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duhragonball · 4 years ago

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Battle Tendency Liveblog: JJBA Ch. 94-98

This is the first part of the “Joseph vs. Wammu” arc.

Is it “Whammu” or “Wammu”? I just looked it up and you drop the “h” I guess.

Here’s some background on the mansion Kars has been using as a base. I get the impression that it’s a real building in St. Moritz, Switzerland, which leads me to imagine Hirohiko Araki visiting Switzerland in the 80′s and being inspired by the sights. Then again, I’m not even sure this is a real building.

Messina’s injured and Caesar’s dead, so it’s down to just Joseph and Lisa. They want to track down Wammu before he heals up from the Caesar fight, but instead they run into some new asshole named “Wired Beck.” I always assumed he was named after the Beck who did the song “Loser” in the 90′s, but no, it was Jeff Beck, who made the album “Wired”. This led me to wonder what the other Beck’s first name is, and it turns out that is his first name. His full name is “Beck David Hansen”.

It’s been like... 28 days? Since The Pillar Men spared Joseph in Rome, and while he and Caesar were training, the Pillar Men have also been busy creating vampires with the Stone Mask. Wired Beck was a fugitive murderer before they got ahold of him.

Joseph is all set to fight the guy, but Lisa steps in and kills him instead, doing one of those awesome “I killed you so fast that you don’t even know what hit you” attacks. Joseph is amazed and somewhat surprised by her fighting skills, which I don’t understand because he’s been training under her for three weeks. Like, Beck didn’t take Lisa seriously either, but he just met the lady, so I get that.

And when they finally find Wammu, he praises Lisa Lisa for noticing that there’s a lot of other people in the room with them. But he still adds “-for a woman!” to his assessment. You’d think a 12,000 year old Pillar Man, who thinks his kind is superior to humans, would rise above this sort of sexism. Or maybe I’ve got it backwards, and it’s exactly because he’s a 12,000 year old supremacist that Wammu’s attitude is so backward.

Anyway, Kars is here too, and so are like a hundred vampires. Like Wired Beck, they’re all loyal minions of Kars and Wammu, just hanging off the ceiling and waiting for orders. Joseph and Lisa could kill a few vampires without any trouble, as we’ve just seen, but this is just too many. They’re trapped and they know it.

To Joseph’s credit, he tries to set up a string to trap all of them at once, but there’s too many eyes watching. Wammu asks Kars to let him fight Joseph one-on-one, but Kars is done with that shit. He just wants the Red Stone of Aja, and he sees no reason to wait around. But then Lisa tells him that she has the Stone in a secret location, and if she or Joseph don’t check in with it by a prearranged time, a bomb will go off to destroy it. It’s a bluff, and Kars knows it’s a bluff, but he’s too obsessed with the Stone to take the risk.

There’s a lot of shots of Lisa Lisa acting cool in this part of the story, probably because we’re running out of other characters. I preferred the anime Lisa Lisa to the manga design, because I liked how she looks like the cover art to Duran Duran’s Rio “album”. Compared to that, the manga Lisa looks a bit... understated. But I’ve come to appreciate that understated look. Joseph uses his boisterous personality to help draw attention away from his tricks. But while he’s making a scene, Lisa Lisa just adopts this stone cold poker face and dares anyone to call her bet. She knows how badly Kars wants the stone, and she knows that Kars understands how badly she wants to keep it from him. Why should she be bluffing about this? Leaving the stone in such a situation sounds like a smart play. Kars thinks she’s just being desperate, except she doesn’t look desperate, does she?

Lisa proposes a wager to break the standoff: She and Joseph will fight Kars and Wammu for control of the Red Stone of Aja. Nice and simple. Kars accepts, not so much because he accepts her bomb story, but because it gives them a chance to avenge Esidisi. He asks Wammu to chose a battleground, then sends Joseph to fetch the Stone while they keep Lisa as a hostage.

Wammu’s choice is a place called “Skeleton Heel Stone”. If I understand him correctly, it was something like a Swiss answer to Stonehenge, but later on it became a gladiatorial arena.

Joseph heads back to St. Moritz to get the stone, and carries Messina back with him. Okay, so about Messina. Wammu lopped off his arm outside the mansion, but when Caesar entered the mansion to chase after Wammu, he found Messina lying inside, like someone had carried him in. So how did that happen? I can only guess Messina brought himself indoors, but that doesn’t sound like something he would do, since he knew the mansion was enemy ground.

Back at the hotel, Joseph finds the Red Stone of Aja in Lisa’s luggage, but he also discovers an old photo from 1889. There’s Speedwagon, his grandmother Erina Joestar, and... Straizo? Holding a baby?! Of course, anyone who knows Phantom Blood knows that this photo represents the all the survivors from the Part 1 cast. The baby is the same one Erina rescued before Jonathan sank the ship to stop Dio. But Joseph has no idea about any of that. He had heard of Straizo before their fight in New York, but he didn’t know much.

Here’s a nice shot of Skeleton Heel Stone. It’s supposed to be near the foot of Piz Bernina, along the Italian/Swiss border.

Joseph arrives with the Stone, and holds up a match to it to demonstrate it’s amplification powers. Satisfied that it’s the genuine article, Kars agrees to proceed with their contest.

In the meantime, Lisa deduces that Joseph saw the photo in her suitcase, and explains that she was the baby in the photo. Erina saved her from the sinking ship, but since she was pregnant with Joseph’s father, she entrusted Lisa’s care to Straizo. That’s how she learned the Ripple and came into possession of the Red Stone of Aja. Joseph is more confused that Lisa looks as young as she does when she must be fifty years old.

And once again, Joseph finds himself empathizing with others. He had always seen Lisa Lisa as a cold, hardnosed instructor, but now he’s imagining how difficult Straizo’s betrayal must have been for her.

Never mind that shit! Here come vampire horses! Joseph asks the same thing we’re all wondering: What the Fuck? It’s actually quite simple, really. To prepare for this event, the Pillar Men used the Stone Masks on some horses. The vampire goons can barely control them.

What I want to know is where Kars found all these silly Roman soldier uniforms for all of these guys. Like I said before, it’s been about a month since they woke up in Rome, but I get the feeling that all Kars did was find a new home and dress up his new vampire henchmen in silly clothes.

The idea is that Wammu will be fighting Joseph in an old-fashioned chariot race, but Joseph thinks the use of vampire horses is an unfair advantage for Wammu. But they explain that the reins will conduct Hamon, so Joseph should be able to control them with a light Ripple. O... kay? Lisa Lisa verifies this, but it still seems kind of goofy.

Kars orders the battle to begin with the moon appears out of the clouds, but Joseph seems more interested in clearing his chariot wheels. That makes Lisa nervous, until...

... the race begins and Wammu’s chariot gets stuck. While everyone else was watching the moon, Joseph was tossing crap in front of Wammu’s chariot to slow him down.

Look at this big tricky himbo, he’s great.

So the way this works is that there’s a pillar on the racetrack, and there’ll be a weapon hanging from it for the riders to take. Joseph wants to get a head start so he can have his choice of weapon. This is because one of them is a big old warhammer, and he’s worried about what Wammu could do with such a thing if he got his hands on it. However, if Joseph could cover it in oil, he could charge it with Hamon and really give Wammu a hard time.

And Joseph pulls it off! He nearly loses his grip on the thing, but it catches on the ring on his finger. Incidentally, this is the antidote ring that Caesar secured for him earlier. Joseph has decided that he won’t drink the antidote until he’s beaten Wammu, so he’s wearing it on his pinky instead. So Joseph seems really confident that all he needs is the warhammer to win this thing. So why is this (Pillar) man smiling?

#jojo's bizarre adventure #battle tendency #joseph joestar #wammu #lisa lisa #kars #robert e o speedwagon #erina joestar #straizo #wired beck

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angelinarecs · 5 years ago

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Updated Pacific Rim Recs

Organized by pairing (or gen) and then alphabetized by title. Summaries (which have been copied from their respective stories) and descriptions are provided. Notation at the end of the description indicates if a story is completed or a WIP.

Gen

Take Up Your Spade and Break Ground - Tendo Choi is a 911 dispatcher because it pays well and because he’s damn good at it. He doesn’t take the job with the expectation of finding a family – but sometimes the people who call end up up meaning a hell of a lot, and Tendo’s never been one to stay detached. Friendship/Family. Tendo POV, very well written and the plot is original. A great AU overall. I really loved following Tendo and his relationships to the Shatterdome people through his work at 911. One-shot.

Hermann, Newton Friendship

All the Colors of the Rainbow - The first thing Newt noticed about Hermann was that he was a neat freak. Well. Okay. Maybe not a neat freak. Maybe just an ordinarily-neat person who didn’t like kaiju guts in his work space. Sharing a lab was going to be a challenge … Drama. Am I reccing this because Newt is autistic? Yes, yes I am. Also, these drabbles do wonders at showing the day-to-day struggles of Newton and Hermann sharing a lab. One-shot.

Hush Now - Hermann is upset and Newt tries to cheer him up. It either goes horribly wrong or horribly right- he’s not sure. Hurt/Comfort. Hermann gets an unfortunate phone call from his father and Newt is there to pick up the pieces. Drabble length, but still sweet. One-shot.

Not Unwelcome - Set directly after the events of the movie. Hermann leaves the celebrations to give himself some space, away from the loud people clapping him on the back, away from the happily drunken crowd, and, maybe, a bit of space away from Newt. Naturally, the moment he disappears, Newt goes after him. Minor angst ensues. Friendship/Angst. Cute, fluffly, indulgent, everything you want out of a feel-good story. An enjoyable read. One-shot.

Tröstung - When Hermann is three years old, his mother gives him a stuffed lamb. Angst/Friendship. Following Hermann through the years in his interactions with his comfort object (an adorable sheep names Oskar). The premise and structure of the story really does a nice job at providing snapshots in Hermann’s life and development as he grows into the brilliant scientist he is. The story also provides a brief insight into Hermann and Newt’s relationship. One-shot.

Hermann/Newton

a ghost will be here in my stead - Hermann is feeling under the weather. Hurt/Comfort/Fluff. Post Uprising. Hermann falls ill after pushing himself too far to save Newton from the Precursors. Newton picks up the pieces. One-shot.

A Hand That Hold No Weapon - On their way back to the Hong Kong Shatterdome, Newton helps Gottlieb adjust to the after effects of drifting together. Drama/Hurt/Comfort. A much needed story after Hermann and Newton drift. Fun story, okay writing. One-shot.

A Momentary Lapse of Reason - It’s Newton’s fault, really. That Hermann is stuck on the floor of the Kwoon, feeling more than a bit useless and broken. Fluff/Hurt/Comfort. Hermann pushes himself too hard trying to physically work out his self-loathing. Newton is there to pick up the pieces. One-shot.

A Not so Simple Cold - Herman is sick. Really sick. He, however, is choosing to ignore how sick he is which Newton does not agree with. Fighting ensues but some realizations about their feelings for one another also come to a head. Fluff. One of those sickfics that’s not particularly original nor well written, but definitely scratched the hurt/comfort itch when needed. One-shot.

A Warm and Gentle Tug - Hermann has a fear of having his blood drawn due to the fact that he always passes out or gets sick while it happens. This time around however, Hermann takes Newt along with him to his appointment to help ease him. Hurt/Comfort. Not the best writing here, but the relationship is fun. Mainly reccing because I have the exact same problem getting my blood drawn. One-shot.

Battered and Bruised - When Hermann comes to Newt’s defense, it doesn’t end well. Hurt/Comfort. Short and somewhat sweet. Newton and Hermann try to fix each other up after getting into a fight at a bar. One-shot.

Blue All Over - The worst one was recorded on a cold dreary day in the autumn of 2021. Hurt/Comfort. One of their many, and possible one of their worst, lab accidents. Herman is a self sacrificing idiot and Newton is at least fast on his feet. One-shot.

Collision - A kiss gone wrong. Romance/Humor. Hermann and Newton being dorky and clumsy. Cute, but short, story. One-shot.

Dehydration Sensation - Hermann doesn’t handle heat well. Hurt/Comfort. Hermann doesn’t take care of himself in the middle of a heat wave and Newt once again has to pick up the pieces. Including obstinate, delirious, and dissaproving Hermann alongside exasperated Newton! One-shot.

Homeostasis - The K-science laboratory stands on its own plane of existence; life within its concrete walls runs in parallel to life in the bigger world of the Hong Kong Shatterdome. Yet even here the laws of physics apply. Whenever Hermann’s body isn’t failing him, Newton’s mind is on the verge of breaking. Hurt/Comfort. The scientists have a rough day in the lab. I really enjoyed the contrast of the mental and physical given that each Hermann and Newt suffer from their own handicaps. Seeing the ailments as both a foil and a complement to each other was a very compelling look into their relationship. One-shot.

Incessant - Hermann’s physical limitations frustrate him to tears. Angst. Newton tries to help Hermann after a fall, Hermann is frustrated that his body won’t cooperate with anything. Poor Newt has to make this situation at least bearable for both of them. The selling points for this story is mostly domestic science boyfriends and an accurate depiction of the frustrations that come with being disabled/handicapped. One-shot.

Keep Your Mouth Shut, Keep Your Guard Up - Hercules Hansen does not understand why Hermann won’t just tell him why he got in a fight with the new J-Tech. It’s obvious who came out worse for wear. Hurt/Comfort/Romance. Hermann just wants to protect Newton, they just keep getting into trouble. So wonderfully in character. I love these two. One-shot.

Laundry Day - “I must have almost popped the question a hundred times, but the timing never seemed…right, you know?” “And you decided nearly killing me in the middle of laundromat was the Platonic ideal of romance, did you?” Aka the one where Hermann launders Newt’s jacket and finds rather more than he bargained for. Hermann/Newt. Romance/Humor. This story is just so cute. I love how the everyday interaction between Newt and Hermann turns into such a touching/adorable moment. One-shot.

Oh, They’re Gonna Have to Fight Me - The Drift makes them realize they belong together. Now that they cancelled the apocalypse, there’s nothing left for them to do but live out their lives in happiness. That is, until Hermann realizes there’s more to the nightmares that Newt keeps having. (In which they don’t spend those ten years apart, and Hermann is there to figure it out and save Newt when the Precursors start taking over him.) Fluff/Angst. They win the war, get married, and live happily ever after until they don’t. If you were anything like me, the sequel really disappointed on the whole “haven’t seen you in ten years” bit. This is the fix-it that we needed for our science husbands as Hermann has to navigate his relationship with Newt while realizing exactly how compromised his husband truly is. Complete.

