text:
Title: Korra & the Wolfbats
Fandom: Legend of Korra
Characters: Tahno, Korra, Ming, Shaozu, Wolfbat Fangirls, Mako, Bolin, Hasook, Ensemble
Pairings: Tahno/fangirls, Ming/fangirls
Word Count: 6,025
Rating: NC-17
Summary: AU. What if Korra had met the Wolfbats that night at the arena? WIP
Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Korra. This is only for fun & no profit is being made from it.
Previous Chapters
Chapter 5: The Competition Begins
Korra dodged an earth disc and sent a fireblast at Tahno. He blocked it and followed up with a water whip at Ming. A fireball slammed into him immediately after, knocking him down just as he hit Tahno with an earth disc. Tahno's last waterblast connected with Korra's chest.
They got to their feet quickly. Ming put the discs back into a neat pile. Tahno pulled the water from the floor and sent it back to the cooler. "That was really good, guys," he said. "You've come a long way since that first match, Korra. I think we'll be looking at our fourth championship soon!"
"I think you're right, Tahno!" said Ming. "The other teams won't have a chance." He smiled at Korra. "We've got the Avatar."
Korra blushed. Tahno wasn't the quickest to praise her, so his words meant a lot. Getting his approval was a very big deal. He'd driven them hard the last week, especially her. He hadn't taken kindly to her missing that practice after the gala. "Thanks."
"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it. We'll have one more practice tomorrow afternoon before the match," said Tahno. "That'll be it for today."
"Well, you guys look like you're ready for the tournament." The Wolfbats turned to see a pair of women standing in the doorway. Korra had met Lian before at Narook's, but she didn't know the woman standing beside her.
Tahno gave a sly grin. "Nice of you to stop by, Rei, Lian." He walked over to them. Korra remained beside Ming, trying and failing to hide her annoyance. Lian hadn't been rude to her in their first encounter, but Korra wasn't all that keen to see more of Tahno's fangirls. "Let me get myself cleaned up and we'll head out for dinner. How does that sound?"
"It sounds perfect," purred the woman who had to be Rei. She was dressed in a deep burgundy dress, the same color as her hair. Her brown skin indicated Water Tribe ancestry, but her eyes were a vibrant green. She was beautiful, and Korra felt quite plain by comparison. She wasn't exactly looking her best after a long practice.
"And what about after?" Lian chimed in, taking one of Tahno's arms.
"My place." His grin widened. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Don't be late!" With that, Tahno put his arms around his fangirls and left the gym.
Korra crossed her arms. "I guess he's busy," she muttered.
"Does it really bother you that much?" Ming wanted to know. "He's always like that. Tahno makes it clear from the start that he's not interested in any kind of serious monogamous relationship. He doesn't lead anyone on." Seeing Korra's pout, he continued, "Look, Korra, would you like to get some dinner? We can talk about Tahno there."
Korra narrowed her eyes, not quite believing what she'd just heard. "Do you mean… on a date?" Admittedly Ming was good-looking, but he was nine years older than her. A large age gap might've worked for Tenzin and Pema, but Korra wasn't sure she wanted to date a man nearly ten years older than her.
Ming laughed. "No, nothing like that! Just a friendly outing. I can take you to my parents' restaurant, if you like. Ever had any Si Wong Desert food?"
She brightened up at that. "I haven't, but I'd love to try some!"
After showering and changing, they hopped into Ming's car and headed over to the Misty Palms Oasis. Snow was beginning to fall just as they parked in front of the restaurant. Korra watched the flakes fall with a wistful expression. "Homesick?" Ming asked.
"A little. It's a bit weird living somewhere that isn't covered in snow all the time," she replied as they walked inside.
A woman who bore a clear resemblance to Ming greeted them. She had the same brown skin, pale green eyes, and high cheekbones. "Korra, this is my sister, Ah Lam."
"It's an honor to meet you, Korra," said Ah Lam with a smile. "Let me show you to your seats." They followed her over to a low table by the window. There were no chairs, only plush cushions. "I'd love to stay and chat with you, but I'm hostessing tonight. I'm looking forward to watching you in the tournament." With that, she rushed off to seat some customers who'd just walked in.
Korra looked around the restaurant, taking in the sandbender décor. She'd never seen anything like it. Everything she knew about the sandbenders came from Katara's stories. "Are you from the desert, Ming?"
"No. I was born here, but my dad came to Republic City from the desert," Ming answered. "I've never been there, actually."
"Can you sandbend at all?"
"Of course. I can give you a demonstration sometime if you'd like."
When the time came to order drinks, Ming recommended a prickly pear soda to Korra and ordered a Cactus Cooler for himself. "It's named that because it's got a spoonful of cactus juice in it. That's the secret ingredient," he informed her when the waiter returned with their drinks. "Not something you wanna drink too much of if you're not used to it."
Korra laughed, remembering Katara's story about her brother getting high on cactus juice during their time in the desert. "So I've heard." She sipped her prickly pear soda. The flavor was quite unlike anything she'd ever had, but she liked it. "Your parents own this place? It's very nice."
Ming nodded. "They saved up for years- it was their dream to open a restaurant. They both love to cook."
They ordered a plate of couscous to share. "What about you? Do you cook at all?" Korra asked.
"Tahno never mentioned this to you? When we shared an apartment, I did most of the cooking. I like it." He gave her a small smile. "My parents taught me well."
Her face went sour again at the mention of Tahno. Korra didn't want to think about him being off with his fangirls. Much to her dismay, Ming noticed. "You shouldn't get so worked-up over Rei and Lian, Korra."
Korra turned her attention to the tapestries covering the walls. There were a few pictures hanging up here and there as well. Much like Narook's had pictures of Tahno on the wall, the Misty Palms Oasis had pictures of Ming. It seemed his parents were proud of him. "You think I'm jealous of them?"
"Think you're jealous? I can tell you are. It was obvious from that first dinner we had at Narook's," Ming replied with a chuckle.
Korra crossed her arms and glared at him. "Ok. You're right. I'm jealous of them."
Their conversation was interrupted by the waiter with their meal. The couscous was heaped in a large bowl and topped with vegetables and chunks of meat. No chopsticks were provided. Instead, Ming showed her how to scoop up the couscous with pieces of flatbread. It was very good, though Korra made a bit of a mess with the couscous in her first attempts to eat it. "If you're interested in Tahno, why don't you accept his advances? He'd love to get you in bed," Ming asked.
"Well, I…" Korra looked down at the piece of flatbread in her hand, "… I've never done anything like that with anyone before. The Order of the White Lotus kept me shut up away from anyone my age at the South Pole. My only friend was Naga." She sighed. "I'm not exactly ready to have sex with him."
"Well, I guess that's understandable," said Ming. "If you're looking for a romantic, monogamous relationship, you probably want to look elsewhere. Tahno's not really into that sort of thing."
Her face fell. The news really wasn't a huge surprise; Korra knew that he liked to sleep around. She shouldn't feel so disappointed, but she couldn't help it. Somewhere deep down she'd been hoping he'd be interested in her as a girlfriend and not just a sex object. "I understand," she replied, dejected.
Ming met her eyes, a sympathetic expression on his face. "Tahno isn't cut out for monogamy. He's been like this the entire time I've known him, and I've known him for years. You know about him, Shaozu, and I, right?"
"None of us were exactly faithful to each other, and none of us minded. We still cared about each other. I think it's possible to have sex with different people while having deep feelings for someone."
A confused expression came over her face. Korra hadn't heard of such a thing before. She knew the Air Nomads of old never married, but had children resulting from casual sex. What Ming described wasn't the same, but it was on a similar line. Well, it appeared to work out fine for him and Tahno.
Seeing her confusion, Ming reached over to place a reassuring hand on her arm. "Look, Korra, if you decide you want to have sex with Tahno, he'll happily take you up on your offer. But you'll have to be careful that it doesn't disrupt the team and you'll have to accept that he's going to sleep with other people. That's not to say that he wouldn't care about you at all- he's come to think of you as a true friend and not just a teammate."
Korra's face brightened a bit. She wasn't exactly comfortable with the entire situation, but Ming had succeeded in making her feel better about it. As he drove her home after dinner, she thought on her relationship with Tahno. Would he be willing to date her if she said she was ok with him having sex with other people? It would be easier if she could just forget her attraction to him, but she couldn't. His good looks and bending skills stirred up her feelings during every practice. Maybe she should get a second opinion on the whole thing…
"See you tomorrow for our first round match," said Ming as he dropped her off.
