#i think 06 and the adventure games did a far better job at making the environment part of the platforming actually

[antirepurp]

i love frontiers with my whole heart but it would have benefited so much from having the platforming be tied into the environment itself instead of placing assets all over the islands. i don't necessarily have problems with the assets either but i'd imagine they would've served their purpose better when used far more sparingly and probably have them tied further into the ancients' technology to emphasize their artificial nature. that probably would've made the exploration angle of the game more memorable as well by making the player concretely interact with the environmental storytelling at hand more often instead of giving them funny rails and springs and platforms that take the focus away from the environment around you in favor of delivering a more traditional platforming challenge where the island is just a backdrop

[vitalpen]

So I’m gonna say words about Arin Hanson and Sonic

Because that’s probably not a good idea, but that’s never stopped me before.

Let me start this off by saying I love Sonic the Hedgehog.  I made an entire 20+ minute video about why I love Sonic the Hedgehog.  I understand that Sonic as an fandom has gotten some pretty needless shit in spades over the years.  Fair enough.

That said:

In the past week, a large number of people in the Sonic fandom have made complete jackasses of themselves.  For context, the port of Sonic Colors might be bad and glitchy, or it might be an emulator, or it might be some of it was an emulator and some of it is real.  I don’t care.

Arin Hanson of Game Grumps stated that he’s excited to play it.

And a large portion of the Sonic fandom lost their god damn minds.

Now you know what I can concede easily?  People who say that they’re frustrated that Arin is spotlighting what is normally a good game because there’s a bad version of it.  I can understand and respect that emotion.  But wow did it go way too far and WOW did it start to bleed into some weird ass fucking takes.

People are trying to say that Arin ruined Sonic’s reputation.  Between Sonic Adventure and the Game Grumps playing Sonic ‘06 in 2011, Sega released Sonic Shuffle, Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic 4 episodes 1 and 2, Sonic ‘06, Sonic Free Riders, Sonic and the Secret Rings, Sonic and the Black Knight, and Sonic Chronicles.

Every last game I just listed understandably was subjected to mockery and ridicule after their releases, they were bad.  Sonic has been a punching bag for literally 20 years.  Arin Hanson did not ruin Sonic’ reputation.  Sega’s inability to keep any kind of consistent level of quality is what did that.

“He’s just doing it for money/views/clout”.  Game Grumps is his job.  Everything he does is for views/money.  That’s normal and appropriate for his job. And Game Grumps doesn’t do shit for clout.  They have been on youtube for 10 years, they know the way things work.  If they wanted clout, we would be seeing a them play every new release for search optimization every time.  As of the writing of this post, they played Charlie’s Angels yesterday.  Who the fuck looks at that and says “yep, doin it for clout”?

“He’s not genuinely engaging”.  You don’t know that. You have no idea whether or not he is genuinely engaging with the content, you don’t know him.  Tommy Wiseau’s The Room has a cult following such that it got a massively successful docudrama.  People genuinely love that movie.  I genuinely love that movie.  No one thinks it’s good.

You want to see someone not genuinely engaging?  Look up “Two Best Friends Play Ride to Hell: Retribution”.  Then you’ll see what not genuinely engaging looks like.  And that shit is hilarious.

“His criticism is disingenuous”.  It’s not criticism.  It’s a live reaction.  Everyone’s gotten mad at a video game because they kept dying.  You, reading this, you’ve done it.  You just didn’t record it.  Stop trying to assign the same expectations to him that you would a fully thought out review.

At the end of the day, it’s people in the fandom being mad at Arin because he’s finding enjoyment for the same reason that so many of them have become cold and bitter about the franchise.  So they turn him into this boogeyman, a guy who has gone on record saying he loves Sonic as a character even if he hates the games.  They find any reason they can to be mad at him up to assuming that he will not care about epilepsy warnings for some of the more eye searing sections.

Like... shut the fuck up.  Stop pretending that you actually think he’s so cruel that he’ll forgo seizure warnings.

The amount of needless vitriol toward him because he was excited to play a glitchy game is just so shitty and it’s doing absolutely nothing to make Sonic look any better.

It’s just video games man.  It’s not worth this.

[gaiahypothesims]

50 Questions for your Sim

I was tagged by TWO people but I can’t scroll back far enough to see who the second was!!! I’m so sorry! @ultroslovesyou Thanks for the tag that I CAN find.

Ash would LOVE to answer these himself. And its LONG because .... Ashley. (Its like... so long I’m embarrassed)

01. How old is your sim? Isn’t age subjective? I’m as wise as an elder, but youthful in looks as a young man in his absolute prime. 

02. When is your sim’s birthday? On the most perfect day. My Mother said the sun was shining and all the birds were singing. My newborn cries were met with tears of joy and happiness. 

03. What is your sim’s zodiac sign? This is a complicated question, as the Zodiac horoscopes you see popularly don’t take into account so many details. For one-... No I can’t answer this without explaining everything-

04. What is your sim’s ethnicity? I’m a child of the world. Fine, my parents are originally from India. Though I’ll have you know this kind of question is very narrow-minded.

