got behind the wheel.
He started to drive toward Seattle. It was a three hour drive, but I think it would be okay.
Edward told me about the team members I would meet. He told me that Mike Newton and
Caius and James Volturi were the worst man whores of the bunch.
He told me how beautiful the Hotel Monaco was and that he thought about booking a suite for us there, but decided to just take me to his apartment instead.
"Edward, I don't care where we stay at as long as we are together," I said as I intertwined our fingers.
"I know baby, but I wanted to make this night special for us."
"It will be, because we are together and I love you for always wanting to do stuff for me."
"I love you too, Bella. Never have I been so in love with someone. I want to make you happy."
"You do, Edward. So much."
He smiled that crooked smile and my insides just melted.
It was quiet in the car for a bit.
My thoughts were everywhere. New Years Eve always made me feel sad.
As I watched as the scenery fly by, I thought about this year and all the changes that I've been through.
Moving back to Forks to be with my dad before he passed away was one of the best decisions of my life, even though my mother was totally against it.
She thought I was wasting my life coming here. But on the contrary I found the love of my life and I couldn't be any happier.
I think my mother's problem is that she's not around to try to control my life. She always wanted to find the perfect man for me and none of them ever were. Maybe they were perfect for her, but not me.
I was never really looking for love, but I guess when the time is right love finds you. I smiled at that thought as I looked over at Edward as he drove.
I wasn't looking for him, but I guess love found the both of us on Christmas Eve.
He looked over and smiled at me.
"What are you thinking about love?" he asked.
"You, and how this year turned out," I replied with a sigh.
"You don't regret us, do you?" he said as concerned laced his voice.
"No, never. I was just thinking how happy I am that we are together. I never thought I'd find love, but here I am with you and so in love."
"Okay, just wanted to make sure there are no regrets."
"None here. You?" I questioned.
"Nope, none."
We both laughed and he squeezed my hand.
I loved the way we felt the need to be connected to each other in some way.
We were always holding hands or touching in some way.
He was perfect for me. He's everything I always wanted but never knew I needed.
About half way there, my cell phone ringing interrupting my thoughts.
Pulling it from my purse, I answered it.
"Isabella, where are you? I called the house and got no answer." My mother's voice boomed through the phone.
"I'm on my way to a New Years Eve party," I said matter of factly.
"In dreary Forks, what a waste of time," she huffed.
"No mom, it's in Seattle, we are almost there."
"We? Who's we?" she asked.
"Edward and I."
"Who's Edward? I'm sure that relationship will go far, no one from Forks is worth much," she slurred.
Great, she's drunk and I can't stand her when she's been drinking.
"I'll have you know that Edward is the best pitcher the Mariners have had in a long time and we've actually know each other since high school," I smiled over at Edward.
His face held a look of concern.
"It's okay," I mouthed to him as I squeezed his hand.
"Well maybe, you've finally came to your senses and found someone with some smarts and money. You'll need it, once your book deal ends and there's nothing left for you except being a washed up has been writer."
"Mom, this conversation is over," I said as I tried to keep the tears at bay.
I hung up the phone and threw it down as a strangled sob escaped my lips.
"Bella, what did she say?" Edward asked through gritted teeth.
"Nothing really, just forget about it."
Edward pulled off at the first rest stop that he found.
He parked the car and turned towards me.
"What the hell did she say to you?" he asked the anger present in his voice.
"She said no one is worth much that comes from Forks, and then I told her about you being the best pitcher the Mariners have had in a long time. Then she said, that maybe I've finally came to my senses and found someone with some smarts and money."
I stopped to take a deep breath before continuing, as I gauged Edward. He looked really mad. His fists were clenched together and his mouth was set in a firm line.
"What else?" he seethed.
"She said that I'll need it, once my book deal ends and there's nothing left for me except being a washed up has been writer."
I felt a lone tear escaped my eye and slide down my cheek as I waited for him to say anything.
Not saying a word, he got out of the car and opened my door. He knelt down in front of me and grabbed my hands.
"Bella, don't fucking pay any attention to what your mother said. She doesn't know anything, I love you more than anything in my life and whether you ever write another book or not, that is not going to change. You are the most important person in my life," he said as he looked up into my eyes.
I nodded but before I could say anything he silenced me by placing his finger over my lips.
"Don't ever let that vile woman tell you otherwise. You are beautiful and sexy, not to mention talented as well. I love you so much Bella." He moved one of my hands to the bulge in his pants. "This is what you do to me, love, and don't you forget it."
I smiled as he pushed my hand to his rather large problem in his pants.
"Edward, you are the most wonderful man I have ever known, thank you for making me feel loved, I love you too!"
Leaning down I pressed my lips to his and I kissed him with all the love I had in me.
He kissed me back with as much passion he could but then he pulled away
"Bella, we have to go. As much as I'd rather take you back home and show you how much I truly love you, I really want to show you off," he said as he got up and came around to his side of the car.
Once inside the car he took my hand in his and intertwined our fingers as we started back towards Seattle.
All thoughts of the conversation with my mom were gone and I smiled at Edward knowing that he loved me and I loved him.
The closer we got to Seattle the more nervous I got. I knew his family but I didn't know any of his teammates.
I'm sure that some of their wives would be there, and no doubt they probably looked liked freaking supermodels.
I could feel my insecurities growing as he pulled up to the Hotel Monaco. I was so nervous and scared of making an idiot of myself, even though I've done countless interviews and been to a few literary conventions promoting my books.
But they don't compare to meeting the family, friends and teammates of the man you love.
As Edward helped me out of his car, I held his hand so tight.
He leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Bella, everything is going to be fine." He brushed his lips against my cheek.
"Just relax, you are going to blow them away, love. They are going to love you." And with that, Edward kissed me with so much passion I swear my thong just disintegrated.
I smiled up at him as he wrapped his arm around my waist and led me through the hotel lobby to the ballroom where the party was held.
As we walked into the ballroom, all eyes were on us. I could feel my insides start to tremble as everyone looked at me.
I was never one to be the center of attention, my book tours didn't prepare me for this kind of attention.
The women would whisper to each other, and the men they would just stare.
I focused on Edward's arm wrapped around my waist as we walked toward where his parents were standing.
Several players and their wives came up to Edward.
"Edward, who is this delicious looking woman on your arm?" the man asked.
"This is my girlfriend, Bella. Bella this is Ben Cheney and his wife Angela," Edward said.
"Hi," I said quietly.
Both Edward and Ben talked for a few minutes, as Angela and I exchanged numbers.
"Bella, it was so nice meeting you and I hope that we will be great friends," Angela said as we moved on.
I looked up to see two men approaching us, and I felt Edward's grip on my waist tighten. His smile also changed.
Obviously these were the ones he told me about.
The way they were looking at me, I didn't like at all.
"Hey Eddie, who is the looker? Man, you know how to pick them," the tall blond one said as he let out a whistle.
"Caius, James, this is my girlfriend Bella," Edward replied in a calm, tight voice.
"Ooh, Eddie finally found a woman," the other man said. "What a fine looking woman."
I was feeling very uncomfortable under their gaze.
I looked up to see Alice approaching and I couldn't have been more happy to see her.
"Bella," she said as she hugged me. "Do you need rescuing?" she whispered.
I nodded.
"Come with me, and see the parents," she cooed. "Edward, come over to the parents table as soon as you get done with the boys."
"Okay," he said as he gave her a quick nod.
"Baby, I'll be right there," he said as his kissed my cheek.
I walked away with Alice. So glad to be away from those two slimeballs.
"Thank you Alice for saving me," I said gratefully.
"No problem, those two are the worst, let me introduce you to my Jazzy. I don't think you've met him."
"No I haven't."
As we walked away, I could feel their eyes on me.
I'm glad that Alice came to take me away.
We walked to her parents table and a tall blond man stood up and kissed her cheek.
"Jasper, this is Bella, Edward's girlfriend. Bella this is Jasper my fiance'," she said beaming.
"Hi Jasper, it's so nice to meet you," I said as I held out my hand.
"Bella, it's fabulous to meet you finally. Alice talks about you often," he said as he shook my hand.
"I hope it's all good," I said.
"Trust me it is," he said with a smile.
I nodded as Esme came walking over to us.
"Bella, dear so happy that you could make it. Where's Edward?"
"He is over there with some teammates," I said.
"Yes, the Volturi brothers," she said in disgust, "they are the worst."
"Yeah that's what I heard."
"Alice rescued me from being near them," I said as Edward came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
"Hello love," he whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my back.
I nodded and turned my head to him as his lips devoured mine.
Obviously to show his possessiveness of me.
I didn't mind, he must have wanted someone to know who I belonged to.
Which I did. I belonged to him and him alone.
We broke apart, and I looked at his mother and sister.
They were both smiling at us and I could feel the blush intensifying on my cheeks.
"Wow," I whispered.
"Wow indeed love."
We continued on towards the table and he stopped to introduce me to a few other people.
As the evening went on, the more I wanted him.
We sat down at the table and he didn't let up. If anything, he upped his game.
He was slowly driving me crazy, by touching my thigh, whispering naughty things in my ear and kissing my neck and shoulders.
"Edward," I admonished, cocking my eyebrow at him.
"What?" he asked innocently.
"You are driving me crazy here."
"How wet are you love?" he whispered in my ear as his breath washed over my face.
My breath hitched as he said that.
"Why don't you find out," I teased, knowing or at least hoping that he wouldn't take me up on that.
He smirked at me as he slid his fingers up my thigh towards my tiny thong.
Slowly he skimmed his long fingers over the thin drenched material.
"Fuck, love you are drenched," he mumbled.
"You make me this way."
He slowly removed his fingers and glided them across his lips.
"Mmm," he hummed.
"Edward, please."
"Soon love, soon," he smirked.
I excused myself to go to the bathroom.
I walked to the bathroom on shaky legs.
He was driving me insane with desire. I wanted to get rid of this ache between my thighs but that would have to wait.
As I went into the bathroom, I could hear the other women talking about Edward and me.
I tried to ignore their petty comments, but it was hard too. It felt like being in high school again.
I finished my business and hurried out of there.
As I was leaving the bathroom, I bumped into someone.
"Hello there beautiful," a man said. I recognized the voice.
It was one of the Volturi brothers.
"It's nice to see you without Edward hovering," he sneered.
"Excuse me, I need to get back to the party," I said as I tried to get away around him.
"What's the hurry? I'm sure Eddie won't mind sharing with his teammates," he said as his touched my arm.
"Please just let me by."
He gripped my arm tightly.
"I want to see what has Cullen so entranced by you, he has never dated anyone," he sneered.
"Please," I begged.
"Do you beg for Cullen too?" he said as he pulled me to him.
"No, let me go," I said forcefully as his lips inched closer to mine.
Please let someone hear me.
I pushed at him, but he was a bit stronger than me.
"Come on, just a little taste," he said.
I felt his lips on my cheek.
"Mmm... you smell so good."
He pushed me against the wall and then kissed me.
I pushed him away and slapped him.
"Get the fuck off of me," I yelled.
"You little bitch. You wanna play rough," he sneered as he pulled my arm causing the sleeve to rip.
Before he could say anything else, I saw Edward standing behind him. His eyes were dark and feral looking.
"Get your fucking hands off of my girlfriend," he yelled.
Fuck, he looked pissed off.
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Shakespeare and Co.
an Avengers fanfiction
"What a piece of crap." Tony flings the object away from himself like it's on fire and Steve catches it mid-flight as it zooms past his face.
"What is this?" Steve lowers his hand to eye level and examines the object. It's a necklace - a tacky, ruby red, primarily plastic necklace.
"Poop personified. Even more than poop already is. Seriously, people get better stuff for Secret freaking Santa." Tony scoffs as he knocks aside a cereal box that had previously been sitting in front of him as the breakfast bar-Wheaties, Steve notes.
"You're ranting Tony," Steve points out with a chuckle and and affectionately amused look and his billionaire-genius-playboy-philanthropist boyfriend.
"No, Steve, lover. See, I'm venting and I'm venting because I am disappointed. The one day I decide to have an actual breakfast I end up with what has to be the breakfast cereal bearing the most striking resemblance to human excrement." And then Steve chokes on the strawberry he had just bit into, then wondered how exactly Stark Mansion has come to possess strawberries in its fridge, Tony hadn't been kidding when he said he didn't eat breakfast. The man practically bled java.
"They aren't that bad." This is spoken around a mouthful of the tangy-sweet berry. Unsurprisingly Tony thunders on. After all, you can't sop a freight train as it pounds down the tracks.
"And you know what, I should have known. I should have freaking known because Wheaties? Wheaties, really? With a goddamn name like that, I can't believe I didn't see it sooner. Honestly, excuse me, that's what I get for taking a chance on cereal with a name that conjures images of the prairie in the throes of childbirth and thinking it could ever be sufficient to break my fast."
"No that's what you get for ever straying from your true love." Steve quips, choking back hysterical peals of laughter because, oh my god, Tony on his rants-
That shit was SNL material to go down in legend. And, yes, he knew what SNL was, pop culture lessons every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at 4:00, thanks.
You know, when crap like megalomaniac Viktor von Doom wannabes weren't attempting to take New York by storm, emphasis on attempting.
"Coffee's gonna be the one that holds you in its arms and whipers sweet nothings in your ear as draw your last breath. Infidelity never pays, you know this, Tony."
Tony stares thoughtfully at Steve {or at a point in the general vicinity of his left cheekbone, there are times when he honestly can't tell} and begins to nod.
"You know what, Stevie, you're right. You are so right, I never should have left coffee!" He punctuates never with a thump of his fist on the island. He then rushes over to the state-of-the-art coffee brewer that sits primly on a black marble pedestal (just...)
What happens much later after that is lost to Steve for the most part due to his collapse to the ground in an impressive display of hysterical giggles because, what is his life, Tony is now crooning to the coffee maker and this is just to much, even for a super soldier.
Steve can't. He just can't. The definition of Lost All Ability to Can.
Somehow Tony tears himself away from waxing poetic to the coffee machine (read: love of his life) and has insinuated his body in between Steve's legs where the latter has hopped up onto the counter (for shame), nursing a tall Stark Industries mug of "sexy java", as he has now dubbed it.
"So glad to see you and your lost lover united at last," Steve teases and as Tony huffs indignantly and pouts like the giant manchild Steve knows he is he squeezes his legs tighter around Tony and presses a big, loving, strawberry flavoured kiss to the apple of Tony's cheek and marvels.
He just marvels.
*~+A/N_So reviews are my poison and I would love to know what you made of the ridiculous premise of this story which qualifies it, basically, as crack. It was a creative writing prompt in which our instructor gave us a bag of random little items and basically said, "Have at it? Create a story using the items in this bag." In the bag of the group behind me there were items that intrigued me more so than those in my won, particularly the tacky plastic red necklace so I just picked it up and stuck with it.
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Allyria was terrified. Was she more or less terrified now that she forced onto her feet after her horse had been slaughtered, she could not say. Her arm had grown heavy, but her heart continued to beat faster, ignoring her exhaustion. The noise of it blocking out the sounds of the battle around her. A man dressed in red armor swung at her. His wide arch of a back swing missed her entirely and she took the opportunity to plunge her own sword into the unprotected space below his helm. The sword cut into the man's throat with ease and blood sprayed from the wound and onto Allyria's armor and helmet. Nine. She thought to herself, as she tried to wipe the blood from her line of vision. But the blood had made it through the eye slits and onto her face.
In an act of frustration and desperation, Allyria tore off the metal helmet and tossed it to ground. A bundle of auburn hair, braided tightly together, fell down her back as she wiped the blood from her face. As she looked around the field, she knew they had lost. Even now, she could see Bolton retreating back over the hill with what remained of his force, which was a small number. Damn that man. Their force of a mere two thousand wasn't intended to win the war, but she cursed the commander nonetheless for giving up so easily. And for leaving her behind. Dead bodies laid at her feet. Some Lannister men. Most Northerners. As she looked down, a bodily mess of a man took hold of her ankle. He was dressed in silver armor, with a red shield lashed to his left arm. The shield bared the sigil of House Umber, a roaring giant, brown-haired and wearing a skin, with broken silver chains around it's wrists. The man had be stabbed under the arm and was slowly bleeding out. His brown eyes, full of fear and sadness, looked at Allyria as he opened his mouth to saying something. Only blood spilled out. With an uneasy feeling in her stomach, she removed the small dirk from its place in her boot and knelt. She closed the man's haunting eyes, and with a shaky right hand, slit the man's throat. His grip on her ankle loosened after a second. Ten. Though she wondered if he counted.
When she stood up, sword and dike in hand, she was surrounded. She counted twelve weapons pointed at her, some closer than she liked. The battle seemed to be over just as fast as it had started. The sound of steel on steel was greatly overshadowed by the sound of the wounded. Allyria's heartbeat was louder still. There were not just swords aimed at her but a manner of axes and spears and dirks. Only three of the men looked to be actual bannermen of Tywin Lannister. The other appeared to be sellswords of some sort; big hairy men with steel half helms wearing thick animal skin and little armor. "Drop your weapons, girl." One of the red cloaks demanded, taking a brave step forward and sticking his sword in Allyria's face. The insult on the word 'girl' was not lost on Allyria, but she dropped her weapons nonetheless.
"What's your name, girl?" The same man said. Well, it's most certainly not 'girl'. She thought as she started to open her month to voice the lie that had already situated itself in her mind. It would not do well for these men to know who she truly was. But she never made is that far for another man joined the group. He was short, half the size of a normal man, and his face bloodied from a head wound. But the wound must not have effected his mind because he spoke with the same all-knowing tone he had when Allyria had met him a couple of months past. A lifetime ago it feels like.
"Watch your tone, ser." The dwarf said, coming to a stop between two of the strange sellswords, who made him look even smaller. "You are speaking to a lady. Lower your weapons." Each man did so at his own pace. Tyrion had yet to name her and a part of her still hoped that he had forgotten her. She was still in control of the situation. In a sense. But the control was short lived. "Escort Lady Stark to my father. Unharmed, please." Tyrion Lannister commanded, never looking away from Allyria.
Her escorts removed her armor first, perhaps believing that she was less likely to resist if she was unprotected. She was left in a long brown linen tunic, and baggy leather breeches. When one of the red cloaks started to remove her boots, she kicked him in the face. He responded with a punch to her face and proceeded to remove her tall leather boots, leaving her to walk in her stockings. The only thing they gave her was a pair of iron shackles locked around her wrists. There were made for a man and the iron rings hung loosely from her wrists. With her hair almost completely fallen out of the braid, shacked, shoeless and face covered in blood, some of it hers, most not, Allyria was escorted to a rather large tent built on a raised wooded platform. The tent was a deep red. Always red.
Despite her lack of resistance, she was still thrown rather roughly to her knees once they entered the tent. She was placed beside a long oak table. Seated around it were a number of men, some still in armor, some not. At the head of the table, and nearest to Allyria, sat who she assumed to be Lord Tywin Lannister. Older than her father, Tywin was a tall, slender man with broad shoulders and short blond hair, that was slowly giving way to grey. His green eyes were rumored to be freckled with gold but Allyria dared not met his glaze long enough to find out. Everyone was staring her, with her bloody face and tangled hair. She thought about her mother, and how she would not have approved of her appearance in the slightest.
