After going postal mode just now...

I believe I should just wind myself down. Even if it's just posting two clips here. Hopefully can sleep now. -.-;

But srsly this guy not born in Japan???

That moment where I got e-masculated... x.x

Source of hoo-ha

Disclaimer!

This post is NOT intended for self plugging. Those who know my reviewing style will understand how bloody obsessed I am on all things plot and character details. I got outdone here and I feel the need to let my own shame be outed. T_T

My reply

I got totally emasculated by your review. Serious. And to think that I used to see your style as my mirror-image. Finally Karma. x.x Now due to an insane brain-freeze being incurred, I think I can just only highlight certain points requiring further statements.

Firstly, yes the setting of this story IS high-fantasy based, But I don't want to create something along the line of LOTR. Maybe you can call it an alternate ver of The Children of Hurin. Or perhaps as I prefer to call it, Tolkien meets G.R.R Martin. Yeah I know it sounds weird especially given that the epic fantasy elements are geared more towards the Forgotten Realms/D&D settings. If you understand the target-age audience for the Warhammer series (both 40K and Fantasy), then I believe you should have a very clear mark on where I want to go here. In fact my only clear-cut intention so far is to create poignant visualizations and provocation of thoughts. Age range wise, I'm ashamed to say that I didn't think that much. T_T Speaking of that, I believe Nasu Kinoko's impact on me might be far more srs then I'd like to believe otherwise. O.o

Funnily enough, your concept on war and murder here actually doesn't have anything to do with my intentions, YET you're truly spot on when it comes to how I plan to choreograph the whole us-vs-them social-political structure. In a very twisted sense, your very wild guess turned out to be bloody damned prophetic.

As for the Kalaran Dream, it's a cruel satire towards the American Dream where reality would forever be beyond the grasp of humanity itself. That's what I'm trying to bring across. But then again, I saw some truth in your words in-plot wise. Esp the gossiping womenfolk=us-vs-them ala civilian style. Funnily enough, I do have to add in the part of apathy shown towards the murdered victim as part of the equation. Which comes to mind a logic I made known to a fellow bloke at work earlier on: That Man can never defeat Man, let alone Heaven itself.

On Aeranath, I lol'ed hard. Not because I'm mocking you, but due to my Twitter account. Simply put, Aeranath doesn't exist one way or another. This is just an object of reminder to do something worthwhile on my stalled-for-centuries-writing. T_T In fact I find it surreal that you can have an alternative take on his character where in essence, all the rest saw him as a pariah cum murderer (Remember The Red Lions. Doing their duty to enforce order=killed like shit. X.X). tbh I'm not too sure if you've read thru his character concept section in my blog. B/c if so, then quite obviously... nah won't spoil it for you anyway. :P

As for the critique you've highlighted here, it's pretty much interesting that you can offer a counter-intuitive view compared to the rest. In fact everything said by you had gone beyond my original self-limitations of tense consistencies. Hopefully I can develope a constructive form of stress where I can really find ways to go about solving what should be truly solved apart from the whole tense inconsistency lulz.

)>0<(

 

That one gal who made all things mind-raping possible...

The reason why:

This is a brilliant story! This story drew me in right from the first paragraph where you describe what happened to the Orc. It's a brilliant beginning which is immediately engaging and thought-provoking and acts as a great hook to encourage your readers to keep reading. I especially love the inclusion of the text in bold. This abstract way of offering more information and insight dispersed throughout the narrative certainly made your story very unique and memorable and it is something I have not seen done before. It was also disturbing that Aernath trading in his kill for money. It showed how damaged and callouss the world they live in truly is.

The writing of this was fantastic. You have such a vivid imagination and you are an incredibly talented writer. The description was so enriching and enabled me to really build up a clear, vivid picture of everything. Some parts of the description I thought were particularly effective were: "The heavy breathing was sensed by the nocturnal life, their sights staying clear" and "The price of foolish pride being a sea of blood and screams." It's all brilliant imagery and indicative of a great writer. Sentence structure was also good and you mixed it up occasionally to keep your story entertaining to read, for example you occasionally place the adverb first: "Utterly shakened by what had transpired, all the lone Orc could recall..." However, I noticed that you use the word "Shakened" which is not a word. The past tense of shake is shook, although in this case you ought you use "Utterly shaken" on its own. I absolutely love this section at the beginning: "The abyss hidden in those eyes were branded unto the depths of fading sanity, gluttonous fear devouring whatever that was left. A demon had appeared and playing the Reapers' score." That was genius. You have an incredible way with words, as though you are painting a picture with them.

I love the philosophical ideas running through this, particularly regarding war and massacre and how we ruin for our own selfish purposes. You touch upon how war is really just as a battle for power and a form of entertainment, and we as a society appear to completely overlook any cruelty. It is unnerving that so many people choose ignorance as a side. They refuse to believe that there is war going on or that their world is being damaged. They overlook all of these things, rather they force themselves to believe they live in a perfect, idyllic world of colour and beauty, when underneath the overcoat their homes are nothing but shadows, burnt from the wreckage and the horrors that war brings. For example, you describe "Idiocy was the sole reason why this very race had never attempted any mass raiding on the highest scale" and also how "The laughter of futility justifing the insane massacre" (however there is another spelling mistake here as it needs to 'justifying' not 'justifing.') Your piece made me reflect upon how really the only reason so many horrors go by unnoticed is simply because of human ignorance, for we would rather turn a blind eye to it rather than believing it exists, instead forcing ourselves to believe we live in a utopia than in a wreckage, simply because if we were to believe we live in a world of tragedy, we feel we would succumb to that world.