05. Does your sim have any nicknames? Ash. That’s it. NO you may not ask my brother if I have any others.... or Evelyn... or Rosie. Just take my word for it.

06. Do they have a job? Travel Writer and a professional student in the teachings of the world. In fact, I do believe that being an avid learner in all things-

07. Where does your sim live? Its rude to interrupt someone every time they try to answer a question. AS I was saying, being an avid learner has taught me that there is no such thing as having a ‘job’. We have a responsibility to cultivate our PASSIONS. In that way you will never once be trapped by a ‘job’ or by one ‘place’, a box really, to call a home. 

08. Who does your sim live with? I’ve lived with so many different, unique, and beautiful individuals. I’ve been really helping my amazing friend Evelyn out. She’s very dependent on my mental fortitude. I don’t find it trying at all, though there are some days I do feel an imbalance in my Chi due to her constant bitching about my hair shedding. I tell her that just because she can SEE my hair better because its black doesn’t mean that she isn’t shedding as well. The OTHER day I found a long, thin, sad, brown hair in my soup, and I know for a fact that I have only the most luxurious raven black hair. 

09. What environment did your sim grow up in? (strict, loving, cold etc.) I have the most loving of parents. My brother on the other hand... well let’s just say he’s embraced Capitalistic conspiracy. 

10. What are your sim’s favourite food? I’ve found that the most healing and ethereal foods are what my body craves. Something like Lotus blossom water, I feel could sustain me for years. .. hmm?.. Oh no, I’d never TRY to live off of it. It is just water...

11. What is your sim’s favourite drink? I adore a good Oolong tea, I have an interesting story about how I was introduced to this-

12. If they have one what is your sim’s favourite color? Well that was rude, I wanted to explain the Oolong. Very well... moving on. How can one choose a favourite colour? The spectrum is SO vast. Can you believe that human eye can perceive approximately 10,000,000 colours? How can I choose a favourite?

13. Does your sim believe in any clichés? (love at first sight) Of course! There has to be a basis of truth if so many can relate to cliches. 

14. What is your sim’s sexuality? I would say that I do mostly enjoy the company of women sexually, but that’s not to say that I think men are unattractive. Sexuality isn’t a be all- end all. We are constantly learning new things about ourselves. I’ve recently discovered that I don’t mind a bit of anal play. I’ll tell you exactly how I discovered this, and it might surprise you-

15. What is your sim’s gender identity? How can you NOT want to learn more about my experience? It might change your life. I’m going to be writing about it for my next article. It has something to do with... a bath house.. and that’s ALL you’re going to get from me since you so rudely interrupted. Again.

16. Is your sim type a or type b? I don’t believe in types. Like asking me if I’m a square or a circle. I’m an entire sphere, unable to be bound to your strict typist ideals.

17. Is your sim introverted or extroverted? I would have to say that I am thoughtfully introverted. 

18. What is your sim’s favourite woohoo position? Oh so NOW you want to hear about my sexual exploits? Well its too late. I’ve been through the entire Kama Sutra, and NO that is not because I have Indian heritage, and it would have shocked you. 

19. Is your sim a pet person? If so what is their favourite animal? Not so much. I like Jonah’s dog actually. In fact he is likely more loyal to me now than he ever was to Jonah. An animal can sense things. 

20. Does your sim have a best friend? Rosie and Evelyn.

21. What is/was your sim’s favourite school subject? I quite enjoyed creative writing, which I think is why I turned to Travel Writing. The absolute best of both worlds. 

22. Is/was your sim a high, mid or low achiever in school? Every child has their own strengths and I find it unfair to measure one against the other when everyone is a unique learner. 

23. Are they planning to go or have they already been to college? If so, what would be or what was their major? I did go for a few years, but I never graduated with a degree. The classes that I took were all for my own interest, not to pander to organized academia for a worthless piece of paper.

24. What are your sim’s political beliefs? (if they have them) Politics are a construct to keep the individual from reaching their full potential. 

25. What is one thing your sim wants to do before they die? I’d like to share my travels with someone that I love, and that loves me back. 

26. Does your sim have a favourite TV show (cable) and/or movie? Watching television stunts a persons cultural and creative growth.

27. Is your sim a Netflix viewer? If so what are their top 3 shows. No.

28. Does your sim like books? Absolutely. I try to pick up a new book at every new location that I get to. I then leave my old book. Its a wonderful way to associate a certain story with a specific location. The feel and smell and tastes seem to stick better, for me, that way. 

29. Does your sim enjoy video games, if so what is their favourite one and do they play on PC or console? Well, I don’t love video games. But Evelyn owns one of those game systems, and sometimes we play together. Its purely for her therapeutic benefit that I join in.

30. What is your sim’s personal style? I wouldn’t dream of limiting myself to only one style.

31. Does your sim have a lucky charm? I make my own luck.

32. Is your sim religious? I’m an acolyte of all religions, including no religion.

33. What kind of music does your sim listen to and who is their favourite artist? There was a beggar woman in Romania that played the most beautiful violin. I gifted her talent with a hand-written poem. She didn’t seem to appreciate it, but I still remember her music.