"Who are you?" Tywin asked, never taking his eyes off her. Gathering up what little courage she had, Allyria clenched her teeth, intent on not answering and returned his stare. She decided that the rumors were true, for she could make out bits of gold in the green of his eyes. Her silence earned her a slap across the ear from one of her escorts. She bit her cheek, forcing back an insult. Movement in the tent caught her attention, and she saw Tyrion Lannister take a seat of the table and give her a knowing look.
She sighed softly, defended. "I am Allyria Stark of Winterfell. Daughter of Lady Catelyn Tully and Lord Eddard Stark, Warden of North and Hand of the King." She said in single long breath. Some men shifted in their seats to look at her anew while Allyria forced her face to remain apathetic.
"Why are you here, girl?" One of the men at the table said, rather harshly.
Allyria made a face at the lack of usage of her proper title of 'my lady'. I'm here because Roose Bolton is a hateful, slimy snake. Allyria knew Lord Bolton had left her behind on purpose, to teach her a lesson than women do not belong on the battlefield. "I go where my brother tells me to, my lord." The sweetness in her voice echoed that of Sansa's. She decided to play the role of the obedient sister, when in fact the attack had been her idea. To split the army and distract Tywin's forces while Robb made for Riverrun.
"So, Robb Stark sends his sister to fight his battles? He hides behind your skirts?" Another man said, his voice mocking. Mocking both her and her brother. Allyria was not sure which she took more offense to.
"As you can see, my lord. I'm not wearing any skirts." Her voice was still sweet, but there was an edge to it. But the threat was lost with Tyrion's laughter.
"Where is your brother, my lady?" Tyrion Lannister asked between sips of wine. At least had the courtesy to recognize her title.
"How could I possibly know the answer to that? I have not seen him for a number of days, my lord." Her voice was sincere but her rebuke still earned her a hit. The man's mailed fist almost knocked her head off. Blood filled her mouth as she fell over. In a fit of reckless rage, Allyria pulled herself up and spat the blood from mouth at her abusive escort. Drops of red dotted the man's unprotected face and before wiping them away her raised his hand again and Allyria clenched her teeth, awaiting more pain.
"If you raise another hand against her, I will see to it that your hands are fed to the pigs in the morning." Lord Tywin Lannister's voice was smooth and calm, but it cut like steel against the air. His green eyes were fixed on the man, who quickly lowered his hand and took a step back. He muttered his courtesies before falling silent. Blood still leaked into Allyria's mouth and her head ached so she dared not speak. "Find Lady Allyria a tent and see to it she's taken care of." Lord Twyin waved his hand and Allyria was pulled to her feet and escorted out of the tent. I wonder if he'll be so kind when he discovers where Robb is. She thought.
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Hot Drinks in Guatemala
Hot Drinks in Guatemala
Published: January 2015
Publisher: Euromonitor International
Product ref: 232408
Pages: 30
Format: PDF
Delivery: Immediate download
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In Guatemala there is a tradition of consuming coffee and other hot drinks, but very little tradition of drinking tea. Other hot drinks mostly consist of plant-based options, which are generally preferred by children. Coffee is more universal, appealing to consumers of different ages and socioeconomic strata. Tea consumption remains limited, with companies driving interest in their products with specific benefits and different flavours.
Product Coverage
Coffee, Other Hot Drinks, Tea.
Data Coverage
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• Get a detailed picture of the Hot Drinks market;
• Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change;
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22586
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30 CFR 291.111 - How does BSEE treat the confidential information I provide?
§ 291.111 How does BSEE treat the confidential information I provide?
(a) Any person who provides documents under this part in response to a request by BSEE to inform a decision on whether open access or nondiscriminatory access was denied may claim that some or all of the information contained in a particular document is confidential. If you claim confidential treatment, then when you provide the document to BSEE you must:
(1) Provide a complete unredacted copy of the document and indicate on that copy that you are making a request for confidential treatment for some or all of the information in the document.
(2) Provide a statement specifying the specific statutory justification for nondisclosure of the information for which you claim confidential treatment. General claims of confidentiality are not sufficient. You must furnish sufficient information for BSEE to make an informed decision on the request for confidential treatment.
(3) Provide a second copy of the document from which you have redacted the information for which you wish to claim confidential treatment. If you do not submit a second copy of the document with the confidential information redacted, BSEE may assume that there is no objection to public disclosure of the document in its entirety.
(b) In making data and information you submit available to the public, BSEE will not disclose documents exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and will follow the procedures set forth in the implementing regulations at 43 CFR part 2 to give submitters an opportunity to object to disclosure.
(c) BSEE retains the right to make the determination with regard to any claim of confidentiality. BSEE will notify you of its decision to deny a claim, in whole or in part, and, to the extent permitted by law, will give you an opportunity to respond at least 10 days before its public disclosure.
Title 30 published on 2014-07-01
no entries appear in the Federal Register after this date.
United States Code
U.S. Code: Title 31 - MONEY AND FINANCE
U.S. Code: Title 43 - PUBLIC LANDS
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42 U.S. Code § 239b - Smallpox vaccine injury table
(a) 1 Smallpox vaccine injury table
(1) Establishment required
The Secretary shall establish by interim final regulation a table identifying adverse effects (including injuries, disabilities, illnesses, conditions, and deaths) that shall be presumed to result from the administration of (or exposure to) a smallpox vaccine, and the time period in which the first symptom or manifestation of onset of each such adverse effect must manifest in order for such presumption to apply.
(2) Amendments
The Secretary may by regulation amend the table established under paragraph (1). An amendment to the table takes effect on the date of the promulgation of the final rule that makes the amendment, and applies to all requests for benefits or compensation under this part that are filed on or after such date or are pending as of such date. In addition, the amendment applies retroactively to an individual who was not with respect to the injury involved an eligible individual under the table as in effect before the amendment but who with respect to such injury is an eligible individual under the table as amended. With respect to a request for benefits or compensation under this part by an individual who becomes an eligible individual as described in the preceding sentence, the Secretary may not provide such benefits or compensation unless the request (or amendment to a request, as applicable) is filed before the expiration of one year after the effective date of the amendment to the table in the case of an individual to whom the vaccine was administered and before the expiration of two years after such effective date in the case of a request based on accidental vaccinia inoculation.
(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title II, § 263, as added Pub. L. 108–20, § 2,Apr. 30, 2003, 117 Stat. 641.)
42 CFR - Public Health
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When Things Seemed Wrong
I was trying to live the gospel. So why did my life take a turn for the worse?
When Things Seemed Wrong
It started when I lost the Book of Mormon “my” missionary, Sister High, had given me more than five years earlier. I knew I could obtain another one, but my copy was full of my own markings and cross-references. Tucked between its pages were cherished quotes, a heartwarming note from a friend, and a copy of my patriarchal blessing. Although I looked and looked, the book was nowhere to be found. I couldn’t believe I had been so careless.
Shortly after this incident, I was let go from one of my jobs. My income was now cut in half. I had promised my parents I would pay my own way through college. How was I going to afford to keep going to school?
I had been keeping the commandments to the best of my ability; why were things going so badly? Friends at school didn’t pass on the chance to rub it in. One said, “You should cut back on how often you attend church. You can save bus fare.” Another said, “Why don’t you take a break from church for a month or two? You might find out that you don’t notice much of a difference.”
For a moment, their comments made sense. I started to wonder if my life would be better without the Church.
I went back to my dorm room, where I saw a picture of my family taken during Chinese New Year. I thought about how much I love them and how happy they make me. And I thought about my Heavenly Father, whom I love and who loves me. I realized maybe I needed to focus on what I had rather than what I lacked. Still, I wondered how I was going to get through these trials.
A short time later, I confided my feelings to my institute teacher, Sister Ou, who said, “Many members have experienced a phase when the ‘all is well’ period of being a new convert ends and you begin to face the trials of faith. The scriptures say, ‘Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith’ (Mosiah 23:21).”
“So what should I do?” I asked.
“Study the scriptures even more diligently, and pray even more earnestly,” she said. “True faith comes when you have trials and pain. Your faith will grow, you will progress, and your testimony will be strengthened.”
I decided to follow her advice and put my faith in God. I tried to do as Alma 38:5 teaches: “As much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day.”
As it turned out, I found another job—one that was better than my previous one. Better yet, I found my copy of the Book of Mormon.
I learned that our disappointments, sorrows, and dark hours are to help us grow. They can lead us to much joy if, as Sister Ou taught me, we put our faith and trust in a loving Heavenly Father. How grateful I am to have a reaffirmed testimony that the Church and gospel are true.
The newness of being a member of the Church had worn off, and I found myself facing a trial of faith. Fortunately, my institute teacher helped me see the joy that lay ahead.
Illustrations by Steve Kropp
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Latest Forum Posts:
Drinking On The Job
A boring day at the office turns into a day of sexual fulfilment
It was a typical day at the office for Ann, a 50-something married brunette. Paperwork and more paperwork! The only thing that was making her day a little less boring were the glances she was getting from one of her male colleagues that occupied the office next to hers. Every time she walked past him she could feel his eyes burning into her crotch and she knew he craved what lay beneath her skirt and knickers.
Ann had fucked this colleague before but despite both swearing they would never indulge again, sometimes the urge was too tempting to resist. Today was one of those days and it was clear to Ann her colleague needed to bury his cock in one or more of her holes. This thought alone was beginning to make Ann's tight, shaven cunt tingle with excitement and it wasn't long before she could feel herself becoming wet with desire.
The only thing stopping Ann and her colleague from enjoying an afternoon of sex was their co-workers. If any of them knew of their lust for each other, or worse still, discovered them performing a sexual act, one or both of them would lose their jobs. Not that they hadn't fucked in the office before - far from it - but the thought of someone walking in on them had always prevented them from being able to relax and make the most of each other's intimate parts.
As the afternoon wore on, Ann was becoming more and more desperate for her colleague and she decided she needed something of him inside her. On several occasions she had sucked his delicious cum from the tip of his cock and had loved the way it made her feel so dirty. It was his cum that she craved now and it wasn't long before she'd figured out a plan to get some. Quickly she scribbled on to a piece of paper: "I need to taste your cum. Get some drinks and cover the rim of my glass with some!" Then, without hesitation, she walked into her colleague's office and placed the note in front of him before retreating back to her desk.
Thirty seconds later Ann heard her colleague asking his co-workers if they wanted a drink, before entering her office, picking up her glass and giving her a coy smile. Her plan had worked! As the minutes went by she imagined him downstairs working his 8" cock between his hands until a thick stream of cum was ejaculated on to the rim of her glass. She could also picture him rubbing his thick, purple dome over it and squeezing his shaft until every drop was deposited ready for her to devour.
When Ann's colleague returned with the drinks, she was shocked by the site of her glass. The top half was entirely covered in his hot sticky mess, giving it an almost frosted look, and a few thick wads of the stuff were suspended in the water. She also noticed the large bulge between her colleague's legs and she knew that what she was about to do excited him as much as it did her. As the glass was placed on her desk, she couldn't resist brushing her hand across his tethered cock, and wished she was able to lick cum from that instead of her glass.
After Ann's colleague returned to his office, she lifted the glass to her mouth and tentatively tasted a droplet of spunk with the tip of her tongue. It was still warm, had a thick consistency and tasted divine. Without hesitation, she started to run her tongue and lips around the entire circumference of her glass, and soon felt her colleague's seed pooling in the bottom of her mouth. She loved the taste of his cum and her filthy act was setting her cunt on fire.
After licking all evidence from the glass and drinking every drop of spunk-tinged water, Ann decided she would let her colleague know how wet and tasty she was. After pulling her knickers to one side, she grabbed her pen then slid it effortlessly into her juicy snatch until the entire length was covered and glistening with her fuck juice. She then quickly scribbled another note, walked into her colleague's office then left it and the pen on his desk.
Minutes later Ann said her goodbyes then walked downstairs to grab her coat and finish work for the day. As she prepared to leave the building, she heard footsteps on the stairs and she knew her colleague was coming down to meet her like she had instructed in her second note. As they shared a passionate kiss she could taste and smell her own sex on his lips and she knew he had followed the note's other instructions and had sucked her pen clean. The hard bulge that was now pressing against Ann's crotch and the sticky fluid that was soaking into the gusset of her knickers was evidence enough that it was time to leave the office and take a ride in Ann's car in order to find somewhere to fuck.
As soon as they were out of sight, Ann's colleague had his hands between her legs and was pulling her knickers to one side to reveal her juicy fuck hole and swollen clit. As his middle finger touched her slightly parted slit, she almost lost control of the car, and as the finger slowly worked its way from her clit to her anus then back up again, she had trouble concentrating on the road ahead.
Ann's colleague spent several minutes lubricating his fingers on her labia before plunging them inside her hole until they could go no further. Several more minutes were spent exploring her warm, wet insides, before she felt her fuck button being lightly rubbed in a circular motion. Waves of pleasure were now rippling up from the depths of her pussy, and she was worried she might cum and lose control of her car completely! She begged her colleague to stop, but he kept stimulating her clit while occasionally slipping three fingers in then out of her welcoming hole. She decided she needed to get to a place where they could fuck quickly, so she squeezed the pedal and accelerated through the country lanes.
When they arrived at their destination - a lay-by next to some woods a few miles from the office - Ann couldn't wait to get hold of her colleague's cock. While he continued to finger her, she unbuttoned his trousers then pulled out the object of her desire. She noticed the remnants of the wank he had earlier, and the sight of his thick, veiny shaft, and the smell of sex emanating from it and her cunt was making her hornier than ever.
Without warning Ann's colleague jumped up from the passenger's seat, and while managing to keep his fingers inside her hole, straddled her then crouched until his cock was level with her mouth. A small thrust forward and she felt the tip of his gorgeous prick touch then part her lips, and as the bulbous head slid inside she used her tongue to lick the remaining cum from its surface.
Ann grabbed her colleague's balls and used them to control how deep his cock penetrated her mouth. Back and forward she manipulated his spunk sack causing his hips to move in a fucking motion and his cock to screw her mouth until she began to feel it ooze droplets of pre-cum.
Ann's colleague was close to coming but he had the foresight to withdraw his cock, knowing that ejaculating twice within the hour would likely deplete his ability to fuck her in the way he wanted. Instead he suggested they go for a walk in the woods.
Ann grabbed a blanket from the boot and minutes later she was spreading it out on the woodland floor in readiness for them to fuck. As they kissed, Ann pulled off her colleague's shirt, unbuttoned his trousers and let them and his boxer shorts fall to the floor. At the same time he undid her bra then pulled off her blouse to reveal her large, firm breasts - the nipples of which were already erect with lust. He now pulled down her skirt then her knickers until they were both embracing each other completely naked.
As they continued to kiss, Ann could feel her colleague's erect prick resting between her inner thighs, and thought it would take little effort for it to glide into her wanting pussy. He, however, had other ideas and instead pulled her to the floor until she was laying on her back with her legs wide apart. Seconds later her exposed cunt was being devoured - her swollen sex lips were delicately kissed, the entire length of her slit was licked, and her sodden insides were intermittedly penetrated by his warm tongue. Moments later her clit was between his lips and was simultaneously sucked and licked until the first signs of an orgasm began to develop from her core.
As Ann's orgasm took hold, she began to gyrate her hips and push her ass off the blanket, causing her cunt to be pressed hard against her colleague's face and her clit to be stimulated even more than before. When she felt several fingers enter her pussy and start to furiously finger fuck her, her orgasm reached its peak. While screaming in ecstasy her entire body shook uncontrollably and the walls of her cunt pulsated and squeezed her colleague's fingers with every wave of pleasure. Thirty seconds later she flopped almost lifeless on the blanket, unable to move from the intense pleasure she had just received.
Ann's colleague now rolled her over until she was face down on the blanket. He then pushed her legs apart, positioned himself between them, sunk his hips towards her ass then placed the tip of his cock at the entrance to her cunt. While kissing the back of her neck his large prick parted her sex lips then slipped effortlessly into her oily fuck hole.
The fuck Ann was receiving was slow and extremely sensual, and as she lay on the blanket, still exhausted from her orgasm, she wished she could remain there and feel like this forever. The long strokes of the cock massaged every inch of her insides and as her colleague's pelvis pushed down on her ass cheeks with each forward motion she could feel the tip touch the very end of her hole.
Minutes later, the weakness in Ann's arms and legs subsided and she decided she could muster enough energy to repay her colleague for the pleasure he had given her. As he pulled his cock back she took the opportunity to push herself on to her hands and knees and crawl forward. As she did so his cock slipped from her cunt along with a trickle of her fuck juice that dripped onto the blanket below. Immediately she turned round and instructed her colleague to lay on his back.
Ann now stood up, positioned her legs on either side of her colleague's head then faced towards his cock. Slowly she began to crouch down, her dripping pussy moving closer to the mouth that had pleasured her earlier, until at last she was sat on her colleague's face. Immediately she felt his tongue slip inside her vagina and his hands pull her cheeks apart to reveal her tight anus which he began to caress then penetrate with his fingers. She now leaned forward and took the entire length of his cock in her mouth until it reached the back of her throat, almost making her gag. Up and down she bobbed her head on the thick fuck tool while simultaneously tantalising every inch of it with her tongue and lips. Like before, it wasn't long before she tasted the first signs of her colleague's orgasm, and having drunk enough of his spunk already she withdrew his cock and watched his pre-cum drip from the tip.
Pulling her cunt from her colleague's mouth, Ann swivelled herself around and repositioned it over his prick. Her cunt was so wet that it swallowed the entire cock with ease, and when she felt her clit touch her colleague's midriff she knew she had every inch and it was time to fuck.
With the prick still embedded to the balls, Ann slowly began to move her hips in a circular motion causing her insides to stretch and her clit to grind itself against her colleague's pubic bone. Faster and faster she worked her cunt on the cock until it stirred her insides like an electric whisk and a constant stream of her fuck juice was squeezed out on to her colleague's balls and abdomen.
After fives minutes of furious fucking, Ann's cunt was so wet and stretched she was certain the stimulation her colleague's cock was getting from it was not as pleasurable than if it were inside something tighter and a little less sodden. To resolve this, she lifted herself up until the cock slipped from her well-used hole then turned round to present her ass to it. Her colleague knew what was about to happen and also realised it needed lubricating before he could penetrate it without causing Ann too much pain. Thankfully the plentiful supply of fuck juice that was seeping from her cunt was perfect for this task, and he took time to massage it around and just inside her tight anus until it was glistening and ready to take his meat.
Ann used her hands to pull her ass cheeks apart and subsequently widen her anus slightly before lowering herself towards her colleague's fuck rod. Her aim was perfect and the tip of the cock touched her moistened entrance before it slowly started to ease itself inside. As the tip entered her pert hole she gasped as a wave of pleasure travelled up her spine, encouraging her to push down further and take more of the bulging head. Centimetre by centimetre it edged inside until finally the entire dome was entombed.
The head of the cock in Ann's ass felt huge but despite the slight pain it was causing, it was making her feel dirty and extremely horny again. She held it just inside her entrance for about a minute contemplating whether she could take the whole 8" into her tight, un-lubricated depths. However, at that moment she lost her footing and her crouching position turned into a sitting position. Of course this sudden downward motion caused the entire length of the cock to instantaneously plunge into her anus, and as she felt her ass cheeks touch her colleague's lower abdomen she let out a scream that emanated both pleasure and pain.
Her colleague's hard, thick prick was now buried deep in her ass and as she let it settle there for a few moments the pain subsided and she began to enjoy how it filled her insides. Like she had done when the cock was in her cunt, she started to gyrate her hips and allow the cock to stir her depths while she prepared herself for when she would start moving up and down on it.