Another philosophical idea I picked up on was that of equality. You describe how "Knowing their status would understand the Kalaran dream. Alas the world has never been fair to all. Such has been the law of equality." That lead me onto thinking about the place of equality, status and acceptance not only in the world your story is set in, but also in the very world we live in. Reputation plays such an important role in society and the moment you are born you are uncontrollably chained to a certain status with very little chance to escape. It seems to go against humanity that there are so many divisions in society, especially when considering the fact that we are all human beings on this planet and should therefore all be equal anyway. It seems ridiculous to think that just because two people happen to born in different places, that all autonomy is lost and they will have no choice but to follow a route already planned out for them since birth, one which will lead to certain greatness, and the other which will lead to nothing but misery and falling. Another place where the importance of reputation is mentioned is when you describe the how the "Womenfolk revelled in their idle gossips" clearly showing they take pleasure in mocking and slandering others who may not have the same reputation as them. In a way they are shunning away anyone they do not want to be a part of their society, again showing the fact that it seems almost unfeasible that humans can ever learn to be equal.

I particularly loved the part when Aernath arrives and at first there is so much prejudice against him before anyone has learnt anything about him. I got the impression that he is a man of few words, what with the fact that he did not respond to any of the probing questions, and he appears enigmatic. He only says what is necessary and does not bother with idle chit-chat and therefore gossip and interfering with anyone else's affairs but his own, thus contrasting him sincerely with the gossiping females from earlier, and immediately suggests he is an outcast from that world where reputation and status is so important. He is a great character, obviously trained in battle and I think he may be able to help heal their damaged world. I must say I was cheering for him when he fought the drunkard. You have created a strong character we can really empathise with.

There were some parts that were not as strong. "Orcish stamina finally caving in, he paused to take a breather. The coast should be clear by now, the distance closed was far enough." Firstly, there needs to be a semi-colon to connect the two sections of the second sentence: "The coast should be clear by now{;} the distance closed was far enough." Also, I think there is some tense confusion here. You are writing in past tense, and then suddenly give us the present tense sentence of "The coast should be clear by now." If this is a part of his thoughts, you must italicise. If not, then it needs to be "The coast should have been clear by now." Also, you state "Tales of the killer would surely spread like wildfire with the aid of some fibbing." You are describing rumours spreading like wildfire? Really? That is a bit of a lame, cliche simile and it has been used constantly. Up until now your similies were very unique and almost magical. I am sure you could think of something more original. In addition, I was not particularly fond of the sentence "The Orc growled in annoyance as he stomped off." I got the image of a toddler here. I think you need something much more powerful than "Stomped" to make it even more effective. Call me immature, but "Children were frolicking" has very rude connotations. I would advise against it. Spelling out "Heh heh heh" just felt very awkward. That is something you do when you are texting, not writing professionally. I think it would be better to say he chuckled or laughed. Finally, I think you need to think about your target audience. Who are you aiming this story at? It would be a great pre-teen/teen story what with all the magic and elves and the fantasy world you are creating. However, your extremely complex vocabulary and sentence structure even led me to confusion in many places, so I do not think it would be suitable for them. As for a young adult/adult audience I am not particularly sure that a story about magic and elves, etc, would appeal, at least not without it being strongly compared to Lord of The Rings and therefore may not be seen as original. This problem can easily be solved if you just make sure you know who your target audience is and the demographic of your readers so you can aim to write for them as well as ensuring you are writing for a wider audience as well.

Otherwise this is a brilliant story and I cannot wait to read more! You are a very inspiring writer. Keep writing and following your dreams! :D

-Vicky x

)>0<(

Why Nasuverse=all things intelligent (But not necessarily for the clever)

Emiya Shirou

Archer

Holy Grail

Unlimited Blade Works 

Nasuverse=For the intelligent only (And this makes me cry as well)

Tohno Shiki

Aozaki Aoko

Arcueid Brunestud

Now let's mara (Malay for scold) Engrand

Sadly, I'm not abt to do any bashing. Firstly, let's see where things went wrong. Simply put, Prandelli sprang a big one upon putting a 4-1-3-2. As per stated in a prev post, the Italians are gonna troll the Engrish as long as they have the ball. Now a lot has been said on why Welbeck has to go forward and mark Pirlo, but considering Prandelli's very clear cut instruction, Roy's hands were tied. Read: No one told Pirlo to go forward. In the deployment sense, it's just like 1 Schweinsteiger with 3 Khediras. England depends heavily on wingplay, yet it's a dual edged sword that will end up having England losing 9 out of 10 times against a technically superior team. Why? Without the ball, you can't do a shit. With the ball, the opponent can keep you guessing like a 12 yr old. A lot of the current continental football has developed into a central 3 system where the onus is on ball possession around the center. Wingers are outdated, wing forwards are the new ballistics. Why? Very simple. Wingers go flanking, wing forwards can go anywhere. It's just like playing Street Fighter where you can't go that far just by spamming Hadoukens/Shoryukens because if I'm a good Guy user, I can pretty much mess you about without dropping a point. Period.

