#erika’s 200 event

[crystalelemental]

Unit Teambuilding - Winter Whitney

Reddit Dudebros can stay mad about two girls this event, Whitney deserved an alt and I’m sure as hell not giving up Jasmine, so this was an ideal outcome.

General Overview Chad Sycamore Redux.

Whitney has Horn Leech.  This evokes a comparison to the Gigachad himself, Sycamore.  Big shoes to fill, and Whitney...doesn't truly fill them.  She's a tech, not a support, and her stats are reflective of this, with HP that doesn't quite hit 800, and defenses barely breaking 200, at EX.  While she gets multipliers, she doesn't get Master Healer, which puts her in a rough position.  A huge reason for Sycamore's success is his double Master Healer effect.   Without it, Whitney won't be recovering the same proportion.  Her grid is also notably scattered, with a lot of desired tools in awkward locations.

But oh man, the positives.  Starting generic, Headbutt Aggravation.  60% flinch, always nice.  Flabbergast and Mind Boggler is just funny.  I don't know why she can do this, but sure.  She also gets Mad Strength 9, so she can be at least somewhat self-sufficient, if still reliant on crit.  And here's where we get to the big thing.

You may have noticed, I didn't talk about trainer moves.  That's because one is Move Gauge Boost, notoriously useless.  The other cannot buff any stats. Which probably sounds weird, and like she’s cursed in the same was Lance is.  But it turns out, Sawsbuck is an all-terrain vehicle.   Based on the remaining MP of Move Gauge Boost, Whitney will apply one of the following effects: Grassy Terrain (2), Psychic Terrain (1), or Electric Terrain (0).

This...is hilarious.  Move Gauge Boost is so useless, they used it as a skippable move to maintain a particular field effect, and you can use it only to set up different terrains.  10/10.   Her passives then combine with what's needed. Under Grassy Terrain, she lowers the defense of all foes per hit and boosts team's defense.   Under Psychic, special defense.  Under Electric, speed.  It's worth noting, it specifies all foes.  Despite having only single-target attacks, Whitney will hit every foe with this effect.  This, under the Electric Terrain Condition, makes her one of the few -2 speed inflicters in the game, which is great for Cakewalk.

The tradeoff to this ridiculous trainer move is that the only means of recovering MP is Sync Burst, which messes with your Move Gauge Boost count for anything other than Grassy Terrain.  But man, this is so funny.  I adore the shenanigans on display here.

Team 1: W!Whitney, Sonia, Lodge Lillie/Viola Whitney's a Tech, which means she's a sync nuker.  Strongest Normal-type sync nuker, in fact, which is kinda like being Lord of Shit Mountain, but we’ll take it.  Sonia is the usual optimal pick for attack/crit damage, while Lodge Lillie and Viola provide the coveted trap effect that makes Interference Sync easier to set up.

Team 2: W!Whitney, SS Leaf/SS Erika/Dawn, Sonia/Hop Grassy Terrain support, with a side helping of defense debuffs.  This sets up SS Leaf's main sync multiplier at 3/5, or can turn SS Erika into a ridiculous powerhouse.  ...a more ridiculous powerhouse.  I'm also just going to say, Dawn. Dawn can frontline tank, with Sonia providing the offenses, Whitney supplying defense drops and terrain, and Dawn's own Power Siphon setting up her sync multipliers.

Team 3: W!Whitney, Giovanni/Fantina, MU Mesprit/SC Lillie W!Whitney's Psychic Terrain application is able to power up Giovanni, but also worth noting is that she can debuff special defense of foes.  This is ideal for him, given the love of Smarty Pants.  While not as strictly necessary for Fantina, the special defense debuffs can be utilized for anyone with the Smartypants multiplier, especially strikers aiming for an EX sync clear.

Team 4: W!Whitney, Sonia/SC Jasmine, Sophocles/Clemont Electric Terrain.  Specifically, Cakewalk support.  She provides everything an Electric-type Cakewalk user can ask for.  While also notably having flinch, to potentially just obliterate stuff with Sophocles.  Just pair with the desired supporter.

Team 5: W!Whitney, Gordie/Lodge Serena, Aaron Gordie is a unique option that encourages Whitney's Electric Terrain, and bears mentioning separately.  Because he's not just Cakewalk.  He's Cakewalk and Inertia at the same time.  Serena is a similar case, having built-in Inertia, and Cakewalk on grid.  These two actually want Whitney to set up Terrain for their mix of speed buff and debuff needs. "Wouldn't this be more efficient with Palentine's Serena?"  Almost definitely.  It takes three turns to set up, and Serena caps both conditions in six moves.  But it's an option.

Team 6: W!Whitney, SC Rosa, Darach This probably seems weird.  And, it is.  But Whitney as the frontline tank may be possible in Gauntlet, thanks to 30% bonus damage and Terrain benefits.  With Sharp Entry and Rosa's own +1 crit, she's able to actually achieve a solid crit rate for herself, with solid damage output besides.  Darach is chosen partly for Defog, which can clear out pesky screens that bother Whitney's damage when she misses a crit, and to debuff attack, which helps her survival in tandem with the special attack debuffs, and boost to the team's defenses.  I feel like it's possible.

Final Thoughts This is one of those clownshoes units that I am naturally drawn to.  Everything about this alt is fantastic.  I love the versatility, and how ridiculous some of her effects can be.  She's just so hilariously useful, I love her.

#pokemon masters #unit teambuilding #winter whitney

[ligiarlana]

//NEW POST//

#CREDITS TASTIC STORE//

//DEBORAH DRESS//

//REBOR/MAITREYA/LEGACY/GEN-CURVY/FREYA/HG/KUPRA/ERIKA/ISIS/PETITE/PERKY/TONIC CURVY/PHYSIQUE//

STORE: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Town%20Center/48/95/47

*******************************************

#CREDITS STORE MONA//

//DREAM EVENT//

MONAxPRISMA - Tanquara Gin DispenserMONAxPRISMA - Tanquara Gin

EVENT: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/DREAMDAY/154/87/2004

STORE MONA: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/River%20Oaks/45/200/1585

[livingwithlosingyou]

Living with Losing You - 10/24/2022

First day of being an official FTE again!

When you died, I took 4 weeks off. Then, I was placed on a reduced schedule of 3 days a week from then until now. I do feel like I am ready to take it all on again because missing days was stressing me TF out. I would be gone for a day and come back to 200 emails. Always playing catch up became overwhelming in itself. I have to give my company massive kudos though, that’s not on them, it’s just the reality of my role. They have been incredibly supportive and patient of my healing process. I feel so blessed to work for an org like that. 

It was a very busy day though, and so very productive. I crossed almost everything off my to-do list today! Little victories add up! I had gone into the office thinking I was going to onboard, but unfortunately she withdrew. I had to meet with another employee while I was there anyway, so it worked out. I felt like I blinked and it was 1pm. I quickly left the office to grab a salad for lunch, then rushed home. I ate my salad while I worked, and then before I knew it, ti was 3:40pm. I was late to practice today, and still checking messages at practice even. I will say that I realize I personally need to be better coming back, because I do not have the emotional capacity to do that daily. 

Practice was good though! I really have been enjoying coaching so much. Boys had track / speed today. We race our biggest competitor in the league on Wednesday. I am nervous but excited for it. Really hoping we can get the “W”, but I am proud of our boys either way. They have had a good season. I was also at practice fairly late. After the workout we sent the varsity team in a 3.5 mile cool down. Well, I decided to run with them at first, which seemed like a good idea. The pace started off well, but by the end we were at 7:15 and I was not down. I didn’t want to give up though, cause what kind fo coach would I be if I did that!? Powered through. I wore that cute punny dinosaur shirt that I got in KY. Some people appreciated it. I love it and that is all that matters. 

After practice, I drove to Chick-Fil-A for dinner only to realize that I left my wallet at home in my other bag. I went back home and picked up Sadie since she was home a lot of today. I also got her two pup cups cause she is the bestest girl in the whole wide world (as you used to say). I just felt bad that she was home a lot of today. I really try not to do that. She has had eventful days upon days, so one rest day would probably suit her well. Erika called me on the way and we talked for about 2 hours. I love her so much, she has been so great to me as a friend. I ate dinner then took her out to go to the bathroom / for a brief walk. When I came back I started to clean up. This place got a bit out of control since I have been so busy. I really want to start going back to a sense of normalcy, and start cooking again too. I have been eating out way too much, it is such a waste of money. I know that I have been struggling and just was not paying as much attention, but I would likely be disgusted at how much I am spending a week by just eating out. Even with PS. It’s making me sick just thinking about it. I plan to run to the store tomorrow. I would like to try and start with eating at last one meal at home a day / limiting my daily spend on food. It got wild for a few months there. Honestly though the fact that I was eating and have been eating is a victory in itself too, so that’s why I was giving myself some grace. It could be worse. 