When Ann felt her colleague's fingers start to massage her clit and the beginnings of another orgasm ignite, she slowly lifted herself up until the stiff cock almost left her hole. She then lowered herself down again, her eyes watering as the huge girth stretched her tiny tube. Up and down she went, slowly increasing the momentum until she was fucking the cock at the same frantic speed as her colleague's fingers were rubbing her throbbing clit.
When Ann heard her colleague groan in ecstasy and felt his cock twitch uncontrollably, she slammed her ass down in order to take as much of him as she could. As she felt his hot cum drenching her insides she threw herself backwards so she was lying on his chest, and remained there while her second orgasm washed over her.
As their orgasms subsided, Ann's colleague grasped her breasts with each hand and lightly fingered her stiff nipples. They lay like this for several minutes until his spent, limp cock slowly slipped from her spunk filled ass, signalling to them it was time to get dressed and leave the wood.
A normally boring day at work had turned into a day of sexual fulfilment for Ann. She had devoured her colleague's cum, taken his cock in her mouth, cunt and ass, and had been fucked and licked until she was unable to move. Unfortunately tomorrow was Saturday and she would have to wait two days before she could quench her desires again with another of her colleague's sex-inducing drinks!
<a href="">Drinking On The Job</a>
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22605
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English Toffee
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English Toffee
Crisp pieces of toffee covered in dark chocolate and sprinkled with almonds.
We make this delightful, old-fashioned confection with thin, crisp pieces of rich toffee that we coat in dark chocolate and sprinkle with roasted almonds.
Additional Information
Size small
Servings 4
Serving Directions No
Ingredients Contains nuts & dairy
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22617
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Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) Prevention Cheat Sheet
Revision as of 22:14, 7 April 2014 by Jmanico (Talk | contribs)
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Impacts of successful CSRF exploits vary greatly based on the role of the victim. When targeting a normal user, a successful CSRF attack can compromise end-user data and their associated functions. If the targeted end user is an administrator account, a CSRF attack can compromise the entire Web application. The sites that are more likely to be attacked are community Websites (social networking, email) or sites that have high dollar value accounts associated with them (banks, stock brokerages, bill pay services). This attack can happen even if the user is logged into a Web site using strong encryption (HTTPS). Utilizing social engineering, an attacker will embed malicious HTML or JavaScript code into an email or Website to request a specific 'task url'. The task then executes with or without the user's knowledge, either directly or by utilizing a Cross-site Scripting flaw (ex: Samy MySpace Worm).
Prevention Measures That Do NOT Work
Using a Secret Cookie
Only Accepting POST Requests
Multi-Step Transactions
URL Rewriting
General Recommendation: Synchronizer Token Pattern
<input type="hidden" name="CSRFToken"
Disclosure of Token in URL
In the latter case (leaked CSRF token due to the Referer header being parsed by a linked site), it is trivially easy for the linked site to launch a CSRF attack on the protected site, and they will be able to target this attack very effectively, since the Referer header tells them the site as well as the CSRF token. The attack could be run entirely from javascript, so that a simple addition of a script tag to the HTML of a site can launch an attack (whether on an originally malicious site or on a hacked site). This attack scenario is easy to prevent, the referer will be omitted if the origin of the request is HTTPS. Therefore this attack does not affect web applications that are HTTPS only.
Viewstate (ASP.NET)
protected override OnInit(EventArgs e) {
if (User.Identity.IsAuthenticated)
ViewStateUserKey = Session.SessionID; }
Double Submit Cookies
Double submitting cookies is defined as sending a random value in both a cookie and as a request parameter, with the server verifying if the cookie value and request value are equal.
When a user authenticates to a site, the site should generate a (cryptographically strong) pseudorandom value and set it as a cookie on the user's machine separate from the session id. The site does not have to save this value in any way. The site should then require every sensitive submission to include this random value as a hidden form value (or other request parameter) and also as a cookie value. An attacker cannot read any data sent from the server or modify cookie values, per the same-origin policy. This means that while an attacker can send any value he wants with a malicious CSRF request, the attacker will be unable to modify or read the value stored in the cookie. Since the cookie value and the request parameter or form value must be the same, the attacker will be unable to successfully submit a form unless he is able to guess the random CSRF value.
Direct Web Remoting (DWR) Java library version 2.0 has CSRF protection built in as it implements the double cookie submission transparently.
Encrypted Token Pattern
The Encrypted Token Pattern leverages an encryption, rather than comparison, method of Token-validation. After successful authentication, the server generates a unique Token comprised of the user's ID, a timestamp value and a nonce, using a unique key available only on the server. This Token is returned to the client and embedded in a hidden field. Subsequent AJAX requests include this Token in the request-header, in a similar manner to the Double-Submit pattern. Non-AJAX form-based requests will implicitly persist the Token in its hidden field, although I recommend persisting this data in a custom HTTP header in such cases. On receipt of this request, the server reads and decrypts the Token value with the same key used to create the Token.
CSRF Prevention without a Synchronizer Token
CSRF can be prevented in a number of ways. Using a Synchronizer Token is one way that an application can rely upon the Same-Origin Policy to prevent CSRF by maintaining a secret token to authenticate requests. This section details other ways that an application can prevent CSRF by relying upon similar rules that CSRF exploits can never break.
Checking The Referer Header
Although it is trivial to spoof the referer header on your own browser, it is impossible to do so in a CSRF attack. Checking the referer is a commonly used method of preventing CSRF on embedded network devices because it does not require a per-user state. This makes a referer a useful method of CSRF prevention when memory is scarce. This method of CSRF mitigation is also commonly used with unauthenticated requests, such as requests made prior to establishing a session state which is required to keep track of a synchronization token.
However, checking the referer is considered to be a weaker from of CSRF protection. For example, open redirect vulnerabilities can be used to exploit GET-based requests that are protected with a referer check and some organizations or browser tools remove referrer headers as a form of data protection. There are also common implementation mistakes with referer checks. For example if the CSRF attack originates from an HTTPS domain then the referer will be omitted. In this case the lack of a referer should be considered to be an attack when the request is performing a state change. Also note that the attacker has limited influence over the referer. For example, if the victim's domain is "" then an attacker have the CSRF exploit originate from "" which may fool a broken referer check implementation. XSS can be used to bypass a referer check.
In short, referer checking is a reasonable form of CSRF intrusion detection and prevention even though it is not a complete protection. Referer checking can detect some attacks but not stop all attacks. For example, if you HTTP referrer is from a different domain and you are expecting requests from your domain only, you can safely block that request.
Checking The Origin Header
The Origin HTTP Header standard was introduced as a method of defending against CSRF and other Cross-Domain attacks. Unlike the referer, the origin will be present in HTTP request that originates from an HTTPS url.
If the origin header is present, then it should be checked for consistency.
• Re-Authentication (password)
• One-time Token
Client/User Prevention
• Logoff immediately after using a Web application
No Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerabilities
Authors and Primary Editors
Paul Petefish - paulpetefish[at]
Eric Sheridan - eric[at]
Dave Wichers - dave.wichers[at]
Other Cheatsheets
Developer Cheat Sheets (Builder)
Assessment Cheat Sheets (Breaker)
Mobile Cheat Sheets
OpSec Cheat Sheets (Defender)
Draft Cheat Sheets
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22618
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Any information
1. ok, rather than a mass ufo abuction maybe its more of a jacobs ladder thing dunno but anybody got more info on this sounds instresting and lots of checkable evidence of sorts. I dont like the guy but hey its better than nothing.
search: june/22/2000 jeff rense mass ufo army abduction
edit: obviously even if everything checks out probavly still a load of cow**** but a very good one
Last edited: Dec 28, 2004
2. jcsd
Have something to add?
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22619
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Coating weight calculations
1. Hello,
This is not homework etc. I am in the work place (automotive industry) and have a question. It has been some time since I have taken any math courses. I am trying to calculate the theoretical weight of a known coating on the surface of a hollow cylinder and set this up in an excell program. I already have the surface area of the cylinder, but how will I get the surface weight of the coating? Will I need the density and/or approximate thickness of the coating. (I have many coatings to put in the program, but for this example I am using a Zinc Phosphate coating.) Thanks for any help in advance.
2. jcsd
3. Astronuc
Staff: Mentor
For a thin coating, all you need is 1) surface area, 2) coating thinkness and 3) density.
Mass = Area * thickness * density, since
Area * thickness = volume, and
Mass = Density (mass/unit volume) * total volume.
4. HallsofIvy
HallsofIvy 40,558
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Calculating the volume as "surface area times thickness" is exact for a flat surface but not a curved surface such as the lateral surface of a cylinder- though it might well be a good enough approximation.
For an exact volume, look at the pipe from the end and imagine that you can see the "edge" of the coating. It looks like a "washer"- the area between two concentric circles. If the radius of the inner circle is r (it's not clear to me whether you are coating the outside of the cylinder in which case this would be the outer radius of the cylinder, or the inside of the cylinder in which case this would be the inner radius of the cylinder minus the thickness of the coating) and the thickness of the coating is d (so the radius of the outer circle is r+d) then the two concentric circles has area [itex]\pi r^2[/itex] and [itex]\pi(r+d)^2= \pir r^2+ 2\pi rd+ \pi d^2[/itex] and the area between them (the side area of the coating) is [itex]\pi(2rd+ d^2)[/tex]. If the cylinder has length L, then the volume of the coating would be
[tex]\pi(2rd+ d^2)L[/tex]
rather than the
[tex]2\pi rdL[/tex] of Astronuc's formula.
Of course, the difference is only [tex]\pi d^2L[/tex].
Last edited: Oct 26, 2005
5. I have set up calculations for both the inner and outer surface area as well as the total surface area. The coating will be very thin, I have a range of 150-1350mg/ft2. The coating thickness won't actually be measured. I will have the surface area and hopefully I will be able to find the densities of all the coatings that I need. Would I need to set up an integral for the thickness range? TIA
6. HallsofIvy
HallsofIvy 40,558
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
No, as long as the density is uniform, just multiply density times volume.
And if the coating is very thin, Astronuc's approximation will work fine.
7. for the coating weight that I am trying to calculate...
I know that Coating Weight=Thickness x Surface Area x Density
It seems that my units are not working out right. I have a Thickness=0.02032mm
Surface Area=252.898mm2
Density of 0.0081mg/mm2
I end up with units of mg mm?
What is wrong with this?? Thanks in advance!
8. Anyone??:confused:
9. HallsofIvy
HallsofIvy 40,558
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
This is impossible: Density of 0.0081mg/mm2
Density is in unites of "mass over volume": mg/mm3
10. NateTG
NateTG 2,537
Science Advisor
Homework Helper
If you're getting this from a spec sheet, you may be looking at 'mass per area' rather than 'mass per volume' as the specific mass. In that case you can just take:
[tex]\rm{area} \times \frac{\rm{mass}}{\rm{area}}=\rm{mass}[/tex]
11. Thanks Nate! Now if I only have the surface area and an average thickness, how will that work.
Coating Weight=Thickness x Surface Area x Density
I have an avg Thickness of 0.0076mm
Surface Area of 252.898mm2
How are the units going to work out for that? I don't know why this is seeming so difficult to me to see this. Thanks in advance.
12. any thoughts?
13. NateTG
NateTG 2,537
Science Advisor
Homework Helper
Let me try it this way:
If you're looking at information that has been provided by the manufacturer of the coating, the number that you have may be the proporitionality constant so that you can simply take
constat * surface area
to get the mass. That would explain the unit disparity.
However, you should really double-check that to make sure.
14. The coating average thicknesses that I have are from a range that our facility has for min and max coating thickness. I have simply averaged the min and max. I don't think that I can just leave out the units in mm of the average thickness. It would seem that I would need the density of the coating to calculate this correctly. The problem being that I do not have all the densities of the coatings. It doesn't seem that I will arrive at a correct number with only having...
Avg Thickness=0.0076mm
Surface Area=252.898mm2
I will end up with mm3 and not be able to convert to mg??? Advise is possible. Thanks in advance.
15. NateTG
NateTG 2,537
Science Advisor
Homework Helper
Correct. You've got 1.9 cubic mm of material. If you're coating with gold (the most dense material that comes to mind) that's about 38 grams. If you're coating with aerogels, it's next to nothing.
N.B. It's not necessarily accurate to assume that the average thickness will be the mean of the minimum and maximum thicknesses.
Depending on your situation, and the degree of precision you need it may be easier to simply weigh a bunch of these parts before and after the coating process.
16. Nate,
i have located a density for one particular coating...
so now I will have...
Density= 8.01lb/gal
Also, for all intensive purposes, the avg of the max and min will suffice.
This will give me units of mm3lb/gal
How can I convert this to only mg??
17. Any thoughts??:confused:
18. NateTG
NateTG 2,537
Science Advisor
Homework Helper
I happen to know that:
1 gallon = 3785.4 cubic millimeters
So, to do the the conversion, you can multiply by
[tex]\frac{1 \rm{gal}}{3785.4 \rm{mm}^3}=1[/tex]
NB: The density per gallon may well be the wet rather than dry density.
19. Surface Area/Ton
my math is a little rusty.. can you please help me?
Im looking for AREA/TON (m^2/ton) for painting purposes of a 219dia X 6(wall) X 1m tube. The weight of the tube is 31.5 kg.
1)area of the tube
2)area per ton
It is just for the outer surface
The answer should be 21.92m^2/ton, but my formulas don't give me that answer.
Can you please help me with a formula?
Thank you
20. HallsofIvy
HallsofIvy 40,558
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
First, please do not hijack someone else's thread to post a question of your own. It is a rude and less likely to get a response then if you post your own thread.
Now: you say the tube is "219dia X 6(wall) X 1m tube." that's meaningless if you don't say what units all the measurements are in. Since you mention "m", I might assume that all are in meters but I simply don't believe a 6 meter think wall 1 m high!
If d x w x L are the (inner diameter) of the tube, in m, the thickness of the wall, in m, and the height of the tube, in m, then the tube has outer diameter of 2w+ d. The circumference of a circle of diameter 2w+ d is just that times [itex]\pi[/itex]: [itex](2w+d)\pi[/itex] meters and so the surface area of the outer wall is [itex]\pi(2w+d)h[/itex].
I am a bit confused about what you mean by "AREA/TON". I would presume mean "area divided by the weight of the paint" but that would require knowing the density of the paint and thickness of the paint on the wall, neither of which you mention.
You do say "The weight of the tube is 31.5 kg", but what does the weight of the tube have to do with painting it?
Have something to add?
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22626
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School Subjects and Curriculum Change: Studies in Curriculum History
The process of curriculum development is highly practical, as Goodson shows in this enlarged anniversary third edition of his seminal work. The position of subjects and their development within the curriculum is illustrated by looking at how school subjects, in particular, geography and biology, gained academic and intellectual respectability within the whole curriculum during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He highlights how subjects owe their formation and accreditation to competing status and their power to compete in the provision of 'worthwhile' knowledge and considers subjects as continually changing sub-groups of information. Such subjects from the framework of the society in which individuals live and over which they have influence. This volume questions the basis on which subject disciplines are developed and formulates new possibilities for curriculum development and reform in a post-modrnist age.
Additional information
Publisher: Place of publication:
• Washington, DC
Publication year:
• 1993
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22664
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You are here
Focus parenting on 'time in,' not 'time out'
If striving to be a better parent this New Year is one of your goals, you are not alone. The pressure of being a near-perfect parent can feel both daunting and yet still expected.
We can be overwhelmed by the expectation to research the perfect diet, help our children learn a second language, master a variety of sports, play an instrument and achieve stellar grades. Oh yeah, and we’re supposed to maintain a day job and pristine-looking home. My advice is let go of all that pressure and expectation and try one simple change instead: Give your child more "time in" experiences.
We’re all familiar with time out, those moments when your child’s behavior means they need to quietly reflect on why brutally yanking on their sister’s hair was a poor choice. Time out and grounding are meant to separate your child from others so they can realize he or she should work at being a better person. Time out, when used well, can be very effective. However, many children need more Time In experiences.
"Time in" represents moments when your child gets to share a special, private experience with you. It can be as simple as walking the dog together, sharing an ice cream date, or even just an uninterrupted 15 minute conversation.
Your children don’t really want more toys or gadgets or after-school activities. What they crave is your attention and approval. Setting aside time as often as you can to let your child know he or she is a very special person in your life and that you enjoy being around them, too, makes a bigger impact than learning a foreign dialect.
About Amy Seery MD
I am a pediatrician with Via Christi Clinic and a faculty member of the Via Christi Family Medicine Residency program.
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From ACL Wiki
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ACL Special Interest Group on Biomedical Natural Language Processing
Welcome to the home page for the Biomedical Natural Language Processing Special Interest Group of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL). This SIG is dedicated to language processing in the biological, biomedical, and clinical domain. Biomedical language processing poses specific technical challenges that make it of interest to general NLP practitioners and make it of compelling importance to the larger field of biomedical informatics. The purpose of the BioMed SIG is to bring together researchers in NLP, bioinformatics, medical informatics, and computational biology, providing a venue (both wiki and workshop) for the promotion and dissemination of original research in this area.
Upcoming Events
Organization and Governance
BioMed SIG Constitution
Officers and Membership information
The SIGBioMed organizing committee and members
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22707
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Movies free online, Khmer Movies, Movie Khmer
[ Movies ] ទឹកឃ្មុំមច្ចុរាជ มัจจุราชสีน้ําผึ้ง Tek Kmom Mach Jo Reach [ 30 END ] - Khmer Movies, ភាពយន្តថៃ - Movies, Thai - Khmer, Series Movies, Continue - [ 30 part(s) ]
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22732
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Last updated:
Phrynosomatids are a remarkably diverse group of lizards that have frequently served as subjects of research in ecology and life history theory. Phrynosomatids, which were previously identified as sceloporines, are represented by nine genera, and more than 120 species. Members of group are found throughout most of the continental United States, all of Mexico, and in northern Central America.
Phrynosomatids are relatively small (most < 10 cm snout-vent length) lizards, and represent a diversity of forms. Together with the other seven families previously part of Iguanidae (sensu lato), phrynosomatids have pleurodont teeth, which distinguishes them from other members of the Iguania (agamids and chamaeleons). Several synapomorphies diagnose the family, including the absence of pterygoid teeth; reduction of the clavicular flange; the posterior process of interclavicle invested by the sternum anteriorly; a sink-trap nasal apparatus (with an elongate septomaxilla); an enlarged posterior lobe of the hemipenes; and completely divided m. retractor lateralis posterior. In addition, the sand lizards (genera Uma, Callisaurus, and Holbrookia), together with Phrynosoma, form a monophyletic group diagnosed by the absence of lacrimals and postfrontals.
Few life history characters unite the phrynosomatids, beyond a vague preference for arid landscapes. Phrynosoma species are extremely spiny, cryptic, and solitary desert dwellers. They exhibit a defense behavior in which they squirt blood at potential predators from sinuses in their orbits. Sceloporus, by far the most speciose phrynosomatid genus, includes terrestrial, arboreal and rock-dwelling species. Some Sceloporus and Phrynosoma are ovoviviparous; all other phrynosomatids are oviparous. Uma species dive in loose sand. Several species of phrynosomatids have brightly colored gravid females that are known to aggressively reject courtship attempts by back-arching and sidlehopping. Additional species have males with bright coloration that is predictive of social behavior (e.g. attack rate). Because of their high population densities, short generation time, and accessibility to North American researchers, phrynosomatids (especially Sceloporus) have been well-studied, and figure prominently in research on life history theory, physiological ecology, hybrid zones and chromosome evolution.