"Thanks for dinner," Korra replied. "And thanks for the advice on Tahno."
"No problem." Ming waved to her before driving away.
Korra did not have much time to ponder the situation, for she was accosted by Jinora and Ikki immediately after reaching Air Temple Island. "We're feeding the lemurs!" Ikki exclaimed. "Wanna help us?"
"Sure," Korra replied. Snow had continued to fall while she and Ming were out and now a blanket of white covered the ground. She followed the girls to one of the many lemur feeders on the island. A large basket of fruit was waiting for them. They began filling the feeder.
"So Korra," said Jinora, "how are things going with that handsome waterbender of yours? You've been spending a lot of time together lately."
"Um… well… he's not really the type to have one girlfriend." Korra struggled to find the words. How did she explain what she'd discussed with Ming to a couple of little girls? "He… kinda has a couple girlfriends already."
They stared at her in disbelief, obviously never having heard about such a thing. I hope Tenzin never hears about this conversation. "You should tell him that you like him!" Ikki declared. "Then you can go live with him in a castle in the clouds for ever and ever and eat stars with moonbeams in your moonlight punch!" Korra had no idea what that was supposed to mean. Fortunately, Pema chose that moment to appear.
"Having some romantic troubles, Korra?" Behind her, Jinora and Ikki giggled.
"I… uh… Tahno's not really interested in settling down romantically," said Korra.
Pema gave her a knowing look. "You could just tell him how you feel. It worked on Tenzin."
"What?" Korra exclaimed.
"Years ago, Tenzin was dating a woman who was completely wrong for him. Rather than watch the love of my life remain in a failing relationship, I told him how I felt. And the rest is history," Pema explained.
Korra pursed her lips in thought. "Hm. I guess I could give it a try." She recalled what Ming had said earlier. If Tahno did think of her as a real friend, maybe it would work.
I don't think there's anyone in Republic City luckier than me right now.
Tahno closed his eyes in contentment. He couldn't be happier. Well, maybe that wasn't entirely accurate- he hadn't won the tournament for the fourth year in a row yet. Still, he was quite content.
Lian was between his legs with his cock in her mouth. He'd fucked a lot of people over the years, but he had to admit she gave one of the best blowjobs he'd ever had. It was getting difficult to focus on Rei. She straddled him, positioning herself so he could taste her. Tahno gripped her thigh with one hand as the other clutched at his bedsheets. He teased her clit with his tongue, feeling his own concentration slip away as Lian took him to the brink of pleasure. His head fell back on the pillows as he climaxed, a loud moan escaping his lips.
It took him a few moments to recover as the feeling of ecstasy faded from his body. "You do that so good, Lian," he breathed. He didn't have much time to savor it, for there was still Rei. He resumed his task. With long, slow strokes, he took his time pleasuring her. While hard and fast could certainly be fun, Tahno liked to make it last and get his lovers so aroused they begged for release. Rei was wet now, as wet as Yue Bay. It wouldn't be long… He continued to move at a torturously slow pace, making Rei whimper with want. Finally, he allowed her sweet release. She shuddered with the force of it.
When it was done, Rei moved off of Tahno and lay beside him on the bed. Lian promptly took her position at Tahno's other side. He loved the feeling of their bodies pressed against his. "Well Lian, seems like it's your turn to be serviced," he purred, sliding a hand down her back.
"Whatever you like, Tahno," she replied. On his other side, Rei moved closer to him. Her green eyes were half-lidded in contentment.
Turning on his side, Tahno pushed Lian onto her back. She immediately spread her legs so he could move between them. He felt himself begin to harden as he gazed at her. She had great tits. They were round, full, and firm, just how Tahno liked them. He placed two kisses on her pert nipples before taking her tits in his hands. Meanwhile, Rei remained in position beside them. She watched intently, one hand drifting between her legs.
Tahno leaned down to kiss Lian. He didn't stay at her mouth long; instead he ended the kiss and moved down to her neck. The smell of her panda lily perfume lingered on her skin. Tahno did not hesitate to bite- he knew Lian didn't mind. She gave one small yelp, which only turned him on more. His mouth moved to her tits next, sucking on one nipple and then the other. This time Lian moaned loudly. Tahno smiled against her before moving a hand between her thighs. He slid one finger inside her, feeling how dripping wet she was. He removed the finger and licked it slowly. "Tasty, Lian."
"I want you," she moaned. "I want you now!"
"How bad do you want me?" He reinserted his finger.
"Bad!" she gasped. "Please, Tahno!"
Tahno's smile widened. He liked to make his lovers beg. One hand reached for the tin of condoms he kept on his nightstand. Prolonged exposure to his many nieces and nephews convinced Tahno that he never, ever wanted children. He was always careful to prevent that from happening. He slid a condom on.
"Please," Lian begged. Next to her, Rei moaned in pleasure as she rubbed herself.
He was so hard it nearly hurt. There was no point in waiting any longer. He entered Lian with a smooth thrust. She wrapped her firm legs around his waist, forcing him deeper inside her. Ah she feels good, so wet… He was fully sheathed inside her, which only made him thrust harder. Lian didn't enjoy rough sex quite like Rei did, but she did like it when he got a little rough with her. Tahno leaned forward to nibble at her neck once again. She responded by tightening her legs around him.
Rei came with a shudder, her cry interrupting Tahno's appreciation of Lian's neck. Before Rei could wipe her fingers on his sheets, he grabbed her hand and sucked on her fingers, all the while continuing his hard thrusts. Always so tasty. The tide of pleasure was rising in him now, building to a wave. Lian was close to climax too. Tahno's hand drifted down to give her clit a rub.
That did it. Lian climaxed with a shout, arching her back and thrusting her hips against him. Tahno's climax followed immediately afterward. The release felt so good. He was reasonably confident they would win the tournament, but Tahno would be lying if he said he felt no stress or pressure at all. He had to blow off some steam, and Lian and Rei were perfect for his needs. They'd been with him ever since the Wolfbats' first championship season and remained among Tahno's favorite lovers.
He rolled off of Lian and propped himself up on the plush bed pillows. They could stop now, for all three of them had come at least once, but Tahno was not yet satiated. He looked over at Rei, reclining on Lian's other side. "Rei," he drawled, "I haven't fucked you yet."
She gave him a sultry look. "You want to?"
"I think you know the answer to that question. Come over here." He patted the space between him and Lian. Rei complied, curling up next to him. Tahno took a moment to appreciate the feeling of her plump tits against his chest. Lian shifted beside him and moved up on the pillows. "Don't worry, Lian. We won't neglect you," Tahno assured her. "I know you aren't worn out yet."
Lian made no response other than a smile. Rei took the opportunity to situate herself between Lian's legs. Tahno moved behind Rei, guessing what she intended. He placed his hands on her waist, slowly sliding them up until he reached her tits. As Rei bent down to pleasure Lian, Tahno's fingers were on her nipples. He was perfectly happy to take her any way she wanted, from the front, from the back, or whatever. He kissed her back as he squeezed her tits. One hand moved downward to part her. In front of them, Lian squirmed in response to Rei's skilled lips and tongue.
It didn't take long for him to get Rei wet. Might as well get to the best part now. He put on a fresh condom and positioned himself at her opening. He slid inside her easily, causing her to pause and cry out in pleasure. She felt just as good as Lian did. Tahno liked the different sensations he got from fucking her in this position. Rei liked it too, for it was getting more difficult for her to please Lian as her own pleasure mounted. It made Tahno thrust faster until he came hard. "Rei!" he gasped as he spent himself. She came at the same time he did, taking a moment to finish Lian off before collapsing on top of her. Tahno flopped down onto the bed. Rei and Lian curled up at his sides. He felt completely relaxed and sated.
Now all he needed to do was win the championship.
"As you know, we'll be going up against the Badgermoles tonight," Tahno began. They stood in a team huddle in the locker room. It would be time for them to enter the ring in a few minutes. "They might think they have the advantage on us because we have a new and inexperienced player. They might even say that wolfbats are afraid of badgermoles. They would be wrong. We are gonna kick their asses so hard they won't know what hit 'em!"
Korra and Ming cheered loudly. "We haven't been a team for very long, but I'm confident that we'll perform like we've been playing together for years," Tahno continued, pausing to flash Korra a smile. "So let's go out there and show them what we can do! The championship is ours to take!" The end of his speech was punctuated by more cheering. Ming was looking forward to the match quite a bit. He had a particular dislike for the Badgermoles' earthbender and captain, Heng. Back during the Wolfbats' rookie season, he'd taken it upon himself to insult Ming's sandbender heritage. The arrogant bastard was from an old Ba Sing Se family and was convinced he was the spirits' gift to earthbending. Kicking his ass was always a lot of fun.