So maybe we should ask ourselves one very simple question: Why Pirlo's deployment work? On Prandelli's end, it's a stroke of strategic brilliance. On the other hand, Capello's curse has finally came true. Simply put, 4-1-3-2 Italia would merely count for shit without the ball. In fact due to the Pirlo factor, I can even call it a riskier formation than Les Bleus' 4-1-4-1 (Thankfully for Prandelli, the semis is all abt the Krauts. La Furia Roja will pull off a Vash the Stampede under this context.).

Hence is it a case of penalty nerves? England was lucky to hang on unto this point. If the Italians can take their chances, St George's Dirge would have been sung far more earlier (And perhaps far more merciful as well). A lot has been said abt making your chances count, but then again, if you can't retain the ball, you can't pull off any shit. Ever tried discussing what to eat for lunch where in fact your budget is an absolute kosong (Malay for zero)? You may laugh out loud and call it an absurd theory, but this IS England through and through! If you're to ask me, I'll just say "**** the jinx! Focus on the ball first!". No team in it's right mind will want to go PK, let alone England. Yet if you can't do anything on the pitch, this is what you'll get. Again I REPEAT: Forget abt the jinx. It's a psychological barrier that can only be solved by doing something constructive to REFORM your infrastructure first!

Yes! You all have guessed it. The Devil(s) in question aren't the players, let alone ol'Roy or just abt any other coaches before him. Case in point: Youth football in England is still 100% intact. FA better do something bloody constructive for the next 3-5 yrs instead of playing a NATO (i.e. No Action, Talk Only). NO more of that stupid ruling meant to make up the numbers. You screw the infrastructure, you fix that shit back!

Houston, we now have a problem here...

And it's called the Tabloid Culture. We all know they will make cuckoos out of anyone they like/dislike. Yeah, it's all fine and dandy to read, laugh and go to sleep afterwards. But anything more than that=you're the sucker who have taken the bait. Every celebrity can testify to this mass invasion syndrome, but how many of us know the kind of problems it has created for English football? What is pride? Is it abt twenty two headless chickens running throughout the pitch? Is it abt blood-and-thunder 50-50 tackles where in fact everything is a mere zilch without the 3 points? Xavi nvr got crucified for Spain and Barca. Sneijder will nvr run like stoner high on weed. Pirlo? Who cares abt stupid ppl calling him a coward where in fact his loyalty on the pitch is all that matters? If there's anything to go by, Hodgson's brand of pride holds far more substance, but only this much. It's one thing to say I've done my best and quite another to say I didn't gain any valuable shit at the end of the day. 4-4-2 a success? Sorry guys. I've seen way too much football for one's own good. Shit will only work on the domestic front. Without the foreign influx brought abt via the destruction of the infrastructure, English teams won't even make it past the group stages in any given European club competitions. Mark my words: You gain the money and fame, you sold your pride without even knowing it.

So is it all doom and gloom? 

Not so. If there's anything to go by, I'll be truly damned if we will get one Wilshere per every decade. Because England should worth so much more. A lot has been said abt the top clubs, nothing has been said on the Academy system barring the whole "next big thing" hype. Be warned to all you upstarts of the pitch:  

 Pride and Fall are lovers decreed by God.

Case in point: Ask every Boro lad and they can tell you abt Nathan Porritt. I don't care abt whatever negatives being said abt him. All I know is that he could and should have been someone worth so much more on the pitch. In a very real sense, I'm truly consoled that NP is an exception rather than the norm in the great Ol'North East. Nothing positive has been blared out from that area barring Alan Shearer himself. Yet that doesn't mean that North East of England should deserve JUST one Shearer in any given position. Yes, Tyneside is now experiencing a crisis of sorts due to the obscene amount of TV money allocated within the top flight for donkey ages running (Any given successes didn't really help out that much considering the fact that Newcastle is the only global North Eastern brand so as to speak). But thankfully, Wearside is still hanging strong while We the Lions in Red have a proud tradition of making an ass out of Rafa himself (Srsly how many Steven Gerrards and Jamie Carraghers do/will you have? LOL!). West Ham? LOL! Take a cold hard look at Leeds, you self-haughty arseholes! Ridsdale screwed them tight=the script called "fallen for good" never materialized. In fact, when we use the term [stand-by on duty], it shouldn't be seen as a joke. Given the correct grooming from the correct people, every dog will have his day.

MORAL OF THE STORY

Why Gay for Lancer?

The greatest love story ever told...

No joke here. I really cry like a semi-wreck throughout the vid. I swear that if you don't feel anything here, you're not humane.

梦の终わり 

Glossary for Chapter 5

Arrow nocked: A verbal expression indicating the moment of truth.

Leader-rank: Status/ability befitting of a leader.

Kiddypop: Nonsense/childish talk.

Standard quota of five: Five mugs of mead/ale. A direct reference to the military standards.

Nut drunk loco: Drunk beyond control.

Talk(ing) out of sense: Talking nonsense.

Until the rooster crows thrice: Until the end of the day/session. A direct parallel to Jesus' prophecy on Peter's imminent denial.

Double confirmed: Confirmed without any doubts.