34. Is your sim a festive person? If so what’s their favourite holiday? I love celebrating all the holidays, and festivals, as long as they aren’t attached to the shilling of Corporate greed. 

35. What is your sim’s favourite type of weather? All weather is beautiful and should be appreciated.

36. Does your sim prefer to start fights or finish them? I don’t prefer either.

37. Does your sim have a dream job? I am living my dream, doing something I love strictly for the passion of doing it.

38. Does your sim have any siblings? .... ugh.. one brother. Raj. 

39. Does your sim get along with their family? I love my parents very much. My mother is the most beautiful and loving woman, and my Father is generous and giving. 

40. What is your sim’s favourite hobby? Nothing, I don’t believe in hobbies. I believe in passion and doing. If you’re doing it and you love it, it isn’t a ‘hobby’ its a passionate endeavor. 

41. What does your sim look for in a romantic partner? I’m not very good at making things work with women. I’m not entirely sure why. It could be because I move so frequently. I have no schedule, no concept of time and plans. I suppose I’d love someone that also could be as flexible. 

42. What is a secret about your sim? I have no secrets, I’m an open book. <He’s extremely vain. His nonchalance is extremely cultivated>

43. What is a wish your sim has? To share my adventures with someone that loves me. 

44. What is a flaw your sim has? Is there really such a thing as flaws? Are we not like the kintsugi in Japanese pottery, “flaws” make us beautifully unique.

45. How do others generally perceive your sim? I would say that some are threatened by my complete oneness with the universe. They might see it as something else, arrogance... perhaps. Though if I could have a moment to explain it to them, they would understand and appreciate it.

46. Does your sim have a greatest achievement? Every achievement is a great one. For a person to get up in the morning, is an achievement. The will to say “yes! another.” and to make it through the day happily, unhappily, to have an adventure, to stay home and self-care, its what life is about. There is NO greatest achievement. Every action is great in itself, no matter how small.

47. If they have one, what is your sim’s greatest regret?  That I tried to follow in Rajan’s footsteps for too long. Instead of embracing who I really was. 

48. Does your sim have a favourite emoji? Emoji’s can’t properly convey all the feelings that I have. I feel that a wordy text, or a phone call is so much better. A long text is something the person can treasure over and over, but a phone call can contain so much more warmth and genuine conversation.

49. Does your sim use simstagram? <under his breath> Yes. 

50. What is the last text your sim sent (and who did they text)? Oh do I have to share? This isn’t exactly... fine.. its to Evelyn and it says: You’re a dirty tramp. <cough> ... I’m sure she’s treasuring the words right now, yes thank you. 

[yooka-kazooie]

liveblog of me watching the sonic movie courtesy of me yell-typing at my friend on discord