Okay, food rant over. Something else kind of interesting happened today. There were a few times that we went surfing with my family and friends, and I brought an underwater disposable camera. No clue if it actually took the pictures, but I was able to find it and I set it on the storage cabinet in the office next to your shadow box / on top of the box with your things. I plan to try and drop it off this week, the sooner the better. I am just excited ti see if we have any cute pics on there! Well, when I came home from practice, that camera was laying on the floor outside of that room. I just don’t see Latte playing with it, and plus the fact that it wasn't in an easily accessible area. Just strange, so many strange things. In a way, I like to think they’re you. There have been times where I feel like I can sense you. Call me crazy, but I do think that’s a thing. 

Anyway, I am all showered up, animals are laying on the bed, and I need to go to sleep. As I am typing this I hear a random high pitch noise in my ear out of nowhere. It kind of happened earlier too. Maybe I should get that checked out. They do say that is angel(s) trying to communicate. 

I keep having this dream where I am trying to text you and the message never sends. Like, I can never get a hold of you. It it hard when I wake up at times and believe that you’re alive and have to remind myself, it’s the worst. 

I have been having some intrusive thoughts, especially since I have been home. I talked to my therapist about the CBT, but I might try and see what I can start to do on my own with a workbook in the meantime. I really want to get ahead of this. 

I love you, James. 

Sometimes I feel angry that you left me, mostly I feel devastated. It really tears me up to think about. 

Rest in Peace, James Burton Nichols

10/1/1993 - 7/16/2022

[texaspartyadventure]

Website : https://www.texaspartyadventure.com/

Address : 1111 Jupiter Rd Suite 200-D, Plano, TX 75074

Phone : [phone]

If you are looking for party rental in the Plano, Texas area, you have come to the right place. Texas Party Adventure is a guaranteed hit! We supply all the fun and excitement in Plano, Texas. We specialize in party rentals for events such as but not limited to backyard parties, school festivals, birthday parties, church carnivals, high schools and businesses. We deliver the fun to your location with Customizable Bounce Houses to help you match your party theme, Bounce Houses with Slide, Dry Slides, Water Slides, Concession Machines to make snacks like popcorn, cotton candy and snow cone machines, Party Extras like tables and chairs,. We have even taken some of our most popular items and bundled them together for Party Packages to make the online reservation process even easier.

Business Email : [email protected]

Owner name : Erika Tomlin

Keywords : party rentals near me, party rentals, bounce house with slide, bounce house with water slide, water slide with bounce house, bounce house with water slide rental, bounce house rental near me, water slide with bounce house, Customizable Bounce Houses

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#party rentals near me #party rentals #bounce house with slide #bounce house with water slide #water slide with bounce house #bounce house with water slide rental #bounce house rental near me

[aka-a-shii]

hi anna! i just followed you recently but i wanna celebrate your milestone with you sooo 🍑!! hehe congratulations sweets 🥰✨

Thank you so much for sending a 🍑 have a good day~ 💕

#anna hits 200 #anna’s 200 event #anna’s peaches🍑 #erika💕

[loosesodamarble]

Erika, hi! Congrats on reaching 200! May I have, for your current event, an Inumaki x reader Scenario where the reader teaches him how to bake something?

Thank you for the congratulations. Even after receiving that sentiment multiple times and fulfilling so many requests, I still can't believe I have 200 followers. Thanks for the support.

Summary: You teach your childhood crush how to make a sweet treat and get a sweet surprise in the end.

Word count: ~850

..........

“Kelp.”

Standing outside your front door was your former neighbor and childhood crush, Toge Inumaki, hand raised in greeting.

“Tog—Inumaki-kun,” you started, glancing away from him. “What brings you here?”

Toge raised his phone with a message typed out: [Can you teach me how to bake?]

You furrowed your brow and tilted your head. “I suppose…”

Something about the request sounded odd. You didn’t know all the details but you heard that the Inumaki family were involved in exorcisms. Toge seemed to anticipate your confusion. He typed something, hesitating before showing his message.

[I want to do something special for someone.]

“Ah.” You couldn’t be disappointed. All you had was a silly, childhood crush. “Alright, I’ll help you out.”

You showed Toge into your family’s bakery and set aside a corner for yourselves. The recipe that was decided was a layer cake with fruit filling.

The baking session started slow and awkward as you figured out Toge’s code speech as you taught him. Once the fruit puree had finished reducing, Toge spooned out a small portion.

“Tuna!” He held the spoon out to you.

“Uh…” You leaned back. “Why don’t you sample it, Inumaki-kun?”

“Bonito.” He leaned forward. “Salmon caviar.”

Your face warmed. “I-if you insist.” You closed your eyes hoping not looking at Toge would keep you calm. After you opened your mouth, a sweet, tart flavor filled your mouth. “Mmm! Delish!”

“Tuna-mayo!”

Your eyes shot open and you felt even warmer. Toge looked at you with wide, expectant eyes.

So cute, you thought before snapping back to reality. “J-just because I like it…” You cleared your throat. “You’ll need to figure out if the, uh, person you want to impress would like it.”

Toge’s expression dropped and he hummed. You winced. You hadn’t meant to discourage him that much; some teacher you were.

Next, you showed Toge how to make a simple frosting. Toge struggled with the stirring technique and, while probably not the wisest idea, insisted he stand behind you and put his hand over your own. That way, he could both watch and feel how it was supposed to be done before taking the reins himself.

His body wasn’t pressed that close to you and his hand was rather cold. But the contact made your heart beat so fast you could hear it in your ears nonetheless. How had your infatuation remained so strong after so many years?

With both the fruit and frosting in the fridge, you moved onto the actual cake.

As Toge measured the flour, he poured a little too zealously and it tumbled out like an avalanche, covering his face in a coat of powder. You let out a snicker at the fumble and got a clump of flour on your apron courtesy of Toge. With a lunge, you grabbed the flour and countered Toge with a handful of it. As you reached in the bag for another, Toge grabbed a fistful from the bowl and raised it as a threat.

The two of you stared at each other. You tried not to smile but even biting your lip didn’t stop your glee from showing. From Toge, you heard stifled laughter.

Beep!

Toge glanced at the oven. Then back at you.

“Salmon roe.”

“Truce it is.”

Once the batter was in the oven, Toge mimed out the act of writing.

“You… Want to write a message on the cake?” you guessed, to which Toge gave an enthusiastic “Salmon!” You took in Toge’s earnest and gentle gaze. “This person… must really be something to you, Inumaki-kun.”

And the smile that came to Toge’s face when you said that. It took your breath away. Truly, he must’ve been smitten.

During the wait for the cake to both bake and cool down, you taught Toge the basics of writing kana in frosting. You guided his hand until he could do it himself. The way his whole face lit up in awe at his own handiwork… You hoped that whoever he was making the cake for would light up the same way.

With four hands, assembling the cake was a breeze. You clapped with pride as Toge evened off the top of the cake, making him grin sheepishly.

You suddenly realized, “Oh, we need a cake box!”

You hurried off to the reception area of the bakery and grabbed a box from behind the counter. You slowly walked back so you could fold it into shape. When you got back, Toge stood over the cake, pulling back the piping bag. Your entrance caught his attention and he waved you over.

“Hm? Want me to check yo—”

You stopped short when you read the message Toge had put on the cake: “I liked you. I still do.”

You looked at Toge, your face heating up for what felt like the hundredth time. He hid his blushing face behind his high collar though his reddened ears were still visible.

“Inu—Toge,” you muttered, feeling yourself grin. “I still like you too.”

The two of you made eye contact. Wordlessly, both of you reached for one another until your hands were intertwined.

#questions from the ask box #soda's 200 follower special #jujutsu kaisen #toge inumaki #jjk #jjk fanfic #toge inumaki x reader #x reader #reader insert

[female-malice]

2017-2019: Thomas competes for the University of Pennsylvania as a male, prior to transitioning.

2019-2020: Thomas begins transitioning and undergoing hormone therapy. She still competes for the Penn men’s team in a few meets, not including the Ivy League Championships.