(Being) Gifted with too much drink: Having drunk too much alcohol.

Put two and two together and get(ting) a four: Arriving at the correct answer under most simple circumstances.

Brawl or bawl: A taunting expression usually said before a brawl.

Smallborne: Civilians. (Used in conjunction with any member of nobility, third person or otherwise)

Bailed for good: Bailed out without the risk of being charged.

Bailor: A person in-charge of bailing paperwork.

Maistress: A formal title refering to a female member of nobility.

Give a soldier's bow: A verbal expression of thanks. (Used within the militaryman's context)

Causacean: The Known World's parallel of the Caucasian race.

Just a little bit of self-entertainment...

b/c I should have put up a VERY vital statement in my Fictionpress profile in order to prevent trouble. Since I can't point any fingers at anybody due to such a situation being a demon out of my own making, guess I should just do something outright outrageous:

La Furia WTF vs Les WTF...

Okay, here I am opening my SG'bola trap again. Simply put, it's pretty much interesting to write some counter-intuitive pertaining to the Les Blur. Or is it truly the case? Now allow me to say WTF upon seeing Laurent Blanc plonking a 4-1-4-1 WTF. But after some brain nuking, I'm starting to see where this has been intended to go. Just a few loopholes to disclose here first:

1. Nasri vs Diarra. A lot has been said on the two being the main cause. Yet is there any signs of cliques being formed as the result? I don't remember any. Any follow-ups? Nasri vs the media. That's all. You don't get to see anyone blowing up just because journalists can troll with a civilized face. Grow up, kids. That's how the media works.

2. Hatem Ben Arfa. Anything wrong with this guy? Plenty. If Joey Barton has a long lost brother somewhere, it will be this guy. Why Blance played him in the Sweden rubber is very simple: Cabaye got crocked, he couldn't be risked. If you think I'm lying, go ask his ex-buddies. If a player can't respect his own team mates, he's a possible recipe for trouble. I hate to play the devil's advocate, but srsly Blanc's hands were tied back then.

3. Possible implosion nonetheless? Blanc would have been out of job N ages ago due to what he had done upon just entering the office. If he can deal with ppl like Anelka and Gourcuff, anything is possible. Get what I'm saying here?

4. Amazingly enough, Del Bosque would have been dragged through the streets of Madrid if his unorthodox 4-3-3 had backfired spectacularly.

4-1-4-1=Les WTF

A lot has been said on Debuchy deployed as a right-back, but NOT a lot of ppl knew he can operate as a midfielder as well. Extra right back just to cope with Iniesta and Jordi Alba combined? Apparently no one has mentioned that Iniesta=/=winger. La Furia Roja don't play wingers. Wing forwards, yes. Wingers, no. Simply put, if you think Iniesta will play on the left by default, you're too dumb to live. The hallmark of a top class player lies in the nature where he can be deployed. At least I truly hope Blanc wasn't that dumb to put an extra right-back just contain some fella who can alternate between either side of the pitch.

So now the biggest question: Where did Blanc deploy Debuchy? If that one bloke in front of the back 4 is M'Vila by default, then will it be any wonder on where Debuchy would be deployed? Cabaye's presence has been there for all to see. Assuming Debuchy would adopt a deeper lying role ala the withdrawn playmaker, that would have quite obviously freed Cabaye up. Remember a certain Eden Hazard? The logic is the same with him being more of an attacking mid/winger while Cabaye holds more of a central role.

Onus on how 4-1-4-1 works: Ironically enough, Blanc might have given us a prototype model on how to stop La Furia Roja. A lot has been said on France's defensive frailties, but to me, the key issue lies in Blanc being way too tactically naive this time round. In a very eerie sense, fighting a Les WTF is just like fighting this bloke. Yes, such a formation can be truly effective as a counter-attack possession football via the attacking diamond of Cabaye, two wing forwards and one central striker. But against Spain itself, it's no more than a double edged sword. With such a tactical onus at hand, the key platform lies in dropping 9 guys behind to rob the ball. If España lose the ball, they will be in trouble. If they can retain the ball, the opposite will happen. Simply put, yes Blanc should shoulder the blame. Yet no point firing the machine gun b/c everything has been nothing more than a tactical cock up that ironically might have a hand in countering the 4-3-WTF.

4-3-3=La Furia WTF

3 guys upfront with no central strikers. Outright nutty? If you think this is a 4-6-0, you're way too dumb to live. Consider who are the three amigos upfront: Fabregas, Iniesta and David Silva. All 3 are attacking mids. All three are accounted as technical players quick in their feet and thinking. Interestingly enough, while Fabregas would have played a deeper role ala El Mago de La Pelota (Ver. Exageración?), Iniesta and Silva could easily switch flanks like nobody's business (Guardabosques de La Campo?). Guys, this is La Furia Roja. Once they have the ball, you're ****ed. Unless you're Roberto Di Matteo with El Nino as your compañero. So does that say anything on Vicente "El Zorro" del Bosque? Formación de La Delantero Fortificación. The onus lies in pushing the ball possession forward such that the opponent would be slowly cornered and suffocated. Try envisioning a war being fought where the opponent opted for the unconventional tactic of rapid fortifications within your own territories ala Modo de el Conquistador. Get the picture? Good. Now we all know why Pique can pop up on a far higher frequency than die WTF himself on the relative scale.