They took the last few minutes to adjust their uniforms and padding. Tahno made sure his hair looked perfect before putting his helmet on. It wasn't long before they heard the Badgermoles being announced. The Wolfbats stepped out onto the platform. "And now, your defending champions, the White Falls Wolfbats!"
The crowd erupted in cheers and screams. Women, and a few men as well, could be heard screaming "DO ME, TAHNO!" and "I LOVE YOU, MING!" Ming was certain he heard a few Wolfbat howls as well. That was something their official fanclub liked to do. They waved to the crowd as the platform brought them to the ring. They were quick to take their usual positions in the ring: Tahno in the center with Ming and Korra at his sides. "Remember what we've gone over in practice," Tahno instructed Korra. "Coordinate your attacks with Ming and I. We're a pack. You got that?" She replied with a determined nod.
As soon as the match began, the Wolfbats went on the attack. "And they're off! The champs waste no time unleashing a barrage of bending." Ming sent three earth discs at the Badgermoles, which Tahno followed with waterblasts. One of the discs connected with the firebender just as he aimed a fireblast at Korra. She dodged it and intercepted a waterblast heading for Ming. He concentrated his attacks on Heng, launching a cavalcade of discs in his direction. One made a very satisfactory collision with his chest, knocking him into Zone 2. He was soon followed by his teammates. "The Wolfbats take Round 1!"
"Round 2 begins and both teams hammer away at each other. The Wolfbats are hitting the Badgermoles and the Badgermoles are hitting back just as hard!" An earth disc caught Ming in the chest. As his feet slid across the zone barrier, he caught sight of Heng's smug expression. You just wait. I'll put you in the Drink before this match is over!
Tahno was busy sending a relentless stream of attacks at the Badgermoles. Korra covered him as he went on the offensive, incinerating a pair of discs before sending out some attacks of her own. However, they were both hit and joined Ming in Zone 2. Tahno immediately resumed attacking, cracking a water whip at the nearest Badgermole. It struck him squarely and pushed him into Zone 2. "The Badgermoles take Round 2!"
The Wolfbats formed a team huddle before the final round began. "Come on! We can't go down to these pricks! Let's make it a knockout!" Tahno encouraged them. "Let's do this!" They took up their positions. Ming narrowed his eyes, focusing on Heng. As soon as the round began, he attacked. Numerous discs went flying at the Badgermoles. Some of them connected. A fireblast from Korra smashed into the waterbender, who fell back to Zone 2. He focused his attacks on her in retribution, but Tahno smacked them aside with a water whip as Korra slid out of the way. "It looks like the Avatar has learned to move with the champs. No wonder she's been absent from the papers lately- she's obviously had her nose to the grindstone in the gym!" Korra kept the pressure on the waterbender, determined to get him in the Drink.
Ming reflexively somersaulted over a fireball, wasting no time pulling up discs before landing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a disc hit Tahno and push him into Zone 2. Ming continued on the attack, feeling some satisfaction when he sent the firebender to join his teammate. Tahno took care to protect Ming while he continued on the offensive, taking out several retaliatory fireblasts.
A triumphant yell came from the other side of the ring- Korra had just sent the waterbender into the Drink. Two more to go. Korra turned to the firebender now. She sent a steady stream of fireblasts at him. Tahno was still on the defensive, protecting his teammates while they attacked.
Heng's sneering face was pasted before Ming's eyes. His voice echoed in his ears: you need to learn that sand hog-monkeys like you have no place in pro-bending. The memory filled him with anger. I'd like to show you some sandbending right now. There was another shout as Korra finished off the firebender. He might be able to sandbend if there was a cloud of dust…
Korra incinerated a pair of earth discs heading for Ming, filling the air with smoke and dust. That was it! He bent the dust enough to cover himself, so subtly that no one would notice what he was doing. Very few people in Republic City were familiar with sandbending. Using the cover, he lunged for Heng. Two discs smashed into his chest and wiped the sneer off his face. He went sailing off the back of the ring to land in the Drink.
"Yes!" Ming shouted in triumph, raising a fist in the air. Tahno was quick to pull him into a hug, joined right away by Korra. "And the Wolfbats win with a knockout! The champions advance to the second round of the tournament!"
When they separated, Tahno met Korra's eyes. "Big improvement from your first match. Good job, Korra."
She blushed faintly at his praise. "Thanks, Tahno." They continued to strut around the ring for several more minutes, waving to the crowd and soaking up their applause. This was what they lived for, the rush of adoration that came after each victory. Ming and Tahno were addicted to it.
When they went back to the locker room, Hana, Rei, and Lian were waiting for them, along with a crowd of fans asking for autographs. They signed a few, with Tahno showing Korra what to do, before security came to disperse the crowd. The ladies remained, along with someone else Ming was quite happy to see.
"You guys were awesome out there!" Shaozu exclaimed. "You really kicked their asses!"
Ming put a hand on his shoulder. "I wish you could've been out there with us, Zu." He glanced back at Korra, hoping she didn't feel left out by his comment. He'd never deny that she'd become a real friend and a valuable addition to the team, but Shaozu was one of the people he loved most in the world. Luckily, Korra seemed more occupied with Tahno than what they were doing.
Shaozu, evidently not wanting her to feel left out, turned his attention to Korra. "You were really amazing, Korra! I enjoyed watching you bend. Not just anyone can take my place, but you did a great job!" He gave her a wide smile.
Korra's blush deepened. "Thanks. I'm sorry that you aren't able to compete."
"Don't worry about it," Shaozu replied.
"Will you be joining us at Narook's, Zu?" Ming asked.
"Of course! I wouldn't miss it for anything! I'll need a ride with one of you, though- Mom dropped me off here. I can't exactly drive like this." He gestured to the cast on his right leg.
"We'll be heading over there as soon as we're done here," Tahno replied. Rei and Lian were removing his padding. Ming didn't miss Korra glaring at them out of the corner of her eye as she removed her own padding. It might not've been as blatant as it was yesterday, but it was obvious she wasn't over her jealousy yet.
After everyone had showered and changed, they headed out to Narook's. Narook had clearly been expecting them, and led them to their usual table. Tahno took his seat as if he were the Earth King on his throne, Rei and Lian immediately taking their customary positions at his sides. Ming and Hana sat on one side of the table; Korra and Shaozu on the other. It was good to see Zu back at Narook's with them. The last few visits hadn't been the same.
A few fans approached their table shortly after they sat down. Ming didn't mind signing autographs while out in public, and Tahno positively soaked up the attention. Korra seemed a bit uncomfortable with it all, which was understandable given her previous experiences with Tarrlok and publicity, but she handled it well. The fans dispersed when the waiter came to take their orders. Ming was amused when Korra ordered an Icefall without hesitation. He could've gone for a Cactus Cooler himself, but he contented himself with a tall glass of firewhiskey. It heated his blood, and made him all too aware of the closeness of Hana's body to his. Waiting until later for victory sex was becoming more and more difficult.
The food was delicious as always. Everyone ate quite a bit, and no one was ashamed of it. Once they were done eating, Rei and Lian all but draped themselves over Tahno, who responded by putting his arms around them. Ming slid an arm around Hana's waist. Across the table, Shaozu was keeping Korra too occupied with conversation for her to glare at Rei and Lian. That was probably for the best.
The mood changed when Lian brought some of the restaurant's other patrons to Tahno's attention. "Hey Tahno, aren't those the Fire Rats or something?" she pointed to three people sitting at a table by the door. Ming picked out Mako and Bolin easily; the other person had to be their waterbender, whose name Ming could never remember. He'd spent a whole twenty-four hours as a prisoner of the Equalists with Bolin, which blurred the lines between pro-bending rivals. The boy's boundless optimism and enthusiasm reminded him of Shaozu.
Tahno's face broke into a lazy grin. "I do believe you're right, Lian. Why don't we go over there and pay them a little visit?" He rose from his seat and gestured for everyone to follow him. Ming stood automatically, along with the ladies. Shaozu needed a bit of assistance from Korra, who was looking extremely uncomfortable with this development.