Pride - Newmann oneshot. Newt takes Hermann on a date to his first LGBT parade- fluff through and through, except for a little reference to acephobia. Romance/Friendship. Am I reccing this entirely because Hermann is asexual? Yes, yes I am. Also features cute relationships, Newton coming up with a bunch of “queer” orientated pet names for Hermann, and some good points about sexuality. One-shot.

Somewhere, Something - Newt and Hermann start dating in the rush of change the end of war brings. Each of them is frightened that the other doesn’t realize what he’s in for. Hurt/Comfort/Angst. The science boyfriends help each other out as they grow closer in their relationship. I really appreciate the take on both mental and physical health issues. Two-shot, complete.

strange perceptions - The most essential question to pose, obviously, is why is Hermann presently finding himself contained in a shut-down emergency decontamination unit with only his lab partner as company, having forgone not only the process of actual decontamination but also the process of being noticed by anyone at all. The answer is frustratingly straightforward: because Newton. Angst/Hurt/Comfort. In which feelings are shared and realizations come to. I really love the dialogue, character introspection, and use of flashbacks in this story. I also love the fact that it literally took getting stuck together and completely helpless to force them into a conversation about feelings. One-shot.

Strong Enough - the Precursor in captivity, nobody knows exactly how to get Newt back to his old self, if that’s even possible. But Newt was always stubborn, and damn if Hermann would ever give up on him, or, worse yet, let him give up on himself. Emotional Hurt/Comfort/Angst. Hermann is going to get his husband back, even if he has to fight the entire Shatterdome, the alien possessing his love, and his own nightmares to do it. Another precursor!Newt fix-it, but we need all of those that we can get because I want my science husbands to end up happy. One-shot.

Taken Care Of - Newt helps out Hermann when he’s having a bad day. Hurt/Comfort. A short and fluffy slice of life story that follows the companionship of Newt and Hermann through a rough day. One-shot.

The Ghost and Dr. Priestly - Newt is pulling an all-nighter in the university library studying for a chemistry test, when he begins to hear strange sounds. Good news: it’s not a ghost. Bad news: he only finds out after giving his lab partner, Hermann, a mild concussion. Drama/Romance/Hurt/Comfort. Newt is an unbelievable idiot and poor Hermann suffers the consequences. Or, Hermann is concussed and is probably not thinking properly, but he still kisses Newt even after the daft man nearly brained him with a book. One-shot.

Tricks and Treats - Seven fics for the seven days of Gottbleed week (Oct. 5th-11 2015). Each story: 1. Is Gottbleed 2. Fulfills an OTP prompt from tumblr 3. Is newmann and 4. Is Halloween related. Trick or treating, costumes, haunted houses, ghosts, too much candy - and much more! Cute, funny, with a side of seriousness. Humor/Drama. Hermann and Newton make such a fun couple and these somewhat Halloween themed shorts perfectly show off their characters. Complete.

You and Your Dog Teeth - Desperate to find ends and solutions, Hermann wears himself out to exhaustion looking for answers, especially his already lame leg. Being around as his usual working late night companion, it’s up to Newt to help take Dr. Gottlieb home. What seemed entirely like a normal night only ends with two scientists realizing there’s a lot more between them than they thought. Angst/Humor. Such a fun story, this has a good balance between emotional tension and moments of hilarity that only the K-science boys can fully pull off. The awkward approach to romance in this story works very well for the characters and give an authentic feel to the whole thing. Two-shot, complete.

You Know I Love You: I Wrote It Down - Drs. Geiszler and Gottlieb’s relationship goes back almost ten years. We know this because the paper trail goes that far back, too. Romance. Where do I begin with this story? It’s so well done and amazingly written. I can’t get enough of it. The idea to follow the relationship of Hermann and Newton through their paper trail was brilliant and well executed. The sheer nerdy romance is amazing. I don’t even care if it has smut in it, it’s still well worth the read. One-shot.

#Pacific Rim #pacific rim fanfiction #hermann/newton #hermann gottlieb #Newton Geiszler #romance #hurt/comfort #angst #so much fluff #science husbands

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cappiestuff · 4 years ago

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In modern times leprosy, or Hansen’s disease, is treatable, but at the time of St. Damien of Molokai it was still feared. Those suffering from the disease were kept as far as possible from others, as on the Hawaiian island of Molokai, on a remote, inaccessible peninsula.

It was there that the Belgian missionary Damien came, fulfilling a lifelong dream of mission work. Ordained in Honolulu in 1864, he came to the leper colony nine years later. At first part of a rotating team of chaplains, he later settled into a permanent ministry there. The story of the end of Damien’s life is well known. In 1884 he contracted leprosy himself, and could then address his flock, “We lepers….” He died five years later, in 1889, and has been acclaimed in both Hawaii and in his native Belgium.

Damien teaches us, as Pope John Paul II declared at his beatification, that “holiness is not perfection according to human criteria; it is not reserved for a small number of exceptional persons. It is for everyone.” This is a good thought to ponder throughout Lent.

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vanaera · 6 years ago

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“uni is hell and i wanna cry” never related to something so quickly oof😂 but yeah music has gotten me through it too!! im also part of the music 24/7 club😂✋🏻 (i even have a water resistant speaker for the shower, and a sleeping playlist when i say 24/7 i m e a n it ahah) but anyway, i’ve never listened to the ones you mentioned! (except for bts bc..) any specific songs youd recommend? ☺️

OOOF OKAY I'M JUST GONNA LIST MY FAVORITES BC I LIKE A LOT OF SONGS SO HERE I GO (I'll exclude BTS songs bc ya'll know a lot of them already)

Lana Del Rey - Carmen, Off to the Races, National Anthem, Video Games, Lust for Life, Tomorrow Never Came, 24 Hours, Shades of Cool, Bel Air, All her albums. JUST. PLEASE. IT'S ART

Lorde - 400 Lux, Hard Feelings, The Love Club, Ribs, Royals, Supercut, Liability, The louvre, Perfect Places, the wHOLE Pure Heroine Album, Melodrama Album (basically ALL HER SONGS)

Oh Wonder - Technicolor Beat (this is my favorite from their Oh Wonder album bc the song on-pointly DETAILS what it's like to fall in love)

Lotte Mulan - Breathless (I LOVE how the small details in her lyrics paints a vivid picture of the sweet feeling of being euphoric about someone with just a girl lying on her bed, happy about her date), Wake Up Next to You (this.is.a.tear.jerker), Valentine's Day (THIS IS SUCH A FLUFFY SONG OMYGOD) *I heard about Lotte Mulan when I was watching Kismet Diner, a 10 min short film used by Cornetto for their advertisement (watch it, it's SO BEAUTIFUL)

Us the Duo - No Matter Where You Are (this song is THE VERY ARTISTS' WEDDING VOWS FOR EACH OTHER), Already Mine (this perfectly tells the story of loving your SO again when times get rough), Make You Mine (FLUFF OVERLOAD!), Goodbye Forever (THIS IS A GREAT BREAKUP/I'M-DONE-WITH-YOU SONG)

The 1975 - Robbers (the MV for this is TOO AESTHETIC IT CAN BE A FULL FLEDGED FILM), Please Be Naked (This is just a very sincere song and you CAN understand all it wants to convey even when it has NO lyrics), Be My Mistake (this is very sad...and real), Sincerity is Scary ("why can't we be friends, when we are lovers" ; the title alone IS ALREADY GOOD MYGOD THIS HAS AN AMAZING SYMPHONY) *If you want to go onto an alternative genre marathon, just listen to them

Joji - Slow Dancing in the Dark

Marina and the Diamonds - Lies, Primadonna, FROOT (a very sensual song told in a very artfully suggestive manner and I'm LIVING for it), Blue, Starring Role, How to Be A Heartbreaker

Florence + The Machine - Between Two Lungs, Cosmic Love, Never Let Me Go, St. Jude, Ship to Wreck, Over the Love, Howl, Skyfull of Song (GODDAMN, THEIR SONGS ARE SO POETIC YOU'LL FEEL THE MEANING OF THE SONG BEFORE YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND THE LYRICS. YOU HAVE TO REALLY TAKE A MINUTE AND UNDERSTAND EVERY METAPHOR FLORENCE SINGS. Also, Florence is definitely one of the greatest vocalists out there and ngl, I don't doubt why no contestant EVER sings her songs in singing competitions without flopping in doing it)

Jason Mraz - I'm Yours, Love Someone, I Won't Give Up

Train - Marry Me

Howie Day - Collide

Tessa Thompson - Shed You

Kendrick Lamar - Loyalty, DNA, Love (JUST LISTEN TO HIS DAMN ALBUM OMYGOD)

DEAN - 130 mood: TRBL album and lisTEN TO ALL HIS SONGS DAMN THIS GUY IS AMAZING

Heize - And July Album

Epik High - Sleepless in _____ Album, Here Comes the Regrets

The XX - Together

The Great Gatsby OST

Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (oof the theater kid in me is jumping out)

Dear Evan Hansen (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

Daniel Caesar - Get You (ft. Kali Uchis)

Post Malone & Swae Lee - Sunflower (THE SONG IS SO GOOD AND SO IS SPIDERMAN: INTO THE SPIDERVERSE PLEASE WATCH IT)

Dodie - Would You Be So Kind?

Noah Cyrus - Make Me Cry

Bon Iver - Skinny Love, I Can't Make You Love Me

#aera song recs #what about aera #aera answers #this is just my favorites tho #i haven't gotten to the deepest bottom of my rec list tho #go listen to them hons #they're great!!!!!

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emblem-333 · 6 years ago

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What-If Verne Gagne Made Hulk Hogan Champion?

The Era of The Territories died before I was born. There’s pros and cons to their execution. Up until Vince McMahon gobbled up the industry like Pac-Man devouring dots there were multiple regional territories with their own established stars. The Carolinas has Ric Flair. Tennessee has Jerry “The King” Lawler. Texas featured the Von Erichs. They would run their respective territories, sometimes wander beyond and do inter-promotional programs typically ending in disqualifications to save face. Back in those days, before television really changed the landscape, promoters could getaway with jerking around their fans with constant indecisive finishes. Chances are the people who paid the ticket price to see the action were the only ones who are ever going to see it.

Ever heard of “The Dusty Finish,” well get a load of what Verne Gagne of the American Wrestling Association put his customers through in the early eighties. Gift wrapped Hulk Hogan after Vince Sr canned the star for appearing in the film “Rocky III” Verne took the young Hogan under his wing teaching him almost all of what would make him the monolith he’d become. Gagne told Hogan to not drop down after one drop kick. Telling him it should take three or more to take him off his legs. Gagne molded Hogan into a monster in the ring. Initially, Hulk was supposed to be a featured heel like during his days in the WWF. But his charisma compounded by his cameo in “Rocky III” endeared him to fans of the Minneapolis based wrestling promotion. And in a few short months Hogan found himself in the title picture feuding with the long toothed, well read heel Nick Bockwinkel.

Bockwinkel had entered his fifties earlier in the 1980s, but you couldn’t have guessed his age if you only watched him in the ring. He always kept himself in tip-top shape, didn’t party all night like Ric Flair. He was a clean cut, midwestern man who Verne still entrusted to safeguard his companies most prized possession even late into his career. Bockwinkel before Hogan and after had great matches I highly recommend you check out. Preferably his one-hour marathon against a young, babyface, Curt Hennig. Yeah. Mr. Perfect was once in the AWA. So was “Mean Gene” Okerlund. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. Scott Hall. Wendi Richter. Jesse Venture. All would become heavily featured players in the WWF/WCW when NWA fizzled.

Though Hogan was the star, and his current champ Bockwinkel was nearing fifty, Verne was hesitant - and later would outright say he didn’t see the 29-year-old as championship material or a prop he didn’t even need. Either Verne is lying or he poorly read the changing wrestling with the invention of television. The era of the babyface chasing the dastardly heel forever and ever was over. Promoters needed to shift towards more decisive finishes and book accordingly or face the same consequences Verne swallowed which squashed his once flourishing company. It’s quite the tragedy too. Verne knew his wrestling and could spot talent. Same could be said about Dusty Rhodes. At the end of the day what carries you over in a wrestling war isn’t talent, but business-savvy.

In his better days, McMahon knew sometimes it was better to go with what the fans wanted rather than persist with what he thought was right. He pulled the shoot on The Ultimate Warrior, ultimately giving way to the rise of Bret Hart, and Shawn Michaels. He later would do the same in the late-90s with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Neither were Vince’s cup of tea in what he perceived as championship material, but what mattered to him most was the all mighty dollar. But old Verne wasn’t as flexible and never really was. Come April 1983 he knew the long-standing Hogan/Bockwinkel had run its course and it was time to bestow the honor of champion to the younger star. Problem was, Verne couldn’t see beyond Hulk was a power wrestler, not too big on finesse and mat-style which was the makeup of the AWA. There’s also elements in this story that make Verne come off as a shitty, grubby businessman, and a downright creep. First, he demanded the bulk of Hogan’s merchandising sales (Hogan was printing his “Hulkamania” shirts and selling them outside of a trunk during House Shows) and his money he made wrestling for Japan; even though Verne had nothing to do with that promotion.

Actually, there might be some logic in Verne wanting a substantial cut in the money Hogan made overseas. See, he wrestled for a promotion called New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Verne had a partnership with a man named Shohei Baba — he would wrestle under the synonym “Giant Baba.” Baba worked as a promoter of All Japan Pro-Wrestling. The chief competitor of NJPW. Verne probably figured if he could squeeze Hogan for his NJPW paycheck he’d kick it to Giant Baba and subsequently AJPW and undercut the other promotion in the process.

The logic in Verne wanting the money though is nonexistent. Like McMahon when The Rock left the WWF to takeover Hollywood, he saw it fit to demand a chunk of his talent’s paycheck. Why? Because Vince McMahon made The Rock. Everyone knows that! Except he didn’t. The Rock made The Rock. In the wrestling world it doesn’t matter whether the boss acknowledged your existence before you made it big. All that mattered was he signed you to your deal and deserves the credit for those long hours you put in to climbing the ladder. Forget the fact that if it were up to Vince The Rock would have never turned heel, join The Nation of Domination and save his fledgling career.

