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nautiscarader · 6 years

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Nautiscarader's Wendip Week 2018 3: Combat

Dipper, Mabel, Wendy, Soos and Melody team up to rescue their friends. A brawl is surely brewing. Rated T for some mature innuendos and implications.

I'm gonna come out clean here: this fanfic is two years old. It has originally been written for "Seductive" prompt during Wendip Week 2016, except that year I got heavily depressed and barely finished three prompts. However, when I re-read it a few weeks ago, I discovered it was pretty much finished, and it fitted the "combat" prompt as well, so I decided to reuse it. I do hope you will forgive me that.

Wendip, Soos/Melody, Mabifica (mentioned), T, 4,5k

(Read on ao3) (read on FF) (masterpost)

Through deceptively calm waters, a medium-sized, white trawler cut through the thick fog that might have otherwise discouraged other sailors from going forward, but it was nothing to the ones aboard this particular vessel. For once, none of the passengers were actual, trained sailors, and more importantly, they were all determined to arrive at their destination as fast as possible, with one clear intention in their minds: to rescue.

Dipper Pines stood by the steering wheel, which was one just from the name. The fog wasn't a problem for the on-board GPS, though a skilled eye was still necessary to watch out for rocks or other debris. This is why Mabel, Wendy, Soos and Melody all stared ahead giving their captain warnings about oncoming danger. Or rather, they would have if any danger lied ahead. As far as anyone was concerned, it was a straightforward, almost boring route. But they all knew that something in these very waters was an obstacle so formidable, that even the combined minds and strength of both Stanley and Stanford Pines couldn't defeat it.

Of course, no one aboard had thoughts that ghastly. Communication with the Stan o' War II was cut off a bit more than a day ago, and it took all five of their closest friends and family less than few hours to gather resources, travel to, rent a boat and leave from the same port Stan and Ford sailed from almost a month earlier. Mabel insisted on taking the wheel - after all, she has spent last week or so preparing their welcome-back party, and awaited their tales more than anyone else, with the same curiosity and enthusiasm as if she was still thirteen.

But after she steered the ship in a manner so fast and reckless it almost sabotaged the entire trip, the feisty eighteen-year-old was delegated to climb to the only mast of their ship and from her non-existent crow's nest look further than anyone on board, whilst her brother took her place.

And sure enough, it was Mabel who spotted a small, rocky island and a wooden boat next to it on the horizon before it appeared on the radar.

The five adventurers gathered all at the bow, staring into the lessening fog, expecting to see their grunkles' ship in ruins. But to their surprise and relief, when their boat reached the shore, it became obvious the ship was not damaged in any observable way.

Mabel readied her grappling hook, Wendy stayed on the board with her rifle, which she traded temporarily for her usual axe, and watched as the slightly older Pines twin shot her way to board the ship, landed swiftly on her feet, strode to the door of the cabin, and kicked the door to confront any enemies hiding there. But again, there wasn't anyone inside. The electronic devices were still on, recording the same position for the last twenty four hours, and nothing in the room indicated any signs of fight or accident that might have happened.

Mabel gave the other four signal, and they all followed her, about to see what hid in the bowels of the ship. However, that search gave them no more information on what happened to their grunkles than the previous one. Food crates, spare weapons and scientific instruments, all seemed intact.

This time, it was Dipper, who ventured forward along the island's minuscule coast and found an obvious place their grunkles would surely be in: a passage wide enough for more than two people, located between the two pillars that formed the majority of the rocky island, leading to an underground cave.

- Alright, guys. Me and Soos are going in. Don't follow us, it is dangerous in there. - Dipper stated matter-of-factly, giving nod to Soos.

He turned his back when three voices loudly protested.

- Woah, woah, woah, Dipper, what makes you think you can give us orders? - Mabel threw her arms in the air. - Yeah, Dipper, rule one in horror movies: don't split up. - Wendy accompanied her. - Or do you think that just because we're women you can leave us here and do the bravey-brave things yourselves? - Melody added mockingly.

Dipper sighed.

- No, it's nothing like that! - he responded - We don't want anything happen to you... - Oh, sure, and how many times we had to save your sorry arses? - Mabel barked back - We don't have the Y chromosome, "y" as in "Why would you think you're any better than us"? - For the record, I just think it's better if we get eaten than you guys - Soos interjected, which made Melody give the tiniest of gasps at the supposedly romantic gesture of her husband, until Wendy gave her a less-than-subtle nudge in the ribs.

The lumberjill stepped forward to separate the bickering twins.

- Guys, guys, listen - Wendy pushed them aside - Dipper, dude, I know you don't want to risk our lives, but if we want to save Stan and Ford, we need all the firepower we can have. As in, you need us. And we need you two.

Dipper looked deeply into his girlfriend's eyes, then into his sister's, and let out another deep sigh.

- How about this: if we don't return in an hour's time, you will follow. But you will also radio for help before that, understood?

It was time for Wendy, Mabel and Melody to exchange knowing looks, and with grimaces of reluctance still on their faces, they all nodded. Wendy and Melody gave their lesser halves kisses, Wendy fixed the rifles on Dipper's back, and with that, the two slowly walked down the narrow rocky corridor (which proved easy even for Soos). Once the lights from their torches disappeared, the three women quit their act at once.

- So... we wait twenty minutes and then we go in, right? - asked Melody - Right. - Wendy and Mabel responded, readying their weapons without so much as thinking of an answer.

The next third of an hour passed almost instantly. With no contact from the boys, three gals followed their steps, and entered the dark seashore cavern, expecting to be the rescuers of the rescue team. They thought that the walls would get more and more narrow, but the cavern slowly turned into an angled, helical corridor, which after a few dozens of yards became a staircase with occasional straightened lumps of rock and dirt working as steps or landings. The group moved silently, until Mabel pointed her torch at the sandy floor.

Melody was about to scream, but Wendy quickly covered her mouth; the beam of light revealed an old, dusty backpack with the remains of its owner still attached to it. The white bones shone in the light, bringing more questions than answers.

- That's not... is it? - asked Melody with a trembling voice. - Nah, it's too old. - Wendy quickly reassured her - But guys must have seen it. Why didn't they turn back? - Because they're morons?

Melody and Wendy exchanged a concerned look, agreeing with Mabel's decision. They hurried up, following the boys' footsteps, afraid of what could wait for them behind next turn. Their worries came true almost instantly, when Mabel's boot bumped into a metallic, rectangular object, turning it briefly on.

- Look! It's Ford's!

She picked up a tablet which for the last few years served Ford as his new, slightly modernised journal. The screen was cracked, and the battery was almost dead, but his writing was still readable. Wendy and Melody flocked around Mabel, trying to read Ford's notes.

- A "song"? A "trance"? - she read - What is going on? And what's an "iren"? - Dipper!

Before she could turn her head, Wendy rushed forward, screaming for her boyfriend. Melody followed her, leaving Mabel running last in line, trying to read without tripping over rocks.

- "...bird-like creatures, with claws and feathers, known throughout history for... using their voices to lure men"?!

She tossed the tablet into her backpack and run down the rocky corridor, towards the dim green aura coming from its end. Mabel armed her grappling hook and sprinted past her friends, and entered a large cave, ready to confront her opponents.

- Alright, you leave our morons a...lone?

Wendy and Melody arrived a second later, and were equally astonished by what they saw inside. They were greeted by eight pairs of eyes, though only four of them human. The rest belonged to large, scale- and feathers-covered creatures, with beaks and clawed appendages. The brief description from Ford's notes gave the gals a lot of mental images of what the sirens could be doing to Soos, Dipper, Ford and Stan.

"Having fun" wasn't one of them.

- Mabel! Wendy! I thought you'd never arrive!

Dipper waved at the three flabbergasted young women standing by the cave's entrance, examining its decor. They expected sacrificial altars, human skulls used as bowls and cups, or other ghastly elements. Instead, they noticed a huge flat screen TV, emitting the green light they saw before; Soos, together with one of the sirens stared at it, playing a video game, seemingly unaware of the women's arrival. Another siren was sitting with Dipper amongst a huge pile of multicoloured comic books and trading cards. In the back, they noticed a jukebox, snooker table and several comfy chairs, occupied by the two oldest missing adventurers, as well as two more sirens.

- Hello, ladies! - Stan shouted, sipping from what looked like a glass of whiskey. - Didn't expect you here! Care to join us? - Mabel! Wendy! Melody! - Ford looked from up the old, dusty tome he's been reading, putting it on the table. - What brings you here?

The three women once again looked at each other, trying to form a cohesive answer, which given the bizarre circumstances wasn't exactly easy.

- Uhm... To... Rescue you? - Melody begun sheepishly. - Yeah, that's why Dipper and Soos went here. - Mabel pointed to the boys in question. - And we also went to rescue them as well, since, well, they are who they are. - Rescue? - Dipper stood up - Can't you see, we're not in any danger. Come on, tell them, Isobel!

He gave his siren partner a quick nod to her feathered arm, and dragged her from her seat to face Wendy. The distinctively red-beaked creature gave what otherwise might be called a polite smile, though it hasn't improved Wendy's mood at all, and the fact that Dipper was already on first name terms with her definitely hasn't made her lower her rifle.

The other three sirens followed her and flocked to the first one, until she spread her wings and bowed to the newcomers.

