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If you're looking for top quality car servicing from a reputable, family company with 40 years' experience, you've come to the right place; and if you're looking to save money on your servicing - because we all know how expensive they can be - Ron Skinner & Sons is just the ticket.
Thanks to our highly competitive nature and commitment to price, you no longer need to pay main dealer prices for labour, parts or accessories... this means we could easily save you up to £100 on your car service - or even a lot more. These savings apply whether your car is still under warranty from the manufacturer, or outside the warranty period.
Ron Skinner & Sons offer affordable car servicing in South Wales
- Full Service - from £120 - plus parts - plus VAT
- Interim Service - from £75 - plus parts - plus VAT
- Hourly Labour Rate - £40 - plus VAT
- Minimum Charge - £12 - plus VAT
If you haven't got a workshop full of tools and the knowledge and experience to do it yourself, the best option is to pay a professional car servicing firm like Ron Skinner & Sons. By handing over your car to the experts, you know everything will be checked carefully - from the tyres, brakes, battery and engine, right through to whether your seatbelt buckles are working properly. We cater for all the popular makes and models.
Getting a regular car service ensures that your car is safe, not just for you but for other road users too. Making sure your car is running at optimum performance also improves fuel efficiency, prolongs the life of your car and can prove to be much cheaper in the long run. A badly maintained car is unsafe, inefficient and those breakdowns will all add up to a much larger bill than a regular car servicing cost.


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The Carcass is a roleplaying story game where players take on the roles of the last members of a dying post-apocalyptic tribe. The tribal leader is dead, the community in tatters, and the future a mystery. What will become of you in this barren wasteland? Who will emerge as both savior and tyrant?
This is not a safe game. Characters will die.
Let's be honest. No one is going anywhere. The world is a shitty place. The sunset over the horizon doesn't make it any less shitty. We can't just pick up and leave here and hope the world is better on the other side.
It's still the world.
In other words, "How could Hell get any worse?"
The 'Exodus' is everywhere. Every tribe is on the verge of collapse. Every part of the world is about to fall. But why?
How did the worst conditions of human existence get worse?
And what is next?
This version of The Carcass cleans up the previous edition. All of the expansion notes and classes are in one place. While the core principles are there, the rules, advice, and structure are stronger. In addition, the rules are being updated to the 5-10-20 in-house game system of Post World Games, including rules for play with and without a game master.
In the first edition of The Carcass, the game used a 2d6 system, with charts that reflected the powerlessness of people at the end of the world.
The powerlessness remains, but the system is adapting to the 5-10-20 game system, because I personally like it better. It's vastly more dangerous for everyone involved. The Carcass: Exodus takes a second look at the ways we prop up this dying world through powerful effects (and side-effects) of the things we do when we defy the odds. This is best highlighted by the powers in the 5-10-20 system, first designed here for Exodus.
Disfigurements, mutations, and experience are also more concrete in this edition. You can play with or without them, but the rules for each can have a bigger impact on play. The character questions are better organized and I've added relationship mapping that will look familiar to Protocol players.
This edition deals more closely with the Exodus, the Fall of humanity in what might be the final age of mankind. In the previous edition, the Fall is hinted at. No longer. The Fall plays a major role in this edition. Do we try to rebuild? Or do we cut and run?
The Fall is not coming… its here!
This game is 75% finished. It needs art, editing, and time to put some finishing touches on the writing. It is around 120 pages at the moment, but that's without pagination and all that.
There's something wrong with the world. Not the obvious wrong. We've all heard our grandparents talk about the 'before time,' when food was plentiful, people didn't fight everyday, and there were permanent structures to live under. And there was fuel, too.
No. It's something else.
I've heard rumors from the other tribes. Some suffer from a lack of reliable food and clean water. In some places of the world fewer children are born. Radiation is so thick that people get sick and die within a matter of hours once exposed. Mutations are rampant.
Hope is a distant memory.
I've heard of tribes rising up against their own kind and killing their leaders. And then what? Without a plan, the tribe is cast into chaos almost immediately. Power vacuums create wars. And wars lead to more chaos and death. Some are calling it 'the Fall,' that definable moment in a tribe when everything turns sideways and upside down.
Everyone is suffering from some kind of Fall. Every tribe, in every corner of the world. At least, as far as anyone can tell. Not that we were ever peaceful beings, but the fall has brought out the worst in us. And it's growing.
Some blame the mutants, psychics, and witches. Others speak of outsiders who bring curses with them. Some think there are haunts living among them that brought the fall. None can say for sure what the real cause is, only that nothing is the same.
It's only a matter of time before we pack up and leave. Who knows what the exodus holds?
$10. Scavenger. A PDF of this game and any stretch goal PDFs I also make.
$20 Old Worlder. Printed copy of 1st edition, along with PDFs of all the original material, including the expansion characters and 60-page expansion PDF.
$20. Wrecker. A PDF of this game, all PDFs of the previous edition of the game, and any stretch goal PDFs I also make.
$30. Soldier. Book and PDF of this game and any stretch goal PDFs I also make.
$40. Curate. Book and PDF of this game, all PDFs of the previous edition of the game, and any stretch goal PDFs I also make.
$50. Marker. Book and PDF of this game, all PDFs of the previous edition of the game, and any stretch goal PDFs I also make. Plus the Carcass Toolcards if they unlock.
$75. Rover. Book and PDF of this game, all PDFs of the previous edition of the game, and any stretch goal PDFs I also make. Plus the Carcass Toolcards if they unlock. In addition, I will bastardize your name and use it in the book in some capacity.
$100. Warlord. Hardcover book. PDFs. Toolcards. Everything you see here.
$250. Stronghold. Warlord level. Plus, you create a character class for the game. Plus, jim pinto comes and visits you and plays a full day of games at your house/game store/basement. 100 miles radius limit. See the sidebar for details.
Information about all the character classes (called roles) stretch goals will be revealed in the upcoming project updates. At the moment, there are over 20 classes designed. But the roles that make the final cut are contingent upon how well the kickstarter does.
The Carcass: Exodus uses a simplified version of the 5-10-20 system that is coming later this year. In this system, players roll between 1 and 5 dice (depending on proficiency and drama points expended) and tabulate the results. Each chart has a value listed for rolling a 0 (below 5), 5, 10, or 20. For each value, an effect is listed. That effect has a result on another chart, explaining how the foil (or GM) will interpret the result. Like so:
Some results are concrete, and others are grey. The more common the result, the less swing-y the result. Rolling low can result in some really bad stuff with lasting impact for the tribe. In this instance, the Hatchet who rolls less than a 5 is in some deep shit.
Obviously you can't roll a '20' on 3d6, so there must be rules in the game for rolling more dice.
And there are.
In addition to their own problems, players need to keep track of their fatigue, wounds, trepidation — which is a measure of how the community feels about the characters — and even the community's fear level. Some characters even start with trepidation.
Add $25 to your order. This includes shipping. Only available in the US.
A fistful of dice. I won't count them. I'm just going to cram my hand into a bag and stuff the dice in the mail. Dice come in five colors, with a stylized X for the '6.'
I can't guarantee you'll get all five colors, but I can fit about 15-20 dice in my hand. So your odds are good.
If you want me to take a hammer and spray paint to them to make them ever more "post-apoc" looking, I will. But you'll get fewer dice out of it. Just because.
As stretch goals, I would like to do the following four decks for the Carcass. These would not be free, but would be available as print-on-demand.
World Building Deck
A quick-start deck of 30 cards, with random world setup information, including community names, character names, NPCs, conflicts, and even some starting projects. This deck would cut setup time by about 30 minutes. Art forthcoming.
Toolcards: The Carcass
Toolcards are a powerful tool for gamemasters to generate quick encounters and scenarios, in addition to making fast NPCs and effects (like sights and sounds). The deck comes with 30 double-sided cards for nearly endless game options.
For more information on Toolcards, see this page.
Condition/Result Cards
Perhaps the most important deck of the three, this deck includes all the game effects and conditions for ease of play. The back of the cards will have the game result term in BIG BOLD LETTERS, so it's easy to find. And the other side will have the condition and description for that effect, so players can hold onto it.
The deck isn't designed yet, but this is an example of how easy the cards will be to read. This is NOT a final design of the card.
Carcass Poker Deck
Using the art from the game, I will make a poker deck with the carcass logo on the back. Very post-apocalyptic. This will be a print on demand deck of cards, so the material won't be the waxy bicycle plastic cards people are used to.
Anyone who knows my work, knows that I make games because I love making games. I do not make a living doing this. I do this out of love. Even when those games are about hate.
This project is a lite version of the 5-10-20 rules and the beginning of an era of new roleplaying games from Post World Games. This rule system has been brewing in my mind for years. No counting modifiers and arguing about whether or not traits apply to your bonuses. No memorizing "forward-moving threads" or working from a spreadsheet to know everything your character can do.
Roll dice. Look at chart. Play.
It's that f***ing simple.
Risks and challenges
I wrote the first edition of this game in two weeks. This "edition" is a compilation of all the old material, new material, and rules for play with a GM. It is nearly done. But I want to make it awesome. More classes, more art, and more rules. And I can't do this without backers like you.Learn about accountability on Kickstarter
Funding period
- (30 days)