#long post #spoilers 

6:48 PM] Me: well guess I'm gonna rent it on cable [6:50 PM] Me: ok so far the cc works [6:50 PM] Me: which is good news on optimum [6:50 PM] Friend: good [6:50 PM] Me: upp spoke too soon [6:50 PM] Me: where did the cc go [6:51 PM] Me: first the sound didn't work and now the cc goes I keep having to close the movie and resume [6:51 PM] Me: I already dont know this owl character [6:51 PM] Me: like I'm not a HUGE fan of sonic but who is she [6:51 PM] Friend: I don't think she was in the games [6:52 PM] Friend: just an owl who adopted sonic [6:52 PM] Me: oh no is she from the original archie comics [6:52 PM] Me: I've also never seen sonic younger than like 15 [6:52 PM] Friend: no idea [6:52 PM] Me: were those echidnas [6:53 PM] Friend: the old sonic show (the good one) had an episode where sonic goes back in time and meets himself as a kid [6:53 PM] Me: oh good he's a cop good /s [6:53 PM] Me: the urkel one? [6:53 PM] Friend: yeah echidnas [6:53 PM] Friend: yeah [6:53 PM] Friend: there were two urkel ones [6:54 PM] Friend: aired at the same time [6:54 PM] Friend: or same year [6:54 PM] Me: he was in both of them??? [6:54 PM] Friend: yep [6:54 PM] Me: I never watched the "good one" [6:54 PM] Me: sat am? [6:54 PM] Friend: yeah [6:54 PM] Me: yeah I literally never saw it [6:54 PM] Friend: I think [6:54 PM] Me: til Nostalgia Critic [6:57 PM] Me: did crazy carl's drawing look like sanic I can't rewind with ondemand [6:58 PM] Friend: yes it did [7:05 PM] Me: whoops sonic emp [7:07 PM] Me: I assume these old people are describing eggman [7:07 PM] Me: so eggman is human [7:08 PM] friend: yeah [7:10 PM] Me: whos stone [7:10 PM] Me: like did Eggman need a human y.. [7:10 PM] Me: wait is he a robot [7:10 PM] Me: "a human yesman" is what I was going to say [7:10 PM] Me: it seems weird to me that he'd pay a human yesman instead of building a robot yesman [7:11 PM] friend: to be fair he has a human yesman in that old show too [7:11 PM] Me: the show I didnt watch? [7:11 PM] friend: yeah [7:11 PM] Me: I watched the pumpkin show [7:11 PM] Me: and sonic boom cartoon [7:12 PM] Me: and I played sonic adventure 2 [7:12 PM] Me: and sonic 06 [7:13 PM] Me: I'm just letting you know what I know [7:13 PM] Me: what sonic media I've consumed [7:13 PM] Me: I never played the 2D games [7:13 PM] Me: never saw Sonic Sat Am [7:14 PM] Me: uhh meow [7:14 PM] Me: oh neat I didn't know that's how the rings would work [7:14 PM] Friend: lol nice to know where you are in the movie [7:15 PM] Me: donut lord shouldn't be so confused this is at least his second time finding a small talking furry animal-like creature [7:15 PM] Me: I'm sorry but the fact that this dude had the same role in hop is hilarious [7:15 PM] Me: how do you get typecast like that [7:16 PM] Me: "where are the mushrooms and why am I still on earth" is a mood [7:16 PM] Me: his eyes are cool looking [7:16 PM] Me: I can't remember what the old design looked like and I'm scared to look it up [7:17 PM] Me: did I tell you someone proved that it wasn't a stunt and that was the actual real design [7:17 PM] friend: someone told me that [7:17 PM] Me: because they found the merch they were making and they actually made some with the old design [7:17 PM] Me: that was intentional [7:18 PM] Me: oh I like those videogame control gloves [7:18 PM] Me: they need to make those for VR [7:21 PM] Me: raccoons are so cute [7:21 PM] Me: I want one for a pet [7:23 PM] Me: no I'm calling it, Stone is secretly a robot [7:25 PM] Me: the more he says mushroom planet the more I realize it's a nintendo joke [7:25 PM] Me: the mushroom planet has to be the mushroom kingdom [7:25 PM] Me: he doesn't want to go where mario lives [7:26 PM] Me: now I want mushrooms (food) [7:26 PM] Friend: every time he talks about the mushroom planet I want them to make a nintendo cinematic universe [7:26 PM] Me: man Sonic's individual quills look weird? [7:27 PM] Me: whenever I focus on them [7:27 PM] Me: not that bad but it's weird [7:28 PM] Friend: the ones still on his body? I know the one not on his body was never changed [7:28 PM] Me: yeah the ones on him [7:28 PM] Me: it's fine looking when I don't focus on them [7:29 PM] Me: this movie has Antman vibes [7:29 PM] Me: similar humor [7:35 PM] Me: hipsters how do you even convince someone you're not that lol [7:35 PM] Me: oh here we go first standstill [7:36 PM] Me: it's really cool actually, like that one xmen scene [7:36 PM] Me: god that is just ridiculously fast [7:36 PM] Me: so far this movie is better than it looked [7:37 PM] Me: especially before the redesign [7:37 PM] Me: ugh [7:37 PM] friend: I do wonder how much, if any, the story changed with the design [7:37 PM] Me: I'm just guessing that it's the same but there could have been more changes [7:39 PM] Me: ok if mushroom world has no breathable air I'd say that's not a safe place to go [7:39 PM] Me: for sonic??? [7:40 PM] Friend: I do question how a planet full of mushrooms can have enough oxygen in it. there must be something producing more oxygen though [7:41 PM] Me: if Stone isn't a robot that eggman built I hope he's paid well [7:41 PM] Me: he literally just said it doesn't have breathable air [7:41 PM] Friend: I thought he said it did [7:42 PM] Me: ... [7:42 PM] Me: I can't rewind [7:42 PM] Me: a babysitter is infinitely better than a cop tho [7:42 PM] Me: acab [7:44 PM] Me: does he go super sonic in this [7:44 PM] Me: like gold [7:45 PM] Me: aaand he's flossing [7:45 PM] Me: how old is sonic [7:45 PM] Me: is this a child [7:45 PM] friend: idk they should have mentioned it somewhere [7:46 PM] Me: are those children fighting over a switch or a tablet [7:46 PM] Me: jesus sonic just killed eggman [7:46 PM] Me: like I understand but [7:46 PM] Me: oh he waasn't in that one [7:46 PM] Me: I guess [7:49 PM] Me: it seems weird that that exploded [7:49 PM] Me: what if it killed sonic [7:49 PM] Me: what if it damaged the remains [7:49 PM] Me: didnt eggman want to study him [7:50 PM] Me: ok well eggman just called Stone a human being so I hope he's being paid well [7:53 PM] Me: ok how is it fun to be chased by a holographic dinosaur [7:53 PM] Me: I literally have nightmares that are that [7:53 PM] Me: except in nightmares you can feel terror and pain [7:56 PM] Me: are those the shoes that had a deal with sonic adventure 2 [7:57 PM] Me: ah man this is the kinda guy who would either get fired because he's too good to be a cop or be corrupted by getting the job [7:57 PM] Me: I've been reading a lot of stories of what happens to "good cops" lately [7:58 PM] Me: and either they get fired for not being terrible or they become terrible [7:58 PM] Me: remember there are no good cops [7:59 PM] friend: well that is going to change soon [7:59 PM] friend: or it better [7:59 PM] Me: no more cops [7:59 PM] Me: abolish cops [7:59 PM] Me: freedom [8:03 PM] Me: oooo he called him eggman [8:03 PM] Me: took me a second to realize that wasn't just his name [8:03 PM] friend: he is eggman in japan and robotnic in america [8:04 PM] Me: I just think of him as Dr Eggman Robotnic [8:04 PM] Me: like bowser is King Bowser Koopa [8:04 PM] Me: Princess Peach Toadstool [8:04 PM] Me: ... I wasn't paying attention did sonic's speed just fail [8:05 PM] Me: *ring get noise* Me: oh no how many of those rings does he have [8:07 PM] Me: like not an infinite amount [8:07 PM] Me: wait [8:07 PM] Me: aren't the pyramids like [8:07 PM] Me: next to a city [8:08 PM] Me: and not in the middle of endless sand [8:08 PM] friend: yeah [8:09 PM] friend: from pictures there does seem to be a lot of sand around them [8:10 PM] Me: its the angle [8:10 PM] Me: the pyramids are like [8:10 PM] Me: inbetween endless sand and a city [8:10 PM] friend: sure [8:10 PM] Me: well he's going Blue Super Sonic [8:10 PM] Me: still not gold/yellow [8:11 PM] friend: well he does need all the chaos emeralds to go gold [8:12 PM] Me: so what is this form called [8:12 PM] Me: canonically [8:12 PM] friend: idk [8:12 PM] Me: blue lightning sonic [8:13 PM] friend: all that comes up is a truck [8:14 PM] Me: try tvtropes [8:17 PM] Me: well they're treating him like a child? I think? [8:17 PM] Me: like they adopted him [8:17 PM] Me: he's flossing and has a racecar bed [8:17 PM] Me: I think he's a child??? [8:18 PM] Me: hye look its eggman [8:18 PM] Me: he's gonna be so pissed when he gets back [8:18 PM] Me: pff stone isn't a human anymore [8:18 PM] Me: I guess the air is breathable [8:18 PM] Me: how does he get fat on msuhroom world [8:19 PM] Me: are the mushrooms edible [8:19 PM] friend: I would hope at least some of them are [8:19 PM] Me: wait why did he shave [8:19 PM] Me: I saw him do it but it's not explained why [8:19 PM] Me: did he get gum in his hair what did I miss [8:20 PM] friend: well if his mustache is any indication his hair might have gotten... idk weird, so he shaved it [8:21 PM] friend: remember end credit scenes [8:21 PM] Me: ah mood [8:21 PM] Me: I'm watching the credits yes [8:21 PM] Me: I mean I feel like shaving my head would feel infinitely weirder so I just buzz it short but mood [8:21 PM] friend: idr if there was a thing at the very end of the credits [8:21 PM] Me: oh here we go some woods TAILS [8:21 PM] Me: NO [8:21 PM] Me: they had to redesign tails [8:21 PM] Me: too [8:21 PM] Me: wait [8:21 PM] Me: uh [8:21 PM] Me: that was [8:21 PM] Me: really fast for tails [8:22 PM] Me: I guess he's not as fast as sonic but he's not supposed to be that fast [8:22 PM] Me: aaand more credits [8:22 PM] friend: well he can be fast in the games [8:23 PM] Me: he was slow in sonic boom cartoon [8:23 PM] Me: maybe???