I guess Verne can feel a little more secure in his belief he made Hogan into what he became. After all, he did instill the in-ring tactics that would carry him to superstardom. Regardless, the money Hogan made working NJPW was his, and it wasn’t like the AWA wasn’t doing gangbusters at House Shows and well in the black thanks to him.

The creepy aspect of this story was Verne was trying to set Hogan up with his daughter. Why? Well, he viewed the AWA as a family business and for whatever reason he didn’t trust his son, Greg, to succeed him so to keep the promotion in the family he wanted his champion to marry into it. You don’t believe me? In 1988 Larry Zbyszko marries Verne’s daughter. In February of ‘89 he wins the vacant AWA title in a Battle Royal.

It’s dysfunction like this is how you get an atmosphere like the one in the St. Paul Civic Center, the crowd absolutely becomes unglued as “Eye of the Tiger” roars through the speakers as the beach blonde haired heroine marches down the isle filled with purpose. He wears a black shirt that says “We Want The Belt” and on the back “Now Or Never.” You don’t get more prophetic than that last statement. Now or Never, Verne, and he chose Never. Hogan didn’t win the strap that night in St. Paul, and would soon leave the AWA. While the promotion enjoyed a few successful years before going defunct in 1991, you can trace their fall to “Super Clash” nine-years before.

So what-if Verne wasn’t a character out of a Leon Trotsky Socialist manifesto novel? What-if he just let Hogan keep his money and gave him the belt? Would the AWA still be around today? Hard to say, but I’m going to veer on the side of no. Hogan parading around with the AWA strap isn’t going to deter Vince from courting Hogan. We’re talking about the man who tried to convince Harley Race to no-show Starrcade ‘83 and take the NWA belt to his promotion.

One of the few ways Verne and the territories could have kept the bad wolf of New York from their doors was if they handed together to take him on. But nobody took the threat seriously until it was too late to sufficiently combat it. Another scenario is Ted Turner up and buys AWA with the NWA to form WCW. Having Turner on the wrestling scene against Vince was like Godzilla vs Mothra. WCW only started turning rotten when the Time Warner/AOL merger pushed Turner out of an influential role with the company. A more feasible scenario is Verne and Greg simply accept Vince’s offer he made at the St. Paul airport before turning around and exclaiming “I don’t negotiate”. But, if they did merge with the WWF the fate of the AWA is probably similar to Stu Hart and his Stampede Wrestling promotion. Their talent pool would be severely depleted and the promotion transforming from something that is on par — if not superior to the WWF to nothing more than a minor league farm system for New York to routinely pluck talent from.

If Hulk Hogan of all people suddenly become the most loyal person in the business and remained a stalwart of the AWA he arguably has a greater cast of heels to run through than he did in his first run as champion in the WWF. Stan Hansen, Leon White (A.K.A Vader), Larry Zbyszko, Curt Hennig, Jerry Lawler. While it’s highly questionable whether Hansen and Lawler would be willing to job to Hogan because of their value to other promotions, their feuds still print money at the gates and perhaps fans are just so happy to see Hogan as champion they don’t mind the constant string of D.Q finishes.

What does McMahon do? Rumor was his second choice was Paul Orndorff. A very good, if not great heel wrestler that is commonly forgotten due to the fact he jobbed to Hogan throughout the eighties. But Vince is more creative than that. He had to have an ace up his sleeve of Hogan alluded his grasps. Ric Flair? The Von Erichs? Maybe he pulls the trigger and makes Roddy Piper or Ricky Steamboat champion? Steamboat was only 31 by the time Iron Sheik beat Bob Backlund for the belt to set the table for Hogan. But Vince didn’t like skinny, short guys as his main champion. It’s why you see wrestlers like Daniel Bryan constantly marginalized despite showing time after time he can main event.

The AWA gave the wrestling world countless stars that would make this article too long if I were to list them all. But, like most promoters in the territory era, Verne had a limited grasp on how to maximize his profits and couldn’t see behind his own biases and greed.

#AWA #Wrestling #Hulk Hogan #Nick Bockwinkel #Verne Gagne #Vince McMahon #WWF #WWE #NWA #1980s #Minnesota #St.Paul #AWA Super Sunday #what if #alternate universe #free coinage of silver

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growhunter407 · 4 years ago

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Alcina Handel

French soprano Patricia Petibon sings one of the biggest handelian arias. Her voice in this recording is just amazing, and she adds a lot of dramatism. Handel’s Alcina Handel’s Alcina ● by Chris Lynch This February, Indiana University Opera will present Handel’s fantasy opera Alcina in a new production designed by Robert Perdziola, directed by Chas Rader-Shieber, and conducted by Arthur Fagen. On musical grounds, this is a more-than-competent reading of Handel's classic opera, with some fine singing throughout. Naglestad is a lovely Alcina, and other principles are strong (notable standout is Mahnke's Oberto). Conductor Hacker coaxes a good reading out of the Stuttgart forces. Handel: Alcina / Curtis, DiDonato, Rensburg, Beaumont Release Date: Label: Archiv Produktion (Dg) Catalog #: 4777374 Spars Code: n/a Composer: George Frideric Handel Performer: Kobie van Rensburg, Vito Priante, Joyce DiDonato, Sonia Prina.

Mio Bel Tesoro Handel Pdf

Quite possibly Handel's most magnificent opera, Alcina is filled with extraordinary musical riches & a lot of magnificent magic. Two exceptional women lie at the heart of the story: Alcina is a potent sorceress, which Bradamante counters with her self-confidence and determination on her quest to rescue her lover Ruggiero from Alcina's spells. If she succeeds, they will escape and no doubt live happily ever after. However, if not, Ruggiero will be transformed into the newest trophy in Alcina's enormous gallery of former lovers. Which will it be? Can he resist her magic?

Now in his fourth season as music director of Orchestra Seattle and the Seattle Chamber Singers, Clinton Smith also maintains a position on the music staff of Santa Fe Opera, where he most recently served as cover conductor for Leonard Slatkin on a production of Samuel Barber’s Vanessa. During the 2017–2018 season, he will make three company debuts, conducting Il barbieri de Siviglia at Dayton Opera, Le nozze di Figaro at Tacoma Opera and Alcina at Fargo-Moorhead Opera. He will also return to Pacific Northwest Opera to conduct Turandot, and to Atlanta Opera to prepare The Seven Deadly Sins. Clinton’s recent conducting credits include The Mikado for Kentucky Opera, Hansel und Gretel and Norma for Pacfic Northwest Opera, Il barbieri di Sivigliafor the University of Michigan Opera Theater, and La finta giardiniera for Baldwin Wallace University.

He has served on the music staff of Santa Fe Opera, Juilliard Opera, Minnesota Opera, Atltanta Opera, Portland Opera, Kentucky Opera and Ash Lawn Opera. Other recent posts include four seasons as artistic director and principal conductor of the St. Cloud Symphony, assistant conductor and chorus master for San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program, assistant conductor for Glimmerglass Opera’s productions of Tolomeo and The Tender Land, music director of Western Ontario University’s Canadian Operatic Arts Academy, and guest coach at the National University of Taiwan.

For four seasons, Minnesota Opera engaged Clinton as cover conductor and chorus master, where he led mainstage performances of La traviata and Madama Butterfly and covered the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Opera Orchestra in over 20 productions. During 2011, Clinton conducted a workshop and prepared the world premiere of Kevin Puts’ opera Silent Night, which subsequently won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in Music. For Minnesota Opera’s New Works Initiative, and as an avid fan of new music, Clinton prepared workshops of Douglas J. Cuomo’s Doubt, Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Garden of the Finzi-Continis and the North American premiere of Jonathan Dove’s The Adventures of Pinocchio, as well as Dominick Argento’s Casanova’s Homecoming and Bernard Herrmann’s Wuthering Heights.

Patrick Hansen continues his unique career throughout North American as an operatic stage director, conductor, and vocal coach. His stagings have garnered praise in both Canada and the United States. Opera Canada wrote, ' Patrick Hansen captured the opera's bohemian vitality - the city of Paris itself was the characterful backdrop to the action. When he ran out of space in Act II, the crowd simply spilled down into the auditorium . . the comic business was well handled . . . The acting, indeed, was a strong point throughout.'

Mr. Hansen has been on the musical staffs of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Pittsburgh Opera, Tulsa Opera, Opera Memphis, Des Moines Metro Opera, Ash Lawn Opera, The Juilliard Opera Center, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, and Glimmerglass Opera as well as being the Director of Artistic Administration for Florida Grand Opera during the opening of the Miami Arts Centre.

At ease in opera and musical theatre, his stage directing credits encompass the entire spectrum of repertoire now being presented in opera companies; Alcina, Orfeo ed Eudridice, Cosi fan tutte, Die Zauberflute, L'elisier d'amore, La traviata, Dialogue des Carmelites, Albert Herring, Hansel and Gretel, La Boheme as well as the musicals Camelot and Trouble in Tahiti.

Alcina Handel Opera

Currently the director of Opera McGill in Montreal at McGill University, Mr. Hansen is the former director of the Young American Artist Program at Glimmerglass Opera, and has presented masterclasses and coachings with the Young Artists of Virginia Opera and for many years served as the stage director at the Kennedy Center with the Washington Chorus' Essential Verdi. Mr. Hansen returns to Fargo-Moorhead after successful stagings of Fille du Regiment, Suor Angelica/Gianni Schicchi, and The Magic Flute in previous seasons.

Miriam Khalil is an acclaimed Lebanese-Canadian soprano specializing in opera and concert performance. She has been lauded as a 'skilled, versatile artist' with a “signature warm lyrical voice” by Musical Toronto and described as 'dark, dangerous and alluring” by Opera Going Toronto. Miriam is a graduate of the prestigious Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, the Steans Institute for Young Artists (Ravinia) and the Britten-Bears Young Artist Programme in England. While in her last year of the COC Ensemble Studio, she advanced to the semi-finals of the Metropolitan Opera Council auditions and represented the Great Lakes Region on the Met stage, during which she was featured in the documentary film The Audition.

Miriam has appeared on numerous opera stages across Canada and Europe, including a stint at the renowned Glyndebourne Festival Opera in the United Kingdom. Notable roles include Mimi in La bohème (Minnesota Opera, Opera Hamilton & Against the Grain Theatre); Musetta in La bohème (Edmonton Opera); Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni (Opera Tampa & Against the Grain Theatre/The Banff Centre/Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival); Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande (Against the Grain Theatre); the Governess in The Turn of the Screw (Against the Grain Theatre); Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare (Glyndebourne Festival Opera, U.K.); Almirena in Rinaldo (Glyndebourne Festival Opera, U.K.); and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro (Pacific Opera Victoria, Opera Lyra Ottawa & Against the Grain Theatre).

Holly Flack is a coloratura soprano praised for “wielding an impressive range, effortlessly reaching higher than high notes” with her unique vocal extension beyond an octave above high C.

Ms. Flack has performed with the Bel Canto Opera Festival, Astoria Opera Festival, and Operafestival di Roma. She made her debut at the Trentino Music Festival in Mezzano, Italy singing the role of the Vixen in Leos Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen. She was most recently seen on the FM Opera stage last season as the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute.

Additional roles include Serpetta (La Finta Giardiniera), Frasquita (Carmen), Despina (Cosi fan Tutte), and Peep-Bo in The Mikado. In 2015, Holly was part of the Gate City Bank Young Artist program where she covered the role of Marie in Daughter of the Regiment with FM Opera.

Originally from Portland, Oregon, Ms. Flack holds a Bachelors degree in Vocal Performance from St. Olaf College, and a Masters degree in Vocal Performance from The University of Kentucky, where she studied with soprano Cynthia Lawrence.

Lyric mezzo-soprano Holly Janz is a versatile singing actress with a voice that is evenly blended with clarity, richness and warmth. She has performed with opera companies across the country including Skylark Opera, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, Wichita Grand Opera, and Union Avenue Opera Theatre (St. Louis). Past credits comprise a variety of characters from the trouser roles of Cherubino, Hansel and Prince Orlofsky, to the ingénue roles of Nancy (Albert Herring) and Valencienne (The Merry Widow), to the more dramatic roles of Carmen and The Secretary (The Consul).

In addition to her operatic stage credits, Ms. Janz is a compelling concert artist in both oratorio and recital. Orchestral credits include the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, the Indianapolis Philharmonic Orchestra, the Greater Grand Forks Symphony, the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony as well as the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Janz, a native of Marshfield, WI, is an alumna of the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point (BM). She has also received degrees from the University of Colorado (MM) and the University of Kansas (DMA, with honors), and is an associate professor of voice at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN.

Called “winningly wily and dauntless” by Boston Classical Review, American Mezzo-soprano, Kate Jackman, is multifaceted musician and actress who excels in a variety of musical expression. As a2017 Gate City Bank Young Artist, Kate was seen as the Waitress in “Speed Dating Tonight!” as well as the Sergeant of Police in FM Opera’s recent production of “The Pirates of Penzance”. She also sang the role of Giovanna this summer in Ash Lawn Opera’s production of “Rigoletto”. Other roles that Kate has performed include the lead role in Oliver Knussen’s “Higglety Pigglety Pop” at the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music, Hansel in “Hansel and Gretel”, the title role in “Carmen”, Dorabella in “Cosi fan tutte”, Bloody Mary in “South Pacific”, and Dinah in Bernstein’s “Trouble in Tahiti”.

An avid performer of new works, Kate has premiered roles in “Piecing It Apart” by Paul Matthews and “Lux et Tenebrae” by Douglas Buchanan for The Figaro Project’s Contemporary Opera Trio. She also premiered the role of Megan 2 in Robert Patterson’s “The Whole Truth” with Urban Arias, and Patricia Hutton in Joshua Bornfield’s“Camelot Requiem”, in which she “expressed emotional intensity with the weight of her soothing mezzo-soprano voice” (Maureen L. Mitchell, Opera Today)

Ms. Jackman holds a Master of Music Degree from the Peabody Institute and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of North Texas.

