text:
Cold Weather Tips For Your Cell Phone
Winter can be a major concern not just for the human body but also for various electronic items particularly the cell phone. With the cell phone becoming an important part of our lives, protecting it from any inevitable damage becomes an important concern. There are several points you can keep in mind during cold weather to ensure that your phone remains in prime condition and is not subjected to damage. One of the most important things to remember is to use cell phone accessories to protect your phone from external weather. There are various accessories like cell phone cases that ensure that the phone remains safe and does not lose out on its functionalities.
It is crucial to keep your phone fully charged at all times as the battery is more likely to lose out on its charge faster than in the summers. To be extra cautious users can also keep extra cell phone batteries as back up to make sure that they are not left stranded in case the phone runs out of charge. Keeping the phone warm is an important step to ensure that your phone remains safe during winter months. Cell phone cases such as leather cases are of a thicker material and ensure ideal warmth for your phone.
Extreme cold weather can make the phone screen brittle and can result in a crack in the phones surface and this makes cell phone accessories like cases even more important. While investing in any accessories such as cell phone batteries users must make sure they choose a trustworthy source to ensure that they receive an original product and it does not end up in any further harm to the phone. A faulty battery can cause permanent damage and hence using original products becomes an important concern.
Besides cell phone accessories there are several applications that can help users combat the cold weather and provide protection for their phone. The Android OS provides applications like How Cold is it and Winter Weather Outlook which help you determine the temperature and thereby choose the ideal accessories for your phone. Another reason why accessories like cell phone cases are important is that a drop of your phone on the cold ground can cause even more damage than on a normal day. Hence it is important to have protection for your phone in the form of cases and extra cell phone batteries to ensure that your phone remains safe this winter.
Reve Noir
Monday, March 31, 2014
Cold Weather Tips For Your Cell Phone
Sunday, February 23, 2014
straightforward Need For Speed World Money Hack Programs In The Uk
Need for Speed World Money Hack
Need for Speed World Boost Hack
The sport happens to be revealed by their top franchise Electronic Arts. Need For rate World was indeed produced with Come early july 2010. After that it has evolved into one of the well on the internet multi player race game titles in their marketplace. At the second the game is best secure with Windows based commonly Computer's. Nonetheless hopefully of which quickly it will become relapsed on top of the more tool websites since well. SickGamerZ SickGamerz.com Is a group of professional coders/game-freaks living in their parents basements. It is our reason we are able to bring you new hacks and also keygens everyday!We Bring you the Good Stuff!| Are definitely you ready to be their top motorist out there? With our assistance we can make it take place! Our team simply got done working on a Need for Speed World Boost Hack , and its working 100%! wait no more and get this for the yourself. Sprint as well as Circuit modes have a one-player option that allows you to competition opposing computer-controlled opponents. The rewards for multiplayer rushing are much higher, but single-player is an excellent way to study the courses, and if you're new to this game, learn to push. Towards any problems post a comment with your issue, with no site or anything, just your email, name then problem.
To read more from the author please visit NFS World Hack
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
How Do You Bring The Internet Of Things To The Consumer? Two Perspectives.
Two perspectives. By Stacey Higginbotham February 18, 2014: 03:37 AM ET ( gigaom.com ) -- This week we focused (inadvertently) on how to get consumers to adopt the internet of things is large numbers. First up is Om Malik and I chatting about what device is the right entry point for the connected home and why everyone seems to be waiting on Apple to do something big in this sector to drive adoption. Om is very disappointed by those people. We end with wondering if its apartment dwellers or programmability acting as the big challenge for mainstream adoption. In the second half of the show, I speak with Jackson Bond and Paul Hopton of Relayr, a company building a package of sensors called the Wunderbar. The company just achieved its crowdfunding goal via Dragon Innovations platform for its package of sensors and hub. Subscribe to gigaom.com For those of you who are sick of yet another sensor platform, these guys are less focus on building the conditional rules to turn these sensors into a smart home or office, and more using them as a tool to get developers thinking about the internet of things. You can program these tools using traditional iOS and Android development kits, putting this into the category of products like SparkCore and Tessel that want to bridge the app development world and the hardware world. Host: Stacey Higginbotham Guests: Om Malik and Ralayrs Jackson Bond and Paul Hopton. Defining the biggest challenge for the internet of things Oms favorite connected device so far is the Hue bulbs What is Wunderbar and how will it bring app developers to IoT? Will people buy apps or packages of sensors that run apps? Within 24 months you should be able to buy a sensor that solves a problem in the checkout line of a hardware store
For the original version visit http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/gigaom/articles/2014_02_18_how_do_you_bring_the_internet_of_things_to_the_consumer_two_perspectives.html
Sunday, February 16, 2014
best Man Speech Jokes: How Do You Differentiate A Good Joke From A Not-so-good One?
Standing behind the groom as he waits for his bride in the altar is what a best man normally does. But added to this very simple task comes a not so effortless one – the best man speech.
In a wedding, the speech of the best man is one of the most anticipated parts of the program. Of course, it won't be complete without best man speech jokes to provide the formal celebration with a touch of laid back and fun atmosphere. But how do you exactly define a good joke from a bad one? This article will help you uncover the strategies of making the celebration light and bubbly without the need for some comical offensive remarks.
The first rule in giving best man speech jokes are to make certain that you keep your comic stories as clean as possible. Even if you're close to the groom or the bride and you know they can stand your funny jokes, it still pays to make everything wholesome enough for everybody to contain. Sometimes, best men would be so complacent that they often loose themselves while delivering their jokes in their speech. So, instead of making the whole event lively, you end up having spiteful and intriguing grins from those who witnessed and heard your claim.
The next rule is to take into account the presence of children and elders in the event. Will your jokes be suitable for kids? Will these comic strips be acceptable to elders? These are some of the things you have to consider in making your best man speech. Apart from this, you also have to consider the feelings of the parents and relatives of the newly wed. So the question is, how can you deliver best man speech jokes without rubbing the wrong way and hurting somebody's feelings? Here are few things to do:
1. Think of a funny story (this can be a personal experience with the bride or groom or your own story). From there, try to tell the story in a funny and decent way. Taking your funny jokes for a speech from a personal experience can appear natural and effortless.
2. Familiarity and timing is salient. Practicing your best man speech jokes is necessary but you have to ensure that you don't deliver it in your practice as often as possible. Let it flow naturally and ascertain that proper timing is also well taken into account.
3. Do you know that practicing the joke until it doesn't appeal to you anymore is a sign of efficiency? This simply means that when the time you deliver it in the big day, the joke will come out inherent and unpretentious.
4. Just as jokes play imperative in delivering your best man speech, remember to do away with obscene and malicious tall stories and teasers.
As a final note, enjoy the whole experience. Being best man for a wedding is an honor so you have to bring back the privilege and respect by delivering a heartfelt, sincere, funny but decent best man speech.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Free Gold And Gems for Dragon City
Dragon City Hack
Among the well-known Facebook based on the web games is Dragon city which looks available of all. This game is developed by Social Point. This new innovative video game is employed to supply dragon within the player's own farm in the amazed area. Here there is chance to battle against enemies by having a bunch out of dragons. During the this video game, any player will begin his play through the charming island wherever he'll grow brood of dragons in his own place. Subsequently slowly he or she will be capable of controlling a lot of dragons for earning additional gold through placing them in definite puts. The people have to be compelled to nourish the dragon at dinners cultivated at his own property towards recruit them typically. They ought to manufacture plenty of food as a result of his or her appetency. Inside of the game players will also be able to know Earth, Plant, Fire, Ice, Metal, Electricity, Water, Dark and Legend dragons. For fighting against their foes in land or in a very competition, these have to be compelled to manufacture a lot of dragons and also foods of them for range of gems since incentive. The mission of various styles of area looks to get gold, gem and gems once finishing journey.
Here that the players can find an amazing Dragon City Hack. This device can surely make this game much easier and also enjoyable.
Functions of Dragon City Hack Tool:
• Hack for Gold
• Hack to Food
• Hack for Gems
• Aids all Widows versions plus mackintosh
• Release of price
• Virus free
• Not required to use Facebook parole
• This supports all browsers
• Proxy defensive hacking.
Gold hack: It tool is extremely appropriate for producing multitudinous gold very effectively and using efficiency.
Gems hack: By exploitation this tool the people will buy several release gems for his or the girl dragon.
To level and also build gold speedier, you'll need the whole area to try and do it. Although not the territory, you simply cannot fill the region with plan regular surroundings and soon after some. Likewise, additional up gold to buy as well as build your Dragon islands. Mastermind out ones methodology for advancement to open distinctive things snappier inside the redirection. Of breeding the dragons, people want to purchase strange dragons' eggs. This undertaking is extremely straightforward for generating infinite Dragons. They need to cultivate a lot concerning foods for gaining gold. They continuously meet these difficulties as a outcome of limitation of elementary properties of your video game. That's why the corporate and business has recently put together its hack tool for generating dragons as well as its foods. Unlimited gold hack device looks associate innovative tool that assures their players creating Dragon town with terribly ease. This particular hack tool is hundred percent without price as well as virus release towards play simply.
How exactly to use this tool?
• Login the Facebook account
• Paste the universal resource locator inside the desired spot as well as simply click regarding connect button
• After linking fix food, gems and gold worth
• Click on trigger button towards start out the sport and sit up for hacking
• To need the hacked issues you'll click on activation button
• Refresh your browser and luxuriate in that the Dragon town hack game
Friday, July 27, 2012
The End of an Era
I know that it seems like it's been a long time since I've posted anything, and that's probably because it has been. I had mentioned on June 4 that I wouldn't be posting nearly as much during the summer time. I think I managed to a single post up since then...so as you can probably tell, I'm super busy.
I'm sure most of you know that I work two jobs. I've also recently purchased a motorcycle, so I've been trying to get out riding when the weather is nice. I'm trying to have a bit of a social life in between all the work, otherwise I'll go insane, and I've been dating again a bit (there was one little thing that didn't work out, and another new one that's just developing). As if that doesn't leave me with little enough time already, I'm also of the mindset that I need to start taking my health much more seriously...I've gained some weight and am now at the heaviest I've ever been (and my clothes are starting not to fit), so I'm going to work on eating healthier and going to the gym every chance that I get.
So, if you don't get the picture by now, I just don't have time for blogging.
I'm pretty confident that it won't come to any surprise to you when I say this: I'm going to retire the Rêve Noir blog.
I'll be leaving the blog up and won't be closing it or anything (it'd be a nice reference one day, I'm sure). I might let my custom domain lapse, though, and likely won't be posting at all going forward.
It's been a great run, and I'd like to thank my readers for following along. If I know you on a more personal level, feel free to find me on Facebook. :)
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Sweet Sienna Stunner
My hair is now a dark brown-ish base color with the ombré effect to the ends. It looks great now, but when I had initially gotten it done (this was a re-do by the color specialist), the guy did "highlights" that I couldn't even see (ie: my friends couldn't tell I had done anything to my hair). Needless to say, I wasn't going to pay $150 for that, so I complained and got it re-done, and came back with what you'll see today. I used hot rollers for my hair for these pics, so you may not be able to see it super well, but you can definitely tell there's a neat ombré effect when my hair is straight! I'm really enjoying it!
I was thinking about what to do for my makeup this past Saturday (as discussed before, I usually put it a bit more effort on the weekend), and it occurred to me that it had been ages since I had used Sweet Sienna pigment. I really need to use this color more! I also wanted to take my new MAC lipstick, Pink Plaid, out for a test drive. I had gone to the "Hey, Sailor!" event that MAC Southgate hosted, and the gal used Pink Plaid when she did me up, and I liked the matte dusty rose color it was, so I bought it.
I'm still ridiculously busy and am just enjoying summer for now, so I don't have a ton of time for blogging. That being said, I found a few posts I had finished writing previously that I'll adapt and post over the next little while here...so you won't be totally deprived of my charm! ;)
Marcelle BB Cream in Light to Medium
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium (I think)
MAC Blush in Petal Power
MAC Pigment in Sweet Sienna all over lid and on lower lash line
MAC Eyeshadow in Print to darken outer third of lid and outer third of lower lash line
MAC Eyeshadow in Carbon to further darken outer third of lid and outer third of lower lash line
MAC Pigment in Blonde's Gold as highlight
MAC Eyeshadow in Orb as highlight (closer to brows)
MAC Pigment in Vanilla on inner corners of eyes
MAC Kohl Liner in Feline on waterline
Anastasia Perfect Brow Pencil in Brunette on brows
MAC Brow Set in Clear on brows
Maybelline Full 'N Soft Mascara on lower lashes
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara on upper lashes
MAC Lipstick in Pink Plaid
And a quick shot of Pink Plaid for your viewing pleasure!
Ciao for now, beauties!