Case in point: Spain=[55% possession], 9 shots on goal (5 on target), [7 corners], 6 fouls, [6 offside calls]; France=[45% possession], 4 shots on goal (1 on target), [3 corners], 12 fouls, [1 offside call], [1 save per each side]

Just feel like writing something...

Because Nasri caused this

Firstly, 4-3-3 w/o a No.9=La Furia WTF. Secondly, 4-1-4-1=Les WTF. And to think Le Blanc might have gotten his weird tactics wrong. I lol'ed hard when I saw ESPN SoccerLOL stating Debuchy as the extra rightback. Apparently, they dunno he can play as the deep-lying playmaker. Which might have explained the 4-1-4-1 lulz. So is it any wonder that Florentino Perez must be going WTF over that decision all these years back? Damn I really enjoy bringing up old debts. A good thing we're not living in the Westeros. One should do well not to piss off a Northman. :D

Lastly but not least, allow me to say Revanche de Les Bleus on the article@the top here. It's one thing to snap out of nowhere and quite another to channel your anger towards the kind of ppl who will stop at nothing to start a story. After all, even the journalists need to make a living, no? Since every fella in a suit will start to talk cock, sing song, Nasri might as well say "**** yourself!" right into their faces rather than the wrong person called Le President. A bloody shame that there will always be a protocol. I bet the faces of all those mighty pens will be priceless towards Remarque lancée à l'adresse de qn de Le President. [1]

P.S: Yet another reason for me to say ESPN SoccerLOL - The netizens there dunno wtf they're talking abt.

Final P.S: If it's Wazza, guess what will happen? Actually to be fair, the tabloids will proclaim a hanged, drawn and quartered sentence.

[1]: This is just me messing around with the language. yes I know it's butchered, yet why is it that I can sympathize with Nasri despite my innate dislike for millionaire footballers?

Pre-match lulz: Final Quarters

Three Lions' Pride vs Forza Italia

 

If the Three Lions think they got it luckier than the French, think again. imo, the Italians are the kind of opponents England will want to avoid at this knockout stage. The reason why is very simple: The English can't do a dime in all things possession football. Capello tried, but he failed b/c he's not an English. So will his countrymen scream out FORZA ITALIA!!!! for him? Don't bank against it. If we're talking abt more offensive oriented teams like France and Sapin, then it's far more of a no-brainer. But as we all know, the only shit thing abt Calcio Italiano is that they don't really pour their guys forward. Still, possession football is... well possession football lol! Come now this moment, allow me to applaud the Azzurri thus far on how they have reacted to all the turmoil in their backyard. Wilson Raj's kelonglonglong doesn't even come 10% close to Calciopoli II if I want to be fair.

 

So what is the game plan for Prandelli's boys then? Very simple. We keep the ball-->we troll the Men In White-->we break forward. Take note, all yer English: If the final step is a success, you'll be screwed.  

 Defending in numbers is the only way, but what if the blue blokes say "lulz we stay back and wait for yous!" This is not my problem to solve. I'm only here to talk cock.

 

And one more thing to Wazza: Please... PLEASE whatever you do, don't try asking yourself whether Pirlo's balls are made of steel. Or just make that about any given Azzurri barring Prandelli himself.

So key man for the Azzurri? Depending on whether you're talking going forward or holding fort. Now provided Ballotelli stay injury/trouble free here, let me be a racist and say Cassano. Why? Very simple. As per said N posts before, Ballotelli still has time on his side, Cassano doesn't. 29 yrs on the roll and how much more years will he have after this Euro? Even if we're talking abt 2014 Brazil, it's still a far long shot away! (Read: Do the maths pls) Cassanata should be something far more worthwhile. Yet sadly, reality will always be a biatch. Yes I know who coined that term. Cassanata, this fight is yours. :D

But yet, the other 50 of the key is NOT Pirlo. Get this clear, pals. There's no need to introduce a household name where in fact w/o De Rossi, Italia is ****ed. We're talking abt a midfield presence truly vital to the Calcio pride. Italy will nvr be Italy w/o an effective break-up play. Back then, there's a Gennaro Gattuso. Joe Jordan better NOT on the TV or sit in the stadium stands. Full stop.

 

So maybe we should try envisioning a scary man deployment: De Rossi as the defensive lynchpin, Pirlo in an advanced playmaker role with Cassano and Ballotelli inter-switching between a "true" No.9 and No. 9 ver. Impostore.

Now let's do some lulz rantings

Article 1

Article 2

Crisis in Ukraine? Should the English be laughing? Hold your horses, blokes. Perhaps things ain't that simple cowboy. 

Firstly, let's do a post-mortem on the 2-0 defeat against Sweden. The root cause? If you can't attack, you can't defend. A sucky attack will pressurize the your own third till no end. Period. Apparently, Cabaye IS truly the key man for Les Bleus. Without an efficient outlet to transit the play from defence to attack, such a situation can only be dubbed as a recipe for disaster. Ever imagine La Furia Roja without Xavi? Or the Oranje without Sneijder? It's the ranged DPS Ranger, guys. Sneijder, Xavi and Cabaye... all are 3 in the same mold. Playmakers can NEVER be nurtured or naturally born individually. They MUST be a 50-50 combination of both. The ability to absorb experience is the only key to hone one's on-the-ball vision. Because we're NOT talking about twinkle-toes. We're talking about twinkle-brains. Big Benz has to be forced back deep for a VERY good reason, folks.