[torentialtribute]

Anne and James Keothavong on their journey from a Hackney council block to the elite level of tennis

Anne and James Keothavong are laughing about it now, but they can still remember the reaction they received in the past as they would turn around

& I will never forget how many thousands and adventures we had in that car, says James. & # 39; It wasn't the nicest vehicle, but it took us from A to B and that's all we needed. We knew that we were different and the condescending glances we received have just encouraged us. & # 39;

Those trips through the country in the old banger were part of a much longer, remarkable journey, a journey she took from the top floor of a council building in Hackney to the top table of which is still generally seen as a sport of a country club.

<img id = "i-8efb08c97b0e8f5e" src = "https://dailym.ai/2WXewds 21 / 15098776-7168547-image-a-64_1561147359888.jpg "height =" 356 "width =" 634 "alt =" James and Anne Keothavong have made an incredible journey to get to the top of tennis James and Anne Keothavong have an incredible journey made to reach the top of tennis

] The brothers and sisters grew up in a Hackney council estate and still laugh at those early memories "

The brothers and sisters grew up in a Hackney council estate and still laughing at those early memories

The Keothavongs may have been different, but then they eventually reach a different effect for v part of their contemporaries. Anne would become British No 1 and the rarity of a British top 50 player, now the successful captain of the GB Fed Cup team.