text:
I bought an ECP Black Diamond from Mr.Sneis. Top notch. Item was beautiful and exactly as described. Mr.Sneis was communicative and prompt. Excellent dealer. Recommended to all Head-Fiers.
Fantastic seller. Legit shipped the SAME day, great deal, item in excellent condition. His feedback speaks for itself. Absolutely perfect.
Super fast payment and great communication!
Easy transaction. Fast payment. Good communication. Thanks.
Item: ecp Audio Black Diamond
Very responsive and shipped same day as payment. Highly recommend!
Item: WTB: HiFiMAN HE-6
Fast shipping, good packaging. Commodity complete. Seller - OK! (Luxman P-1).
Absolute pleasure doing business with Mr. Sneis once again. No one better on Head-Fi!
Mr. Sneis, once again, was a pleasure to deal with. I'm glad I could give him what he was looking for.
Highly recommended.
Item: Stax SRM323S
Bought a HE-6 from me. Nothing needs to be said, excellent communication and extremely friendly.
I enjoyed the entire experience!
Exemplary seller. Thanks for the smooth transaction!
Item: FS: Stax HPS-2 Stand
I sold my DAC to Ricky and it was a perfectly smooth transaction. He paid quickly and even provided me a shipping label so it was super easy from my end. I'd be happy to deal with him again in the future!
Perfect transaction-the 'phones are literally in flawless/ like new condition, with excellent packaging. Thanks again on another great transaction Ricky!
It's been a pleasure working with Ricky for this sale, he's easy to work with and a seasoned trader, which made things very smooth.
Top notch trade(r). A pleasure do to business with and I'm looking forward to the next time!
Absolutely positively the best seller I've had the pleasure of dealing with! Beyond the usual fast reponses, very fair price, zombie-apocalypse-grade packing job and flexibility with shipping, Ricky really went out of his way to help me get these.
Item: FT: Audeze LCD-2 rev 1
Great communication and fast shipping. Item looks great! Thank you.
Item: FS: Stax HPS-2 Stand
Fast Response and Shipping!
Perfect transaction, very quick shipping. Ricky was great to deal with =)
Very good communication and fast shipping. Any foreign buyers don't hesitate to deal with mr.sneis.
super fast payment and transaction easy and clear communication great guy to do business with

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Are You Ready For Some Baseball?
Are You Ready For Some Baseball?
Now It's Time for the Red Sox to Do Their Job
Catching Up With Some Spring Story Lines:
Ready to Roll: Thursday Is Truck Day
Are the Red Sox Ready to Play Ball in Cuba?
You Don't Say, JBJ: Jackie Bradley's Going 'All Marshawn Lynch' This Season
Kaufman Lament: Red Sox Should Have Signed James Shields
Miley Serious: Did Red Sox Get a Steal With Wade's Three-Year Deal?
Bounce Back Time: Bogaerts Is Better, Bigger, Stronger This Time Around
Bye, Bye, Burke Badenhop: Red Sox Reliever Is On To Cincinnati
Cubs Take Sox Southpaw: Chicago Claims Drake Britton Off Waivers
The $40 Million Teenager? The Yoan Moncada Watch Continues
Confident Kelly: Joe Knows He's Going to Win the Cy Young This Year
Porcello Has a Plan: Red Sox Righthander Ready to Enter Contract Season
Time for the Big O? Henry Owens Headlines Red Sox Non-Roster Invites
Nap Happy To Be Back
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the Nation
Fans clung to the hope of a new ace in the rotation
The Red Stockings were hung in last place just last season
Everything went wrong, there wasn't just one reason
Cherington was nestled all snug in his bed,
Dreaming of one year deals for under $9 million a head;
John Henry proclaimed there would be no salary cap
He'll spend over the threshold, or at least that's the rap
When out on the web there arose such a clatter,
Did the Sox make a deal? 500 re-tweets on the matter,
Away to Fenway we flew in a dash,
Tore open the laptop, camera ready to flash
Who's breaking the story? Who's the source in the know?
Have they traded for Hamels? Did they give Shields the big dough?
When, what to our wondering eyes should appear,
But free agent Max Scherzer, looking for $30 million per year!
He'll be the ace of your staff! In the clubhouse he'll click!
We knew in a moment, this was the old Boras trick
More rapid than flying on Henry's jet plane
Boras whistled, and shouted, played his usual game:
"Now, Heyman! now, Morosi! now, Olney and Bradfo!
On, Rosenthal! Cafardo! on, 14-year-old kid and Gammo!
Scherzer has 3 offers! It takes 6 years to play ball!
So write up a story, I'm 'a source' you can call!"
Players still flock to Boras, contract price will be high,
He plays games with the numbers, he still tells the big lie,
So it's back to the phones, 'cause he's gotta move Max,
And if the Red Sox do sign him, they'll sell more "Sox Pax"
And then, in a twinkling, he strolled to the mound,
The prancing and pawing of this hard throwing hound,
Laying his finger aside of the seam,
He gave me a nod, Is this an impossible dream?
He spoke not a word, just continued to work,
He went into his windup; then turned with a jerk,
As Max threw out his hand, and was coming around,
Down toward home plate, the ball took off with a bound;
He threw like the old Rocket with his snarl and grit,
And a sneaky slider that's nearly impossible to hit;
His heater's mid-90s, the changeup has bite,
Scherzer will pick up a win every fifth night!
Joe Kelly and Buchholz came in focused and healthy
Porcello's ready to roll, and now Castillo is wealthy
Dustin's banged up already; But Hanley's ready to play
Victorino returns, but he won't want to stay
John Farrell is back, his reputation at stake
After last year's team never got a good shake
Vazquez at catcher is a big question mark
But the Andover kid could provide backstop spark
The Panda's at third, Mookie Betts is still spry
More stars on the payroll, but the cost is sky high
Papi had the old stroke back, when he hit 'em they flew,
Everyone batted around, Bogaerts, too!
The crowd sprang to their feet, to the team gave a whistle,
Nap circled the bases, Koji threw another missile;
A new year is upon us and the Olde Towne ballclub,
"Let's go worst to first again! PENNANT FEVER GRIPS HUB!"
...with apologies as always to Clement Clarke Moore and Henry Livingston, Jr.
Merry Christmas, Boston Dirt Dogs


text:
Big Shot
Fri, Mar 29, 2013
Times: 8 PM
Venue: Zeiterion Theatre
684 Purchase Street, New Bedford, MA 02740
0 people saved this
"It's homage to me; they had a hard time convincing me it wasn't me." - Billy Joel
Featuring the amazing vocals and piano of Michael DelGuidice and musicians who have worked and toured with Joel including Ritchie Cannata, Joel's original saxophonist; Joel's guitarist Tommy Byrnes, John Scarpulla, Nick Dimichino, Carmine Giglio, and Mike Sorrento. The show is packed with hit after chart-topping hit in a high energy, interactive stage performance.
Your Guide to Dine Out Boston in March
With a brutal winter finally beginning to move into our rearview mirror, Boston's spring...
Search All Listings Here.


