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skyloftian-nutcase · 9 months

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Inconvenient (LU in Healthcare War Era)

Sicktember Prompt 15 – Sick in an inconvenient place

This wasn’t ideal.

Everything about the mission was steadily unraveling. The objective had gotten more complicated. The timing was taking longer. The team had split up more than they’d intended.

And Link could feel the shivers of a fever falling over him. It had to be a fever – he felt too warm in such a cold, damp cave system.

The Champions had been sent to infiltrate an enemy base. Their job was to cripple the central command just before General Impa (Link still was thrown off by the fact that their go-to military intelligence officer, Zelda’s friend, shared a name with one of the biggest generals in the army) led her army for the assault. They originally had planned on parachuting in, but the plane that Link, Mipha, and Daruk had been on was shot down. Revali, Zelda, and Urbosa had made it to the drop zone, leaving the team already split more than it needed to be. Zelda had further divided them when they’d made contact since their intel had been a little off – Revali would provide sniper support for Urbosa, who would make her way in through the initial weak point they’d identified. Daruk would take out the secondary base outside the citadel that they hadn’t known about, eliminating a security system that was in place. Meanwhile, Link and Mipha would enter the citadel through the caverns below, which had been their original backup if they couldn’t make it to the drop zone.

They’d swam for almost an hour in frigid waters to get to the damp cave system that Mipha had memorized. Link hadn’t thought much of it until he’d remembered the sore throat he’d had yesterday. After their excursion it had blossomed, making him barely able to talk and snaking a stiffness and ache into his shoulders and head.

And he was shivering. But the water on him was now perspiration. He was frigid and blazing hot at the same time.

Of all the times to get freaking sick.

Thankfully the cave system wasn’t really guarded – there would be a pair of soldiers at the entrance to the citadel itself. They had originally intended to reach the point just below the central command center and plant detonators, but Daruk was the explosives expert and he had been redirected. Mipha could still get them there, and Link was more than happy to set off some bombs, but he didn’t have as much arsenal as their bombastic teammate.

“Zelda hadn’t exactly been specific,” Mipha said worriedly as she held her rifle more tightly. “Daruk has most of the explosives; I don’t think we can actually get into the command center without him.”

Link was thankful he was usually a pretty quiet guy. His lack of response was entirely due to his insanely sore throat, but Mipha wasn’t going to question it due to his silent nature.

She did make a good point, though. Zelda had to adapt the plan to fit the circumstances, but all she’d covered was their entry. They were on radio silence now and they still had to meet at the command center.

Link swallowed and then grimaced at the pain that brought. He bit back a moan, pausing when Mipha stopped at an intersection.

“The command center is down this corridor,” Mipha said carefully. “But the main entrance that actually accesses the citadel is to the right. Which way should we go?”

Fewer explosives meant less likelihood of breaching the command center. Taking the route that fed into the streets of the citadel meant less likelihood of surviving to get to the command center.

Well, the original objective had been to bomb the command center itself. Link could probably jury rig something to make the explosives more effective. Or they could at least attempt to make entry. At least if they stuck to the original plan, they’d be in the right spot. They could potentially secure the command center long enough for the rest of the team to get there.

Or they’d die waiting for backup.

Link bit his lip uncertainly. He didn’t like this. He wished Zelda had been specific with her orders. Then again, she hadn’t changed their orders in particular. He shouldn’t be overthinking it, then.

Link pointed towards the corridor that led to the command center. Mipha took a steadying breath and nodded. The pair marched ahead in silence, though it was beginning to be punctuated by a steadily growing wheeze developing in Link’s chest. At first, Mipha didn’t notice it, too focused on remembering the path they needed to take, but when Link had to bite back a cough and only halfway succeeded, she looked at him worriedly.

“Link… are you okay?” she asked.

Link nodded hastily. This was not the time to be focusing on this. However, Mipha was not only his dearest friend, but also the medic of the group. Her gaze lingered on him too long, and he finally gave up, saying hoarsely, “I don’t feel good. But we have a mission to complete, Mipha. Let’s go.”

He should’ve known better than to say this. Mipha immediately hesitated. “Maybe we should—”

“No.” He hissed. “Let’s—go.”

The one good thing about Mipha’s gentle nature was that she wasn’t big on arguing. She watched him worriedly a moment longer and the nodded. “Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry.”

Great. Now he felt awful in every way possible.

They continued in silence until they reached the point in question. Link bit back another cough, stumbling a hair with a dizzy spell. Mipha watched him, eyes glistening with concern, but she didn’t dare say anything. Link felt guilt coil in his gut alongside nausea. Together the pair set up the explosives, though with some help from Link they managed to climb the walls so they could put the bombs closer to the ceiling of the cave.

Surprisingly, the amount of bombs were still enough. Surprisingly, Link could blink and shake his head through his dizzy spells enough to actually still shoot well. Thankfully, Mipha had his back. And by the grace of heaven above, the rest of the team made it in time. The command center was destroyed, enemies killed, officers captured, and they met up with the army in time for the assault. The mission was a success.

Link was so relieved he could pass out. Or maybe—maybe he had? Why was he on his back all of a sudden?

“What is that idiot doing? We have to go!” He heard Revali grumble.

“Link’s sick, I’m sure of it!” Mipha said worriedly, and her face came into his vision, albeit a little blurry. “Link, can you hear me?”

Link grunted as best a response as he could, but by heaven, he suddenly had no energy.

“This isn’t good,” Zelda noted, a tremble to her tone. “We have to get him out of here.”

Something wrapped around his arm and squeezed it. A blood pressure cuff. Mipha was taking his vitals. He reached haphazardly with his other hand, hand tangling in Mipha’s silky hair, trying to reassure her.

This really wasn’t ideal.

Something plopped onto his face. It was cold and wet. Then another. And another. He shivered. He was burning up, though, so it was kind of nice.

Rain. It was rain. It was raining.

The ground shook hard, and something else plopped onto his face. It was much harder, firmer, and not moist at all. It cut his face and made him flinch. Dust and rock, debris from explosions.

The assault.

“I can update the general,” Urbosa offered. “Revali can cover me.”

“Yes… right,” Zelda agreed halfheartedly, unfocused. “I… No. No, I have to update the general. Revali, work on contacting command to get us out of here. Urbosa, Daruk, watch Mipha and Link.”

“We should move,” Daruk suggested as another explosion shook the area.

Link felt the ground disappear, instead hovering in a strong hold before being shoved up against a warm, muscular chest. Daruk must have been carrying him.

This was just embarrassing now, but he was honestly too addled to protest. Instead, he coughed so hard he felt like he could cough up his entire lung. He almost threw up from the effort.

“What’s his status, Mipha?”

“Tachycardic, has a fever, but his blood pressure is holding steady for now. He can’t stay here, though.”

Link’s mind snapped back into clarity as he heard Mipha gasp and bullets peppered the area. Daruk’s pace picked up, he heard Urbosa firing back at whoever was attacking them, and Link immediately started squirming.

“Not now, brother,” Daruk insisted, his hold tightening, nearly squeezing the air out of Link’s struggling lungs.

Link fought regardless, managing to slip a hand into the holster on his hip. He could just see over Daruk’s shoulder, he could just see the enemy soldiers approaching. He couldn’t get a good angle with the pistol while he was being held, though.

Mipha turned around, cold determination on her face, and managed to get a head shot on the closest soldier. Urbosa took out the rest.

“Evac will be available to us back at the general’s position,” Revali’s voice came over the earpieces everyone wore.

“Can we make it to the general’s location?” Mipha asked worriedly.

“We’ll make it,” Urbosa answered firmly, though not without a touch of kindness. “Don’t worry.”

Link wiggled in Daruk’s grip once more, though with far less conviction as exhaustion overtook him. “I—can—help.”

“Can you run?” Urbosa asked.

Link nodded, biting back a cough. Daruk hesitated, but a glare from Urbosa made him relinquish his grip on the younger soldier, and Link found himself unsteadily standing once more. Mipha immediately took his hand, squeezing it tightly.

“Stay with me,” she advised worriedly. “I’ll protect you.”

Link swallowed, giving her a reassuring smile as he reached for his pistol with his right hand. The group started making their way to the periphery of the battlefield, ducking low to avoid attention. This battle was no longer theirs, after all – they had accomplished their goal. The army would handle the rest.

When mortar fire rocked their world, creating cavernous holes in the earth around them, Link and Mipha both fell, slamming into the ground. His ears were ringing, dust in his lungs as he struggled to breathe, and suddenly everything went black.