And now onto Article 2. My only reaction? Esprit de revanche 2008 and désir de revanche 2010. Now I believe Monsieur Domenech must have been traumatized big time by the above two mutinerie, but still if history can repeat itself, why only now? The cynics have a heyday wagging their tongues over the Oranje implosion, yet one must remember that ol'Bert's situation is totally different from that of Le President himself. The mainstay of Team Oranje are mostly the usual suspects on all things egos. Not so for the new look Les Bleus. When Révolution Française broke out, hell was raised throughout. When Le President ordered the construction of the 23 man guillotine, its actually far more efficient than it's literal cousin. So where's all the hoo-ha, Monsieur? I don't see any here to be fair. 

Case in point: International friendlies are basically useless UNLESS we're talking about gauging the dressing room. Ask Capello if you don't believe my words.

Disclaimer: This post is being written with the aid of online dictionary search. Simply put, I no French speaker. This is me trying to be too clever here. That plus my head is hitting jello-mode now due to that little accident a few days back. Hopefully I can do my customary pre-match lulz rant for tonight's quarters b/c everybody hates Engrand.

Lore: Rangers

I don't/can't claim credit for these pictures. It's only a piece of art I pilfered from Google search. Fullstop.

Well, here it is: My very own version of Rangers ala The Known World Version. If the wordings/sentences/grammar seem too juvenile, I apologize. It's more of my own ideas being phrased as such plus my old man can just proceed to mess around with my mind/focus because he enjoys cranking up the volume of his gadgets. -.-'

INTRO: When we talk about Rangers, we immediately think that they are people who live in the wilds and help innocent people in need. While both factors are true to the Rangers within The Known World, such facets are merely secondary compared to what is truly important: namely the oath sworn to protect their niche against any given intruders, be they Mortals or Demons, foolish or with malice. To a Ranger, his/her place of rest is just this: where the wilds rule, there they will be.

INTERACTIONS: Yet even though they make their homes in the wilderness, ultimately a vast extent of experience with civilization will form a major part of their lives. This is due to the anti-stereotypical archetype of them being bounty hunters. In fact, there's a very famous saying in The Known World:  

"If it's a Ranger's gold, then it's a Ranger's keep."

However gold and riches are nothing to them, for the thrill of hunting down a challenging quarry is all that matters. And indeed nothing gives them the chance to do so like the bounty hunting job.

CODE OF HONOUR: There will always be certain moments of friction between them and the nobility present since these people are the ones having the highest chances of offending the Rangers. This is due to the higher class' disdain for the so-called low-lives, yet unable to ignore the valuable martial service on offer while the Rangers despise the rich and powerful for their pleasure hunting. In fact, any form of commercial hunting will be seen as a wrong wrought upon the highest order, hence frequent deaths attributing to such warriors. Indeed Rangers are known to be vindictive, yet nigh untouchable bar their equals in combat. To them, helping others out should be nothing more than a convenient choice above all else.

NATURE OF CONFLICT: Clashes against hunters are merely just a tip of the iceberg. Ultimately, they will be drawn to the scene of battle should they be the outside party within a certain vicinity. The thrill of the hunt is no different from the thrill of shedding blood from victims of savage nature. Indeed they say beasts can only be beasts, mutual intent of devouring the only way. In particularly, they will be drawn to the presence of Demons like packs of hounds to a bleeding prey where only one party can only survive. 

TACTICS/COMBAT: Rangers are renowned as the greatest masters of arms The Known World has ever seen. To them, any route of weaponmastery should never be a question asked, dedication to one's chosen style is all that matters. Where they learn their trade, no one knows the key. However their command in Magic is negligible at best, nonexistent at worst. But this will never mean they are not capable of killing Demons since how the definition and standard of Magic is still a topic of hot debate unresolved, let alone on whether they should be considered part of the Aesir despite having no allegiance to the Quintet Church.

Dueling wise, what truly made Rangers rightfully feared is down to their uncanny ability to teleport anywhere within a radial range of fifteen metres. Tactically wise, they can be deemed as far more fearful than most. In events of war, they are mostly hired as sellswords with an exceptional few pledging their arms for the sake of a personal debt owed. Utilizing different forms of difficult terrain, Rangers serve as scouts and assault elites. Through hiding in the shadows, they are considered master assassins highly prized. 

It has been said that none engaging a Huntsband (i.e. any band of skirmishers led by a Ranger or a pure band of Rangers) can ever survive or at least know what hit them. To a Ranger, wiping out the enemy force should never be considered for inducing chaos within the enemy ranks is the only way to go. Aptly, commanders on both sides of the conflict would always confer upon them the nickname: 

"The Hounds of Silence"

So now here comes Quarters 2...