"Tahno, I don't…" she began, but Tahno either didn't hear her or decided to ignore her. He sauntered up to the Fire Ferrets' table and positioned himself right next to the waterbender. He took one look at Tahno and scowled.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Fire Ferrets, pro-bending's saddest excuse for a team. Tell me- how did a bunch of amateurs like you luck your way into the tournament?" Bolin was cowering before Tahno, looking like he wanted to disappear into his bowl of noodles. Unfortunately for him, this didn't escape Tahno's notice. "Oh wait, now I remember. You got in by cozying up to big money." He gave Bolin a lascivious grin, making very clear what he meant by "cozying." Ming frowned a bit; he didn't expect Tahno to make a comment like that, considering some of the things he did when they were just starting out.
"Tahno, stop it," said Korra. "Leave them alone."
He continued to ignore her, turning his attention to the waterbender. "You've got to be the most pathetic waterbender I've ever seen. You should watch our matches, little boy. That way you might learn some real waterbending."
The waterbender tensed and started to rise from his seat, but Mako stopped him. "Don't, Hasook." He punctuated his statement by glaring sharply at Tahno. Ming thought he saw those amber eyes drift over to glare at Korra once as well.
Tahno smirked, completely unimpressed. "You wanna go up against me? Go for it. I'll give you the first shot."
"I'll just have to hope we get a match against you," Hasook growled.
"I'll look forward to it." Tahno turned on his heel and left Narook's. Everyone followed close behind him. Korra looked like she was on the verge of losing her temper, but held it in until they got to the car.
"Why did you have to do that, Tahno? You didn't have to be a jerk to them! Mako helped us rescue Ming, and I told you he was grateful to you for helping him rescue Bolin!"
Tahno waved a hand dismissively. "Oh lighten up, Korra. They're not our friends; they're our rivals. Nothing wrong with a bit of trash-talking. It's as much about what goes on outside the ring as what goes on in it."
"But you still didn't have to be so mean to them!" Korra retorted, raising her voice. "They didn't do anything to us! They were just eating and minding their own business!"
"Just because I worked with Mako for our mutual benefit doesn't mean we're best friends now! It was a temporary alliance!" Tahno yelled back. "I'm just having some fun messing with them."
At that moment, Ming was grateful that he was driving and Hana was in the passenger seat next to him. He disliked arguments and liked being stuck in the middle of them even less. Fortunately, neither of them tried to drag him into the fight. Though, he reluctantly admitted to himself, Korra did have a point. After what they'd gone through together with the Equalists, he couldn't quite see Bolin as just another pro-bending rival.
Korra and Tahno were silent the entire drive to Air Temple Island. When they finally got there, she muttered a brief goodbye before quickly making for the water. "Don't forget that we have practice tomorrow!" Ming called after her. She gave him a short nod before disappearing beneath the waves.
Tahno continued to sulk until they reached his apartment. Lian and Rei will have to work hard to cheer him up tonight. After dropping him off, Ming and Hana headed to her apartment. It was time for the private portion of their victory celebration. Ming needed a distraction. Right now he preferred not to think about how a rift between Tahno and Korra would affect the team.
Korra trudged up the steps to the pro-bending arena. She wasn't exactly looking forward to practice today. The argument with Tahno was still fresh in her mind, and she was willing to bet the same was true for him. She wished the entire thing hadn't happened, starting with the taunting in Narook's. So much for asking him if he'd consider dating me. She hadn't seen this side of Tahno before, and she didn't like it much.
Why did he have to be so attractive?
"You almost had me fooled." The voice cut through her thoughts. Korra turned to see Mako standing on the steps, looking not at all pleased to see her. "You helped me save my brother, and I'll always be grateful for that. But you didn't do anything to stop Tahno last night. I was almost thinking of you as a friend!"
That stung. Korra was beginning to think of him as a friend too. She found him quite good-looking as well. "I tried to stop him, but he didn't listen to me!"
Mako crossed his arms and looked away from her. "You don't think I agree with what Tahno said… do you?" Korra stammered.
He sighed heavily, but did not face her. "We're competing against each other in the tournament. Things are different now." He walked into the arena, giving Korra only a single backward glance.


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Home > Post > Post 7 > Post 7 News Release > Post 7 2006 News Releases > News Release
News Release
Trooper Robert Purdy
Public Affairs Officer
Kentucky State Police
Post 7, Richmond
(859) 623-2404
Click here to e-mail Trooper Robert Purdy
Death Investigation in Mercer County
Date of News Release: 07/10/2006
(RICHMOND, KY) - On Monday, July 10th, 2006 at approximately 1001 hours, the Kentucky State Police Post 7, received a call concerning the body of an unknown white male found between a set of railroad tracks at the E.W. Brown Power Plant in Burgin, Ky. KSP personnel responded to the scene along with deputies of the Mercer County Sheriff's Department. The body was found around 0930 hours. The deceased is described as a white male between the age of 30-40 years, 6' feet in height, weight 240 lbs., with brown hair and eyes. The deceased wore a goatee and had several tatoos on his body. One tatoo is barbed wire around the left arm and flames on the shoulder. The deceased was wearing Tommy Hilfiger jeans, New Balance athletic shoes, white tube socks and a navy t-shirt with Boot Hill Saloon emblazoned on the pocket of the t-shirt. The deceased was pronounced dead at the scene by Mercer County Coroner Billy Ransdell. The body was taken to the State Medical Examiners Office where an autopsy will be conducted. Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact Kentucky State Police Post 7 at 1-800-222-5555 (in the state of Kentucky only, does not work out of state) or (859) 623-2404.


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LOUISVILLE, KY (WDRB) -- If medals are earned not received, then the argument can be made that the children who gathered in this room have earned them.
"She has gone through so much with beating cancer and it's just a deeper motivation for running."
Caitlin Bowman, a third year medical student at the University of Louisville, began running the mini marathon for Layla Douglas four years ago through the Medals for Mettle program.
"I think it's huge just for kids to be a part of something that they get out of the hospital and get out of the clinic. They can do normal stuff that kids their ages do," Bowman said.
For the past five years, U of L medical students have given their Kentucky Derby Festival marathon and mini marathon medals to children like Layla, a 9-year old who has run through her own course of chemotherapy.
"My daughter was diagnosed with medulloblastoma back in October of 2009. She's been through treatment and everything has been clear since then," said Layla's father, Chris Douglas.
Layla's brain tumor is now in remission, but her friendship with Caitlin Bowman continues to grow. The same is true for 7-year old Dawson Barr. He began his own race with cancer at 6 months old . His mother, Aimee Barr, has been by his side, not knowing where the finish line is, only that her son was starting at the very back of the pack with the odds stacked against him.
"We were told it wasn't just one mass, it was actually 7 masses on his brain and 3 on his spine. And that they were inoperable," Barr told the crowd gathered inside the Student Activities Center on U of L's Belknap campus.
Barr fought back tears telling the crowd that all but one of Dawson's tumors are gone.
"But our lives are forever touched and changed by the race. And the sights that we see along the way," said Barr.
Running for Dawson this year, Samantha Sutkamp, a first year med student.
"It's cool. They have another friend. And we look up to them. I don't think they quite know that but hopefully they can feel it," said Sutkamp.
Dawson's mother describes him as an old soul. She held up her son to the microphone so he could address the crowd, telling them what the program has meant for him the past five years.
"It means for all these kids that have to do 'chemo' and all these bad things all these things that you don't want to do. It makes them smile. It always make me smile and it always will," said Dawson Barr. "It makes me smile. More runners come for the kids that are sick and that hardly ever get to do fun stuff. And that just makes me happy."
For more information on the Medals for Mettle program, visit this website: http://www.medals4mettle.org/
624 W. Muhammad Ali BlvdLouisville, KY 40203


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7 Comments »
- TheDunks said:
This show is entirely too cute o.o the switch from your everyday "I dont know if i love them" type show to "I know i love them but I don't know why.." is strangely refreshing.
Also 14:46 what happened to that wall? haha
- White said:
The wall thing was from the beginning where Haru smashed the one guy he fought with so hard against that it left this mark, I believe. That the school still didn't try to get rid of it is questionable xD
- Avadon said:
this is the place where Yoshida smashed one guy on his first day in school
- hmmmmm said:
I love this anime. It is very well done. I loved the little extra bit they ended at the end with haru tensing up with the camera….awesome.
- .Lio. said:
I just love this anime xD
- psycholobster said:
That was a really good ep. Hoping to see more of that girl in the upcoming eps. They do make such a cute couple. Totally brought that beat-down on that guy. Expert level kidnapper, really want to know what the deal with his brother is? Bitches do love smileys…
cant wait for the next ep
- Elly said:
oh my gosh I love this anime……
Leave your response!