2020-2021: The Ivy League cancels its athletics for the entire school year. During that time, Thomas continues to undergo hormone therapy, allowing her to become eligible to compete in women’s events under NCAA rules.

December 3-5, 2021: Thomas swims the fastest times in the nation in the 200 and 500 free at the Zippy Invitational.

Late December 2021: Penn parents write letters to the school and to the NCAA protesting Thomas’ participation on the women’s team.

December 24, 2021: USA Swimming official Cynthia Millen resigns in protest of Thomas competing (even though Thomas was not competing in USA Swimming-sanctioned events).

Late December 2021/early January 2022: U.S. Olympians begin speaking out on the situation; 2021 Olympian Erika Brown was against allowing “transgender females to compete against biological males,” while 2016 Olympian Jacob Pebley urged considerations of mental health in expressing support for Thomas.

January 8, 2022: Thomas wins two individual events in her final home meet at Penn.

January 15, 2022: The American Swim Coaches’ Association (ASCA) urges governing bodies to establish new transgender policies in support of fairness.

January 19, 2022: The NCAA introduces a new transgender participation policy, placing the onus on USA Swimming and FINA to determine regulations for swimming.

January 20, 2022: USA Swimming releases a statement announcing the NGB was working with FINA to develop new, uniform transgender policies.

January 22, 2022: Thomas posts two individual victories in Penn’s dual meet at Harvard.

January 25, 2022: Brooke Forde, one of Thomas’ primary competitors for the national title in the 500 free, says she will not have a problem racing against Thomas at NCAAs.

February 7, 2022: The Ivy League confirms that Thomas will be eligible to compete at the conference championship meet.

February 10, 2022: The NCAA announces that it will not adopt USA Swimming’s standard for testosterone levels for transgender athletes (5 nmol/L) at the 2022 NCAA Championships.

February 17-19, 2022: Thomas wins the 500 freestyle, 200 freestyle and 100 freestyle at the Ivy League Championships.

March 1, 2022: The psych sheet for the NCAA Women’s Championship is released, and Thomas is listed as the first seed in two events.

March 3, 2022: Thomas gives rare public comments in a feature story for Sports Illustrated.

March 17, 2022: Thomas wins the NCAA title in the 500 freestyle. Protestors both opposed to and supporting Thomas’ participation gather outside the McAuley Aquatic Center.

#super useful reporting by swimming world #they've been great this whole time

[volturialice]

Spork Haven chapters 13-14: full fucking tantrum mode

welcome to spork haven, where I spork the EL James fic you’ve never heard of

previous chapter | next chapter | contents

previously on Spork Haven:

actor!Edward and Tanya went to dinner with their movie’s producers! Tanya macked on Ed in public so he was (secretly) violent toward her in return! hotel maid!Bella was suddenly an expert at givin the succ because she watched porn once! the Dicksona was back!

strap in guys, because these two chapters are (I suspect) the boring setup we have to slog through in order to get to The Drama. but never fear, there are plenty of gold nuggets of stupid shit for me to mine!

chapter 13 begins with sleepy Edward being semi-awakened by Bella taking her leave to go do maid things. she accomplishes this by

now I personally was having trouble picturing this, and thought you guys might be too, so I made us a visual aid

there. much better. you’re welcome.

as she slips out of bed, Bella whispers that she’ll see Edward later and that she loves him, which, I mean. to each their own, but may I just point out that it has been 10 (ten) days since they met and three days since they went on their first date.

anyway, Edward wakes up in a great mood and goes to work, where Tanya is too hungover to bother him. He’s irritated upon seeing a newspaper photo of Tanya kissing him last night, and makes Eric burn it. Then he talks to Taylor, his lawyer/security guard...hybrid thing? who just so happens to have the exact same name as the bodyguard extraordinaire from Fifty Shades, as if further proof were needed that erika can only write one (1) story over and over again. Ed asks Taylor if he can bring a non-Tanya date to an awards ceremony he’s slated to attend next week. Riiiiight, because I’m sure Bella will be just fine with appearing at a high profile event on the arm of a celebrity. my dude I don’t think you understand how witness protection works

anyway, Taylor says Edward is welcome to do literally whatever he wants, because

and Edward eats that shit up and is riding high on the way home from work

don’t we all, Edward, don’t we all. anyway he realizes he’s out of condoms and makes Mike stop to buy him some (I’m too lazy to make a “mike newton buys you condoms” moodboard but if any of y’all wanna take a crack at it I would like to see it.) luckily Mike “doesn’t bat a fucking eyelid.”

Edward has a fun evening involving pizza and on demand movies planned for himself and Bella, but she doesn’t show up at the usual time. he waits for her for an anxious hour, in a paragraph that miraculously limits itself to a mere 4 “fucks” and 2 “shits.” at last, he calls housekeeping to ask where she is, and they tell him she had to leave early today “for personal reasons” that I’m sure have nothing to do with being in the witness protection program.

housekeeping must assume he was calling to complain about the resulting lack of turn-down service (remember, he can’t get into bed on his own!) because soon enough

it’s Irina! luckily, she is as DTN (Down To Narc) as ever. after Edward bribes her with $200 she leads him to the secret employee residence floor and shows him Bella’s room, but not before he manages to squeeze 5 “fucks” into another 5-sentence paragraph worrying about Bella.

Bella’s room is stripped completely bare except for a small gold earring she’s left on the floor. Edward picks it up so he’ll at least have something to remember her by suck on.

Irina and the rest of the staff have no idea where Bella went, and she hasn’t left any messages for Edward. He asks how Eric contacted her the other day, but Eric admits he just contacted the hotel—he doesn’t have Bella’s cell number.

um. far be it from me to tell anyone how to go about dating, but I feel like you should generally get a person’s phone number before dropping the L-bomb, which both Edward and Bella did last chapter.

Edward decides he gets a free pass to behave like a complete asshole because

heart and soul I understand, but if there’s really a large Bella-shaped hole in his head he should probably get that checked out. just sayin

what follows is an extended, boring sequence of Edward treating his coworkers like shit, but on the plus side, a few new characters are name-dropped. say hello to 

Laurent (wardrobe)

Siobhan and Kate (makeup)

Edward makes Eric call Bella’s boss, “Miss Dwyer” (RENEE?), who claims she doesn’t have Bella’s contact info and refuses to tell Ed where she’s gone, even when he orders her to cut the shit and let him in on “the big secret.” real nice.

he heads back to the hotel, where Irina still has no idea where Bella has gone.

then we get three more painstakingly described days that all play out exactly the same way: 

Edward doesn’t shower and puts on dirty clothes

he treats everyone like shit

he demands to know where Bella is, but no one knows

he drinks and smokes a lot

presumably he sleeps on the floor because there’s no one to turn down the bed

the only major difference is that on day 2 he makes Eric buy him

sounds like he’s having way more fun doing that than I am reading the same shit four times in a row!

hey erika, you know what would have been a way better way to convey this?

just sayin’.

anyway, on the fourth day Edward finally takes a shower, and then calls Taylor and demands that he track down Bella.

when Taylor gently responds that finding missing people is not part of his job description, Edward loses his gotdamn mind:

never write a likable protagonist, guys. that shit is not the least bit sexy. you know what is sexy? a guy who yells at people because he’s in self-professed “full fucking toddler tantrum mode.” mmm, delicious.

after this delightful tirade, Taylor reluctantly agrees to hire a private eye to find Bella, and the chapter at last comes to an end. thank god.

best “fucks”

“my dead fucking body”

“fucking climbing the walls”

“cross my fucking fingers”

“stupid fucking name” (Edward’s alias after the school he burned down)

“completely fucking star struck” (Irina)

“so fucking cold” (Bella)

“fucking patiently waiting” (Mike)

“fucking zen calm” (Eric)

“a fucking whining, small, lost boy” (Edward)

“safe fucking sex”

“fucking personal reasons”

“good fucking bye”

best “shits”

next chapter: some fucking massive fuck-off search on google

#spork haven #twilight fanfiction #unsafe for work text // #abuse mention // #alcohol mention // #smoking mention //

[yourtobigtv-blog]

Sporting activities Trivia - Truly Remarkable Athletes

해외 스포츠중계 사이트 Who is the actual only sportsman to succeed multiple medals at both equally the summer along with winter months Olympics?