Krauts vs the Spartans

Okay, my brain is throbbing due to that little accident I've had a couple of days back, so if this post is short and nonsensical, you all know why. Firstly on the Greeks. Will their fairytale end here? A lot of ppl will try to gongsuay (Hokkien dialect for talking down) them all saying Russia is a fluke, that they have spent every of their energy. My answer: So? Now let's just get this clear: Jogi is no fool. He knows that the Russians are far more potent in the technical end, yet why is it that the Greeks still won? Very simple: The boys from Mt Olympus made their chances count. Even on far-gone lopsided shots-on-target ratio, they're nowhere near from pulling their own Wooden Horse of Troy style own goal. I suspect the bailout polls back home do have an effect after all. You don't need a Heracles to pull off this kind of great escape to be fair.

So what is Jogi gonna do now? Firstly, NO more 8 touches untouchables. If there's anything to go by, it's either Klose or Gomez. Now again let me reiterate the fact that Gomez is NOT a lousy player. But is he inconsistent? Maybe there ARE other bragging rights at stake barring his own. Jogi, the 3 Lions are watching. 

Secondly, the back 4. Will Lars Bender keep his fullback slot? That's an interesting question. Who will marshal the center backs? Now that's an intriguing one. Philip Lahm? Sorry blokes. We all know it's a no-brainer for all the correct and positive reasons. But still, Jogi needs to do something abt the defensive spine since one sucker punch can be more than enough to knock down Das Schloß. Make no mistakes abt it. 

Thirdly, die Bastion. If the word Bastion seems to have this rhyming feel, you're not hearing things. Again, a lot of the German efficiency will hinge on Bastian "die Bastion" Schweinsteiger. Simply put, he's not just utilized as a souped-up Catts. But above everything else, he's the general in the middle. Yes, Lahm IS the skipper, yet by putting die Bastion alongside Khedira rather than more upfront, Jogi's intention is clear. Once Lahm surged forward, it's down to Mr Bayern Munich to command the backline via a more advanced presence upfield. Still can kill with dead balls? No prob. With Khedira as the screen, this Kraut can just launch a 20-50 yard howitzer for the fellas upfront. 

Lastly, Khedira=die WTF? No one says the other fella can't surge forward just b/c he's not an Aryan. (And besides NO one is interested in some random war relic anyway.)

4-2-3-1 vs 4-3-3?

Offensive vs defensive? Who says formation=classified ads? If there's anything to go by, we might be seeing a deployment bluff from both ends. Can 4-3-3 drop back into a 4-2-3-1 where 2 fellas upfront will drop back into the middle park? Can 4-2-3-1 end up being an offensive blitzkrieg with die Bastion and die WTF supplying the WTF factor? I won't call it an on-the-pitch ball fest. But will it be a tactical battle of wits? If you all think Die Mannschaft will play aggro again by default, you're too dumb to live.

Pre-match: Quarters 1

Czech Republic vs Portugal ... CR vs CR? My best guess for the Cezchs might be Plasil, but I'm tempted to say Pilar. Yet where Rosicky has wobbled like a jelly so far, Plasil has managed to plug the jello gap. In fact given the entire 4-2-3-1 formation used by the Nároďák, it's pretty much beguiling to think that he's there to make up the numbers. Take note guys: With Baros upfront while Rosicky, Pilar and Jiracek are lurking behind, what is Plasil gonna do? Very simple. Bluff deployment. By dropping him in deeper, Bilek can free this guy up under proper positioning from the rest of his team. Granted he can't run himself into the ground, but still imo the Czechs have always played a tactical up-yours in this Euro so far. Bilek knows his team can't play garang (i.e. fierce in Malay), but they can play pandai (Malay for clever). To me, that's the reason why they can defy the cynics and critics them all.

Portugal? It's a no brainer. Bento is gunning for an attacking formation here. There's no way out. His charges have the energy, the Slavic Lions have the guile. If the Armada needs to win this match, not only the crew must make themselves count, but above all Bento must rally the call as the fleet captain. imo the key battle for the Armada lies NOT in CR, but rather the speed of reaction upon where the team can rally. As I've said, Bento has to go aggro. If the Cezchs break out of their dens, it's not really GG. Not yet. It really depends on the middle third. More specifically how Bento is gonna rally his outfield players within the middle park. In order to ensure such a possibility to happen, the key man must be an able midfield general who can rally his amigos in time. Joao Moutinho? Don't bank against it. If Bento opt to plonk him as the holding mid, I won't be that surprised. Yes, CR fangirls are gonna crucify me on spot, but srsly who cares abt one star player where in fact it's the team that matters?

P.S: Sandro Rosell did say something abt 11 Barca blokes on the field. Now get this clear, guys: I'm a Barca fan. I understand this kind of pantat (Malay for backside) poking. Interestingly enough, it may invite further trouble due to Pep's replacement. Nothing wrong until the fat lady sings. But still...

......>}>

Moral of the story: 
Portuguese=orang sombong. 
(Again Malay lingo. Best of luck in cracking the Melayu Code)

Brief analysis on Group of mati...

First statement: CR killed Holland. imo if not for his equalizer, the Dutch would still have a fighting chance. Bento, the future fight is yours to throw. Bert, I dunno what to say barring my faith in you that things can still be rebuilt from bottom up.