- Greetings, brave ladies! Welcome to our humble abodes. - she spoke in a sing-song voice. - My name is Isobel, and these are Mathilda, Ettiene and Fallaise. You have nothing to fear from us. - Oh, yeah? - Mabel retorted - Then why did you lure them all here? - Oh, we didn't lure them! - the siren called Isobel replied - These two gentlemen simply lost their way in the mist, and had to rest. And what would you you prefer: sleep in the boat, or in a nice cave by the fire with all the commodities? - And what about Dipper and Soos? - Wendy joined Mabel, doing another step forward, towards the blue- and yellow- beaked sirens. - The younger ones were weary as well. They are not as skilled sailors as their old... ehm, more experienced friends. - she corrected herself - And what else to offer them than some modern ways of entertainment?

A loud cheer reached the group, causing the sirens and the humans to look at Soos, waving his arms in the air.

- Yes! I got the first place! - he turned to Melody - Did you see this, honey?

Still staring at him, sirens didn't notice Mabel pushing their feathered bodies aside to walk through the barrier they created to reach her brother.

- Dipper, you can't be serious! They are sirens! - she shouted into his ear - They always lure people in. Not just people, men! - Oh, come on, just because they, unlike you, understand our hobbies doesn't mean they are automatically bad!

This was the last straw for Mabel. Her eye twitched, but she remained composed, and simply walked around the room, examining various bits of the odd décor. She circled the cave twice, returning to the same place she started from, with a sly grin on her face.

- These sirens are evil, exhibit A! - she shouted, grabbing the controller that used to belong to the blue siren - This one might looked like a skilled gamer, but behold! Her controller wasn't even connected to the console!

The siren shot her a cold stare, while Soos was stilled absorbed by his avatar on screen, waving a shining trophy with a congratulatory message written in broken English.

- And these - she took the cards Dipper was clutching in his hands - They might look like the originals, with the protective cases and stuff... but they are mere reprints of the originals!

She ripped the card from the foil, exposing the modern back tucked behind the old-looking one.

- And I would be very surprised if these bottles really contained a two-hundred-year old whiskey... - she said taking a healthy sip from the bottle.

The next moment taste and fumes of the alcohol burned through her throat, causing her to spit the entire gulp.

- Okay, maybe that was real.

As if on cue, the four sirens hissed, and four hypnotised men grabbed and shook their heads, as if they just woke up from a hangover-induced sleep.

- Mabel, what is going o- The Sirens!

Dipper screamed and ran towards the rest of the group, secured from the front by the three women. His grunkles swiftly grabbed two empty bottles of whiskey, expanding the armory brought by Wendy and Mabel. Unable to find anything for of her own, Meody resorted to Wendy's axe she held rather clumsily in her hands, never having to use one. Four feminine creatures bristled their hair- and scaled-covered heads and circled the adventurers, trapping them in a corner.

- Kids! We've been kidnapped! Uhm, elder-napped. Napped! - Grunkle Stan shouted - They lured us in with the promise of fair retirement system. I should have known that such a thing doesn't exist! - And then they've kidnapped us too! - Dipper added. - Yeah, no kidding. - snarled Wendy, keeping her eyes on the four creatures. - Uh, Wendy aren't you glad that we're alive?

A very short and sharp turn of her head gave Dipper an answer in a form of cold and angry "I-told-you-so" look, silencing him for good. Wendy readied her double-barrelled rifle when a red siren opened her beak-like mouth.

- Give us our men back - she hissed, stretching her wings. - Never in our lives, you feather-brains. - two bullets fell into the chamber with a metallic "click" - You wanted to steal my boyfriend! - My brother! - And my hubby! - Melody added, steeping in front of Soos, who took the entire situation with surprising calm, perhaps just because he was still going to use the controller as his weapon. - Ladies, I do hope you remember us. - Grunkle Stan peeked his head through the front row, only to tuck it back again when the red Siren opened her jaws again. - Curses! - she hissed - All we wanted were some male friends, who would help us, poor girls be like true nerds! Do you know how difficult it is to be mainstream if you're a woman in those times?

Mabel stepped to the despondent-looking siren, who took her fake glasses and smashed them with her claws.

- Really? - Mabel scratched her head - Do you mean it? You just wanted to belong? - Mabel, I wouldn't trust them! - her brother shouted from the corner. - Yeah, says the one who trusted them. - Wendy snickered. - So... you didn't want to hurt them? - Mabel asked once again, lowering her grappling hook slightly. - Of course! - sang another one - How else would we then use them and feed to our future babies?

Silence fell in the cavern, as all eyes, human or not were now pointed at the green Siren.

- I shouldn't have said that, should I? - There is a reason we don't send you on scouting missions, Mathilda. Attack! - screeched the red-beaked one, and at once the four sirens launched themselves at the humans.

Many things happened at the same time.

First, a loud "Duck, Mabel!" boomed through the cavern, followed by absolutely deafening sound of Wendy firing her rifle. She missed, only narrowly singing the feathers on one of the Siren's head. Her actions, however, were more than precise. The echo of her shot made the rest cover their ears and confuse her opponents for long enough to start their escape.

At least two of the monsters around them begun shrieking, which Wendy assumed was the sound that took control of her friends' minds. Wendy grabbed her boyfriend by the collar of his shirt and rushed to the exit, slamming the closest siren in the beak, ending her song. She turned around to see if Dipper kept his hands over ears, and was quite happy to see his beaming smile, meaning that he understood her plan.

She couldn't say the same about Soos, who had to have his ears covered by Melody, resulting in her using her feet and elbow to parry sirens' attacks, which was, nonetheless, surprisingly effective, even if she could use the actual weapon in her hand.

Using her grappling hook, Mabel found her way to grunkle Stan's back, piggy-backing him to the exit. The same person that just a few minutes ago complained about being weak and left alone, dashed trough the wings and claws of the enemies as if his age did not matter at all.

Ford was the only one who kept his own hearing under control, at least on the other side of his metal plate. With one hand to operate, he used his slightly faulty laser pistol to defend their position, but with their wings, the Sirens were able to prevent the adventurers from reaching their destination. Their initial advantage diminished greatly when the group were separated; Dipper, Wendy, Melody and Soos made it to the tunnel entrance, leaving the rest still fighting.

- We have to keep them occupied! - Ford shouted, wrestling with one of the sirens, steadily advancing to the exit. - Grunkle Ford, do you have any tools with you? - Mabel asked, as she swung above the heads of the sirens, firing from her grappling hook one by one to keep herself mid-air. - I only have this, but what why how would that help? - he reached into his pocket and threw his Swiss omni-knife towards Mabel, when the trajectory of her flight coincided with his position.

One look on Mabel's face told Ford that his great-niece not only had a plan, but also told them what to do.

- Stan, we need to buy Mabel some time! - he shouted, hoping his brother would understand at least part of his words amongst the shrieks.

He did, and the very next moment Stan let go of his ears, ripped his shirt in half and with a roar he rushed towards the sirens. Meanwhile, working under the pressure of time, Mabel fidgeted with the knife's satellite setting, and jammed it into the video cable of the television screen.

- Come on, you ugly chickens! I sacrificed myself to worse monsters than you!

He was about to feel the pain of the claws on his chest, and the soothing, hypnotising melody of their voice in his head, but then, amongst their uproar, a new, much louder voice filled the cavern, gathering the sirens' attention. They all turned, and gathered around the flickering, booming TV.

The paused racing game was gone, and instead a much more rapid and violent one was being played, bringing the attention of not just the sirens, but humans as well, who at least temporarily ceased fighting with them.

- You know, I'm starting to feel ignored... - Stan grumbled. - And it was a pretty decent shirt! - What is the meaning of this? Who- who is playing that? - screamed one of the sirens, pointing to the screen.

A young, blonde face appeared in the upper corner of the screen.

- "It's me, WatchMeCry and this is another EXTREME(TM) and AWESOME(C) episode of my Heroes of Duty letsplay!" - the young man waved his hands towards the camera.

Somewhere above the crowd, Wendy noticed Mabel, swinging on the rope from her grappling hook, with a elongated device in her hand.

- Quick! While they're busy! - she gave command to Stan and Ford.

Allured by the screaming and whining of the streamer, the sirens flocked to the screen, completely oblivious of the fact that his exaggerated style of playing, cursing and reacting to the game were clearly staged. Mabel swiftly fell to the ground, leading her grunkles to the rest of the group, equally baffled by the young man's pitiful gameplay.

- Do people really watch it...? - Wendy raised her brow in disbelief. - I don't really play games, and even I know he sucks. - added Melody - That's the whole point!- explained Mabel, silently pushing the group out of the cavern - He has to be so horrible, so he can play more, do crappy commentaries and tell unfunny jokes!

As if on command, the sirens roared into laughter, following the blonde gamer's series of insults about his virtual opponent's mother.

- Brilliant, Mabel! That will keep'em interested for good. - Wendy cheered. - No it won't! - interjected Ford, interrupting Wendy's speech, and taking his futuristic device from his great-niece - Mabel, great work, but we have to make sure these monsters won't lure any other bystanders, like they fooled us! I should've known they wouldn't have a complete proof of Ziemann's hype-othesis... - he scratched his head in embarrassment. - First of all, grunkle Ford, it's on autoplay, they still have more than seven hundreds hours of his videos, and he keeps pumping them out daily. - Mabel continued - Secondly, once they find that this guy sells his face on t-shirts, and allows donations just to show a silly message on screen, they won't need anything else. Just look at them!

The fours sirens gathered around the TV screen, passing their snacks around, commenting about the gamer's hair, his unmistakable manner of screaming and his almost childish approach to losing, and the way he trashed his controller around the room. The once mighty monsters, now completely mesmerised by their own weapon left only long shadows on the cavern's walls.