해외 스포츠중계 사이트

Answer: Albúmina Barnes

Clara Hughes was created throughout Winnipeg, Manitoba within the 25th of September 72. Albúmina won her initial 2 Olympic medals with Atl Georgia. She took part within the individual cycling path race and the person time period trial event. This lady had the ability to win bronze inside both occasions.

Clara subsequently turned your ex attention in order to the winter Olympics. The woman competed in the 5000m rate skating event throughout the game titles in Sodium Lake Area in 2002. She received a solidité medal to be with her efforts. Albúmina then ongoing and participated in the video game titles presented in Torino where the girl captured gold in the particular 5000m speed skating celebration. The girl also won some sort of silver precious metal medal at typically the games from the team search.

In 2010 in the Vancouver Olympic games Clara reached a bronze medal inside ladies 5000m speed boarding.

Clara is not merely a adorned athlete nevertheless is a major advocate of the charity, "Right to Play". She offers been awarded the Obtain involving Canada and often the order connected with Manitoba. Albúmina Hughes actually one associated with the great Olympians.

Who else holds the record for gold medals at a Olympics?

Answer: Michael Phelps

Throughout 2008 at the actual games maintained Beijing Meters was able to earn eight gold medals. Most his medals were within the pool. Michael won the particular 100m fly, 200m cost-free, 200m fly, 200 e individual medley, 400m personal medley, 4x 100m freestyle relay, 4x100 medley inform and the 4x 200m freestyle relay.

Michael extra all these eight gold to be able to the five gold in addition to two dureté medals in which he won inside the video games in 2004. Michael provides won more gold medals than any other sportsperson from the history of typically the modern Olympics. His Olympic medal entire is subsequent only to often the 16 medals that were gained by Larissa Latynina the custom-made Russian gymnast.

Michael was given birth to in Baltimore, Maryland around the 30th of June 85. Michael was diagnosed on the age of seven using INCREASE. To help him or her burn off electricity they was put into diving.

Erika has founded the actual Erina Phelps Foundation, which often is a charitable trust this advocates swimming as well as normal water safety for children. They are also a co-founder regarding the Move with the particular Stars program.

Who also contains the record inside Guinness Book of Entire world Documents as the most functional women athlete?

Answer: "Babe" Mildred Ella Didrikson Zaharias

Mildred was born with Port Arthur, Texas about the 26th involving Summer 1911. She ended up being a single of seven children blessed to Ole and Hannah Didriksen. She would transform the punctuation of your girlfriend last name any time the lady was older. Synonymous 'Babe' was a childhood play name that stayed with the girl most her life.

Mildred seemed to be truly one connected with the greatest athletes in recent history. In 1932, she left for the Amateur Athletic Association Championships. She won 8-10 of the ten activities which she competed within and also won the group championship. Baby was typically the only person to seducre her crew.

In 1932, Infant proceeded to go to the Olympics inside Los Angeles. She earned a couple of gold medals along with one magic. She acquired gold within the 80m difficulties and the javelin. Your ex silver medal arrived often the sport of high hop.

Babe's most recognized sporting activities achievements can be in the game of golf. In what had been absolutely an amazing career Girl won 82 golf events. She won the females Fantastic Slam of the sport of golf throughout 1950. Some associated with her documents in golfing have never also been shattered.

[tshepiso-reads-books]

I Give Up | The Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Started: 21/09/18

Finished: 13/09/18

This is a heartbreaking review to write for me. I was hoping, despite the lackluster turn of the Invasion of the Tearling, that Johansen would end the series with a bang, but The Fate of the Tearling ultimately, ended up dying with a whimper.

Summary

The Fate of the Tearling follows directly after the events of the second book. In this we see Tearling still under threat as the Avarath and Holy Father make a grab for the throne. Meanwhile, Mortmense begins to crumble after the failure of its invasion of Tearling. the Red Queen is steadily losing control of her country (and mind) and the mysterious Row Finn is out of the Fairwitch and causing trouble.

Review

As I collate my... complicated thoughts about this book I would like to emphasize that I think Johansen is a good writer. She has a skill in creating interesting characters and has obvious knowledge in creating tension, suspense, and anticipation; the only way an author can disappoint you is by not living up to expectations they've already created.

This book had scattered moments of brilliance. Individual characters, Mace and Aisa especially, had strong character moments within the book. Seeing all our favorite characters grow into the best versions of themselves and fight for good was lovely to read. I especially liked the conclusion to the Red Queen’s story arc and appreciated how the romantic loose ends were tied in the story.

There was something off in the pacing of this book. Despite being the final book in a series it never really felt as if we were building towards anything significant. Kelsea continued to play a very passive roll in the story despite being the protagonist. The majority of her action in this book was reaction, this did lead to great internal moments of growth at times, but for the most part, left me in want of the Kelsea of the first book who drove the plot forward instead of letting it drag her from place to place.

Honestly, I was ready to give this book four stars. While I wasn’t in love with this book like I was the first, Johansen served up some good writing. The paths she lead Kelsea down emotionally were interesting despite her lack of action in the story, her subplots were tightly paced and interesting and the arc of the narrative was good. The ball was on the tee, the batter perfectly positioned to strike aaaaaannnnnnnnd *swooosh*.

That, ladies and gentlemen was the sound of the biggest L of a final chapter I have ever read. As I read the final chapter of the Fate of the Tearling, I felt more emotions than one wants to feel. This ending was contrived, dumb, nonsensical, out of place, and took the story to the worst place possible. I can’t discuss this dismal writing choice without major spoilers so…

HERE BE THE SPOILERS (Warning: it may be nonsensical to people who haven't read the book)

So, Johansen did a time travel retcon and here’s why it sucks:

It implies every single problem in Tear’s Town was directly to do with Row Finn, therefore killing him saves human society. Forever.

It suggest that all of humanities’ faults could be course corrected and erased by like 7 people in 1-2 lifetimes.

It implies that one can drastically change every aspect of a country over 200 years but all our characters from the last book somehow still exist

I’m gonna harp on this point for a little longer. Johansen implies that despite the ENTIRE POLITICAL AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPE of a goddamn continent changing fundamentally everyone, down to the great-great-great-great grandparent fucked the exact same people at the same time to produce the same people.

Finally, and most importantly: it betrays the ENTIRE POINT OF THE BOOK! Tearling was set up flawed from its origins; an evil totalitarian dictator didn’t come in and make it shitty, regular people with fears, selfishness, and good intentions gone wrong, did. The Better World is something we’re supposed to fight for every day and making Finn the root cause of every problem erases that idea completely.

Addendum: I will admit I did like the very, very final scene in the book because I’m still a sucker for a bittersweet ending.

SPOILER OVER

Stars

🌟🌟½

When I read The Queen of the Tearling I fell in love with a complex political fantasy about a girl in shoes too big to fill, trying her best to do what was right despite everything being stacked against her. I don’t think Johansen fully realized the potential this story had and I’m so sad about that because it could have been beautiful.

#YA #Fantasy #YA Fantasy #Queen of the Tearling #Books #Review #Book Review

[crystalelemental]

Trainer Lodge!  We finally know what this thing is called.  And thank god, it’s just a cosmetic thing, not some dumb co-op guild nonsense.

“You’ll be able to invite some trainers as guests.”  So apparently, this is the kind of thing where you select a couple sync pairs and bring them along to wherever this occurs, and events happen.  That’s cool.  I’m hoping that means interactive effects, but also like...there are over 200 sync pairs.  I cannot reasonably expect that DeNA accounted for every possible permutation of which sync pairs are brought along.  Either this is very generic and individualized to a specific sync pair’s interaction with the player, or there are scripted options that you can bring along.  Obviously hoping for Caitlin/Cynthia/Darach interactions, I need my fix, but I’m also hoping for something with Jasmine.  I don’t entirely care who she interacts with, Erika is an obvious choice, but I just like Jasmine a lot.

“By interacting with them, you can get special rewards exclusive to the Trainer’s Lodge, and special stories!”  So, two things.  One is, special stories means the potential for something like the Day with [Sync Pair] stories, but perhaps in a different vein.  Again, I’d be really surprised if this occurred for all 200+ options individually, so either it’s really generic and samey for everyone, or the individualization is limited to a handful and will be expanded upon later.

The bigger question is what the special rewards are.  Depending, that could be really good.  If this is character-centric, there’s a possibility of unique sync orbs, or in the best scenario, unique power-ups or candy/duplicates for story mode units.  I doubt it would be that way for everything, but if they wanted to offer that kind of move level upgrade for Rosa or Acerola, I sure wouldn’t say no.