subset: commoncrawl


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Monthly Archives: August 2015
TimeSplitters: The FPS Game We Deserve…
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen!
I want to open a discussion about a video game series that is near and dear to my heart. A series that had a great impact on me growing up, and would be the one game I compare to all future games within the first-person shooter (FPS) genre. At least, compared to this series, many modern FPS games don't possess the same creativity, simplicity of design, and character. I want to discuss TimeSplitters, a series of games that were released for the PlayStation 2 that harkened back to a better age of the FPS genre. It included elements of time-travel in the story, gave players access to a vast array of weapons, had a massive cast of playable characters, and more ways to play than any of the current popular FPS games combined. It is for these reasons, and more, that I believe a next-gen TimeSplitters is the FPS game we (gamers) deserve.
RPG Maker: U and I could use some work…
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen!
Last week, I wrote a post regarding some issues that I had with the interface in the current version of RPG Maker while using a screenshot from the interface of the upcoming installment to the series as a direct comparison. The purpose of the post was to show that the developers are rather slow to make improvements to their software. This post will act as an immediate follow-up to last week's post, "U and I aren't working…", and go over some of the solutions that I came up with for significantly improving the software's interface, and some additional aspects I didn't cover last week.
WildStar: A Possible Future of Housing
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen!
Last week, I saw a fan-made video that was released to YouTube by Kelzam Duskthorn, a member of the WildStar community. Viewers of the video were introduced to one of WildStar's core features, Housing. The video didn't just introduce the housing feature, it sought to show a bit of its origins, how it evolved, and to showcase what WildStar's community is capable of doing with the tools provided to them. Throughout the video, viewers are treated to clips of handcrafted locales the WildStar housing community have built within their own digital backyards. Each fully customized housing plot could easily be mistaken as a location found in WildStar's game world. As I watched the video (more than once), an idea emerged from within the dark recesses of my jumbled mind to surprise, amaze and excite me. Today's topic will focus solely on this simple yet (potentially) brilliant idea spawned from a phrase spoken in the video. Let's discuss Player-Driven Content.
RPG Maker: U and I aren't working…
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen!
I've been doing some thinking about the recently announced version of RPG Maker. I shared a few of my thoughts about the information I could glean from its features page in my previous RM post, but there have been other ideas and musings rattling in my brain. These thoughts aren't exclusive to just RPG Maker MV, however. So, the focus of this post will be the design of user interfaces, some of the issues that I have experienced with the interface in RMVX Ace, and the ways I thought these issues could have been rectified in a future version of RPG Maker. Given what I have seen of the UI in RM MV, I figured I would address some of these ideas and hope that an update will be made to MV in the future. Barring that, one could always hope the next iteration of the software will use some variation of my ideas.
WildStar: Free-to-Play cometh… and it cometh hard… eth…
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen!
Earlier this week, on Tuesday, the good people at Carbine Studios held a special Twitch stream to announce the start of WildStar's Free-to-Play Closed Beta Test (CBT). The stream was hosted by Community Manager DD Hollis (aka CRB_Sunshine), Creative Director Chad "Pappy" Moore, and Senior Product Manager Jen "Bardic" Ortiz. Unfortunately, Tony Rey, Community Creative Content Manager (too many words!!) and the former host of the infamous Zero-to-Fifty Podcast, was hiding behind the camera. Perhaps, he was traumatized by all the spider tweets he received from the WildStar community (I certainly didn't send him one). Today's post is going to focus on some of the information that was revealed during the stream, and I may add my own thoughts as the post progresses.
For the Dominion!
RPG Maker: The Next Installment Is Near…
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen!
I'm not sure how many of you use, or even know about, the game development software called RPG Maker, but very recently there was some news released regarding the next installment in the series. While there isn't a TON of information available about this new version, there is a page on the RPG Maker website that provides a few details regarding some of the software's features. Allow me to introduce:
For today's post, I will be discussing some of the new features, the changes being made to features from past versions, and any similarities this version has to previous versions.
World of Warcraft: The Burning Legion has returned…
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen!
So, Blizzard just recently announced the next expansion to World of Warcraft, which will be following on the coattails of Warlords of Draenor. The heroes of the Horde and Alliance will return to the world of Azeroth only to be sent to a new continent where Gul'dan has been hatching new schemes. They will be met by old allies, and even older enemies. This new expansion is simply titled:
For today's post, I will go over some of the new features that were mentioned with the expansion announcement. I will also be sprinkling in some of my own thoughts on the new features, and address some concerns that I have.


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Fund Focus
Australian Equities
The current environment sees some significant distortions in markets, not seen before. Unconventional monetary policy has strengthened the hunt for yield in the equity market and pushed "expensive" interest rate sensitive assets higher. Meanwhile, the uncertainties surrounding China weighed heavily on the market, with resources declining and oil hitting $38 a barrel.
We caught up with Martin Conlon to discuss some of the main themes driving the Australian Equities market recent performance and what investors should expect from their allocation to Schroders Australian Equities.
Important Information:
Opinions, estimates and projections in this article constitute the current judgement of the author as of the date of this article. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Schroder Investment Management Australia Limited, ABN 22 000 443 274, AFS Licence 226473 ("Schroders") or any member of the Schroders Group and are subject to change without notice. In preparing this document, we have relied upon and assumed, without independent verification, the accuracy and completeness of all information available from public sources or which was otherwise reviewed by us. Schroders does not give any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability or completeness of information which is contained in this article. Except insofar as liability under any statute cannot be excluded, Schroders and its directors, employees, consultants or any company in the Schroders Group do not accept any liability (whether arising in contract, in tort or negligence or otherwise) for any error or omission in this article or for any resulting loss or damage (whether direct, indirect, consequential or otherwise) suffered by the recipient of this article or any other person. This document does not contain, and should not be relied on as containing any investment, accounting, legal or tax advice. Schroders may record and monitor telephone calls for security, training and compliance purposes.


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Linux Lab
PSC room 101
PSC 101 is scientific computing lab with 20 Linux computers. Linux is a free Unix-type operating system originally created by Linus Torvalds. Prior approval is needed to reserve this lab. Contact the Research Computing Center for information about applications, servers and to reserve this lab.
Installed Software
Some of the major software packages available in the PSC 101 lab include:
- ProMax
- Spartan
- Mathematica
- Maple
Courses are scheduled in this lab throughout the semester but the room is still available for short term class use. If you would like access to the lab for teaching or research purposes, request access through the Research Computing Center.


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Our 'intentional' nature study was diverted a little when I found this wasp nest on the wall outside. We have been studying insects and were going to find out more about bees or mosquitoes until I saw this wasp nest - a ready made opportunity for study:
Insect Life in Australasia by William Gillies is our main book for studying insects but we also use The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock and The Wonderland of Nature by Nuri Mass.
Moozle has been experimenting with various coloured pencils to get the colouring right on the rainbow lorikeet, one of our most common native birds. The outline was done for her so she could concentrate on the colouring.
Characteristics of insects - the last sentence was meant to say that they had three types of mouths, not three mouths:


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Tickets are now on sale for a Heather Small concert at The Sands Centre in Carlisle for the 28th November 2009.
Tickets: 26 & 23 pounds
Time: 19:30 - 22:30
For booking information contact the box office on 01228 625222
or visit: http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_northeast&query=detail&event=335036
'After selling several million records, winning two Brit Awards and the Mercury Music Prize, performing across the globe and recording a track that has become an unofficial national anthem - Heather Small is set to return to the stage.
As part of M People, with hits such as 'Moving On Up', 'One Night In Heaven' and 'Search For The Hero' and albums like 'Elegant Slumming', 'Bizarre Fruit' and 'Fresco' achieving massive worldwide success, Heather became one of the seminal British voices of the 1990s, with the band winning the Best British Dance Act Award at the Brits in 1994 and 1995.
In addition to recent appearances in front of the world's cameras at Buckingham Palace for the 2012 Olympic Handover party, Heather has spent the autumn on our television screens every Saturday and Sunday night in the hit series 'Strictly Come Dancing'.
Heather will take to the road again in 2009 with confirmed shows at the IndigO2 in London and a string of dates across the country, where she will showcase her vocal talent with a mixture of blues and jazz standards and the greatest and best-loved hits from her own solo material and her days with M People.
Don't miss the chance to catch this true British superstar at The Sands.'


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NBC Olympics, a division of the NBC Sports Group, has selected FileCatalyst to transfer event footage at accelerated speeds as well as facilitate remote production workflows for its production of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games, taking place in PyeongChang, South Korea. The announcement was made by Jim Miles, Director, Digital Workflow Systems, NBC Olympics, and Chris Bailey, CEO, FileCatalyst. Building off the technology partnership from the 2016 Rio Games, NBC Olympics has again partnered with FileCatalyst to help with the transfer of large and growing video files during its coverage.
NBC Olympics will utilize FileCatalyst technology to move data over a 5 Gbps link between NBC Olympics' headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, and the NBC Olympics compound at the International Broadcast Center in PyeongChang. FileCatalyst will also help accelerate transfers between several Winter Games sites and event venues.
The number of concurrent file transfers is expected to be in the hundreds during peak periods, amounting a total data volume of approximately 10 TB per day. The files will consist of both high and low resolution videos, many of which will be transferred while the events are still in progress and the videos are still being encoded. The ability to handle the dynamic nature of these files and the massive levels of concurrency required, was a key factor in selecting FileCatalyst. Timely delivery of this content is critical to production workflow, in order to enable remote logging and editing in near real time. Archived footage will also be moved from Stamford to Pyeongchang, for editorial purposes.
FileCatalyst Central, the web based monitoring and administration tool that allows control over a global FileCatalyst deployment, including all FileCatalyst Direct server and client applications, will also be leveraged. FileCatalyst has provided some new improvements to both FileCatalyst Direct and FileCatalyst Central.
FileCatalyst Direct now allows operators to edit transfers that are ongoing, even if there are hundreds of concurrent transfers taking place. Users will have the ability to select files that are queued, and prioritize their position in the transfer queue without interrupting other mission critical transfers.
"We are excited to work with FileCatalyst for our production of the PyeongChang Winter Games, and are proud of our long-standing relationship," said Miles. "Year after year, FileCatalyst rises to the challenge of transferring our media assets enabling our many workflows, and they continue to deliver new features that provide real value and maximize our efficiency."
"We are excited to once again be an important part of the production workflow for such a large sporting event", said Chris Bailey. "We're building on what we did with NBC Olympics in Rio, and solidifying our reputation as a leader in acceleration technology for live sports production."