Alcina Opera

Tenor Jianghai Ho has appeared most recently as tenor soloist in the DePaul Symphonic Choir’s presentation of Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Rinuccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Nerone in Monteverdi’s L'incoronazione di Poppea, Orfeo in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, Abraham Kaplan in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene, and Dr. Blind in Johann Strauss Jr’s Die Fledermaus with DePaul Opera Theater. He has also performed with the Duke Vespers Ensemble in Dietrich Buxtehude’s rarely-performed Membra Jesu Nostri at the Boston Early Music Festival, as well as the Chicago Symphony Chorus.

Born in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, Jianghai first discovered his passion for opera under the tutelage of Professor Susan Dunn at Duke University, where he graduated with a B.S. in music and biology. He graduated in vocal performance from DePaul University, where he studied with David Alt and Michael Sylvester.

Mark Billy is a lyric baritone and Native American (Choctaw tribe) from Finley, Oklahoma. Mark’s undergraduate studies in voice at the University of Oklahoma were under the mentorship of baritone Richard Anderson. Mark has also had additional study with the legendary mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne.

Mark made his operatic debut as IlCommendatore in 2012 with OU Opera Theatre's production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”. The following season he appeared as Thoas in Gluck's “Iphigénieen Tauride”. In 2014 Mark appeared as Simon in OU’s choreographed production of Haydn’s oratorio “Die Jahreszeiten” and in 2016 Mark was featured as Moralès in “Carmen” with Indiana University.His graduate studies at Indiana were with soprano Carol Vaness.

Handel Operas Youtube

Mark most recently concluded a traveling production at OU opera theatre of John Davies mash-up children’s opera: “The Billy Goats Gruff” where he played the role of Osmin, the bully billy goat; this brought opera to Norman, OK area schools and carried the important message against bullying. In the Spring of 2017 Mark placed first in the Oklahoma NATS competition graduate level division. This past summer Mark sang Melisso in Handel’s “Alcina” as well as covering the role of Marcello in “La bohème” for the Red River Lyric Opera Festival. As a 2018 Gate City Bank Young Artist with the Fargo Moorhead Opera Mark will be reprising the role of Melisso in Handel’s “Alcina”as well as the role of the bartender in Michael Ching’s comic one act opera “Speed Dating Tonight!”

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most-hated-blorbo-bracket · 2 years ago

Note

Do you have a list of all characters submitted so far?

hoo boy, it’s a long fuckin list; I’ll put it under the cut

Please know that this is RAW STATISTICS. Just because a character is here doesn’t mean it will be included or not included!

For those who just want statistics, we have 269 submissions as of now, with 211 unique characters (if I counted correctly)!

The characters on this list have two or more submissions, and have a high chance of being selected (save for a few with some…not so convincing propaganda)

Vriska Serkat

Eridan Ampora

Shiver

Kokichi Ouma

Haiji Towa

Minoru Mineta

Simon

Boston

Bill Cipher

John Gaius

Regal Farseer

Ayin

Kylo Ren

Mal

Jurgen Leitner

Merlin

Darkstalker

Kyubey

Ty Betteridge

Sasuke Uchiha

Dazai Osamu

Glenn Quagmire

Rose Quartz

Makima

c!Dream

Izzy Hands

Akio Ohtori

Katsuki Bakugo

Bramblestar

Michael

Don Quixote Doflamingo

Elias Bouchard/Jonah Magnus

Ansem the Wise

Kusaka Masato

Azula

The Metatron

Evan Hansen

The characters in this section have one submission, and have a lower chance of being selected.

Michael Scott

Detective Saracusa

Micah Bell

Paul Von Oberstein

Santa Claus

Box

Damian Wayne

Jace Herondale (submitter was unsure of name)

Cersei Iannister

Shredder

Splinter

William Afton

Cullen

John ‘Jack’ Seward

Akane

Abyss Sibling

House

Nickel

Julie-Sue

Tim Drake

Xisuma

Dr. John ‘Jack’ Seward

Hisoka

Gra’ha Tia

Elias Ainsworth

Trishna

Erlina and Brugaves

Five Pebbles

Lance Dubois

The Entirety Of Homestuck

Willy Stampler

Simon Laurent

Miguel O’Hara

Medusa Gorgon

Gamzee Makara

Rohan Kishibe

Teruhashi Makoto

Gordon Blackwall

Rebecca Costwolds

Dio

Ardyn Izunia

Anakin Skywalker

Sigma Kilm

Caesar Clown

Shiki Tohno/Nanaya

Mori Ougqi

Asuka

Marlon

Pencil

Touichiro Suzuki

Alexander Hamilton

Le’Garde

Donald Trump

Georg Weissmann

Dean Winchester

The Operator

Kromer

Scrappy Doo

Foreman Oyun

The Eleventh Doctor

Any Character From Welcome to Nightvale

Will Shuester

Marie

Cici

Silver Spoon

Jayne Cobb

Byakuya Togami

Prince Louis

Coco

Princess Daisy

Light Yagami

The Pale King

Yoshiharu Hisomu

Himiko Toga

Sebastian Mechaelias

Mystery Hunter (Jeremiah Hartley)

Muzan Kibutsuji

Clara Oswald

Ranpo Edogawa (Beast)

Heath cliff

Inspector Tobias Greyson

Pierce

Roland

Huey Emmerich

Tom Wambsgans

Yuri Briar

Jacopo Bearzatti

Quiche

Alastor

Meredith Rodney McKay

Every Single Country In 1993

Jin Guangyao

Cicero

Val Velocity

Jiren

Noor Pradesh

Blackbeard

Kristoph Gavin

Morris

Dan Moroboshi

Muu Kusunoki

Teddie / Kumq

Julia

Shen Jiu

April O’Neil (2012)

Junko Enoshima

Johnny

Adam

Ronaldo

Greg Heffley

Makoto Itou

Ianthe Tridentarius

Ochi Fukuchi

Disembodied Voice

Viren

Spamton

George Wickham

Floch

The New Ninja

Sakazuki Akainu

Petyr Baelish / Littlefinger

Childe

Wen Chao

Stormcaller

Chibiusa

Ashfur

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd

James T. Kirk

Billy

Mikan Tsumuki

Teruteru

Orochi

Millions Knives

The Mage

Lotor

Sentinel Prime

Otto Apocalypse

Sanji

Woodes Rogers

Zeke Jaeger

Dean Venture

Absalom

Aloise Trancey

Cynte

Tony Stark

Akito Sohma

Pierre

Monokubs (Except Monodam)

Edelgard

Happosai

Chrollo Lucifer

Chloe Bourgeois

Zhou Zishu

Wanderer/Scaramouche

Elon Musk

Il Dottore

Goeffry St. John

Nikola Tesla

Louie

Ogai Mori

Astarion

Mary Keay

Dr. Henry Miller

Booker

Voice In The Calm Ad On Spotify

Akechi Goro

Victor Frankenstein

Five

Riley Finn

Anyone From The Locked Tomb

Elias Ainsworth

Stella Goetia

Nefera DeNile

#mod speaks #not a poll #ask answered #most hated blorbo bracket

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astridstorm · 4 years ago

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A Sermon for Graduation Sunday

Congratulations to our graduates on this gorgeous day! We're so happy for all of you, and I hope you credit St. James just a little for getting successfully to this point in your lives.

This is a bittersweet day for me and Deacon Susie, because we’re seeing you off. But, it makes both of us feel better to know where the nearest Episcopal Church is to where you’re going. And to know you know. And so I did a little research--this has become my tradition on Graduation Sunday--and let me just give each of you the rundown on what I found before I say a few words about the Gospel lesson.

Quinn: you’re going to be in Boca Raton Florida. You win the prize for the most amazing location of everyone here, maybe with the exception of Jake (Jake you’re next). Quinn will be going to Lynn University. It is a mere four-minute drive (and easily walkable) to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Chapel. It’s on the campus of St. Andrew’s Boarding School. They’re looking now for a priest, but the last one they had boasted of liking to surf in his spare time. You just might see me down there as your next priest!

Now Jake Coleman, actually you tie with Quinn for beautiful places, because you’re going to the University of San Diego. And you have so many choices; there are a LOT of Episcopal Churches in your area. St. James-by-the-Sea might be a good place to start, and actually one of my former colleagues from Ohio--we worked in the same church twenty years ago--is now there. I’ve told her to let me know when you show up one Sunday.

Speaking of Ohio: Maggie Goldstein. You’re going to Case Western. Being from Ohio, I happen to think yours is the best location. There are Episcopal churches quite close to you, but just 2 ½ miles, that’s a five minute drive away, is a historically Black Episcopal Church, St. Andrew’s. It’s over 125 years old, and was founded when the Great Migration brought African Americans from the South to the North for greater opportunity. You might also like to know that they have a soup kitchen ministry twice a month; you could get involved in that.

As an aside here, I hope you all go to church now and then, but if you don’t, then serve in a soup kitchen, or a food pantry. You can always find an Episcopal Church with an active outreach ministry. Serving food to the hungry: that’s church, too.

Emily Hansen: this is so easy. There is a St. James, less than one mile from the heart of the Harvard campus, where Emily will be. There is an Episcopal Chaplaincy right there on campus. There’s also St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, less than a mile from Harvard Yard. Years ago I went there on a Sunday, well before I was ordained or even thinking about it. That church definitely got me to be an Episcopalian; maybe even a priest. It’s one of the most multicultural churches anywhere. The rector is Father Muwina. Emily, your first assignment as a college student is to go to that church.

Eloise: Syracuse. About as opposite Miami and San Diego as you can get. The closest Episcopal Church to you is Grace Episcopal, within easy walking distance of campus. They have ministries to the hungry and the homeless. They also have something called Wednesday Night Suppers, a longstanding weekly potluck gathering of people from the church and the neighborhood. One of the things about going to college is, you sometimes don’t want to hang around only college students. The church is a different kind of community, and you can find there parents-away-from-home and a kind of nurturing presence you’ve had here (and that you just might miss).

Eddie Eforo, you’re going to Geneseo. St. Michael’s Episcopal Church is about a 3-minute walk from the College Green, so I’m fully expecting you to make it there at least once your first semester. Danielle Eforo: Wesleyan. In Middletown, Connecticut. Your new church will be Holy Trinity. They have a clothing closet, a food collection, and they serve in a community soup kitchen, cooking and preparing meals. And it’s three blocks from campus.

Dylan Hughson, you have an even easier commute to your nearest Episcopal Church: Virginia Tech has a Canterbury campus ministry that meets right there on campus, Wednesdays at 8. Virginia is like the Epicenter of Episcopalianism, so you can’t go very far without seeing an Episcopal Church or meeting an Episcopalian. So you’ll be well provided for.

And finally, Antoine: Rochester Institute of Technology. You also have an Episcopal chaplaincy right there on campus, with services Sundays at 6:30 pm followed by a meal they cook for you. And one of things you’ll all miss, I guarantee, is home cooked food. So let me say this one more time: your local Episcopal Church.

You're all going to get so much advice, wisdom, and admonitions in the coming weeks that I'll spare you too much more, but I wouldn't be doing my duty if I didn’t fill your ears with one last St. James sermon before you head out into the world.

And as it turns out, our Gospel reading provides an excellent set up, almost as if Jesus was preaching to graduates himself.

From our reading from Mark: "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how."

Here's what I hear in this for today: You're going to go on and do great things. Many of those great things will have your name attached. People will say, look what Eloise did. Look what Danielle did. But remember, you can take only partial credit. There isn't a thing you can do The thanks for which go to you alone. From before you were born, your parents navigated their way, with help even before them, to a world that would give you every best opportunity you could have. Along the way, friends and strangers guided and steered you.

Just like that sower--ok, so he scattered the seed, but there was soil, there was water, there were worms tilling the soil, there was sunlight, there were people to harvest, And there was the seed to begin with. So it will be with every single triumph in your life. A good grade, a great relationship, a fabulously fulfilling career--by the way, those will all be punctuated by lot of frustration, boredom, exhaustion and occasional failure, but I know you have people telling you that. But all the triumphs are only this much (gesture) yours.

Jesus continues: With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? Notice there (by the way) the humility. Jesus admitting it’s hard to put what he’s trying to say into words. But he ventures something--because we must also strive for curiosity and be willing to try.

“The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches-- so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

This is a well known parable, but usually not the version of it we get here, in Mark’s Gospel. This is not, in Mark, an acorn-makes-a-mighty oak situation. This is: a tiny seed, makes a shrub. A big shrub, but a shrub.

Humility. All humans, even the greatest of us, are but shrubs.

But then look what that shrub is good for--also a detail unique to Mark’s Gospel: it puts forth large branches so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade. It doesn’t matter if it’s a humble shrub. Its purpose is to protect and make those birds happy. That’s our purpose as Christians: protect and shield the vulnerable. Live humbly, regard yourselves with humility, and use the gifts and privileges you have for others.

I know you’re all going to become magnificent shrubs. The greatest of shrubs. Because God needs people to help this world, and the people in it. So congratulations on this happy day. We’re all so very proud of you.

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fanficsandfluff · 8 years ago

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Dear Evan Hansen: A Starry Night With You

For @fluffyfics who requested this a while back. I hope you read this and enjoy it when you come back, sweetie.

Words: 1,654

They’d been sneaking out--- well, no. Not really. Connor kept telling Evan to refer to what they did as sneaking out since it sounded more badass. Badass as compared to having permission to go out at night.

Connor took his parents’ car, picked up Evan, and they drove off together through the neighborhood shrouded by darkness. It was usually a quiet meeting. A simple hi and a shared smile, and they were off. Evan looked out the passenger window, eyes flying back and forth to catch every house and tree and fire hydrant along the way. He sat with his legs close together and his hands on his knees. God, they were getting sweaty, too. Why did that always happen?

Connor pulled over when they arrived, and they got out of the car together.

“I-It’s a clear night,” Evan pointed out as his first bit of conversation. His friend nodded and led the way down the familiar park path. Evan followed behind him, climbing up the hill until they rested beneath a giant oak that the public park initially grew around years ago. The tree was original, authentic. Evan loved it.

Connor was the first, after stretching his hands above his head dramatically, to plop down on the grass. Evan sat gentler.