“Plus, we’re planning to incorporate other features besides interacting with trainers.”  This is incredibly vague.  I don’t know what exactly to expect, but doubling back, it’s possible unique rewards play into whatever focus they have planned here.  Someone noted that, in the visual we got, there’s something like a trading machine.  Depending on the resources, this could be something to allow trading of eggmons?  Or just a way to exchange certain items.  Like, imagine getting to trade in all this worthless 4* striker candy for something of value.  There’s a lot that could happen, but speculation is so wild as to be pointless.  Never stopped me before, though.

Ultimately, I like the sound of it a lot.  I like the idea of interacting with the characters more, and with any luck, this will be something engaging and won’t run out of novelty after like three days like FEH and its Aether Resort.  But if literally nothing else, I can take solace in one thing: it wasn’t guilds.

#pokemon masters speculation

[ligiarlana]

//NEW POST//

#CREDITS TASTIC STORE//

// Tastic @ The New Ones Event! This awesome sexy exclusive is available here from Feb.15th-Mar.5th! //

//SCARLETT SET//

//PANTS//TOP//

//REBORN-JUICY/MAITREYA/LEGACY/KUPRA/PERKY/PETITE/BELLEZA GEN-CURVY/ERIKA//

EVENT: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/BINGE/136/172/258

STORE: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Town%20Center/48/95/47

**************************************************

#CREDITS MONA//

//DONUTS & MILKSHAKE//

STORE: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/River%20Oaks/45/200/1585

[driftindustry]

Miss Behavin’ Columbus 2019

This past weekend was Miss Behavin’s 3rd annual event, held this year at Land Grant Brewing Company in Columbus, OH. I’m including some of my favorite shots taken by the talented Erika Gene Clark.

I got involved in working on this event about two years ago when Courtney Bryant, the main mind behind the magic, asked a few of her friends to be involved in helping out with her idea. Courtney was developing a platform where she could simultaneously celebrate females doing things that aren’t historically seen as very female while also promoting and supporting a charitable cause.

Miss Behavin’ promotes female riders and drivers through featuring them on social media and showcasing their cars and bikes at the annual event, in hopes it will inspire and encourage other females, of any age, to aspire to anything they want, regardless of gender biases. But equally important and at the core, it promotes and benefits non-profits and charities through generous donations from local businesses that are auctioned off at the annual event.

I remember attending Miss Behavin’ on year one at Seventh Son. That year they raised $328 for Peace for Paws. I think I might have met Courtney for the first time there. By the second year, I was involved and helping with planning and building a brand. Year two was held at North High Brewing in the rain, with a silent auction and a few local vendors selling goods. Despite the weather we had a good turnout and raised $1063 for Ruling Our Experiences.

This year, our chosen benefactor was Advocating Opportunity, who provides comprehensive services to women and men who have experienced sex or labor trafficking. Trafficking is a huge problem here in Ohio, and we were pleased to be able to raise over 2k in donations thanks to all of those who attended.

To boot, the crowd was huge and it was a rad ol’ time. I’ve never been a regular attendee to bike and car shows, but what was cool about Miss Behavin’ is that there was a little bit of everything there; from choppers to dirt bikes to vintage street cruisers and hot rods. I brought Uncle Rico out, my ’87 Ford E150 Fiesta Camper Van, with my 79’ XR 185 on the hauler, and left the doors open for folks to see my custom build. There’s something voyeuristic about watching people look at and talk about your ride with you standing there as the anonymous owner. I love seeing the reactions.

I gave one kid the grand tour, which takes a total of five minutes and consists of turning in a circle and pointing at the stove, the spice rack, the raccoon portrait, the fishing pole holders, the convertible couch / bed, the toy van on the van dashboard, and the 80′s/90′s dirt rider mural on the fridge front. It’s a point of pride, especially when I think of three years ago when I had it stripped bare and slowly started re-building the interior, mostly from scrap and donated material. Uncle Rico is an amazing machine, but he paled in comparison to the Firebird, Boss 302 and GMC Sierra Classic staring directly at him (I see you, ladies). And then those paled in comparison to the vintage Chevy truck parked across the alley. I should have brought my Falcon, but it has a track record of breaking down at Miss Behavin…it’s done so every damn year.

My 1990 Kawasaki KDX 200 was leaned against the brewery wall next to rows of bikes of all sorts. Choppers, vintage stock bikes, modern dirt bikes with sumo setups, dual sports, etc etc, but I was seeing so many familiar faces I barely had time to look at them. It’s inspiring to me to get to talk to other women that will rattle off every small detail about their own bikes with the same amount of enthusiasm and love that I have for mine, so my only regret from the event is not being able to spend more time doing that. Columbus has an amazing scene of female bike and car enthusiasts, and MissBehavin’ was definitely proof of the growing motorcycle community, both male and female.

Before I got into the planning and efforts of putting on Miss Behavin, I barely knew many of the women I know now through being involved. Since year one, it’s gone from “they” to “we” and now I call them close friends; women I reach out to for things, women that I hope know they can do the same to me, women that I hope I get to ride with more this coming year. And we’ve now all watched this event grow significantly in three years time. Not only because of our efforts but also because of a community of people all willing to give something to a bigger cause. That’s what it’s all about. Through Miss Behavin’, I’ve learned that the amount of time and effort it takes to plan and execute an event like this can only be met with relentless persistence. It sometimes seems like too much to take on. Until you’re there, at the event, and can catch a moment to really look around at the people, the bikes, the cars, and my sick van ; )

Then it all makes total sense.

If you didn’t make it this year, come out to Miss Behavin’ 2020.

And ride / drive in with your friends.

Miss Behavin’ Founder / creator: Courtney Bryant

Support Crew: Kelly Ortman, Andrea Kellett, Jennifer Marlatt, and me

Support Support Crew: Grant, Dan, Kyle, Tyler

Event Photographer (all photos seen in this post): Erica Gene Clark Photo

Donors:

Low Brow Customs

Rendevous Salon

CD 102.5

Brittney Farley

Cauldron Tattoo

Kumler Collision

The Table

Cafe Napolitana

Clawkeeper

Leslie Sharp

Turner’s Barbershop

Old Familiar Barbershop

Pinned Acupuncture and Wellness

Comune Restaurant

MiddleWest Spirits

Shoppe 815

Electric Soul Cycles

The Space Columbus

Parsons North Brewing Company

Digico

Kat Moya

Midwest Mermaid

Throttle Company

Passion Poor Taste

H&D Tools

Seel Made

Tough Luck

Vendors:

Seel Made

Throttle Company

Electric Soul Cycles

H&D Tools

Midwest Mermaid

Tough Luck

Thunderkiss Coffee

Clawkeeper

Pre-Party: by Pinned at Duecento

Event Host: Land Grant Brewing

After Party Host: Parsons North Brewing

#miss behavin #miss behavin columbus #motorcycles #vintage motorcycles #car show #cruise in #hot rods #classic cars #choppers #vintage cars #moto show #motorcycle show #bike show #charity events #ohio riding #columbus #columbus ohio

[lastsonlost]

The deaths of five people, including three children, in a Morrisville apartment were intended to be a murder-suicide that would claim everyone’s life, two of the survivors who have been charged with homicide told police.

They told investigators that one of the dead women killed at least one of the other victims before she was choked to death by her niece, who survived, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in the case.

Shana S. Decree, 45, and her daughter Dominique Decree, 19, were charged with five counts each of homicide and one count of conspiracy in the deaths of five relatives whose bodies were found Monday inside unit S-7 of the Robert Morris Apartments at 200 W. Bridge St. in Morrisville Borough, according to court documents.

According to the probable cause affidavit, a case worker from the county Children and Youth Department who went to the apartment for an unannounced visit around 4 p.m. Monday made the discovery after no one answered and she asked a maintenance man to check the apartment.

Murder-suicide plan behind death of 5 family members in Bucks County, survivors tell police

by Vinny Vella and Katie Park,Updated: February 26, 2019- 2:03 PM

The deaths of five people, including three children, in a Morrisville apartment were intended to be a murder-suicide that would claim everyone’s life, two of the survivors who have been charged with homicide told police.

They told investigators that one of the dead women killed at least one of the other victims before she was choked to death by her niece, who survived, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in the case.