Phrynosomatids are unambiguously placed in the Iguania, a group that is sister to all other squamates (lizards and snakes). Within the Iguania, however, relationships are hotly contested. Until recently, almost 1,000 species, including those in Phrynosomatidae, were placed in Iguanidae (sensu lato), but Frost and Etheridge's (1989) analysis of iguanian systematics suggested eight monophyletic clades within that large family. They proposed new family status for these eight clades, including Phrynosomatidae (and a much reduced Iguanidae (sensu stricto). Most researchers (and Animal Diversity Web) follow this classification, although several formal criticisms have been made (e.g. Lazell 1992, Schwenk 1994, Macey et al 1997). Most researchers agree that the iguanian families that were not previously members of Iguanidae -- Agamidae and Chamaeleonidae -- form the monophyletic group Acrodonta, which is sister to the remaining families (equivalent to Iguanidae sensu lato, of which Phrynosomatidae is a member). Among the eight families of Iguanidae sensu lato, relationships are not resolved, although several hypotheses posit that phrynosomatids are closely related to tropidurids, oplurids, and perhaps polychrotids.
Fossils are difficult enough to place without pinpointing the particular lineage within iguanians from which they arose. Iguanid (sensu lato) fossils are known from the Eocene in North America. Additionally, one fossil from the Cretaceous, Pristiguana, may be an iguanid (sensu lato), or a teiid.
Cooper, W. E. Jr. and N. Greenberg. 1992. Reptilian coloration and behavior. Pages 298-422 in C. Gans and D. Crews, editors. Hormones, Brain, and Beahvior: Biology of the Reptilia, volume 18, Physiology E. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Frost, D. R., and R. Etheridge. 1989. A phylogenetic analysis and taxonomy of Iguanian lizards (Reptilia: Squamata). University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, Miscellaneous publications 81:1-65.
Frost, D. R., and R. Etheridge. 1993. A consideration of iguanian lizards and the objectives of systematics: a reply to Lazell. Herpetological Review 24:50-54.
Lazell, J. D. 1992. The family Iguanidae: Disagreement with Frost and Etheridge (1989). Herpetological Review 23:109-112.
Schwenk, K. 1994. Systematics and subjectivity: the phylogeny and classification of iguanian lizards revisited. Herpetological Review 25:53-57.
Heather Heying (author).
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RT Journal A1 Eliassen A, Hankinson SE, Rosner B, Holmes MD, Willett WC T1 PHysical activity and risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal women JF Archives of Internal Medicine JO Archives of Internal Medicine YR 2010 FD October 25 VO 170 IS 19 SP 1758 OP 1764 DO 10.1001/archinternmed.2010.363 UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2010.363 AB Background Physical activity has many health benefits. Although greater activity has been related to lower postmenopausal breast cancer risk, important details remain unclear, including type, intensity, and timing of activity and whether the association varies by subgroups.Methods Within the prospective Nurses' Health Study, we assessed the associations of specific and total activity, queried every 2 to 4 years since 1986, with breast cancer risk. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Activity was measured as hours of metabolic equivalent task values (MET-h).Results During 20 years of follow-up (1986-2006), 4782 invasive breast cancer cases were documented among 95 396 postmenopausal women. Compared with less than 3 MET-h/wk (<1 h/wk walking), women engaged in higher amounts of recent total physical activity were at lower breast cancer risk (≥27 MET-h/wk [approximately 1 h/d of brisk walking]: HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.78-0.93; P < .001 for trend). Compared with women who were least active at menopause and through follow-up (<9 MET-h/wk [approximately 30 minutes of walking at an average pace on most days of the week]), women who increased activity were at lower risk (<9 MET-h/wk at menopause and ≥9 MET-h/wk during follow-up: HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.82-0.98). Among specific activities modeled simultaneously, brisk walking was associated with lower risk (per 20 MET-h/wk [5 h/wk]: HR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.84-0.98). The association with total activity did not differ significantly between estrogen and progesterone receptor–positive and –negative tumors (P = .65 for heterogeneity).Conclusion Our findings suggest that moderate physical activity, including brisk walking, may reduce postmenopausal breast cancer risk and that increases in activity after menopause may be beneficial.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22739
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TY - JOUR T1 - Patients, physicians and illness: Sourcebook in behavioral science and medicine. AU - Stone DB Y1 - 1959/09/01 N1 - 10.1001/archinte.1959.00270090166033 JO - A.M.A. Archives of Internal Medicine SP - 512 EP - 512 VL - 104 IS - 3 N2 - It would be absurd to blame patients for dying, yet we blame students for failing. Why do they fail? Examine the question for a few unprejudiced moments. I suppose that if one can slough prejudice, one should accept the premise that most medical students are keen, hard working, and not unintelligent. If not, we should change our selection committees. If the premise is valid, we should examine medical education ruthlessly. Simply to disparage failure is facile, superficial and—in education—perhaps defensive, for, as Colton wrote, "Examinations are formidable even to the best prepared, for the greatest fool may ask more than the wisest man can answer." Some students—and physicians—who fail are dull or idle. How many? Were they dull when they gained admission to medical school? If not, why have they changed? We dismiss our failures and punish our criminals, processes which are both practical and reassuring to us all. But SN - 0888-2479 M3 - doi: 10.1001/archinte.1959.00270090166033 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinte.1959.00270090166033 ER -
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the environment. >> when you burn it, there is a 30% reduction in particulate matter and 20% reduction in carbon monoxide and 10% reduction in total hydrocarbon. >> reporter: the price is the same as regular diesel. $4.23 a gallon. but after the splashy news conference and after the biofuel folks left, it seems the vallejo franchise didn't get the memo. they dropped their diesel price, under cutting the new bio deal by 16 cents. the new pumps sat alone hour after hour until finally lucy made history as a first person to purchase. >> do you know you are making history today? >> no. >> reporter: lucy was shy but number two jim purcell wasn't. he loaded his ram truck up with $100 of the stuff. he doesn't care if it comes from algae. >> i've run corn oil in this thing. that's the reason i bought a diesel. >> reporter: it is approved for use in all diesel engines without restrictions. >> it kind of smells like salad, sort of. well if you want some of this, hussle on down because the company said this is only a 0- day trial period to test the market. in redwood city, don ford, cbs 5. >> smells like sa
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with the romney campaign technologically. >> i don't want to talk about that. >> i just want to point out that is a criticism of the media that is also reflected in this report. not vindicated, howie, but the report is right on. the real question is looking forward, will republicans follow the recommendations in the report? >> is it possible for republicans to ever sort of win favorable coverage, except by being more like democrats? >> on that point, the subject of gay marriage, polls moving in the direction of favoring gay marriage on younger people. when hillary clinton comes out and say she's in favor of gay marm, she got a lot of favorable press. senator rob portman said he was in favor of gay marriage because he has a son that came out as gay a lot whether this was a convenient statement or one motivated by the fact that he had somebody in his family. did you see a double standard? >> yes. one of those places if you're a republican and if you think i act more like a democrat, i'll get more positive coverage, it doesn't work that way. you'll get called out as cynical. you're darned if
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22791
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Tag: <html>
<html> Syntax
Syntax Diagram for <html>
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<html> document </html>
<html> Description
The <html>. . . </html> tags contain all of the HTML document. There are three possible sections in an HTML document: A document should not contain both a Body and a Frame Set; they are mutually exclusive. In a document that will be used only in a frame defined by another document, a Head section may not be needed (if a <title> is all that would be in it).
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22796
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Ministry of Innovation / Business of Technology
All this has happened before: NVIDIA 3.0, ARM, and the fate of x86
NVIDIA and ARM seem poised to do to Intel what Intel did to the classic RISC …
I made the preceding point about power efficiency and complexity in some detail in the bottom third of this article on ARM servers back in 2009. Here's the money quote (complete with more pixie dust talk):
Atom is literally off the charts in performance/watt, besting Nehalem by some 3X. This isn't because Intel sprinkles magical performance/watt pixie dust on Atom—it's because high performance/watt ratios for individual chips are much easier to achieve at Atom-scale than at Xeon-scale, owing to the much larger amount of system-related complexity and overhead that goes with the Xeon's much higher level of integration and performance. As is the case with everything from dinosaurs to automobiles, it just costs more to be bigger and badder, and one of those costs is net energy efficiency.
In other words, size matters, and the terrain on which the performance/watt battle is played out changes dramatically as you scale up in size and complexity.
Now, the overall platform-level power efficiency picture is a bit murkier, mainly because it's workload-dependent. For some types of compute-intensive workloads, NVIDIA's GPU hardware will give it an edge in efficiency, even when it's paired with ARM cores. For certain cloud workloads, a cluster of ARM chips will undoubtedly be more efficient than a Xeon (and a bunch of virtual machines).
The overall point is that if you absolutely must run some non-enormous number of compute-intensive instruction threads on the CPU (not on the GPU), then you'll want an x86 CPU for the foreseeable future. If you can offload some of that work to the GPU, then you'll want an x86 CPU and a good GPU. In either case, the x86 CPU and GPU combo will give you better performance and performance per watt in such a scenario than a comparable ARM chip—again, this is because of Intel's process leadership, and because Intel has been working on exactly this problem for much longer than any of the upstart ARM guys, with ARM being a total newcomer to the world of performance and out-of-order execution.
The problem for Intel, and the opportunity for NVIDIA, is that the number of people who absolutely must run between four and, say, sixteen compute-intensive instruction threads on a single CPU is not growing nearly as fast as the number of people who just need a little CPU horsepower, long battery life, and as much data-parallel GPU horsepower as they can get.
But is Intel's game played out?
Cortex A8 die
It seems probable that NVIDIA, and the rest of the ARM chipmakers, are simply sitting on a much larger market opportunity than Intel, especially if Intel can't match the Cortex A8 in power draw and cost. And even if it can, there are a host of reasons for mobile and consumer electronics vendors to pick ARM over x86, not the least of which is the fact that nobody wants to be wedded to a single CPU supplier.
If it turns out that the ARM ecosystem can get within a factor of two of x86 in terms of performance and performance per watt as ARM chips move to higher levels of size and complexity, and if that ecosystem can simultaneously keep the cost of ARM chips much lower than that of x86 chips, then ARM could do to x86 what x86 did to Alpha, MIPS, SPARC, PowerPC, and the other RISC workstation architectures. Intel used its process strength to get close enough to RISC workstation and server performance that the PC's status as a low-cost commodity machine gave the PC an edge. We all know how the story played out: the high-end RISC vendors were marginalized, as the lower volumes on their now-boutique chips kept their prices up; meanwhile, Intel relentlessly narrowed the performance gap and moved the PC into new markets because it was dramatically cheaper and almost as good.
Given that there is no x86-only equivalent of Windows in the mobile space to give Intel the monopoly that it enjoyed in the PC market, it's possible that competition in the ARM ecosystem could get performance up into Intel's territory (without ever beating it) while being much cheaper due to massively higher product volumes. In that scenario, the x86 PC becomes a boutique, high-performance, niche machine, like the classic RISC workstations of yore. If x86 winds up in the same high-performance, high-cost ghetto as, say, Alpha, then it's curtains for Intel... unless, of course, the chipmaker jumps back on the ARM bandwagon.
Intel's options: either beat 'em or join 'em
If ARM vendors successfully invade the higher-performance segments of the computing market with the same "not really as good, but dramatically cheaper" strategy that Intel and Microsoft used in the PC era, then this would seem to leave Intel with two options.
The first option would be to go back into the ARM business, where the company's process leadership and systems integration strengths would give it a huge edge over the rest of the ARM ecosystem. Or, Intel could also get a taste of the ARM action by going the foundry path and opening its fabs up to some ARM-based SoC production from other, IP-only shops. The upsides and downsides of this approach aren't really clear yet, so this is a topic that's worth looking at in more detail at a later point.
Intel's second, and more likely, option would be to make its own mobiles, desktops, TVs, and other CE devices, and give away all that work as a set of "reference designs" to phone and consumer electronics makers like HTC and Samsung. These OEMs would take Intel's products, wrap them in some industrial design, and target them at different price points. This is by far the most likely direction that Intel is going to move in, because it already is doing this with different kinds of mobile and consumer electronics products (Smart TV being an example of the latter).
Under this second scenario, Intel becomes basically a mobile device and consumer electronics company that's attached to a giant set of fabs. OEMs would buy fully made, market-ready products from Intel and then tailor them with varying degrees of engineering and design in order to get some differentiation; the OEMs would then sell these products to consumers, who wouldn't really know or care whether there was an Intel or an ARM chip inside them.
The second scenario would see Intel competing alone against the entire ARM ecosystem—foundries, SoC vendors, and the OEMs that are also its target customers for its "reference designs."
It's not hard to see why Intel's current "go it alone" strategy is an uphill battle, if you look at it from the perspective of an OEM: if OEMs are making and selling two types of devices—1) ARM-based products that they made themselves using parts from suppliers who compete for their business, and 2) Intel-based products that they're essentially reselling at a modest markup—then it seems pretty clear that the ARM-based products are going to get the most love. It's logical that any product company is going to favor the product that they've invested the most in and taken the most risk with, so it's hard to see how Intel's nascent strategy of giving away fully baked reference designs can succeed in the long run.
The root of Intel's current challenges is that the company is still acting as if ISA matters, when it simply does not in the mobile and consumer electronics markets. And in the few places where ISA does matter—like Apple's iOS, which runs native binaries and has so far shown no indications that it's going in the same just-in-time compilation direction as the rest of the mobile space—ARM is the ISA of choice.
No, ISA only matters in the more performance-sensitive segments of the market, and even there, the Windows ARM port is a hint at the shape of things to come. The next shoe to drop will probably be an ARM-based EC2 instance from Amazon—I'll be shocked if we don't see that happen this year. So as this story develops, I grow less and less optimistic that Intel can stay out of the ARM business. We may yet see the chipmaker return to XScale, and to the years when it supported more than just two ISAs. The next decade certainly won't see the end of x86, but it could see the end of Intel's effort to consolidate on its most successful ISA.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22820
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2 posts tagged with network by caution live frogs.
Displaying 1 through 2 of 2.
Networked Printers - Problem with JetDirect
Can an old Mac actually ignore network security?
MacCruftFilter: a guy i know told me yesterday that he discovered he had the ability to wander around the network using an old macintosh SE (linked through a newer one, as it's too old to connect directly). the funny thing was that in browsing appletalk he realized he could look at and open files - not just specifically shared files, but any files - on any networked mac on campus (he didn't say if he meant OS X too, or only OS 9 or older). he figures the new macs don't recognize the old one as even existing, and the old one is too old to recognize the security setup on the new ones - so they ignore each other and he's free to open someone else's files. he didn't try creating or deleting anything, though. so here's the question: can any mac people tell me if is he right about why this works, and, if not, is this just a fluke? am i potentially opening a can of mac-security worms by even asking this?
posted by caution live frogs on Aug 5, 2004 - 10 answers
Page: 1
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22821
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Take the 2-minute tour ×
I'm trying to setup sudo without no password but still I get prompted for password, I'm using ubuntu, here is the relevant line from the sudoers configuration file :
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cough Allowing a user to sudo without a password cough. UNSECURE! You should not do this. – Thomas W. Jul 26 '12 at 16:01
You can do this, but it breaks the security model. Are you absolutely sure you want to do this? – Paddy Landau Jul 26 '12 at 16:26
I can understand wanting to do this on a computer, say at home in a secure situation. Security forces a "good" password, which usually means long and harder to type. Trouble is, we have to type it in VERY regularly and it gets to be tiresome. I am not advocating against security, but, especially in the home situation, it may well be desirable to do this. – Jazz Jul 26 '12 at 22:44
To say this "breaks the security model" is rather extreme. sudo is designed to facilitate passwordless operation easily and even has ready-to-go commented configuration lines in /etc/sudoers to allow a whole group of users to run any command as root without being prompted for a password. There are some adverse security implications of doing this--any program can perform actions as root without you being notified!--but an actual attacker, with the ability to run programs as (non-root) you, can already capture your password as you enter it for sudo (and then run sudo with it). – Eliah Kagan Jul 27 '12 at 17:43
I was wanting to do this just for my ansible ci/cd user.. so that my management scripts can run unattended as part of my CI/CD process. I wouldn't say that's inherently insecure as it's for one user and only via ssh with a private/public key pair. – Tracker1 Jul 10 '14 at 21:16
3 Answers 3
I believe the correct line is:
Put it in the end of the file - replace gandalf with the appropriate username. (To edit the file, run the command sudo visudo.)
share|improve this answer
Thanks, putting it at the end of the file fixed it for me – trinth Dec 19 '13 at 17:26
I use the sudo group and have:
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There is one note to mention. That line should be at end of the /etc/sudoers file.
Why: because some configuration lines from /etc/sudoers overwrite our line.
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protected by Community Jun 17 '13 at 6:06
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22822
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Take the 2-minute tour ×
I didnt find this specific question. I am not asking how large the installer is (12.10 btw). And I am not asking if I can install ubuntu without the internet. I have read that I can just install via the Boot CD or USB without an internet connection.
What I would want to know is what and how much the Ubuntu installation process does download if there is an internet connection.
I assume it is updates?
I am in a hostel that hands out 300 - 1000 mb codes of free internet. So if I was going to let it use the internet I would be limited by that amount of megabytes.
Could I do those updates once I am in a new location next week?
share|improve this question
I'm not sure. I think they are about 200-300 MB language packs and the same amount for updates. I suggest you install without Internet; you always have enough time to install updates or language packs. After you installed, Software Updater will tell you how much download is needed. – AliNa Mar 12 '13 at 20:46
Thanks :) Can't wait to clean my computer with Ubuntu – Oliver Schöning Mar 12 '13 at 21:22
Also, you'll never know how much it will download. Because the updates will be more heavy while more time has passed since your release has been released. @AliNa Could you (please) create an answer. – Lucio Mar 14 '13 at 3:55
1 Answer 1
As my experience, there are about 200 MB for language packs (will be different for different languages) and 200-300 MB for updates if you have checked the box in the step preparing to install.
Since it may takes long time to download and install new packages, I recommend you to install Ubuntu without any Internet connections. It will be installed in about 10 minutes only. After you installed it succesfully, you can run Software Updater to see the available updates and their sizes, then if you have a limited Internet traffic, you can choose between them to be installed. And if your language is English, you can ignore language packs as well.
share|improve this answer
Your Answer
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Take the 2-minute tour ×
I have a local network of 80 machines, all with Ubuntu 10.04 installed on them. All the machines are connected to a central switch.
I have some contractors that are located overseas. I would like to dedicate each of them a single machine, so that all the work they do will be performed on one of my 'local' machines (through remote access).
Ideally, I'd prefer a free solution that will allow each of the users to securely connect to a remote machine, view 'X' (meaning, be able to open programs like Evolution, send emails, write computer code etc) and also open a terminal, run scripts etc. Ideally, the solution should be fast (meaning, I don't want a long delay between every punch on their keyboard to when their screen gets updated) and secure.
I should also have the ability to access the machine they're working on and block their access, in case they're doing something they're not supposed to.
any ideas?
share|improve this question
1 Answer 1
up vote 5 down vote accepted
ssh -X user@dedicated-ip-for-machine in a terminal would allow them to connect via SSH but also forward GUI programs to their system (so that if they type in gedit, it will run gedit, and forward the GUI program to their system's screen, rather than using the dedicated box's monitor. This allows you to also restrict their access and can allow you to block items on the system. Note that this would be a command line connection, rather than a remote desktop solution.