- But... their lives may put others at risk! - continued Ford, unabashed by that sight - Lives? Grunkle Ford, what lives? - Mabel spread her arms - Let's face it, these sirens ain't gonna sire anything for a long time.

The adventurers looked at each other, exchanging the nods, agreeing with Mabel's plan.

- But just to be sure, let's block the exit with a hu-uge rock. - Mabel winked.

The small port tavern in the town of Orstan had very few customers this time of year, so the late night arrival of party of seven, each demanding food and drink initially astonished the owner. But when the oldest two started spinning the tales of their sea adventures, the barman himself joined their table and listened to the wild and colourful stories.

Not all people around the table listened as eagerly as the barman or Mabel, who kept asking Ford to re-tell the same fight with double-headed shark again and again. Dipper Pines sipped the soda from his beer mug, staring into the foam forming on top of it, and only when Wendy gave him a quick nudge he realised she's not been listening to Ford and Stan as well.

- What's wrong Dipper? - I feel horrible, Wendy. - he groaned under his breath - How could I fell for the sirens trap? I've read about them! I knew their weapon! - Dipper, don't be so hard on yourself. - she put a hand on his shoulder - You guys have been hypnotised, you couldn't do anything... - Yeah, but that easily? - Dipper sighed again. - I told you that you mean a world to me, and no other girl would do the same to me... And Soos promised that to Melody in church. And we were both bamboozled by those four.

Wendy snickered, spilling ale from her mug.

- Okay, first of all, no one uses that word anymore. And secondly, look at Melody.

She pointed to the opposite side of the table, where the other shop assistant at the Mystery Shack curled in Soos' arms ready to fall asleep if not for Stan and Ford's story.

- Does this looks like a couple that is about to break up because of this? - No... - Dipper answered, and flinched, when he felt Wendy's arms closing around his stomach. - Yeah, and neither will we. - she gave his ear a gentle kiss. - So... you're not angry at me? - Dipper, you gawked at that beaked bitch as if she was the next wonder of the world, and she would have babies with you, of course I'm angry. - she kissed him again - But that doesn't mean I can't forgive you. After all, you're just a man. - Hey, what was that supposed to mean? - Dipper turned his head around and met Wendy's face beaming with a smile. - Why don't you show me?

Her low, alluring voice caused Dipper to spill his drink again, but this time, he grabbed Wendy's mug, gulped down a bit of heavy alcohol, and let his girlfriend drag him to their room.

Half an hour later delightful stories told by Ford and Stan turned into singing contest of loud and obnoxious shanties that drove Mabel mad. And with both Soos and Melody as well as Dipper and Wendy gone to their respective beds, she gulped down another mug of beer, hoping it would make her asleep here and not have to be sandwiched between their noisy rooms.

- I wish Paz was here...

The whole premise for the story was, of course, the "fake gamer girl" cliche, and often associated with it mistakes like disconnected controller/turned off console/lack of cartridge often shown on some poor photoshops that were supposed to market that demographic.

Isobel, Ettiene and Fallaise are names of three Hagravens from The Elder Scroll games; they appear in Bloodmoon, Morrowind's DLC and later in Dragonborn, Skyrim's DLC.

"WatchMeCry" is, for those who have been living under a rock - just like those Sirens - a parody of "colourful", shall we say, streamers like PewDiePie.

Ziemann's "hype-otheosis" is a joke on famous, (currently) unproven Riemann's hypothesis.

Orstan is a parody of a port town in Oregon called Orford.

#wendip #wendipweek #wendip week #wendy x dipper #dipperxwendy #gravity falls #dipper pines #wendy corduroy #nautiscaraderfics #combat

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sleepy-hailey · 6 years

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Pacific Rim: Uprising

So as some of you might know, I like giant monsters and I like writing stuff (in theory), so how about I try combining the two things. In like a tangible way, not like the Kumonga (giant spider from Godzilla series) fanfic I have been working on for well over a year that still is not halfway done.

I am going to give my short and spoiler-free thoughts here and then go into more depth under the cut.

I really liked it. I laughed out loud at some of the gags, my mouth hung agape during some of the action, I whispered excitedly to my girlfriend next to me who had her own adorably goofy grin throughout, my feels got poked here and there, and I left the theater really happy. It was not perfect by any means nor was it as good as the first, but I will honestly probably watch again while it is still in theaters once it goes discount.

Now for my detailed thoughts where I spoilerize the whole movie.

Having said that I liked it, the first thing I want to talk about is, from what I’ve seen, the biggest point of contention. They fridged Mako Mori. For those who don’t know, “fridging” is a short hand for “Women in Refrigerators” which is when a character, usually a woman, is killed or otherwise brought to dramatic harm for the narrative benefit of another character, generally used for making a guy sad and angry. What separates this from general tragedy in fiction is that usually the character whom the harm befalls was a character in their own right and what happens to them has nothing to do with them or their narrative.

Mako Mori was the deuteragonist, or second main character, of Pacific Rim 1. What made her different from just being a supporting character was that she had her own story entirely independently from the other main character, Raleigh. Her story was about how her family was killed in a kaiju attack, she was adopted by the legendary pilot Stacker Pentecost, she longed to become a pilot herself and strike back against the monsters that had taken so much from her and others and to prove to her adopted father that was as strong and capable as he. In Uprising she is killed in a helicopter crash to prevent her from delivering her negative views to a committee about deploying drone Jaegars. She is mourned briefly (but with incredible acting by John Boyega) and it’s revealed that her dying act was to send information that advances the plot one step.

This is a really crappy way to see a character out. This is right up there or worse than things like Tokyo S.O.S. where the entire previous movie was about building up the character of Akane only to shuffle her off at the start of the sequel for “Special Training in America”. This is worse than the Power Rangers’ peace conference they kept sending Rangers too. I mean, in the 2nd Mortal Kombat movie, they kill Johnny Cage in the first five minutes and THAT was better than Mako’s exit because at least he died doing things in his character, ya know, fighting the bad guy, and it raised the stakes by saying “oh this guy beat the tough guy in the previous movie but THIS tough guy killed him like nothing”. The other main character from the first, Raleigh, is just never seen nor is his fate brought up, THAT would have been preferable to this.

I’ve heard rumors that this was done for political reasons to get better box office in China. The first movie’s bad performance in China was largely blamed on the fact that it featured a Japanese woman protecting China, or so it is said. I’m not sure if I believe that was the actual motivation, but with the lousy killing of that Japanese woman and then having a Chinese woman go on to protect Japan, well, I see where the rumor is coming from at least.

So yeah, tl;dr, the way they killed Mako sucked and I don’t blame anyone if that’s a deal-breaker on their enjoyment of this movie. If they decide to bring her back as a cyborg or say that she survived the crash, but they put her in hiding for her protection, or whatever in Pacific Rim 3, I’m all for it. It would be dumb, but not as dumb as how they wrote her out in the first place.

All that out of the way, there was a lot I liked. The Mako thing puts a big “but” on my feelings, but I still liked it. There were other little issues I’ll talk about too, but none of them are comparable to the killing of Mako.

STUFF I LIKED! Jake Pentecost! I have yet to see John Boyega not be a delight to watch and this movie did not break that streak. His character was funny and charming in a dorky way. He also had to do most of the emotional lifting on this movie (with his dead disappointed dad and his newly dead sister and his shame at his past bad behaviors) and he carries that weight like a friggin champ. Also I really liked how they seemed to be leaning towards a OT3 with his copilot, whom he does call sexy and seems to have the most feelings about, and that engineer lady, who was just kinda there to make it less gay I guess.

The cadets! These kids, I may not remember all their names, but they brought a great feeling to the movie. I’m not gonna lie, I like kids’ stuff sometimes (a lot of the time depending on your definition of kids’ stuff) and kids in action/adventure is easy to fuck up. They brought in a lot of energy and the idea of “the younger generation” being able to step up and even being pushed to do so before it might be seen as appropriate due to a rapidly deteriorating situation is certainly relatable. Also they actually killed one of them as a way of saying “no, their youth does not guarantee their safety for the finale”. Also they used a giant robot to flip off a giant monster and I have to respect that.

Scrapper! Most the Jaegars in this movie felt more than a bit derivative of the ones from PR1, but that little girl was a delight. I liked the idea of a mini Jaegar able to run with one person and move into smaller areas faster. I loved how she rolled up into a little ball to preserve momentum and to protect the pilot during impacts. I loved her being used to do field maintenance on one of the bigger Jaegars in the finale. I just really feel that scrapper was an unsung hero of the movie.

Newt and Hermann! PRECIOUS GAY NERDS! If you watched PR1 and 2 and you actively deny that these two are in love, we are not friends any more (feelings of ambivalence are fine, but it won’t win you any points in my book). These two stole the show every single time they were on screen and that is impressive for a giant monster movie to make me actually more into the scientist characters than the pilots. I know some people were pissed about Newt being brainwashed by the Precursors, but it’s not like he was a willing ally. I mean, he was all but crying when he was strangling Hermann (who also seemed to be effing reassuring him that it wasn’t his fault and aaaaaaa I’m gonna cry). And honestly, I think giving the Precursors and the kaiju a human face and voice, and one as interesting as Newt’s, was a great idea. It actually made me hate the Precursors in a way beyond the generic “they’re trying to destroy the earth” way. If a third happens I want Newt to be struggling back and forth under their control. Also he and Hermann should kiss.