It didn’t last long, though. Or at least he didn’t think it did? Though he wasn’t entirely sure what wasn’t supposed to last long. The mission—they’d completed it, right?

Mission. Yeah. Yeah, they’d finished it. And then the fight. Good grief, his head was pounding.

Link opened his eyes blearily, distinctly aware that the world around him was bouncing, his head bobbing against something firm couched in softness, a strange blend that warmed his neck while the rest of him shivered on a cold, hard bed of sorts. He heard an engine revving, and his brain hazily put the pieces together that he was riding in the bed of a truck. Based on how dark it was, it was likely a covered troop carrier.

A leg. His head was resting on a leg. That’s what it was.

Wait, he’d been on a battlefield—

Blinking in the darkness, Link immediately focused his vision and nearly shot to his feet, but a quiet, gentle voice caught his attention.

“—right, Link. You’re fine. We got out.”

“Mipha?” he asked, coughing and grimacing at how bad he sounded.

Mipha smiled down at him, amber eyes glistening with relief. “Yes, I’m here. It’s good to see you awake. You’re safe, Link. We made it to the evac point. They’re taking us to the LZ now.”

A thought nagged at him. “’m sorry I was rude before.”

Mipha blinked. “You—what?”

“During the mission.”

“Oh, Link,” Mipha sighed with a small laugh. “It’s all right. I know you wanted to complete the mission.”

“You were worried, though.”

“Yes, I was. But we weren’t in a position to do much about it. You were right.”

Link sighed, feeling the wheeze escape his chest as he did so. Mipha’s hand slid into his, calloused, thin fingers caressing his own. The pair shared a smile as their ride bounced through the desert. Link glanced around and saw his teammates all sitting in various states of exhaustion, but alive and well. Zelda had fallen asleep with her head on Urbosa’s shoulder while Daruk was needling Revali, who seemed irritated about something. They were all okay.

Link felt his body relax in relief. They had successfully completed their mission, and everyone was safe. Whatever illness he’d decided to catch had chosen the worst time to wreak havoc, but they’d made it nonetheless. He shifted a little to get more comfortable with Mipha and then drifted off, safe in her care. A last, wishful thought passed through his mind.

Someday… someday we can end this and we can all just be together and be safe. No war, no constant anxieties… someday.

Someday.

#for some reason ao3 isn't letting me add this to the story so I guess it'll just be published here for now #writing #sicktember #lu in healthcare #lu in healthcare war era #lu wild #wild angsters come get your soup

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positivelybeastly · 7 months

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Plot Wishlist

General:

Any X-characters, but especially Storm, Shadowkat, Cyclops, Iceman, Jean Grey, Abigail Brand, Havok, Dazzler, Colossus, Mr. Sinister, Charles Xavier, Magneto, Sabretooth, et al.

Verse specific plots below.

Feline Hank:

Decimation/Utopia-era plots, perhaps including a PTSD recovery arc for Hank after his torture at the hands of Norman Osborn. Poor guy was literally having flashbacks at the drop of a hat and the best he got was a 'you're the rock, so idk just cope better' speech - would love to dive into this.

Fun, shippy things! Hank is a loveable fella, but utterly bereft of actual self-esteem - tons of ego and bluster, but self-esteem? Wrong house, miss - and I love to see him reconcile the often inflated mental portrait he has of others with his diabolical self-image.

Mutant cure. Hank has a vial of it just sitting in a freezer. All it takes is one particularly bad day.

Post-Intervention Hank:

Anything with any X-character, diving into the period of time between All-New X-Men and Krakoa. Hank screwed up, majorly, and his emotional state is ridiculously fractious - engage with him on this! Force him to change! Or let's have blazing arguments! Let's do both, fuck it!

Inhuman + Kang interactions! Hank was only with them for a short period of time in the grand scheme of things, but I dearly love that he made friends during his time here, and it breaks my heart that he felt like he couldn't go back after Inhumans vs. X-Men.

Avengers:

Defenders interactions! Especially Isaac Christians (Gargoyle), Patsy Walker (Hellcat) and Heather Douglas (Moondragon). I love this team - they're such a weird, kooky team of misfists and emotionally damaged individuals.

Threnody. I'm tired of talking about her as the first brick in the wall for Hank's downfall - let's talk about her as a character, let's engage with the situation, let's call Hank out, let's let him off the hook, let's do something with it!

X-Force:

Any and all members of the Quiet Council, perhaps a thread making sense of Beast's numerous karma houdinis. My portrayal of X-Force Beast diverges from the cartoon character you've seen in Percy's books, but I still want to engage with the situations he must've found himself in and write them like an adult. Let's get political, let's get complicated, let's get cruel, why not?

Any and all interactions where an old friend asks Beast what the hell he's doing and what happened to him. I just want someone to care that Beast has hollowed out his soul and decided it's easier to not care.

Irredeemable Beast:

Pretty much anything, but the tone of this verse suits Fall of X-themed plots and character development over all else. I have an in-progress fic about this verse that I'm working on - I can't tell you how overjoyed I'd be to talk about it with someone. Let's talk redemption, let's talk punishment, let's talk justice, let's talk masochism, let's talk death wishes!

Dark Beast:

Any Age of Apocalypse characters.

A duplicate Hank, tbh!

The guy's a stinker, abuse him, please.

Battle of the Atom:

Any of the time displaced X-Men, future X-Men, or members of the Jean Grey and Charles Xavier School faculty. This version of Hank is so broken and so tragic and so pitiable. Let's engage with that. Let's talk about the future, let's talk about optimism, let's talk about broken faith and mind control and hatred.

President Blaire. If you know, you know.

And obviously, all of the X-characters mentioned above, or hell, any member of the extended X-family, would be much loved as an intersection with all of these plots!

And keep in mind, if you aren't one of these characters, that doesn't mean any of this plot material is off limits to you! Message me, ask me, let's work something out. I crave good character dynamics, hmu. I want to write with you, or I wouldn't be here.

#outofmuffins #Plot wishlist #Even just one of these would make my day tbh.#tw torture

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smartphonegears · 1 year

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iPhone 14: A Glimpse into Tomorrow's Technology

The iPhone 14 has arrived, offering a tantalizing glimpse into the future of technology. Packed with groundbreaking features and cutting-edge advancements, this device showcases Apple's unwavering commitment to innovation and redefines what a smartphone can do. In this article, we will explore the remarkable capabilities of the iPhone 14, providing an exciting glimpse into the possibilities of tomorrow's technology and how it will revolutionize our daily lives.

Design: Futuristic Sophistication The iPhone 14 boasts a design that is both futuristic and sophisticated. With its sleek lines, refined materials, and minimalist aesthetic, the device exudes elegance and modernity. The bezel-less display, seamlessly integrated with the device's body, offers an immersive visual experience, with vibrant colors and true-to-life details. The design of the iPhone 14 not only captivates the eye but also provides a comfortable and ergonomic grip, ensuring a seamless user experience.

Next-Generation Technology: The iPhone 14 is powered by state-of-the-art technology that pushes the boundaries of what a smartphone can achieve. Equipped with Apple's most advanced chip to date, this device delivers unprecedented processing power, speed, and efficiency. From demanding multitasking to resource-intensive apps and games, the iPhone 14 handles everything with ease, ensuring a smooth and seamless user experience.

Revolutionary Camera System: The camera system of the iPhone 14 is nothing short of revolutionary. With cutting-edge sensor technology, advanced image processing algorithms, and enhanced computational photography capabilities, this device captures stunning photos and videos in any lighting condition. From low-light photography to high-resolution images and immersive video recording, the iPhone 14 allows users to unleash their creativity and capture moments with astonishing clarity and detail.

Immersive Display and Augmented Reality: The iPhone 14's display takes visual immersion to new heights. With advancements in display technology, it offers vibrant colors, deep blacks, and exceptional brightness, providing an unrivaled visual experience. Whether you're watching movies, playing games, or exploring augmented reality (AR) applications, the iPhone 14's display transports you into a world of unparalleled realism and engagement.

Enhanced Security and Privacy: Apple has always prioritized the security and privacy of its users, and the iPhone 14 continues this tradition. With advanced biometric authentication features, such as Face ID, your device remains secure while providing effortless access. Apple's commitment to privacy ensures that your personal information stays protected, empowering you with peace of mind in an increasingly connected world.

Seamless Integration with Future Technologies: The iPhone 14 is designed to seamlessly integrate with emerging technologies, laying the groundwork for the future. Whether it's 5G connectivity for blazing-fast internet speeds, compatibility with smart home devices, or support for advanced AR applications, the iPhone 14 paves the way for a new era of connectivity and possibilities.