RELATED STORIES

Bucks murder-suicide plan: Read the charging documents for Shana Decree, Dominique Decree

Bucks County killings: What we know and don’t know about the 5 relatives dead in Morrisville

Bucks DA: Mother, daughter charged after 5 relatives killed

Shana S. Decree, 45, and her daughter Dominique Decree, 19, were charged with five counts each of homicide and one count of conspiracy in the deaths of five relatives whose bodies were found Monday inside unit S-7 of the Robert Morris Apartments at 200 W. Bridge St. in Morrisville Borough, according to court documents.

According to the probable cause affidavit, a case worker from the county Children and Youth Department who went to the apartment for an unannounced visit around 4 p.m. Monday made the discovery after no one answered and she asked a maintenance man to check the apartment.

The victims included Shana Decree’s children, Naa’Irah Smith, 25, and Damon Decree Jr., 13, both of Morrisville; as well as Shana Decree’s sister, Jamilla Campbell, 42, of Trenton, and Campbell’s 9-year-old twin daughters, Imani and Erika Allen.

Bucks County District Attorney Matthew D. Weintraub said Tuesday that Campbell’s 17-year-old son, Joshua, who also lived in the apartment but had not been staying there in recent days, was found safe.

Weintraub said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon that the ”atrocious, atrocious murders” have confounded investigators.

”As confusing as it was last night, we are no closer to understanding [the motive] in the just light of day,” Weintraub said.

Morrisville Police Chief George McClay said the five victims were likely killed between Saturday and Monday. He said officers from his department had been called to the apartment in recent weeks for reports of noise complaints.

On Saturday, he said, social service workers went to the apartment for a wellness check on the children, and no one answered the door. They left a business card in the door before leaving. When they returned Monday for a fresh attempt to check on the children, the card was still in the door, seemingly untouched, he said.

Inside the apartment, furniture was overturned, mirrors were smashed, and the closet doors in one of the three bedrooms had been ripped off its tracks. Family photos were scattered about.

The two suspects were found in a bed and were disoriented, according to police. Dominique Decree had what police described as superficial wounds on her neck.

All five victims were lying either on the floor or crammed into a bed in one of the bedrooms, with one body hidden under another. A knife was found at the scene, although investigators said the victims were not stabbed, shot, or poisoned.

Weintraub stressed that gaining additional insight into how the five died will be a “long, laborious process,” and that the cause and manner of their deaths likely won’t be available for a few weeks.

McClay, the police chief, said the quintuple homicide could be one of the worst murder cases in Bucks County history. ”It’s the saddest case I’ve ever had,” he said.

Shana and Dominique Decree were taken to Jefferson Bucks Hospital, where Shana initially told police that Jamilla Campbell’s boyfriend and two unknown males had killed everyone in the apartment except her and Dominique.

Shana Decree later recanted that statement and told police “everyone at the apartment including the nine-year-olds and 13-year-old wanted to die" and that everyone was “talking about suicide.”

Decree confessed to killing her 9-year-old niece Imani, and said her sister Campbell killed Imani’s twin, Erika. Campbell, she said, also killed Smith, Decree’s 25-year-old daughter, and she said Campbell and Dominique Decree together killed 13-year-old Damon, the affidavit said.

Dominique Decree told detectives at the hospital a different version of events, all while repeatedly telling them of her “wish to die.”

She admitted that she choked Campbell, her aunt, to death. She said her mother killed Damon and Smith — her sister and brother and her mother’s own children — and that her mother also killed Imani, one of her aunt’s twin girls. Dominique Decree said Campbell, her aunt, choked the other twin, Erika, to death.

Weintraub said investigators are not seeking any other suspects and promised that the mother-daughter duo who he said were responsible for the killings would “be made to pay for their crimes."

Shana Decree was jailed without bail after a preliminary arraignment in the pre-dawn hours Tuesday. Dominique Decree, who was hospitalized, was arraigned on Tuesday afternoon. The women will be held without bail in the Bucks County jail.

There was no suicide note found at the scene and authorities said they were at a loss for a motive.

Investigators continue to speak with family members, including Joshua Campbell, Shana Decree’s 17-year-old son, who ran away from home in recent months, for reasons authorities are trying to learn. On Monday night, Campbell was found safe on in Willingboro, N.J., where he was staying with friends.

County spokesman Larry King said he could not comment on any involvement the victims had with the Children and Youth department, citing privacy policies related to active cases. Expanded information on contact the agency had with the family will likely be released at the end of any criminal prosecution, he said.

Weintraub declined to answer similar questions, and would not comment on whether there were any reported mental-health issues within the family.

Outside the Morrisville apartment complex on Tuesday, Thai Hall, 24, of Bristol, was lamenting the death of an old friend. She went to Morrisville High School with Naa’Irah Smith, who was allegedly killed by her mother.

“Sweetest girl ever,” Hall said. “Kept to herself, spoke to herself, was with her boyfriend the majority of the time.”

“Always together,” Hall said. “He’s sweet, too. ... Very respectful, polite, caring.”

Hall looked over at the apartment where Smith lost her life.

“It broke my heart. It really did,” she said. “I was up all night, praying, praying.”

This is a developing story.

[rapeandlaw]

History and Actions Taken Against Rape Culture

As we have touched on before, Rape Culture is present in all facets of American Society.  More than sexual assault, it is a “learned desensitized attitude toward people (particularly women and girls) being violated.”  (Adeeyo 2014)  It creates a general state of unsafety, violence, low self-esteem (among many other things) for women and girls in our society.  This week we will explore the history of this problem and what actions have been attempted and are currently being taken to work against this issue.  

History of Rape Culture (Erika)

The term “Rape Culture” started back in 1975 after the movie Rape Culture was released, the film was made by Cambridge Documentary Films. The purpose of it was to “raise awareness of the normalization of sexual violence in society”(History of Rape Culture). It showed the relationship between rape and our culture’s sexual fantasies that were being displayed in the media. Since the movie was released, the term “rape culture” has been used to explain the way our society promotes sexual violence.

What Actions have been taken to work against Rape Culture?  (Zulu?)

Actions that can be used to combat Rape Culture are illustrated below:

 Avoid using abusive language that degrades women

Speak up if someone make an offensive jokes about rape

 If someone says they have been raped, take them serious and be supportive

Think critically about the media's about women, men, relationship and violence

 Respect people’s physical space even in casual situations

Hold the abuser accountable for their action ( don't let the victim think it is their fault)

Define your manhood or your womanhood, do not let stereotypes shape you or your action

Be an active bystander

An example of a movement that illustrates these actions is the #metoo movement on social media that took place mostly in 2017.  

#metoo

The #metoo movement is one that many have likely heard of.  It was a movement where many people shared their stories of harassment, assault, and rape online with the #metoo to that people could find the stories.  This was a powerful movement that was very eye opening to a lot of people.  It humanized the issue.  For many, looking through their social media and seeing just how many of their acquaintances, friends, and family has experienced the effects of Rape Culture was very eye opening.  For others, it was empowering to share their stories and be held in a community of women who had similar experiences to share.  Though the majority of this movement has passed, it is still relevant to current actions being taken because some are still participating and it is a current topic.  

What Actions are being taken currently to fight Rape Culture? (Alana)

As more and more people wake up to the prevalence of Rape Culture in our society, there are more and more actions being taken against it.  Oftentimes action against Rape Culture is included in organizations that work against sexual violence.  Many organizations go into schools and educate young adults about Rape Culture.  Others spread awareness through more large scale representation such as social media, or marches.

The Amber Rose Foundation

The Slut Walk: After a police told a group of college girls that they shouldn’t dress like sluts if they didn't want to be sexually harassed, a group of women united and created the slut walk.  “The Amber Rose SlutWalk is a nonprofit event that is playing a monumental role in the movement towards gender equality, ending rape culture, victim blaming, slut and body shaming and other social injustice issues.” (Amber Rose Slut Walk 2018) This movement has now reached over 200 countries, created more than 1 billion impressions, hosted over 20,000 attendees, and raised over $700,000.  This is now an annual event that anyone over the age of 18 is welcome to participate in

OpenED: OpenED is a conference created by the Amber Rose Foundation where people are welcome to come to learn, share their stories, and listen to other’s perspectives.  There are keynote speakers and a lot of information to share.  Topics such as: sex positivity; rape culture; diversity and inclusion; digital activism; policy and knowing your rights; gender equality;  and shaming are discussed.  

No! To Rape Culture

No! To Rape Culture is a local organization in Portland that works against Rape Culture.  They are mostly a community of musical people and work to educate people through the arts, and through workshops that they host to spread awareness.  They believe that it is important to “focus on systemic change rather than individual call outs”. (No! To Rape Culture)  They also partner with other social justice organizations to combat Rape Culture locally.  