James is one of the best known referees, whose resumes are in the seat for six Grand Slam singles finals including the Wimbledon championship match between Kevin Anderson and Novak Djokovic last year.

Theirs is a modern British success story, although there are similar ones replicated throughout the world in tennis.

Anne and James – who have two other high-performing brothers and sisters who work in finance and marketing – are the children of Somsak and Vathana, who took different routes to the United Kingdom from the former Laotian colony, who in suffered heavy civil wars in the 1960s and 1970s.

They met through the little Laotian

When he first came to England in the mid-1970s, he watched Wimbledon on TV and was adamant. go see & # 39 ;, James says.

& # 39; He just fell in love with the game, had it never played before. In particular, I fell in love with Chris Evert, like a lot of men in the day and I decided that if I ever had children, I would like to involve them in tennis. & # 39; A selection from the family album of the brothers and sisters as budding tennis players "

from the family album of the brothers and sisters as budding tennis players"

A selection from the family album of the brothers and sisters as budding tennis players

] James is a respected umpire and Anne is at the top of the Women's Cup Fed Cup captain "

James is a respected referee and Anne is at the top of it ladies game the Fed Cup captain

The marital home was in Hackney – hardly a serving and volley far from where Anne led the GB team against Kaz. Akhstan to Fed Cup promotion to World Group level in April – and the money was tight.

& # 39; I was initially dragged because James started playing on short tennis courts & # 39 ;, Anne remembers. & # 39; We played where we could. We went to an indoor payment and play center in Islington and sometimes Highbury Fields, but we played more than anywhere else at Hackney Downs.

& # 39; Because we didn't have much money, we would share an hour of lessons a week. Dad had several jobs and worked in Hamley & # 39; s Toy Shop, Amnesty International, in the accounts at Barclays. There were times when he was not working, and looking back there must have been an enormous amount of pressure on him to take care of us.

& # 39; My parents could not speak English at the beginning and started from the bottom of the rocks, living on the top floor of an apartment building with four children.

& # 39; What I clearly remember is that our parents say we do this because we want you to live a better life than we do. I enjoy talking about it now more than when I was playing. We went to a school in the city center, many children did not have many opportunities.

& # 39; We were lucky that we came from a close-knit family. My parents made sure we did the work, although I was sometimes angry about the way I had to work or play tennis all the time. & # 39; Speaking with Sportsmail, the Keothavong siblings can remember money as children tight "

Sportsmail can remind Keothavong siblings that money as children was tight"

Speaking to Sportsmail Keothavong brothers and sisters can remember that money is tight like children

<img id = " i-36fc873025418ba1 "src =" https://dailym.ai/2N2yT9m "height =" 423 "width =" 634 "alt =" James and Anne have always been close by and can remember having shared tennis lessons as children "class =" blkBorder img-

James and Anne have always been close and can have a close relationship with each other .. remember sharing tennis lessons as children

It didn't last l ang before they entered the Middlese x county system, and the long journeys began to rank events across the country.

& # 39; We met some lovely people but some also looked down on us & # 39 ;, James recalls.

& # 39; I personally think it was more our background than our race. They were going to have lunch in the club restaurant while we were sitting in the car with the lunch our mother had prepared for us after she had taken off that morning instead of staying in a hotel.

& We would eat rice and stir-fry in the car instead of paying for an overpriced jas potato.

Anne was now winning events and was marketed as having an unusual potential, but not only for that: & # 39; I was very aware I was of a minority, & # 39; says they. & # 39; There were not many other high-level players who were not white or middle class. There were a few nice girls and some not so nice. Part of it was not very friendly, but that may be teenage girls for you. The most important thing was that I loved the game. "

Her most important rival was the deceased Elena Baltacha, daughter of the former Ipswich football player Sergei, who also made the top 50 in the world:" I played a lot of Junior Final against Bally, we went on a journey . Her mother Olga was very much the driving force, it requires that level of dedication from a parent to really help a young player in the ranks.

James, now 37, made it into the top 10 of the national under 16, but realized that he was unable to make it as a player and a different calling followed.

[rechtshandige] <img id = "i-73ad83eb062826d0" src = "https://dailym.ai/2uS4u1n /1s/2019/06/21/21/15098802-7168547-image-a-85_1561148260980.jpg "height =" 423 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-73ad83eb062826d0" src = "https: //i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/06/21/21/15098802-7168547-image-a-85_1561148260980.jpg "height =" 423 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = " i-73ad83eb062826d0 "src =" https://dailym.ai/2X1crCb "height =" 423 "width =" 634 "alt =" Anne (right) rose to fame as an I was 16 when I first worked as a line judge at Wimbledon, while Anne continued to play "class =" blkBorder "

He was 16 when he first worked on a Wimbledon as a line judge while Anne kept playing

& I was 16 when I was my first Wimbledon in 1999 as a judge. The LTA and the All England Club had set up an initiative to look for younger eyes as line officials. I have been lucky enough to endure the recruitment process and have been selected – I have worked every Wimbledon since then.