Conclusion: The iPhone 14 represents a tantalizing glimpse into tomorrow's technology, where innovation and imagination intersect. With its futuristic design, groundbreaking features, and seamless integration of cutting-edge technologies, this device sets the stage for a new generation of smartphones. As we hold the iPhone 14 in our hands, we are reminded of the boundless potential that technology holds, and the exciting future that awaits us. The iPhone 14 is not just a smartphone; it is a glimpse into the limitless possibilities that tomorrow's technology will bring.

#phonedaddy #iphone 14

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southsuburbanchapter · 2 years

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Thursday, November 17 at 7:30 PM CT(In-Person and via ZOOM)

South Suburban Archaeological Society (SSAS) presents:

"Unearthing Chicago's Bronzeville: Historical Archaeology in Residential Backyards"

with Dr. Michael Gregory

Archaeological investigations of three residential properties located in what became known as Chicago’s Bronzeville Neighborhood provide unique glimpses into the everyday life of African Americans who took up residence in this northern, industrial metropolis as part of the Great Migration beginning circa 1915. Excavated deposits have produced layers rich in artifacts that speak to both the opportunities and constraints faced by the residents. In addition, archival collections complement the artifact assemblages. These two sets of data reveal emergent, interpretable patterns related to consumerism, intersectional identity, and public health.

Such patterns demonstrate the relevancy of archaeology as a counter balance to a range of historical and contemporary forces that converge and work either to erase or to bias this period in public memory. The backyard excavations in Bronzeville reveal the rich potential of the neighborhood’s archaeological record, and together, excavations and archival research will offer new or forgotten insights into the actions, attitudes, and consequences that shaped the 20th-century African American experience in Chicago, while also providing comparable data for similar studies undertaken in other northern and western cities where participants of the Great Migration settled.

Dr. Michael Gregory is a professional archaeologist who has worked in a variety of academic, governmental, non-profit, and cultural resources management settings during the past 40 years. He presently serves on the Board of Directors of the Camp Douglas Restoration Foundation, Inc., and is semi-employed directing excavations at Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency recovery sites through American Veterans Archaeological Recovery and SNA International, a forensic science consulting firm. In addition to his current research interest in Civil War-era Camp Douglas, he also focuses on later urban trends related to suburbanization and the Great Migration in the Chicago area. NOTE: Dr. Gregory will be appearing in person at the Irwin Center (18120 Highland Ave., Homewood, IL). Please join us for light refreshments before the program. This event is free and open to the public.

Those who wish to view this presentation remotely via Zoom should send an email requesting access to the link below. If at all possible, please make your request at least 24 hours prior to the program. Include enough information in the email to verify your identity. A day or two before the program, the host will respond with an invitation to attend through Zoom. [email protected] For further information, please visit the website of the South Suburban Archaeological Society.

Blaze

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basicsofislam · 2 years

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PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH)’s BIOGRAPHY : The Battle of Badr. Part1

(2nd Year of Hijrah, Ramadan / 13 March 624, Friday)

The Trade Caravan of Quraysh

In the 2nd year of Hijrah, the Qurayshi polytheists prepared a trade caravan. Almost everybody, men and women, in Makkah had shares in this caravan, which was going to be sent to Damascus. The money to be obtained from this big trade caravan, which consisted of one thousand camels and whose capital was fifty thousand dinars, was going to be used to buy weapons in preparation for the war. That was the main aim of the caravan. The Qurayshis appointed about thirty or forty guards under the command of Abu Sufyan to accompany the caravan. ( Ibn Hisham, Sirah, V. 2, p. 257; Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, V. 11, p. 11. )

The Prophet is informed about the Caravan

The Messenger of God was informed about the caravan. He decided to prevent this big caravan of trade led by Abu Sufyan from returning to Makkah. He got ready to set off with more than 300 (305 or 315) Companions.

Sa’d and his Father

The Companions wanted to take part in the military expedition of Badr. Some people even drew lots to join it. Sa’d from Ansar said to his father, Haythama,

“If the reward for this expedition were something other than Paradise, I would not come with you! I expect to be a martyr in this expedition”,

expressing his wish to take part in the expedition. His father said to him,

“Stay with your wife, who is ill; I will go.”

However, Sa’d did not accept it and they decided to draw lots. Sa’d won the draw and joined the expedition. He became a martyr in Badr, attaining his goal. ( Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, V. 3, p. 482. )

Umm Waraqa

Let alone men, women also had a great desire to join the expedition. Umm Waraqa bint Abdullah went to the presence of Messenger of God and said,

“O Messenger of God! Let me come with you. I will treat your wounds and look after the ill people. Maybe God will let me become a martyr.

The Messenger of God said to this self-sacrificing woman,

“Stay at home and read the Quran! God will definitely let you become a martyr.”

After that incident, the Messenger of God always called her as “shahidah” (female martyr).

As a matter of fact, Umm Waraqa, who had memorized the whole Quran, was martyred by two of her servants, one male and one female, at night; they suffocated her by pressing a velvet covering onto her. The murderers were caught and hanged. They were the first people that were punished by being hanged in Madinah. ( Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 8, p. 457; Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, V. 6, p. 405. )

Setting off from Madinah

The Prophet appointed Abdullah Ibn Umm Maktum to lead the prayers in the mosque in his absence. He also appointed Abu Lubaba from Ansar as his deputy for the administration of the city. In the month of Ramadan, after twelve nights passed, he set off from Madinah with mujahids on a hot Saturday. ( Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 2, p. 12; Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 263. )

Musab b. Umayr was carrying the white standard of the Messenger of God. Hazrat Ali was carrying one of the black flags which was called Uqab and Sa’d b. Muadh from Ansar carried the other. ( Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 264. )

The caravan was going to be met near the place called Badr ( Badr is the name of a plain 120 parasangs (abou 145 km) far from Madinah in the southwest of Madinah. It is surrounded by high mountains. In the Era of Jahiliyya, it was used as a place of fairground. It has plenty of water, and fruits like bananas and grapes. ) because it was a strategic place where the roads leading to Makkah, Madinah and Syria intersected.

Mujahids set off from Madinah on one of the hottest days of the summer; besides, they were fasting because it was Ramadan. It was very difficult to continue the journey in the scorching heat and on the blazing desert while fasting. Therefore, the Messenger of God ordered the mujahids to break their fasts. ( Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 3, p. 149-150. )

Young People are not Allowed

They had not moved far away from Madinah very much. The Messenger of God picked those who were too young and wanted to send them back to Madinah. The eight young mujahids became very sad because they were separated from the army. Thereupon, the Messenger of God allowed two of them to join the army again. Hazrat Sa’d b. Abi Waqqas narrates:

“Just before the Messenger of God started to pick the young mujahids and send them back, I saw my brother Umayr trying not to be seen. I asked him, ‘O my brother! What is the matter?’ He said, ‘I fear that the Messenger of God will think I am too young and send me back. However, I want to join this expedition and I expect to be martyr.’ When the Messenger of God saw him, he regarded Umayr as too young and said to him, ‘Return’. Umayr started to cry. Thereupon, the Messenger of God allowed him to stay. Umayr could not tie his sword because he was too short; so, I helped him tie his sword.” ( Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 2, p. 21. )

Umayr, who wanted to attain the rank of martyrdom by fighting in the way of God, was hit by the arrows of the polytheists during the battle and reached his goal.

Riding the Camels in Turns

There were two horses and seventy camels with the Muslims. They rode the camels in turns. The Prophet did not want to regard himself different from others. He rode a camel in turns with Ali and Marsad b. Abi Marsad. When it was the Prophet’s turn to walk, both of them said to the Prophet,

“O Messenger of God! You ride the camel we will walk instead of you.”

However, the Prophet did not accept their offers and said,

“You are not stronger than me in terms of walking and I am not in less need than you in terms of rewards.” ( Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 2, p. 21. )

With this act, the Messenger of God applied the principle of equality and justice introduced by Islam himself.

The Caravan of Quraysh Changes its Way

The Islamic army proceeded in the scorching heat. Abu Sufyan received the news that he had been concerned about before reaching Badr:

“Muslims set off to capture the caravan!”

He sent a messenger to Makkah at once and he changed the route of the caravan without stopping over; he proceeded toward Makkah through the Red Sea coast without going to Badr.

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soulmateszedits · 2 years

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BAE173 - Intersection : Blaze ; era

Pt.1 | -AJ

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chadillacboseman · 3 years

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The Phone Booth

So, this is for @autumnleaves1991-blog 's Writer Wednesday. I could not think of a single fandom character I could write on with this prompt, BUT I decided I could just write a short horror story instead. Nathan is a character I often use in my horror writing. Hope you enjoy! This story has, like, no context, and kinda sucks but WHATEVER! Word Count: Like 800 idk.