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Bad news everybody!Okay so this\'ll be short, but in all likelihood, I am going to be shutting this page down. It\'s expensive (very), and I do not think it\'s needed anymore given the success of GOG.com, Abandonia, and a few others. I simply don\'thave the time to keep it up and running, nor can do I have the time to make it the kickass community that I think it needs to be. I tried to ping abandonia about taking it over, but I never got a response. if anyone else has any alternative ideas, drop me a line at admin at hotud.org and we can figure something out.
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Exceptional Game
From choosing and balancing, your cabinet, your generals, which chunks of the Constitution to void (not to mention the military decisions), through living with the consequences of those decisions; ...
Reviewed by Bhob December 27, 2011
Reviewed by Bhob December 27, 2011
This game plays very similarly to Victory Game's "Hell's Highway". Gives a good feel for this huge operation. For a DOS game, the graphics are exceptional. And,...
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© Depositphotos.com/karenr
World Trending v.1.31 will receive the following info: your public profile, friend list and email address.If users click the "Ok" button, they will be taken to a website that supposedly hosts a video about the car accident in which the child was killed. There is actually a video, but it is a news clip discussing Bieber's arrest for DUI and it makes no reference whatsoever to the accident described in the scam message.
Last updated: February 9, 2014
Justin Bieber arrested for drag racing, driving under the influence and resisting arrest in Miami Beach


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Our very own House of Heathens will be featured this Friday, July 11 at RAW: Natural Born Artists! THE LAST VIDEO STORE will be screened as part of an evening of Edmonton's coolest stuff! RAW:natural born artists is an independent arts organization, for artists, by artists. We're an international community made up of creative...Read More →
DEDfest is proud to present the latest in our crazy summer series – WOLF CREEK 2! Nearly ten years after the original outback horror film shocked audiences, director Greg McLean and actor John Jarratt reunite once again for another chapter in the life of the sinister Mick Taylor as he stalks a new group of...Read More →
DEDfest and Metro Cinema are proud to bust out our glowing green balls for a special presentation of the 1981 animated classic HEAVY METAL! This is no kids cartoon – inspired by the monthly sci-fi graphic magazine Heavy Metal, anthology film follows a glowing green orb called Loc-Nar as it spreads its nasty brand...Read More →
Afternoon guys, we unfortunately have to announce a line-up change for tonight, in place of Lucky McKee's new movie "All Cheerleaders Die", we will be playing "Proxy" ...Read More →
Hey kids, just a reminder! We're almost a week away! Wednesday October 16 the festival lauches at 6:30pm! We're excited to announce we'll have a few more guests See you there! 6packs available at The Lobby DVD Shop on Whyte!...Read More →
We're happy to announce our first guest of the fest: comedian-turned-director Bobcat Goldthwait! The man behind the twisted WORLD'S GREATEST DAD and GOD BLESS AMERICA will be screening his latest film, the found-footage Bigfoot film WILLOW CREEK. Date and time TBD. DEDfest six-packs are available at The Lobby DVD Shop on Whyte. Full fest passes...Read More →
Its here… our first eight selections for DEDfest 2013. We've got HAUNTER, the latest from Vincenzo Natali (director of CUBE and SPLICE), the most highly touted genre film of 2012 – CRAVE, the long-delayed but highly anticipated ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE, the butt-obsessed horror comedy BAD MILO, Jim (STAKELAND) Mickle's cannibal thriller WE...Read More →
DEDfest wraps our summer series with this highly anticipated sequel to last year's anthology horror film! Directors Adam Wingard, Eduardo Sánchez, Simon Barrett, Gregg Hale, Gareth Evans, Timo Tjahjanto, Jason Eisener bring you these new tales of videotape terror. Plus you get a sneak peek at the lineup for DEDfest 2013! ...Read More →
So we're doing it… we're showing one of the first theatrical engagements of the SyFy cheesefest – and pop culture phenom – SHARKNADO, the CANADIAN THEATRICAL PREMIERE, during Shark Week no less! Come check out the film that Glee star Cory Monteith's last tweet was about! Come check out the film that Mia Farrow loves!...Read More →
On Friday, July 12th we are proud to screen another gem from the 1980′s. In 1986 Stephen King made his feature film directing debut. With Emilio (Repo Man) Estevez starring and the entire AC/DC album WHO MADE WHO as the soundtrack how could it fail? Well, fail it did and was panned heavily by critics...Read More →


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While it's still no Honeycomb (we have yet to see it on 7-inchers), you'll still get the best of what Android has to offer on the small screen.
The update will automatically push to your Tab when it's ready, so keep an eye on your notifications bar.
Don't Miss: Our review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1


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From the Rows with Chip Flory
We're getting ready to hit the road and putting together the riders with drivers and I figured this would be a great time to talk a little about how the Tour operates.
First, we do our best to change up riders and drivers each day, but it doesn't always work. We do this for a couple of reasons. First, we want to give everybody as much opportunity as possible to meet and talk with different people. Also, we understand that personalities are different... and some people just don't get along! By changing up the riders and drivers as much as possible, we lower the risk of sticking two people together that just don't "click" for more than one day.
The Tour travels in teams of three or four scouts per route with 10 to 12 routes per day on the eastern leg and 7 to 9 routes per day on the western leg. We've mentioned a couple of times this year that we actually had to turn some potential scouts away this year... we just had too many requests to come along. That's the first time we've done this in 18 years of directing the Tour and it was disappointing to have to do it. When we started turning scouts away, they asked a legitimate question -- why not just add more routes?
The way things stand, we'll already be doubled up on some routes... and we don't like to do that. Even with two scout teams traveling on one route, they'll work together and produce just one set of data. We always talk about "more is better," but that's not always the case. If each team traveling on one route each collected its own set of yield samples, the total data sample would be weighted more heavily to that route than on past Tours. If each route had two scout teams, we'd go ahead and double up samples because the weighting would be similar to past Tours. But, for now we'll stick with just one data set per route regardless of the number of scout teams traveling that route.
Another reason: There are only so many roads to get from one overnight stop to the next. (Seriously... we're not kidding.) By adding routes, we'd be running two routes too close together, again increasing the number of samples pulled from a very similar route, resulting in the same "weighting" issue discussed above.
The other reason we started turning potential scouts away is because we want to give each scout the experience they expect on the Tour. That includes getting into the field and talking with a variety of people involved (one way or another) in the ag industry. As the number of scouts increased, we started growing concerned that scouts wouldn't get the experience they expect.
We look for the scout teams to bring back at least one sample per county their route travels through. If possible, get two... and try to average about 15 samples per day. They do that by stopping about every 15 miles on their route and pulling a corn and a soybean sample. We only tell the scouts which route to follow... we don't tell them where to stop. That helps keep the data collection random... and that adds value to the data collected.
Once scouts decide where they're going to stop, they'll get past the end rows and then walk an additional 35 paces into the field. Most likely, there is no way scout teams will be able to tell what's that deep into a field before they start into the field. It also gets scouts away from "high traffic" areas in the field to get away from compaction issues.
To add some randomness to the data collection, we pull the 5th, 8th, and 11th ear from one of two sample rows. That means scouts might pull the three best... or worst... ears from that sample row. But that's okay... we're not trying to peg the yield in that corn field. We're looking to get an idea of the yield potential of one big corn field that stretches from Ohio to central Nebraska and from central Minnesota down into downstate Illinois. If we do peg the yield in an individual field, it's completely by coincidence. It means we landed in "the" average spot of that field. (Not likely to happen.)
In soybeans, we don't estimate a yield. Instead we calculate the number of pods in a 3-foot by 3-foot square. That gives us a good idea of how much of the soybean production factory is up and running from one year to the next. When counting pods, we're observing how many beans there are per pod, but not recording that number. The number of beans per pod has a big impact on the soybean yield, as does the weight of those soybeans. That's another number we try to observe and estimate, but we don't record that observation.