The differences between the two bodies was apparent in every way. But their souls were practically one in the same. Evan felt it. He’d felt like that for a long time. But he never plucked up the courage to confront Connor about it. To ask him if he felt the same. But it was small dates like these that Evan treasured.

A cloud passed overhead, and both teens were gazing up into the sky. Evan was trying to figure out what that cloud resembled when there was a minute grunt and a shifting beside him. Connor moved just a tad closer to Evan, the gap between them getting smaller. Evan blushed.

“Ah,” Connor threw a hand in the air, finger pointing, “I saw the first one.”

Evan looked where the long haired teen was pointing and viewed the first visible star of the night.

“Yeah, you did,” Evan smiled his usual nervous smile.

A stretch of silence, eyes searching the heavens.

“There!”

“Over there!”

Evan and Connor thrust their arms into the sky at the same time, hands colliding when they each spotted the same star simultaneously.

Connor tilted his head to Evan and he grinned, “Heh, that can be our star.”

“Just ours,” Evan blushed and smiled back.

Connor kept his eyes on Evan for just a bit longer before returning his gaze to the sky. A few more stars popped up in the interim amount of time.

Evan scratched at his arm as he got more cozy on the soft grass. He felt another, colder hand press against his forearm.

“You think we’re gonna catch any constellations tonight?” Connor asked, not removing his hand from Evan just yet.

Evan looked from him to the stars and he shrugged, “Dunno. If anything, we could make up our own.”

Connor smiled a little wider, now having one painted fingernail gently scratch up and down Evan’s arm where he was holding him. Evan blushed as a shiver was sent up his spine.

“Uhh, like,” Evan cleared his throat, “That one could be a lightning bolt,” he drew the pattern up in the air as he gestured to a collection of burning gas balls.

Connor tilted his head as he tried to see it, “More like a worm to me. Less severe in the squiggle section.”

Evan giggled briefly, “Mahaybe, uh huh.”

Connor saw a party hat among the stars, and Evan gasped when he could see it clearly. The name game went on for a while, keeping the two of them talking and occupied. Another lull arrived as a large cloud swooped over them, covering the stars from view.

Connor picked up a fallen leaf from the ground and twirled it between his paint-chipped fingernails. It was obvious he wanted to say something. If only Evan was looking at him.

“Dear Evan Hansen,” Connor began, not breaking his gaze from the spinning, floppy leaf.

Evan turned his attention all to Connor Murphy, a scared blush adhering to his cheeks.

“You’ve had a lot of good nights with Connor,” Connor resumed speaking from Evan’s perspective, “Well, Connor hoped they were good for you. You’re not as shy anymore. You make Connor feel so...” Connor sighed and now his own nose and cheeks lit up, “... loved.”

Evan felt like he was having heart palpitations, and he scratched his stomach, his nervous tick growing out of control. When he and Connor locked eyes at last, it was like floodgates were opened.

Connor leaned in towards Evan and he rested his head on the smaller teen’s chest. Evan’s breath hitched and he did not move a muscle. He had to say something. What the hell could he say!?

“D-De-Dear... Connor Murphy,” Evan bit his lip, “You’re everything Evan could ever dream of and more. He-He loves you.”

Connor leaned his head back to peek at Evan. He shut his eyes and pushed himself up, arm now resting on the ground around Evan, and he kissed the other teen. Evan’s eyes widened in abject fear for the first few seconds before he melted. He didn’t move any part of his body except for his lips.

Connor broke the kiss and he watched Evan for his reaction, apprehension apparent on his face. He smiled first, which then allowed Evan to smile back.

Evan chuckled and sounded out of breath. His eyes softened and he looked down. Connor kept staring at Evan. What a perfect fucking beauty.

“You should’ve told me a long time ago, Ev,” Connor mentioned, sitting back down beside Evan.

“I-I was... scared. I didn’t think you’d like me back. I thought you’d think I was creepy and hate me and never talk to me again.”

“You overthink things,” Connor smiled pleasantly.

“Could we...” Evan swallowed, his throat dry, “Could we cuddle the rest of the night? No one’s here, I-I mean, only if you want to.”

Connor smiled broadly and he was immediately snuggled into Evan’s plushier side, his arms wrapped around Evan’s waist. Evan chuckled anxiously, and then with relief. The two, now entwined, blinked and the stars were the brightest they’d been all year. Connor picked up another leaf, this one stiffer and pointier, but filled with beautiful dark patterned veins. He traced the leaf along Evan’s inner arm, and the teen bubbled up with giggles, the arm twitching.

Connor smiled and he nuzzled his nose into Evan’s ribs, keeping one eye on the leaf as he made it continue its tickly path up and down Evan’s elbow crease now.

“Cohonnor! It feels weheird,” Evan protested.

“You’re adorable, Evan,” Connor outright said it and he wiggled the leaf under Evan’s nose, making him sneeze involuntarily.

Evan rubbed his nose and he blushed darkly, “W-Well, so are you.”

Connor grinned, “Geehee thanks. You gotta work on the flirting, don’t you?”

Evan rolled his eyes, “No,” he poked Connor’s cheek, “You’re just better at it than I am...”

Connor leaned up and he loomed over Evan, pushing some long hair out of his own face, “It’s only because I love you. I love everything about you. How nervous you get, your smile, your blushing, how you hold your arm into yourself when you get anxious, your laugh..” Connor whisked a few fingers along Evan’s waistline, which was exposed from his shirt hiking up on its own.

Evan became breathless in another few seconds of Connor’s teasing words. Giggles burst forth without his say so, completely at Connor Murphy’s mercy. But it was such a welcome, wonderful feeling of helplessness. Those boney fingers drawing shapes and letters over his tummy to then spider up into his armpits. It was hell.

“I could tickle you forever,” Connor teased with sincerity. He’d live off Evan’s laugh if he had to.

“St-Stahap! I can’t! Connor, plehease!”

Connor listened to his new boyfriend, his fingers stilling from where they were drilling into Evan’s hip bones. He removed them and nestled into the grass once more, arm to arm with Evan.

“Youhu’re... a jerk,” Evan wasn’t afraid to call him one. Connor chortled and tucked both his hands under his head as a pillow.

“Guilty is charged,” Connor’s shoulders shrugged.

Evan almost didn’t like how smug Connor looked. Almost. With Connor exposed and vulnerable, Evan tested out Connor’s sensitivity by poking in between a set of his ribs. He yelped. Jackpot.

Evan was quick to straddle Connor and have him squirming and begging within seconds. Man, he was ticklish.

“You’re gonna scare the stars away with your loud laugh if you don’t watch out,” Evan spoke sweetly, as if he was teasing a child. It seemed to work because Connor blushed and he squealed, hands flying up to cover his mouth and muffle his laugh.

Evan rose a brow, “Oho, you’re really gonna try this?”

Connor snorted and nodded.

With that, Evan took up the challenge. He first targeted Connor’s underarms since they were open due to Connor covering his mouth. They slammed down immediately and Connor tossed his head back.

“EVAN! Shihihit! Oho my god stahap!”

Evan plucked a few blades of grass and fluttered them in and around Connor’s ears, sometimes stroking them against his neck. The teen moved his head every which way as his giggles became more high-pitched.

“I lohove you,” Evan leaned down close to Connor’s face, his hands on either side of his head, the tickles stopped.

Connor panted, face flushed and hair a mess. He lay where he was and only stretched his head up to meet Evan’s lips with his own.

The moon shone brightly and huge in the unclouded night sky, stars twinkling. Dazzling. A kiss brought fireworks into the starry surroundings.

#ticklish!evan #ticklish!connor #connor/evan #evan hansen #connor murphy #dear evan hansen #deh #fanfic #deh fanfic #evan x connor #tree bros #tickle fic #budding relationship

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save-the-cronch · 8 years ago

Text

Demigod AU

this actually sucks

I really hate it

and I’m sorry

Running had always been one of Connor’s favorite pass times. However, lately Connor realized that running from harm is much less exhilarating. Why was Connor running exactly? Well, recently Connor had found out why his dad had always seemed to resent him so much. It turns out that Connor’s dad, Larry was tricked by a Greek Goddess into thinking that she was his wife. Then, nine months later, Larry found Connor on his doorstep. Larry wanted to toss Connor, his new born baby, into an orphanage. Cynthia, however, begged to keep Connor. She knew that Connor wasn’t hers, but Larry had already told Cynthia what had happened. She wanted to raise Connor as her own, and she hates the thought of her husband just abandoning his child.

Connor still doesn’t know who his mother is. He’s not even sure he wants to know. All he knows about her is that she’s a Greek Goddess, and she can make herself look like his mom. Step mom? Connor isn’t sure anymore.

Currently, Connor was running from a serpent like animal. Thankfully, Connor wasn’t alone. He was with two other people, both students from his grade, both people he could tolerate. One of them was a boy named Evan Hansen, he seemed to be very anxious about a lot of things. Connor always saw him eating lunch under a big oak tree at their school. The other, was a girl named Alana Beck, she had gone to school with Connor and Evan since seventh grade, extremely smart. Alana had apparently been sent to watch over them during the school year. She told them that she was a daughter of Athena, no shock there, and was suppose to take them to some sort of camp if anything bad happened. Well, three days ago, a cyclops had stumbled upon their town, and nearly destroyed the mall, which Connor, Evan, and Alana all happened to be in. Connor was picking his sister up from a movie, Evan was working, and Alana was at the movie with Zoe, Connor’s sister. Alana instantly sprung into action, she had a dagger hidden in the soles of each shoe. Luckily the cyclops was a baby, and Alana was able to kill it with only getting a few scratches and a sprained wrist. Evan had been worried, but Alana stated that nectar and ambrosia would fix that. Connor had never heard of such medicine, and it turns out they weren’t medicine. Nectar was a drink, and ambrosia looked a lot like lemon bars.

“Gods! If we could just stop running, I could grab my daggers and kill the bitch!” Alana yells. Connor has also learned that Alana doesn’t swear, unless she’s angry or in combat mode. “Boys, cover for me, I need my fucking daggers.”

Evan and Connor both halt and stare at each other, watching as the serpent closes in on them. Evan seems to get an idea, as he closes his eyes, and screws up his face. Connor watches in awe as a nearby tree’s branches extend and wrap around the serpent. The animal thrashes and snaps at the branch. Alana then looks up, and is glad to see that one of the boys has a power, and a handy one at that. Alana believes she’s with a son of Demeter, but you can never be sure until you’re claimed.

Alana leaped forward and dug one dagger into the beast’s chest, and the other in the head. The serpent thrashes once more, then slumps. Two seconds later, Alana is covered in golden monster dust, and Connor is clapping. “Well done you two, glad to know I don’t have to run anymore, how much longer until we get to this camp place?”

“After three days of buses and walking, Camp Half-Blood is about a thirty minute hike from here. Once we’re there, we’re safe. Come on, just cause the serpent is gone, doesn’t mean we can’t still get attacked.” Alana places the daggers back into her shoes, and continues to walk.

“Y-you mean we, uh, we can st-still get attacked?” Evan stutters out, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. At the beginning of all this, Evan had had a cast. Alana had given him ambrosia and nectar, and then cut the cast clean off with her blades. Evan had said his arm had never felt better.

“When a demigod is not in Camp Half-Blood or Camp Jupiter, they’re never one hundred percent safe,” Alana informs the two boys that were walking behind her.

“What’s Camp Jupiter?” Connor asks.

“The Roman demigod camp, we’re going to the greek camp. We’ve found away to know if you’re Roman or Greek, and recently we found a way to know if your parent is from a different god.”

“Wait, there’s more than just the Greeks? Are you kidding?” Connor is shocked, but also a bit confused. So if there are multiple sea gods, do they like each live in a certain area, or do they switch out from time to time?

“Yes, there is Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse, and probably many more, but those are the ones that we know about.”

“We, a-as in C-camp Half-Bl-blood?”

Alana nods her head in clarification. “A couple years ago, a demigod named Percy Jackson got the Greek and Roman gods to promise that they will claim any of their kids when they walk into camp, and so, if none of the gods claim a kid, Hermes comes in and is able to recognize which set of gods the kids godly parent is from. Because of this, the Hermes cabin isn’t over populated anymore, which his children greatly appreciate.”

They walk along in silence after that, Alana leading the way, and Evan and Connor take in the new information.

Ten minutes later, they arrive next to a giant pine tree, with a golden fleece on a branch, and a dragon sleeping at the base. Once the trio is next to the tree, the dragon springs up, snorting at us. Once it sees Alana, the dragon smiles, or does the closest thing to a smile a dragon can do, and lays back down to sleep.

The three march forward, and at the top of the hill, Connor and Evan stop, staring down at the field below.

In the middle, there were a bunch of cabins, all seemed to be designed differently. One was blue, no windows except for the wall facing the lake, one was red with barbed wire everywhere. One of them was glowing in the sun. Two of them were pitch black, the main differences would be that one had what seemed to be a wheel above the door, and the other was surrounded by dead grass. Connor noticed that Evan kept staring at the green one with a garden on the roof.

There also seemed to be a rock wall with lava rocks falling from the top. There was a stable and two girls were grooming a horse with wings. There was an arena, where sounds of metal on metal could be heard. There was so much to look at, Connor wasn’t sure what he liked most.

“Come on, I gotta bring you to the Big House so I can then checkin with Annabeth. She’s my sister, and head councilor.” Alana begins to walk down the hill, waving for the two boys to follow. Alana leads them down the hill to a big blue building, where a man drinking a Pepsi is playing a game with another man in a wheel chair.

“Chiron, Mr. D, I have the two demigods I was sent to look after,” Alana informs the two men, as she walks up the steps to the building.

“Ah, Ainsley, well done,” The man with the Pepsi says. The other man in a wheel chair smiles kindly, and moves his hands on top of therm rests, and pushes himself. Connor and Evan watch in shock and amazement as the man’s lower body turns into that of a horses.

“Thank you, Alana,” The horse man says, “Will you please go and find Will Solace, he was assigned for the camp introduction for these two.”

Alana nods, and runs inside the blue building.

“I’m Chiron, and this is Mr. D, more commonly known as Dionysus, we are your camp directors.”

“W-wait, Chiron? And Di-dionysus? L-like the centaur trainer Ch-chiron, and the g-god of wi-wine Dionysus?” Evan asks, amazed. Connor is more amazed by the fact Evan knows this stuff.