1. At the edge of Layton Park there stood a phone booth; a decrepit relic of a bygone era, long forgotten by the city management. By the grace of God, the light still shone inside, and the glass remained untouched by vandals.

On foggy nights and early, dew-laden mornings, the booth was quite the sight- its dim overhead lamp illuminating the wet grass around it like a lighthouse on a distant shore.

Inside, the phone apparatus remained intact, still displaying the price of $.25 per call, and the phone book, though yellowed and curling, could still be found chained to the wall.

Nathan often passed the booth on his evening jogs through the park. Occasionally, he paused to wonder why the city had never had it removed- after all, there was no way it still functioned. Perhaps the city’s homeless population found refuge inside when inclement weather struck, or maybe they simply didn’t care.

The night air was crisp and smelled faintly of rain as Nathan stepped out of his front door. The daylight hours were growing shorter with the change of season, and the nights were growing colder. Nathan pressed his earbuds into his ears and took off on his usual route- up 5th street, over the Cascade bridge, and through Layton Park before returning home. After he crossed the street at the bottom of the bridge, he stopped seeing cars and he knew it was getting late. By the time he reached the park, the night had begun in earnest, and stars were twinkling in the sky above. The streetlights cast hard shadows on the sidewalk as he paused to check the time- 8:22pm. He was making fairly good time, he could be home by 9:30 if he picked up his pace-

Ring ring

Nathan froze. Had he imagined that?

Ring ring

He pulled one of his earbuds out, ears straining in the silent night.

Ring ring

The phone booth. He stood, dumbfounded, staring through the dark at the relic. In all of the dozens of times he had passed it, he had never heard it ring. He had always assumed it was disconnected-

Ring ring

Nathan strode across the damp grass toward the booth. He felt compelled to answer the phone- determined to know what kind of madman was calling a payphone from the 90s in the middle of the night.

Ring ring.

He stepped inside the cramped booth and took a moment to marvel at how well-kept the interior was. Though the buttons were worn, the phone was still emblazoned with the BellSouth logo, and not a hint of rust had touched the metal. Ring ring.

Nathan jumped, startled at how loud the ring was up close. He reached out to grasp the receiver and gently pulled it from its cradle before bringing it to his ear.

“Hello?” his voice fell flat against the dead air.

Silence.

“Hello?” he repeated it, feeling dumber by the second.

Silence.

Just as he moved to set the receiver back in the cradle, a voice crackled through the earpiece-

“Do you know where you are?” The voice was masculine and low, almost a whisper. Nathan paused for a moment and stifled a chuckle.

“The Layton Park phone booth,” he responded simply. The line was silent for a moment and he thought about hanging up.

“Are you sure, Nathaniel?”

Nathan felt as though his heart had stopped. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and his breathing was suddenly heavy.

“Who is this?” He demanded, his voice shaking.

“Do you know where you are?” the voice sounded different now, still a whisper, but something had changed. It sounded as if several voices were speaking at once. Nathan’s hands were shaking.

He wanted to hang up, he was desperate to end the call and run, but he felt frozen on the spot. “I’m-” he struggled to catch his breath, “I’m in the Layton Park phone booth,” he felt breathless.

“No, you aren’t.”

Nathan tried to swallow; his throat felt like the Mojave desert. He glanced out at the park through the glass-

Had the street lights gone out?

It was so dark.

He thought he could hear faint, indistinct whispers coming through the earpiece. He felt as though he was going to lose consciousness. The light above him seemed so bright, blazing down onto him and bathing the booth in an orange glow.

"Are you scared, Nathaniel?" A loud rumbling had started to build in the earpiece, and the phone felt hot in his hand.

Nathan slammed the receiver onto the cradle and pressed his back against the wall, breathing shakily. After a few moments, he composed himself and moved away from the wall; his legs felt as if they would give out any moment.

"I'm not scared," he whispered into the emptiness, trying to convince himself.

"You should be."

The driver who hit Nathaniel Griggs turned himself in two weeks after the incident. He was a surgeon coming off of a 15-hour shift, and he had run the red light at the foot of the Cascade bridge in a moment of exhausted brain fog.

The morning after the hit and run, a driver had found Nathan's body and called the police, who quickly identified him by the ID in his wallet.

Oddly enough, Nathan's mother reported getting a call from a payphone in the middle of the night on the night of his death. Though she had missed the call, she was left with a voicemail that had sent her into hysterics.

The police were puzzled upon hearing it, as the timeline did not match up with red light footage from the intersection. In the recording, a loud rumbling could be heard in the background as Nathan sobbed and begged for his mother. When the police traced the call back to the Layton Park phone booth, they found nothing out of the ordinary-

Except for the scorched black mark on the floor.

#horror #writing #writer wednesday #short story

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mobius-prime · 4 years

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266. Sonic Universe #1

The Shadow Saga (Part 1 of 4): Living Weapons

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley! Colors: Jason Jensen

We've finally arrived at the comic's most long-standing sister series, Sonic Universe! Like its predecessor KtE, SU ran in arcs of several issues, though the arcs were made up of four issues at a time instead of three, and largely focused on side stories that ran at the same time as the main plotline, usually following the adventures of characters other than Sonic. This allows us to get a greater insight into what the expanded cast of the comics is up to without taking the focus of the main comic's plot away from its titular hero. If we're being honest, some of my favorite stories from this era were contained within SU, as I'm very attached to a lot of the secondary characters of this universe and only following Sonic tends to get boring after a while (one of the reasons I actually liked KtE). As the name implies, this first arc focuses mostly on Shadow. I will note before we get started that since the issues of SU were released alongside those of StH, one per month, the stories of SU often end up intersecting with the main plot. Most of SU's arcs can be read in full four-issue chunks without interruption, but I've deliberately split this one into a couple parts based on context clues about how exactly it intersects with StH's next four issues. Thus, we'll be covering the first issue of the Shadow Saga, followed by two issues of the main comic, and then the other three issues of the Shadow Saga before we finally make our way back into the main comic for the 200-issue milestone special.

This issue picks up right where we left off last time, with Shadow teleporting himself and Metal Sonic away from Moebius to a new zone, though there's a bit of a twist. See, the other sister series I haven't been covering (but might in the future, depending on a couple different factors) is the comic's continuation of the Sonic X anime, which ran for forty issues, with the final one being released just before this one. I haven't covered it because technically it's an entirely separate canon from the preboot, with the only point of intersection being its final issue, when Shadow initially ends up teleporting himself and Metal Sonic to… you guessed it, the Sonic X zone. That issue ends with them teleporting away once again, which lands them here, in the Sol Dimension, hovering above the waters of a vast ocean. Shadow tries to get Metal to stop fighting for a second, reasoning that he's a living weapon that can think for itself and therefore should reject working for Eggman, but Metal doesn't listen, instead calculating that Shadow's rocket shoes are all that's allowing him to hover and that he likely has very little swimming ability. So naturally, it shoves him down into the water and zooms off in search of this zone's equivalent of Eggman.

I have no idea if the implication here really was meant to be that Shadow is bad at swimming, or if Metal was just mistaken and Shadow deliberately only surfaced after it had left, but either way, Shadow is taken aboard Marine's boat, where he explains why he's here to Blaze. Blaze, recognizing him as being from Sonic's world, explains that he's ended up in her own dimension, and all the while an excited Marine, her Australian accent out in full force, continually tries to interrupt and do some explaining of her own. Shadow irritably suggests she captain the boat back toward the nearest port, which she promptly does, wanting to show off her captaining skills, while Shadow and Blaze continue to talk. This gives Blaze the opportunity to explain to Shadow - and therefore, us - exactly what happened in the offscreen "adaptions" of Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure that Ian never showed the full picture of. Interestingly enough, it seems that the entirety of the former basically didn't take place at all, with Sonic's relationship with Blaze being entirely centered around the events of the latter. Apparently, Blaze's problems began when the Sol Emeralds she was sworn to protect went mysterious missing, and she began having dreams about Sonic and Eggman. She ended up finding her way to the Cosmic Interstate and into Mobius, where she had her first, very hostile encounter with Sonic. From there, she evidently went immediately back to her own dimension, and not long after Sonic and Tails somehow ended up there after a freak storm (which is interesting in itself, considering the equivalent events of the games are implied to have taken place at least several months apart). Marine found them, as well as the green Chaos Emerald, and when the robot pirate Johnny stole it they enlisted Blaze's help to chase him from island to island, hoping to get the gem back.