text:
PHILADELPHIA — While we await the update on Jordan Zimmermann's MRI, and debate his replacement on the All-Star roster, there is in fact another game taking place tonight at Citizens Bank Park. Featuring a star-studded pitching matchup: Stephen Strasburg vs. Cole Hamels.
The Nationals will have Ian Desmond back in the lineup after he sat out last night's game with a sore right thumb. They will not, however, have Bryce Harper in the lineup. Matt Williams has decided to give his young slugger (4-for-35 since coming off the DL, including last night's solo homer) a night off against a tough lefty and go instead with Scott Hairston in left field. Hairston's career numbers vs. Hamels: 13-for-38 with five doubles, five homers and nine RBI. That's not insignificant.
Strasburg, meanwhile, looks to finish his first half on a high note. Check back for updates throughout…
WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Where: Citizens Bank Park
Gametime: 7:15 p.m. EDT
TV: FOX, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 1500 AM, XM 869, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 82 degrees, Wind 11 mph out to CF
CF Denard Span
2B Anthony Rendon
RF Jayson Werth
1B Adam LaRoche
3B Ryan Zimmerman
SS Ian Desmond
LF Scott Hairston
C Wilson Ramos
RHP Stephen Strasburg
CF Grady Sizemore
SS Jimmy Rollins
2B Chase Utley
1B Ryan Howard
RF Marlon Byrd
3B Cody Asche
C Cameron Rupp
CF Ben Revere
LHP Cole Hamels
HP Andy Fletcher
1B Toby Basner
2B Mark Wegner
3B Mike Winters (cc)
7:15 p.m. — And we're underway with a ball from Cole Hamels to Denard Span.
7:28 p.m. — And the Nats jump out to a 1-0 lead, thanks to Span's 7-pitch leadoff walk and then Anthony Rendon's double off the left field on the very next pitch. Jayson Werth delivered a productive groundout to bring home the run, but the Nats still wound up stranding Rendon on third after Adam LaRoche struck out and Ryan Zimmerman was robbed of an RBI by Cody Asche, who made a fantastic play to dive and catch Zimmerman's hard grounder to the left side and then just barely threw him out at first. So it's 1-0 Nats, though it could've been 2-0.
7:37 p.m. — Stephen Strasburg got into a bit of a jam in the bottom of the first, serving up a leadoff double to Grady Sizemore, who then took third on Jimmy Rollins' grounder to the right side. Strasburg, though, came through big-time with a pair of curveballs that struck out both Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Nice job there by Strasburg in a big spot. Still 1-0 Nats after one.
7:46 p.m. — A leadoff double for Ian Desmond in the top of the second, but his teammates couldn't bring him around. So even though they did get one run home on the Werth groundout, the Nats already are 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position in only two innings tonight.
8:00 p.m. — Two innings down, and Strasburg has already allowed four hits. But he has not allowed a run, thanks to Wilson Ramos throwing out Marlon Byrd on a stolen base attempt. (Ramos has now caught 10-of-19 runners this season, a 53 percent success rate that is best among all MLB catchers with at least 200 innings behind the plate.) Strasburg also again struck out a batter with a man in scoring position and two outs, getting Hamels to end the second.
8:36 p.m. — Make it four scoreless innings for Strasburg, who has seven strikeouts tonight, several on his curveball, which has been devastating. He's now got 147 K's on the season, easily tops in the NL. Still 1-0 Nats after four.
8:49 p.m. — Make it five scoreless for Strasburg, who has now retired nine in a row. He's at 79 pitches, still a bit high, but he has been much more efficient his last few innings.
9:02 p.m. — Jayson Werth is some kind of red-hot at the plate right now. He just launched a 2-run homer to right-center. So after homering only six times in his first 349 plate appearances this season, he has now homered five times in his last 37 plate appearances. It's 3-0 Nats.
9:30 p.m. — Well, Strasburg couldn't get through the sixth inning. He gave up a 2-run single to Byrd, then with a chance to at least complete the inning, he walked No. 7 hitter Cameron Rupp. Matt Williams decided that was enough and pulled Strasburg after 5 2/3 innings and 111 pitches. Jerry Blevins entered and got Ben Revere to line out to left, so it's a 3-2 Nats lead heading to the seventh.
9:40 p.m. — An interesting top of the seventh for Scott Hairston. He singled off Hamels and then made a really heads-up play tagging up from first base on Ramos' flyout to deep right field. But then he got caught too far off second base on Kevin Frandsen's sharp comebacker to the mound. So after all that, it's still 3-2 heading to the bottom of the seventh. Drew Storen enters, as does Bryce Harper, who takes over for Hairston in left field.
9:54 p.m. — The Phillies threatened in the seventh, with Domonic Brown singling and then taking two bases on flyballs. Storen and Utley engaged in a pretty good battle after that, with Storen finally getting him to fly out to left to end the inning. So it remains 3-2 after seven.
10:21 p.m. — Uh-oh. This just became a tie game after Tyler Clippard gave up a 2-out single to Asche, then walked Rupp, then gave up an RBI single to Revere. Just like that, it's 3-3 and here's Jonathan Papelbon to pitch the top of the ninth.
10:41 p.m. — The Nats had a chance in the ninth, with Desmond leading off with a bunt single and then taking second. But Ramos struck out and pinch-hitter Nate McLouth's drive to center field wasn't quite deep enough. To the bottom of the ninth we go, and it's Ross Detwiler on the mound in a 3-3 game.
10:48 p.m. — Free baseball in Philly! The Nats will try to win an extra-inning game for a change. They're 2-8 this season.
11:06 p.m. — Ryan Zimmerman to the rescue! He scorched a 2-out, RBI single up the middle on an 0-2, 100-mph fastball by Jake Diekman. Werth then scored on a wild pitch for good measure. It's 5-3 as Rafael Soriano enters for the bottom of the 10th.
11:17 p.m. — Ballgame. Nats win 5-3 in 10. They improve to 3-8 in extra innings and keep pace with the Braves in the NL East.
- stoatva - Jul 12, 2014 at 11:11 PM
I swear I'd leave in Detwiler to face Howard, THEN bring in Soriano.
- Ghost of Steve M. - Jul 12, 2014 at 11:12 PM
Not a bad idea. Detwiler sure did his job. Looked nice and easy throwing.
- stoatva - Jul 12, 2014 at 11:13 PM
It's been exciting to watch him his last several appearances. He's starting to look less miserable on the mound, too.
- Ghost of Steve M. - Jul 12, 2014 at 11:15 PM
That 4 inning extra inning performance really turned his season around.
- stoatva - Jul 12, 2014 at 11:14 PM
Soriano definitely took care of Ryan's business, anyway.
- Ghost of Steve M. - Jul 12, 2014 at 11:15 PM
- manassasnatsfan - Jul 12, 2014 at 11:13 PM
Is anyone in charge of the word press?
- stoatva - Jul 12, 2014 at 11:16 PM
It's on shuffle play again.
- Ghost of Steve M. - Jul 12, 2014 at 11:14 PM
There's 1,000 people left at Bad Citizens Bank Park and 750 are boo'ing Ryan Howard. Stay classy Philly!
- veejh - Jul 12, 2014 at 11:16 PM
I was about to post this
- veejh - Jul 12, 2014 at 11:16 PM
it's not like he had a golden sombrero. come on
- stoatva - Jul 12, 2014 at 11:17 PM
It was hilarious when they were booing Papelbon for faking moves to second.
- nats128 - Jul 12, 2014 at 11:18 PM
The Phillies players deserve better fans.
- stoatva - Jul 12, 2014 at 11:20 PM
I know folks who've been Phillies fans since they sucked as hard as any team in baseball, and they're just good baseball fans, and you don't mind enjoying a game with them. The bandwagon people are the same everywhere.
Sound like anyone we know?
- nats128 - Jul 13, 2014 at 12:07 AM
Yep. 2012 brought out the bandwagon in DC. Some stuck and are now new fans.
Some will all ways be on the band wagon.
- Ghost of Steve M. - Jul 12, 2014 at 11:16 PM
What a great scoop by Ramos there on the Strike 3 on that slider.
- stoatva - Jul 12, 2014 at 11:18 PM
Raise the Jolly Roger!
No… wait.
- nats128 - Jul 12, 2014 at 11:18 PM
A great untuck there!
- veejh - Jul 12, 2014 at 11:19 PM
Wow, we won in extras. Baby steps.
- nats128 - Jul 12, 2014 at 11:20 PM
Another point. That poor throw by Rever cost them the 5th run. Werth should have been out by a mile.
- IsawTeddywin - Jul 12, 2014 at 11:26 PM
Ah yes, gutless losers with no heart.
No clutch at all.
But somehow, we're still holding onto a share of 1st place, how is that possible?
Perhaps the team believes in themselves more than some of the posters here do.


text:
- 717Promote
Canvas Print
Fine art print on bright white, fine poly-cotton blend, matte canvas using latest generation Epson archival inks. Individually trimmed and hand stretched museum wrap over 1-1/2" deep wood stretcher bars. Includes wall hanging hardware.
I is for Impala, running too fast
yay! thanks for the comments Volkan, Fimbis, Jesss, leeas, Tiger Hero and g1ft3d!
very much appreciated!
very much appreciated!
I love this piece. As soon as I saw it I started trying to come up with the story of how the scene unfolded.
I love this piece. I really love the concept. It looks like the lion might consider jumping off the cliff to grab the dear but at what cost. Awesome! Love the colors too! Simple, bold, and the colors themselves look to be part of the story. Great work!
you make me wanna do vector art again... its so tempting to start doing this style ... u master it so perfect ...
I love you drawing style, it's interesting and simple, but at the same time it's not inflated, like other artworks. Keep on ;)
See More Comments


text:
Willmar wrestling coach Beyer decides to step down after 26 seasons
Tom Beyer thought about stepping down from his post as head wrestling coach at Willmar High School for several years.
"What kept me going was a great group of kids, this year's seniors," said Beyer the other day. "I really enjoyed being with these kids. It was a good group to leave with."
Get the full story
Subscribe or Log In
Are you a newspaper subscriber but you don't have a Digital Access account yet? Activate your account.
You will need your subscription account number and phone number. Not sure if you have an account? Email us or call 320-214-4364 and we can help you.


text:
Sponsored by: Brakes Plus
Jul 12, 2011 5:08 PM by Sharon Knight
Colorado Springs police have arrested Daniel Sheffield, on suspicion of abusing his 8-month-old son.
Police say the little boy had been injured inside an apartment in the 4100-block of Westmeadow Drive. The baby was taken to Evans Army Hospital with a skull fracture and a subdural hematoma, and he was transferred to Memorial Hospital.
Sheffield was booked on a felony charge of Child Abuse Causing Serious Bodily Injury to a Child.
2 months ago


text:
Women's Milwaukee Motorcycle Accelerator Boots, Black
Item # WX2-20924
- Google+
This item is shipped directly from the factory. To see the expected shipping date, please add to your Shopping Cart. Sorry, no express shipping available. We are unable to ship factory direct items to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or APO or FPO addresses.
- Details & Specs
Accelerators for your feet? Yeah, and these high-quality Boots are... PRICED TO MOVE!
Built for a long, comfortable life in the fast lane. Compare these Milwaukee Accelerator Boots "toe to toe" with any other brand and you'll find they kick serious boot. Exceptional quality materials, durable construction, classic styling and unparalleled comfort.
Full of features:- Rugged full-grain leather upper plus the leather used in the toe is specially treated to make the toe six times stronger and more resistant to scuffs and scrapes than standard leather
- Freedom Flex¿ mid-sole is specially crafted to conform to the natural bend and arch of your foot as you would wear them while riding or walking... no break-in time!
- Fully-cushioned and removable insole is washable - no "jungle rot" smell after a few days on the road
- Oil resistant, non-skid, non-marking logger outsole
- 7-eyelet, 2-speed hook lacing system plus side zips for easy-on / easy-off
- Each approx. 7" and 30 ozs.
Best of all, my volume-negotiating power means you don't have to cough up the big in-store price. State Size, as available in the Shopping Cart. Medium width.
Order ONLINE Today!
- Reviews
<!--BVSEO|dz:Main_Site-en_US|sdk:v126.96.36.199-n|msg:Error: Request errored out - The remote server returned an error: (403) Forbidden. -->
- Articles & Tips
Don't Forget
Sof Sole® Memory Comfort Insole
Buyer's Club $8.99 Non-Members $9.99 -
Sof sole® Trim-to-fit Boot Laces, Brown / Waxy
Buyer's Club $3.59 Non-Members $3.99 -
2-Pk. of Women's Realtree Girl Ultra Dry Socks
Buyer's Club $11.69 Non-Members $12.99
You May Also Like
Women's Cushe Tropics Slippers
Buyer's Club $26.99 Non-Members $29.99 -
Women's Clarks Breeze Sea Sandals
Buyer's Club $40.49 Non-Members $44.99 -
Women's Under Armour Marbella Sandals
Non-Members $29.99