Chiron smiles, “Yes, that would be us.”

Mr. D grumbles from his chair, sipping his Pepsi.

“Now, which one of you is Connor, and which one is Evan?” Chiron asks, placing his hands on his hips.

“I’m Connor, that’s Evan.” Connor jabs his finger towards Evan, and leans up against the Blue Building’s porch.

“Are these the new campers Chiron?” Another boy emerges from the Blue Building, Alana behind him. He has a mop of curly blond hair, and hundreds of freckles scattered across his face. He has a surfer’s tan, and bright blue eyes. He’s wearing an orange shirt that says ‘Camp Half-Blood’, khaki pants, and blue flip-flops, with a doctors coat over his clothes, and a stethoscope around his neck. His neck also holds a necklace with beads of different designs on it. “I’m Will Solace, head counselor for the Apollo Cabin, and head of the infirmary.”

“I’m Connor Murphy.” Connor ignores Will’s out stretched hand.

“I-I’m Evan Ha-hansen.” Evan shakes Will’s hand, not looking away from the ground.

“Alright, I’ll show you around camp, then I’ll show you the video. Where we are right now is the Big House, it’s where the counselors have meetings, where we put quest artifacts, where the infirmary is, and where Mr. D and Chiron live” Will continues to show them around everywhere, having done this a few times. While walking around camp, Will introduced Evan and Connor to a few people. The first person they saw was someone named Leo Valdez, he was carrying a lot of metal. Apparently he is a son of Hephaestus. Then they met Annabeth and Percy, Annabeth is a daughter of Athena, and her boyfriend, Percy, is the son of Poseidon. They then ran into Connor and Travis Stoll and Katie and Miranda Gardner. The Stolls are sons of Hermes, and the Gardeners are daughters of Demeter. Finally, they met Nico Di Angelo. He’s the son of Hades, and Will’s boyfriend. Nico accompanied them to the camp intro video.

After they were done with watching the video, Will takes them to the pavilion for dinner. Pretty much the whole camp is there already. Once we pass the front entrance, a the grass at the base of the steps spring up and wrap themselves around Evan’s legs. Then a glowing symbol appeared above his head, as if a glowing vine was growing from his head. Everyone looked up at Evan, and Katie Gardner from earlier, run up to the boys.

“Oh good, you defiantly seemed like a Demeter kid, come on you can sit with us.” With that, Katie grabbed a frightened Evan by his wrist and dragged him to his new siblings. Connor sighs, he was alone again. He continued on to the food line, and once he was about to dump some of my food into the fire as Alana just told him to, some sort of sacrifice for the Gods or whatever, a sudden warm feeling over came him, and he looks up to see a broken wheel glowing darkly above him.

“Awesome, welcome to the Nemesis cabin.” Those words were spoken by a kid with ear length dark brown hair, he was leaning on his table and staring at Connor. “well, come on, you’ve got some new siblings to mingle with.” The kid beckons Connor over. Once Connor is done at the fire, he waltz over to his new ‘siblings.’

Through out the entire meal, they try to talk to Connor, but he mainly ignores it. Instead he decides to stare at the Demeter table where Evan actually seems to be getting along with his siblings. Connor wishes he wasn’t so closed off. But hey, what is he gonna do?

For the rest of the summer, Connor, Evan, and Alana all stay at Camp Half Blood. Evan and Connor both adjusted rather quickly. Connor learns he’s happier without is dad around, and Evan figures out that his siblings are really calming and caring. They both learn that they defiantly love it at camp. Connor wants to stay year round, his father makes him come back for school. Evan doesn’t mind going back home for school, he misses his mom to much while he’s gone. But now, because of camp he has two new friends at school, and many new friends at camp.

For once in their lives, both boys are very happy.

Ugh, I’m a horrible writer and I wish this had a different ending.

#deh #connor murphy #evan hansen #larry murphy #cynthia murphy #heidi hansen #alana beck #pro crossover #dear evan hansen

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zonechin48 · 6 years ago

Text

Germinated brown rice combined with Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis inhibits colorectal carcinogenesis in rats

1 INTRODUCTION

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in male population and the second in female population (Torre et al., 2015). In Taiwan, the incidence rates of colorectal cancer rank the first in males and the second in females. These data show that colorectal cancer is a critical health problem in the world. The increased occurrence of colorectal cancer in several countries may reflect the increase in risk factors of this cancer, such as unhealthy diet (Center, Jemal, Smith, & Ward, 2009). In addition, intestinal microbial dysbiosis, the change in population size of certain bacterial species, also plays an important role in colorectal carcinogenesis (So, Law, Law, & Chan, 2016). Some researchers have indicated that modulation of gut microbiota positively affects the interaction between microbiota and immune system and may be beneficial in suppressing colorectal carcinogenesis (Ambalam, Raman, Purama, & Doble, 2016).

According to the definition by FAO/WHO, probiotics are live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host (FAO/WHO, 2006). The majority of probiotics belong to the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis. Several evidences have showed that certain probiotics exert a chemopreventive effect on colorectal cancer through diverse mechanisms (Kahouli, Tomaro‐Duchesneau, & Prakash, 2013). Prebiotics are defined as substrates that are selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit (Gibson et al., 2017). Fructooligosaccharide is one of the most reported prebiotics and is generally recognized as safe. Other prebiotics include galactooligosaccharide, xylooligosaccharide, resistant starch, and so on (Raman et al., 2013). However, only limited studies have investigated the prebiotic potential of complex grains and their products.

Synbiotics mean the combination of probiotics and prebiotics. Emerging data suggest synbiotics as a more effective strategy in the prevention of colorectal cancer than either probiotics or prebiotics alone (Chong, 2014). Common synbiotic combinations for the prevention of colorectal cancer include “L. acidophilus plus resistant starch” (Le Leu, Hu, Brown, Woodman, & Young, 2009; Le Leu et al., 2005), “B. lactis plus oligofructose/inulin” (Dias et al., 2010), and “Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and B. lactis Bb12 plus inulin” (Verma & Shukla, 2014). These synbiotics inhibit colorectal carcinogenesis by attenuating oxidative stress, reducing cell proliferation, or inducing apoptosis. However, certain food ingredients with assumed prebiotic potential seem not to be good fermentation substrates for the growth of certain probiotics. For example, some probiotic Lactobacillus strains without starch‐degrading activity were not apparently sustained by resistant starch, so they might show a low pro‐apoptotic activity (Le Leu et al., 2005). It suggests the need for development of a novel prebiotic component for the better growth of certain probiotics and their synergistically chemopreventive effect against colorectal cancer.

Whole grains and germinated grains contain soluble dietary fiber, nondigestible oligosaccharides, and resistant starch and thus have been suggested to fulfill the prebiotic concept and to be candidate prebiotics (Bindels, Delzenne, Cani, & Walter, 2015; Broekaert et al., 2011; Hubner & Arendt, 2013) . In recent years, the health‐promoting activity of germinated grains is gaining high interest as a functional food applied to reduce the risk of some chronic diseases, including colorectal cancer (Nelson, Stojanovska, Vasiljevic, & Mathai, 2013). The preliminary study in our laboratory demonstrated that germinated brown rice (GBR) inhibited the development of preneoplastic lesions of colorectal cancer in a carcinogen‐induced animal model (A.‐C. Kuo, C.‐K. Shih, unpublished data). However, the detailed mechanism of action remained to be elucidated. The present study was designed to investigate the preventive effect of combination of GBR with L. acidophilus and/or B. animalis subsp. lactis, two well‐known probiotics with anticancer activity, on colorectal carcinogenesis and the associated mechanism.

2 MATERIALS AND METHODS

2.1 Materials

1,2‐Dimethylhydrazine dihydrochloride (DMH), alcian blue, dextran sulfate sodium salt (DSS, from Leuconostoc spp. average mol wt >500,000), neutral‐buffered formalin solution, and methylene blue were purchased from Sigma‐Aldrich, Inc. (St. Louis, MO, USA). L. acidophilus LA5 and B. animalis subsp. lactis BB‐12 were purchased from Chr. Hansen Holding A/S (Horsholm, Denmark).

2.2 GBR preparation

Germinated brown rice used in the present study was obtained from Asia Rice Biotech, Inc. (Taipei, Taiwan). Brown rice (Oryza sativa, Taikeng No. 9) was germinated at 37 °C for 22 hr to obtain GBR. Raw GBR was mixed with water and cooked. After cooling treatment, the cooked GBR was frozen‐dried, ground, and screened.

2.3 Experimental design

This protocol for animal study was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Taipei Medical University. Sixty‐six male F344 rats were from the National Laboratory Animal Center (Taipei, Taiwan) and housed in plastic cages in a room maintained at 21 °C with a 12‐hr light–dark cycle. They were divided into six groups. Rats in groups B and D were fed AIN‐93G diet. Others were fed modified AIN‐93G diets containing 10% GBR alone (group G) or combined with L. acidophilus (5 × 107 c.f.u./g, group GA), B. animalis subsp. lactis (5 × 107 c.f.u./g, group GB), and both strains (2.5 × 107 c.f.u./g for each strain, group GAB), respectively. One week after the beginning of experimental diet, all rats except those in group B received DMH (40 mg/kg body weight, i.p.) three times during a week and DSS (2% in drinking water) for 1 week to induce colorectal carcinogenesis. Body weight and food intake were recorded weekly. All rats were sacrificed after 10 weeks of feeding, and colons were collected for analysis.

2.4 Assay of aberrant crypt foci (ACF)

Aberrant crypt foci were assessed by an established method (Bird, 1987) and described in our previous study (Li, Chou, & Shih, 2011). Briefly, each colon was cut into three equal‐length sections and fixed between filter papers in formalin solution for 1 days. The fixed colons were stained with methylene blue solution and examined for ACF using a light microscope (Nikon Corp., Tokyo, Japan). The area of the colon was calculated by NIS‐Elements microscope imaging software (Nikon Corp.). The location of each ACF, the number of ACF in each colon section, and the number of aberrant crypt (AC) in each ACF were recorded. Data of ACF and AC were presented as numbers/cm2.

2.5 Assay of mucin‐producing ACF and mucin‐depleted foci (MDF)

Mucin‐producing ACF and MDF were identified according to the established methods of Jenab, Chen and Thompson (2001)) and Caderni et al. (Caderni et al., 2003), respectively, as described in our previous study (Li et al., 2011). Briefly, the methylene blue‐stained colon was faded with 70% ethanol and then stained using high‐iron diamine alcian blue (HIDAB) method. Firstly, each colon section was stained with high‐iron diamine solution for 30 min and rinsed in distilled water. Secondly, the colon section was stained with 1% alcian blue solution (in 3% acetic acid) for 15 min, rinsed in 80% ethanol followed by distilled water, and finally examined under a light microscope (Nikon Corp.). Brown and blue staining by HIDAB indicated sulfomucin (SUM) and SIM secretion, respectively. SUM‐ACF and SIM‐ACF were defined as ACF with more than 85% SUM‐ and SIM‐stained area, respectively. ACF stained with a smaller percentage of these two mucins were defined as mixed‐type ACF (MIX‐ACF). Furthermore, those with very little or no production of mucins were defined as MDF. The area of the colon was calculated using NIS‐Elements microscope imaging software (Nikon Corp.). Data of mucin‐producing ACF and MDF were presented as numbers/cm2.

2.6 Measurement of antioxidative enzyme activity

The assay of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was performed using Superoxide Dismutase Assay Kit (Cayman Chemical, Ann Arbor, MI, USA). Colonic mucosa was homogenized in five volumes of buffer (1 mM EDTA, 210 mM mannitol, 70 mM sucrose, and 50 mM phosphate buffer, at pH 7.4). The commercial kit was used according to the manufacturer's protocol.

2.7 Measurement of apoptosis‐related protein expression

Colonic mucosa were homogenized in modified RIPA buffer (0.5 M Tris–HCl at pH 7.4, 1.5 M sodium chloride, 2.5% deoxycholic acid, 10% NP‐40, and 10 mM EDTA) and 10% protease inhibitor cocktail. The homogenates were centrifuged at 10,000 g at 4°C for 15 min, and the supernatants were collected. The protein concentration of the supernatants was determined using the Bio‐Rad Bradford assay (Bio‐Rad, Hercules, CA, USA). Protein samples were separated on 10% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)–polyacrylamide gels and transferred into polyvinylidene difluoride membranes. The membranes were blocked with 5% bovine serum albumin in Tris‐buffered saline containing 1% Tween 20 (TBST) and incubated with p53 (1:1,000 dilution; GeneTex Inc., San Antonio, TX, USA), caspases‐3 (1:1,000 dilution; GeneTex Inc.), Bax (1:1,000 dilution; Cell Signaling Technology, Beverly, MA, USA), or Bcl‐2 (1:1,000 dilution; Cell Signaling Technology) polyclonal antibodies at 4 °C overnight. After 16 hr of incubation at 4 °C and washing with TBST, membranes were incubated with anti‐rabbit or anti‐mouse horseradish peroxidase‐conjugated secondary antibodies for 1 hr. After washing with TBST, the blots were visualized by chemiluminescence reagents and detected with a chemiluminometer (BioSpectrum AC Imaging System; Ultra‐Violet Products, Upland, CA, USA). The blot intensity was quantified by Bio‐Rad Quantity One software (Bio‐Rad Laboratories).

2.8 Statistical analysis

All data are expressed as means and standard deviations (SD). The difference between experimental groups was assessed by one‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Duncan's multiple range test using Statistics Analysis System (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA). The p values lower than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

3 RESULTS

3.1 Body weight and food intake

There were no significant differences in initial body weight, weight gain, food intake, and food efficiency among groups (data not shown).

3.2 ACF in the colon

As shown in Table 1, all rats treated with DMH/DSS developed preneoplastic ACF in the colon. Group GA had a significantly lower number of ACF containing one crypt than did group D (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the numbers of ACF containing more crypts and total ACF among groups.