& # 39; It was a struggle at first, but I wanted to see the world and luckily I made rapid progress and finally reached my

I also got a degree in sports management and have not been since then only a full house of Wimbledon final, but also some of the biggest matches on the tour.

Anne would have a 13-year professional career that saw him reach her No. 48 world and she was named Fed Cup Captain at the end of 2016.

The two are very comfortable in each other's company, that is just as well, their paths still cross regularly, as they did

& It takes a special person to make it, there is no chance that Anne would have made it without her personality, tenacity, desire to prove to people that they were wrong, & James says. & # 39; So many people didn't think she had a chance, but she did it. I look at Anne and it was her fight that took her to where she was. & # 39;

] James rose rapidly the rankings and has been moved to six Grand Slam finals "

James quickly rose through the rankings and went to referee six Grand Slam finals

& # "That's the best thing you've ever said about me," she replied, "background to make it in the game?"

There are many more emerging players of our background than 25 years ago compared to now & # 39 ;, says his sister.

& # 39; But it is the old situation that tennis is very affordable to play in the beginning, and then it becomes expensive if you want to get better and progress.

& We are proud as we are, and now we have two children of our own for whom you are even more grateful. To be British. It is an added bonus that our parents are from Laos and we have that culture too.

& # 39; When I talk to the players at Fed Cup, I tell them that this country has given us a chance, it has given my parents a chance for a better life, I am very proud to his

<img id = "i-eaeda693915cd75f" src = "https://dailym.ai/2N1rlne .jpg "height =" 423 "width =" 634 "alt =" Anne enjoyed a professional career of 13 years but now the Fed Cup Captain of Team GB (

<img id = "i-eaeda693915cd75f" src = " https://dailym.ai/2X1cs9d "height =" 423 "width =" 634 "alt =" Anne enjoyed the 13-year professional career, but now Fed Cup Captain-captain (right) "class =" blkBorder img-share "of Team GB

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Who Gives a F**k About Charlie Keeper

by Wardog

Tuesday, 09 June 2009

Wardog painfully reviews the self-published Who Is Charlie Keeper.~

I’ve had a busy few weeks. I’ve alphabetised all my socks, de-weeded the back garden and taken a vacation in Vienna but it’s finally got to the point of no return: I think I’m going to have to bring myself to review Who Is Charlie Keeper. I really don’t want Ferretbrain to become the place self-published books come to die, but thus far every self-published book I've read has only renewed my faith in the publishing industry. WICK, as you may have gathered, is a self-published young adult fantasy novel, and it’s, uhh, well...

Come back Jim. All is forgiven.

WICK is borderline unreadable and almost uncertainly unreviewable. Basically, imagine someone came up to you and said “Hey there, I’ve got you a car, come check it out.” And then it turned out the car had no wheels. Yes, maybe, the colour is rather nice, and its fitted with a CD player and sunroof, and the engine might be basically functional but ultimately what you’ve still got there is a car with no wheels.

So, Charlie Keeper is a

mysterious

sassy 12 year old girl who lives in a mysterious house with her amnesiac grandmother because her parents have mysteriously disappeared. Between having her inheritance stolen by the evil lawyer Mr Crow and buying a puppy with her best friend, she is chased into the alternative world of Bellania by the malignant Lord Bane. In which it becomes quickly apparent that Bad Shit Is Going Down and the fate of the world rests upon Charlie Keeper’s reluctant, 12 year old shoulders. There are good guys, bad guys, dragons, adventures,

Quidditch

K’changa, etc etc.

Putting aside for the moment, the fact that WICK is a car without wheels (and I will contextualise this metaphor in a moment), let me try to come up with something positive to say about it. Well, the original artwork that accompanies it is genuinely fabulous. In fact, if the book was even half as good as the art, we’d be laughing. Also Marcus Alexander has a remarkably good ear for dialogue, somehow navigating the spiked pit of accent and dialect without looking like a fool or reducing his characters to offensive stereotype. He’s a sample from Jensen the (Jamaican?) Treman: “Ah’s a Treman. Sweetheart, Ah’ can see yer education is sorely lacking. Who’s yer teacher? Whoever he is, he ain’t doing a proper job. Tell me, little Hippotomai, an’ don’t stomp yer feetsies at me, do ya know wot a Stoman is, or a Human? Eh?” You’d think it would get grating but, somehow, it never does. Overall, WICK romps along at a reasonable pace, and there’s lot of incident, danger and adventure. It’s certainly a colourful book, and it seems to be revelling in its own over-the-top exuberance. You know you’re dealing with a Proper villain when he massacres his own minions and gets all caps-locky about setbacks.