Thanks for your entirely-factually-sound addition to that story, Marine! I love that she includes the detail of Blaze apparently having a giant friend crush on her. Soon enough, the boat pulls into the nearest harbor, while Shadow muses that if they still have the Chaos Emerald, his mission - to breach the Special Zone and retrieve one - may not be a total bust after all. However, it becomes apparent as they dock that the island they've arrived at is cloaked in a layer of ominous smoke. They quickly disembark to find that Metal has already reached the island, setting several buildings ablaze and grabbing random terrified citizens to question them on their version of Eggman's whereabouts.

Blaze in the preboot is actually significantly more prone to outbursts of anger and violence compared to her relatively more composed and calm counterpart within the games, something which I actually appreciate. She's knocked aside by Metal, and Shadow joins the fray, trying to once again teleport the two away to help protect Blaze's world, but is thrown aside before he can complete a Chaos Control. Marine jumps in next, grabbing onto Metal's head and whooping and throwing some very Australian insults at it while it tries to shake her off, and Shadow can't get a proper shot in for fear of hitting her. Finally Metal manages to throw her off, and Blaze runs over to check on her while Shadow once again confronts Metal about its purpose in life.

I like this. It makes total sense that Shadow would see a part of himself in someone like Metal, given their somewhat-comparable backstories. I suppose it makes more sense in this context as well, given that the events of Heroes never really happened here and thus no recent instance of Metal Sonic has ever rebelled against its creator. Metal processes Shadow's words for a second, and then replies that as Shadow currently considers protecting Mobius and its inhabitants his own purpose, they're still both just living weapons, weapons with conflicting purposes. Shadow regretfully calls on Blaze to attack with her fire, then he spindashes Metal into the air, where Marine, having rushed back to her ship, deals the killing blow with a shot from her cannons. The three then get busy with helping put out the fires around the village, and when Marine won't shut up about how badass the fight was, Shadow irritably reminds her that Metal was the only hope he had of getting back to Mobius in the first place, and then makes a request that leads into one of the most hilariously famous series of panels in the entire preboot.

That grumpy frown. I adore it. Blaze steps in to vouch for Marine, considering she's like, literally six, and then offers Shadow the Chaos Emerald, saying that with its help she's found enough of the Sol Emeralds that she won't need it anymore to find the rest. Shadow thanks her, and they part on good terms, with Shadow performing one last Chaos Control to send himself back to his home dimension.

Hey, Hope, good to see you! I'm still a bit sad that she feels she can't go back to the Mobians, but at least she seems to be doing well for herself, working as an engineer for GUN. Shadow reports to Tower that his mission was technically successful, even though he didn’t manage to breach into the Special Zone like they'd planned. Hope is happy that even though her transporter didn't work as expected Shadow still succeeded in retrieving an emerald, and Tower informs Shadow to get ready, as he's already being assigned another mission which will begin that night. Of course, we won't be seeing it for a couple of days, since as mentioned before we're taking a quick detour back to the main comic for now.

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #su 1 #writer: ian flynn #pencils: tracy yardley #colors: jason jensen

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thecollegefootballguy · 5 years

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2019 Top Games of the Week: Week 7

Wow we’re really already at Week 7, can you believe it? Almost halfway done with the season. Any way, this might be the best week so far, four ranked vs ranked matchups and a handful of great rivalry games.

The Top Ten Games of the Week

10. Hawaii 4-1 (1-0) at #14 Boise State 5-0 (2-0)

Boise State is gunning for their first undefeated regular season since the Chris Petersen era. The Broncos look good enough to pull it off, but they still have a few challenging games left on the schedule. Hawaii looks even better than their turnaround season last year. The Rainbow Warriors are building and look like one of the contenders for the MWC West division. This old WAC series isn’t played as often with both teams now in the Mountain West, but this one certainly has higher stakes than any game played since that old league gave up football.

9. Nebraska 4-2 (2-1) at Minnesota 5-0 (2-0)

Iowa and Wisconsin are sucking up all the oxygen in the Big Ten West race, but both Nebraska and Minnesota are undefeated in division play and could make a run if they win the right games. The Gophers are undefeated period, and are one of the surprise stories of this early season. Their first competent win came last week against Illinois, but the Cornhuskers should be a much tougher task for Minnesota.

8. Texas Tech 3-2 (1-1) at #22 Baylor 5-0 (2-0)

For the first time in over ten years, these two rivals are playing an on-campus game, and it could be the most important game in the series in just as long. Like Minnesota, Baylor has been one of the more surprising teams so far. The Bears are also undefeated, but are relatively unchallenged aside from their close scrape with Iowa State. Texas Tech appears ahead of schedule after the Red Raiders held off Oklahoma State last Saturday. The middle of the Big 12 remains one of the more fascinating parts of college football in 2019.

7. #23 Memphis 5-0 (1-0) at Temple 4-1 (1-0)

The best game in the AAC takes the second G5 spot in the top ten. Memphis now has the clearest path of any American team to go undefeated and secure the NY6 bid. Aside from their curious loss to Buffalo, has also looked solid. The Owls are the Tigers’ hardest remaining road game and one of the biggest chances to upend Memphis.

6. USC 3-2 (2-1) at #9 Notre Dame 4-1

The greatest intersectional rivalry in college football makes the grade, as it does basically every year. Both teams are coming off bye weeks and should be well prepared for this game (for our purposes Bowling Green counts as a bye). USC has been hot and cold with a rotating QB cast. The Fighting Irish are definitely favored here but the Trojans could be one of the tougher teams ND faces as they make a case for the Playoff as a one-loss team.

5. Michigan State 4-2 (2-1) at #8 Wisconsin 5-0 (2-0)

If you thought Iowa-Michigan was a beautiful disaster of good defense and bad offense wait until you see Michigan State-Wisconsin. It’s going to be a rockfight in all the best and worst ways. The Spartans are so far the only team that’s even slowed down Ohio State, which leads me to think they can give the Badgers a ton of trouble. That said, if Wisconsin is a Playoff contender even close to OSU’s caliber, we can measure it here.

4. #1 Alabama 5-0 (2-0) at #24 Texas A&M 3-2 (1-1)

I want to believe A&M can challenge Alabama. I don’t. But I want to.

3. #10 Penn State 5-0 (2-0) at #17 Iowa 4-1 (1-1)

Boy we have a really good week if this game is only 3rd on the list. Penn State is this year’s Iowa City sacrifice. The Nittany Lions enter as this year’s Playoff hopeful that have to survive the ordeal of playing at Kinnick Stadium as a top ten team. We took a year off last season but 2017 ruined #3 Ohio State’s hopes and 2016 claimed #2 Michigan. Iowa only lost by a touchdown last year in Happy Valley. Godspeed PSU.

2. #7 Florida 6-0 (3-0) at #5 LSU 5-0 (2-0)

If you want to put this game up at the #1 spot be my guest, but I’m saving that for an even better rivalry game. As the only top ten game this week, Florida at LSU is hosting Gameday, which comes as no surprise. Florida pulled off an ugly but triumphant victory over Auburn last week. Most people, myself included, doubted the Gators’ ability to beat top flight competition. Now UF has an even tougher test as they head to Death Valley. LSU similarly hasn’t played a team this good yet, and has so far been untested at home. These are very likely the #2 teams in both divisions, so a win here would be critical for getting to the conference title game.

1. #6 Oklahoma 5-0 (2-0) vs #11 Texas 4-1 (2-0)

Well of course, the 115th playing of the Red River Shootout naturally takes the #1 spot with the stakes involved. Once again, Oklahoma and Texas are far and away the favorites to play for the Big 12 title and their yearly pilgrimage to the Cotton Bowl will help sort out that out. This could once again be a rematch in the Championship Game, but only the winner of this game will likely have their seat secure.

5 G5 Games of the Week

5. Army 3-2 at Western Kentucky 3-2 (3-0)

We get some smaller interesting games in the G5 Top 5 with two G5 games making the overall Top Ten. Army goes on the road against a surprisingly good Western Kentucky squad. The Hilltoppers were absolutely moribund last season, but have already taken down preseason favorite FIU and last year’s champion UAB.

4. San Jose State 3-2 (1-1) at Nevada 3-2 (0-1)

The Mountain West’s West Division is probably not the best in the G5, but it could be the most competitive. San Jose State is suddenly showing flashes of life for the first time in years. Nevada looked on the cusp of a breakthrough last season. The Wolf Pack haven’t yet filled that promise after getting blown out by Hawaii, but they can stay in the race and see how everything shakes out with a win here.