Rape Culture is a challenging topic to take action against successfully because it is such a systemic issue.  We cannot tackle it simply through changing legislation, convicting perpetrators, supporting survivors, or educating people alone.  We need to use every tactic that we have available to us in order to promote this change.  The more facets of our society that we reach, to more success we will have in changing this narrative that we live everyday.  Furthermore, it is important to gather many different kinds of people to work together against rape culture so that they can influence their own like-minded individual and the effects can ripple out to the masses.

Citations

Adeeyo, Sade. (August 18, 2014)  “Attempting to End Rape Culture, One Community at a Time”.  Retrieved From:  https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/attempting-end-rape-culture-one-community-time

Amber Rose Slut Walk (2018)  “Mission Statement”.  Retrieved From: http://amberroseslutwalk.com/our-story/

No! To Rape Culture (2018)  “About Us”  Retrieved From: https://notorapeculture.bigcartel.com/about-no

History of Rape Culture. (n.d.). Retrieved from  

http://historyofrapeculture.weebly.com/history-of-rape-culture.html

“Rape Culture, Victim, and Facts” (2018) Retrieved From: http://www2.southernct.edu/sexual-misconduct/facts.html

[thesffcorner]

Corrupt by Penelope Douglass

Corrupt is an erothic thriller that’s part of the Devil’s Night series by Penelope Douglas. It mostly follows Erika, daughter to a rich family living in the affluent community in Thunder Bay, who three years ago was involved in an event that sent 3 of Thunder Bay’s most popular and prized boys to jail. Now, they are back, and along with Michael, their best friend and the man Erika has been in love with her entire life, they plan to destroy her and exact their revenge.

This book, is probably the most disappointing thing I have ever read. And I have a lot to say about it, so buckle up; it’s going to be a long review.

First off, this has probably one of the most intriguing premises I have come across in a while; 4 boys who are the richest, most powerful, popular and well protected in an already incredibly rich and affluent community pick one night a year where they do ‘pranks’ that go from stealing trucks to arson and assault, and get away with it, because even though everyone knows who they are, they are so protected by their own community, that they never have to face consequences. Except, because of Erika they do, and now they want revenge, and to complicated things, the one who didn’t go to jail is in love with her. And yet, this book fails to deliver on every possible promise of this premise, which is almost incredible.

PoV Issues:

First off, for whatever reason we have POV’s from both Erika and Michael, which completely takes the mystery out of the book. If the whole premise is Erika not knowing whether Michael likes/hates/wants to sexually assault her, it kind of defeats the purpose of the mystery if we can read exactly what he’s thinking. Having his POV grinds a lot of the book to a halt, and it’s not delivered particularly well either; there’s long stretches of the book where we don’t have his POV, while the ending is almost entirely him, making the book feel uneven; it’s like it can’t decide if he or Erika are the protagonists and as such, character development that should come at the beginning is saved for the very end, at which point I no longer cared.

Pacing and Length:

Second, this book is just way too long. It’s almost 500 pages, and it doesn’t utilize them well. We skip between 3 years ago and the present, and the 3 years ago sections were painful. Everything that happens in the school prior to the actual Devil’s Night is straight out of a poorly written YA book, complete with the ‘popular boy I like doesn’t notice me’ trope, the ‘I think I’m plain, but I’m secretly stunning’, and most infuriatingly dialogue so bad, not only do no teenagers actually speak like that, no humans speak like that.

This was doubly confusing to me, because the one thing Douglas does do well is the banter between the Horsemen (barf); their dialogue and jokes did sound convincingly high school and like boys pretending to be tough and unbothered, but unfortunately we get very little exploring their dynamic.

You’d think that a 500 page book would have time to develop the characters and really flesh out this plan and its intricacies, but no. Instead, we have one scene of MIchael and his dad arguing about trust funds and inheritance, another scene of the guys planning to do something to Erika’s mom (and us not knowing what they did for like 20+ chapters, even though WE CAN READ FROM MICHAEL’S POV), and the rest is just inane bits of I guess character development for Erika, which is delivered in the most blunt, uninteresting straightforward manner. It doesn’t help that in the past sections, it takes about 200 pages for things to actually start getting interesting, because the start is just Erika being tormented relentlessly by all the men around her, and her not standing up, and the present is her series of increasingly dumb decisions, and back and forth between her and Michael. The plot also peaks too early, and the following 100 pages just feel like they are a waste of time rather than building tension.

The Sex Scenes:

The pacing affects even the sex scenes. Some of them are ill placed, and others are so long and drawn out that even if you are reading this book for them, you will be bored out of your mind. Again, this book can’t decide if it’s a genuine erotic thriller with stakes and a plot, and the sex is supposed to play into that, or an erotica with some mild thriller elements. If it’s the former, then the fact that we have no sex for the first 200 pages, and then like 5 or 6 really long scenes near the climax of the thriller plot is not helpful, and neither is the fact that only 2 really contribute to the plot. If it’s the latter, then there are too few of them and they come too late in the book for anyone to care at that point. 500 pages is just too long for an erotic novel, and I was tapped out on caring about the sex by the second proper sex scene.

Writing and Dialogue:

This book is not written… well. Firstly, there are tons of overlong, flat and plain unnecessary descriptions; I don’t need to know the layout of Michael’s family house unless it will contribute to the plot, or every detail of Erika’s childhood if you won’t at least describe it with flare. The point of long descriptions in FP narratives is to give us insight into how the characters see and remember the world; they’ll describe things in their individual way and note what they find important. Here it’s just flat straightforward descriptions of actions or places that tell me nothing about Erika or Michael.

This same style of flat writing permeates the book even in the sex scenes; we get them both from Michael and Erika and they sound exactly the same, there is no difference. In general there is no difference between Michael and Erika’s voices; Michael mentions cocks and boobs more and wants you to know ‘Erika is mine’ and Erika is constantly thinking only about Michael and wants you to know ‘she belongs to no one, except no one is Michael’

She also has these long monologues about wealth, privilege, social pressures and differences between men and women, and it’s almost infuriating, because Douglas is so close to actually saying something meaningful about these things, but it never goes anywhere and it only serves to tell us that yes, Erika is rich, and yes, it sometimes bothers her, but no, she’d never give up the money, even though I guess she wants to feel like she’d survive without it. If it was written better and actually informed Erika’s character, it would be an interesting study of someone who grew up rich and learning how to make it on their own outside of their privileged environment, but like a lot of things, it goes nowhere.

Then there’s the dialogue. It’s bad. I won’t belabor the point, but I will just give you two examples: on page 28:

“Rika,” he lowered his voice, his brown eyes gentle “Baby you’re beautiful. Long blonde hair, legs that no guy in this school can ignore and he prettiest blue eyes in town. You’re gorgeous”

And on page 70:

“What about you?” I finally asked, making him stop. “Did prison change you?”

He turned, looking at me with eerie calmness “I guess we’ll see”

Lack of Genuine Darkness and Consequences:

Like that second example implies, this book is ‘dark’. Unfortunately, that’s probably the biggest missed opportunity. This is hard to talk about without SPOILERS, so skip this part if you still want to read this book.

We are told that Erika did something to put the guys in jail, possibly as revenge for something they did to her; moreover, their plan is to destroy her, which could mean anything. So I was excited to get some genuinely dark stuff, but unfortunately this book has a tendency to whitewash it’s characters, and nothing they do is actually that reprehensible.

First let’s talk about Devil’s Night. I didn’t mind that the pranks the guys pulled were mostly tied to property damage and theft, because, well they are high schoolers. The orgy/sex circle in the catacombs was just… dumb. I can’t imagine why high school students would be down to have sex in an actual CATACOMB in front of a live audience that just so happens not to have phones recording everything but whatever. The only prank the boys pull which is genuinely fucked up was burning the gazebo, but while I didn’t approve, it wasn't anything that was genuinely dark.

What the guys actually do to Erika was also weird. On the one hand, taking her for a ride in a forest and pretending to want to rape her, so they scare her to stay away from Michael is pretty fucked up. But on the other hand, they don’t actually do it, and since it was Trevor pulling the shots, they never even INTENDED to do it. Even Damon, the one guy from the Horsemen who actually participated in the act, had no intention of actually assaulting Erika, which she obviously didn’t know at the time, but it makes his actions much less sinister.