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Thursday, November 29, 2007
Cute PIcture, even cuter story
Posted by Anna at 8:54 PM 4 comments
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Thanksgiving/Christmas at the Mosher's!
Posted by Anna at 9:38 PM 3 comments
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
More cookies!!
Posted by Anna at 2:00 PM 3 comments
Monday, November 19, 2007
10K Run for Arthritis
For those of you that don't know, I am training for a 10K Run in December. The run is for Arthritis. My grandma, Eleanora Low struggled with arthritis for most of her life. Her strong spirit and amazing smile was, and still is an inspiration to me. I am running this race in her honor/memory. If you are interested you can make a pledge to help end arthritis by visiting my site: http://jbrbloomfieldbirmingham.kintera.org/bonnema You can also assist, by praying for me as I finish my training and complete the run! I'm looking forward to it! Thank you!
Posted by Anna at 11:32 AM 0 comments
Saturday, November 17, 2007
We are thankful for our Family!
Abby's family at the beach with a sun, clouds, water, and sand!!
Sophie's family with our "b"lankies!
(Sorry they scanned so light, try to make out the darling pictures by the girls)
Posted by Anna at 11:26 AM 1 comments
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Making Cookies
Posted by Anna at 8:09 PM 1 comments
Friday, November 9, 2007
Garland of Gratitude
This is the third year that we have sent out leaves to family and friends and asked them to return them with something they are thankful for written on it. The kids are really in to it this year, checking the mail and enjoying what people write. I'm hoping we are starting to build thankful hearts!
Posted by Anna at 6:29 PM 1 comments
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
My 'wild' kiddos
Posted by Anna at 2:19 PM 1 comments
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Hair Salon
Posted by Anna at 1:31 PM 3 comments
Monday, November 5, 2007
Our first kids
Posted by Anna at 11:23 AM 2 comments
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Posted by Anna at 10:24 AM 2 comments
Thursday, November 1, 2007
A chilly morning at the park!
Posted by Anna at 1:31 PM 3 comments


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The latest version of tiled-java is still 0.7.2: http://sourceforge.net/projects/tiled/files/Tiled/
For version 0.9.1, install the tiled-qt package from [community].
Unflagging as out-of-date.
Search Criteria
Notice: Undefined variable: name in /srv/http/vhosts/aur-dev.archlinux.org/public/web/lib/pkgfuncs.inc.php on line 248
Package Details: tiled-java 0.7.2-1
|Git Clone URL:
|https://aur-dev.archlinux.org/tiled-java.git (read-only)
|Package Base:
|General purpose tile map editor
|Upstream URL:
|Last Packager:
|First Submitted:
|2013-01-26 17:23
|Last Updated:
|2015-06-10 12:55
Dependencies (2)
- java-runtime (java-gcj-compat, jdk6, jdk5, denix-jdk8, jre8-openjdk-jetbrains-git, server-jre, jre7-openjdk-infinality, tuxjdk, jdk-arm, jre8-openjdk-jetbrains, intellij-jdk, jre8-openjdk-infinality, jdk, jdk7, jre, jre6, jre7, jdk-devel, jre-devel, jre7-openjdk, jre8-openjdk)
- apache-ant (make)
Required by (0)
Sources (2)
Latest Comments
xyproto commented on 2014-04-23 13:47
The latest version of tiled-java is still 0.7.2: http://sourceforge.net/projects/tiled/files/Tiled/
xyproto commented on 2013-01-26 17:26
@bjorn, Good idea, created tiled-java and merged+deleted tiled into tiled-java.
bjorn commented on 2013-01-26 15:51
If this package is still to be kept I would also prefer it to be renamed to tiled-java, since the Qt version has replaced the Java one since some years now and I would prefer that package to go by 'tiled'.
I apologize for the confusion caused by developing an entirely new version under the same name. In hindsight the Qt version should have been called Tiled 2 or something...
Anonymous comment on 2011-01-31 12:59
This is the java version that is no longer maintained. Even though it has a higher version number then tiled-qt it is pretty much outdated. I think that the name of this package should be renamed to tiled-java or something.
Jurkan commented on 2010-06-17 09:40
The Source-URL seems to be wrong. Perhaps http://mapeditor.org/files/tiled-0.7.2-src.zip would be better? ;-)


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#KOTH5. NEW TRACKS. King of the Hill Hard Enduro 2017
by martie 14, 2017 19:440
Track inspection for 2017 King of the Hill Hard Enduro 2017 – Just little parts of the new tracks.
More information about race: www.heca.ro
Aerial footage: http://www.theexit.ro – use #zonaenduro coupon code for Mavic Pro discount.
P.S – Again, we are sorry for Youtube video encoding quality!


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Hong Kong Tamil Class 10th Anniversary
Speech delivered during Hong Kong Tamil's Class 10th Anniversary held on 14 April, 2014. As there were some non-Tamil guests, I spoke in English. It's a compelling short summary of 10 years told in about 10 minutes
Video Record: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLsrXAuXs_w
An Insider's View
Speech delivered during the launching of the book
VAARI CHOODINUM PAARPPAVAR ILLAI-Kavithogai, the 'Sangam Literature' of China
[EVEN IF I ADORN, THERE'S NONE TO BEHOLD-Shi Jing, Book of Songs, the Classic Anthology of China]
translated into Tamil by M Sridharan (Payani)
at a function held at Delhi 25 February 2012
Video Record:
Three Worlds of Muttulingam
Dhilligai Ilakkiya Vattam (http://www.facebook.com/dhilligai1) is a literary organisation promoting Tamil literature, and conducts meetings on every second Saturday. In the month of September 2012, the subject was Tamil Short stories, and I spoke about the short stories of A Muttulingam (amuttu.net). Topic : Three Worlds- Space of A.Muttulingam's Short Stories
First part of the talk:
Second Part:
Tiger Claw Tree
P.A. Krishnan's novel "புலிநகக் கொன்றை" (Tiger Claw Tree) follows four generations of a family, recording not only their lives but also the political and historical situations of the time. I spoke about it at the Ilakkya Vattam's 27 August 2006 meeting. [Audio file missing, will be uploaded soon.]
Life and Writings of Bharathi
The brief talk at the Ilakkya Vattam's Bharathi-125 meeting held on 27 January 2007 covered how Bharathi's life and his writings are intertwined, and I used the book, Bharathiyin Kadithangal, published by Bharathi-scholar Ra Aa Padmanabhan. [Audio file missing, will be uploaded soon.]
YIFC : Tamil Class 3rd Annual Day-Felicitation
The Young Indian Friends Club(YIFC) of Hong Kong has been teaching the Tamil language to young people amidst many hardships. The third Annual day was conducted on 23 May 2007. I was invited to felicitate. The text of my talk (in Tamil) can be found here.
Tamil Language and Tamil Teaching
The Young Indian Friends Club(YIFC) of Hong Kong has been teaching the Tamil language to young people for over three years in make-shift classrooms. The Tamil classes has now moved to formal classrooms in an established school. To commemorate, YIFC conducted a function on 3 November 2007. I had an opportunity to talk about the Tamil language and Tamil teaching. The talk is mainly intended to the Chinese audience who were present. The text can be found here.
Arunachalam Awarded Pravasi Bharathya Samman Award
Thiru M Arunachalam, a Hong Kong businessman and industrailst, was awarded the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman in early 2005. The award is presented by the government of India to honor exceptional and meritorious contributions of Indian disapora in their chosen field. Thiru Arunachalam was recognized for his outstanding contribution towards India's commercial relations with Hong Kong and China and in enhancing the image and understanding of India. Hong Kong Tamil Cultural Association felicitated him on 19 March 2005, and I was invited to talk. The text can be found here.
YIFC : Tamil Class 5th Annual Day - Talk on country, community and language classes
The Young Indian Friends Club(YIFC) of Hong Kong has been teaching the Tamil language to young people amidst many hardships. The fifth Annual day was conducted on 28 May 2009. I spoke about the link between China-Hong Kong-India and about the Tamil language classes. The talk is mainly intended to the Chinese audience who were present. The text can be found here.
Delia English Primary School & Kindergarten is one of the pioneering schools in Hong Kong providing education to mainly non-Chinese students. I had an opportunity to talk in their 39th Annual Speech Day festivals as a parent representative. The text extracted from the recording can be found here.
Muttulingam's Space
Muttulingam, whose writings are hailed as one of Eelam Tamil's greatest contributions to the language. This talk is on one of his essays entitled "அங்கே இப்ப என்ன நேரம்?" (Angae Ippa Enna Neram). The talk was delivered at the Hong Kong Ilakkya Vattam's 23 April 2006 meeting. [Audio file missing, will be uploaded soon.]


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Challenge: Driving 45 minutes for a 1 or 2 hour service call discourages many contractors from working with service networks. For those who do, warranty calls become a 'filler' between direct customers which typically pay a higher margin.
Solution: The LocalFix dynamic pricing algorithm quickly identifies the most optimal contractor tech for a service call for each day of the week. If a contractor crew has availability but will not be near that address, they are de-emphasized on price. Contractors who participate in service networks enjoy better margins resulting in higher customer service.
Other Key Features:
Cloud-based: LocalFix can be anywhere you want to go
Easily connect to partners within your service networks
Seamlessly manage contractor jobs and track progress via the mobile app
Access prior customer maintenance history including charges and serial numbers of replace parts
Submit and receive approval on real-time change orders including photo capture
Capture customer signatures on site
Track real-time progress of service calls for a given day using the job board
Optional dynamic pricing feature to ensure best rates & shortest travel times


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Share your data visualizations via the new UW Tableau Public Server
Now you can share your data visualization dashboards with colleagues anywhere in the world, with the new UW Tableau Public Server. Hosted by UW-IT, the server keeps your data safe and secure; viewers interact with your dashboard but do not download it or the data behind it, and a UW NetID is not required for access. Now it is easy to share UW information, research data and analyses with peer and other institutions as well as the media. Learn more.


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Spoon 100 - My First Design Book
This book holds a special place in my heart. It was the first design book I owned (before I came to understand that Design was an industry and a profession). It was a gift from my parents when I was in middle school. I came across it in the Seattle Art Museum's gift shop during one of our frequent family art outings and my eyeballs were glued to this book. Perhaps it was the shiny curved sheet-metal cover or the huge pages filled with entrancing photos... I was disappointed when we had to leave the gift shop.
A few weeks later, for either Christmas or my birthday or some other special occasion, I opened up a surprisingly heavy box to find a fresh copy of Spoon 100 still wrapped in plastic! Despite not understanding most of the terminology regarding manufacturing methods or material names, I read and re-read all the text (and soaked in the pictures) on each page. In fact, during grade school I did this with several books, most notably the collection of Star Wars: Incredible Cross Sections which I share with my sister (I learned a lot about hyperdrive, anti-grav, and shield generator placements on various star ships. Very educational!).
Recently I was back home and pulled this book off the shelf to have another read. Now, after going through design school I actually recognize some of the objects and names (the book was published in 2002, before smartphones!). Turning page after page, it reminded me about how I became drawn to design in the first place—I am a keen observer of the world around me and through designing I can translate those observations into something tangible.
There was something about those crisp images of mass-produced objects, conceptual renderings, and experimental designs that captured my imagination and seeded my daydreams. They presented visions of "What if?" and "Why not?". I believe those are important questions to challenge myself with when I design and it is something I will focus more thought on.
Unfortunately, this book (along with the rest of my design book collection) was too heavy to fit into my suitcase back in SF. Looking back, I am very glad that I stumbled upon this book and was exposed to the wonders of product design before I even understood what it meant!