3. Wyoming 4-1 (1-0) at San Diego State 4-1 (1-1)

Wyoming and San Diego State make up the Mountain West’s robust middle class chasing Boise State for a shot at the league title. Both have their strengths and weaknesses but they’re coming in with momentum. Last week the Cowboys blew up UNLV and the Aztecs totally shut down Colorado State in Fort Collins.

2. Fresno State 2-2 (0-0) at Air Force 3-2 (1-1)

The trio of solid MWC games is capped off with 2017 and 2018 West Division champion going on the road to take on Air Force. The Falcons are always an upset threat with their option attack and the Bulldogs haven’t yet looked like the dangerous team we saw the past few seasons.

1. Appalachian State 4-0 (1-0) at Louisiana-Lafayette 4-1 (1-0)

This looks like the Sun Belt Championship Game as far as I’m concerned. With both Troy and Georgia Southern looking a step slower than their 2018 selves, the Mountaineers will likely run away with the East. With Arkansas State similarly looking a bit down and ULM not quite there yet, Louisiana-Lafayette should again with the West. App State has an undefeated season and a very remote shot at the NY6 bowl on the line, so I’m going to be keeping tabs on this one.

FCS Games of the Week

3. #3 South Dakota State 4-1 (1-0) at #19 Youngstown State 4-1 (0-1)

2. #10 Northern Iowa 3-2 (1-0) at #1 North Dakota State 5-0 (1-0)

South Dakota State and North Dakota State are on their inexorable march towards destiny. They both need to take care of business beforehand, and a tough trip to Youngstown State and hosting the punchy NIU Panthers are some of the more difficult games they’ll face in the regular season. I still expect both to win.

1. #5 Villanova 6-0 (3-0) at #2 James Madison 5-1 (2-0)

The CAA brings us a very interesting Top Five matchup, the second of the FCS season. Villanova has jumped from being unranked all the way to #5 by blazing through the first half of the season, only encountering a close game by way of fellow top ten conference-mate Towson. James Madison is still the perennial favorite, but this could be the Dukes’ toughest conference test this year.

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soulmateszarchive · 2 years

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Bae173 - Masterlist

— Era

· Intersection: Blaze (March 30, 2022)

· Odyssey: DaSH (August 17,2022)

— Simple

· 2023 Season's Greetings Behind

#bae173 #kpop

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soulmateszedits · 2 years

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BAE173 - Intersection : Blaze ; era

Pt.2 | -AJ

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basicsofislam · 6 years

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PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH)’s BIOGRAPHY : The Battle of Badr. Part1

(2nd Year of Hijrah, Ramadan / 13 March 624, Friday)

The Trade Caravan of Quraysh

The Prophet is informed about the Caravan

Sa’d and his Father

The Companions wanted to take part in the military expedition of Badr. Some people even drew lots to join it. Sa’d from Ansar said to his father, Haythama,

“If the reward for this expedition were something other than Paradise, I would not come with you! I expect to be a martyr in this expedition”,

expressing his wish to take part in the expedition. His father said to him,

“Stay with your wife, who is ill; I will go.”

However, Sa’d did not accept it and they decided to draw lots. Sa’d won the draw and joined the expedition. He became a martyr in Badr, attaining his goal. ( Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, V. 3, p. 482. )

Umm Waraqa

Let alone men, women also had a great desire to join the expedition. Umm Waraqa bint Abdullah went to the presence of Messenger of God and said,

“O Messenger of God! Let me come with you. I will treat your wounds and look after the ill people. Maybe God will let me become a martyr.

The Messenger of God said to this self-sacrificing woman,

“Stay at home and read the Quran! God will definitely let you become a martyr.”

After that incident, the Messenger of God always called her as “shahidah” (female martyr).

Setting off from Madinah

Young People are not Allowed

Umayr, who wanted to attain the rank of martyrdom by fighting in the way of God, was hit by the arrows of the polytheists during the battle and reached his goal.

Riding the Camels in Turns

“O Messenger of God! You ride the camel we will walk instead of you.”

However, the Prophet did not accept their offers and said,

“You are not stronger than me in terms of walking and I am not in less need than you in terms of rewards.” ( Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 2, p. 21. )

With this act, the Messenger of God applied the principle of equality and justice introduced by Islam himself.

The Caravan of Quraysh Changes its Way

The Islamic army proceeded in the scorching heat. Abu Sufyan received the news that he had been concerned about before reaching Badr:

“Muslims set off to capture the caravan!”

He sent a messenger to Makkah at once and he changed the route of the caravan without stopping over; he proceeded toward Makkah through the Red Sea coast without going to Badr.

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Marvel’s Ghost Rider TV Series That We Almost Saw

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Before Disney incorporated Marvel’s TV offerings into the Marvel Cinematic Universe umbrella, Marvel storytelling on television was a fascinating mixed bag.

Marvel shows existed siloed off in their own continuities and on different networks like Agents of SHIELD on ABC, Runaways on Hulu, and Daredevil and all his Defender friends on Netflix. Right before the Marvel Television imprint was shuttered in favor of Marvel Entertainment, however, we very nearly got one last creative swing.

In a sprawling feature about the history of Marvel Comics character Ghost Rider, ComicBook.com unveils some new details about the now-canceled Agents of SHIELD spinoff featuring Robbie Reyes a.k.a. Ghost Rider.

“We were in full pre-production at that point now that Disney owned Fox and we had the Hulu relationship, that all would work out,” Reyes actor Gabriel Luna told the site. “I was doing everything in my power to make sure my mind and body were all prepared for a few-month-long engagement trying to get our show up.”

The character known as Ghost Rider has two comic book iterations. The first is deceased motorcycle stuntman Johnny Blaze, who sold his soul to Mephisto to return to Earth to unleash Hellfire on his enemies. Blaze was played by Nicolas Cage in two pre-MCU era Ghost Rider films. The next, however, is East L.A. street racer Robbie Reyes.

Reyes was played by Gabriel Luna in the first arc of Agents of SHIELD season 4 and again in that season’s finale. The character was so well-received that it very nearly led to a spinoff. According to Luna, right after Reyes premiered in Agents of SHIELD season 4, Marvel executed a “hold clause” on his contract, essentially paying him to stay put so they could pursue more Ghost Rider opportunities.

The Ghost Rider TV show would have aired on Hulu like fellow Marvel properties Runaways and Cloak and Dagger. The first season would have featured classic villains from the character’s canon, including Lilith, Marvel’s Mother of Demons. Lilith is a mythical figure in the Marvel universe. A powerful shade who has been around since the dawn of humanity, her path frequently intersects the comics’ more spooky characters like Ghost Rider.

What’s even more interesting, however, is that Ghost Rider would have been the entry point into another Defenders-style storytelling universe featuring four shows.

“I think [Lilith] would have led up to her being the big bad of what we were initially trying to start, which was this four-show, very Defenders-esque thing that was going to happen,” Luna said.

Ghost Rider and Daimon Helstrom (the latter of which eventually received one little-seen season of Helstrom on Hulu) would have been two of the four characters featured on this supernatural Defenders-style teamup but it’s unknown who the other two would have been. One compelling option could have been the Midnight Sons, a group of Marvel’s supernatural superheroes featuring Ghost Rider, Helstrom, Morbius, Jennifer Kale, and Werewolf by Night (who is now rumored to be getting his own Disney+ Halloween special).

Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe swallowed up Marvel Television, four-character Defenders-style series were kind of all the rage for the imprint. After Netflix’s initial success with the Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist team-up, Marvel commissioned “The Offenders” for Hulu. This would have featured M.O.D.O.K., Hit Monkey, Howard the Duck, and Tigra & Dazzler. This project too was ultimately scrapped though the series M.O.D.O.K. and Hit Monkey (arriving Nov. 17) were eventually released as standalones.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Ultimately though, the Disney+ era featuring big time characters like Wanda Maximoff, Loki, and Sam Wilson put an end to these more insular TV projects. It also probably didn’t help Robbie Reyes’ chances that animating his Ghost Rider’s flaming skull was prohibitively expensive, with those VFX shots alone reportedly costing half an Agents of SHIELD episode budget.

The end of Marvel Television doesn’t necessarily mean the end of Ghost Rider in the MCU though. After all, the character is often associated with Doctor Strange and we hear he has a Multiverse of Madness on the way …

The post Marvel’s Ghost Rider TV Series That We Almost Saw appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2ZoPpa6

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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newstfionline · 3 years

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Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Canada’s Trudeau calls snap election in bid to regain parliamentary majority (Washington Post) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, betting that his standing has been improved by his government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic while his main opponent has failed to gain traction with voters, called on Sunday a snap federal election for Sept. 20 in a bid to regain a majority in the House of Commons. Trudeau, first elected prime minister in 2015, has led the country since October 2019 with a minority government. Winning a majority would mean he would no longer need to rely on opposition parties to advance his agenda and stay in power.