Unfortunately, all this counts for absolutely nothing because there are too many basic problems with the book. Firstly the style itself. I don’t know to what extent we’re dealing with a major slew of typos or if Marcus Alexander genuinely hates commas and wants them to suffer and die at his hands, but the grammar and the syntax through WICK are irregular at best and downright wrong at worst. I’ve skimmed about the internet looking for other responses to it and most of them are positive: “The author's odd use of justification adds extra weight and punctuation on actions, emotive points and speech patterns bringing not just the story but also the characters very much to life. Indeed the book is quite unusual as a whole entity but I would be the first to point out that it connects with today's ambience, fashion and prosetic style.” Hmmmm. Possibly I’m just hideously hidebound but the style is simply neither controlled nor consistent enough to support this interpretation. Here’s a sample:

Powerful muscles bunched and tensed. With long smooth bounds the creature took off. As it ran past the eerily silent columns it realized, with a sinking feeling that it would never reach this mysterious family member in time, the distance was too great. It sensed days of travels lay between the two and it could sense that whatever danger threatened it’s [sic] sibling, was already perilously close.

Or another:

Charlie answering his call, hurried to the lawyer’s study, she knew better than to keep him waiting. Walking straight up to the large leather bound desk she took up a pen and without needing to be asked signed the papers offered by Mr. Crow. She knew she should at least ask what she was signing but she remembered the first time she had plucked up courage to query him; Crow had fallen into such rage, striking her and screaming, that now she dared not question.

And the punctuation lightly and seemingly randomly scattered around the dialogue is enough to bring tears to my eyes:

“Fool! Grab her!” roared the giant, Crow made a lunge for her but tripped over his braces, “Idiot! Dogs come to me, come, your Master commands it.”

It’s more than commas where they shouldn’t be and conspicuous by their absence where they should. Although Alexander occasionally gets off a vivid description or a well-turned phrase, it seems more by luck than judgement a lot of the time and his writing often bogs down in repetition, cliché and an over-reliance on adjectives. Seriously, no noun connected to Mr Crow is allowed out of doors unprefaced by a “skinny”. So Mr Crow is thin, right? I get it. I get it. Please have mercy on me.

I’m no editor but there are equally fundamental issues with the structure of the book itself. The pacing is wobbly to say the least with the narrative either practically thrown into reverse while Charlie eats some spiced bread or we are forced to witness yet another interminable game of K’changa (I hate you JK Rowling, I hate you so much. I yearn for those halcyon days in which children’s books were allowed to exist that did not contain detailed descriptions of spurious sporting activities) and then speeding so rapidly through a succession of incidents that it’s enough to make you get motion sickness. The POV, equally, veers around all over the place and, dialogue aside, the characterisation – especially of Charlie – wavers too. She seems to be scared when the narrative prefers that she’s scared, and feisty when it’s time for her to be feisty. Furthermore, her famed “big mouth” barely lives up to its reputation for causing trouble. Maybe it’s just because she doesn’t have an accent but she seems like a complete void for most of the narrative. We’re told about her qualities (and, of course, her undeniable specialness) but we rarely seem them in action in a way that could make us care about her, or even be remotely interested in her. Alexander’s descriptions of scenery and action are at least nudging towards competence, but the emotional side of it all is completely flat:

Charlie, cheeks blushing uncontrollably, stared into the eyes of the woman who was supposed to be her guardian. Never had she felt such a hate so complete, never had such an anger awoken within her heart. Charlie, that very instant felt something deep within her move and change, something within her soul sickened and died and in its place something darker was born. This was a moment that would be etched eternally into her mind.

She gets over it. She kind of like de Sade’s Justine that way – ill-defined, unchanging and unaffected.

I can’t even in good conscience say that WICK has promise: until it gets some wheels, it ain’t going nowhere. I found it a real struggle to read, partially because I was mourning every tortured comma but also because whatever is good about it is completely eclipsed by its major and fundamental problems.Themes:

Books

,

Sci-fi / Fantasy

,

Young Adult / Children

,

Self-Published

~

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~Comments (

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Rami

at 12:51 on 2009-06-09Ouch. From those excerpts, it seems like a pretty painful read -- but then, I like my grammar to be in more or less the right place. There's a place for bending the rules, but ignoring them like that just makes me wonder if they know the rules in the first place. And looking like you don't know how to write is not, IMHO, a good way to be taken seriously as a writer.

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Arthur B

at 13:12 on 2009-06-09Not only does the author have a strange way with commas, he also seems to urgently need to be introduced to a semicolon or two. Harsh as I was about Jim Bernheimer, but for the most part (aside from the odd "victim's fund" gaffe) his prose was readable, at least in the sense that it was capable of being read without getting a headache.

Maybe it's just because I'm a lawgeek, but does anyone else find it odd that Charlie is asked to sign contract when she's well below the age where she can actually enter binding agreements in the first place, and when there's a grandmother handy who is presumably legally capable of doing all that for her? Mr Crow seems to be as incompetent as he is corrupt.

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Sonia Mitchell

at 23:15 on 2009-06-09I love this review. And feel pity for everyone involved.

It actually sounds a bit Neil Gaiman-ey in intention, though I'm obviously not going to read it and see.

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Wardog

at 14:52 on 2009-06-18Actually this review makes me feel guilty as hell - panning something is never fun, but really, it was all in good conscience I could do.