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Greg Grainger
Acoustic Alchemy / GRAINGER - United States
OverviewHailing from Baltimore, Greg Grainger is known as one of the most dynamic drummers to come out of that area. It was this level of professionalism that propelled him to play for artists ranging from Whitney Houston to Lonnie Liston Smith.
Calculating every note, bridging rhythmic movements with the latest of high tech wizardry, Gary and Greg are accompanied by some of the industries hottest musicians.
Greg is currently touring worldwide with Acoustic Alchemy.
LinksGregory Grainger.com
Equipment ConfigurationMasters Series
22x16 bass drum w/ BB3
8x8 tom
10x8 tom
12x8 tom
14x14 floor tom
16x16 floor tom
14x 6.5 snare drum
12x7 snare drum
B1000 boom stand x 6
H2000 hi-hat stand
S2000 snare stand x 2
D1000 throne
P2000C pedal
TH1000 tom holder x 2


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Again Government Hike Court Fees (Stealth Tax)
The Ministry of Justice announced today that court fees for divorce is to increase from Monday, 21st March from £410 to a whopping £550*, a massive 30% increase. Although this was first discussed last summer, it was not included in the fee increase towards the end of last year so it has come as a surprise to many divorce lawyers. The government appears to ignore the human casualties that often requires a court resolution out of necessity but instead seems hell bent on hiking fees where people are most vulnerable. Legal Aid for family matters were drastically cut in 2013, which was followed by the reduction in criminal legal aid, on top of which making it harder for anyone who has a grievance in an employment matter who has to pay a substantial fee. More recently the government announced the proposal to ban whiplash injury claims along with increasing the small claims limit for personal injury to £5,000 which means anyone who has ever suffered an injury will know that even a simple claim can be complicated when you have a large insurance company making it less than easy for you. It seems this government is targeting vulnerable people without having an idea how 'penny wise, pound foolish' their actions. Can it be cost effective to increase court fees when the court's time is taken up a litigant in person who will need much more time than if he/she was properly represented.
Anyone looking in will agree, the system is failing the most vulnerable.
It is worth remembering that wealthy politicians from privileged backgrounds are able to 'afford' legal services and full protection of their legal rights. Many hardworking middle income earners who earn up to £70,000 per annum and lower income working families cannot afford the same protections of the law as those of the privileged. So who is the law working for? The cuts in legal services and increases in court fees lead to the creation of two societies, protecting only the most privileged in our, so called, society.
* subject to parliamentary approval"


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John Kenneth Galbraith wonderfully put in the foreword to his book "The Great Crash – A Classic Study of That Disaster": "As a protection against financial illusion or insanity, memory is far better than law. When the memory of the 1929 disaster failed, law and regulation no longer sufficed. For protecting people from the cupidity of others and their own, history is highly utilitarian. It sustains memory and memory serves the same purpose as the SEC, and, on the record, is far more effective."
To add to what Galbraith wrote: Even the law has to be remembered.
Read "Riding The Roller Coaster – Lessons from financial market cycles we repeatedly forget" again and again.
#RidingTheRollerCoaster – 138


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This hair style has 17 kinds of color
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« Back to A Day in the Life (Oct 2013)
8.5 x 11 | materials patterned paper (Echo Park Co, Cocoa Daisy, Simple Stories) + labels (Basic Grey) + stickers (Studio Calico, Echo Park Co) + pen (Sharpie)
A Note from Lisa
This layout was made minutes after I received the August Cocoa Daisy Main Kit! I just loved the colors and knew that I wanted to use that fun photo of us.
That photo represents so much and says so much about our relationship. We seriously have fun all the time. We joke and are silly everyday and I am sure it drives people crazy!
I made that heart card using my watercolors. Try it, it´s so much fun!
October Fun Fact
As much as I love summer, I always look forward to autumn and how our lives get back into routine.


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The Gangsters Disciples (GD) is a narcotics power station that runs like a fortune 500 company. By demonstrating punishing everyone who got in their way, the Gangsters Disciples made millions of money. Established in Chicago, they dominated the drug trade in cities crosswise the Midwest since 1980.They're simple goal, more money and more power, and for achieving this, a strictly business for GD's is torture, dismemberment, and killing.
The Gangsters Disciples (GD) was created to be a competitor to the Italian Mafia, that sometimes ago did almost what they desire at that region. GD's members are not common gangsters, they are extremely unemotional, triumphant, and vary dangerous.


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Josiah struggles with a caller and Doug shares with us the intimate and hilarious details about his vasectomy appointment.
Josiah and Doug discuss the new show by Norm Macdonald on Netflix called Norm Macdonald Has a Show. From there. we talk about our favorite talk show sidekicks, and hear a hilarious sound byte from Josiah's favorite sidekick, Karl Pilkington.
Comedian Michelle Wolf gets an honorable mention and we play a clip of her lovely gig at the Correspondents Dinner in D.C.
Is Norm Macdonald gay? We play an incriminating clip, but maybe it's a joke.
Doug entertains the idea of sleeping with his favorite actress Halle Berry, while at the same time his wife fantasizes about Eminem.
Fantasizing about Eminem takes us into the very recent Rap Battle between Eminem and Machine Gun Kelly. We play the track off Eminem's new album Kamikaze that disses Machine Gun Kelly. Then we get to hear Machine Gun Kelly's rebuttal, Rap Devil. And of course, Eminem comes back with his reply with a song called Kill Shot. This is Doug's first time listening to this track and it's very enjoyable.
Then Doug gives us a fabulous walk down hip-hop memory lane, recalling all the famous rap battles that he enjoyed listening to when he was growing up. He talks about MC SHAN, KRS ONE and Nelly, just to name a few. Lot's of samples tracks get played, so have a listen. We hope you enjoy it.
The Jokes by Jo Show is the official podcast of comedians/writers Josiah James and Doug McHizzle. You can listen from the show web page, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn or anywhere else that fancies RSS Feeds. Feel free to email us at firstname.lastname@example.com for anything show related.
Listen to The Jokes by Jo Show on your preferred platform below:


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6 Benefits of Running InfographicContinue Reading →
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Dietitian offers last-minute training tips ahead of the New York Marathon SUNDAY, Oct. 20 (HealthDay News) — With the New York City Marathon just two weeks away, a sports diet expert advises runners that proper nutrition and hydration are crucial for anyone training for the Nov. 3 race. Long-distance runners are at risk for low […]Continue Reading →
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Lace up those walking shoes: A study published in the American Heart Association (AHA) journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology found that a brisk walk is just as good for heart health as running. The study gathered medical and exercise information over six years from 33,060 runners enrolled in the National Runners' Health Study and […]Continue Reading →
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Pairing: YunJae, MinSu + others
Rating: It's a surprise!
Length: Tripleshot
Genre: AU, fluff, crack
Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the story. I wish I had YunJae and if I had my way, they'd move to New Zealand so they can be MARRIED here
Summary: Everyone seems to be hell bent on getting Changmin to sort his shit out. Of course, it doesn't seem to bother anyone that Changmin himself doesn't believe he has any shit to sort out. Ex-gf Nicole is in cahoots with Yunho's kitten, and when those two join forces, he might as well wave the white flag. The lady doth protest too much they say, but Changmin is sick of the games a certain idol plays. Once bitten, twice shy. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you. Changmin is done playing games. But there is still one more game to be played... and the winner takes all ;-)
AN1: Tripleshot from The Tattooist universe, but you really don't have to read that first tbh. This one can stand alone by itself.
AN2: Wow… my doubleshot just turned into a tripleshot. Who is surprised? Ugh… I NEED TO LEARN ECONOMY OF WORDS OMFG.
"You're serious?"
Jaejoong nods as he once again snuggles securely against Nicole. She can feel every line and curve and soft press of his almost nude body because let's face it, Yunho's shirt covers hardly anything especially since the kid hasn't even buttoned it up properly. Coupled with the lingering haze of lust in his eyes as he smiles up at his perplexed boyfriend, he is looking like a recently debauched harem boy. Her protective instincts are rearing their head, once again thinking all over that Jae is a mite young for the games they play.
"He needs to learn the difference between a kiss…and a kiss," Jaejoong answers as he closes his eyes and nuzzles into Nicole's fragrant shoulder. "I don't want him to say that kissing hyung is different from noona because she's a girl and he isn't. Kiss him like you kiss me."
Alright, she needs to rethink that a little. He might be seventeen, but he seems to have seen right through to the heart of the issue. Things between Changmin and Junsu had escalated very quickly, shocking even her. What had started off as a need to tease, has turned into an unbearable tension in the room between the two men sitting on opposite ends of the long couch.
The thing is, it is entirely self-inflicted by her ex boyfriend. The superstar kpop idol has done nothing out of the ordinary. He is teasing, flirtatious, and generally all round playful, but he is like that with everyone. Rather like the way the sleepy teenager is affectionate with everyone. The problem is, Max totally clams up and gets weird whenever Junsu does it to him, again not unlike the way Yunho used to get all grumpy around the kid before they got together. She cannot see the blond man treating the piercer any different than he does anyone else. Heck, he's probably flirted more with Eryn than he did with the man, and yet Max chooses to overreact each and every time.
His snark is honestly uncalled for.
She looks over at Junsu who has a blank expression on his face, seemingly lost in thought as he caresses the neck of his bottle of Perrier.
"Stop that."
All eyes turn towards Changmin who is scowling at Junsu.
"You can't let it go, can you? That fucking idol persona. Must you always try and be so ridiculously sexual all of the time? Would it kill you to be normal for once in your life? It's all about your image with you. How the public perceives you. The uncommitted Xia Junsu. God forbid you have a relationship beyond the imaginary one with your fans or the farcical ones dreamed up by your fucking company. Not all of us in this room are your fucking fans Xia Junsu," Changmin bites out bitterly. "You don't have to continue being an ass."
"I'm the ass? I'm the ass?" Junsu turns fully, twisting his body to stare at the angry piercer. "You're the one picking fights, finding fault over nothing. What have I done now? Is it my hair? You hate it being blond? Well, too bad for me I don't have a choice in it, do I? I never have a choice." Junsu snaps back, knowing exactly what the man is saying. The regret is like a knife slicing through his insides, but what's done is done.
"You know…I actually thought he liked Junsu oppa the way he keeps howling about worshipping at the altar of XIA god…" Nicole murmurs, but Yunho hears her as he turns, shrugging.
"It's a little more complicated than that…"
"He does it to poke fun at me," Junsu bites out, having heard her too. The congenial man is gone and in its place is a cold idol. "I used to think it's funny, but now it just hurts."
"XIAnism is a fucking religion, don't you know? Even he believes his own press."
"Enough, Min!"
"What are you gonna do? Cut off my fingers for insulting your cousin? I'm sick and tired of his games." Changmin stands, body bristling with anger. He looks past Yunho to glare at the wide-eyed kitten half sprawled across his blonde ex girlfriend, and suddenly he is even more irritated. "And I'm tired of all your games. You wanted a kiss, kid? I'll give you a fucking kiss."
He steps forward and jerks Yunho by the collar, pulling him in, his biceps rippling.
Changmin forgets who he is dealing with though, and instead of being the one in control, he finds the hand holding onto Yunho ripped from his grasp of the older man's top, and his arm twisted behind him painfully. Another hand grips him by the neck as Yunho flips the tables on him in the blink of an eye.
Their mouths meet, but instead of the angry clash Changmin had been expecting, Yunho's painful grip of him forces him to rethink his approach.
"Don't you ever take your anger out on Jaejoong, do you hear me?" Yunho whispers calmly against Changmin's parched lips. "And if you bite me, I will make you regret it." His tongue snakes out, licking at Changmin's piercings, before he slants his mouth over the stunned piercer's. His thumb strokes at the younger man's chin, coaxing him to open his mouth.
Changmin is pushing against Yunho's shoulder with his free hand, trying to extricate himself, but he might as well be pushing against a boulder.
Yunho is the immovable object to Jaejoong's unstoppable force.
Changmin doesn't have a prayer.
Everyone stares in fascination as the two stunning men fight for dominance. Changmin's burst of it though is quelled so quickly by Yunho it is almost laughable.
But no one is laughing as they watch Changmin struggling briefly, before he gives up, visibly leaning into Yunho as he kisses the man back.
Yunho's tongue slips between his lips, feeling foreign and too warm. The man is like a furnace, the heat coming from his body is unlike anything he has ever felt. They are of the same height, standing toe to toe, and kissing a man is infinitely different to kissing a woman. Even with Nicole's height, it doesn't prepare him for kissing someone head on. Yunho's five o'clock shadow rubs against his lip, the scratchiness a little uncomfortable. He can feel the man smile against his mouth when he licks tentatively at his tongue.
It feels so fucking wrong.
His only consolation is that Yunho tastes very good. Sweet from the Redbull he'd been drinking earlier. Very sweet.
"Is it weird that I think this is hot?" Jaejoong whispers, eyes trained on the two men. "I should be angry, shouldn't I? But…I just feel warm…"
"I'm so warm, I'm moist."
Eryn elbows Nicole in the side for her candid admission.
Jaejoong chances a look at Yunho's cousin, and what he sees almost makes him exclaim to call a stop to the whole thing.
"Look at Junsu hyung," he whispers to the two girls next to him, and they both turn, though all three are finding it hard to tear their gazes from the two hot men kissing to look at the idol.
"Oh dear…"
Junsu is hurt.
That is honestly the best description for it. His eyes are trained on the two men, and the look in them is one of pain. His hands clench and unclench in his lap, almost as if he is trying to draw strength from it. There is a wash of regret in his eyes, and a longing that Jaejoong recognises because he feels it too.
He wants his boyfriend back.
Yunho steps back instantly. It is like someone flipped the off switch, his movements are measured and controlled. Nicole is actually a little surprised at how unaffected he is. It really truly looked like he was into the kiss, she even saw his tongue, but looking at him now with the bored expression on his face, you'd see that the kiss hadn't done a thing for him.
Changmin is not in a similar state at all, almost toppling over when he loses his anchor. Yunho's hand against his shoulder, and the man's deep chuckle makes him flush with embarrassment.
"Well?" Jaejoong questions, head tilted, licking at his mouth. His eyes are bright with interest and a fair amount of arousal which amuses his much older boyfriend significantly as he takes a step towards the couch. "Did you like kissing my Yunho?"
Changmin growls, rubbing furiously at his mouth as he shakes his head. He is also flapping his arm, trying to loosen the kink in his shoulder from being twisted behind his back.
"Could've fooled me." Eryn remarks, smirking at the disconcerted man who doesn't even have time to glare at her before his attention is once again drawn back to the teenager.
"What didn't you like?"
"I don't know. It just felt wrong."
Junsu scoffs immediately. The sound echoing in the suddenly silent room.
Changmin pivots slowly on his heel to face the man.
The idol has wiped all expression from his face as he stares up at the taller man. Jaejoong marvels at that gift. Yunho can do it too and he finds it rather useful. Maybe they can teach him how to wipe his face too.
"Do you have something to say, hyung?" There is nothing honorific about the way Changmin says the word, scornful instead. His tone is almost daring the man to speak, fully expecting the idol to stay silent.
It really isn't Changmin's night though.
"You're a hypocrite. Kissing a man is wrong, is it? And you tell me I'm playing games? Take a good look in the mirror."
"Are you fucking hard of hearing? Exactly where did I say kissing a man felt wrong? Kissing hyung felt wrong. I know you're a little thick at times but even you should have noticed that hyung is wrapped around that kitten's little paw." Changmin jerks his finger over his shoulder at Jaejoong who sits up and starts to preen cutely, making the girls and Yunho chuckle.
Unfortunately, even Jaejoong's naturally adorable antics don't sway the two men staring each other down.
"So you're telling me that kissing him would feel right if Jaejoong wasn't in the picture?"
"I'm not saying that!"
"Whatever, Shim Changmin." Junsu waves his hand dismissively. "Whatever makes you sleep better at night."
"At least I slept alone!"
Junsu sends a long pointed look at Nicole who quirks an eyebrow in acknowledgement.
"She doesn't count!"
"Thanks," Nicole retorts drily as Changmin whirls around, frustration and anger in his face.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way."
"It's ok. I know."
"Why are you being such a drama queen?" Junsu questions coldly. "The whole night, you've done nothing but create spectacle after spectacle. You've snapped at me all night and now you've even hurt Nicole's feelings and she's done nothing."
"I'm ok, oppa! Please don't drag me into this."
"No matter. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"You. You're what's wrong with me. This…this…" Changmin gestures towards Junsu. "You. You're not you."
"This is me."
Changmin lets out a growl of pure frustration as he stalks to the other end of the couch, flinging himself back into his original position.
"I can't talk to you. You just don't get it."
"Make me understand then."
"It's too late. I don't want to."
"Alright, children. Put away the knives. Seriously, Min, Su, this is a game. You two need to calm the fuck down."
"Are we seriously still fucking playing?"
"Yes." Four voices reply, and Changmin grits his teeth, grinding them down so hard that it can be heard.
"Seven minutes in fucking heaven? You really have got to be fucking kidding me."
"Don't bite him, Min."
"Don't boss him around, hyung." Junsu speaks quietly as he gets up, heading back towards the stereo.
"Don't defend me, XIA."
Junsu says nothing as he fiddles around with his iPod.
Show me the meaning, of being lonely…
The soft strains of a guitar fill the room.
So many words for the broken heart
It's hard to see in a crimson love
So hard to breathe
Walk with me, and maybe…
Junsu takes a deep breath, turning around to face the younger man. Changmin is now expressionless. He can hear Nicole, Eryn and Jaejoong singing along quietly to the song, and he resists the urge to do it himself.
He walks slowly, his feet dragging as he tries to figure out how to do this. How do you apologise for a mistake from months ago? How do you apologise for breaking someone's heart?
Junsu wasn't ready then. At the height of his career, he had run scared of a scandal that could ruin what he'd spent years to build up. He had uttered those fateful words as he lay in the arms of a young man still struggling to come to terms with his sexuality. A man, for all intents and purposes, almost as fragile as a newborn foal trying to find its legs. Changmin had confessed, and Junsu had taken advantage of the man's feelings.
"I can't be with you… I have certain obligations…"
Obligations to his company to not start a scandal that may ruin him, their biggest star.
Obligations to the actress he is pretending to be seeing to boost her fledgling career, as directed by his management.
Obligations to his fans to be mysterious, toeing the line between is he or isn't he, but not actually falling off the fence he is straddling so determinedly.
Junsu truly fell off the fence over a year ago when he walked in on Changmin jerking off in his bedroom…
He has always liked the handsome piercer.
No, loved.
Changmin had gone way past hurt. Fury had lined his body, and he had bodily thrown Junsu out. And the idol knows he deserved the humiliating treatment.
He had pushed the man from his mind, but Max Changmin has a way of getting under your skin. He's known the man for years, and fallen in love slowly but surely. He never thought it was reciprocated, and thus, never ever acted on it. He treated it like a crush gone wrong. A crush that would never amount to anything. He never even pined, simply accepting his feelings for what they were, and leaving it at that.
Till that fateful day when Changmin attacked him, using his body and his words to show him that his feelings were indeed reciprocated.
Was his career worth breaking the man's heart?
Junsu is very good at suppressing his feelings and emotions. He can appear as dumb as a doorknob when the occasion merits it. His poker face is better than his cousin's, Yunho's mother once admitting to him that the don of Yamaguchi-gumi has trouble reading him. Despite his open face, and his benign nature, Junsu is very good at compartmentalizing. He has to, in order to survive in the industry. He keeps his feelings deep within him.
His mask of congeniality is genuine. He truly is what he shows. He is like an inverted iceberg, ninety percent of what he shows is truly himself, but there is a tenth that he hides.
Changmin is demanding he show that tenth to him.
But if he does, what does he have left?
Changmin…A little voice whispers in his mind.
Would he really have Changmin though?
Show me the meaning of being lonely
Is this the feeling I need to walk with
Tell me why I can't be there where you are
There's something missing in my heart…
Junsu whispers the last line in the chorus as he pushes Changmin's knees together, straddling his lap.
The younger man stares stone-faced back at him. Not a drop of emotion is in those large eyes.
Not even anger.
Junsu is staring at nothing.
Neither move, simply looking at each other.
There's nowhere to run
I have no place to go
Surrender my heart, body, and soul
How can it be, you're asking me to feel…
…the things you never show?
"I showed."
Junsu doesn't realise he'd been singing along till Changmin's soft words hit him.
His poker face wavers. He knows those words were only meant for him, for it is barely even a whisper, more air than words. He may even have dreamed it all.
Yes, a dream.
The song is almost at an end, and they have not taken a single step closer towards actually reaching this farcical seven minutes in heaven. Changmin is sitting very stiffly, Junsu can feel the man's tense body underneath him. All hard thighs, and long, unyielding frame. The younger man is so very slim, mostly muscle and nothing else, not given to fat at all. Everything he eats get converted into muscle it seems, and Junsu can remember envying that about the piercer.
"This is almost as bad as you and Yunho, Jae. What is it with you Koreans and unresolved sexual tension?"
"I really don't think we were this bad."
"You wanna bet? Remember when you played Kiss B?"
Instead of answering, Jaejoong unfurls himself from Nicole's side, stretching languidly, arching back, yawning widely.
He hums, as he straightens, smiling at the two Americans gazing fondly at him, briefly distracted from the palpable tension between the two men opposite them.
"I didn't notice the tension, but my belly felt funny…" His eyes roam over to his boyfriend who is back at his original seat nursing a bottle of soju he has magically procured from who knows where since Jaejoong hasn't seen any around. "Excuse me," he murmurs to the two girls as he gets up, sauntering over to the tattooist who merely arches an eyebrow at him.
Jaejoong settles in Yunho's lap, prodding the man's chest as he whispers against his mouth. "What did I tell you about your eyebrow?"
"When it goes up, you go up too?" Yunho licks at Jaejoong's pout, far more interested in his gorgeous teenager than the issues his cousin and friend are somehow not working out.
The teen giggles, nipping playfully at his boyfriend's tongue. " You're so bad. You did that on purpose."
Yunho slips a hand underneath Jaejoong's shirt, caressing the boy's smooth skin, swallowing the soft moan the teen lets out.
"Your hand is so hot…"
The tattooist moves lower, rubbing over the bulge in the teenager's underwear. Jaejoong's body is tilted into him, his back to the girls so he knows they cannot see anything. Junsu and Changmin have a good view, but he has a feeling they're more interested in each other than anything else in the room.
Don't, don't want you back…
"Oh no…" Jaejoong utters quietly as he pulls back slightly, eyes wide.
"What's the matter, kitten?"
"Bad song."
The couple turn just as Junsu reaches out a hand to trail a finger along Changmin's bottom lip.
Changmin resists the urge to kiss that finger. The song change only strengthens his resolve. And he sings along quietly, staring into Junsu's teardrop eyes, unaware of the hurt he lets slip into his words.
"But I should have known that I would be… Another victim of your sexuality. But now we're done and over with."
"Don't say that."
Changmin shakes his head. "I don't want you back…", he adlibs.
Junsu lets out a soft cry, leaning forward quickly, pressing his lips where his finger has just been.
Changmin wasn't prepared for the assault, the tables turned on him now compared to that day months ago when it was him who initiated.
This is just a stupid dare, he thinks to himself, keeping his lips pressed tightly closed, feeling Junsu's soft lips trying to coax them apart.
Junsu stops after long seconds, pulling back slightly, whispering against his mouth.
"Kiss the person opposite you. Seven minutes in heaven with witnesses, and lots and lots of tongue." He parrots perfectly from memory. "Do you really want Eryn to give us a penalty?"
"Fuck you."
Changmin shoves Junsu back then, the man almost toppling off his lap but a quick grab saves the idol, and the piercer winces as the idol's black lacquered nails dig into his bicep.
"I'm not playing your fucking games, Xia."
"It's not a game."
"That's not how I remember it."
"You have selective memory."
"And you have an indiscriminate cock."
Twin gasps from the two girls as they exchange looks.
"Holy fuck! They really did it?" Eryn's eyes are so wide that Jaejoong giggles when he looks over his shoulder at her. "He touched XIAcock…"
"Good grief, Eryn." Nicole mutters, as her friend sucks in huge gulps of air, trying to calm down.
Despite the bickering of the audience, Junsu and Changmin only have eyes for each other.
The song plays out in the background, Changmin fighting with himself. There is no way he is going to allow Junsu to kiss him. No fucking way. He's fallen down that rabbit hole once before.
Never again.
"I'll take the penalty."