California fire threatens homes as blazes burn across West (AP) Thousands of Northern California homes were threatened Sunday by the nation’s largest wildfire and officials warned the danger of new blazes erupting across the West was high because of unstable weather. Gusts of up to 50 mph (80 kph) on Saturday pushed flames closer to Janesville, a town of about 1,500 people just east of Greenville, the small gold rush-era community decimated by the fire 10 days ago. The Dixie Fire was the largest among more than 100 big blazes burning in more than a dozen states in the West, a region seared by drought and hot, bone-dry weather that turned forests, brushlands, meadows and pastures into tinder. The U.S. Forest Service said Friday it is operating in crisis mode, fully deploying firefighters and maxing out its support system. The roughly 21,000 federal firefighters working on the ground is more than double the number of firefighters sent to contain forest fires at this time a year ago, said Anthony Scardina, a deputy forester for the agency’s Pacific Southwest region.

After Haiti Quake, Thousands Seek Scarce Care (NYT) With broken bones and open wounds, the injured jammed into damaged hospitals or headed to the airport, hoping for mercy flights out. A handful of doctors toiled all night in makeshift triage wards. A day after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake killed at least 1,300 people and injured thousands in western Haiti, the main airport of the city of Les Cayes was overwhelmed Sunday with people trying to evacuate their loved ones to Port-au-Prince, the capital, about 80 miles to the east. There was not much choice. With just a few dozen doctors available in a region that is home to 1 million people, the quake aftermath was turning increasingly dire. “I’m the only surgeon over there,” said Dr. Edward Destine, an orthopedic surgeon, waving toward a temporary operating room of corrugated tin set up near the airport in Les Cayes. “I would like to operate on 10 people today, but I just don’t have the supplies,” he said. Officials in Les Cayes estimated that only 30 doctors served the entire western region. They are now confronting the overwhelming prospect of treating thousands of grievous injuries from caved-in buildings. All the main hospitals are damaged; doctors worked overnight to erect the temporary operating room near the airport in Les Cayes because local hospitals were in such bad condition.

Death toll in floods that hit northern Turkey climbs to 70 (AP) Rescuers recovered more bodies from the site of severe flooding that devastated a town in northern Turkey on Monday, bringing the death toll to 70, officials said. Torrential rains battered the country’s northwestern Black Sea provinces on Aug. 4, causing floods that demolished homes and bridges, swept away cars and blocked access to numerous roads. Emergency crews on Monday pressed ahead with efforts to locate at least 47 people who were still reported missing in Kastamonu and Sinop. The Turkish disaster management agency, AFAD, said some 8,000 personnel, backed by 20 rescue dogs, are involved in the rescue and assistance efforts.

Afghanistan’s military collapse: Illicit deals and mass desertions (Washington Post) The spectacular collapse of Afghanistan’s military that allowed Taliban fighters to walk into the Afghan capital Sunday despite 20 years of training and billions of dollars in American aid began with a series of deals brokered in rural villages between the militant group and some of the Afghan government’s lowest-ranking officials. The deals, initially offered early last year, were often described by Afghan officials as cease-fires, but Taliban leaders were in fact offering money in exchange for government forces to hand over their weapons, according to an Afghan officer and a U.S. official. Over the next year and a half, the meetings advanced to the district level and then rapidly on to provincial capitals, culminating in a breathtaking series of negotiated surrenders by government forces, according to interviews with more than a dozen Afghan officers, police, special operations troops and other soldiers. Within a little more than a week, Taliban fighters overran more than a dozen provincial capitals and entered Kabul with no resistance, triggering the departure of Afghanistan’s president and the collapse of his government. Afghan security forces in the districts ringing Kabul and in the city itself simply melted away. By nightfall, police checkpoints were left abandoned and the militants roamed the streets freely. “Some just wanted the money,” an Afghan special forces officer said of those who first agreed to meet with the Taliban. But others saw the U.S. commitment to a full withdrawal as an “assurance” that the militants would return to power in Afghanistan and wanted to secure their place on the winning side, he said.

Chaos as thousands flee Afghanistan after Taliban takeover (AP/Reuters) Thousands packed into the Afghan capital’s airport on Monday, rushing the tarmac and pushing onto planes in desperate attempts to flee the country after the Taliban overthrew the Western-backed government. U.S. soldiers fired warning shots as they struggled to manage the chaotic evacuation. In the capital, a tense calm set in, with most people hiding in their homes as the Taliban deployed fighters at major intersections. There were scattered reports of looting and armed men knocking on doors and gates, and there was less traffic than usual on eerily quiet streets. Fighters could be seen searching vehicles at one of the city’s main squares. Massouma Tajik, a 22-year-old data analyst, described scenes of panic at the airport, where she was hoping to board an evacuation flight. After waiting six hours, she heard shots from outside, where a crowd of men and women were trying to climb aboard a plane. She said U.S. troops sprayed gas and fired into the air to disperse the crowds after people scaled the walls and swarmed onto the tarmac. Gunfire could be heard in the voice messages she sent to The Associated Press. At least seven people were killed in Kabul airport as hundreds of people tried to forcibly enter (or hold onto) planes leaving the Afghan capital, witnesses told Reuters.

Afghanistan and the media (CJR) Pundits widely blamed President Biden for the country’s swift fall back into Taliban hands. But—when it comes to the prosecution of the war, and the years of official lies told in its service—there is an awful lot of blame to go around, stretching right back to the Bush administration, which started it. As Liam Stack, a reporter at the New York Times, put it yesterday, “the entire US governing class is implicated in this… every official or DC think tanker or cable news talking head you see on TV today.” The list of the complicit includes sections of the press, and yet the dominant tone in much mainstream commentary and coverage was not one of humble self-reflection, but rather high-pitched indignation and shock. As numerous observers have noted, many major news organizations lost interest in the war—at least as a major story—as it became a quagmire, and have only returned to it recently with the endgame in sight. “Ask yourself how often Afghanistan has been a lead story for the last twenty years. And then ask yourself if it will be in a week,” Oliver Willis, a progressive journalist, tweeted. “American media is putrid at covering the world and it directly leads to a public constantly surprised by topics and issues.” In addition to sins of omission, media watchers highlighted sins of commission, seeing a clear pro-war slant in some of the coverage. Part of the problem here, surely, is the common media fallacy that it’s a story when new bad things happen, whereas the status quo just exists.

The past as indicator of the future (Globe and Mail, BBC, Washington Post, NPR) Somewhere Alexander the Great is saying something future foreign powers should have paid more attention to: even if they temporarily win a battle in Afghanistan, they will eventually lose the war. It’s simply not possible to control the disparate religious and tribal forces that make up that country. The British tried and failed three times between 1838 and 1919. The Soviets sent in 115,000 troops in 1979, but were forced to leave by 1989. After September 11, 2001, America and NATO allies invaded Afghanistan. Seven years later, 53-year-old Ruslan Aushev, a highly decorated combat veteran who served two tours with the Soviet army in Afghanistan, recalled: “We knew by 1985 that we could not win. We could take any village, any town and drive the mujahedeen out. But when we handed ground over to the Afghan army or police they would lose it in a week.” The Soviets had deployed roughly two times the number of troops the Western alliance had in Afghanistan in 2008—they also trained an Afghan army three times the size of Kabul’s security forces at the time. It was never enough. The Soviets knew the longer foreign armies remained in Afghanistan, the more support grew for the insurgents. Aushev warned thirteen years ago there could be no military solution in Afghanistan. “The Taliban may not be able to win militarily but they can’t be defeated .... There will have to be an accord with the Taliban, because at least 50 percent of the Afghan population supports them.”

Biden draws new red line for U.S. military action in Afghanistan (Yahoo News) In a resolute and, at times, defensive speech explaining the swift fall of U.S.-trained security forces in Afghanistan to the Taliban and his decision to pull troops from that country, President Biden also drew a red line Monday for the use of future military force. “If they attack our personnel, the U.S. presence will be swift and the response will be forceful. We will defend our people with devastating force, if necessary,” Biden said in a speech delivered from the White House that followed a weekend during which Afghan security forces melted away and Taliban fighters seized control of the country. Condemning Afghanistan’s military for its apparent refusal to stand and fight the Taliban, Biden said a continued U.S. military presence there was not in the country’s interests. Facing withering criticism from Washington Democrats and Republicans alike, he acknowledged that the destabilization in Afghanistan occurred “more quickly than expected,” but he went only so far in accepting blame. "I am the president of the United States of America, and the buck stops with me," Biden said. Instead, he set blame squarely on the shoulders of the Afghans. "So what's happened? Afghanistan's political leaders gave up and fled the country. The Afghan military collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight,” he said, adding, “We gave them every chance to determine their own future. What we could not provide them was the will to fight for that future.”