If you need something specific for complete remote desktop connections, you may consider utilizing TeamViewer, however the system can on occasion not operate to the specs that you are requesting in a program.
share|improve this answer
Thank you. How do I create the dedicated ip for each machine? is it a lengthy process? also, how fast will be the connection? (is it going to be like the user is working on his/her machine, rather than a remote one?) – user11833 Mar 30 '11 at 11:26
Depends. First off, for the dedicated IP, if you've got one IP for the network, you'll have to set up different SSH ports on both machines, then use a router or some kind of NAT forwarding to forward ports to each machine. Secondly, to answer the environment question, they will be seeing a command line to start. In that command line, they'll be able to input commands, such as firefox, gedit, or any other name for a GUI program. Assuming that the X11 forwarding works, it will put the GUI program's interface on their machine, but it will be working on the remote machine... – Thomas W. Mar 30 '11 at 14:41
... rather than on the local machine, so they would have access to the remote machine's files. – Thomas W. Mar 30 '11 at 14:41
EvilPhoenix: thank you. Currently, all I have are static IPs for the machines (meaning, each machine has a static IP of 192.168.0.XX). How do I go from here to allowing a user (located overseas) to access one machine (say, – user11833 Mar 30 '11 at 14:46
Depends on your network topography, and also how the central hub / gateway is configured. You'd be better off asking a networking expert rather than me. – Thomas W. Mar 31 '11 at 5:27
Your Answer
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22824
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Take the 2-minute tour ×
My laptop keyboard doesn't have a right Ctrl key. And I use a different layout than the native layout of my keyboard, so there are some keys that do nothing. So I'm trying to remap one of those keys to use as a right control. I'm doing the following command: xmodmap -e 'keycode 97=Control_R'. I also tried with Control_L. But the key do nothing. Then I tested with Alt key: xmodmap -e 'keycode 97=Alt_r' and it works fine.
Why can't I remap the control key?
share|improve this question
1 Answer 1
up vote 3 down vote accepted
Changing the mapping of the control key is a two step process. The first part is to get the right information for the keycode and keysym. The second part is to make sure the modifier mapping is right.
It sounds like you've got the correct keycode already so try this instead. Create a file myxmodmap with the following
clear control
keycode 97 = Control_R
add control = Control_R Control_L
Now process the file with xmodmap
[~]$ xmodmap myxmodmap
If you want those xmodmap expressions to be processed each time you log in change the file name to ~/.Xmodmap
share|improve this answer
Your Answer
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/22828
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Document: Original Web2spider guide
View document
This is the original Web2spider guide created by Helen Smith, Matthew Bulbert and John Gollan.
File type:
File size:
4095 kB
© Australian Museum
All illustrations were prepared by Helen Smith. Illustrations labelled with “adapted from Main, 1976” were modified from:
“Main, Barbara York (1976). Spiders, Collins (The Australian Naturalist Library), Sydney.” The illustrations were used with explicit permission of the author.
Images on the title page were provided by Matthew Bulbert, John Gollan and David Hain.
We thank Mike Gray and Barbara York Main for their help during the preparation of this document.
Funding for the BugWise project and associated resources was supplied by Coal and Allied Community Trust and NSW Environmental Trust.
All images, illustrations and text © Australian Museum, 2008.
Last Updated:
Tags BugWise, Helen Smith, John Gollan, Matthew Bulbert, original BugWise,
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public marks
PUBLIC MARKS with tags politics & webradio
01 September 2005
d. otted rhythmbig news -- the a45 xmaz party!
by ryanne
[saturday, 04 december 2004] FINALLY STH to brighten up my day!!! thanks kirk thank youuuuu THANK YOUUU (for you-know-what....hahahaa) i have the A45 x'maz party to look forward to after the exams.....yay :)enough about it...must concentrate again
lunch with margaret
by ryanne
[thursday, 23 december 2004] HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!! XD XD (and don't forget the true spirit of christmas) lunch today at FCC with margaret, kirk, kris, edwin, freeman and sarah :) what a way to start my holidays!
31 August 2005
by ryanne
[monday, 08 august 2005] 行政命令是什麼？ 曾長官說是臨時措施，究竟如何「臨時」法？梁師長講得不清不楚，李處長又叫我們信警方不會濫用，四十五條關注組就覺得命令不可以取代法律 . . . 最好
course selection + hklj meeting + drinks + webradio
by ryanne
[monday, 08 august 2005] finally done! thanks to the help of bonnie (the 揀科 expert), maureen (for telling me about the stupid draft timetable which is helpful but inaccurate), eddy (for the info of UG3a), natalie (for waking me up..haha) and donna (fo
22 July 2005
PUBLIC TAGS related to tag politics
censorship + china + yahoo! +
Active users
last mark : 01/09/2005 13:59
last mark : 22/07/2005 16:23
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NUnit Converter V0.3 is a new version (0.3) of the converter in the GotDotNet workspace. Click here to download. This version adds support for VB.NET and fixes a few bugs that I discovered as I did more extensive acceptance testing. I have done much more acceptanceen-USTelligent Evolution Platform Developer Build (Build: 5.6.50428.7875)re: NUnit Converter V0.3, 06 Jul 2005 12:53:37 GMT91d46819-8472-40ad-a661-2c78acb4018c:435982Mike GI'm a big Microsoft fan, but it's things like this that really annoy me. Why replace NUnit? It's good, it works, it's all but an accepted "standard". Microsoft have the "Not Written Here" disesase in spades. <br> <br>MS should actually contribute something to NUnit, not try and stamp it out. <br> <br>I shall be voting with my feet on this one. CruiseControl.NET, NAnt, NUnit and SVN or similar (Clearcase currently). <div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="" width="1" height="1">
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Hey, check this out, Elvis has joined the MEDC 2005 Podsquad.
and, check out the speaker “leader board” at MEDC 2005…
Be aware that we’re only interested in providing the BEST content to the delegates at the conference, there’s no bragging rights associated with being TOP of the speaker list… <g>
– Mike
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PowerShell Eventing QuickStart
PowerShell Eventing QuickStart
• Comments 13
The second CTP of PowerShell V2 (CTP2) introduces another new feature called PowerShell Eventing. PowerShell Eventing lets you respond to the asynchronous notifications that many objects support. We didn’t get a chance to fully document these cmdlets in the CTP2, though, so here’s a quick start and primer to help you explore the feature.
Discovering Events
Before playing with PowerShell eventing, you’ll probably want to find an object that supports events. But how do you know what an object supports? You will most commonly discover this through API documentation ("To receive notifications, subscribe to the <Foo> event,") but Get-Member has also been enhanced to show the events supported by an object:
PS >$timer = New-Object Timers.Timer
PS >$timer | Get-Member -Type Event
TypeName: System.Timers.Timer
Name MemberType Definition
Disposed Event System.EventHandler Disposed(System.Object, System.EventArgs)
Elapsed Event System.Timers.ElapsedEventHandler Elapsed(System.Object, System.Timers.ElapsedEventArgs)
Subscribing to Events
Once you've determined the event name you are interested in, the Register-ObjectEvent cmdlet registers your event subscription in the system. The SourceIdentifier parameter helps identify events generated by this object, and lets you manage its event subscription:
PS >Register-ObjectEvent $timer Elapsed -SourceIdentifier Timer.Elapsed
In addition to the Register-ObjectEvent cmdlet, additional cmdlets let you register for WMI events and PowerShell engine events.
The Get-PsEventSubscriber cmdlet shows us all event subscribers in the session:
PS >Get-PSEventSubscriber
SubscriptionId : 4
SourceObject : System.Timers.Timer
EventName : Elapsed
SourceIdentifier : Timer.Elapsed
Action :
HandlerDelegate :
SupportEvent : False
ForwardEvent : False
Polling for Events
The simplest way to manage events is to simply subscribe to them, and occasionally check the event queue. When you are done with the event, remove it from the queue. The Get-PsEvent and Remove-PsEvent cmdlets let you do that:
PS >Get-PsEvent
PS >$timer.Interval = 2000
PS >$timer.Autoreset = $false
PS >$timer.Enabled = $true
PS >Get-PsEvent
PS >Get-PsEvent
EventIdentifier : 11
Sender : System.Timers.Timer
SourceEventArgs : System.Timers.ElapsedEventArgs
SourceArgs : {System.Timers.Timer, System.Timers.ElapsedEventArgs}
SourceIdentifier : Timer.Elapsed
TimeGenerated : 6/10/2008 3:33:39 PM
MessageData :
ForwardEvent : False
PS >Remove-PsEvent *
PS >Get-PsEvent
Most objects pack their interesting data in a class derived from "EventArgs." To make working with these as easy as possible, the SourceEventArgs property is a shortcut to the first parameter in the event handler that derives from EventArgs. The SourceArgs parameter gives you full access to the event handler parameters, letting you deal with events that don't follow the basic "Object sender, EventArgs e" pattern.
Waiting for Events
Polling for an event is tedious, since you usually want to wait until the event is raised before you do something. The Wait-PsEvent cmdlet lets you do that. Unlike synchronous objects on methods (i.e.: Process.WaitForExit(),) this cmdlet lets you press Control-C to halt the wait:
PS >$timer.Interval = 2000
PS >$timer.Autoreset = $false
PS >$timer.Enabled = $true; Wait-PsEvent Timer.Elapsed
<2 seconds pass>
EventIdentifier : 12
Sender : System.Timers.Timer
SourceEventArgs : System.Timers.ElapsedEventArgs
SourceArgs : {System.Timers.Timer, System.Timers.ElapsedEventArgs}
SourceIdentifier : Timer.Elapsed
TimeGenerated : 6/10/2008 3:24:18 PM
MessageData :
ForwardEvent : False
Once you've finished working with the event, remove it from the queue.
Asynchronous Processing of Events
While waiting for an event is helpful, you usually don't want to block your script or shell session just waiting for the event to fire. To support this, the Register-*Event cmdlets support an -Action scriptblock. PowerShell will invoke that scriptblock in the background when your event arrives. These actions invoke in their own module — they can get and set $GLOBAL variables, but regular variable modifications happen in their own isolated environment.
function DoEvery
param([int] $seconds,[ScriptBlock] $action )
$timer = New-Object System.Timers.Timer
$timer.Interval = $seconds * 1000
$timer.Enabled = $true
Register-ObjectEvent $timer "Elapsed" -SourceIdentifier "Timer.Elapsed" -Action $action
DoEvery 2 { [Console]::Beep(300, 100) }
## Eventually
Unregister-PsEvent "Timer.Elapsed"
(Warning: The $args parameter in event actions has changed since CTP2 based on usability feedback. Such is the risk and reward of pre-release software!)
However, doing two things at once means multithreading. And multithreading? Thar be dragons! To prevent you from having to deal with multi-threading issues, PowerShell tightly controls the execution of these script blocks. When it's time to process an action, it suspends the current script or pipeline, executes the action, and then resumes where it left off. It only processes one action at a time.
One great use of asynchronous actions is engine events, and the Register-PsEvent cmdlet:
## Now in your profile
$maximumHistoryCount = 1kb
## Register for the engine shutdown event
Register-PsEvent ([System.Management.Automation.PsEngineEvent]::Exiting) -Action {
Get-History -Count $maximumHistoryCount | ? { $_.CommandLine -ne "exit" } |
Export-CliXml (Join-Path (Split-Path $profile) "commandHistory.clixml")
## Load our previous history
$historyFile = (Join-Path (Split-Path $profile) "commandHistory.clixml")
if(Test-Path $historyFile)
Import-CliXml $historyFile | Add-History
Support Events
Ultimately, almost any event can be written in terms of Register-ObjectEvent. PowerShell is all about task-based abstractions, though, so event forwarding lets you (and ISVs) map complex event domains (such as WMI queries) to much simpler ones. The -SupportEvent parameter to the event registration cmdlets help there, as its event registrations don't show in the default views:
## Enable process creation events
function Enable-ProcessCreationEvent
$query = New-Object System.Management.WqlEventQuery "__InstanceCreationEvent", `
(New-Object TimeSpan 0,0,1), `
"TargetInstance isa 'Win32_Process'"
$processWatcher = New-Object System.Management.ManagementEventWatcher $query
$identifier = "WMI.ProcessCreated"
Register-ObjectEvent $processWatcher "EventArrived" -SupportEvent $identifier -Action {
[void] (New-PsEvent "PowerShell.ProcessCreated" -Sender $args[0] -EventArguments $args[1].SourceEventArgs.NewEvent.TargetInstance)
## Disable process creation events
function Disable-ProcessCreationEvent
Unregister-PsEvent -Force -SourceIdentifier "WMI.ProcessCreated"
## Register for the custom "PowerShell.ProcessCreated" engine event
Register-PsEvent "PowerShell.ProcessCreated" -Action {
$processName = $args[1].SourceArgs[0].Name.Split(".")[0]
(New-Object -COM Sapi.SPVoice).Speak("Welcome to $processName")
## Eventually
Unregister-PsEvent PowerShell.ProcessCreated
Event Forwarding
When registering for an event on a remote machine, you can specify the "-Forward" parameter if you want to deliver the event to the client session connected to the remote machine. Here's an example:
$remoteComputer = "REMOTE_COMPUTER"
$session = New-PsSession $remoteComputer
Unregister-Event WMI.Service.Stopped -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
## Register for an event that fires when a service stops on the remote computer
## Set this to forward to the client machine.
Invoke-Command $session {
## The WMI query to detect a stopping service
$query = @"
SELECT *
FROM __InstanceModificationEvent
WITHIN 2
WHERE TargetInstance ISA 'Win32_Service'
AND TargetInstance.Name = 'WSearch'
AND TargetInstance.State = 'Stopped'
## Register for the WMI event
Register-WmiEvent -Query $query "WMI.Service.Stopped" -Forward
## Register for notifications from remote computers with the event name
## WMI.Service.Stopped. We'll LOCALLY show the event log of the computer
## that generated it.
$null = Register-EngineEvent WMI.Service.Stopped `
-Action { Show-EventLog $event.ComputerName }
## Stop the service
Invoke-Command $session { Stop-Service WSearch }
## Play in the shell
1..10 | % { Write-Host "Sleeping..."; Start-Sleep 1 }
Read-Host "Is it fixed?"
## Fix the service by restarting it.
Invoke-Command $session { Start-Service WSearch }
Remove-PsSession $session
Hope this helps getting started.
Lee Holmes [MSFT]
Windows PowerShell Development
Microsoft Corporation
Leave a Comment
• Please add 4 and 6 and type the answer here:
• Post
• PingBack from http://www.alvinashcraft.com/2008/06/11/dew-drop-june-11-2008/
• Some very powerful techniques in there. Thanks.
I noticed that the history preservation works if you type 'exit', but not if you click the top-right X to close Powershell. Is it possible to do something similar to intercept that event too, or would that be a different kettle of fish?
• i tried following your post. For some reason, Register-ObjectEvent throws an error saying that it not recognized as a cmdlet, function, etc. etc.
is there any extra library/snap-in that i need before i could use this cmdlet?
Please help me.
• Hi Shaurav;
This requires CTP2 of PowerShell.
• Thank you. I was not aware of the new CTP. I hvae another question, is it possible to register TFS events using what you wrote above? i want to create a script which kicks off a build as soon as a developer checks-in some code.
• from James Manning on the TFS team:
Short answer:
what you're asking for is "continuous integration" and it's built-in to TFS 2008 and there are multiple ways of doing it with TFS 2005. I would imagine you'll be able to leverage existing work for this.
Long answer:
TFS "events" (a bad choice on our part to overload that term) aren't .NET events, they're just notification mechanisms initiated by the TFS server (send email or call web service).
For your case, the simplest thing would probably be a powershell script that hosted a web service (using WCF or whatever), register it on the TFS server (BisSubscribe.exe or some other tool for managing the subscriptions) then when the service gets called for a checkin, kick off the build.
However, as mentioned earlier, TFS 2008 already has this built-in, so I'd recommend upgrading to it (if you're still on 2005) and using the CI we already put in the box :)
• For those running CTP3 I thought I'd let you know how to update Lees's script "Event Forwarding/Supports Events". Paul expained to me how to do this in the public discussion group.
-> Enable-ProcessCreationEvent
-> Register-PsEvent
in addition to this change the parameter
one other note $args are scoped to the action block.
In the case of RegisterObjectEvent these are ManagementEventWatcher and EventArrivedEventArgs respectively.
In the example above case New-Event is returning a WMI query to Register-EngineEvent so this will be a ManagementBaseObject that encapsulates a WMI class. In this case the properties of Win32_Process.
Hopefully this will save some of you time and frustration
• Can we do multithreading using powershell?
Like wise shooting some query strings to a set of database servers simultaneousl;y.
• Another update--in the final version of Powershell v2, "PSEvent*" cmdlets have been renamed "Event*"
• Is it possible to handle
events from COM objects?
$comobj = New-Object -ComObject ...
Following command doesn't show anything. Why?
$comobj | Get-Member -Type Event
The COM object has events. In VBScript I can receive events.
• @Jo: I'm looking for exactly the same thing, myself. I can do it from, say, C#, so it's possible, but I can't yet work out the Powershell voodoo necessary to do it.
• I have some troubles with event forwarding.
Im using code like this:
$remoteComputer = "some_comp"
$session = New-PsSession $remoteComputer
Unregister-Event CatchEvent -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Invoke-Command $session {
$query = @"
SELECT *
FROM __instancecreationevent
WHERE TargetInstance ISA 'Win32_NtLogEvent'
and targetinstance.eventcode = '7036'
Register-WmiEvent -Query $query "CatchEvent" -Forward
$null = Register-EngineEvent CatchEvent -Action { $GLOBAL:MyEvent = $event}
But $MyEvent.SourceEventArgs.SerializedRemoteEventA
rgs.NewEvent.TargetInstance is string, not event.
Tell me please, whats wrong with my script?
• Consider the case where you have set the timer to 10 sec. Which means you have schedule to execute some action script block after every 10 seconds.
But it might happen that the action script block may take itselft more than 10 sec for execution. In that case it will create problem!
Is there any way to solve this ?
Page 1 of 1 (13 items)
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What's new in .NET Framework 4 Release Candidate documentationhttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/wpfsdk/archive/2010/02/19/what-s-new-in-net-framework-4-release-candidate-documentation.aspxThe Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 Release Candidate is now available along with the documentation online at MSDN. There are a few new things you might want to check out. The Getting Started with WPF walkthrough has been completely updateden-USTelligent Evolution Platform Developer Build (Build: 5.6.50428.7875)
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Saint Dionysius of Corinth
Also known as
• Denis
Second century bishop of Corinth, Greece. Some of his correspondence, including testimony about the martyrdom of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and correspondence with popes of the era, have survived. Fought the Marcionites and other heresies of his time.
Additional Information
MLA Citation
• “Saint Dionysius of Corinth“. CatholicSaints.Info. 29 October 2012. Web. 2 June 2015. <>
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HOME > Chowhound > San Francisco Bay Area >
Jul 17, 2008 03:07 PM
Mexican without cilantro in SF?
hi all,
this is unconscionable, i know. but a friend just moved to the bay area from los angeles, and she can't stand cilantro. one of her favorite places to eat there was tito's tacos (http://www.titostacos.com/), which doesn't put cilantro on their tacos or in their salsa. is there any place like this in sf?