Table 1. Effects of germinated brown rice and synbiotics on DMH/DSS‐induced ACF (number/cm2) according to the various size of crypts in the colon of male F344 ratsa,b

Group c Incidence d ACF with Small ACF (≦3 ACs) Large ACF (≧4 ACs) Total ACF 1 AC 2 ACs 3 ACs D 100% (9/9) 2.2 ± 0.8A 3.3 ± 0.9 1.6 ± 0.5 7.0 ± 1.8 0.7 ± 0.4 7.8 ± 2.1 G 100% (12/12) 1.7 ± 0.8A,B 2.9 ± 1.1 1.6 ± 0.7 6.1 ± 2.3 0.7 ± 0.4 6.9 ± 2.6 GA 100% (12/12) 1.1 ± 0.6B 2.6 ± 1.2 1.6 ± 1.1 5.3 ± 2.6 0.8 ± 0.5 6.1 ± 2.9 GB 100% (12/12) 1.6 ± 0.6A,B 2.9 ± 0.7 1.5 ± 0.4 6.0 ± 1.4 0.6 ± 0.4 6.6 ± 1.5 GAB 100% (12/12) 1.6 ± 0.8A,B 2.9 ± 1.3 2.0 ± 0.7 6.6 ± 2.4 1.0 ± 0.3 7.5 ± 2.5

aAll values are mean ± SD (n = 9–12). bValues with the same letter in a column are not significantly different from one another as determined by ANOVA and Duncan's multiple range test, p < 0.05. cAll rats were administered with DMH/DSS. D, AIN‐93G diet; G, AIN‐93G containing 10% germinated brown rice; GA, AIN‐93G containing 10% GBR + 5 × 107 c.f.u./g L. acidophilus; GB, AIN‐93G containing 10% GBR + 5 × 107 c.f.u./g B. animalis subsp. lactis; GAB, AIN‐93G containing 10% GBR + 2.5 × 107 c.f.u./g L. acidophilus + 2.5 × 107 c.f.u./g diet B. animalis subsp. lactis. dNumber of rats with ACF/total rats.

3.3 Mucin secretion by ACF

The majority of ACF in the colon secreted SUM (Table 2). There were no significant differences in the numbers of ACF producing either SUM or mixed SUM and SIM among groups. However, groups GA, GB, and GAB had significantly lower numbers of ACF producing SIM than did group D (p < 0.05).

Table 2. Effects of germinated brown rice and synbiotics on the number of DMH/DSS‐induced ACF according to the type of mucin produced by foci in the total colon of male F344 rats a,b

Groupc Number of ACF producing (number/cm2) SUM MIX SIM D 5.9 ± 1.8 0.9 ± 0.4 0.9 ± 0.6A G 4.9 ± 1.9 1.0 ± 0.5 0.9 ± 0.7A GA 4.7 ± 2.3 0.9 ± 0.5 0.5 ± 0.4B GB 4.9 ± 1.4 1.2 ± 0.5 0.4 ± 0.3B GAB 6.1 ± 2.4 1.1 ± 0.6 0.3 ± 0.2B

Notes

SIM: sialomucin; SUM: sulfomucin; MIX: mixed sulfomucin and sialomucin.

aAll values are mean ± SD (n = 9–12). bValues with the same letter in a column are not significantly different from one another as determined by Duncan's multiple range test, p < 0.05. cAll rats were administered with DMH/DSS. D, AIN‐93G diet; G, AIN‐93G containing 10% germinated brown rice; GA, AIN‐93G containing 10% GBR + 5 × 107 c.f.u./g L. acidophilus; GB, AIN‐93G containing 10% GBR + 5 × 107 c.f.u./g B. animalis subsp. lactis; GAB, AIN‐93G containing 10% GBR + 2.5 × 107 c.f.u./g L. acidophilus + 2.5 × 107 c.f.u./g B. animalis subsp. lactis.

3.4 MDF in the colon

The incidence of MDF and their distribution in the colon is shown in Table 3. The highest incidence rate (66%) of MDF was observed in group D, although there was no significant difference among groups. MDF mainly developed in the distal colon, while no MDF appeared in the proximal colon. Groups G, GA, GB, and GAB had significantly lower numbers of MDF in the middle colon than did group D (p < 0.05).

Table 3. Effects of germinated brown rice and synbiotics on the distribution of DMH/DSS‐induced MDF (number/cm2) in the colon of male F344 rats a,b

Group c Incidence (number of rats with MDF/total rats) Proximal colon Middle colon Distal colon Total MDF D 66% (6/9) 0.00 ± 0.00 0.06 ± 0.12A 0.12 ± 0.25 0.06 ± 0.08 G 25% (3/12) 0.00 ± 0.00 0.00 ± 0.00B 0.12 ± 0.22 0.04 ± 0.08 GA 16% (2/12) 0.00 ± 0.00 0.00 ± 0.00B 0.05 ± 0.13 0.02 ± 0.04 GB 33% (4/12) 0.00 ± 0.00 0.00 ± 0.00B 0.13 ± 0.21 0.04 ± 0.06 GAB 16% (2/12) 0.00 ± 0.00 0.00 ± 0.00B 0.07 ± 0.17 0.02 ± 0.05

3.5 Colonic SOD activity

As shown in Figure 1, DMH/DSS treatment decreased the SOD activity in colonic mucosa. Group D had significantly lower SOD activity than did group B (p < 0.05). The SOD activities were significantly elevated in groups GA, GB, and GAB compared with group D (p < 0.05).

Effect of germinated brown rice and synbiotics on colonic superoxide dismutase activity in male F344 rats. The bars represent mean ± SD. All rats except group B were administered with DMH/DSS. B and D, AIN‐93G diet; G, AIN‐93G containing 10% germinated brown rice; Ga, AIN‐93G containing 10% GBR + 5 × 107 c.f.u./g L. acidophilus; GB, AIN‐93G containing 10% GBR + 5 × 107 c.f.u./g B. animalis subsp. lactis; GAB, AIN‐93G containing 10% GBR + 2.5 × 107 c.f.u./g L. acidophilus + 2.5 × 107 c.f.u./g B. animalis subsp. lactis

Caption

3.6 Apoptosis‐related proteins in the colon

The expressions of apoptosis‐related proteins in colonic mucosa are shown in Figure 2. DMH/DSS treatment decreased the expression of pro‐apoptotic protein and increased the expression of anti‐apoptotic protein. Group D showed significantly lower expressions of p53, Bax, and caspase‐3 (p < 0.05) and a significantly higher expression of Bcl‐2 (p < 0.05) than did group B. The Bax/Bcl‐2 ratio was also significantly lower in group D than that in group B (p < 0.05). In contrast, consumption of GBR and probiotics improved the abnormal expression of apoptosis‐related proteins. The expressions of p53 and Bax as well as Bax/Bcl‐2 ratio were significantly increased in groups G, GA, GB, and GAB compared with group D (p < 0.05). Group GA showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) caspase‐3 expression and significantly lower (p < 0.05) Bcl‐2 expression than did group D.

Effect of germinated brown rice and synbiotics on (a) p53, (b) Bax, (c) Bcl‐2, (d) Bax/Bcl‐2 ratio, and (e) caspase‐3 expression of colonic mucosa in male F344 rats. The bars represent mean ± SD. All rats except group B were administered with DMH/DSS. B and D, AIN‐93G diet; G, AIN‐93G containing 10% germinated brown rice; GA, AIN‐93G containing 10% GBR + 5 × 107 c.f.u./g L. acidophilus; GB, AIN‐93G containing 10% GBR + 5 × 107 c.f.u./g B. animalis subsp. lactis; GAB, AIN‐93G containing 10% GBR + 2.5 × 107 c.f.u./g L. acidophilus + 2.5×107 c.f.u./g B. animalis subsp. lactis

Caption

4 DISCUSSION

To our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the preventive effect of combination of GBR and probiotics (L. acidophilus and B. animalis subsp. lactis) on colorectal carcinogenesis. Our data indicate that combination of GBR and probiotics may inhibit preneoplastic lesions and regulate antioxidative enzyme and apoptosis‐related proteins in the colon. These findings suggest that such synbiotic combination may have the potential to serve as a novel chemopreventive agent for colorectal cancer.

Aberrant crypt foci are the early lesions observed in the colon of animals treated with carcinogen and of humans at cancer risk. They are commonly used as a biomarker in chemically induced animal models for studies of colorectal carcinogenesis and its prevention or therapy (Corpet & Taché, 2002). The present study showed that consumption of GBR and L. acidophilus (group GA) significantly inhibited the formation of ACF with 1 aberrant crypt, the smallest ACF, although GBR alone (group G) did not have such significant inhibitory effect on ACF. This result suggests that combination of GBR and L. acidophilus may intervene in the early stage of colorectal carcinogenesis and that L. acidophilus may play a key role in prevention of colorectal cancer. Previous studies have confirmed the anticancer effect of probiotic Lactobacilli strains. Liboredo et al. (2013) demonstrated that consumption of Lactobacillus delbrueckii UFVH2b20 resulted in a significant reduction in the number of colonic ACF, especially small ACF, in DMH‐induced mice. It supports the inhibitory activity of some Lactobacilli strains in early colorectal carcinogenesis as observed in our study. Gamallat et al. (2016) reported that LGG treatment significantly reduced DMH‐induced tumor incidence, multiplicity, and volume in the colon of rats. The antitumor effect was related to induction of apoptosis and suppression of inflammation. Chen et al. (2012) used an animal model of segmental orthotopic colon cancer in which mice were implanted with CT‐26 murine colon adenocarcinoma cells. They found that L. acidophilus inhibited the growth of tumor and induced the apoptosis of tumor cells. Soltan Dallal et al. (2015) indicated that either supernatants or extracts of two Lactobacillus species (L. acidophilus and L. casei) suppressed the malignant phenotype of Caco‐2 cells by decreasing cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and increasing cell apoptosis. These studies suggest that some Lactobacilli strains also exert an anticancer effect in the relatively late (promotion and progression) stage of colorectal carcinogenesis and that enhancement of cell apoptosis may be an important mechanism implicated in the suppression of colorectal cancer.

The present study did not observe a significant inhibitory effect on ACF formation in rats fed the combination of GBR and B. animalis subsp. lactis. Some studies have reported the anticancer effect of probiotic Bifidobacteria strains. Altonsy, Andrews, and Tuohy (2010) found that B. lactis Bb12 provided protection against Caco‐2 human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma cells by inducing apoptosis via the mitochondrial route. Liboredo et al. (2013) showed that consumption of B. animalis var. lactis Bb12 significantly reduced the number of colonic ACF, especially large ACF, in mice treated with DMH. In contrast, B. lactis alone had neither promoting effect on butyrate production nor inhibitory effect on colonic tumors in carcinogen azoxymethane‐induced rats, although there was still a protective effect against colonic tumors in rats ingested both B. lactis and prebiotic‐resistant starch (Le Leu et al., 2009). Another study also found the combination of B. lactis and prebiotic oligofructose/inulin could suppress the development of both classical and more advanced ACF (MDF) in DMH‐treated rats (Dias et al., 2010). These studies suggest the importance of suitable substrates (prebiotics) for the fermentation and the anticancer function of probiotic Bifidobacteria strains, especially for suppression of advanced colonic lesions.

Aberrant crypt foci are heterogeneous lesions. Most ACF are hyperplastic and considered not to convert into tumors; however, dysplastic ACF are generally considered as preneoplastic lesions (Kim, Guo, O'sullivan, Gallaher, & Turesky, 2016). Researchers have proposed some classifications of ACF in order to distinguish their malignancy. Classification based on mucin production in ACF is one of the common methods. Mucins are important molecular barriers existed on the surface of colon, protecting the epithelium against mechanical and chemical damages. Goblet cells are secretory cells contributing to the release of intestinal mucins, such as Muc2, the main component of the intestinal mucus barrier (Moulahoum, Nagy, Djerdjouri, & Clichici, 2018). During colorectal carcinogenesis, there are emerging changes in the structure and the amount of mucins, causing dysfunction of mucus barrier and abnormal cell signal transduction (Milosevic et al., 2015). The alteration of mucins is presented primarily by excessive SIM secretion in patients with colorectal cancer and a significant reduction in SUM (Milosevic et al., 2015). It has been shown that SUM secretion is negatively correlated to proliferative index, while SIM production is positively correlated to proliferative activity (Milosevic et al., 2015). An increase in SIM secretion and a decrease in SUM secretion have been observed during colorectal carcinogenesis in both humans and animals. In rats, normal colonic crypts and hyperplastic ACF are stained for SUM, whereas dysplastic ACF are stained for SIM, and the most dysplastic crypts (MDF) do not show any mucin staining (Kim et al., 2016). The above findings confirm that SIM‐ACF and MDF are advanced preneoplastic lesions during colorectal carcinogenesis.

In the present study, though the total numbers of ACF were not affected by GBR and probiotics, all combined treatments (groups GA, GB, and GAB) significantly reduced the numbers of SIM‐ACF in whole colon and MDF in the middle colon. GBR alone (group G) also reduced the number of MDF in the middle colon. These results suggest that GBR and probiotics used in this study may modulate colonic secretion of mucins and their alterations during colorectal carcinogenesis. A previous study indicated that the presence of fecal residues rich in short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the colon might maintain the energy supply and the mucin synthesis (Martinez et al., 2010). It confirms the ability of colonic epithelium for mucin synthesis depends on enough SCFAs supply. It is possible that consumption of GBR, a good substrate for certain colonic bacteria, promotes fermentation and SCFAs production in the colon, and thus prevents the depletion of mucins and the formation of MDF. The inhibitory effect of GBR and probiotics on preneoplastic SIM‐ACF and MDF also suggests that GBR is a good substrate for the growth of both L. acidophilus and B. animalis subsp. lactis, so the combination of GBR and these probiotics may maintain the anticancer activity of probiotics as reported in previous studies. In addition, the present study also shows the potential of GBR in prevention of colorectal cancer.

Previous studies have provided several lines of evidence that oxidative stress may increase the risk of gastrointestinal cancer (Law, Waye, & So, 2017). Antioxidative enzymes exert a protective role in the intestinal epithelium (Perez, Talens‐Visconti, Rius‐Perez, Finamor, & Sastre, 2017). In general, exposure to carcinogens reduces the activities of enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants (Moulahoum et al., 2018). For example, DMH treatment decreased the activity of colonic SOD, catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione‐S‐transferase in rats (Walia, Kamal, Dhawan, & Kanwar, 2018). The activity of SOD and CAT decreased significantly after DMH administration, confirming an imbalance of oxidative stress in the colon (Moulahoum et al., 2018). Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) could decrease the activity of carcinogen by eliminating the reactive intermediates and elevating the levels of antioxidative enzymes (Verma & Shukla, 2014). Genetically modified LAB expressing antioxidative enzymes (SOD or CAT) showed an anticancer effect in a rodent model of colorectal cancer (Del Carmen et al., 2017).