U.S.-South Korea drills (Foreign Policy) The United States and South Korea begin annual joint military drills today, a move likely to spark more discontent in North Korea, which has warned of a “serious security crisis” if the exercises go ahead. South Korean military officials have said that the 10-day exercise will mostly consist of computer-simulated training with minimal personnel and no live drills. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the decision to hold relatively low-key drills was taken in consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as “to support diplomatic efforts to denuclearize and foster lasting peace on the Korean peninsula.” North Korea has already signaled its displeasure with the drills by refusing to answer routine calls from South Korea after reconnecting a hotline in July.

Detainee says China has secret jail in Dubai, holds Uyghurs (AP) A young Chinese woman says she was held for eight days at a Chinese-run secret detention facility in Dubai along with at least two Uyghurs, in what may be the first evidence that China is operating a so-called “black site” beyond its borders. The woman, 26-year-old Wu Huan, was on the run to avoid extradition back to China because her fiancé was considered a Chinese dissident. Wu told The Associated Press she was abducted from a hotel in Dubai and detained by Chinese officials at a villa converted into a jail, where she saw or heard two other prisoners, both Uyghurs. She was questioned and threatened in Chinese and forced to sign legal documents incriminating her fiancé for harassing her, she said. She was finally released on June 8 and is now seeking asylum in the Netherlands. While “black sites” are common in China, Wu’s account is the only testimony known to experts that Beijing has set one up in another country. Such a site would reflect how China is increasingly using its international clout to detain or bring back citizens it wants from overseas, whether they are dissidents, corruption suspects or ethnic minorities like the Uyghurs.

Animals and numbers (Wired) An understanding of numbers is often viewed as a distinctly human faculty—a hallmark of our intelligence that, along with language, sets us apart from all other animals. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Honeybees count landmarks when navigating toward sources of nectar. Lionesses tally the number of roars they hear from an intruding pride before deciding whether to attack or retreat. Some ants keep track of their steps; some spiders keep track of how many prey are caught in their web. One species of frog bases its entire mating ritual on number: If a male calls out—a whining pew followed by a brief pulsing note called a chuck—his rival responds by placing two chucks at the end of his own call. The first frog then responds with three, the other with four, and so on up to around six, when they run out of breath. Practically every animal that scientists have studied—insects and cephalopods, amphibians and reptiles, birds and mammals—can distinguish between different numbers of objects in a set or sounds in a sequence. They don’t just have a sense of “greater than” or “less than,” but an approximate sense of quantity: that two is distinct from three, that 15 is distinct from 20. This mental representation of set size, called numerosity, seems to be “a general ability,” and an ancient one, said Giorgio Vallortigara, a neuroscientist at the University of Trento in Italy. Now, researchers are uncovering increasingly more complex numerical abilities in their animal subjects. Many species have displayed a capacity for abstraction that extends to performing simple arithmetic, while a select few have even demonstrated a grasp of the quantitative concept of “zero”—an idea so paradoxical that very young children sometimes struggle with it.

#headlines #news

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perfectirishgifts · 4 years

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Meet The New ‘Hyper-Luxe’ Sneaker Brand: Courser

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Meet The New ‘Hyper-Luxe’ Sneaker Brand: Courser

Courser, the first fleet-footed, supercharged performance sneaker: Mens

Despite the hardships of 2020, fashion and accessory brands are seemingly re-energized to take the reins and set out to control a new frontier. The time has come to open the hatch and rebel against the norm to create supercharged product offerings. I can almost guarantee that sneakers will be guns blazing as they enter into hopeful year of 2021.

In short, the needs and requirements of consumers are changing. At present, the baseline requirements will become more important than ever before. For most consumers however, the idea of intimate change with respect to performance and sustainability help perpetuate the social identity of brand voice. Of course the modern idea of design involves a semi-transfer of creativity as customers today have more and more of a stronger voice in thanks to advancements in overall technology. This is the era of hyper-luxe, super charged performance wear. More to the point, it is where athletic and luxury conventions are combined into one to create a never seen before new sneaker category.

It is said that in a world of shortcuts, cost-cutting sneaker manufacturers cut corners to mass-produce and over-promote overrated sneakers. The industry hasn’t really innovated in decades. On the contrary, they are simply repackaging the same old technology, but in extreme shapes to lend the appearance of massive alterations. In a word, they are spinning the narrative and consumers are eating it up.

I recently reviewed an innovative brand taking on the all bark and all bite approach. Handmade in Italy by the most sought-after craftsman, Courser is keen on utilizing cutting edge technologies and materials. The result is a lightweight shoe made from nubuck leather backed with the most durable fiber for a supple and long-lasting fit.

The brand’s proprietary 100% carbon fiber plate optimizes performance for a superior ride, better biomechanics, and a reduced injury risk. Courser’s midsole/outsole is where it gets interesting. It is by all means, revolutionary, using a breakthrough compound that provides a cushioned ride with virtually no compression.

Courser, the first fleet-footed, supercharged performance sneaker: Women’s

Founded by Michael Petry and Laurie Spiro Petry their aim is to define a new frontier for footwear. Their collaboration on Courser is the culmination of their lifestyle, dreams, and passion.

“Courser was founded out of our desire to create a new category for footwear – Hyper-luxe. We sought out and developed the best technical materials in the world and combined them with beautiful design and the ultimate Italian craftsmanship,” stated Michael Petry. “Much like the world’s legendary super cars, Coursers are engineered for the highest levels of pleasure and performance.”

The sneaker is a first of its kind in that it is for the gym and the street combing incredible performance, and a sleek design. Moreover, the sneakers last around 2500 miles (while most shoes last 300-400 miles). The 100% Carbon fiber helps in optimizing performance for a superior ride, better biomechanics, and reduced injury risk (most shoes are 6-8%). Lastly, Courser’s midsole/outsole is revolutionary, utilizing a breakthrough compound that provides a cushioned ride with virtually no compression.

I recently had the privilege of speaking with Courser co-founders Michael Petry and Laurie Spiro about how the pandemic presented them with a new challenges, how they considered every aspect that would affect the performance of the shoe and why their aim is to focus on buying investment grade products – buying less, but buying better!

Courser co-founders Michael Petry and Laurie Spiro

Joseph DeAcetis: What’s unique about the brand?

Michael Petry and Laurie Spiro:

Courser is unique because we didn’t set out to build a shoe to a certain price point. We set out to make the best shoe in the world, using the best materials, handcrafting each pair in Italy, leaving the shoes on their lasts for 24 hours and utilizing techniques and constructions never before seen in performance sneakers. You can say that the shoes are made similarly to how a Supercar like a Lamborghini or Ferrari is made.

Joseph DeAcetis: How did you come up with the design for the sneakers?

Michael Petry and Laurie Spiro:We set out to make an iconic, recognizable, and timeless product. The inspiration was about finding the intersection between luxury and performance. We considered every aspect of the design meticulously, analyzing how each detail would affect the performance of the shoe. We obsessed over every design element and challenged the artisans we work with in Italy to turn conventions on their head. The design is intended to elicit the energy from our Coursing dog, as seen in our logo, and the beauty and elegance of an animal in full flight.

Courser, the first fleet-footed, supercharged performance sneaker: Men’s

Joseph DeAcetis: Your view on trends into next year?

Michael Petry and Laurie Spiro: Next year anticipate that people will spend more time investing more in themselves, their health, their wellness, and their fitness. As a result, the focus will be on buying investment grade products – truly buying less, but buying better.

Joseph DeAcetis: Did COVID have an impact on the company? Launch?

Michael Petry and Laurie Spiro: Forming a new business is difficult no matter when you start it. The pandemic certainly presented us with a new set of challenges, but also drove us to accelerate our launch. We believe we created a product that is in line with consumer’s shifting priority of thoughtful purchasing, drive to be healthier, motivation to get fit and are excited to share our company’s vision.

Courser, the first fleet-footed, supercharged performance sneaker: Women’s

Joseph DeAcetis: What made you want to launch your own brand?

Michael Petry and Laurie Spiro: Insanity! We have worked for some of the best brands on earth and had some of the best mentors in our industry. But we have always dreamed of having our own family business. Courser is the culmination of all our dreams and our passion for the pinnacle of design and excellence.

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