Then there’s Erika. She didn’t actually do it. That’s the big twist; what gets the boys in jail, isn’t actually anything she does. Instead it was Trevor, all along because there is only one true villain and he is Trevor. What lands Damon in jail is a video of him sleeping with the mayor’s daughter, which Trevor sends to the police. Since the girl is underage, it’s legally  not consensual and well… yeah. Again, we can argue all day about consent of minors, but in this book’s universe, Michael is fine for wanting to sleep with a 16 year old Erika, and the book makes sure to tell us that Damon did seduce and consentually sleep with the girl. Even more, the mayor actually hated Damon’s family and used this to destroy him and… can we whitewash Damon a little more please? I don’t think he’s quite saintly enough. He’s the only person who does something in the ballpark of reprehensible, and surprise he’s the other designated villain.

Will and Kai get caught on tape beating up a police officer. Bad, right? Well no, it turns out the police officer they beat up, abused his sister. How noble of them. They are such good people, they went to jail for Will trying to protect his crush (whose gazebo he burned down but… Will makes no sense as a character, don’t dwell on it).

Then the actual plan. First, Michael legally forces Erika’s mother into rehab, which is illegal, but not morally wrong since she is an alcoholic and in essence he’s forcing her to get help. Then Kai, Will and Damon burn down Erika’s house, which was the only part of this plan that I genuinely felt was horrible, but that’s only because we get the one good scene of Michael and Erika bonding over her collection of matches she keeps to remember her father.

Then, Michael takes over as the proprietor of Erika’s estate and freezes all her funds which is again, is a pretty dick move, but didn’t Erika want not to be shackled by her father;s money? Also this is just the last ploy to get Erika to go to the house where the boys are hiding so they can exact their true revenge which is…. To rape her. Maybe.

This part I was really confused by. It seems that’s what they want, but later we are told that they only really wanted to frighten her and make her feel as alone and afraid as they all did when they went to jail. Which again, whitewashes their actions, but even if they did genuinely want to rape her, the plan still makes no sense.

You are telling me that these men, spent 3 years in jail and the only thing that helped them survive it, is a plan to send Erika’s mom to rehab, freeze or destroy her material properties and then rape her? And then what? None of them seem interested in killing her, so do they just… hope she doesn’t go to the police? They all have criminal records, and one of them is probably in the database for sexual offenders! And then, when we find out what had actually happened, everyone just forgives everyone, except Travis the supervillain, who gets MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD.

Now, I want to be very clear. Nothing I say here is something I condone. I do not condone sexual violence, or really any type of violence that isn’t in self defense. But either commit to the characters or don’t damnit!

Commit to the boys assaulting Erika. Maybe don’t go all the way; have Trevor intervene and save her, and maybe he convinces her to use the videos on Will’s phone if you want her to not be solely responsible for sending them to jail. Then the threat of them being in town is genuine because they are actually dangerous people. I would 100% believe that the culmination of their plan is to rape her, if we know they’d done it before, and even more so because of what they had to go through while in prison. It also helps add conflict to Erika and Michael’s characters; he could slowly find out that there was a reason Erika sent them to jail and then he actually has to choose between his friends and her. Erika actually was willing to take justice in her own hands, since she would know first hand how the previous attempt she made to get a rapist to be punished went.

Which leads me to the lack of consequences. As soon as the truth comes out Erika immediately forgives the guys for literary destroying her life, and she especially immediately forgive Michael for not even stopping for a moment to make sure what they guys told him was true, and being willing to let them assault her! Then we have Damon, who gets stabbed, but then completely gets away with helping Travis orchestrate the joyride, assaulting Erika again, kidnapping her, and helping Travis try and kill her. He just fucks off to St Petersburg! (Side note, what kind of person thinks that Damon Torrence is someone who has Russian heritage?)

Travis, a whole mess of a character, kidnaps his ex so he can lure his brother and TRY TO KILL HIM, because his ex is in love with him. He orchestrates a possible rape so he can destroy the relationship between the boys and Erika, sends the boys to jail and why? No reason! And then, he gets shot and killed by Michael, and Michael GETS AWAY WITH IT. There is no trial, no jail time, not scandal in the papers about the son of the wealthiest man in Thunder Bay and a professional NBA BASKETBALL PLAYER killing his own brother! IN WHAT UNIVERSE? That part annoyed me even more than all the other things I mentioned before; there are no consequences and no motivation and this book FAILS as a thriller.

Characters:

Let’s start with actual supervillain Trevor. He is possessive, jealous, arrogant and willing to KILL HIS OWN BROTHER just because the girls he wants is in love with him. Why?

He seems to be their abusive dad’s favorite son, he’s arranged to marry Erika anyway, he gets all of her properties and money and managed to get rid of Michael’s friends. He has everything! All he had to do was just tell his father or Erika that the gang is back and planning something, and none of this would’ve happened. He even gets an evil monologue at the end and tells Erika Damon’s backstory, both of which were straight out of a Bond movie. I hated this stupid waste of a character when he could’ve actually been fleshed out and interesting.

Alex is a character that just exists so Erika isn’t the only girl in this book. There is a very weird and inexplicable implication that she’s attracted to Erika and is maybe bisexual and maybe Erika is bisexual that goes absolutely nowhere and I absolutely hated it. It doesn’t help that this book is weirdly homophobic in some other aspects, and the way all the characters, especially the men treat Alex was just awful.

Out of the three guys, Will was the one I understood the least. He’s an alcoholic and that’s where his character starts and ends. We never learn anything interesting about him, and he barely has 10 lines in total. He might as well not have been there.

Damon we’ve been over; he’s the one that I ended up liking the most, because he was the only actually morally corrupt and interesting character. He outright hates women, has a pretty intense backstory and severe mommy issues, and even gets some interesting dialogue with Erika. He’s the only one I might be tempted to read a book about, but only if it’s much shorter than this.

At first Kai was the most interesting of the group and was the biggest wasted potential. He is closed off, secretive and seems to be the most reasonable one, and I genuinely thought that his big secret was either going to be that he has been in love with Michael this whole time, or that he was also sexually assaulted in jail. We never find out what happened to him in jail, which is a shame, but again, since this is a series it probably something Douglas is saving for the second book. As for his relationship with Michael, without me spoiling anything, it’s exactly the twist with Wentworth Miller’s character from Loft, except if the pool scene actually had actually gone with Miller joining the rest. I never like this type of queerbaity twist, especially, because as I mentioned the representation of anyone who isn’t straight or white in this book is horrendous. 

Michael was both the worst character and the best developed one. I understood where his anger issues stemmed from, why he was so rude and abrasive to everyone, especially Erika and even the hatred he had for Trevor. I wish we actually had time to develop his relationship with Trevor and his father, and actually delved into why they hated each other so much, but we don’t have time for that in this hell. I thought since he was a basketball player, it would actually play a part, but it doesn’t; other than one line about him being distracted because of the plan, the fact that he plays for the NBA is completely irrelevant. His relationship with Erika was infuriating. He supposedly loves her and thinks she’s his match, but he treats her like shit; possessive, hypocritical, controlling and condescending. There is no reason he should have commitment issues but he has those too, and the fact that it takes Erika being in mortal danger before he tells her he loves her was INFURIATING.

Erika was no better. I again, foolishly believed that her being a fencer would have something to do with the plot but other than an excuse for two truly bewildering scenes it doesn’t. She was an incredibly feeble character and the more the book attempted to paint her as becoming this powerful player and ‘corrupt’ girl the more I got Ana Steele and Bella Swan vibes. She is not empowered nor strong; she is constantly pushed around, insulted, yelled at and even physically manhandled by everyone around her. The fact that none of the characters talk to or treat her like an adult, or know how to communicate at all was bewildering, and she herself was just dense. Not only does she make the stupidest decisions, she also multiple times fails to grasp really simple, obvious things and her wanting to be a sociologist because she liked reading people made me scream.

What’s most frustrating, is just like with Michael there are nuggets of a good character here and there; she is sometimes observant and clever, but mostly she just allows everyone to manipulate her and I couldn’t stand it.

Conclusion?

I do NOT recommend this book. It kept me reading only because I was curious to see what had actually sent the gang to jail and when I found out I was too far into the book to justify DNFing it. But it was not good and I have no desire to read any of the subsequent books by her, unless I hear that her writing has drastically improved (which judging by the blurb for Kill Switch, the book about Damon, it doesn’t seem like it).

goodreads

#corrupt review #corrupt #moni talks #book review