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Hello I am Jodie Banks (not really), No one knows who I really am. Justa girl sharing my stories on Wattpad. My soul wonders to a broken country that I love. The mission trip I go on once a year is a big part of my life (Profile and background are pictures of it). If you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all. UPDATE I am the new user of this account and to keep the tradition going I will be anonymous and keep the spirit of Jodie Banks. The old user will look at and answer all private messages on this account or can be contacted through her email firstname.lastname@example.com (she checks the PMs more than her email). She would like to keep in contact with fans if they want to! Anyways I can starting the sequel soon and some it has been written by the old user and some by me. It will start in 2011 because that is where Fame Is Like Family ended in. I will write some other stories on this account too and see how this goes. The old user has actually started another Wattpad account with more serious stories now that she has found someone to help finish her first story (me)! Updates hopefully coming soon! (I take AP classes so school comes first, therefore I might not update as often as the old writer and please don't pressure me I hurry on updates)
Guitar BratLiz sighed before staring at the floor, whispering almost only to herself, "I don't know where the start." "Easy, the beginning." He stated calmly waiting for her to finally... read more
Fame Runs In The Family*Sequel to Family Is Like Family* Madison found herself daydreaming about the past all the time. Mostly about Justin and when it all began after she fell in love ... read more
Fame is Like Family (A Justin Bieber Love? Story)What would it be like to have your brother be best friend with Justin Bieber? Well, this is Madison Butler's everyday life. In this story her... read more


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John Bercow makes himself the star – again
When David Cameron appears in front of Parliament at 3.30pm, look for John Bercow's smug little smile to be ever so slightly smugger. The Speaker has effectively dragged the Prime Minister before Parliament to answer questions about the Jeremy Hunt affair. In doing so, he has made a salient point about the primacy of the Commons – and ensured that the resentment that has long been simmering within Downing Street about the Speaker's behaviour will be boiling over.
This is the Great Bercow Paradox. What he's done as Speaker has, by and large, been a good thing. He hasn't kept his promise to be a new broom on expenses – indeed, he's kowtowed shamelessly to MPs – but his handling of the parliamentary timetable, and willingness to grant emergency questions, has gone a long way towards making the House of Commons (as it should be) the cockpit of national affairs.
But here comes the "but". It's impossible to avoid the suspicion that John Bercow has done this not to reinvigorate democracy, but to glorify John Bercow. Put simply, the Speaker's overweening vanity and irresistible impulse towards self-publicity make him the most irritating man in British politics (edging out Ed Balls by a nose, if only due to the contribution of wife Sally).
The particular problem here is the role of the Speaker. He or she is meant to be the impartial arbiter of parliamentary proceedings. Instead, John Bercow seems to be treating the job as an audition tape for I'm A Celebrity. This is most obvious at Prime Minister's Questions, which are increasingly turning into the John Bercow Comedy Funtime Half-Hour. The Speaker interrupts the Prime Minister, interjects his own observations, and calls people like the tiresome Peter Bone because he's a bit of a character. Plus, the fact that the 30-minute duration is increasingly stretched is directly correlated to the length of time that the Speaker spends on his hind legs, yapping like a noxiously self-satisfied chihuahua.
So yes, congratulations to Mr Bercow for calling this debate, and for putting Parliament back on the agenda. But he'd get a lot more credits for his efforts if he'd realise that it's the speakers, not the Speaker, who are meant to be the star turns.
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For three months during my sophomore year of college I attempted to play simple rock songs with three friends in the basement of our dorm. All in all I believe we could play two songs from The Who and one from The Rolling Stones. Our problem wasnt so much desire, but the inability to create pleasing sounds from our chosen instruments. Ultimately, someone complained about the horrific squealing emanating from the basement and we were forced to shut down. There is no doubt that rock-and-roll is an incredible force. For those few months that we practiced and the one gig that we played, I was a golden god (Almost Famous reference). Im not saying we were any good (because we werent), and Im not saying that we were exceptionally good looking (definitely not), but we did move people with our music (usually into an adjoining room or onto a back porch). Those who have played in a band know what Im talking about. It doesnt matter how bad your acne is or how unskilled you may be on your chosen instrument, playing rock-n-roll music energizes the spirit unlike anything else. It also makes people look at you differently. What other occupation can a total geek undertake and suddenly be sought after by beautiful women? It just doesnt happen with any other job (Bill Gates excluded). I admit that during my short run at rock stardom I had visions of packed arenas and hoards of screaming groupies. Those scenarios never panned out, but the thought of them was certainly motivating. And even though no more than 11 or 12 people ever saw us play, I still felt like a rock star in my mind (the bandanna around my head and the proportionally torn t-shirt helped others visualize what I was feeling). So when I saw this weeks feature, The Rocker, I could sympathize with the main character. Here was a man who had tasted the sweet nectar of stardom and then was forcibly thrust back into a traditional lifestyle. The Rocker definitely had good intentions. Unfortunately, good intentions cannot make up for a pitiful script. Any time a scene looked to be gearing up for some great laughs, poor dialogue deflated the momentum. This was unfortunate given the comedic possibilities of an actor like Rainn Wilson (Dwight on The Office). Even though Wilson is arguably one of the funniest men on television, the lack of depth in his character handcuffed any chance he had at success. The Rocker basically tried to combine elements of two great films: School of Rock and This is Spinal Tap. Unfortunately, where those films drew the audience in with the hard edge of 70s rock, The Rocker only pushed them away with the cheesy tenderness of teenage elevator music. This film will be most appreciated by a younger audience who is more apt to overlook the multitude of transgressions. Not to mention, the music itself has pre-teen written all over it (think Jonas Brothers meet Hannah Montana). If you were looking for a biting comedy that had a rock-no-roll edge, youre completely out of luck. A dissonant C- for The Rocker. The Last Picture Show Here's one that caused quite a stir when it was released in 1971. Based on the novel by Larry McMurty, The Last Picture Show is famous for introducing future stars Cybill Shephard, Jeff Bridges and Randy Quaid. The story revolves around a sleepy Texas town during the 1950s that, beneath the surface, has a number of secrets - mostly involving extramarital affairs. How and why these relationships occur speak to the emotional depth of the film. Nominated for eight Oscars and winner of two, The Last Picture Show is a film to be studied. The character portrayals and monochromatic filming combined with the erotic and highly charged storyline make for a deeply involved film. It was the crowning achievement for director Peter Bogdanovich - a height he would unfortunately never reach again. Got a question or comment for Dom? Contact him at firstname.lastname@example.com
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Kid Icarus: Uprising Review (Nintendo 3DS)
Posted by Joshua Kannegiesser, May 03, 2012 18:45
The Original Kid Icarus game for Nintendo's first console is considered by most gamers of that console cycle as a cult classic. Kid Icarus had set new standards for console games by creating the perfect mixture of gaming ingredients; a little bit of platforming, a chuck of side scrolling, a pinch of RPG elements, and a sprinkle of a simple inventory system overlaid with a fantastic soundtrack for its time, all wrapped into one cartridge meal. A follow up sequel came out on the Game Boy call Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monster in 1991, fast forward nearly 20 years later we are rewarded with the release of Kid Icarus: Uprising!
Don't worry about not having played any of the first 2 games in the series, besides a short mention of Medusa's escape maybe due to her being defeated or captured in the previous games, the rest of "Uprising" is a fresh new story.
Nintendo has done a wonderful job integrating a large portion on the 3DS's hardware features into "Uprising" like the use of the play coins, street and spot passes, and the augmented reality and online multiplayer features. You can use the play coins to make offerings to Palutena to receive 3D models of game characters and items to view and collect. Each copy of the game comes with 6 augmented reality cards to put your creativity to the test. You can use the street/spot pass to share items and weapons with other 3DS gamers that you capture into gems. There is even an achievement system in the game that when certain objectives are met unlock panels that reveal a Kid Icarus picture!
Kid Icarus Sound
One of the most noteworthy aspects of the original NES game was its soundtrack and I am proud to say that Kid Icarus: Uprising is here to continue the series' legacy. Not only is "uprising" delivering the great score to the game with the standard music and sound effects it has upped the ante by adding voice acting for its characters. Most of them have never been given voices before and that is the one greatest thing that will stand out when discussing the sound topic of the game.
Rating: 0.0, votes: 0


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Emma Chapman
St. Martin's Press
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EMMA J. CHAPMAN was born in 1985 and grew up in Manchester, England. She studied English Literature at the University of Edinburgh, followed by a Masters in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. After university, she travelled solo in Scandinavia, where she learned to camp, bathe in fjords, and carry everything she needed. She is currently living in Perth, Western Australia. How To Be a Good Wife is her first novel.
A Novel
© 2014 Macmillan
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Learn How To Make Affiliate Marketing Work For You
One great online business to get into is Bench Craft Company affiliate marketing. It's not actually hard to do, but it does have a learning curve that needs to be taken on if you want to make good money. Here are some tips for getting you past that learning curve — maybe you can even break the curve!
When doing affiliate marketing you automatically think of adding numerous banners to your site but actually you should try to refrain from doing that. If you seem to have tons of banners stuffed into your website it looks pretty ugly and makes people not interested in visiting your site again.