text:
Jeremiah Lockwood is a Brooklyn-based singer, songwriter and visionary. He has appeared with J-Dub artists Balkan Beat Box and released a blues-oriented solo album "American Primitive" (Vee-Ron Records), in 2006. Lockwood's most recent project, The Sway Machinery sees its first album, "Hidden Melodies Revealed" (J-Dub Records) debut April 7. The Sway Machinery's impressive fusion of genres — bringing together traditional blues and traditional hazanut — highlights Lockwood's broad musical mastery.
Lockwood recently spoke with reporter Hillel Broder about his own creative process, musical development, personal history and spiritual vision.
Hillel Broder: How did you begin your musical career, and what is your musical background, or formal musical training?
Jeremiah Lockwood: I started out playing on the streets of Manhattan, working out on the country blues I was obsessed with. I was performing on the streets seriously from the age of 13.
Who are your greatest and most important musical influences?
My first influence was my father, composer Larry Lockwood, whose work involved incorporating elements of different folk music cultures — including Jewish music — into his compositions. My earliest memories involve my dad composing his opera, based on "The Dybbuk" by S. Anski, at the piano. Later, I started listening to old blues, and that quickly became my focus. The year that I was 12, I listened to the complete recordings of Robert Johnson several times a day.
Who is your favorite contemporary music personality?
Maybe the RZA [aka Robert F. Diggs, music producer, rapper and actor]. I love the band Tinariwen [a Saharan blues/folk group].
So much of your interest in cantorial music stems from your relationship with your grandfather, cantor Jacob Koenigsburg. How did he inspire you to be engaged in cantorial music, and why is it so important that others be exposed to this new take on such traditional music?
My grandfather was an enormous personality, filled with joy for life and intense emotion. Hearing him sing was a powerful experience of folk tradition, transmitted in a way that felt both culturally authentic and true to the man in front of me. He brought great spiritual intention to his listening to the music, as well as to his performance. I feel that hazanus is one of the true paths to Jewish folk culture, and as such it is one of the essential pieces of the human story.
Before your commitment to the cantorial music that informs so much of Sway Machinery, you had a strong relationship with blues and blues master Carolina Slim. Do you feel that the blues has informed your latest project?
I met my friend and teacher Carolina Slim when I was 14, playing on the street. He was incredibly generous with his knowledge of music. He also practiced tough love as a teacher, which was important for me as a youngster. I thought I knew everything. Many of the ideas I learned from him have become integral parts of my musical concept — ideas about rhythm; performance intensity; storytelling in song; call and response — and are central to the music of Sway.
One of the many ways in which your music differs from the cantorial originals is the layering of deep rhythms on what were originally non rhythmic pieces. How does this change the original for you?
The main innovation of Sway involves combining rhythmic elements with cantorial music. My inspiration for this comes in part from the music of Mali and other African Muslim countries, which have so seamlessly integrated elements of Islamic modal chanting — the muezzin call, Koran cantillation — with the ancient African musical vocabulary.
Many of your cantorial pieces are inspired by the High Holy Day liturgy. Do you feel that your live shows simulate those peak days on the Jewish calendar?
Yes. Certainly the image of the hazan wailing on Yom Kippur, bringing the entire congregation to an ecstasy of tears, is one of the central inspirations for Sway.
The Sway Machinery has often been described as a "supergroup," as it is composed of members of other star groups. How does this collaboration affect your band's dynamic?
More like a group of amazing musicians. I think of the band as being a brotherhood of like-minded artists.
Would you call your music a religious expression or a spiritual one? Why, or why not?
The music is deeply spiritual and deeply connected to history. Part of the idea is to take this important spiritual tradition out of the binds of one small context and bring it out to the world.
What is the role of the storytelling that is so much a part of "Hidden Melodies Revealed"?
Stories are an inherent part of the music. The melodies tell stories. The stories I tell as part of our performance attempt to accentuate the narrative element in the ancient prayer poems, which are the texts of the songs.
What might be one message, or feeling, you hope your listeners take from your music?
The message: The age of myth returns.
To read a feature story on The Sway Machinery and its new album "Hidden Melodies Revealed," click here.
Listen to "Anim Zemiros" by The Sway Machinery below:
Listen to "A Staff of Strength" by The Sway Machinery below:
The Jewish Daily Forward welcomes reader comments in order to promote thoughtful discussion on issues of importance to the Jewish community. In the interest of maintaining a civil forum, The Jewish Daily Forwardrequires that all commenters be appropriately respectful toward our writers, other commenters and the subjects of the articles. Vigorous debate and reasoned critique are welcome; name-calling and personal invective are not. While we generally do not seek to edit or actively moderate comments, our spam filter prevents most links and certain key words from being posted and The Jewish Daily Forward reserves the right to remove comments for any reason.


text:
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1928/12821
Title: | Hearts, Bellies, and the Hunger of Heroes: Intertraditional Agonistic Discourse between the Iliad and Odyssey |
Author: | McMullin, Israel |
Advisor(s): | Garcia Jr., Lorenzo |
Committee Member(s): | Garcia Jr., Lorenzo Cyrino, Monica Brau, Lorie |
Department: | University of New Mexico. Dept. of Foreign Languages and Literatures |
Subject: | Homer Iliad Odyssey Performance Studies Greek Epic |
LC Subject(s): | Homer--Criticism and interpretation Epic poetry, Greek--Criticism, Textual |
Degree Level: | Masters |
Abstract: | Within this thesis I argue that the Iliad and Odyssey, as representatives of sub-genres within the larger archaic Greek epic tradition, engage in a shared agonistic discourse with one another in order to demonstrate that the hero of each epic is superior to that of its competitor. In order to trace this agonistic discourse, I examine the manner in which each epic employs the terms thumos, "heart," and gaster, "belly," to define itself in opposition to its competing epic sub-genre. Traditionally scholars have considered the Odyssey the more recent of the two epics and, thus, relying upon the Iliad. However, I contend that both epics are the products of competing performance traditions, such that we may find not only that the Odyssey is in agonistic competition with the Iliad, but that the Iliad is itself competing with the Odyssey. |
Graduation Date: | May 2011 |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1928/12821 |
Files | Size | Format | View | Description |
IM.ThesisComplete.pdf | 745.7Kb |
View/ |
Master's Thesis |


text:
- Water Resistant
- Wind Resistant
- Breathable
- Durable
- Movement-Mirroring Stretch
- Belt Loops
- Button and Zipper Fly
- Adjustable Tabs at Waist
- Low-Profile Waist Fits Under Harness
- Zippered Pockets
- Gusseted Crotch
- Articulated Knees
- Reinforced Scuff Guards
- Drawcord Cuff Closures
- Ankle Zippers
- Grommets for Instep Lace
- Boot Lace Hook
- DWR Coated Zippers
- Accepts Accessory Suspenders
Fit: Trim Fit
Fabric 50% nylon, 43% polyester, 7% spandex, stretch double weave
Avg. Weight (oz./g): 20.5oz / 581g (L)
Customer Reviews
- Great Pants & Great Fit (Review by Alex O)
I am not sure what happened to my review from a couple days ago, so here is another brief review. I am 5'10" 180lbs, 34w, 32l, and ordered a large. The fit is perfect, and the length is better than perfect.
Pant material is a little stretchy which I really like and hope to enjoy.(Posted on 1/17/15)
- Surprised (Review by Alex O)
I am 5' 10" and weight 180lbs, 34 waist, 32 inseam. I ordered a large and couldn't have been happier with the fit. They are soft, light and very well made. I will update this review upon my return from the Alps
BTW as I said in other posts, I wear all things medium with TNF. Just a reference.
NO STICKERS IN ORDER lol ;)(Posted on 1/14/15)
- Fantastic multi-use soft-shell pant (Review by TBurke)
This is my favorite soft shell pant. I'm 6' & 165 lbs. (33-34 waist & 34 inseam) I own a size large & they do the trick. The velcro adjustment tabs on the waist are very nice and allow the waist to be adjusted perfectly to your size. (great for me as I often find I'm on the cusp of Med & Large) I've used these pants for everything from Alpine rock and ice climbing, AT & tele skiing, snowshoeing and general mountaineering. They do not have a snow gaiter, but the grommets allow them to be secured down. I wear these on their own or can layer with a light or mid weight base layer & they take me form October to May here in Colorado. These have held up well to hard use. I do wish the thigh pocket zipped at the top vs. the side....I carry my beacon in this pocket and prefer the security of a top zip. I've had no problem with it though. You can purchase these pants with total confidence & know that they will cover you over a wide range of mountain activities.
(Posted on 1/2/15)
- If I could only have one pair of pants... (Review by NoCo guy)
These pants are the best pair of pants I own for hiking and climbing in Colorado. I am comfortable with no thermals under them from about 60F down to around zero if I keep moving. With thick thermals, the best thing about them is the fact that they are so easy to move in. At no point do I ever feel like they are making my movement difficult. Even with climbing moves, high steps onto rocks or if I am running. I have never had a pair of pants that are as warm, and yet as easy to move in. They are easier to move in than some of the summer hiking pants I have.
I don't put anything in the side pockets because opening them up really helps cool me down if I start to get hot and there is any kind of breeze or wind.
If I can only take one pair of pants with me outside of summer, this is the pair I take.(Posted on 2/14/14)
- Great lightweight softshell pants (Review by ekb)
I bought these for my husband and he is very happy with them. He is 5'10", 165lbs, 32" waist, and thin athletic build. The Medium fits him perfectly. He wore them for skate skiing and alpine skiing in the same day, when it was 40 and sunny. I was concerned these would be too lightweight but they are perfect for nordic skiing and spring (backcountry) skiing, and could also be used with warm layer underneath for colder days. There is no inner snow gator, however there is a cinch cord on the bottom.
(Posted on 1/26/14)
- Great all around pant! (Review by Moboy56)
i wore these while climbing in Ecuador and Colorado. i put two pair of insulating long underwear under these and at no time were my legs ever cold. nice trim fit and moves when you move, never binding. i have the Alibi pant for ice climbing but these would work just fine, highly recomended.
(Posted on 11/29/13)