"I don't give a fuck what you want, Xia." Changmin shoves the idol off his lap, the blond man tumbling off this time, as the piercer pins Eryn with a level gaze. "I'll take his penalty. I don't care what you do, just don't fucking make me kiss him."
"Was it different from your kiss with Yunho?" Jaejoong queries curiously.
"How so?"
"I hated every second of it." Changmin lies through his teeth.
Jaejoong sighs as he watches Junsu hyung stand up, brushing himself off, his expression once again perfectly blank.
"I told you that was a bad song."
"I'm going to the bathroom."
Five pairs of eyes watch as Junsu disappears through the connecting door into Changmin's apartment.
"What? Bathrooms in this apartment are not good enough or something?"
"Oh for fuck's sake, Max Changmin, cut it the fuck out." Nicole gets up in disgust, gathering the empty bottles to put in the kitchen. "You're putting a serious damper on the night. The kid's got one night off before he has to go back to studying, and you've got to ruin it for him? A game's a game, champ. Stop acting like we're trying to steal your fucking virginity or something by making you kiss him. And from what I heard, this isn't the first time you're kissing him so get that imaginary fucking broomstick out of your fucking ass before I actually show you what a real one feels like."
The blonde turns the stereo off, before storming away in the direction of the kitchen. Eryn gets up, sending a dirty look at the tall piercer before trailing after her.
"What the hell happened between you two?"
"Like hell there was nothing. I saw you, Min. He was dressed in his full shinigami gear. Blond hair up, eyes lined deeply with kohl, and the two of you were practically yelling the apartment down."
Changmin straightens quickly, staring at Yunho, his expression stark.
"What did you see?"
"I saw you kiss him. You initiated it, Min. There is no way I imagined you pressing him backwards onto my fucking kitchen counter."
"Fuck." Changmin cards his hand through his hair, ruffling the loosely gelled hair, making his hair stick up and stay up. "Fuck, why didn't you say something?"
"What the fuck was I supposed to say? Who you kiss or who he kisses is none of my fucking business. The two of you are grown men, though after what I've seen tonight, I highly doubt either of you are even out of fucking high school. Actually, maybe Junsu is, but you, you're still in middle school. Jaejoong can behave better than you."
"Thank you…" Jaejoong smiles, before his brow furrows as he thinks about it. "…I think."
Yunho squeezes the teenager, rearranging himself in the armchair and draping the teenager's legs over one arm as he tugs the boy against him. "You're good, babe."
"You don't understand." The frustration in his face and voice is clear for the couple to see, and Jaejoong feels bad for the piercer, and so he decides to offer him some comfort.
He slips quickly out of Yunho's lap, skipping out of reach as the older man tries to make a grab for him.
To Changmin's surprise, he suddenly finds himself with a lapful of cuddly teenager.
"Shush!" Jaejoong admonishes both men as he cups the sides of Changmin's face, squishing the man's not very chubby cheeks together, making fishy faces with his mouth.
He drops his hands, cocking his head to stare at the absolutely bewildered older man.
"Ok, what?" Changmin blinks at the teenager, groaning when the boy wrinkles his nose and pouts. "Oh god, please don't pout."
"Why?" Jaejoong asks, managing to ask his question and pout at the same time. He wrinkles his nose again, furrowing his brow, narrowing his eyes slightly as he leans forward towards Changmin's face, still pouting.
The man leans back quickly, as far as he can manage, clenching his eyes shut and shaking his head from side to side.
"Hyung…" he whines, "please take this creature off my lap before I give him my first born."
Yunho however, decides that he wants to see what his teenager wants to achieve, and so he stays put. The brief spasm of possessiveness goes out almost as quickly as it comes. This is Changmin, and that is Jaejoong. He's seen this happen enough times over the last two weeks to not be bothered about it. True, Jaejoong is a little too scantily dressed than normal, but he just kissed the piercer. With tongue. He can afford to give the teen the benefit of the doubt.
Changmin groans again when he feels soft hands cupping his face, and then fingers prying his eyelids up.
"Stop it!"
"What the hell do you want?"
"I just wanted to make you feel better."
Good lord, he can actually hear the pout in the teenager's voice. He chances a slitty eyed peek, and groans loudly when all he sees is a very pink and juicy pout.
"Stop it, kid." Changmin growls, squeezing his eyes shut again. His hands are lying limply by his side, not wanting to touch the boy at all. The kid's tendency towards unnecessary shows of affection baffles him. It's like some switch just turned on in him, and suddenly everyone is fair game. While Nicole bears the brunt of the boy's exuberant affection, Changmin does not escape. He has lost count as to the number of times the blonde and the teenager have switched in and out of his lap. Jaejoong seems to have this thing where if there's a lap handy, he lands in it. He seems to have an aversion to furniture, preferring to be on a human rather than having direct contact with a chair or couch or bed even.
Yes, he knows about the teen's propensity for sleeping on Yunho. He got that much after that odd conversation from two weeks ago, but he'd also walked in on the two one day, while looking for them because they were running late. Jaejoong had been sprawled on top of Yunho, dead asleep. The older man had been awake, and unwilling to move because apparently, Jaejoong only fell asleep not two hours before.
Jaejoong slips his arms around the man, nuzzling against his shoulder as he lets his body relax into the man. "Stop fighting it, hyung."
Changmin sighs, his body relaxing with the teen, finally moving his arms to wrap around the warm and fragrant teenager. Jaejoong is sitting sideways so it's a little awkward for him, but they manage somehow.
"Are you done fighting?"
"You're not talking about yourself, are you?"
Jaejoong lifts his head to look at the older man, his face and voice solemn. "I don't know. People always seem to take their own interpretations about what I say. You take it however you want to, and it will be right for you."
"Are you really seventeen?"
Jaejoong breaks into a beautiful smile, happiness shining from his eyes as he leans forward to press a kiss against his jaw. "I'm still jailbait, hyung."
"My jailbait, Min." A warning voice off to the side washes over them.
Jaejoong starts to giggle as Changmin shakes his head, staring fondly at the strange teenager. He is like a mood ring, switching colours and faces, changing like the wind, a breath of fresh air.
"He's all yours, hyung. I wouldn't know what to do with him."
"The same thing you did to Junsu hyung, I imagine."
"What?" Jaejoong stares back and forth at his irritated boyfriend and a slightly scandalised Shim Changmin. His eyes are huge, his voice absolutely dripping in innocence.
Changmin narrows his eyes at the teenager, staring closely, finally catching the telltale twinkle in his eyes.
"You are a fucking brat."
"Yunho's brat." Jaejoong grins and nods.
"Thank god for that. Now get off my lap before hyung decides he needs to teach me a lesson on not touching what belongs to him."
Instead of moving, Jaejoong huffs, crossing his arms across his chest. "I am not a possession."
"My dear dongsaeng," Changmin starts. "Please get off my lap before hyung decides that I've overstayed my welcome in his apartment and kicks me out."
"Are you going to play nice?"
"Fucking hell, you're not going to let this go, are you?"
"Hyung…Junsu hyung is hurt too." Jaejoong sighs, leaning forward to stare at his boyfriend, though his words are directed at Changmin. "I saw his face when you were kissing Yunho. He was upset."
"Like you were upset?" Changmin asks, ignoring the twinge he feels at the teenager's words.
"I wasn't upset. I just felt all warm and tingly. It was weird…"
"Alright, that's it. Off his lap." Yunho stands up to retrieve his teenager who has a slightly dreamy look in his eyes. He rolls his eyes at Changmin who chuckles a little uncomfortably. Once the couple are back in their own seat, the teenager firmly ensconced on Yunho's lap, the two girls return from the kitchen carrying a tray of hot drinks.
Junsu is still nowhere in sight though.
"Is oppa not back?"
Changmin looks around at Eryn's query. He is avoiding Nicole's gaze because he can tell the blonde is still angry with him.
"I wouldn't come back if I were him. I'm sure he can find much warmer company elsewhere."
Yes, the blonde is most assuredly still angry with him.
The two girls divvy up the drinks quickly. Changmin usually shares a drink with Nicole, but not this time as Eryn hands him his own mug. He watches as Nicole settles opposite him, eyes still a little hard around the edges as she nurses her own drink. He feels a pang at missing the familiarity of her company. The ice cold bitch is very warm in his arms, and he belatedly wonders if they've just made a mistake. They are really good together.
His eyes roam over towards Jaejoong and Yunho, the teenager smiling and giggling at something or other that Yunho is whispering in his ear. They are sharing a mug, and Changmin doesn't need to ask what they're having because it's always the same thing.
Cinnamon hot chocolate.
His own drink is a peppermint hot chocolate.
"What are you drinking?"
Nicole cocks an eyebrow at her ex boyfriend. "Coffee."
"Why not?"
Changmin grunts, deciding to drop it. He stares morosely at his mug, taking a sip every now and again when Eryn's shrill oppa! breaks him from his reverie.
He looks up, and wishes he hadn't.
What the fuck, Xia Junsu?
Or is it Xia Tod?
Xia examines his nails, buffing them on his black skin tight outfit before lazily looking around the room. His kohl lined eyes are predatory, a glint of determination within them. He acknowledges the raised mug from Nicole, reading her lips accurately as she mouths good luck to him. She is a very peculiar girl, having spoken to her briefly just earlier. She had gone looking for him, explaining that she and Changmin were most certainly through. She even confided that she will be returning to America with Eryn in the next month or so, asking him to keep mum about it till she finds the right moment to break the news to her friends from Mirotic. She admits to not knowing what is going on, but suggests that he just go for it because to her, he has nothing to lose either way.
He is familiar with the go get 'em attitude Westerners seem to have. What is the saying they have? Take the bull by the horns? Whatever it is, he decides to just say to hell with it. She's right. What does he have to lose? He'd already lost Changmin once. It's not like he has him now so if he loses him again, the status quo simply remains.
Xia smirks at Eryn, making the girl titter, watching as she clutches at Nicole's arm, staring with undisguised adoration at him.
The eyes of a fangirl.
"Have you decided on a penalty yet?" His voice is low and melodious, washing over the small group. He has not been voted the best male vocalist in South Korea for nothing.
Nicole elbows Eryn who turns to her, eyes wide and mouth hanging open.
"Really, Eryn?"
"It's Xia…"
"It's also Junsu oppa."
"That's not Junsu oppa… That's Tod…"
"How did I get saddled with fangirl?"
"You weren't complaining in the kitchen."
"What happened in the kitchen?" Jaejoong asks, cutting in as he stares interestedly between the two very attractive girls.
"Kitten, remind me to call an interior designer. I need to rip out our kitchen. It's been tainted by far too many people."
Junsu's head whips round to stare at his cousin, and then at Changmin who is, typically, looking at anywhere but him. He raises an eyebrow in query, and his damn cousin merely quirks his own eyebrow back, lifting his mug in salute as well.
"Are you going to treat us to a personal concert?" The tattooist asks.
A sharp squeal comes from the girl's couch, Nicole practically having to hold Eryn down, the petite brunette is vibrating so excitedly everything is…moving.
The eyes of the males in the room widen, Jaejoong's included before the teenager covers his eyes, wailing mournfully. "Noonaaaaaaa, please stop bouncing."
Eryn stops abruptly, pouting at the teenager who pouts back.
Their pouting contest lasts a few seconds before Jaejoong stops, grinning once again from ear to ear. "Come on, noona. Tell us what the penalty is."
"Penalty is for Changmin oppa." Her eyes turn to the man staring resolutely at his mug. Eryn feels a glimmer of remorse, but it's not enough to stop her next words. "He has to let Tod…I mean Xia…I mean Junsu…no Tod. Uh…oppa! Yes, oppa. He has to let oppa do whatever he wants to him, and not move to stop him. He cannot push him away, or get up off his seat, and he definitely cannot kick him. But if he wants to kiss him, well…" she trails off as Changmin's angry eyes meet hers.
"For seven minutes." Nicole finishes, patting Eryn comfortingly on the leg as she glares at Max. "He has to let oppa do whatever to him for seven minutes. If he moves, the forfeit will be stripping naked and taking the lift down to the lobby, and putting on makeup using the mirror there."
"You are sick."
"As sick as you. It's simple really. Just don't fucking move."
"Majimak chum…majimak chum…"
"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Changmin whispers to himself as he slides low in his seat, Junsu's voice loud in the living room.
The acoustics are brilliant for some reason, the man's voice practically echoing. His range is ridiculous, and he has adlibbed the song from the musical. Each syllable is dragged out, holding a pulsating note, as if in warning. He sings it slowly, as if caressing the words like a fucking lover. And despite the change in tempo, Junsu is of course, perfectly on pitch.
He watches as Junsu…no Xia. This is Xia in all his fucking glory. The smiling effervescent man he knew from college is nowhere in sight. He watches as Xia walks towards the girls' couch, trailing his fingers slowly along the cream leather. His black nails are shown in stark relief, as his fingers slip over the luxurious material.
"Neon nawa chwoyahae…"
He drags out the note, but he is singing at a lower range as he stands directly behind Nicole and Eryn. Both his hands are out, caressing the leather, bringing them inwards towards the centre.
Changmin swallows hard as the man bends over slowly, an extremely wicked look in his eyes.
This is the shinigami critics and fans across the country and beyond, fell in love with.
This is the shinigami that Changmin fell in love with.
Xia's smirk has to be seen to be believed, as he nuzzles against Nicole's temple. His eyes never once leave Changmin's.
"Majimak chum…majimak chum…"
Nicole shivers as Junsu breathes the words against her skin, singing so low she can practically feel his voice box vibrating with the effort to maintain control of the lowered range. Alright, she was prepared for a lot of things, but she was definitely not prepared for this. It is as if Junsu oppa has transformed into another being altogether. A being hell bent on seduction of the worst kind.
And in all honesty, she is captivated and falling for it, hook, line and sinker.
Max doesn't stand a fucking chance. Not a chance in hell. Not even when hell freezes over does he have a chance of coming out of this one intact. She should feel some measure of pity, but really, all she feels briefly is envy. Envy that she squashes quickly. She can see the look in Changmin's eyes.
This is someone who excites him.
This is someone who will turn his life upside down, and he will come out smiling at the end of it.
As ridiculous as the comparison is, she cannot help but think that Junsu oppa is the Jaejoong to Max's Yunho.
It will never be her, and any brief misgivings she has is wiped away by the look in the man sitting slackjawed across from her.
"Gyeolguken nawa hamkke…"
This time, the song soars upwards as the idol straightens up slowly from caressing the blonde American. His hands trail across her bare shoulder, cupping her jaw as the final note soars out over everyone, directly across to the man he is aiming for.
"Are you going to dance with me, Shim Changmin?" A voice like velvet steel slithers across the room to wrap around the object of the question.
"Oh my god…" The hushed whisper from the teenager is heard only by Yunho who squeezes him close, eyes not leaving his cousin. "Can you sing like that?"
Yunho swallows his laughter as he kisses the awestruck teen. "Not in a million years. All the talent went to him on that side of the family."
"You can hold a note at least, right?"
"I can probably sing the Banana Song with you, yes."
Jaejoong elbows his boyfriend, hearing his amusement clearly.
"You don't even have to sing. Can you talk like that? Can you wrap me up in your words and make me feel too warm?"
"I can try…"
No one expects the piercer to answer the question, and he doesn't disappoint.
Changmin can only stare, the blood is roaring in his ears. Fucking Xia Junsu. He would move if he could, but he can't. He can already feel his body heating up from the carnal gaze the man is sending him. That gaze is reminding him of that one night they had, and it is as if he is drawing out the entire scene in his mind for him.
He can see his pleasure in that gaze.
Xia sighs loudly.
Purposefully, as he continues along his way, fingers trailing over the bare shoulders of the two girls, rubbing their soft hair between his fingertips as he moves.
His sigh is long, drawn out, and to the two couples watching, completely theatrical.
But Changmin has heard that sigh before elsewhere.
The man had sighed exactly like that when he pulled out of his body…
"Naneun algo isseo… majimak sungan…"
Changmin shifts uncomfortably in his seat. The man is singing out of context, as if reading his mind. That final moment…
Xia continues along, cutting in front of Yunho and Jaejoong as he stalks his prey. His gaze is direct, letting everything he remembers into his eyes as he stares down the handsome man whose mouth is set in a grim line, staring back at him, trying to hide his feelings from his eyes.
But he has seen enough. Enough to know he has to keep going, because he can see the younger man wavering.
Xia's eyes drop, sliding slowly his body. There is hunger in that gaze, as they roam, and he can feel goosebumps popping up over every bit of skin. Changmin moves, crossing his arms over his chest in an attempt to protect himself from the assault, but the movement does anything but. That little smirk tugging at Xia's glossy lips widens as his gaze dart backs up to meet his eyes.
The white blond hair looks really fucking good on the man. Impossibly good. His makeup is expertly applied too, as if he had packed his makeup noona in his bag.
And that outfit.
Changmin really fucking hates that outfit. All the black, a sharp contrast to the man's pale skin. And the worst part is that deep V in the front, splitting down his front almost all the way to his navel.
"Uriui eodomsok… milhoereul…"
His gaze snaps back up, seeing the outstretched hand as Xia sings the next line. The control in his voice, and the way he just lingers on that last note. Changmin can practically see the word hovering in midair between them as the man suddenly takes quick steps to cover the last of the distance between them, making him sit up and press backwards against the couch as far as he can.
He really fucking hates that he did that, but his body had moved on its own accord, as if consciously trying to protect itself.
The piercer stares up at the face of the normally placid man. A man who always tries to make him laugh, at his own expense. Changmin suddenly recalls some of the more cruel teasing that has occurred between them, and how Junsu had taken it all, playing along, and then shrugging it off. The man was like an excitable puppy back in college. The industry hadn't corrupted him enough back then. There was no fucking Xia Tod. No death, no androgyny and definitely no fucking sex.
They had naturally gravitated towards each other, Yunho preferring his medical journals over computer games. They had even slept together on the same bed, falling asleep from sheer exhaustion after a long stint of Star Craft, and not wanting Junsu to brave the ungodly hours without a bodyguard to return to his dorm that he'd snuck out of.
He'd been cute and talkative, always trying to make the people around him happy.
Changmin frowns, eyes moving over towards Yunho and Jaejoong. The tattooist is of course preoccupied with the kitten in his lap, not caring at all that his cousin is trying to kill him. The teenager on the other hand is simply gazing at him with wide eyes, and a very full mouth, so red and shiny looking that it reminds him of Xia's glossed up mouth.
Jaejoong and Junsu are really fucking similar. Should he warn Yunho that his kitten is going to turn into a predatory tiger when he grows up?
He feels a touch under his chin, and he freezes, unable to move as the fingers coax him to turn back and look up.
Changmin is staring Death in the eyes.
AN: This is an EXCELLENT fucking example of the lack of control I have over my muses… I just… what the hell even happened here? I wanted three things to happen in this… and only ONE thing happened…the other two got derailed… OTL
AN2: Xia Tod… You're welcome *curls into a ball* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH24JG89Kr0