Statement 2: The Danes have nothing to feel ashamed of. Morten Olsen's ruse might have been blown out by bento, but still the Viking spirit is pretty damned garang. (malay for fierce/on the ball) My salute to the blokes in Northern red and may I get to see more of you all in the future tourneys. (Not to mention that super hot Roligan as well. *head-shot*)

Final words: CR finally came good. So long for the choker tag. Apparently, he's starting to say why I better than Messi. Mourinho must have called him before the match. Gomez, you better do something to salvage your rep. Klose is really damned close to your throne in the 1st 11. No j/k. Jogi will make sure of that if you screw up again ala being the 8 touches untouchable. :S

Character Concept: Alestrial Eliaden

So now here it is: Part 3. And Met, if you're reading this, I'm pretty sure you will go "LOL KOLEAN!!!"

Inspiration:

Interestingly enough, the original take was to create a token female character along the line of Arwen/Luthien of the Tolkien lore. Yet then was then, now is now. Ditto goes for her as well. Interestingly enough, people might say "A Song of Ice and Fire!!!!" upon my hinted intention on where to go with her character. Sadly though, my answer is: Dehg! Wrong answer.

Now to be honest, whatever I've read and understood from the series stem from the Wiki of Ice and Fire and some other online sources. Simply put, I'm way too broke to buy the actual novels. So yeah... guess improvising is the only way out if you believe in your guts. :)

So should she be seen as the standard feminist icon? I truly doubt so. Now let's be known here: My vision on her is very simple. Or rather the most interesting question ever to grace (wo)mankind:

How do you define the term strength and fortitude? Is it about female characters exuding their own strength and wit? Or perhaps the only thing that matters most is whether they can AND will understand what they truly want, what is the thing they should hold firm. Abstract? Yes. Would characters like Luthien and Arwen fit this mold of abstract logic? Definitely so.

My biggest headache now? How am I going to create a character where such a quality will take highest precedence. Yes, guys. The journey ahead is indeed arduous because a lot actually hinges on external situations rather than inner issues.
Read: How external factors will affect the inner factors.

Appearance: A striking beauty with the steel of humility. Petite in build, her loose raven curls flowed down unto her waist. Features undeniably that of a Cinha (Refer to the Glossary for Chapter 2), none could ever deny such a maiden of adopted birth as nothing less than a blade far keener than war itself.

Garb: So far, it's only the standard dressing of a nobility that has been outed (Chapter 4). But still... erm yeah you all get the gist. :S

We no speak Engrish...

Basically something like these:

Watashi-Informal self-addressing

Watakushi-Formal self-addressing

Anata-Standard way in addressing others

Kimi-Informal way in addressing others

Kikan-Formal show of respect to any higher authority

Concepts

Me=Persona non grata in Seoul

But then again maybe NOT

This might be my BIGGEST challenge of yet 

Reason behind them all?

Troll baiting ahead of my journey to the North.

So yeah, nothing much that will make sense here anyway. >.< 
But before I get started, here's a couple of pics that I forgot to add in the last post:

Some babes... and hopefully I don't end up as ISA bait.

Go Dutch. Yes, it's a shitty joke... I know.

Image size lagi big... T_T
 But srsly, this is the one who caught the eye:

@Tur: You're the one who gave me the knowledge of the stereotypical blonde and stacked Dutch girls... so erm... I dunno what to say here anymore. >.<

But srsly, it's really damned hard to find Engrish pics w/o getting hauled to jail:

The most politically correct answer to Lady Gaga and the Flagging-gate(s). No offense intended srsly.

No more Blokhin... I promise...

That most famous James Bond title...

Yet another personal fave pic of mine... (read: Lost count alrdy)

I know the Swedes feel like shit now. And srsly, it's NOT even the team's fault. Stevie G must have lulz'ed hard now. Because the sweetest revenge will always be reserved for the media. -.-'

Erm... sibeh chio?

Yes, why me so biased?

To all the Irish teamsters, you're a letdown. FAI better do something before I add in the L.

Erm... a Fianna chick?

Erm... Katy Perry? Bzt, brain shutdown... x.x

Moral of the story: Why so many blondes????

Les Bleus (ver. Jeune Fille)

Erm... the girl in white polka-dots?
*self head-shot*
X.X

Note: Every single foreign word used is picked up via web search.
The fact that I'm a self-perfectionist doesn't mean that I can lip read.
Period. -.-;

It's not that I'm biased this time round... just that Google threw up too much of Deutschland. :S

 

 

Weirdly enough, 1st impression: Brünnhilde...

Girl@the middle: Potnia?

Moral of the story: Greeks=/=Geeks


Geeks=ppl like me (& Foin as well. :P)

Calcio (Bella) Donna:

 

 Shittiest pun ever coming from yours truly: Czechmate.
(Yes, me=sure kenna the O'Great Polish Poleaxe)

Erm, is this the same girl I've put in a previous post?

CR must be proud of his country... well he SHOULD!

My sis will kill me for this.
Apparently, she has nvr been so amused whenever I ended up creating problems of my own. -.-'

Further proof to justify my fears stated above. -.-;

Croats... Now we all know why Bilic can troll so well... :S

Glamorous... that's all.

La Senorita Roja.
Yes, I'm speaking broken Spanish here b/c I'm trying too hard to be self-perfectionist. :(

Lesson learnt so far: There will be times where post/text formatting can get really buggy for some unknown reasons. Case in point? Not every post have a caption nor do every country have it's own label as well. T_T Now really headache. Have to take Panadol now. X.X

Moral of the story? There can be only ONE James Bond.