Lactobacillus strains possess an antioxidative capacity which may be related to cell metabolites. A surface layer protein (SLP) isolated from L. acidophilus NCFM played an important role in the antioxidative capacity of HT‐29 cells induced by H2O2 (Zhao, Meng, Zhang, Kang, & Lu, 2017). This SLP improved the total antioxidative capacity (T‐AOC) and the activities of CAT and SOD and decreased the level of malondialdehyde (Zhao et al., 2017). In addition, the antioxidative property of exopolysaccharides (EPS) has been assessed in several probiotics such as Lactococcus lactis and Lactobacillus plantarum which have been reported to promote the production of antioxidative enzymes such as SOD (Deepak et al., 2016). Bifidobacteria strains also show an antioxidative capacity related to EPS. The EPS synthesized by B. longum W11 acted as an antioxidant against H2O2‐induced reactive oxygen species in an in vitro cell model (Inturri et al., 2017).

The present study found that all combinations of GBR and probiotics (groups GA, GB, and GAB) significantly improved the decreased colonic SOD activity induced by DMH/DSS treatment and maintained the activity similar to that of normal rats (group B). Interestingly, the modulatory effect of GBR and probiotics on colonic mucin alteration showed a similar phenomenon that all combinations of GBR and probiotics (groups GA, GB, and GAB) significantly inhibited the formation of SIM‐ACF induced by DMH/DSS. These results suggest that synbiotic combination of GBR and probiotics are more effective in antioxidative activity than GBR given individually. Also, these findings reveal the possibility that enhancement of antioxidative status or reduction of oxidative stress is associated with the suppression of malignant mucin transition in the colon.

The acute apoptotic response to a genotoxic carcinogen (such as DMH) could regulate mutation in the colon and eliminate cells with abnormal DNA that might progress to tumors, so this response might exert a protective effect at the early stage during colorectal carcinogenesis in rats (Le Leu et al., 2005). 1,2‐Dimethylhydrazine treatment led to changes in the protein expressions of certain genes involved in the intrinsic apoptosis pathway such as p53, Bax, Bcl‐2, and caspase‐3 (Walia et al., 2018). A synbiotic combination of B. lactis and RS significantly induced the apoptotic response to a genotoxic carcinogen in the distal colon of rats in a short‐term study (Le Leu et al., 2005). RS induced alterations of intestinal microenvironment including acidification of digests, production of SCFAs, and changes in the balance of microbial species, which might create a situation that enabled B. lactis to exert a pro‐apoptotic effect (Le Leu et al., 2005). However, the same synbiotic combination used in a long‐term (26 weeks) study showed no significant difference in spontaneous apoptotic cells in treatment groups, although this synbiotics significantly protected against the development of colorectal tumors (Le Leu et al., 2009). These findings suggest that apoptosis is an early event during colorectal carcinogenesis and that anticancer agents with apoptosis‐inducing ability may tend to be effective at the early stage of colorectal carcinogenesis. The present study was a short‐term (10 weeks) study showing that consumption of GBR alone (group G) or combined with probiotics (groups GA, GB, and GAB) increased the protein expression of pro‐apoptotic p53 and Bax and the ratio of Bax/Bcl‐2. In addition, the combination of GBR and L. acidophilus (group A) further increased pro‐apoptotic caspase‐3 expression and decreased anti‐apoptotic Bcl‐2 expression. These results suggest that GBR and probiotics may promote cell apoptosis via p53‐mediated pathway during colorectal carcinogenesis. The combination of GBR and L. acidophilus may be the most effective synbiotics in facilitating apoptosis.

The effect of GBR on apoptosis induction may be associated with SCFAs produced from GBR by certain colonic bacteria as observed in prebiotic‐involved studies. It has been reported that SCFAs are able to induce epigenetic changes, arrest cell cycle, and increase the expression of pro‐apoptotic genes (Dos Reis et al., 2017). The promoting effect of probiotics on apoptosis may be through SCFA production, immunomodulation, and increased expression of genes and proteins involved in regulation of apoptosis pathway (Dos Reis et al., 2017). Consumption of L. acidophilus suppressed the growth of tumor and enhanced the apoptosis of tumor cells in an animal model of segmental orthotopic colon cancer, in which mice were implanted with CT‐26 murine colon adenocarcinoma cells (Chen et al., 2012). There was a lower Bcl‐2 expression in CT‐26 cells isolated from mice pre‐inoculated with L. acidophilus compared with those from untreated mice. Moreover, the expressions of caspase‐3 and caspase‐9 were higher in L. acidophilus‐treated cells compared with those from untreated mice (Chen et al., 2012). B. lactis Bb12 induced apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway including Bax translocation, cytochrome c release, and cleavages of caspase‐9 and caspase‐3 in human colonic carcinoma cells (Altonsy et al., 2010). The impact of synbiotics on apoptosis is a combined effect of both probiotics and prebiotics and usually attributed to the fermentation‐mediated production of luminal SCFAs, especially butyrate (Borowicki et al., 2011). An interaction between butyrate produced via fermentation of prebiotics and immunomodulating properties of probiotics may be another possible explanation (Le Leu et al., 2009). The present study showed that GBR alone and its combination with L. acidophilus and/or B. animalis subsp. lactis may act as an apoptosis promoter through p53‐mediated pathway and may be expected as a potential modulator of colorectal carcinogenesis.

Previous studies found that both supernatants and extracts of L. acidophilus decreased cell proliferation and increased apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells (Soltan Dallal et al., 2015). Exopolysaccharides are natural polymers of monosaccharides produced by various microorganisms which are either bound to the cell surface or released into the surrounding environment (Deepak et al., 2016). Lactic acid bacteria is the well‐known bacteria synthesizing EPSs which adhere to the bacterial surface followed by release in surrounding medium (El‐Deeb, Yassin, Al‐Madboly, & El‐Hawiet, 2018). Exopolysaccharides synthesized by some LAB play an important role in colonization of LAB in the intestinal mucosa and show many health benefits such as antitumor, immune‐enhancing, and antioxidative properties (El‐Deeb et al., 2018). The EPS from L. acidophilus had antioxidative properties, reduced viability of colon cancer cell lines, downregulated the expression of genes involved in angiogenesis, and upregulated the expression of antiangiogenic genes in HCT15 and Caco‐2 cells (Deepak et al., 2016). A novel EPS purified from L. acidophilus exerted an antiproliferative effect on Caco‐2 cells via the apoptotic mechanism in addition to inactivating the inflammatory pathway and stimulating the immune response (El‐Deeb et al., 2018). This EPS increased the ratio of apoptotic cells in sub‐G0/G1 cell cycle phase and upregulated the expression of IκBα, P53, and TGF genes (El‐Deeb et al., 2018). The EPS produced by probiotics may explain, at least partly, the inhibitory effect of probiotics and synbiotics against colorectal carcinogenesis, although further studies are needed to elucidate the exact mechanism.

Source: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/fsn3.864

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blasphemy-and-genocide · 8 years ago

Text

Ahh I have been tagged by @cozzyplace, Thank you, I did not expect it haha (I’m gonna use Spotify)

“You can tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to. Put your music on shuffle and list the first ten songs that play and tag ten people.”

1. St. Jimmy - Green Day

2. Pumped Up Kicks - Foster the People

3. Innocent - Aurelio Voltaire

4. F.O.D - Green Day

5. Savior - Rise Against

6. Kids In The Dark - All Time Low

7. Jenny - Studio Killers

8. Kristy, are you doing okay? - The Offspring

9. Waving through a window - from Dear Evan Hansen

10. Mr. Brightside - The Killers

I’m just gonna tag some of my mutuals (Except the ones I’m a bit intimidated by, sorry, but it doesn’t do good for my anxiety), but you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to or feel like it!!

@awaytoparadise @smashing-anarchist-poet @hot-diggity-shit and whoever wants to do it!

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batpadman · 8 years ago

Photo

Top: (From Left) Jake, Hanna, Chris and Jak Gunson, Me

2nd from Top: Rob and Tricia Greenwell

3rd Row Left: (From Left) Mick Hortle, Myself, Helen Hortle.

3rd Row Right: Tony Selvas and Me.

4th Row: UTAS Cricket Club Crowd!

5th Row Left: Jimmy Hortle and Carter Hansen

5th Row Middle: Andrew Kealy

5th Row Right: Jesse Greenwood and Mauro Saracino.

Strangers

As I recline in my seat a few thousand feet in the air, my mind cannot help but wander back to the time when I was travelling in the opposite direction. Agitated, fretful and ill at ease, the state of my mind could not have been further from how it is today. The people close to me would tell you that this is how I had been for a while. Quiet; more so than usual. Smiling less. Quick to anger and take offense. Unlike myself.

The cricket season had been successful yet not impressive enough to demand attention. Cricket seemed a futile pursuit. A demanding academic year combined with a gruelling summer of cricket had left me, to quote Tolkien, “thin, sort of stretched, like butter spread over too much bread”. Weary and bitter, a journey to the other side of the world was a gamble that could have gone either way.

I took the red pill. There was no going back. A place full of Strangers; far from the comforting presence of my parents that I had taken for granted my entire life. It was the best thing I ever did.

I could write several thousand words about Tasmania. About stunning views of the Derwent river round every corner in Hobart. About sweet, delicious Huon Valley apples. About the serene quiet of Bruny Island (disturbed only by the sounds of the wildlife as it comes to life at dusk). About the regal beauty of Port Arthur haunted by the ghosts of its past and the white sand beaches of the East Coast that stretch out as far as the eye can see. Yet in talk of greatness, the island in all its beauty pales in comparison to its inhabitants; the “Strangers” who transformed my outlook on life through friendship and random acts of kindness. Here are just a few of them:-

The Gunsons

Chris, Hanna, Jak, Jake, Nicholas and Thomas heard some foreign bloke was looking for a place to stay. Without meeting him, they agreed to let this stranger into their home and into their lives. They offered me a shoulder when I was distressed were there to celebrate with me when I was happy. They are family to me and I am so glad to have been a part of their lives. The memories, of evenings spent whiling away the time with good food and conversation (and the occasional game of late night table tennis with Jak) will be cherished.

The Hortles

My stay with Mick and Helen Hortle was short but no less pleasurable. Their home, much like its inhabitants, is full of character; unique mementos from their travels seem to give the place a personality of its own. It was during this week that I was exposed to how good vegetables can be. The meal Mick prepared for Jimmy’s birthday was a foodie’s fantasy. Every single ingredient (except for the duck) grown in their own back yard! It was an honour to be a part of the family occasion. Discussion ranged from topics such as feminism in Pakistan to the environmental impact of fish farming on the East Coast of Tasmania. One would expect nothing less from the parents of an Oxford scholar!

The Greenwells

I was introduced to Rob, Tricia and Charlie Greenwell by Paul, the club president (see below). I wasn’t the first stranger to be a beneficiary of Greenwell hospitality and I certainly won’t be the last. They gave me an all access pass to the veritable treasure of knowledge and experience that they have accumulated over the years. A life lived to the fullest and a journey to success that was choppy, but more exciting because of it. I hope that one day I will get another shot at trying to steal a game off Rob at squash or another epic battle against Charlie. Maybe when they set sail on a trip round the world…

The Selvas Family (Mair, Tony and the rest)

Kindness is letting an outsider stay in your spare bedroom for a night or two. But then, what do you call it if someone you’ve never met drives two hours to fetch you from the airport, drives along the coast for 8 hours to show you the sights, feeds you, and then to top it all off, gives you a member’s ticket for the Boxing Day test match? Is there a better word? If there is I haven’t found it. Twelve-year-old me won’t believe it but when I think back to Melbourne, it’s not the Boxing Day test match that comes to mind but the day before. Thank you, Tony and Mair for an unforgettable Christmas!

Paul Mc Namara

Paul picked me up from the airport all those days ago when I first got to Hobart. We were always going to get on well because of our shared love of cricket. I was most impressed by Paul’s relentless optimism. He had something positive to say about every situation and had the ability to put himself in people’s shoes and see things from their perspective. As president of the club, his role was challenging, stressful and required a level of dedication that few understood. As a friend, I could see how much it affected him. Yet he continued to volunteer his time for little thanks and through it all, his demeanour never changed. That sort of fortitude is certainly something for me to aspire to.

Andrew Kealy

Never have I ever met someone who can shrug off a 5fer quite like Andrew Kealy, but I guess that comes with the territory when you get one every week! I did a lot of dirt time in Oz but it could have been a lot worse if it hadn’t been for Keals demolishing entire teams by himself. All with a humble grin one simply does not associate with Aussie pacemen. In some hidden corner of the world, there is probably someone who has something negative to say about Keals. But that person belongs to the same category as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. Until I see them in person, I won’t believe they exist. Thanks Andrew for introducing me to the Aussie cricketer lifestyle.

The Fine Gentlemen of the University of Tasmania Cricket Club

Thank you Mauro, Freezer, and Carter for all the throwdowns and wangers. Wish you a long and prosperous first grade future at UTAS and beyond.

Thank you Jayde, Gordo and Grubby for backing me all the way, even when I didn’t look like scoring a run.

Thank you, Jesse, Andrew Kerr, Jimmy, Sam Leon and Noah, for your help and advice.

A big thank you to every single person at the club. From 1st grade down to the U12s that I coached, for taking me in and accepting me as one of your own. For the beef sausages and the conversations.

At the risk of being unnecessarily melodramatc, I’d just like to say that my winter in Tasmania has restored my faith in people. The chip on my shoulder has been surgically removed and my former self has been restored. I begin the English summer refreshed; ready to take life on with renewed vigour but more importantly, with a smile on my face. For this and so much more, I am extremely grateful.

I hope one day, to return to that place full of strangers, a stranger no more.

#batpadman #Tassie #UTAS #Cricket #Australia #Tasmania #CTPL #MCCU #lborosport #lboromccu

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