This does segue into my favorite complaint against most things by the way; it should have been gayer. I use this complaint so much that it’s basically a running joke with my friends, but I mean it every time. Newt and Hermann are in love. Their plot in the first movie was all about them coming together and how it made them better and helped them to aid in saving the world. In this movie, I don’t even know where to start, it’s just unambiguously a sad romance where two people’s lives split when they both know they’re happier together. Like even the people making the movie straight up say that, yeah, that’s intentional and it would have been explicit if the powers that be didn’t fear losing money by having gay stuff. Also there’s no way way Viktoriya’s hostility towards Amara didn’t stem from misplaced feelings of attraction, I honestly expected (hoped with my gay heart) that Vic would kiss Amara during the finale.

I liked the kaiju! THIS SHOULDN’T SURPRISE ANYONE! Now the three main kaiju that attack Japan, none of them really stood out too much to me other than one of them had a cool thing where their face opened up and one of them liked to dig I guess(?), but that wasn’t all we got. The Jaegar/Kaiju hybrids that attacked in mass were pretty effing cool, honestly with their color variation from white to kaiju blue glowy bits and weapons and yeah. Then we got the Ultra Kaiju that was a combination of the three big un’s that attack Japan, that thing was quite the friggin monster. It may seem like a silly thing, but a kaiju that is a giant to other giants always gets me, like, terrified if done right. Were any of them better than my girl Otachi from PR1? No, but I wouldn’t mind having toys of any of them on my desk either.

The action! I mean, duh, it’s an action movie, if you don’t like the action you’re not gonna have a good time. I can’t say it was better than PR1, but I CAN say it was better LIT than PR1 with all the colors of the kaiju and jaegars shining brilliantly and all their moves on clear display. And they did a damn Rider Punch from the atmosphere to kill the Ultra Kaiju. I even loved Newt and Hermann beating up the guards in the elevator in their feisty nerd way.

Oh yeah, the other thing I didn’t really like was the ending. Like the very ending after they Rider Punched the Ultra Kaiju to death and captured Possessed Newt. I get that they were trying to have a light moment much like the end of PR1, but Jake and Amara having a snowball fight right after a fight that left them both pretty banged up and one of the cadets dead, along with probably a lot of civilians, was just kinda weak and odd. And where the flip was Shao? She was instrumental in saving the world, you'd think they'd give her a parting scene/shot. Then came the sequel stinger and I just wasn’t feeling the idea of a movie where we invade the Anteverse. I mean, it might be cool, but it just made me think of a movie with humans running around in giant robots and stomping on aliens, but it being ok because it was us doing it to them this time.

So yeah, those are some of my thoughts on Pacific Rim: Uprising. I get why some people hated it or just didn’t care that much about it, but I enjoyed it even with it doing Mako dirty. See you in the drift, nerds!

#pacific rim uprising #pacific rim #blogging on my blog #long post #kaiju #spoilers

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madewithonerib · 4 years

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Leviticus 26:26 | When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will bake your bread in a single oven & dole out your bread by weight, so that you will eat but not be satisfied.

[Leviticus 26:27; 2 Kings 6:25; Psalm 105:16; Isaiah 3:1; Isaiah 5:10; Ezekiel 4:16; Ezekiel 4:17; Ezekiel 5:16; Ezekiel 14:13]

When I cut off, בְּשִׁבְרִ֣י (bə·šiḇ·rî) Strong's Hebrew 7665: To break, break in pieces [3x: Leviticus 26:26; Ezekiel 30:18; Ezekiel 34:27]

Ezekiel 30:18 | The day will be darkened in Tahpanhes when I break the yoke of Egypt & her proud strength comes to an end. A cloud will cover her, & her daughters will go into captivity.

Ezekiel 34:27 | The trees of the field will give their fruit, & the land will yield its produce; MY flock will be secure in their land. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bars of their yoke & delivered them from the hands that enslaved them.

Filtered combination: bread + women = 5x [Leviticus 26:26; 1 Samuel 21:4; 2 Samuel 6:19; 1 Chronicles 16:3; Isaiah 4:1]

1 Samuel 21:4 | “There is no common bread on hand,” the priest replied, “but there is some consecrated bread—provided that the young men have kept themselves from women.”

2 Samuel 6:19 | Then he distributed to all the multitude of Israel, both men & women, a loaf of bread, a date cake, & a raisin cake. And all the people departed, each for his own home.

1 Chronicles 16:3 | Then he distributed to each & every Israelite, both men & women, a loaf of bread, a date cake, & a raisin cake.

Isaiah 4:1 | In that day seven women will take hold of one man & say, “We will eat our own bread & provide our own clothes. Just let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!”

of bread, לֶחֶם֒ (le·ḥem) Strong's Hebrew 3899: Food, bread, grain [155x: Genesis 3:19; Genesis 14:18; Genesis 18:5; Genesis 21:14; Genesis 25:34; Genesis 28:20; Genesis 31:54; Genesis 37:25; Genesis 43:32; Genesis 47:12; Genesis 47:15; Genesis 47:17; Exodus 16:3; Exodus 16:4; Exodus 16:22; Exodus 16:29; Exodus 18:12; Exodus 25:30; Exodus 29:23; Exodus 29:23; Exodus 34:28; Exodus 35:13; Exodus 39:36; Exodus 40:23; Leviticus 3:11; Leviticus 3:16; Leviticus 7:13; Leviticus 8:26; Leviticus 21:6; Leviticus 21:8; Leviticus 21:17; Leviticus 21:21; Leviticus 21:22; Leviticus 22:25; Leviticus 23:17; Leviticus 23:20; Leviticus 26:26; Numbers 21:5; Numbers 28:24; Deuteronomy 8:9; Deuteronomy 9:9; Deuteronomy 9:18; Deuteronomy 10:18; Deuteronomy 16:3; Deuteronomy 29:6; Joshua 9:5; Judges 7:13; Judges 8:5; Judges 19:5; Judges 19:19; 1 Samuel 10:3; 1 Samuel 10:4; 1 Samuel 14:24; 1 Samuel 14:28; 1 Samuel 16:20; 1 Samuel 17:17; 1 Samuel 20:34; 1 Samuel 21:4; 1 Samuel 21:5; 1 Samuel 21:5; 1 Samuel 21:7; 1 Samuel 21:7; 1 Samuel 21:7; 1 Samuel 22:13; 1 Samuel 25:18; 1 Samuel 28:20; 1 Samuel 28:22; 1 Samuel 30:11; 1 Samuel 30:12; 2 Samuel 3:35; 2 Samuel 3:35; 2 Samuel 6:19; 2 Samuel 9:7; 2 Samuel 9:10; 2 Samuel 9:10; 2 Samuel 12:20; 2 Samuel 13:5; 2 Samuel 16:1; 1 Kings 4:22; 1 Kings 5:9; 1 Kings 7:48; 1 Kings 13:8; 1 Kings 13:9; 1 Kings 13:16; 1 Kings 13:17; 1 Kings 13:18; 1 Kings 13:19; 1 Kings 13:22; 1 Kings 13:22; 1 Kings 13:23; 1 Kings 14:3; 1 Kings 17:6; 1 Kings 17:11; 1 Kings 18:4; 1 Kings 18:13; 1 Kings 21:7; 1 Kings 22:27; 2 Kings 4:42; 2 Kings 4:42; 2 Kings 6:22; 2 Kings 18:32; 2 Kings 25:3; 2 Kings 25:29; 1 Chronicles 9:32; 1 Chronicles 16:3; 2 Chronicles 4:19; 2 Chronicles 13:11; 2 Chronicles 18:26; Ezra 10:6; Nehemiah 5:14; Nehemiah 5:18; Job 24:5; Job 42:11; Psalm 14:4; Psalm 42:3; Psalm 53:4; Psalm 78:20; Psalm 78:25; Psalm 80:5; Psalm 104:14; Psalm 105:16; Psalm 127:2; Psalm 136:25; Psalm 146:7; Proverbs 4:17; Proverbs 20:17; Proverbs 23:3; Proverbs 23:6; Proverbs 28:21; Proverbs 30:8; Ecclesiastes 9:11; Ecclesiastes 10:19; Isaiah 3:1; Isaiah 3:7; Isaiah 28:28; Isaiah 30:20; Isaiah 36:17; Isaiah 44:19; Isaiah 55:2; Jeremiah 37:21; Jeremiah 41:1; Jeremiah 44:17; Jeremiah 52:6; Jeremiah 52:33; Lamentations 1:11; Lamentations 4:4; Ezekiel 4:16; Ezekiel 4:16; Ezekiel 4:17; Ezekiel 13:19; Ezekiel 16:49; Daniel 10:3; Amos 4:6; Amos 7:12; Malachi 1:7]

Genesis 3:19 | By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground— because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, & to dust you shall return.”

Genesis 14:18 | Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread & wine—since he was priest of GOD Most High—

Genesis 18:5 | And I will bring a bit of bread so that you may refresh yourselves. This is why you have passed your servant’s way. After that, you may continue on your way.” “Yes,” they replied, “you may do as you have said.”

Genesis 18:6 | So Abraham hurried into the tent & said to Sarah, “Quick! Prepare three seahs of fine flour, knead it, & bake some bread.”

Genesis 19:3 | But Lot insisted so strongly that they followed him into his house. He prepared a feast for them & baked unleavened bread, & they ate.

Genesis 21:14 | Early in the morning, Abraham got up, took bread & a skin of water, put them on Hagar’s shoulders, & sent her away with the boy. She left & wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.