text:
Northern Arizona Downs North Dakota 74-72 - Match Report
Northern Arizona Downs North Dakota 74-72 - Match Report | |
Gabe Rogers scored 24 points leading Northern Arizona to a 74-72 victory over North Dakota at Betty Engelstad Sioux Center on Saturday. Northern Arizona was an underdog by 6.5 points and came through with an ATS victory for bettors. Northern Arizona got 21 points from Dewayne Russell and another 11 points from Blake Hamilton. Dewayne Russell contributed 5 assists, while Blake Hamilton cleaned the glass with 7 rebounds. North Dakota got 24 points from Aaron Anderson in a losing cause and another 19 points from Troy Huff. Jamal Webb contributed 6 assists for them, while Troy Huff had 11 rebounds. Northern Arizona trailed at halftime, 31-30. The rebound battle favored North Dakota as they grabbed 38 boards, while Northern Arizona only had 35. |


text:
Coventry City Football Club
- Nickname:Sky Blues
- Founded:1883
- Manager:Steven Pressley
- Ground:Ricoh Arena
- Capacity:32000
- Last Game: 03-Mar-2015 19:45
- Barnsley1
Coventry City0 - Full match report
- Coventry City News
- Fixtures
- Results
- Information
- League Table
- News Archive
- Statistics
- Squad
- Championship News
City deny Dowie exit talk
04 Sep 2007 - 17:29:53
Coventry City have moved to deny reports linking boss Iain Dowie with the vacant managerial hot-seat at Championship rivals Leicester City.
Dowie has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Martin Allen, who was last week after less than three months at the Walkers Stadium.
The former Oldham, Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic manager had been interviewed by Leicester chairman Milan Mandaric before opting to take over at Coventry back in February.
However, after leading the club to the top of the Championship table this season, Sky Blues officials are adamant Dowie will not be leaving the Ricoh Arena.
"Further to recent and unwelcome speculation regarding the club's first-team manager, Coventry City would like to confirm that it has received no approach from any club with regard to Iain Dowie," read a club statement.
"The club would also like to confirm that any approach would be firmly rebuffed."
Related Coventry City News
Related Coventry City News


text:
St. Mary's School in Ticonderoga participated in the Read to Succeed Program sponsored by Six Flags Great Escape. Students were encouraged to read for 360 minutes. Any child who read the minimum of 360 minutes received a free pass to the Great Escape Park for the 2011 season. St. Mary's had 64 students complete the program.
More like this story
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.