Record a high quality video where you demonstrate an affiliate product then upload it to YouTube along with your affiliate link. YouTube is a great source for potential buyers, and if you provide an informative video about a product, people will be more inclined to buy the product through your affiliate link.
To increase the success of your Bench Craft Company affiliate marketing, be sure to test products before you advertise them. If you are displeased with the product, it is likely that your customers or subscribers will be as well. Advertising an unsatisfactory product will decrease your credibility and trustworthiness, while advertising a quality product will do the opposite.
As an affiliate marketer, your reputation is directly linked to the reputation of the company whose products you are promoting. This means that you need to choose your company wisely based on more than just the products offered. You need to check on the company's reputation to make sure they're viewed favorably.
Check with your affiliate programs to see if you can receive test Bench Craft Company products to review. Some companies don't allow this but there are many that do. The less money you have to put upfront the better. If they don't offer test products, then you may want to look elsewhere for a company to work with.
To gain the trust of readers you are marketing to, only promote quality products. When a reader sees you promoting products known to be good, they will find it easier to believe what you say about products they're unfamiliar with. Promoting quality products will also encourage readers to listen to your opinion in the future.
Try offering free shipping to your customers. People hate paying outrageous prices for Bench Craft Company shipping charges and having free shipping can attract more customers. If you can't afford to foot that bill yourself, have advertisers foot the bill in exchange for being able to include ads in each package you send out.
A great affiliate marketing tip is to only join an affiliate program if you can see yourself being a customer of that company. If it looks like a company isn't churning out impressive results, or if their sales letter doesn't look any good, you should move on to a different company.
A great affiliate marketing tip is to try and get visitors to sign up for your list whenever they visit your site. If you're getting tons of visitors but they aren't joining your list, you are losing out on a lot of money, and opportunities to promote any affiliate products.
Only promote products you know are legit or that you would use. If a customer senses you are doing this only to benefit yourself, you may never see them again, let alone get a referral from them. Customers can see right through a dishonest referrer and won't be back to your site.
Think positive. If you get involved with affiliate marketing and not expect it to work out well for you, you are likely to fail. Expect that you will be successful in this venture and you will find that with some information and some experience, you will make the money that you want to earn with time.
You should read over the contract before you sign it to make sure there aren't exclusions, such as only being able to use them as your affiliate company. If a company wants you to exclusively use the Bench Craft Company affiliate program, they obviously don't have the best interest of your company in mind.
Do not plagiarize anything from another affiliate site. Not only can plagiarizing from another site in general cause major legal action, but it's just plain lazy and makes you look incompetent to viewers. It's okay to get inspiration from a fellow site, just don't copy it. Be original with your content.
The first and most important step to becoming an affiliate marketer is to choose a high quality product. The quality of the product directly affects how easy it is to sell the product. In fact, quality products tend to sell themselves! A quality product can be defined as a product that many people have a need for and will even take the effort themselves to seek out and purchase. With the perfect product customers will be coming to you!
These ideas should help you move steadily toward affiliate marketing success. Making money as an affiliate isn't an instant process, but one of constant learning, tweaking and gradual building. Following these tips is an investment in your future though, so with what you've learned, you can go forth and build the financial freedom you desire.


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Sorry that yesterday's email didn't come through! There were numerous technical problems that have now been solved, so today you're going to get a DOUBLE HEADER - yesterday's Shimna Furniture and today's special treat.... a new, unique piece of furniture (above) which has the sole intention of improving your sex life (and which everyone seems to be talking about)...
Last week I emailed on Margaret Roach's New Gardening Blog, A Way to Garden (see below).
Stay on the pulse with a double shot: blog + email. If you're not signed up, go for it right now (on the upper left nav).
Click below for past emails....
THE TOP OF THE ARCHIVE (chronologically)
>> Margaret Roach's New Blog, A Way to Garden - 4.8.08
>> Create Your Own Mirrors & Custom Sizes - 4.7.08
>> Jim Denevan, Photos to Inspire - 4.4.08
>> Our New Favorite Mug, The Bodum Bistro Latte Cup - 4.3.08
>> Best Affordable Sofa, The Milo Baughman Design Classic - 4.2.08
>> Best Adjustable Coffee Tables 2008 - 4.1.08
>> Hola Y Adios Table, The Slimest, Coolest Landing Strip - 3.31.08
>> Best Home Phones, Philips Cordless - 3.28.08
>> Agnes Barley, Structures Under Tension Drawings - 3.27.08
20 Comments
Did you guys Paint her a bra and undies? (first pic)
uh... heh.. while i admire your 'dressing' miss lady godiva up there.. why even include her at all? isn't there a different pic of that item elsewhere? wow.
Looks like a wood version of the Liberator curvy sex furniture thing.
It's lacking tie-down points.
Max, is that a Barbarella reference? Love it!
she looks like she is wearing fur lingerie, very cave woman esque.
and yeah it looks like a liberator just slightly fancier. although the wood sides on this doesn't look like an improvement on liberators all soft and cushy product
Ewww... On so many levels.
Its not that I am against aparatus to make the experience better, but I wouldn't want anything that would need to be explained to my parents sitting out in the open. (I have a friend that keeps a sling in the closet, and told his parents that the four eye bolts in the ceiling were there when he moved in.)
I really enjoyed the above...
wtf? ...and why is it always Maxwell who posts these sexed up images of women?
That's a bit trashy for this website. Have a little class, please.
I am assuming people are talking about this after the article in Sunday's Styles section of the NY Times. I must admit, I talked about it a bit.
How dare you publish something related to sex????
this is UNAMERICAN!!!!
please, calm down people.
Devyn, are you sure it's a "friend" who has the bolts in the ceiling?
When you paint the eyebolts to match the ceiling you'd be surprised how they disappear.
I've always longed for some exposed I beams, they make things so much easier.
I enjoyed the Times article, because I thought it was an interesting story, but honestly, there is something really creepy about these posts, and the fact that they are always posted by Maxwell.
It's not the sex, it's the sexism.
Why is it always a naked *woman* draped across the chair/car/etc. ?
The iconic photograph of Christine Keeler posing on an Arne Jacobsen knock-off in 1963, taken by Lewis Morley.
"Devyn, are you sure it's a "friend" who has the bolts in the ceiling?"
It is indeed a friend... My plaster ceilings barely hold the plaster up.
...or, you know, just check out Maxwell's past posts (e.g. LED bikini, sweaty half-dressed woman with Eames chair, etc.) for other examples.
Yeah, but well he is a guy, he is sexist by design as in heterosexual guy loving female body. I wouldn't object to male sexism either. bring it on! :p
I want to hear more about the closet sling person.
I've decided to live with these sexist images by realizing they are thrown in for the comfort of the metrosexual men who need reassurance they haven't gone totally gay (yet).
I vote for more hunky men in boxers.
you know, i think a lazy boy recliner has the same general shape. you can't straddle it as easily, but if you have someone under you, it's not that much of a problem...


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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Engaging ... A Great Purchase!
Having been struggling with unreadable and nearly unreadable books, I was beginning to wonder whether the problem was what I was reading or my patience and attention span. John Burdett's pulsating Bangkok 8 is 318 pages long. Devouring it reassured me that I can be grabbed and held by a book.
The "8" of the title refers to a police precinct. The book's narrator...
Published on June 28 2005 by Barry Welles
3.0 out of 5 stars A strong city, a weak cast
I picked this up when I saw that the blurbs on the back cover came from my two favorite crimes writers, Carl Hiaasen and James Ellroy. I suppose I was hoping for great things, either Hiaasen's light hand, or Ellroy's dark tales of intrigue. However, when a character takes a deep breath and delivers a one to three page sermon on, amongst other things, jade, prostitution...
Published on April 13 2004 by Newton Munnow
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Engaging ... A Great Purchase!,
This review is from: Bangkok 8: A Royal Thai Detective Novel (1) (Paperback)
Having been struggling with unreadable and nearly unreadable books, I was beginning to wonder whether the problem was what I was reading or my patience and attention span. John Burdett's pulsating Bangkok 8 is 318 pages long. Devouring it reassured me that I can be grabbed and held by a book.
The "8" of the title refers to a police precinct. The book's narrator Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep and his partner Pichai Apiradee are the only detectives in the City of Angels (the meaning of the Thai name for the capital city, Krung Thep) who do not take bribes. Both are protégés of a Buddhist abbott whose brother is Col. Vikorn, the immensely rich commander of precinct 8's police force.