Genesis 25:34 | Then Jacob gave some bread & lentil stew to Esau; he ate & drank, & then got up & went away. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Genesis 28:20 | Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If GOD will be with me & watch over me on this journey, & if HE will provide me with food to eat & clothes to wear,

Genesis 31:54 | Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain & invited his relatives to eat a meal. And after they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain.

Genesis 37:25 | And as they sat down to eat a meal, they looked up & saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, & myrrh on their way down to Egypt.

Genesis 43:32 | They served Joseph’s brothers separately from him & the Egyptians who ate with him, because Egyptians would not eat with Hebrews, since that was detestable to them.

Genesis 47:12 | Joseph also provided his father & fellow believers & all his father’s household with food for their families.

Genesis 47:15 | When the money from the lands of Egypt & Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph & said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our funds have run out!”

Genesis 47:17 | So they brought their livestock to Joseph, & he gave them food in exchange for their horses, the animals of their flocks & herds, & their donkeys. Throughout that year he provided them with food in exchange for all their livestock.

Exodus 16:3 | “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt!” they said. “There we sat by pots of meat & ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death!”

Exodus 16:4 | Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out & gather enough for that day. In this way I will test whether or not they will follow MY instructions.****

Exodus 16:22 | On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much food—two omers per person—& all the leaders of the congregation came & reported this to Moses.

Exodus 16:29 | Understand that the LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day HE will give you bread for two days. On the seventh day, everyone must stay where he is; no one may leave his place.”

Exodus 18:12 | Then Moses’ father-in-law Jethro brought a burnt offering & sacrifices to GOD, & Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of GOD.

Exodus 25:30 | And place the Bread of the Presence on the table before ME at all times.

Exodus 29:23 | along with one loaf of bread, one cake of bread made with oil, & one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread that is before the LORD.

women, נָשִׁ֤ים (nā·šîm) Strong's Hebrew 802: Woman, wife, female

[55x: Genesis 4:19; Genesis 6:2; Genesis 11:29; Genesis 31:35; Genesis 31:50; Leviticus 26:26; Deuteronomy 17:17; Deuteronomy 21:15; Judges 8:30; Judges 21:18; Judges 21:23; Ruth 1:4; 1 Samuel 1:2; 1 Samuel 15:33; 2 Samuel 1:26; 2 Samuel 15:16; 2 Samuel 20:3; 1 Kings 3:16; 1 Kings 11:1; 1 Kings 11:3; 1 Chronicles 4:5; 1 Chronicles 7:4; 1 Chronicles 14:3; 2 Chronicles 11:21; 2 Chronicles 11:23; 2 Chronicles 13:21; 2 Chronicles 24:3; 2 Chronicles 28:8; Ezra 10:2; Ezra 10:3; Ezra 10:10; Ezra 10:14; Ezra 10:17; Ezra 10:18; Ezra 10:44; Ezra 10:44; Nehemiah 13:23; Nehemiah 13:27; Esther 1:9; Job 42:15; Proverbs 14:1; Isaiah 4:1; Isaiah 27:11; Isaiah 32:9; Jeremiah 9:20; Jeremiah 29:6; Jeremiah 29:6; Lamentations 2:20; Lamentations 4:10; Lamentations 5:11; Ezekiel 16:41; Ezekiel 23:2; Daniel 11:37; Nahum 3:13; Zechariah 5:9]

Genesis 4:19 | And Lamech married two women, one named Adah & the other Zillah.

Genesis 6:2 | the children of GOD saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, & they took as wives whomever they chose.

Genesis 11:29 | And Abram & Nahor took wives for themselves. Abram’s wife was named Sarai, & Nahor’s wife was named Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah & Iscah.

Genesis 31:35 | Rachel said to her father, “Sir, do not be angry that I cannot stand up before you; for I am having my period.” So Laban searched, but could not find the household idols.

Cross Reference: Famine

Leviticus 26:27 | But if in spite of all this you do not obey ME, but continue to walk in hostility toward ME,

2 Kings 6:25 | So there was a great famine in Samaria. Indeed, they besieged the city so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, & a quarter cab of dove’s dung sold for five shekels of silver.

Psalm 105:16 | HE called down famine on the land & cut off all their supplies of food.

Isaiah 3:1 | For behold, the LORD GOD of Hosts is about to remove from Jerusalem & Judah both supply & support: the whole supply of bread & water,

Isaiah 5:10 | For ten acres of vineyard will yield but a bath of wine, & a homer of seed only an ephah of grain.”

Ezekiel 4:16 | Then HE told me, “SON of man, I am going to cut off the supply of food in Jerusalem. They will anxiously eat bread rationed by weight, & in despair they will drink water by measure.

Ezekiel 4:17 | So they will lack food & water; they will be appalled at the sight of one another wasting away in their iniquity.”

Ezekiel 5:16 | When I shower you with the deadly arrows of famine & destruction that I will send to destroy you, I will intensify the famine against you & cut off your supply of bread.

Ezekiel 14:13 | “SON of man, if a land sins against ME by acting unfaithfully, & I stretch out MY hand against it to cut off its supply of bread, to send famine upon it, & to cut off from it both man & beast,

Pulpit Commentary by D.S. Jones [1836-1917] | | Isaiah 4:1

1.] Seven women shall take hold of one man. This verse has been well called a "companion picture to Isaiah 3:6-7.

As there, in the evil time of GOD's judgment, the despairing men are represented as" taking hold" of a respectable man to make him their judge,

so now the despairing women "take hold" of such a man & request HIM to allow them all to be regarded as HIS wives.

There has been such a destruction - men have become so scarce - that no other way can women escape the shame & reproach of being unwedded & childless.

2.] Our own bread will we eat. They do not ask HIM to support them; they are able & willing to support themselves.

3.] To take away; rather, take thou away - the imperative mood, not the infinitive.

4.] Our reproach. Children were regarded as such a blessing in the ancient times that to be childless was a misfortune & a subject of reproach.

Hagar "despised" the barren Sarai [Genesis 16:4].

Her "adversary provoked Hannah sore, because the LORD had shut up her womb" [1 Samuel 1:6].

Compare the lament of Antigone, who views it as a disgrace that she descends to the tomb unwed [Soph. 'Antig.' 11, 813-816].

Among the Jews childlessness was a special reproach, because it took away all possibility of the woman being in the line of the Messiah's descent [comp. Isaiah 54:1-4].

Charles John Ellicott, Theologian [1819–1905] | | Isaiah 4:1

[1] And in that day seven women—The CH division wrongly separates this verse from the foregoing.

It comes as the climax of the chastisement of the daughters of Zion, as the companion picture to [Isaiah 3:6].

Isaiah 3:6 | A man will seize his brother within his father’s house: “You have a cloak—you be our leader! Take charge of this heap of rubble.”

As men sought eagerly, yet in vain, a protector, so women should seek for a husband.

Those who had been wooed & courted, & had been proudly fastidious, should supplicate in eager rivalry [the 7 women to 1 man implies a land depopulated by war, & so making polygamy natural] for the protection of marriage, & that not on the usual conditions of having food & clothing found for them [Exodus 21:10], but as working for their own livelihood.

3.] To take away our reproach—Better, as an imperative, take thou away. The reproach is that of being childless.

From the Jewish standpoint that was not only the great sorrow, but the great shame, of womanhood, implying, as men thought, a sin of which it was the chastisement [Genesis 30:23; 1 Samuel 1:6; Luke 1:25].

Genesis 30:23 | & she conceived & gave birth to a son. “GOD has taken away my shame,” she said.

1 Samuel 1:6 | Because the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival would provoke her & taunt her viciously.

Luke 1:25 | “The LORD has done this for me. In these days HE has shown me favor & taken away my disgrace among the people.”

#exegete #Leviticus 26:26 #le·ḥem #bread #nā·šîm #women

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junker-town · 4 years

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Chennedy Carter is a future legend hiding in plain sight

Everything you need to know about the future WNBA star you’re not talking about.

When you’re watching Chennedy Carter play, it’s tempting to look up. She has, after all, averaged over 20 points a game since her freshman year playing in one of the toughest conferences in the NCAA, with shots from all over the court that tend to scrape the top of your TV.

Regular-season games take on the intensity of tournament matchups thanks to her relentless, risky attacks. NBA threes swish as neatly as mid-range jumpers and under-the-basket buckets. Listed at 5’9, and more like 5’7, she’ll get around anyone, thanks to her superhuman quickness, or just jump over them, temporarily en pointe as she propels herself straight skyward, releasing the ball at the very top of her reach. None of Carter’s decisions make sense until after they happen, at which point you’re left agape.

“Nobody is a better scorer under pressure or when the game is on the line,” says Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair. “That’s her strength: she’s not afraid to miss the last shot. She’s willing to take that last shot, and live with the consequences or the rewards.”

And don’t get her wrong: Carter loves to shoot. Sometimes, when a bucket is just undeniable, she’ll allow herself a little shoulder shimmy to celebrate — like last year in the Sweet 16, when she scored 35 points in a close shootout that wound up going Notre Dame’s way.

The loss still stings, as does the fact the junior was robbed of redemption in this year’s tournament, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. But the feeling of scoring those 35 points is evident in Carter’s suddenly rapturous tone.

“That game, the rim just felt so wide open,” she recalls. “I was so focused and locked in. Just hot — I felt it everywhere, so [the shimmy] was a natural thing.”

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But as the Texas A&M guard prepares for the WNBA Draft where she’s more than likely to be chosen in the top five, anyone who knows her — including herself — will tell you her game was built from the ground up.