text:
Authors note version
clean one up on fanfiction if youd rather read that. Enjoy and please leave a comment if youd like me to continue!
Real Life
Chapter 8
In Which a Little Rain Must Fall
Random trivia: I kept track for this chapter. I re-read it seventeen times total (?!) and revised it sixteen times. I started writing it three weeks ago and have put in a grand total of twenty-one and a half hours into this chapter (I get paid about $15 an hour at my two jobs thatd be well over $200, even after taxes, if I were getting paid to do this). Its (minus notes) twenty pages long.
And you wonder why it takes me so long to get these things out. *dies* I like the think the time I put into these shows with (usually) quality work. So feel free to send me lots of praises. XD
Were doing what? Danny asked quietly, dragging his eyes away from the torturous-smelling dinner his mother had created.
I hate this part. I really do. Its a dump filler to get a half-dozen points across in a very short amount of time. *shudder* Danny and co. are so skitzo here and I cant figure out how to fix it. Its just impossible to juggle that many things and keep things flowing perfectly. BTW
point one: cheese hurts.
His mother smiled faintly, still studying him carefully. The Grisbees have agreed to let us check out their old cabin on Lake Eerie. There have been some weird things going on and some reports of cold spots. Jack and I were going to go by ourselves tomorrow, but since youre grounded you can come with and help.
Point two: ghost hunting tomorrow.
Ghost hunting, Danny repeated as his stomach dropped, wonderful.
Point three: Danny doesnt want to go (as per cannon).
He blinked when his mother answered by stepping closer and taking his head in her hands. Her forehead wrinkled as she quietly touched his nose and ran her fingers over his forehead. From this close, he could just catch a whiff of warm apples hanging in the air around her, tinged with confused surprise.
I thought for sure
his mother trailed off. Then she shook her head and smiled. You must not have been as hurt yesterday as I thought.
Point four: strange healing ability (cannon?) and finishing that small Dash beat him up story line I forgot about.
Danny raised an eyebrow as he tried to figure out what she was talking about. Oh, he said simply as the memory of Dash slamming his fist into Dannys face swirled up in his mind. He smiled vaguely at her, but when his mother turned away his smile faded and he reached up to feel his nose. No pain.
Point five: continued confusion over strange, new ghost abilities.
Jazz leaned forward to dish some of the cheesy casserole onto her plate with an annoyed sigh, causing the agonizing scent to sweep over Danny and effectively throwing thoughts about his miraculous recovery out of his head. Im not waiting for Dad, she said.
Point six: continuing normal dinner conversation since nobody knows about Dannys secret and what hes going through. *screams by this point at toooooo many plot things at one time!* I really should have spread this out into two conversations.
Hes still down in the lab, putting the finish touches on the new Gauss meter were going to test tomorrow. Maddie sank into her own seat and plopped some of the casserole onto her own plate. Long strands of melted cheese strung from her plate to the casserole dish and Danny struggled to repress the desire to run out of the room. You know how much he likes to personalize his equipment.
Oh, point seven: continuing character building of Jazz and (soon) Jack since they are going to be larger characters and weve barely met either one of them. And still trying to balance in the killer food point.
BTW, ever seen Calvin and Hobbes? Its a comic strip about a boy and his stuffed tiger. Theres a running gag in there about Calvins (the boys) food coming to life and trying to kill him, steal his fork, rule the world, etc. This is also going to be a running gag in my story. Im blatantly stealing the idea
although the food will not be trying to kill him in such a literal sense until we meat the Lunch Lady.
The silly logo hes designed, Jazz muttered, yeah, we know. She suddenly looked up, her eyes wide with fear. Speaking of
youre not going to seriously let him hang that
thing up outside are you?
Oh yeah
point eight: creation of Fentonworks (Fentonworks? Fenton Works? FentonWorks? Fentons Work?). I knew there were more than a half-dozen points.
Thing? What thing? Danny glanced from his sister to his mom, curling his fingers around the seat of his chair and wondering why the two of them seemed to be willing to eat such a horrible smelling meal. Couldnt they smell it? Nothing that smelled like that could possibly be good to eat. Jazz was such a picky eater
why wasnt she saying anything?
Fentonworks is now official, Jazz informed him darkly, digging into the portion of her casserole, Dad ordered a giant neon sign off eBay to hang on our flagpole rather than the country-approved flag, informing the entire population of Amity Park just how weird this family is.
Love eBay.
Danny watched in entranced disbelief as his sister brought a large bite of the casserole to her lips. The smell was churning his stomach. Jazz
he trailed off, biting back his warning as she popped the forkful into her mouth.
Mom! This is excellent! she said with a grin. And its not glowing or even vaguely radioactive.
Frozen family dinners do come in handy sometimes, dear, his mother answered, chewing on her own bite.
Danny bit his lip, glancing from his family back to his plate. He was hungry, to be completely truthful, and perhaps it tasted a lot better than it smelled. With one last shiver, he tried to ignore the prickling needle-like pain as he reached for the spatula and scooped a small glob onto his plate.
The smell almost sent him running.
Ignoring the quiet chatter of his sister and mother talking about how their oh-so-wonderful Fridays had gone and various plans to make sure the new Fentonworks sign never got hung, Danny picked up his fork and gingerly poked the casserole. It squelched softly, an aromatic wave of cheesy goodness slamming into his head like Dashs punch had the day before. He winced, rubbing his head with his free hand, but forked up a small bite.
Every one of his instincts were battling with him as he brought the forkful up to his mouth. His human side was screaming at him to not eat something that smelled that bad. His ghost side was writhing in pain at the awful scent, begging him to run and find something better to feed off of. For a brief moment, his mind drifted to Sam.
Yes. Go feed off of Sam, there. And continue making me end my sentences in prepositions.
No. He shook his head and forced his hand closer to his mouth. Im a perfectly weird teenage boy and I can eat a stupid macaroni casserole. Trying his best not to breathe, he opened his mouth.
anyone remember what happened to the cheese fries at the Nasty Burger when he tried to eat them?
When the food was inches from actually making it inside his mouth, his hand abruptly went intangible. His fork slipped through his colorless fingers and Danny gasped as the fork clattered noisily to the floor. He thrust his hand into his lap as his family turned to look at him. Danny gave them a small smile and ducked under the table to retrieve his fork.
Yup. Nice try, boyo.
Carefully grabbing the fork, he ignored the painful tingles of his hand. He scrapped the macaroni off his fork and scooped a new bite. Danny stared at it, his body rebelling before the food had gotten an inch off of his plate, his hand completely refusing to move.
What the
he whispered to himself. Shaking his head, he quickly brought the bite to his mouth and tried one more time to eat the casserole. Once again, his body reacted to the painful scent of the food and the fork dropped loudly onto his plate.
Danny, what are you doing? Maddie asked him, her eyebrows crinkling as she looked at him for a moment. Are you alright?
Im fine, Danny lied softly, not bothering to pick up the dropped fork as he rubbed at his fingertips. His fingers were freezing and rubbing his colorless, intangible fingers together felt
weird. Pressure, but no sensations no feeling. Im just not hungry.
For a brief moment, he wondered if this would be a great place to talk to his mom about this ghost thing. He looked down at his lap, staring at his still-intangible fingers. Surely shed have to believe him if she saw that.
whatamIupto?... nine: still wanting to tell parents about the ghost stuff.
He glanced up, watching his mother smile at Jazz and restart their conversation. His gaze flickered to his sister for a moment and Danny sighed. No
now wasnt the time to talk to her.
His familys conversation was interrupted by his father suddenly bounding up the stairs. Jack Fenton thundered into the kitchen and plopped his considerable bulk into the last of the kitchen chairs. His father wasnt really fat or muscular but he was tall, broad, and had an immense presence to go with his huge form and his size wasnt helped by the hunter-orange lab clothes he was still wearing. Done! he proclaimed as he piled his plate full of casserole, ignoring the dirty grease stains on his hands. I used that new design I came up with Mads; the one with the ghost.
Excellent, Jack. So were all ready for tomorrow? Maddie beamed at Jack.
Everythings all packed! Jacks eyes jumped from Maddies to Dannys. You all set?
Ghost hunting, Danny said, trying to cover up the dread in his voice. The last thing he needed right now was to come in contact with any sort of ghost
His father nodded. Old man Grisbee said hed meet us at the cabin to unlock everything at noon. Make sure youre up by about ten. Its an hour drive from here.
Danny quietly pushed his plate away from him and sighed. His parents spent the remainder of dinner chatting about what they were planning to do tomorrow and if they ever noticed that their son didnt eat any of his casserole, they didnt say a word.
Cut dinner short, but I got all of my points in *dies* for better or for worse in these three pages, so there was no point in prolonging it. It just made for boring dragging-on
Danny stalked into his room after dinner, grumbling to himself about the impossible situation hed gotten himself into. After everything that had happened the past few days
he was going ghost hunting? He felt horrible about how relieved he was to be away from the kitchen table and his family. It had been entirely too creepy being able to smell his parents and knowing that he was sitting there feeding off of them.
He shivered suddenly, growling low in his throat. And what was the deal with the macaroni?
Suddenly he froze, his intestines curling around themselves and a strange feeling prickling the back of his neck. What the
He glanced around the room, his gaze drawn by an impossible sense that something was misplaced. Small model rocket ships hung from the ceiling and littered his cramped desk, his bed was an unmade mess, there was a pile of clothes on the floor waiting to be put away, and the various randomly-placed shelves were overflowing with dust, books
and an old teddy bear.
I had to get Bearbert Einstein in here somewhere, right?
He snarled softly, feeling the thing in his stomach stretch out its claws. His world went blurry as he strode over to the toy and yanked it off the shelf, fumbling around with his fingers for the feel of the video camera he knew was back there. When his hand closed around it, he snatched it to him, twirled around, and stormed out of his room.
Jasmine Marilyn Fenton, he muttered darkly as he followed her cinnamon-tinged scent towards her bedroom, I am going to
Trailing off when he couldnt find a significantly evil consequence for what shed done, he didnt even notice when he stomped straight through her closed (and still locked) bedroom door.
I knew someone who was named Jasmine Marilyn Fairman. I figured it was close enough so I borrowed the middle name.
Jazz! he snapped, tangy-smelling surprise tingeing the cinnamon as she whirled around to face him. Danny blinked away the spectral world, focusing on the wide green eyes of his sister. You bugged my room! AGAIN!
Her eyes narrowed. How else am I ever going to find out whats wrong with you?
Theres nothing wrong with me, he snarled. He dropped the teddy bear and the video camera onto her neatly-made bed and walked up to her. You bug my room one more time and Im telling Mom.
She stood up, her sixteen-year-old frame still a few inches taller than his. Im not stopping until I figure out whats wrong with you.
Note that while there is a height difference, its not nearly as much as the unrealistic proportions of the show.
Danny swept his hand through his hair. Jazz
yes, I agree that youre the last person Id come to if there was something wrong with me, but you have to trust that Id go to Mom and Dad if something was wrong.
You dont go to them about Dashs gang. Jazz pushed past him to pick up her teddy bear and turn the power off on her video camera.
Also note when she turns off the video camera. Wonder what interesting footage she got while it was running that whole time?
I can handle Dashs gang, Danny said sourly, and you promised not to tell them about that.
She quietly tucked the teddy bear back up on a shelf and turned to her brother. I want to help you, and Im going to figure this out. Youve been acting nuts now for a few days and I know theres something up. Go to Mom and Dad if you want
but Im not giving up.
Danny sighed and turned towards the door. Stop bugging my room.
Hallways still fair game, Jazz agreed simply, flipping open the screen on the camera and rewinding the small amount of footage shed gotten.
Fine. Danny hesitated at the door, blinking in confusion when he finally noticed that it was still closed and locked. He unlocked the door and twisted the doorknob, closing the door a little louder than necessary behind him while he wondered how much Jazz had figured out and whether or not shed noticed the locked door
wondered whether or not he wanted her to have noticed.
Sitting gingerly on her bed, Jazz brushed her long red hair out of her eyes as she watched the short segment of tape shed gotten for a second time. There, she whispered, freezing the image of her brother glaring up at the camera, just beginning to reach for it with his hand. Item thirty-one on the list of freaky.
shes keeping a list
On the screen, her brothers eyes seemed to sparkle with a glowing, green light.
Part one Meli made me add:
Self-made billionaire Vlad Masters could not get to sleep. He was the seventeenth richest man in the world, having recently displaced Stefan Persson and his eighteen billion; he had the world at his feet. It was illogical that a man of his standings and resources couldnt fall asleep. Yet there he was, hands behind his head, staring up at the dark hotel ceiling. Every time he closed his eyes and started to drift off hed see him.
True fact: Stefan Persson, of Sweden, is the current seventeenth richest person in the world at a stunning 18.4 billion US dollars. What is the WORLD would you do with THAT much money?
Scruffy black hair. Tortured blue eyes that blazed with emerald energy. Impossibly crackling power. It was almost dizzying to contemplate the potential that was locked inside of that mysterious child.
He curled up onto his side and crammed his pillow over his head for a moment, struggling against the urge to scream. I am not obsessing over some stupid boy.
No matter what words came out of his mouth nor how often the man said them, Vlad was not a fool he knew exactly what was going on in his head. Twenty years of existing between the world of the living and the world of the dead had taught him to be very sure of his own mental state. Ghosts were obsessive by nature and Vlad had unfortunately inherited that particular weakness. It didnt matter how depressed he kept his ghost side, he was rapidly developing an extremely unhealthy attachment to the nameless child.
To make it all worse, he knew deep down that hiding from the boy and trying to stay away would just make the rapidly-growing obsession stronger.