1. Click to Upload a photo (10 MB limit)
1. Are you looking for a Tito's Tacos-style taco or just something without cilantro?
Without cilantro, I'd try the taco trucks. For instance, at the El Tonayense trucks around the city you can ask them to give you tacos with just meat - no condiments. I'm not sure if the salsas (there are 2 types) have cilantro, but if not she could just eat the pickled jalapenos and carrots for spice.
But ... those tacos are nothing like Tito's.
You could try Primavera at the FP Farmers Market. They make lots of things to order, and it would be easy to explain to them that you don't want cilantro.
I am not sensitive to cilantro, so may be wrong about this, but I feel like it's easy(-ish) to get dishes with no cilantro. The bigger issue is the salsa.
Mi Lindo Yucatan on Valencia could easily leave cilantro off their meat dishes (ie., Poc Chuc, Carne Asada) if they have it on there at all. And their beans, etc are Yucatecan style which seems to use less cilantro.
1. http://ihatecilantro.com/ ...she is not alone, it's the devil's weed.
El Tonayense rocks. Just ask for no cilantro and they'll do it no problem. The chunky salsa has it in it but the other blended types they have are awesome and I've never been able to detect any cilantro in them.
1. Burrito Factory in San Jose (might be a mini-chain down there, not sure) has chile colorado as a burrito option that I remember being pretty similar to Tito's.
1. Nick's Crispy Taco in the Marina serves up the fried tortilla shell like Tito's...except Nick's is bad and it will piss off a Tito's fan...close to $5 bucks for a taco and just not very good. Frankly I'd go to Jack in the Box first.
A sure bet for no cilantro...Jack in the Box, Taco Bell or just ask for no salsa at all and put it on yourself at the salsa counter.
BTW, cilantro is secret plot developed by the Latin Asian Restaurant Association.
1. thanks for all the replies so far! i should clarify-- i think my friend liked tito's primarily because they don't use cilantro in their salsa, not just that she liked their tacos. she does ask for no cilantro in the dishes, but it's hard to find cilantro-free salsa. is there any place locally that has a blended-style salsa similar to tito's?
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HOME > Chowhound > Cookware >
Mar 12, 2010 07:50 AM
KItchen Aid "Blue Willow" color: have you seen it? Need opinions.
Hey! I'm hoping to upgrade, this month (rebate time) to a larger, more powerful mixer (my old kitchenaid is the 325 watt model) so I can make more bread at once without burning out the motor. I like the larger bowl, too.
I live in a rural area and don't have any way to see the models in person. I'm interested in the KitchenAid Professional 5 Plus Series and was going to go with the Empire red, which I have seen, as the "cobalt" looks rather drab, to me. THEN I clicked on the Amazon links and saw Blue Willow! Wow...on my computer, this appears to be much closer to what I think of as "cobalt"--probably incorrectly; my artist daughter would laugh--as a brighter, lighter, more cheery blue: close to Swedish blue, or even CNN political blue <g>....
My kitchen is primarily in old Fiestaware colors: sunny yellow, bright red, jadite green, BUT I don't really care for the dark, dark fiesta blue...and as a result I've got more pure royal blue.
Have you seen this in person? Is it a pure, clear blue....or muddy? Can you compare it to something? I'd be very grateful. Thanks.
1. Click to Upload a photo (10 MB limit)
1. Here it is on the qvc.com website.. I've not seen it in person.. but to me.. it strikes me as a bit of a rich cornflower blue.
I'm not sure this is of much help.. but hope so!
1. I have the Professional 5 Plus in the blue willow -- it's sort of a dusty cobalt blue with a slight periwinkle undertone... it's quite pretty. I think it's the most cheerful of the colors available now (the Artisan seems to have much more "fun" colors -- but, I vastly prefer the pro model with the lift bowl).
1 Reply
1. re: karmalaw
Any chance you can find something in the pantry which is about the same colour, such as the lettering on a tin of spam. Just something the OP can walk into a shop and look at.
2. Oh, well...that does sound lovely but I need a very clear, solid royal blue or light cobalt. Shucks.
Anyway, I decided to go with the Pro 600, instead (hoping I don't get one of the lemons!) so now the question is moot. The only bright color they had that would work is the Empire Red, so, red it is.
Thanks for the help, though. I wish I could have settled on the Artisan, but I need more room/power for breadmaking. Currenlty, I only have a (very trusty and reliable) Classic 250 watt in white.
Does anyone keep their older KitchenAid when they move up? I'm really attached to this one and I *am* a bit fearful I'll get one of the Bad 'Un's that seem to pop up frequently in the Pro 600 range....However, I feel a bit ridiculous trying to justify a TWO stand mixer kitchen, especially given my shortage of counter space.
4 Replies
1. re: Beckyleach
By the way, in the interests of clarity, I *had* thought my original model had 325 watts--hence the original post--but I double-checked and it's merely a wimpy 250. IF it works properly, my new 575 watt model will knock my socks off! :-)
1. re: Beckyleach
I don't have the stand mixer, but I do have the KA food processor in Empire Red and I love it! Matches my favorite purse :)
1. re: Beckyleach
I have had a red 600 pro for 5 or 6 years and it's just great. The first one I got had a problem (don't remember what) and Kitchenaid exchanged it immediately. The bowl for the 600 is very big so if you have room to store your present machine, I think that it's easy to justify as you might want it for smaller batches ( a little whipped cream, perhaps?). And just the comfort of having a trusty back up.....
1. re: janeh
Oh, thanks for that! I think I just needed ONE person to absolve me from the sin of excess. ;-) I don't think the small sum I could get for Mr. Trusty would be worth the pain of parting with him...
2. You've already made your decision, but an ironclad rule of thumb: If color is important to you, there is absolutely no way on Earth to see what it really looks like without viewing the item itself in the flesh.
Analog and digital color reproduction is always inaccurate, sometimes wildly, regardless of how well-calibrated presses or monitors may be.
3 Replies
1. re: dmd_kc
Yeah, you're right....which is why I'm comfortable with the Empire Red, as that IS one I've actually seen. :-)
1. re: dmd_kc
And, people actually "see" and respond to color differently -- one person's "cheerful" might be another person's "overwhelming" or even "boring". And seeing a color in a small sample doesn't always give someone the full impact of the color (think paint chips). Add into it the environmental conditions (lighting plays a large role in color), and color becomes a very individualized choice.
1. re: karmalaw
and that reminds me of when we were choosing granite; we loved a slab in the outdoor granite yard, but when we brough home a sample and laid it on our countertop we were astounded at how the deep green turned into boring grey. The environment makes a big difference.
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HOME > Chowhound > San Francisco Bay Area >
Nov 29, 2010 10:34 AM
1 night in San Francisco
Boulevard or Gary Danko? Thanks Chowhounders.
Gary Danko
800 N Point St, San Francisco, CA 94109
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1. I like both of them a lot. I think, though, that if I had just one night in San Francisco, I'd pick Boulevard, more for the atmosphere and vibe than the food. Gary Danko is much more sedate and less lively and not very unique to San Francisco.
Gary Danko
800 N Point St, San Francisco, CA 94109
1. The original comment has been removed
1. +1 for boulevard.
And get the dungeness crab salad for your app.
1. Maybe some of these recent "one night SF" threads might be helpful:
However, it does appear you have difficulty deciding between solid choices on a limited schedule, given your recent questions:
"1 night in Zaragoza, Spain"
"Please help me choose!"
"3 Nights -- What about this line up?"
In any event, it's difficult to give great advice without knowing your preferences. Otherwise it's just an odd poll. It's natural to feel anxious about missing out on a limited schedule to a wonderful destination. If you can't spend two nights, might I suggest you do what I do: double up on meals.
3 Replies
1. re: Jumbo_Jack
Passing through on the way to southeast Asia for a month, Tried Danko before, liked it but wanted to try a new place. Money no object...don't like "stuffy" French but thanks anyway for the help.
1. re: jdmmdm
Why don't you eat at COI, then?
373 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133
1. re: jdmmdm
Wait... you *been* to Danko, and not Boulevard, and you're asking which?
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HOME > Chowhound > Ontario (inc. Toronto) >
Aug 16, 2013 06:48 PM
Wow!! An even 'tastier' plum than the Red Velvet Apricot!!
'Purple Rose Plum' from California:
This is, in my opinion, one of the most delicious and aromatic plum I have ever eaten! Velvety skin, extraordinarily juicy, super sweet and an aroma and taste profile that encompass a unique combination of Rose flower floral bouquet plus 'late harvest Gewurztraminer wine' nose and palette. A steal at Can$2.99 per lb from Michael Angelo!!
Unsure how long the season for this will last?
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1. I have to agree that the purple rose plum is quite lovely. I've been eating them all this week!
If you love plum Charles, you should have tried the mango plums at Michael Angelo nearly a month ago. It's a heart shaped golden plum bordering on ataulfo mango shade. It's a lovely floral aroma with a honey and mango flavour instead of just 'sweet' sugary. Unlike most plums, the skin is not acidic sour flavour but it is softer tart that compliments the mango flavour.
9 Replies
1. re: Nevy
Thank you Nevy!!
Missed that!! I have to mark it down on my diary for next year!!!
Found Michael Angelo to be quite a store for interesting fruits! Pretty reasonable price too!! Bought some Ontario Wild Blue Berries that's at least a dollar or two less than Longo's across the road!
1. re: Charles Yu
I assuming you're going to the larger GTA east one. The GTA west one is much smaller but they do carry lots of great fruits. They had fresh yellow Israeli dates there and I picked up a few. If you love dried fruits, I suggest trying the Mozafati dates. They're a revelation for me. Soft and creamy texture combined with caramel flavours ... And only $3.99 for a box at 700 g. I highly prefer these over the gummy sugary medjool dried out dates. If you grab a box, make sure they have a bit of moisture on the surface.
1. re: Nevy
Yup! The Woodbine/Hwy#7 location.
1. re: Charles Yu
Charles, are the red velvet apricots similar to the Aprimum? I saw a whole case 3lb for $6.99 at Costco. I'm wondering if its the same but marketing is trying to make it sound new and exciting.
1. re: Nevy
Oops! It should be black not red!!
This is the one I was referring to:
1. re: Charles Yu
Well Costco is selling Red velvet apricots now! I bought a case and trying it tonight!
2. re: Nevy
I just went and bought myself a box of Aprimum from Costco. After taste testing, my conclusion is that this 'new' product fell way short of their sweeter, juicier and less acidic skin brethren - the Black Velvet Apricot.
As for comparing it to the Purple Rose Plum, the difference is simply night and Day!! The Purple Rose is much more aromatic, juicy and delicious.
2. re: Nevy
They had mango plums last weekend at Square One Farmer's Market.
1. re: marshaw
Oh really? Looks like ill be heading there!
3. Is there anywhere other than Michael Angelo's that's selling them?
2 Replies
1. re: kwass
Did not see them at Longo's , Metro or Loblaws!
1. re: Charles Yu
I found them today @ Pusateri's. I'll report back once I've tried them :)
2. Likely a bit early in the season, I know, but has anyone seen or know where there will be Damson plums?
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HOME > Chowhound > San Diego >
Feb 27, 2014 09:10 AM
Happy Hours. .what's new and exciting?
Love love love me a good happy hour but obviously, I need to get out more and try some different places.
Spill the wine...where do you like to go?
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1. I do enjoy the turkey chili at Bare Back Grill. Also the burger and beer special at Club 710. I would like to find a few more refined places. I'm kind of in a HH slump.
6 Replies
1. re: cstr
Somehow sledge, you don't seem like a PB kind of guy.
1. re: cstr
I see you as a refined man, late 50's, upper middle class, Lincoln or 7 series Bimmer kind of guy that drinks single malt scotch, plays the market, fiscal conservative and goes on vacation to Hawaii, with his family..
Not the SAE frat party boy, swigging $2 Bud Lights at happy hour on Garnet and eating pedestrian hamburgers with bad buns..slathered with Miracle Whip..
I could be totally wrong.
1. re: Beach Chick
For a SD native, I'm surprised that your PB stereotype is so limited. There are also are the PB locals - the families that own the houses in the blocks north of Garnet, walk down to the beach on most days, and in general support a good number of the restaurants and bars during the day and early evening but disappear to their homes at night when the freaks come out.
1. We've been hitting The Joint in OB lately for HH, particularly on Tuesdays. It's pretty much a sushi and tapas HH and on Tuesdays they have pints of Sculpin for $2.50 all day. They are beer and wine only, but have a couple of wines for $5ish at HH which, i think, runs from 2-6 pm (but I would call first to verify what days). It's also a really good HH if you need to hit a farmers market (wednesday) and want to booze a little before you squeeze some produce.
Salmon Nigiri - 2 pc. for $3 at HH - the last three times we have been, it has been super fresh.
1 Reply
1. re: Stiflers_Mom
Sushi and tapas in OB for HH..yeah baby!
2. For No County Happy Hours:
The Pony Room -- Rancho Valencia Resort
The Del Mar Brig
Red Tracton's (where candidly it's always Happy Hour)
Union Kitchen Encinitas
5 Replies
1. re: wanker
The Wank...shoots and scores..
Love me Red Tracton's..didn't know they had a happy hour...must get real indigo in there with the blue hairs.
1. re: wanker
Didn't know about Red's happy hour either, But right next door, the Fish Market also has a nice happy hour. Oysters for $1.50! Don't know if the FM in SD has one as well.
1. re: littlestevie
I'm all over Reds and didn't know about Fish either..I only do the O bar, which sounds perfect for lunch..
Bowl of chowdah, Duckett's bucket, cheesy bread and Anchor draft..yeah baby!
1. re: Beach Chick
The happy hour is just in the oyster bar. Now that they remodeled it (about a year ago) a lot more seating.
1. re: littlestevie
The Oyster Bar at the Fish Market is terrific, but it's very difficult to get a seat. The Oyster Bar seems to have a cast of regulars who monopolize them. However, you can sit in the gegular bar and order from the menu, but it's just not same.
2. Happy Hour?
Never get there, cooking for the Missus.
I'm happy when she gets home, though!
10 Replies
1. re: Fake Name
My goodness, you are such a devoted husband - congrats t8 to you.
1. re: Gypsy Jan
It's truly my privilege, and it's my sincere hope she never comes to her senses.
1. re: Fake Name
Let's hope Mrs. Fakey doesn't come to her senses!
But you're Fakey...you da man!
2. re: Fake Name
You could really 'Fake' her out and surprise Ms FN with a Happy Hour nosh.
1. re: cstr
But MrsName rarely gets home before 7 and very much likes being here. I make certain of it.
One key to a happy marriage is to make damn sure one's spouse prefers to come home than to Happy Hour.
1. re: Fake Name
All wives have their husbands well trained.
It's on page one of the manual, next to the ball buster contraption!
1. re: Beach Chick
And we just let you keep on believing that.
3. Local Habit is pretty good.
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From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository
Jump to: navigation, search
This category has the following 25 subcategories, out of 25 total.
Pages in category "Carmarthenshire"
This category contains only the following page.
Media in category "Carmarthenshire"
The following 200 files are in this category, out of 3,698 total.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/23011
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From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository
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The following images were created by Flickr user Crackerbunny. They were uploaded after permission was forwarded to the OTRS permissions queue to relicense them under a Creative Commons license.
However, I have received no response from either Crackerbunny or Xgeorg (who uploaded the images) while attempting to confirm the release. This is necessary to verify the authenticity of the forwarded confirmation.
They have been marked as having invalid licensing.
1. Alexander Auld.jpg
2. Johan Hedberg.jpg
3. Marty Turco.jpg
4. Marty Turco 2.jpg
5. Niklas Hagman.jpg
6. Jeremy Roenick 2006.jpg
7. Brian Boucher.jpg
8. Aebischer and Boucher.jpg
9. Jeremy Roenick 2005.jpg
10. Mike Ricci portrait.jpg
11. Jason LaBarbara.jpg
12. Jason Arnott.jpg
13. Henrik Sedin.jpg
14. Anson Carter.jpg
15. Jarkko Ruutu.jpg
16. Todd Bertuzzi.jpg
17. Maxime Ouellet.jpg
18. First Union center.jpg
19. Jean Sebastien Giguere.jpg
20. Ilya Bryzgalov 2006.jpg
21. Arrowhead Pond.jpg
22. Pond in playoffs.jpg
23. Oleg Kvasha.jpg
24. Mathieu Garon 2.jpg
25. Dennis Seidenberg Coyotes.jpg
26. Bully Ricci Jokinen.jpg
27. Mathieu Chouinard.jpg
28. Shane Doan.jpg
29. Paul Mara.jpg
30. Phoenix Coyotes bench.jpg
31. LasVegas Wranglers goalies.jpg
32. Michael Wall AnaDucks.jpg
33. Staples Center 29102005.jpg
34. Pavol Demitra 2.jpg
35. Utah vs Phoenix.jpg
36. UtahGrizzlies PhoenixRoadrunners.jpg
37. Brett Hull.jpg
38. United Center 2003.jpg
39. Curtis Joseph split.jpg
40. Curtis Joseph.jpg
I do not agree with this practice - I send you not only once a forward of the message from Crackerbunny. This message allows the usage under 'CC-BY-Sa-2.5' - so where is the problem? --Xgeorg 07:08, 2 August 2007 (UTC)
It is unfortunately easy to write a fake message releasing copyright with a fake "Forwarded message:" line. Some users do this deliberately because they just want to keep the images regardless of copyright. For legal reasons, we must receive a verifiable release; for example, an email from the author or an updated copyright notice on the images. I tried to contact the author for confirmation, but received no response after more than two weeks. The license on the original page also remains unchanged. Therefore, we cannot accept the release in the permissions archive. —Pathoschild 00:51:53, 03 August 2007 (UTC)
I did not fake the answer of the author. --Xgeorg 07:19, 3 August 2007 (UTC)
While I don't doubt your good intentions, "the unrelated uploader said it was okay" is not a a very good guarantee to redistributors who want a reliable repository, nor is it a good defense against lawsuit. If you can ask the copyright holder to respond to my email, we will be able to confirm the copyright release. —Pathoschild 17:35:56, 03 August 2007 (UTC)
This seems like simply a WP:AGF issue to me.. IrisKawling 16:37, 17 August 2007 (UTC)
It seems that Xgeorg has since created a flickr account [1] and re-uploaded these images which he previously acknowledged as being created by third parties as reflected by the deleted image pages, but now he claims to be the author and that they are freely licensed. Looks like flickr washing to me. --Gmaxwell (talk) 20:30, 16 November 2008 (UTC)
Invalid licensing template[edit]
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/23020
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Reinventing the bike experience
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/23021
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My face won't stop breaking out?
This might be kind of long. I was using Differin from derm and it stopped working so I started using a Salyclic acid cleanser from Biore and it's kept my skin mostly clear for the last 6 weeks. I also use a Clarisonic. Now I have three cystic pimples on my cheeks (I NEVER used to breakout on my cheeks), two on my chin and I came home today and found I have a new one on my forehead. I also have t ton on tiny under the skin bumps on my chin. What is going on?? My skin wasn't even this barowen I went to the derm the first time! Is there anything you would recommend? Mask, treatment, anything. My skin is also pretty oily.
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I recommend the Murad Purifying Mask, I've used it in the past but found it really drying because I'm not oily, I just have cystic acne.
I know what you mean about using stuff from the Derm and then it not working anymore. It's awful.
How long have you been using your clarisonic? That might be purging your skin which if you can suffer through it is a really good thing because it cleans your skin out then keeps it clean.