“I think having an incredible handle is essential in the game today,” she says. Hers was cultivated below the hardwood by her father Broderick, who first taught her to dribble with a tennis ball on the grass in their backyard in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs. That handle has been the stuff of YouTube mixtapes since she was in high school, her best weapon in carving out space that would be invisible to anyone else. “You have to be able to get by a defender and create your own shot,” she explains patiently. “The ability to do that separates players from each other.”

The Handles of Chennedy Carter

Texas A&M Women’s Basketball's Chennedy Carter has the best handles in the game

Posted by SEC Network on Saturday, March 30, 2019

Allen Iverson, unsurprisingly, was her original inspiration (just check out her shooting sleeve). But with her own particular set of talents, her remarkable athleticism and eye for the game, Carter has a chance to set herself apart from both her heroes and her peers, writing a new basketball legend from inside the W.

“I think Chennedy is often left out of conversations because people don’t know what to make of her,” says ESPN analyst LaChina Robinson. “She has a gift — she’s very different, and very special. A lot of it has to do with her ball control. Overall talent-wise, without considering team needs, she would go no lower than No. 2 in the draft.”

It’s the shooting, and the ball handling, and the tiny details that make both of those things look so smooth. “You’re always having to work with girl and women basketball players to get lower, to swivel the hips and make that turn quicker,” adds Kit Martin, head coach at Carter’s alma mater, Mansfield Timberview High School. “That was never the case with Chennedy. Her shoulders get so low, and she’s so quick that it’s just on a different level.”

There’s also the passing: Carter had a 27 percent assist rate this past season, and her feeds tend to be as fun to watch as her buckets (none other than Atlanta Dream coach Nicki Collen noted in a pre-draft press conference that she thought Carter was an “underrated passer”). “The speed off the bounce into a pass is exceptional,” Martin adds.

She pauses, understanding she sounds a little biased — after all, Carter will be watching Friday’s draft at her house. So she lists some of the players she’s coached and coached against: Lisa Leslie, Tamika Catchings, Alana Beard, Dawn Staley. “Nobody wants to hang their hat yet on Chennedy; everybody wants to wait and see. But I have seen a lot of the best talent close up,” Martin concludes, “and I really believe she’s going to blossom against one of the best players that’s ever played.”

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Carter never saw herself doing anything else. “I’ve always wanted to be a professional basketball player,” she says. “I’m really ready to fulfill my dream.” Along with those backyard tennis-ball drills with her dad, she spent her youth playing alongside her three brothers — two older, one younger. “I used to just try to play until I could win, over and over and over again,” Carter recalls. Her older brothers were bigger than her, but it didn’t make a difference — she would triumph eventually. ”They still really think they can beat me,” she adds with a laugh.

It’s those endless hours hooping outside with her siblings, Carter says, that partially account for her approach to the game, which fans might describe as swagger and critics might characterize as a bad attitude, or see as a potential challenge to coach. It’s the kind of fiery, occasionally confrontational demeanor that fans relish in the NBA — and that there tends to be a lower tolerance for in the women’s game.

“It’s more of a chip on my shoulder,” Carter says. “It goes back to where I grew up, and how hard it was for me and my three brothers. I was also the only girl, and I kind of had to fend for myself and really build toughness.”

She was a standout early — Blair says he remembers watching her play with top local EYBL program DFW Elite — but that chip, that feeling of being overlooked and underrated, of having to fight twice as hard for every W, persists. I ask her when she first knew she was good, given that she’s been so good for so long.

“I don’t think I was the top tier,” she says, correcting me. “I didn’t see it in middle school — of course I won a middle school championship, and in that game I scored 46 points. In fact, I was actually kind of underrated coming out of high school: I was ranked No. 2 at point guard and No. 6 overall.” (UConn’s Megan Walker, who also declared early for this year’s WNBA Draft, was ranked No. 1 overall.)

Scoring 46 points in a middle school game and being ranked No. 6 in the country (the highest-ranking player ever to sign with Texas A&M) is unimpressive, you see, when you know you can be better. Never mind that she’d also already won a gold medal with the Team USA U18 team, and led her high school team throughout her years there to a combined 70-4 record.

“It only actually hit me once I played my first game in college,” she insists. “That’s when I kind of realized I had a little potential and talent.”

Carter’s decision to stay in College Station, which is relatively close to home, came in large part because of her trust in Blair not to make her, with her swagger and her shooters-shoot confidence, into something she wasn’t. She’d also loved watching the 2011 title-winning A&M team led by Sydney Colson, another star guard who currently plays for the Chicago Sky. “It was going to take a coach and teammates who were going to allow somebody to be that dominant with the ball as a freshman,” Blair says now.

As it turned out, allowing Carter to be dominant as a freshman paid off: Not only did she average almost 23 points a game and become the unanimous National Freshman of the Year, she won in spectacular fashion, forcing the spotlight her way. Like with her 46-point performance in an Aggie victory over USC in which she also sank the game-winning shot. Or the 37-point game she had vs. DePaul in the second round of the NCAA tournament, willing her team back from a 17-point deficit to win. When the bright lights came on, there was no question which player you wanted to be watching — or which player you wanted on your team.

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“You want to talk about somebody who had swag, I can go back to swag at its best,” Blair quips, mentioning his time coaching Kim Mulkey and against Cheryl Miller. “The game of women’s basketball needs players like that to push the needle, and I think that’s what Chennedy does.

“Yes, the women’s game needs [presumed No. 1 pick Sabrina] Ionescu, but it also needs that exciting talent that a Chennedy Carter can bring.”

But Carter has so much more to offer, somehow, than the swagger and the preposterously confident shots and the juke-them-out-of-their-shoes handles. She’s happiest talking about the game, whether it’s how she regularly rewatches the Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals — sometimes all the way through, sometimes just the shots LeBron James or Kyrie Irving took — or her favorite victory while at A&M. “I don’t know, because a lot of our games were really, really lit,” she says, landing on an upset of Oregon State during her sophomore year. “I saw my team hit on all cylinders. Everybody was just ridiculously hot that game, and we pulled a big upset. And we were in Hawaii so it was pretty fun. I got to walk the beach after and just live it up.” The attitude that helps her put on such a great show dissipates, and what’s left is a woman who loves basketball so much she’s spending quarantine dribbling around her house.

Even her Twitter display name — Hollywood — isn’t exactly the Big Baller Brand-style flex it might seem at first glance. (“She’s gone 3-0 against USC … maybe that’s where she gets her handle,” Blair had joked.)

“In high school, I was social — but when it was time to go out, to the football games on Friday nights or to parties, I was like ‘Nah,’” Carter says. “I couldn’t. I always wanted to work out, because I wanted to be successful. I had to keep myself locked in. So because I was staying focused, my friends called me Hollywood and it kind of stuck with me.

“Plus I graduated and went to A&M, and left all my friends. Sort of doing big things. I just had a dream and a goal, and wanted to get to it.”

Carter knows that as much attention as she’s gotten, as much fun as the flash is, there are still plenty of people who don’t see that side of her yet. The serious side, the side that spent hours dribbling in the dirt because that’s how badly she wanted to be great.

“There are some doubters, some detractors,” Martin says. “Now it’s up to her to answer all of them. It’s the case, to me, of whether you want to be the underdog or the front runner. Heck, everybody likes to be the underdog because then you’re fighting for something!”

In other words, bet against Carter and watch what happens next.

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manuscripts-dontburn · 6 years

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October 2017 wrap up

I had an unexpectedly good reading month, considering both my work and university are slowly but surely becoming a crazy ride. I finished reading 12 books in a month, which is almost a double of what I manage to read usually! Furthermore I pretty much loved and enjoyed almost all of them! Let´s take them one by one in order I read them:

When Miss Emmie Was in Russia (Harvey Pitcher)

The first book I finished in October was a non-fiction about English Nannies and governesses who, throughout the 19th and early 20th century, ventured into Imperial Russia to take care of well-situated babies and children. While I did reach for the book mainly because it is directly related to my diploma thesis (on which I am currently working), I think it was a delightful and fascinating account! It is a very approachable book giving statement of some truly remarkable women in rather remarkable situations. While the topic may seem very specific, you don´t need to be a scholar to enjoy it. 4 stars!

Roverandom (J.R.R. Tolkien)

When a small dog angers an arrogant old wizard over a yellow ball, he is turned into a small toy by his spell. And that is just the beginning of a story J.R.R. Tolkien wrote for one of his sons, who had lost his favourite dog toy once on a beach. Few authors known for their epic words also understand fairy-tales and adventures. This may be a book for children, but it never feels infantile! Heart-warming, sweet and delightful. Also very short and ideal for readathons. I love Tolkien. 4 stars!

Peter the Great: His Life and World (R.K. Massie)

A work of truly mammoth proportions, so very detailed and thoroughly researched I can hardly imagine any other biography on Peter could give me more. The most famous of all Russian Tsars steps out of the pages vividly andone still feels both admiration and fear he had once inspired. It reads almost like a novel, both thanks to the skill of the author and because of Peter´s truly extraordinary existence and life. 5 stars!

Vampires in the Old Russia (Alexei Tolstoy)

I am quite sure the short stories included in this publications are translated and thus available in English as well, just not in a separate book like this one. In any case, this book surprised me - and pleasantly so! I had no idea what to expect, but I imaged a rather slow and boring style with ambiguous stories. Oh no! This reads really quickly, the author wastes no time and all the three stories included gave me chills! A very satisfying October read and perfect for anyone who likes the works of Bram Stoker! 4 stars!

The Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafón)

A stunning book. Mystery, family tragedy, historical fiction, thriller - it encompasses a whole lot of literary styles and perfectly shapes them into one impressive story decorated with wonderful writing. I find it difficult to review this book, it is definitely something you should read without any preconcieved notions. But read it you should! 4,5 stars!

Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy (Diana Preston)

One of those non-fictions which read like fiction, yet are even more haunting since they once truly were a reality. This was the second book on Lusitania I have read and I suspect will be the last. The story of the sinking and the aftermath is just so depressing - and makes you in comparison realize what an organized and fairly "glamorous" event the sinking of the Titanic was. Just the length (Titanic 2 hours, Lusitania 20 minutes) gives you an idea. (Naturally both the tragedies were equally painful and I am not saying one was worse than the other when it comes to loss of life). Diana Preston gives a lot of information on all the events surrounding the ship, not merely the tragedy itself, and I have to admit some of it I skimmed. Still, a vivid and touching book that made me rather depressed. 4 stars!

Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)

Being in a Halloween mood (though we do not celebrate Hallowen here) I picked up a venerated classic written by Mary Shelley. I loved the atmosphere and the writing was beautiful. I liked the idea and one has to take into account how original and new it was at the time. Unfortunatelly, the book could never hold my attention for too long. I had to remind myself to pick it up again and again, I felt it dragged for most of the time, and I was actually glad when I finished. 3 stars!

Children of Irena Sendler (Anna Mieszkowska)

Not available in English as far as I gather, but you could find more books about this remarkable woman to draw some information from. And maybe better books too. I felt this one was a bit disorganized and I wanted more of actual Irena, but that does not mean the information the publication carries are without value. On the contrary. More people need to read about Mrs. Sendler. You included. 3,75 stars!

ABBA: The Official photobook (Petter Karlsson)

ABBA was my most favourite music group when I was a kid and a teenager, and till this day I love them greatly. The day the book arrived I immediatelly sat down and went through every photo and every word that it contained. Not much information was new to me, a passionate ABBA buff, but a large number of the (HQ and beautiful) photos are commented upon by the ABBA themselves which makes the book a delightful and new experience. 5 stars!

A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience (Emerson W. Baker)

I ploughed and skimmed my was through this book which felt longer than it shold have. While I can appreciate the research the author did and can see his attempts and neat organization of facts, the truth remains that the writing is bland and I felt bored. Bored by something as interesting as Salem witch trials! Furthermore, aside from enjoyment I rate non-fiction books according to how much I have learned. Here, sadly, the book fails again. I retained very little information after reading it. There was too many names, too much repeated information.... one got lost quickly in all that. Perhaps the book would do me better service had I previously had some notion about the Salem events, but unfortunatelly this was my first venture into the topic and not an encouraging one. 2 stars!

The Muse (Jessie Burton)

Jessie Burton is an author full of promise. Her debut novel was good, The Muse is better still. I think a bit more mystery would have added a lot to the atmosphere, since everything is really explained almost the moment one is introduced to the mystery, but I also admit that as the book progressed it was more and more difficult to put it down. Well written, with an interesting story and also including a wonderfully "normal" diversity (meaning the diverse characters are simply diverse and .... not caricatures... and not "just" that one thing that makes them diverse.... urgh... just go and read it yourself to understand), The Muse is a commendable piece of work. Looking forward to more by this author. 4 stars!

Ben Hur (Lewis Wallace)

The first time I picked the book up I put it down after three pages. The descriptions were too much for me. The second time I pulled through those first three pages, and devoured the book in mere days, descriptions and all. Ben Hur has a strong story, and its descriptive nature (combined with the knowledge of WHEN the book was written) only ads to the captivating charm. The only thing I have to stress out is that the writing, at times, hobbles uncomfortably and awkwardly, and the treatement of two love interests of the hero is... well... pretty much just regular sexist and while I understand the society was like this in 1880s.... it still is not my favourite thing. Finally: I utterly love the film with Charlton Heston. It is a masterpiece. And the book added to my love for it even more. 4 stars!

So there you have it my dear fellow booklings! Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Do you agree with me or not? And what did you read last month? I would love to know!

#booklr #books #reading wrap up #October 2017 #bookish musings

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mfmagazine · 5 years

Photo

Gina La Piana

Article by Lauren Weigle

Photo by Steve Kay Photography

Gina La Piana is definitely a fierce force of nature. Armed with a gorgeous singing voice, a sultry image, and an amazing acting ability, this woman knows how to work the entertainment circuit. Making appearances on popular shows like Bones, Everybody Hates Chris, The Mentalist, and many others; her main passion is her craft as an actress. Although she loves to sing and has success with it, acting is where her heart truly lies… This is why we’ve taken the time to sit down with her and delve a little deeper into what Gina is truly all about… who she is, where she wants to go with her career, and what she really wants in life.

So, acting and singing. I want to hear about both. How about we start with the singing? Can you tell me a little bit about yourself as an artist?

I consider myself an edgy voice for women, as well as a storyteller. My tendency is to write my music as a journal. I’m most inspired when I’m in relationships, good or bad. I’ve written most of my successful pieces from painful experiences. There was one relationship that is most predominant, which I call the ‘Gray Period’. That’s when I wrote my most popular material. A lot of women can relate to and connect with my "agony' so to speak. (She laughs.) But, that's kind of a universal theme. I get thank you notes from people around the world saying they connected to the themes and messages in the music. It makes me realize just how much “art imitates life” and how we truly want the same things. To be understood, loved, and cherished. I’ve only done original work. I’ve never been a cover song artist. I don’t know how to be. So, a show like American Idol could have never been a platform for me because it’s important to sing what’s in my heart and what sprung from my truth - the good, bad, and the ugly.

Okay, so you thrive on being original. What would you say is your signature aesthetic when it comes to your own music?

I am a divine dichotomy of sorts, in that what I do in the US market tends to be more edgy, pop rock, geared towards films and television, while what I do overseas as "Gina Martina" is darker, sexy electronic dance music. I’ve been called the Jenna Jameson of electronica! (She happily exclaims.) They are all roles for me really, getting to play different characters, and aspects of my personality set to beats.

Well, you’ve been a part of several movie soundtracks. Would you like to talk about some of your contributions in that area?

I love the collaboration involved when working on a soundtrack. I love working in a room full of people where we’re all working towards the same visual-auditory goals. I am a very visual person, so it’s exciting to see a piece of film in front of me, visualizing the story and literally seeing and feeling the music that is poured into the film. It’s moving art. It always comes back to storytelling for me. It’s by far some of my favorite work and I look forward to doing a lot more in the future! I am such a huge fan of guys like Danny Elfman, and Hans Zimmer. What a gift these guys have! To someday be able to work in the same room with them would be a life altering experience for me.

Oh, I’m sure! With just singing or acting as well? Do you prefer acting to singing or are the two pretty equal?

To be completely honest with myself, I’d love to do more acting. Music pays the bills, but my dream is to do series television. In an ideal world, I would meld both of these facets. And maybe run the whole shebang, Sandra Bullock style.

Aside from your life as a performer, what else do you enjoy?

Eating good food, reading a great book, making love, fun with friends, investing in stock, supporting in the Bella Sera Organization, and travel, travel, travel!!! I am also what you call a spa whore…I love to spa!

Do you have much spare time to let loose and indulge in these things… like your Spa fetish?

I have quite a bit of time to myself; it’s how I set my life up. I created and built my own music company so I can let other people do the heavy lifting and I can take the credit, which allows me the space and time to enjoy my life much more.

Let’s talk about your character on Days of Our Lives. How did you first land your role on the soap series?

I went in like any other normal casting. I was hired originally by the lovely Fran Bascom, working at separate times in two smaller characters, (a flight attendant named Daphne and a Nurse called Rosy), whom they found memorable. They eventually brought me in as a more substantial recurring character. Yes, I played three characters in total while on Days of Our Lives.

Wow. So multiple personalities. (I joke.) What else?

I have both good and bad things to say about working on a soap opera. The good: it’s akin to boot camp for actors. You have to learn so much dialogue so quickly. Every day you have pages and pages of text to memorize and you must be spot on! They will not accept anything less. It is like doing theatre on television if that makes sense. You can make far bigger choices than you could normally in either regular TV or film outside of comedy. The bad: I have never worked a job where women were more downright catty and mean.

Wow, that’s horrible. I guess even soap operas have those catty co-workers.

Yeah, I literally was written off my show because a few of the girls I was working with made me miserable. I couldn’t continue to subject myself to that much negative energy. No amount of money on Earth is worth the stress to me, and I sincerely mean that.

Well, soap operas have been such classic constants throughout television history. What are your thoughts on the recent cancellations of the long-running soaps All My Children and One Life to Live?

In my opinion, I think it’s time to move on, because we are living in a different time in history than the era they debuted in. I mean no disrespect, but these shows have been around since way before I was a gleam in my Father's eye, and we have since progressed in our outlook of entertainment. Viewers are much more sophisticated and looking for more cohesive story lines.

I got ya. Okay, I’m going to take my cue from you and move on as well. (I laugh.) Since your days as Gabby Ortiz and even before then, you’ve made appearances on so many popular television shows. Any memorable ones that stick out in your mind?

Hands down, my favorite experience was on Studio 60. I got to combine my 3 strengths. I scored the episode, sang 2 of my original songs on stage, and acted opposite Matthew Perry, and all the while working for the brilliant and gifted Aaron Sorkin. Not to mention, I was directed by the ingenious Tommy Schlamme. That job just couldn’t have gotten any better!