Tossing his pillow to the foot of his bed, he levered himself up a bit and peered at the clock. Two in the morning, he groaned, it has got to be later than that.
He pushed himself out of bed and tripped sleepily over to the sink to grab a glass of water. Twin red eyes glinted back at him from the mirror. Vlad closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. Stupid ghosts, he whispered, making his way back to his bed and flipping on a random channel.
do billionaires stay at hotels?
Seventeen minutes of watching a horrible B-rated movie later, Vlad finally came to a decision. The meeting to acquire Axion Labs wasnt until the later afternoon; he had all morning and a good portion of the early afternoon to himself. Hed go find the boy one last time, then it would be over and done with. Hopefully he would be able to stave off this unfortunate obsession before it grew out of proportion. Get the boys name, ask a few questions, then turn and walk away and never think of him again. It would be that simple.
Although most of his mind despised the idea and looked ahead to the now-planned meeting with a small bit of despair, he couldnt shake the small trickle of pleasure that was swirling in his stomach. He hated the happiness that his decision was bringing into his mind he shouldnt be looking forwards to meeting with the boy at all. It was just a simple get-together of two folks caught in similar situations; it wasnt anything to get excited about.
gross mental image. A forty-year-old male obsessing over a teenager. *sick minds*
When he finally fell asleep, his mind tormented him with various ideas and strategies for gaining the boys trust and allegiance. A son
an heir
just plain company in this strange world he was trapped in?
Anything would be better than this lonely, self-hating existence.
In his sleep, a small smile played across the billionaires lips.
Old man Grisbee turned out to be even older than Danny had expected. Danny dropped the fourth really heavy box onto the ground next to the van with a loud clatter of instruments and waited while the frail man dug through his numerous old keys and tried every one of them in the rusty gate. My grandson likes to come up here, the ancient man explained softly, hes the one that has been noticing the strange things going on lately. Lots of weird cold areas and flickering lights. He said that the furniture was rearranged, once.
Finally finding the right key, the gate creaked open in a very haunted-house fashion. Danny rolled his eyes and picked up one of the boxes, following his parents away from their van. There were two obvious positive points about the old cabin: the first was that the trail leading up to the Grisbees hunting cabin wasnt too long he could see the rundown building from the road; the other was the fact that the place was well off the beaten path and none of his classmates would wander by and wonder what was up.
It was built in 1913 an auspicious year, Grisbee continued, teetering his way up the trail with his parents walking slowly behind, invented income taxes that year, they did. That and Grand Central Station. Suppose you have to have the good with the bad. Anywho, my father built this cabin and used it for a variety of things that werent so legal in 1913. Lots of hunting parties too.
Both true facts. You can pick which was the good and which was the bad.
Did anyone die here? Maddie asked, already scanning the gray cabin with a knowing eye.
More likely than not, though they isnt a shred of proof. Grisbee thumped up the stairs and pushed open the unlocked front door. Hunting accidents were good ways to cover up illegal going-ons. He gestured into the sparsely furnished room. Should be all unlocked, its yours for the day. Im going to the union center for Bingo Ill be back around six to lock it back up.
Danny set the impossibly heavy box on the floor with a groan before turning around to go retrieve the other three boxes, ignoring his parents continued questioning of old man Grisbee. Hed learned years ago that helping on a ghost hunt usually meant being the gopher. His job for the next few hours would consist of hold this, go get that, and dont touch that!
Somewhere between the third and fourth trips back to the van to collect more of his parents equipment, old man Grisbee finally made it back to his car and took off. After carting the last box of essentials up to the cabin, Danny dropped into one of the Grisbees folding chairs and waited to be told what to do.
Its too bad we dont have overnight to do this, Jack was saying with a dramatic sigh, we never get good readings during the day.
Maddie smothered a small smile and shot Danny a look. We dont get good readings at night, either, she whispered conspiratorially. Raising her voice, she grinned at Jack. Well just have to do our best. She rubbed a layer of dust off her hands and onto her jeans before rifling through one of the boxes Danny had carted up from the van.
Temperature sensors in every room, Dannys father rumbled, leaning over another box and sorting through the mess of equipment, weve got more than enough sensors to do that. Well set the motion-sensitive camera in the back room and spread out the audio recorders.
Here we begin to test my real-world knowledge of ghost hunting which is practically nil. If you know something about ghost hunting and paranormal expeditions and I say something wrong, please speak up. I do (usually) fix my mistakes when people point them out. Im pretty sure about my facts thus far.
Danny tapped his heel against the floor and closed his eyes, tuning out his parents upcoming argument about the placement of their equipment with the ease of long practice. He really didnt see the difference of where the stupid sensors were placed. His parents had never caught a ghost on film and their EVP readings were shady at best.
EVP = electronic voiceover phenomena. Thats where you listen to static and try to hear ghost voices. An annoying thing I dont believe in since I believe in echolalia
but whatever. Its in here none-the-less and will be a nice addition to a chapter farther down the road.
Danny stiffened, his head twisted on his neck, instinctively searching for the source of the sound as the world cascaded into a blurry swirl of distant color. His breath rasped in his throat and his heart beat loudly in his ears as a chill flooded through him. Licking his lips, he waited for the inhuman noise to come again.
His toes curled in his shoes and his fingers clenched around the chair as a fierce anger suddenly swirled around him and exploded in his mind. He wanted to fight it, he wanted to tear it to pieces, but most of all he wanted it gone. And there was no doubt in his mind what it was.
Ghost, he breathed. His eyes searched through the blurred shadows for his parents, not being able to find them until he felt their scent drift through him. He could feel his hold on his warm, human body slipping out of his grasping fingers. Torn with a sudden internal conflict, he didnt know if he really wanted to turn into a ghost right in front of his parents. Finally they would believe him
but at what price?
Faces slipped into his mind, images that were burned forever into his brain. Sam, staring at him in fear just before she raced up the labs stairs. Tucker, glaring at him in horrified disbelief as he realized that Danny was feeding off of their best friend. All too easily he could picture those expressions on his own parents faces.
The nightmare of being hated and hunted by his own parents was all too clear in his mind.
Suddenly he fought back against the growing urge to turn into a ghost. His eyes snapped closed and he gritted his teeth, focusing on staying warm and solid and human. His parents loved him he was sure of that but he didnt want to chance it. The fear, the hatred, the inability to understand
Seeing that in his parents expressions would kill him.
Am I dragging this out too much? Ill get on with it
eventually. My buddys got to go through some inner turmoil first.
The sound cut through him like a knife and he gasped, losing what little control he had over his transformation. He felt himself slipping, terror clawing at his throat as he wondered what his parents would say. He smelled for his parents, trying to find out where they were. Were they looking him? Concerned about what was going on? Afraid of him yet?
Their scent metallic excitement and happy, warm apples was faint.
Danny relaxed his fingers as the last tiny bit of his human body dissolved into energy, his impossibly glowing eyes flickering open to scan the room. His parents werent in it.
But something else was.
He turned his head, easily fixing on the source of the sound. A tiny rotting creature, raw fear pulsing off of it, scurried past his feet and raced away from the approaching ghost. Danny drifted a little higher in the air, fighting the desire to track down the ghost that had caused all of this.
He waited, neon green eyes fixed on the spot he somehow knew the ghost would appear, his scarred and burned hands twisted around the bottom of the ragged black jacket he was wearing. Restless energy sparkled around him, emerald and electric, tendrils of unconscious rage and protectiveness coiling in his mind.
Geez. Its HARD to write a fight when the fight-ors can not touch the ground nor anything else. All too often I want to have them crouch on the ground, or slam into a wall
Im not to the fight yet and Im already rambling
This place this cabin, this space, these people were his and no stupid ghost was going to take this away from him. He bit his lip, drifting side to side anxiously as the ghost grew nearer. Tearing one hand out of where he had wrapped it in his jacket, he brushed it through his hair and a small, snarling whimper slipped from his mouth.
Human logic and reasoning were drowning as the encroaching ghosts aura brushed against Dannys mind and drew his supernatural desires to the front of his mind. Finally, unable to take the ghosts approach anymore, Danny moved.
He flew forwards, uncaring when he passed through the fuzzy and indistinct shape that might have been a wall, his gaze racing through the blurry landscape and over a few small ghosts until he found the source of the sounds. It was a huge presence, impossibly real against the watercolor background, green energy pulsing away from it in slow waves.
Danny hesitated, drawing away from the daunting waves of energy, confusion warring in his spectral mind. He wanted to fight, he needed to destroy this thing that had come into his space
but it was so powerful. Perhaps too powerful.
Suddenly the presence turned its head, twin green eyes fixing on Dannys form, power exploding into existence around the creature like a small star. Danny closed his eyes, turning his head away, not too surprised to learn that the light didnt diminish when he did that. Something inside of him knew that he didnt have eyes, not really he wasnt seeing anything so closing them made no difference. He was feeling the tidal wave of raw energy that the ghost had thrown towards him. But it still felt bright.
little bit of ghost-trivia thrown into a fight scene. Perhaps not the greatest place for it
He blinked his eyes back open, knowing that the ghost had approached while his eyes were closed and was hovering just a few feet in front of him, and trailed his eyes up the ghosts massive chest and into its face. Danny, about half the size of the huge silver ghost, narrowed his eyes and snarled.
I havent a clue how big Skulker is compared to Danny. Bigger, thats all I know. I guessed
any wrongness on my part you can take as authors liberties. This fight scene between these two got cut when I added in Vlads parts
so well have to see how will it flows with chunks taken out.
What are you? the other ghost hissed, the condemned wails of the damned screaming in its voice. Its mouth didnt move as it spoke.
Danny didnt answer. His human mind was screaming at him to run away there was no possible way that he could stand up to this ghost. Unfortunately, being this close to a ghost made his ability to access his human rationality extremely limited. Unthinking, unable to reason out a logical solution, lost to a spectral consciousness he couldnt hope to control, Danny did the only thing his ghost side could come up with: attack the intruder.
He growled, threw himself upwards until he was even with the gigantic ghosts head, and punched. Emerald energy exploded around his fist when it connected and Danny screamed in pain and fury. Pulling back, he kicked out with a foot and slammed it into the ghosts chest before trying to punch the ghost again.
A strong hand clenched around Dannys wrist and he felt himself being yanked upwards and away from his target. Lemme go, he snarled, energy pulsing around him and slamming into the other ghost as it held him tightly.
The silver ghost howled at the painful onslaught and threw Danny away. Abomination, it growled, pacing around the irate boy, you are an abomination
and I will kill you.
Although his feet werent touching the ground, Danny crouched and sent a swirl of energy pulsing through the air. He narrowed his eyes and power built up around him, his mind losing its ability to understand what was going on. The presence of the other ghost was just too much. It was grating against his nerves and steadily destroying what was left of his human side. The ghost needed to be gone.
Fight scenes are a very difficult-to-find balance between details, flow, momentum, and excitement. Even one of those four things being off can throw the scene into something thats not fun and pulling you along as you read. Howm I doing? Too many details? Not enough? Good flow (doesnt seem to jump)? Keeps moving at a good pace without getting to fast or too slow? Exciting and fun to read?
Finally, only one even vaguely human thought was left in his head: Sam is mine.
Sam is mine; you cant have her.
Cant, he screamed, not really knowing what he was saying anymore. Cant. Mine! He was moving through the air towards the intruding ghost, his fingers curling into claws and his impossibly white hair smoking with power. He clawed at the ghosts face, feeling his sharpening fingernails scrape along the ghosts metallic skin.
He couldnt understand why he couldnt hurt it he couldnt comprehend the fact that its skin seemed to be some kind of metal he was just furious at the fact that his attack had done nothing but startle the other ghost. MINE! He threw himself into another attack, slamming his shoulder into the silver ghosts chest and releasing a huge wave of emerald energy. The power rushed at the ghost and Danny could feel his supernatural attack smash into the ghost and send it reeling.
Danny recoiled away from the intruder, sitting back on his haunches, his neon eyes fixed on the silver ghost with a feral, deadly intensity. Ethereal energy poured off of him and cascaded around him, crackling and sizzling with an impossible paranormal force. Mine, he snarled softly.
Abomination, the silver ghost spat, but drifted a few more feet away. You dont deserve to exist.
Cant, Danny growled, his whole body shaking as the desire to attack the invading ghost once more coiled up inside of him, mine. His claws were clenched at his sides, his hair billowing around him like flames, his sharp fangs biting into his lips as he spoke. Mine.
The ghost took a single step forwards. Danny uncoiled, supernatural energy flaring around him as his body arrowed through the air. He slashed at the larger ghost, clawing and biting and scratching and kicking and ramming the ghost with wave after furious wave of power. He attacked blindly, instinctively, tearing into the ghost with the sole intent of destroying the invading ghost forever.
He didnt give an inch he couldnt stop or show mercy, not anymore but the awful truth was that the silver ghost was simply more powerful than he was. The silver ghosts huge fist grabbed around the back of Dannys neck and threw the boy off of itself, following the throw with a wash of green energy that sizzled through Dannys body and sent him into a head-over-heels spin.