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Got Murphed Again? - 莫非墨菲?
墨菲定律 ~指詼諧的經驗之談,其要點為:任何事情都不象看上去那么簡單;任何可能出錯的事將出錯。
Come next year, I will breed more so that Mr Murphy would not have time to sabotage all the fishes :)
1) Fries that change colour too fast due to the warm water.
2) BBR with a bent head alignment.
3) BBR with a bent and overlapped caudal tail.


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Chandelier Earrings Project
by Beth Routhier
Make an easy pair of chandelier earrings. Will these be your 'go-to' pair of chandelier earrings -- or will they be just one of many pairs you'll be making to match different outfits and give to your favorite friends?
The focus of this free tutorial is to give you a starting point for designing your own chandelier style earrings using your favorite materials. And believe me, after you've made a pair, you'll become hooked. These are so easy to make you'll want to make a whole wardrobe of the things:)
Chandelier Earring Instructions
Experience Level: All Levels
About 30 minutes or less for experienced, and about 1-2 hours for beginners.
Supply Resources for This Project
Click to find supplies:
- Chandelier Findings
- Swarovski Crystal Beads
- Head Pins
- Jump Rings
- Tube Beads
- Round metal beads
- Earring hooks
- 2 - (5 to 1) Chandelier Components
- 2 - 6mm Swarovski Crystal Bicones
- 12 - Swarovski 4mm Crystal Bicones
- 22 - 1.5mm Metal Round Beads
- 10 - 2mm x 12mm Twisted Tube Beads
- 2 - Earring Hooks
- 2 - 1 1/2" Head Pins w/1.5mm Ball
- 10 - 2" Head Pins w/1.5mm Ball
- 20 - 4mm Jump Rings
- 2 - 5.5mm Jump Rings
- Round Nose Pliers
- Flat Nose Pliers and Chain Nose Pliers
- Wire Cutters
- Beading Mat
- Sharpie Marker
Things to know before you begin:
To complete this chandelier earrings project you will need to know how to make a wrapped loop and to open/close jump rings properly. (The preceding links will open technique instructions in new windows).
Step 1
String Your Short Dangles
To begin, we are going to prepare the shorter dangles. These will be the outer dangles. There will be two on each side of the central dangle of each earring.
To string a short dangle, slide the following onto a 2" headpin: a 4mm crystal, a metal bead, a tube bead, and a last metal bead. Don't make a loop at the top yet.- see Fig. A.
String 7 more dangles to make a total of 8 short dangles (4 for each earring).
Step 2
String Your Long Dangles
These longer dangles will be your central dangles. You'll need one for each earring.
To string your long dangles: Slide the following onto a 2" headpin: a 6mm crystal, a metal bead, a 4mm crystal, metal bead, a tube bead, and another metal bead - see Fig. B.
String a 2nd long dangle so you have a total of 2 long dangles.
Step 3
Make Your Wrapped Loops
Complete the wraps for each of the short dangles and long dangles. Lining up your headpin with the mark on your pliers makes consistent loops easy. - see Fig. C.
To make uniform wraps, mark the jaws of your round nose pliers with a magic marker and line up headpins to that mark so that the 'eyes' of your wraps are the same size
Step 4
Make Two Crystal Dangles
These will be the little dangles that hang from the top of each of your filigree chandelier components. They add a little extra flirtiness don't they?
To make a bead dangle, slide a 4mm crystal bead onto a 1 ½" head pin, and make a wrapped loop at the top. Make a second one.
You should now have 2 single bead dangles, 8 short dangles, and 2 long dangles.
Step 5
Attach the Long and Short Dangles With Jump Rings
Lay out the dangles in order per the picture - Fig. D.
Attach the long dangles with two 4mm jump rings each dangle. This adds security to the dangles since the 4 mm jump rings are usually made of a thinner gauge of wire.
Be sure to open and close ther jumprings properly using the "twist technique".
Step 6
Finish by Attaching the Single Bead Dangles and Earring Hooks.
Attach the single dangle to the top of the earring with the 5.5mm jump ring as shown - Fig. E. Attach the ear finding to the base component.
About the Artist
Beth Routhier is an assistant editor here at How-to-Make-Jewelry.com and is also the owner of The Moods of Eve featuring artisan jewelry.
If you liked this tutorial, be sure to check out Beth's shoulder duster earrings as well as the other tutorials on her website.
(Links open in new windows).
Are you a jewelry artist?
I'd love to post one of your projects on How-to-Make-Jewelry.com.
Guest tutorials are a great way to get a valuable backlink to your website, and get the word out about your creations.
If you'd like to submit a guest tutorial let me know: Contact me
Caution: Should your tutorial be accepted, fame and fortune may ensue. Please don't hold me responsible should you become overwhelmed by enthusiastic emails, avalanches of orders, and jewelry artist groupies.