You could also try Dermadoctor's Ain't Misbehavin $25 for a huge bottle. What I do is use it like a mask after I wash my face I dry it, then I apply the dermadoctor dry, then I wash it off after ten minutes using warm water and my clarisonic.
Question Stats
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/23022
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What are you wearing today?
What makeup is everyone wearing today?
Today I am wearing:
1. Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation in Champagne
2. Benefit Coralista blush
3. TheBalm Mary-Loumanizer
4. Dior Creme de Rose Lipbalm
5. Dior Addict Lipstick in 454
6. Benefit Creaseless Cream shadow in RSVP
So c'mon now...confess!
Re: What are you wearing today?
(0) Hearts
Thank you so much! I can't stand it when it gets too long anymore, lol!
Re: What are you wearing today?
20140307_190518-1.jpgToday I'm wearing Miley Cyrus' tongue and some BB cream by Smashbox, a little eyeliner and brow powder by ABH. :smileyvery-happy: I just feel silly and sloppy! (And my room is a disaster because I'm trying to organize things)
Re: What are you wearing today?
LOL, I love it, you're silly, Brenna! :smileyvery-happy:
Re: What are you wearing today?
It's just one of those Fridays! I'm happy for the weekend. :smileyvery-happy:
Re: What are you wearing today?
Did I mention I just got the original naked palette like a month ago? :smileyhappy:
Sidecar on first half of lid
Toasted on rest of lid
Naked as transition color
Hustle on outer v with a tiny bit of Creep
Virgin as highlight
Smog on outer lower lash line with Half Baked on inner lower lash line
Sin on tear duct
Re: What are you wearing today?
IMG_1469.jpgtodays eye look
anastasia dip brow chocolat
ardell lashes #111
inner corner sugar pill absinthe
middle area is actually an old benefit showoff shadow i found in my box recently don't know the color
highlight area mufe buff 35
darker crease color mufe purple 92
Re: What are you wearing today?
(0) Hearts
SOOO pretty!!! <3
Re: What are you wearing today?
(0) Hearts
Ooh, very cool!
Re: What are you wearing today?
(0) Hearts
Tried to take photos earlier but the lighting was terrible :smileysad:
Illamasqua Skin Base on 02, mixed with La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra moisturiser to thin it out a bit
Illamasqua Skin Base layered as concealer
Tarte blush in Elevated (from the Mattenificent palette)
Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Powder
Tarte Mattenificent palette--
- sand as a base
- rose in the crease
- taupe in the outer corner
- chocolate as liner on the outer half of the lash line, top and bottom
Smashbox Full Exposure mascara in black on top and bottom lashes
MAC Lady Danger
The weather here got above 0 Celcius for the first time in a very long time, so I celebrated with a bright lip. Have to say, Lady Danger might have just become one of my absolute favourite red lipsticks!
Re: What are you wearing today?
[ Edited ]
N1.jpgNaked 1, recipe:
Inner & outer lid: Gunmetal
Center lid: Sidecar
Crease: Buck
Browbone/inner area: Sin
Lower lash line: Gunmetal
ELF cream liner on top (I wanted to try cream liner, and had to get something cheap before getting a "real" brand and deciding that it wasn't a good thing to use haha)
DiorShow waterproof mascara
NOT SHOWN--NARS blush in Orgasm, MAFU lipgloss in Pearly Nude
ADVICE WANTED: Is it ok to just use shadow to line under lashes instead of using eyeliner to do my waterline? Because when I do that, it always melts off on the inner corner and looks a mess.
Re: What are you wearing today?
Love that eye look! And yes, it's totally okay to skip the waterline! My eyes do the same-- they start watering, and it just gets messy. I actually prefer day looks without waterline liner, because I feel like the liner gets a bit intense for casual stuff. If you wanted a more intense line, you could always use a dark liner along the bottom lash line instead of in the waterline.
Re: What are you wearing today?
[ Edited ]
(0) Hearts
Thanks so much!!
Next step is learning how to line IN that lash line... ugggggghhhhh it always gets to messy when I try with kohl.
Re: What are you wearing today?
You could try using a cream/gel liner with a fine brush (angled, pointed, whatever you prefer). The brush might give you better precision getting under the lashes. Make sure the brush is nice and neat and well-shaped otherwise that will just smudge everywhere! I get annoyed with pencils on the lower lash line too. The liner just clumps on the lashes, then either smudges everywhere through the day or drops down. If you like the colour or texture of the kohl you might also find it useful to brush through your lower lashes with a spoolie/lash comb after applying. If you place a business card or lash shield thing underneath you could probably catch the messy bits and not affect any other shadow work too much.
Re: What are you wearing today?
[ Edited ]
(0) Hearts
Yeah I tried with the ELF cream liner stuff and the angle brush I use for the top but... It was a wreck within seconds. :smileytongue: Maybe cos it's cheap? I dunno.
Re: What are you wearing today?
Try loading your brush from your khol instead :smileyhappy: Some cream liners are better than others though, it's true. My favourite cheapo brands are Essence and Maybelline, they both last really well on me without any smudging or fading.
Re: What are you wearing today?
Everyone looks gorgeous!! This has been my favorite thread!!
Re: What are you wearing today?
(0) Hearts
I literally had like 25 minutes to brush my teeth, wash my face, makeup, contacts and to get dressed and out the door this morning.
So I managed to slather on some:
Sephora SPF15 moisturizer.
Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer in Nude.
MUFE DUO Mat powder in 202.
Urdan Decay 24/7 liner in Zero.
Lancome mascara that is really popular, but I have no idea what it is called.
Benefit Bad Gal Mascara.
Laura Mercier Full Blown Mascara
Bare Minerals Mascara top coat.
MUFE HD Powder.
Sephora Rouge Infusion Lipstain in 6.
Results= Slightly uneven eyes from sloppy eyelining. And lame coverage from the bad foundation job.
Re: What are you wearing today?
I decided to use my new Esperanza palette the past few days. Overall I really like it, but there are 2 colours in it I'm disappointed in. Today I'm using the peachy, pink and bronze colours on the palette, Hervana on the cheeks, and Korres Raspberry lip butter on the lips.
I attempted a slightly bolder, more defined brow since I just use a bit of powder usually, but practice makes perfect, right? haha :smileytongue:
Re: What are you wearing today?
(0) Hearts
I love your dimples! So cute :smileyhappy:
Re: What are you wearing today?
(0) Hearts
so pretty!
Re: What are you wearing today?
I *love* your hair color! I'm assuming yours is natural, but this is the color I've tried (and failed!) to achieve professionally more than once. Gorgeous! :smileyhappy:
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/23049
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use Config; sub to_string { my ($value) = @_; $value =~ s/\\/\\\\/g; $value =~ s/'/\\'/g; return "'$value'"; } unlink "" if -f ""; open OUT, ">" or die $!; print OUT <<'EOT'; # Generated from package DynaLoader; # And Gandalf said: 'Many folk like to know beforehand what is to # be set on the table; but those who have laboured to prepare the # feast like to keep their secret; for wonder makes the words of # praise louder.' # (Quote from Tolkien suggested by Anno Siegel.) # # See pod text at end of file for documentation. # See also ext/DynaLoader/README in source tree for other information. # #, August 1994 use vars qw($VERSION *AUTOLOAD); $VERSION = '1.04'; # avoid typo warning require AutoLoader; *AUTOLOAD = \&AutoLoader::AUTOLOAD; use Config; # The following require can't be removed during maintenance # releases, sadly, because of the risk of buggy code that does # require Carp; Carp::croak "..."; without brackets dying # if Carp hasn't been loaded in earlier compile time. :-( # We'll let those bugs get found on the development track. require Carp if $] < 5.00450; # enable debug/trace messages from DynaLoader perl code $dl_debug = $ENV{PERL_DL_DEBUG} || 0 unless defined $dl_debug; # # Flags to alter dl_load_file behaviour. Assigned bits: # 0x01 make symbols available for linking later dl_load_file's. # (only known to work on Solaris 2 using dlopen(RTLD_GLOBAL)) # (ignored under VMS; effect is built-in to image linking) # # This is called as a class method $module->dl_load_flags. The # definition here will be inherited and result on "default" loading # behaviour unless a sub-class of DynaLoader defines its own version. # sub dl_load_flags { 0x00 } # ($dl_dlext, $dlsrc) # = @Config::Config{'dlext', 'dlsrc'}; EOT print OUT " (\$dl_dlext, \$dlsrc) = (", to_string($Config::Config{'dlext'}), ",", to_string($Config::Config{'dlsrc'}), ")\n;" ; print OUT <<'EOT'; # Some systems need special handling to expand file specifications # (VMS support by Charles Bailey ) # See dl_expandspec() for more details. Should be harmless but # inefficient to define on systems that don't need it. $Is_VMS = $^O eq 'VMS'; $do_expand = $Is_VMS; $Is_MacOS = $^O eq 'MacOS'; my $Mac_FS; $Mac_FS = eval { require Mac::FileSpec::Unixish } if $Is_MacOS; @dl_require_symbols = (); # names of symbols we need @dl_resolve_using = (); # names of files to link with @dl_library_path = (); # path to look for files may have added elements before we were required #@dl_librefs = (); # things we have loaded #@dl_modules = (); # Modules we have loaded # This is a fix to support DLD's unfortunate desire to relink -lc @dl_resolve_using = dl_findfile('-lc') if $dlsrc eq "dl_dld.xs"; EOT my $cfg_dl_library_path = <<'EOT'; push(@dl_library_path, split(' ', $Config::Config{libpth})); EOT sub dquoted_comma_list { join(", ", map {qq("$_")} @_); } if ($ENV{PERL_BUILD_EXPAND_CONFIG_VARS}) { eval $cfg_dl_library_path; if (!$ENV{PERL_BUILD_EXPAND_ENV_VARS}) { my $dl_library_path = dquoted_comma_list(@dl_library_path); print OUT < 8)) { $modfname = substr($modfname, 0, 8); } my $modpname = join(($Is_MacOS ? ':' : '/'),@modparts); print STDERR "DynaLoader::bootstrap for $module ", ($Is_MacOS ? "(:auto:$modpname:$modfname.$dl_dlext)\n" : "(auto/$modpname/$modfname.$dl_dlext)\n") if $dl_debug; foreach (@INC) { chop($_ = VMS::Filespec::unixpath($_)) if $Is_VMS; my $dir; if ($Is_MacOS) { my $path = $_; if ($Mac_FS && ! -d $path) { $path = Mac::FileSpec::Unixish::nativize($path); } $path .= ":" unless /:$/; $dir = "${path}auto:$modpname"; } else { $dir = "$_/auto/$modpname"; } next unless -d $dir; # skip over uninteresting directories # check for common cases to avoid autoload of dl_findfile my $try = $Is_MacOS ? "$dir:$modfname.$dl_dlext" : "$dir/$modfname.$dl_dlext"; last if $file = ($do_expand) ? dl_expandspec($try) : ((-f $try) && $try); # no luck here, save dir for possible later dl_findfile search push @dirs, $dir; } # last resort, let dl_findfile have a go in all known locations $file = dl_findfile(map("-L$_",@dirs,@INC), $modfname) unless $file; croak("Can't locate loadable object for module $module in \@INC (\@INC contains: @INC)") unless $file; # wording similar to error from 'require' $file = uc($file) if $Is_VMS && $Config::Config{d_vms_case_sensitive_symbols}; my $bootname = "boot_$module"; $bootname =~ s/\W/_/g; @dl_require_symbols = ($bootname); # Execute optional '.bootstrap' perl script for this module. # The .bs file can be used to configure @dl_resolve_using etc to # match the needs of the individual module on this architecture. my $bs = $file; $bs =~ s/(\.\w+)?(;\d*)?$/\.bs/; # look for .bs 'beside' the library if (-s $bs) { # only read file if it's not empty print STDERR "BS: $bs ($^O, $dlsrc)\n" if $dl_debug; eval { do $bs; }; warn "$bs: $@\n" if $@; } my $boot_symbol_ref; if ($^O eq 'darwin') { if ($boot_symbol_ref = dl_find_symbol(0, $bootname)) { goto boot; #extension library has already been loaded, e.g. darwin } } # Many dynamic extension loading problems will appear to come from # this section of code: XYZ failed at line 123 of # Often these errors are actually occurring in the initialisation # C code of the extension XS file. Perl reports the error as being # in this perl code simply because this was the last perl code # it executed. my $libref = dl_load_file($file, $module->dl_load_flags) or croak("Can't load '$file' for module $module: ".dl_error()); push(@dl_librefs,$libref); # record loaded object my @unresolved = dl_undef_symbols(); if (@unresolved) { require Carp; Carp::carp("Undefined symbols present after loading $file: @unresolved\n"); } $boot_symbol_ref = dl_find_symbol($libref, $bootname) or croak("Can't find '$bootname' symbol in $file\n"); push(@dl_modules, $module); # record loaded module boot: my $xs = dl_install_xsub("${module}::bootstrap", $boot_symbol_ref, $file); # See comment block above &$xs(@args); } #sub _check_file { # private utility to handle dl_expandspec vs -f tests # my($file) = @_; # return $file if (!$do_expand && -f $file); # the common case # return $file if ( $do_expand && ($file=dl_expandspec($file))); # return undef; #} # Let autosplit and the autoloader deal with these functions: __END__ sub dl_findfile { # Read ext/DynaLoader/DynaLoader.doc for detailed information. # This function does not automatically consider the architecture # or the perl library auto directories. my (@args) = @_; my (@dirs, $dir); # which directories to search my (@found); # full paths to real files we have found EOT print OUT ' my $dl_ext= ' . to_string($Config::Config{'dlext'}) . "; # \$Config::Config{'dlext'} suffix for perl extensions\n"; print OUT ' my $dl_so = ' . to_string($Config::Config{'so'}) . "; # \$Config::Config{'so'} suffix for shared libraries\n"; print OUT <<'EOT'; print STDERR "dl_findfile(@args)\n" if $dl_debug; # accumulate directories but process files as they appear arg: foreach(@args) { # Special fast case: full filepath requires no search if ($Is_VMS && m%[:>/\]]% && -f $_) { push(@found,dl_expandspec(VMS::Filespec::vmsify($_))); last arg unless wantarray; next; } elsif ($Is_MacOS) { if (m/:/ && -f $_) { push(@found,$_); last arg unless wantarray; } } elsif (m:/: && -f $_ && !$do_expand) { push(@found,$_); last arg unless wantarray; next; } # Deal with directories first: # Using a -L prefix is the preferred option (faster and more robust) if (m:^-L:) { s/^-L//; push(@dirs, $_); next; } if ($Is_MacOS) { # Otherwise we try to try to spot directories by a heuristic # (this is a more complicated issue than it first appears) if (m/:/ && -d $_) { push(@dirs, $_); next; } # Only files should get this far... my(@names, $name); # what filenames to look for s/^-l//; push(@names, $_); foreach $dir (@dirs, @dl_library_path) { next unless -d $dir; $dir =~ s/^([^:]+)$/:$1/; $dir =~ s/:$//; foreach $name (@names) { my($file) = "$dir:$name"; print STDERR " checking in $dir for $name\n" if $dl_debug; if (-f $file) { push(@found, $file); next arg; # no need to look any further } } } next; } # Otherwise we try to try to spot directories by a heuristic # (this is a more complicated issue than it first appears) if (m:/: && -d $_) { push(@dirs, $_); next; } # VMS: we may be using native VMS directory syntax instead of # Unix emulation, so check this as well if ($Is_VMS && /[:>\]]/ && -d $_) { push(@dirs, $_); next; } # Only files should get this far... my(@names, $name); # what filenames to look for if (m:-l: ) { # convert -lname to appropriate library name s/-l//; push(@names,"lib$_.$dl_so"); push(@names,"lib$_.a"); } else { # Umm, a bare name. Try various alternatives: # these should be ordered with the most likely first push(@names,"$_.$dl_ext") unless m/\.$dl_ext$/o; push(@names,"$_.$dl_so") unless m/\.$dl_so$/o; push(@names,"lib$_.$dl_so") unless m:/:; push(@names,"$_.a") if !m/\.a$/ and $dlsrc eq "dl_dld.xs"; push(@names, $_); } foreach $dir (@dirs, @dl_library_path) { next unless -d $dir; chop($dir = VMS::Filespec::unixpath($dir)) if $Is_VMS; foreach $name (@names) { my($file) = "$dir/$name"; print STDERR " checking in $dir for $name\n" if $dl_debug; $file = ($do_expand) ? dl_expandspec($file) : (-f $file && $file); #$file = _check_file($file); if ($file) { push(@found, $file); next arg; # no need to look any further } } } } if ($dl_debug) { foreach(@dirs) { print STDERR " dl_findfile ignored non-existent directory: $_\n" unless -d $_; } print STDERR "dl_findfile found: @found\n"; } return $found[0] unless wantarray; @found; } sub dl_expandspec { my($spec) = @_; # Optional function invoked if sets $do_expand. # Most systems do not require or use this function. # Some systems may implement it in the dl_*.xs file in which case # this autoload version will not be called but is harmless. # This function is designed to deal with systems which treat some # 'filenames' in a special way. For example VMS 'Logical Names' # (something like unix environment variables - but different). # This function should recognise such names and expand them into # full file paths. # Must return undef if $spec is invalid or file does not exist. my $file = $spec; # default output to input if ($Is_VMS) { # dl_expandspec should be defined in dl_vms.xs require Carp; Carp::croak("dl_expandspec: should be defined in XS file!\n"); } else { return undef unless -f $file; } print STDERR "dl_expandspec($spec) => $file\n" if $dl_debug; $file; } sub dl_find_symbol_anywhere { my $sym = shift; my $libref; foreach $libref (@dl_librefs) { my $symref = dl_find_symbol($libref,$sym); return $symref if $symref; } return undef; } =head1 NAME DynaLoader - Dynamically load C libraries into Perl code =head1 SYNOPSIS package YourPackage; require DynaLoader; @ISA = qw(... DynaLoader ...); bootstrap YourPackage; # optional method for 'global' loading sub dl_load_flags { 0x01 } =head1 DESCRIPTION This document defines a standard generic interface to the dynamic linking mechanisms available on many platforms. Its primary purpose is to implement automatic dynamic loading of Perl modules. This document serves as both a specification for anyone wishing to implement the DynaLoader for a new platform and as a guide for anyone wishing to use the DynaLoader directly in an application. The DynaLoader is designed to be a very simple high-level interface that is sufficiently general to cover the requirements of SunOS, HP-UX, NeXT, Linux, VMS and other platforms. It is also hoped that the interface will cover the needs of OS/2, NT etc and also allow pseudo-dynamic linking (using C at runtime). It must be stressed that the DynaLoader, by itself, is practically useless for accessing non-Perl libraries because it provides almost no Perl-to-C 'glue'. There is, for example, no mechanism for calling a C library function or supplying arguments. A C::DynaLib module is available from CPAN sites which performs that function for some common system types. And since the year 2000, there's also Inline::C, a module that allows you to write Perl subroutines in C. Also available from your local CPAN site. DynaLoader Interface Summary @dl_library_path @dl_resolve_using @dl_require_symbols $dl_debug @dl_librefs @dl_modules Implemented in: bootstrap($modulename) Perl @filepaths = dl_findfile(@names) Perl $flags = $modulename->dl_load_flags Perl $symref = dl_find_symbol_anywhere($symbol) Perl $libref = dl_load_file($filename, $flags) C $status = dl_unload_file($libref) C $symref = dl_find_symbol($libref, $symbol) C @symbols = dl_undef_symbols() C dl_install_xsub($name, $symref [, $filename]) C $message = dl_error C =over 4 =item @dl_library_path The standard/default list of directories in which dl_findfile() will search for libraries etc. Directories are searched in order: $dl_library_path[0], [1], ... etc @dl_library_path is initialised to hold the list of 'normal' directories (F, etc) determined by B (C<$Config{'libpth'}>). This should ensure portability across a wide range of platforms. @dl_library_path should also be initialised with any other directories that can be determined from the environment at runtime (such as LD_LIBRARY_PATH for SunOS). After initialisation @dl_library_path can be manipulated by an application using push and unshift before calling dl_findfile(). Unshift can be used to add directories to the front of the search order either to save search time or to override libraries with the same name in the 'normal' directories. The load function that dl_load_file() calls may require an absolute pathname. The dl_findfile() function and @dl_library_path can be used to search for and return the absolute pathname for the library/object that you wish to load. =item @dl_resolve_using A list of additional libraries or other shared objects which can be used to resolve any undefined symbols that might be generated by a later call to load_file(). This is only required on some platforms which do not handle dependent libraries automatically. For example the Socket Perl extension library (F) contains references to many socket functions which need to be resolved when it's loaded. Most platforms will automatically know where to find the 'dependent' library (e.g., F). A few platforms need to be told the location of the dependent library explicitly. Use @dl_resolve_using for this. Example usage: @dl_resolve_using = dl_findfile('-lsocket'); =item @dl_require_symbols A list of one or more symbol names that are in the library/object file to be dynamically loaded. This is only required on some platforms. =item @dl_librefs An array of the handles returned by successful calls to dl_load_file(), made by bootstrap, in the order in which they were loaded. Can be used with dl_find_symbol() to look for a symbol in any of the loaded files. =item @dl_modules An array of module (package) names that have been bootstrap'ed. =item dl_error() Syntax: $message = dl_error(); Error message text from the last failed DynaLoader function. Note that, similar to errno in unix, a successful function call does not reset this message. Implementations should detect the error as soon as it occurs in any of the other functions and save the corresponding message for later retrieval. This will avoid problems on some platforms (such as SunOS) where the error message is very temporary (e.g., dlerror()). =item $dl_debug Internal debugging messages are enabled when $dl_debug is set true. Currently setting $dl_debug only affects the Perl side of the DynaLoader. These messages should help an application developer to resolve any DynaLoader usage problems. $dl_debug is set to C<$ENV{'PERL_DL_DEBUG'}> if defined. For the DynaLoader developer/porter there is a similar debugging variable added to the C code (see dlutils.c) and enabled if Perl was built with the B<-DDEBUGGING> flag. This can also be set via the PERL_DL_DEBUG environment variable. Set to 1 for minimal information or higher for more. =item dl_findfile() Syntax: @filepaths = dl_findfile(@names) Determine the full paths (including file suffix) of one or more loadable files given their generic names and optionally one or more directories. Searches directories in @dl_library_path by default and returns an empty list if no files were found. Names can be specified in a variety of platform independent forms. Any names in the form B<-lname> are converted into F, where F<.