Okay, tell me about your most recent project Audrey. What’s the story?

Audrey is a very unique and very funny female-driven comedy. Taking place in real-time, the story takes us through a little over an hour and a half of a young woman's day as she waits and waits and waits in a restaurant for Gene, her date, to arrive for their critical third date. As the clock ticks away and Gene is nowhere to be found, 34-year-old Audrey is swept up into a journey through her life as her insecurities and inner demons comically wreak havoc on her. Forced to face her deepest fears by circumstance — both real and unreal —Audrey finds the strength and courage she never imagined she had.

I understand you produced the film? What made you cross over from actress to producer?

I realized things were changing in the film industry. More and more celebrities are taking on Television roles, which leaves less work for newer or up and coming actors. I felt I needed to create more vehicles for myself if I want to work in this business. I like to be in control of my career and not just sit around waiting for the next audition to come. I wanted to create more vehicles and opportunities to show my strengths. Hence, I'm playing the quirky impassioned best friend to "Audrey".

What first drew you to the project?

A friend whom I deeply respect and admired brought the project to me. He was very excited about it, so I came on board.

Well, that’s simple enough. Any other projects coming up that we should know about?

I’m producing and starring in a film that I wrote called Brit and Brazil. It’s an independent drama-comedy feature that will give me the opportunity to play a grittier character who turns things around in her life. I’m most inspired by these types of stories, the underdog, who eventually triumphs and succeeds. I’m also producing two artists signed to Warner Bros., ages 13 and 15. The albums couldn’t be more different - One is a rock-electronic record and the other is in the urban-hip hop genre. I like to keep it crazy, the nuttier the better in my opinion. Colorful is key!

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danapreblewakeboarding · 7 years

Text

Wakeboarding Hall of Fame Interview

Back in December of 2014 I was interviewed by Chris Hawkins for WakeboardingHallOfFame.com

It’s quite an honor to be a part of this sport and community as it continues to reach new heights of excitement and success.

I’ll always remember the good times we had in the early days of the sport, and I look forward to being an active part of this community.

Thanks to my sponsor, REVO, for providing the best gear and eye wear any active girl could want. Check them out!

Dana Preble Interview for the Wakeboarding Hall of Fame December, 2014

(WHOF) Dana, take us back to the beginning of your wake career and where you started?

(DP) I started waterskiing on Klinger Lake in Michigan when I was 3 years old. From that time on, I spent just about all day every day of the summer playing on the water. With family and friends, we did everything from slalom, trick, tubing, kneeboarding, and the “disc” to new and inventive activities. We began toying with a homemade ramp, skiing on canoe paddles, and made a backwards slalom ski just to name a few.

I began competing in three-event competitions at about age 12. In 1991, I enrolled at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL with the water ski team being one of my main priorities. Of course, there was no such thing as a wakeboard at that time. However, we spent a lot of time playing around on the skurfer! I was fortunate to have Kidder as my ski sponsor and during my sophomore year Denny Kidder sent me what he called a “water board” to test out. I loved it immediately and was doing tricks including flips in no time. I trained with Russell Gay and a house full of “enthusiastic guys” that summer. They pushed me to do anything remotely possible on the “water board”, and being an aggressive and adventurous person, I listened to them. We had so much fun and ridiculously great times – young and fearless! Before I knew it, I was on the starting dock at the Cypress Gardens Pro Tour Stop. It was a three-event ski and wakeboard tournament. I was the only and first girl to ever compete in wakeboarding and was up against the men. Little did I know that was the beginning of a new career and life long passion.

(WHOF) Who were your early heroes?

(DP) Growing up, ALL of the top professional water-skiers from the 80’s were my heroes because my dream was to be a professional water-skier. Looking back, it seems so funny because I ended up competing at the same tournaments and became friends with most of them! Dreams can come true.

However, Russell Gay would be my true hero! He took me “under his wing” when I was 17. He made it possible for me to move from Pittsburgh to Orlando when I was only 17 to train year-round. He helped me advance my skiing greatly and sharpened my boat driving skills. Dedicated and always ready to get on the water, he coached and mentored me for the rest of my career. Russell was one of the first and greatest men to ride a wakeboard, and I always wanted to follow in his footsteps.

(WHOF) What year and what event did you first enter?

(DP) My first event was during the glorious summer of 1993 at the Cypress Gardens Pro Tour Stop. Although it was intimidating to be the first woman ever to compete, I had lots of support from the guys I trained with. I can’t remember exactly where I placed, but I did quite well against the men. It may have been 14th?

(WHOF) What were the challenges of being one of the female pioneers of wake?

(DP) The biggest challenge was the fact that women’s wakeboarding didn’t exist. I had to compete against the men in the beginning until a couple other girls and I started promoting women. Even then, it was a tough challenge and difficult to be taken seriously. After a lot of tenacity and negotiating with the event organizers, we had a separate women’s division, but without prize money. So, Andrea Gaytan and I set out to raise prize money for the women by ourselves. We also recruited women to compete since there weren’t very many of us stepping up to the challenge. Eventually, and I mean years later, the tour gave us a very small amount of prize money.

I had come from the waterski side of the sport. There was a huge separation between skiers and wakeboarders. As a three-eventer AND wakeboarder, I was caught in the middle. While still friends with skiers and supporting skiing, my passion was wakeboarding! The riders that came straight into wakeboarding made it difficult for me to fit into the sport initially. Unfortunately, it caused a lot of problems with judging, sponsorship, and friendships!

For a couple of years, I was three-event skiing and wakeboarding, so it was extremely difficult to train in all four events. I was riding or skiing four or five times a day that eventually led to total exhaustion and injuries. I believe it was 1996 when I won all three ski events at the Nationals and then went on to win the Wakeboard Nationals. At that point, I decided to hang up my skis and wakeboard exclusively!

The question of how to make wakeboarding a career and support myself was a challenge for sure. I had just graduated from college when wakeboarding took off. I needed to support myself, but wanted to wakeboard full time. Instead of beginning a career using my degree, I had random jobs that allowed me to train. Russel’s brand, MasterLine, gave me a position in marketing and sales that also allowed me to train and be involved in the industry. In the meantime, I was promoting myself and approaching potential sponsors for more financial help. MasterCraft Boats and Blind Side Wakeboards were my main and wonderful sponsors that helped me tremendously. With their support and several other smaller sponsors, I made enough money to wakeboard full time. That was a great day!!!

(WHOF) Take us through your decision making on new tricks that you learned and how you prepared your runs? Who was your biggest rival?

(DP) I initially learned the basic inverts and spins. After that, I was on a mission to learn Air Raley, which was a bit painful but worth it. After being the first girl to land a Raley, I quickly realized I could really push myself to land many more tricks that only the guys were doing. So, I observed the men closely to see what looked possible for me to land. I’d pick a new trick or two and work on it until I got it. I put my runs together so they flowed and could fit into one pass with a combination of inverts, grabs, and spins. One pass always started with a big Raley. From there, I would do all the tricks I could do absolutely consistently and new tricks at the end. I always had a good, huge double up planned at the end. My biggest rivals were Tara Hamilton and Andrea Gaytan. They were both great riders with different styles and personalities!

(WHOF) Your sponsors played a big part of your wakeboarding career. Tell us how you worked with them and who you sought out?

(DP) My sponsors were SO important – I could never have ridden professionally without them! Initially, a lot of board companies were approaching me. I decided to stay loyal to my current ski sponsor, Kidder (Blindside). Besides boards, I sought after sponsors until I created a name for myself and the women of wakeboarding. For me, sponsorship was more than just using their equipment and products. It meant riding in all tournaments, participating in as many photo shoots as possible, attending boat shows, trade shows, teaching clinics and lessons, prepress, and exhibitions.

Blind Side was my primary board sponsor. I helped them shape boards and came up with new ideas from day one. I worked closely with them to make my Dana Preble Pro Model. Many times, I was on the end of the dock myself with a saw and some type of sealant. It was fun and turned into an awesome board! Besides that, I traveled a lot constantly promoting their boards and working with sales, marketing, and R&D.

MasterCraft was one of my essential sponsors, as they provided me with a new boat every year. I loved my X-Stars and helped them come up with new ideas every year. The greatest project with them was creating a ballast system. When I started riding, I put sand bags, lead weights, even a cement table in the back of the boat to create bigger wakes. Then, the fat sack was invented, which made things easier. Finally, MasterCraft came up with the possibility of actually creating the ballast system – genius. There was also the Skylon/Ten Foot Pole, which eventually became the tower.

I had a sponsor for just about everything I would use or wear on a daily basis. G-Bolt Fins, Flojos shoes, MasterLine Ropes and Handles, Point Conception swim suits, wetsuits, sunglasses, and even Gravity Skateboards to name a few. They spoiled me with the latest and greatest of their products and equipment. Have to say, I sure do miss that. I’m still so grateful for all of my sponsors throughout the years!

(WHOF) What was the best thing about being a pioneer of our sport?

(DP) It has been great to watch the sport grow with all the incredible changes throughout the years. To watch the girls ride at the level they do is awesome. So proud of the girls! I especially love that they are acknowledged, respected, and have a division of their very own. I also look back and see how lucky I was to be able to travel all over the world so easily before 9-11. I had the opportunity to meet wonderful people all over the world, and so many people welcomed me in their towns, lakes, shops, and homes. There was always an adventure, and usually an amazing experience!

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