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|anti caga antibody among patients with non-cardia gastric cancer in comparison with non-ulcer dyspepsia in an area with high incidence of gastric cancer.
|to evaluate the correlation between anti caga antibody (ab) and presence of gastric cancer.
|recurrence of helicobacter pylori infection 1 year after successful eradication: a prospective study in northern iran.
|the aim was to investigate the h. pylori recurrence rate one year after successful eradication in dyspeptic patients in guilan province, northern iran.
|a randomized trial comparing four helicobacter pylori eradication regimens: standard triple therapy, ciprofloxacin based triple therapy, quadruple and sequential therapy.
|helicobacter pylori infection is found in at least 80% of people in developing countries. this randomized controlled trial was performed to evaluate the efficacy of 4 different h. pylori eradication regimens in iranian patients.
|gastric precancerous lesions in first degree relatives of patients with known gastric cancer: a cross-sectional prospective study in guilan province, north of iran.
|in patients with gastric cancer, the most frequently reported family history of cancer also involves the stomach. the aim of this study was to assess the presence of gastric precancerous lesions in first-degree relatives of patients with gastric cancer and to compare the obtained results with those of individuals with no such family history.
|outcome of intestinal metaplasia in gastric biopsy of patients with dyspepsia in guilan province, north iran.
|it is generally accepted that gastric carcinomas are preceded by a sequential multistage process that includes chronic gastritis, gastric atrophy, usually with intestinal metaplasia (im), and dysplasia. this series of changes in gastric carcinogenesis is often initiated by helicobacter pylori (h pylori) infection. the aim of the present study was determination of gastric histopathologic changes in im patients after at least one year in guilan province, iran.
|screening of precancerous gastric lesions by serum pepsinogen, gastrin-17, anti-helicobacter pylori and anti- caga antibodies in dyspeptic patients over 50 years old in guilan province, north of iran.
|the aim of this study was to investigate the value of serum gastric markers to differentiate between patients with precancerous lesions and nonatrophic chronic gastritis.
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