Danny twirled through the air, struggling to regain control of his tumbling flight. When he finally did, he twisted around to glare at the silver ghost. A small shiver of triumph snuck into his rage-filled mind when he saw the scratches, dents, and burns that covered the other ghosts body. Even one of the silver ghosts green eyes was gone.
It stared at him with its one good eye, fury crackling visibly around its huge form. Abomination, it ground out, we will kill you be sure of that.
Then it vanished.
NO! Danny dove through the air, puling himself to a stop when he reached the place where the giant silver ghost had just been hanging. He spun around in a circle, closing his eyes as he searched for the inhuman feel of a ghost in the area.
I want
he stuttered as his supernatural anger drained away into confusion. But I need
I want
I just
His senses were still all on alert; he still needed to destroy the ghost that had threatened his human. No one got to be near his Sam. His
He blinked suddenly, licking his lips and unsteadily brushing a hand through his still-smoldering hair as human rationality poured back into his consciousness. Sam wasnt his and the ghost hadnt threatened her. But
then why had he felt like it had? Why was he still feeling like Sam was his?
He blew out a long breath, hesitated long enough to wonder how hed just done that when he didnt have longs to breathe with, then shook his head and took another calming breath. Great, he whispered, this is all just
great. It really wasnt worth even trying to figure out why he had reacted the way he had. Not yet, anyways. He was sure that Sam and Tucker would be able to help him on Monday.
As the last of his ghost-induced fury slipped away, Danny let himself drop though the air until he was hovering just above the green blur that was (most likely) the grass. At least the ghost is gone, he muttered. Now all he needed to do was figure out how to turn human again.
yeah, right
like Im going to leave it at that.
Part two Meli had me add:
Vlad Masters drummed his manicured fingernails against the steering wheel of his rented car, silently cursing the universe in general. His meeting was due to start in less than two hours and he hadnt seen hide-nor-hair of the annoying child that would not leave his mind. Hed been all over Amity Park proper, searching for the barest trickle of scent from the boy. When he had come up empty, he had slowly widened his circles into the outskirts of the city.
He was currently in the middle of nowhere, staring at the same red light hed been staring at for at least ten minutes, wishing he were anywhere else. These stupid obsessions were something he had been living with for two decades, but they did not make them easier to deal with. They were like itches that needed to be scratched they got worse until you inevitably scratched them.
The boy was an itch. An annoying, pervasive, all-encompassing itch that made everything else pale in comparison.
And now hed have to go to a meeting with that itch still not having been scratched. It would drive him crazy throughout the meeting and, no doubt, hed ultimately lose the Axion contract because of it.
Is this light never going to turn green? he snapped in irritation, his eyes flaring blood red in the afternoon sunshine.
I hate those kind of stoplights. Ive driven through a few of them after waiting for all of eternity to pass me by.
Thats when he felt it: the smell of a cold winter morning, the taste of the air after a lightning storm, the feel of being head-over-heels out of control, the sound of potential and possibility ripping through the sky.
Ever wondered what Danny felt like?
Vlads head turned, his ghost side reacting instantly to the source of his obsession.
Every plan hed had for a short, civilized conversation with the boy went out the window as he grabbed his briefcase and phased cleanly through the door, leaving his car at the eternal red light.
Plasmius wanted to possess.
And the excitement builds
things come together
minor plot points are all about to clash in a very dramatic fashion
And yeah
this part, from here on, Meli made me add.
Danny growled softly, stalking through the blurry world that was the spectral side of Grisbees hunting cabin. Dozens of small ghosts, screaming defiantly with voices that rang with the shrieks of the condemned, scurried away from the waves of chilling energy that were flowing off of his form.
Something was approaching him and it was setting every one of his spectral nerves on fire.
Without any thought at all, he could pinpoint his parents. Both of them were staked out quite a distance away where their apple and metal scents cascaded through the spectral realm and drew all sorts of the tiny ghostly creatures out of their personal hiding holes. Danny didnt give either the small animals or his parents a second thought his being was focused entirely on the distant thrump of the approaching ghost.
The sound echoed through him, buzzing annoying against his nerves and sliding through his mind. For some reason, the spectral heartbeat felt
tainted. Wrong. Infected.
Infected. Infected with Human.
Danny shuddered when another thrump sliced through him, slipping slimily around in his head and pushing his raw spectral emotions farther into his mind. He slipped forward a few more feet, squinting through the blur in an attempt to find the source of the sound and feeling more human than he ever had in his ghost form before. After a few seconds, he closed his eyes and breathed, letting his ghost side sort through the impossible jangle of smells, searching for some more information on the ghost heading his way.
Interesting side effect: being near each other causes them to be more human. Or, at least, Danny does. We dont know about the other one yet.
He shivered at the stained voice drifting through him, his glowing eyes flickering open. Standing amongst the fuzzy and indistinct objects of the human world, a man was gazing at him. The mans eyes were glowing a fierce red, black hair swept backwards and up, a ragged white and red coat dangling down around his legs. He wasnt quite as in focus as the small spectral animals that ranged around the cabin, but he was definitely a presence in the ghost world. Not a ghost
more like a human with a bit of a ghost super-glued around him.
Note that Vlad can NOT take a full ghost form
thus cannot fly, but can do basically everything else a ghost can do. Because of this, hes not as merged as Danny is, if that makes sense. This will come into play later and is probably my biggest drift from cannon facts.
A full spectral form, the man continued, tipping his head to the side and studying Danny with eyes that were narrowed in his etched and pocketed face. Interesting. His voice didnt sound like the man was very interested. He sounded annoyed
and pleased.
Danny drifted backwards, instinctively bringing his hands up and charging the air with energy, confused and strangely worried about the fact that he was still in full control of his body. His ghost side wasnt taking over. Who are you? he asked nervously, inwardly shuddering at the screams of the damned that coiled in his voice.
I, the man
the ghost?... said with a cold smile that showed his fang-like teeth, am Plasmius. And you interest me quite a bit, ghost child.
They STILL dont know who each other are. Point.
Danny glanced over his shoulder in the direction of his parents and turned back around to the thing standing in front of him. What are you?
Playing twenty questions, are we? He stooped down and picked up a hazy object that had been sitting near his feet and it slowly gained focus as the man continued to talk. I am a human that has been irrevocably contaminated with a variant form of plasma created, he snapped open the briefcase he had picked up and a horrible sneer entered his voice, by an idiot in his indomitable quest to verify the existence of the spectral realm. The mans eyes flared red, spectral energy washing out of his body in a visible wave. A mistake that he will pay for.
No names mentioned, still no idea who each other.
Danny licked his chapped lips, slipping a few feet farther away from the man, refusing to let himself get caught up in trying to understand what the obviously insane man had just said. And
Red eyes glittered as Plasmius pulled a plastic bag out of his briefcase before dropping the case to the ground. I am not a ghost, boy; you neednt be afraid of me. I am, actually, here to help you.
Help? Dannys ears perked up a little and his hands came down. How can you help me?
I know certain tricks and
the man trailed off, his eyes blazing red as they focused on a spot far behind Danny. And
He took a few stumbling, unthinking steps before tripping over something Danny couldnt see on the ground. The man suddenly shook his head, snarling at himself. Stop that.
stop what, I wonder? Whats out there that could entrance Mr. Masters?
Danny was quiet, waiting.
Plasmius straightened, pulling on the front of his red and white coat before coughing and continuing. As I said, I know certain tricks and inventions that would be able to keep your spectral presence to a minimum. His eyes sparkled as he held up the bag, small chunks inside. I could help you be human.
Ouch. Good bargaining chip.
Normal? Danny breathed. Only four days as a ghost-human thing and he was totally ready for it to be over. It was like a dream come true
almost too good to be true. Eleven years of being the best friend to a very cynical person suddenly jumped into his front of his mind.
It was almost too good to be true.
What do you want? Danny asked softly, narrowing his green eyes. Whats the price?
Nothing but good things for you, child. Plasmius smiled at him, but the frozen smile didnt reach his eyes. Come live with me; Ill teach you great things and give you the best future that anyone could ever ask for.
I cant live with you. Danny shook his head. Ive got a family.
Plasmius evil smile grew a little pitying. They dont really understand you or love you, you misguided boy. You cant ever be a part of the human world you must know that. Your spectral side wont ever allow you to be loved and have friends.
He cant be loved
he cant ever be close to anyone
imagine the horror that would bring. Imagine never EVER having a true friend
ever again
Now, try to tell me that Vlad is just evil and he gets no pity.
Danny backpedaled, energy swirling around him as his body reacted to the words the man in front of him was using. Disbelief, fear, anger, and a distant feeling of maybe hes right danced through his mind. It cant be true
I have a family and they love me, Danny retorted as power built up around him. All of his hair was standing on end, his eyes glowing wildly and small static-like bursts of energy sizzling over his clothes.
Take it from someone who knows, Plasmius snarled, they dont. They cant. Ghosts and humans dont mix for a reason.
Forcing the energy to dissipate, Danny growled softly. Stay away from me, whatever-you-are.
Im just trying to help, the man said, his cruel grin fading, and eventually youll thank me for it.
The man ripped open his zip-locked back and reached inside. Almost instantly, Plasmius disappeared into the vague blur that was all ghosts could see of humans. A split second later, Danny screamed as painful washes of energy cascaded over him. Smells jangled in his brain and dashed all of his thoughts into nothingness. He felt a cube being tossed in his direction, rolling to a stop just under his feet as pure agony danced up through him and Dannys world began to grow black.
Vlad Masters stared down at the zip-locked bag in his hand, a look of disbelief in his eyes at what Plasmius had just done. He needed to stop kidding himself: Plasmius was him. What he had just done. The boy was barely visible as he twisted and flailed in mid-air, the screams of the spectral teenager tearing through the air and making the human world quake and crack.
Ghostly Wail of all the stupid things to call it. He will not call it that in my story. EVER. NEVER-EVER.
He took a step forwards, blocking out the pain created by the permeating smell of the cheese fizzing against his nerves. Child, he whispered, his blue-green eyes wide with horror. True, the hellish smell drove him wild
but long exposure had deadened him to most of the scents effects. He had never expected it to be that painful for the teenager. The half-thought-of point had been to subdue the boy and kidnap him, not kill him.
The boy had far more spectral potential than he did that much was obvious. Just the fact that the boy hadnt reverted to human yet showed how much power was inside of him. All that potential lent him every advantage but it came with all of the ghosts enormous disadvantages as well. Vlad sighed, walking straight through the boy twitching in midair and scooping up the small cube of cheddar cheese. He flung it off into the woods, his mind conjuring up images of the dozens of animal ghosts that would be fleeing from its smell despite the fact he couldnt see them at the moment.
I hate ghosts, Vlad muttered darkly, watching the nearly unconscious teenager drift aimlessly in the air. I hate Jack for doing this to me. He grabbed his briefcase and stalked away, leaving the still-nameless boy to fend for himself. I hate all of this. Im going home where Plasmius and his stupid instincts wont bother me any more.
And I am not going to continue to obsess over some stupid teenager!
Despite his words, Vlad threw his briefcase off into the woods and bit back a scream.
No matter how hard he wished, no matter how much he tried, no matter what drugs or tricks he used
he knew that the boy was going to be something in his mind and there was absolutely nothing in the world that would be able to stop it from happening. Uncaring about his upcoming important meeting and how dirty his expensive suit was going to get, Vlad Masters sank to the ground and buried his head in his hands. Damn it all, he whispered.
Any number of people had fallen into his eye before
and a large percentage of them were now either dead or so completely broken that they wished they were dead. His ghost obsessions drove him relentlessly and eventually his human side grew too weak to stop whatever was coming. By that point, there wasnt anything that Plasmius wouldnt do to get what he wanted. Very few things were outside of his grasp.
If theres any god out there that will listen to me anymore, he breathed, looking up into the afternoon sky, protect that boy from me.
Interesting statement and one which will be an ENDLESS source of discussion between me and Meli when she notices that I snuck it in.
Dannys green eyes drifted open and he stared around him in disbelief. That amount of pain
it still burned in his arms and legs, wrapped around his chest, and sizzled in his head. The distant echoing cries of the half-eaten spectral animals pounded in his mind, making his entire brain hurt.
Drifting higher into the air, he smelled for his parents, relieved to find them still sitting somewhat close by. Both of his parents scents were tinged with the sharp smell of excitement. His encounter with
had probably set off every one of their ghost detectors.
They dont really love you
they cant love you.
Danny shook his head, then winced at the ache that speared through his head at the movement. Shut up.
You cant ever be a part of the human world.
Crossing his legs, he buried his face in his hands unknowingly mimicking the position of the only other ghost-human hybrid in the world, huddled just a few hundred feet away and tried to block out the echoing voice that fizzled in his brain and refused to disappear. Danny wasnt entire sure which hurt more: the voice and the pain it had brought, or the sharp feeling in his mind that maybe, just maybe, the insane man had a point.
Take it from someone who knows.
Had to make the transition from tell my parents everything to keep it a secret at all costs at some point. This seems like a good place.
Figure that were about half way through the story.
--In real life, a little rain must fall.
(end chapter 8)