*> is an appropriate suffix for the platform. If a name does not already have a suitable prefix and/or suffix then the corresponding file will be searched for by trying combinations of prefix and suffix appropriate to the platform: "$name.o", "lib$name.*" and "$name". If any directories are included in @names they are searched before @dl_library_path. Directories may be specified as B<-Ldir>. Any other names are treated as filenames to be searched for. Using arguments of the form C<-Ldir> and C<-lname> is recommended. Example: @dl_resolve_using = dl_findfile(qw(-L/usr/5lib -lposix)); =item dl_expandspec() Syntax: $filepath = dl_expandspec($spec) Some unusual systems, such as VMS, require special filename handling in order to deal with symbolic names for files (i.e., VMS's Logical Names). To support these systems a dl_expandspec() function can be implemented either in the F file or code can be added to the autoloadable dl_expandspec() function in F. See F for more information. =item dl_load_file() Syntax: $libref = dl_load_file($filename, $flags) Dynamically load $filename, which must be the path to a shared object or library. An opaque 'library reference' is returned as a handle for the loaded object. Returns undef on error. The $flags argument to alters dl_load_file behaviour. Assigned bits: 0x01 make symbols available for linking later dl_load_file's. (only known to work on Solaris 2 using dlopen(RTLD_GLOBAL)) (ignored under VMS; this is a normal part of image linking) (On systems that provide a handle for the loaded object such as SunOS and HPUX, $libref will be that handle. On other systems $libref will typically be $filename or a pointer to a buffer containing $filename. The application should not examine or alter $libref in any way.) This is the function that does the real work. It should use the current values of @dl_require_symbols and @dl_resolve_using if required. SunOS: dlopen($filename) HP-UX: shl_load($filename) Linux: dld_create_reference(@dl_require_symbols); dld_link($filename) NeXT: rld_load($filename, @dl_resolve_using) VMS: lib$find_image_symbol($filename,$dl_require_symbols[0]) (The dlopen() function is also used by Solaris and some versions of Linux, and is a common choice when providing a "wrapper" on other mechanisms as is done in the OS/2 port.) =item dl_unload_file() Syntax: $status = dl_unload_file($libref) Dynamically unload $libref, which must be an opaque 'library reference' as returned from dl_load_file. Returns one on success and zero on failure. This function is optional and may not necessarily be provided on all platforms. If it is defined, it is called automatically when the interpreter exits for every shared object or library loaded by DynaLoader::bootstrap. All such library references are stored in @dl_librefs by DynaLoader::Bootstrap as it loads the libraries. The files are unloaded in last-in, first-out order. This unloading is usually necessary when embedding a shared-object perl (e.g. one configured with -Duseshrplib) within a larger application, and the perl interpreter is created and destroyed several times within the lifetime of the application. In this case it is possible that the system dynamic linker will unload and then subsequently reload the shared libperl without relocating any references to it from any files DynaLoaded by the previous incarnation of the interpreter. As a result, any shared objects opened by DynaLoader may point to a now invalid 'ghost' of the libperl shared object, causing apparently random memory corruption and crashes. This behaviour is most commonly seen when using Apache and mod_perl built with the APXS mechanism. SunOS: dlclose($libref) HP-UX: ??? Linux: ??? NeXT: ??? VMS: ??? (The dlclose() function is also used by Solaris and some versions of Linux, and is a common choice when providing a "wrapper" on other mechanisms as is done in the OS/2 port.) =item dl_load_flags() Syntax: $flags = dl_load_flags $modulename; Designed to be a method call, and to be overridden by a derived class (i.e. a class which has DynaLoader in its @ISA). The definition in DynaLoader itself returns 0, which produces standard behavior from dl_load_file(). =item dl_find_symbol() Syntax: $symref = dl_find_symbol($libref, $symbol) Return the address of the symbol $symbol or C if not found. If the target system has separate functions to search for symbols of different types then dl_find_symbol() should search for function symbols first and then other types. The exact manner in which the address is returned in $symref is not currently defined. The only initial requirement is that $symref can be passed to, and understood by, dl_install_xsub(). SunOS: dlsym($libref, $symbol) HP-UX: shl_findsym($libref, $symbol) Linux: dld_get_func($symbol) and/or dld_get_symbol($symbol) NeXT: rld_lookup("_$symbol") VMS: lib$find_image_symbol($libref,$symbol) =item dl_find_symbol_anywhere() Syntax: $symref = dl_find_symbol_anywhere($symbol) Applies dl_find_symbol() to the members of @dl_librefs and returns the first match found. =item dl_undef_symbols() Example @symbols = dl_undef_symbols() Return a list of symbol names which remain undefined after load_file(). Returns C<()> if not known. Don't worry if your platform does not provide a mechanism for this. Most do not need it and hence do not provide it, they just return an empty list. =item dl_install_xsub() Syntax: dl_install_xsub($perl_name, $symref [, $filename]) Create a new Perl external subroutine named $perl_name using $symref as a pointer to the function which implements the routine. This is simply a direct call to newXSUB(). Returns a reference to the installed function. The $filename parameter is used by Perl to identify the source file for the function if required by die(), caller() or the debugger. If $filename is not defined then "DynaLoader" will be used. =item bootstrap() Syntax: bootstrap($module) This is the normal entry point for automatic dynamic loading in Perl. It performs the following actions: =over 8 =item * locates an auto/$module directory by searching @INC =item * uses dl_findfile() to determine the filename to load =item * sets @dl_require_symbols to C<("boot_$module")> =item * executes an F file if it exists (typically used to add to @dl_resolve_using any files which are required to load the module on the current platform) =item * calls dl_load_flags() to determine how to load the file. =item * calls dl_load_file() to load the file =item * calls dl_undef_symbols() and warns if any symbols are undefined =item * calls dl_find_symbol() for "boot_$module" =item * calls dl_install_xsub() to install it as "${module}::bootstrap" =item * calls &{"${module}::bootstrap"} to bootstrap the module (actually it uses the function reference returned by dl_install_xsub for speed) =back =back =head1 AUTHOR Tim Bunce, 11 August 1994. This interface is based on the work and comments of (in no particular order): Larry Wall, Robert Sanders, Dean Roehrich, Jeff Okamoto, Anno Siegel, Thomas Neumann, Paul Marquess, Charles Bailey, myself and others. Larry Wall designed the elegant inherited bootstrap mechanism and implemented the first Perl 5 dynamic loader using it. Solaris global loading added by Nick Ing-Simmons with design/coding assistance from Tim Bunce, January 1996. =cut EOT close OUT or die $!;
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/23050
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package SDBM_File; use strict; use warnings; require Tie::Hash; require XSLoader; our @ISA = qw(Tie::Hash); our $VERSION = "1.09"; XSLoader::load(); 1; __END__ =head1 NAME SDBM_File - Tied access to sdbm files =head1 SYNOPSIS use Fcntl; # For O_RDWR, O_CREAT, etc. use SDBM_File; tie(%h, 'SDBM_File', 'filename', O_RDWR|O_CREAT, 0666) or die "Couldn't tie SDBM file 'filename': $!; aborting"; # Now read and change the hash $h{newkey} = newvalue; print $h{oldkey}; ... untie %h; =head1 DESCRIPTION C establishes a connection between a Perl hash variable and a file in SDBM_File format;. You can manipulate the data in the file just as if it were in a Perl hash, but when your program exits, the data will remain in the file, to be used the next time your program runs. Use C with the Perl built-in C function to establish the connection between the variable and the file. The arguments to C should be: =over 4 =item 1. The hash variable you want to tie. =item 2. The string C<"SDBM_File">. (Ths tells Perl to use the C package to perform the functions of the hash.) =item 3. The name of the file you want to tie to the hash. =item 4. Flags. Use one of: =over 2 =item C Read-only access to the data in the file. =item C Write-only access to the data in the file. =item C Both read and write access. =back If you want to create the file if it does not exist, add C to any of these, as in the example. If you omit C and the file does not already exist, the C call will fail. =item 5. The default permissions to use if a new file is created. The actual permissions will be modified by the user's umask, so you should probably use 0666 here. (See L.) =back =head1 DIAGNOSTICS On failure, the C call returns an undefined value and probably sets C<$!> to contain the reason the file could not be tied. =head2 C This warning is emitted when you try to store a key or a value that is too long. It means that the change was not recorded in the database. See BUGS AND WARNINGS below. =head1 BUGS AND WARNINGS There are a number of limits on the size of the data that you can store in the SDBM file. The most important is that the length of a key, plus the length of its associated value, may not exceed 1008 bytes. See L, L, L =cut
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/23054
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Open Thread
Daily Motion and Steve Martin are holding a music video contest. The rules are, you have to use Steve Martin's song "Wally on the Run" as your soundtrack, and the video must have a dog or dogs in it. I don't expect to win, but I had fun with this.
Open thread below...
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/23073
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Sadako Yamamura (Actress Yukie Nakama)
Sadako Yamamura
(Actress Yukie Nakama, from the movie Ring 0: Birthday)
Sadako Yamamura is a character from the Japanese Ringu series on which The Ring and its sequels are based. She is the original psychic girl left to die at the bottom of a well who then enacted a curse on humanity through a videotape that would kill whoever watched it seven days later... unless they do something for her.
Her parents are Shizuko Yamamura and Dr. Heihachiro Ikuma, although in both the manga and the movies, it was stated that Sadako's actual father was probably some kind of monster or demon from the sea. It can be assumed that this demon gave Sadako her numerous psychic powers, which included healing as well as killing powers, psychokinesis, and thoughtography. (Thoughtography is the ability to project images of thought and imagination onto recording media, like film and videotape.)
**SPOILERS AHEAD** Sadako's background story is a bit complicated, so I'll just sum it up (takin' the lazy way out): She was born with an honest to goodness evil twin, a conjoined twin. They were medically separated, and her human father drugged the evil twin to stunt her growth. Sadako and Evil Sadako have a psychic bond that tells Evil Sadako what good Sadako is feeling. She defends Sadako by committing various evil acts, including killing people. This causes people to think that Sadako is creepy and evil. Sadako falls in love with a boy named Toyama who also loves her. A woman who was engaged to the news reporter who was killed in Ringu (at Shizuko's demonstration) thinks that Sadako is the one who killed her fiance, which she may just be right about unless both twins were named Sadako. O_o So she shows up at a play Sadako is appearing in and, with the help of a small team of conspirators, plays the recording of her lover being killed. Sadako kind of loses it when she hears this and another man winds up dying. Sadako's classmates and teachers attack and kill her. Then they take her back to her home where Evil Sadako is waiting. (I don't remember what their rationale was for this. Doesn't seem wise.) This somehow revives Sadako and she and her evil twin reunite into one body, signified by Sadako's long hair hiding her face like Evil Sadako's always did. Sadako, herky jerking around in a very creepy and scary manner as she gets used to her new body, chases down everyone in the mob who killed her and offs them. The news reporter's fiancee is forced by mind control to shoot one of the students (who screams hysterically and nonstop throughout this part of the movie, heh) and then herself. Then Dr. Ikuma finds Sadako crying on the floor, looking very non-evil. Horrified by what she has done, he winds up bashing her over the head and then throwing her into the well where she eventually died. The vacation cabin was later built over the site of the well with the TV and VCR placed directly over it. Sadako projected her anger onto a videotape in that VCR, setting her curse in motion.
Sadako's appearances in my fic are a bit limited. This is for two reasons. One, the fanfic is set in America, which naturally limits her reason to be there. I can see her curse spreading, but mostly in Japan and other Asian countries. Two, being that Sadako was the first evil well bitch as I call them XD, she's pretty much a god-like NPC (non-playing character). Incase you're not familiar with that term, it refers to a character that reaches such god-like proportions or status that they usually only appear from time to time just to be badass. XD I do not know at this time if anyone in this story will actually be afflicted with Sadako's curse.
Extra pics of Sadako
**SPOILERS** The first 30 pics here spoil the ending of Ringu:
These pics spoil the ending of Ring 0: Birthday:
there really is a tape
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/23077
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Mapping America: Every City, Every Block
The New York Times has a new interactive feature that enables you to construct maps using census data gathered between 2005 and 2009. You can display maps for race and ethnicity, income, housing, and education, and can look up any city or zipcode. Play around with different cities. Anyone who as taken an urban geography class or two might see traces of the Hoyt Model in the map of racial distribution in Chicago. Or, for those of you interested in housing, check out a map of the change in mean home value since 2000 for the United States as a whole to see where home prices have risen vs. where they have fallen. There are also a few interesting articles analyzing some of the recent census trends in, for example, the suburbanization of immigrant populations, and national highs and lows for income, poverty, commuting, and education.
Comments are closed.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/23093
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What do a.m. and p.m. stand for?
Bell's palsy
noun, Pathology
suddenly occurring paralysis that distorts one side of the face, caused by a lesion of the facial nerve.
Origin of Bell's palsy
1855-60; named after Charles Bell (1774-1842), Scottish anatomist, who first described it Unabridged
Cite This Source
British Dictionary definitions for Bell's palsy
Bell's palsy
a usually temporary paralysis of the muscles of the face, normally on one side
Word Origin
C19: named after Sir Charles Bell (1774–1842), British anatomist
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Bell's palsy in Medicine
Bell's palsy n.
See facial palsy.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/23094
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[koo-vahd; French koo-vad] /kuˈvɑd; French kuˈvad/
a practice among some peoples, as the Basques of Spain, in which a man, immediately preceding the birth of his child, takes to his bed in an enactment of the birth experience and subjects himself to various taboos usually associated with pregnancy.
Origin of couvade
1860-65; < French (now obsolete), literally, a hatching, sitting on eggs, equivalent to couv(er) to hatch (< Latin cubāre to lie down) + -ade -ade1; cf. covey Unabridged
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British Dictionary definitions for couvade
/kuːˈvɑːd; French kuvad/
(anthropol) a custom in certain cultures of treating the husband of a woman giving birth as if he were bearing the child
Word Origin
C19: from French, from couver to hatch, from Latin cubāre to lie down
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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couvade in Medicine
couvade cou·vade (kōō-väd')
A practice in certain non-Western cultures in which the husband of a woman in labor takes to his bed as though he were bearing the child.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/23095
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Delphi technique
a forecasting or decision-making technique that makes use of written questionnaires to eliminate the influence of personal relationships and the domination of committees by strong personalities
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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delphi technique in Technology
programming, tool
A group forecasting technique, generally used for future events such as technological developments, that uses estimates from experts and feedback summaries of these estimates for additional estimates by these experts until reasonable consensus occurs. It has been used in various software cost-estimating activities, including estimation of factors influencing software costs.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/23096
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ethyl caproate
[kap-roh-eyt] /ˈkæp roʊˌeɪt/
noun, Chemistry
a colorless to yellow liquid, soluble in alcohol or ether, C 8 H 16 O 2 , used chiefly in artificial fruit essences and organic synthesis.
Also, ethyl capronate
[kap-roh-neyt] /ˈkæp roʊˌneɪt/ (Show IPA)
Also called ethyl hexoate.
Origin of ethyl caproate
capro(ic) + -ate2 Unabridged
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/23097
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[pros-tuh-glan-din] /ˌprɒs təˈglæn dɪn/
Biochemistry. any of a class of unsaturated fatty acids that are involved in the contraction of smooth muscle, the control of inflammation and body temperature, and many other physiological functions.
Pharmacology. any commercial preparation of this substance.
Origin of prostaglandin
1935-40; prosta(te) + gland1 + -in2 Unabridged
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British Dictionary definitions for prostaglandin
any of a group of potent hormone-like compounds composed of essential fatty acids and found in all mammalian tissues, esp human semen. Prostaglandins stimulate the muscles of the uterus and affect the blood vessels; they are used to induce abortion or birth
Word Origin
C20: from prosta(te) gland + -in; it was originally believed to be secreted by the prostate gland
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for prostaglandin
1936, from German (1935); see prostate + gland + chemical suffix -in (2).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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prostaglandin in Medicine
prostaglandin pros·ta·glan·din (prŏs'tə-glān'dĭn)
Any of a group of hormonelike substances produced in various tissues that are derived from amino acids and mediate a range of physiological functions, such as metabolism and nerve transmission.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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prostaglandin in Science
Any of a group of substances that are derived from fatty acids and have a wide range of effects in the body. Prostaglandins influence the contraction of the muscles lining many internal organs and can lower or raise blood pressure.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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