Col. Vikorn has assigned Sonchai and Pichai to follow William Bradley, a strikingly handsome and very large black U. S. Marine sergeant. The policeman lose him in traffic and then real disaster strikes. There is a killing of diabolical refinement that required considerable organization. "Whodunit?" is a question of interest to Sonchai and there are an array of powers (official and criminal, Thai and American, and very interconnected) seeking to prevent one answer to that question. Plus, there are the more interesting questions of how the killing was organized and why the particular and elaborate method was developed for executing a novice and minor player in the (also interconnected) businesses of jade mining, art fraud, drug-smuggling, Khmer Rouge thuggery, and payoffs of Thai officials.
Sonchai is the son of a bar-girl (prostitute) and a US serviceman who was on R&R from the Vietnam war and, as a child, accompanied his mother on her extended romances in France, German, and the United States. Sonchai is multilingual and as the token clean cop is often a liaison from the Bangkok police to western embassies when something happens to one of their citizens (or, in this case, staff members). Culturally, Sonchai is Thai. With his Eurasian features, foreign travels, and fluency in western languages, however, he cannot be totally unself-consciously Thai, which is convenient for including reflections on Thai ways of doing things that would be taken-for-granted by most Thais. (And less of a reach for the non-Thai novelist.)
Sonchai's very pragmatic mother, who goes into business with Col. Vikorn as a partner and (of course!) protector, Pichai's mother ) who was also a prostitute), a very strikingly beautiful outcast (progeny of a black GI and a Karin mother), and Sonchai (who grew up in and around the flesh trade) lay out indigenous views of prostitution and drug trafficking. (There is also a houseful or Russian prostitutes in Pattaya with similar views about "degradation" and making money that Sonchai visits to get information.)
There are, indeed, a vast assortment of characters, some wild humor, a smattering of sex (along with a standoff between the Buddhist Sonchai determined to remain chaste and Kimberly Jones, the attractive and smart FBI agent dispatched to aid investigation of the marine's killing), and some action of the mayhem and murder variety. (There are guns on view, but no gunfire.) The mix of Buddhist laissez-faire (or is it fatalism?) and entrepreneurial materialism (Chinese even more than American) affecting Thais in the teeming metropolis seems accurate to me, as does the rendering of Bangkok's heat and humidity (not just the Patpong indoors kinds...).
The plot is very complicated, and connected to epic and very international corruption. Some readers feel let down by the ending. My view is that it would be impossible to top the beginning and that the ending is fitting - somewhat contrived and including karmic retribution within the lifetime of a central villain rather than leaving it to reincarnation, - but just right in mood. I don't buy the FBI agent's final involvement, but am impressed that there aren't loose ends, considering how many there were to tie up. Burdett's mastery of the craft of plotting is impressive.
He also creates many interesting characters (Kimberly Jones is a failure, but a valiant attempt), particularly the narrator and his boss. It does seem that almost everyone (except the Khmer assassins) is very articulate and ready to explain themselves - their justifications for what they do and how they fit into larger schemes - to Sonchai. Sonchai is regarded by some (but not by himself) as an arhat (a Thai bodhisattva, i.e., an enlightened being who out of compassion sticks around to try to relieve suffering, particularly human anguish). Like Sonchai being biracial and bicultural, his aura of being an arhat is convenient in providing a rationale for the author to provide explanations to the reader. That everyone responds to Sonchai by spilling their guts strains credulity, but does not leave the reader befuddled in the way real life often does. As a vengeance thriller, as a series of vignettes into tumultous social change in Bangkok, and as a look into some views of sex and drugs alien to Americans, even to anti-puritanical ones, Bangkok 8 is a very accomplished novel. Pick up a copy of this terrific page-turner. Another book I need to recommend -- completely unrelated to Bangkok, but very much on my mind since I purchased a "used" copy off Amazon is "The Losers' Club: Complete Restored Edition," a funny, highly entertaining little novel I can't stop thinking about.
1.0 out of 5 stars Hype, but not a good story,
By A Customer
I wanted to love this book, but I could recommend 1,000 mysteries/thrillers that are more fun and better written. The Bangkok sex industry is exotic, and the main character might be unusual. But I never believed that he existed because every other character was pasted together with cardboard and cliche: the incorruptible female FBI agent, the psychotic sadist, the corrupt Thai cop. Every character seems to have super powers -- the agent can get endless information, the sadist had endless connections to the US government and gangsters, another character has convinced ruthless Khmer to be enlessly loyal. No one seems motived by normal life like loyalty, fear, greed, etc. In the end, nothing happens on stage. It's just a book where people talk about things that have happened (and where the hero figures things out by just walking up to people who spill the entire truth for no apparent reason). That is boring. In the end, I decided that Burdett spent 90% of his time thinking about cool concepts that he could use to pitch the movie script -- and no time actually putting together a book. Go read Elmore Leonard instead.
4.0 out of 5 stars A Buddhist Sort of Mystery,
C M Magee (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
First the bad: I found the book to be less than gracefully written. At times the language is painfully stilted. I know that I am not used to the "hard-boiled" style that many detective stories employ, but too often the prose caused me to lurch to a standstill while my brain rotated the offensive sentence around in my head, unwilling to go on. On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised by how well Burdett used Thai Buddhism to add fascinating depth and nuance to the story. I have often been wary of Buddhism in general, mostly because my only experience with it is as a trendy religion, the accessory of Beastie Boys fans and cause-hungry hippies for whom the Free Tibet bumper sticker perfectly conceals the country club parking permit on the bumper of the Volvo. Burdett's Thai Buddhism, however, is both unassuming and universal. He presents it as inseparable from Thai culture, and naturally the Buddhist way of thinking, so different from our cold Western logic, becomes integral to solving the mystery (we are investigating the gruesome death by multiple snakes of an American marine, by the way.) It's not so tidy as most detective stories, but then that too, follows the Buddhist way of thinking and is the strongpoint of the book.
3.0 out of 5 stars A strong city, a weak cast,
Newton Munnow "Newton Munnow" (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews
I picked this up when I saw that the blurbs on the back cover came from my two favorite crimes writers, Carl Hiaasen and James Ellroy. I suppose I was hoping for great things, either Hiaasen's light hand, or Ellroy's dark tales of intrigue. However, when a character takes a deep breath and delivers a one to three page sermon on, amongst other things, jade, prostitution or buddhist beliefs, you discover that you are not in the hands of an expert. It seems as if Burdett had almost too much that he wanted to impart to the reader and rather than work pieces skilfully into the plot, he opted for dense exposition. It is a shame, because Burdett can write well. Sochai Jitpleecheep comes across as a well developed character and would have held the book together had he not been surrounded by a paper thin supporting cast. Take your pick, the [attractive] FBI agent with a crush on our hero, the [prostitute] with a heart of gold, the evil millionaire sexual sadist. Most of Burdett's secondary characters are little more than B-movie types given the odd line of amusing dialogue. It's a shame, because Burdett does a fine job bringing the city and the culture to life. If only he had found the right characters to populate his streets.
4.0 out of 5 stars A spicy, exotic murder mystery,
A black marine sergeant is sitting in the back seat of a Mercedes, dead from cobra bites, and his head in the mouth of a crazed python that is trying to swallow him whole. When detectives Sonchai Jitpleecheep and his best friend Pichai arrive on the scene, one cobra fastens on Pichai's eyeball, killing him instantly. Sonchai, the half-breed product of a brief liaison of a Thai prostitute and an American GI, wants to find the criminal and wants revenge for Pichai. With the help (or hindrance, depending on the situation) of an FBI agent named Kimberly Jones who has a crush on him, Sonchai traces the crime back to a wealthy American jade dealer named Sylvester Warren, who hobnobs with the high rollers on Capitol Hill and has a particularly nasty hobby of flaying prostitutes alive, and his protegée Fatima, an exquisite half-black, half-Asian transsexual who went from street urchin to diva, and now has a hidden agenda all her own.
Sonchai, who is probably the only honest cop left in the graft-ridden Thai police force, quickly solves the "whodunit"; what he wants to know now is the "why". Turns out that Warren and the dead marine are linked together in some pretty shady enterprises, with the connivance and participation of Sonchai's chief Vikorn. Burdett shows us the sordid underbelly of Bangkok: the corrupt police, the sex bars that stay open all night, the drug dealing, the peculiarly Thai mindset that an outsider like Jones can never hope to understand. One of his Burdetts most interesting (and endearing, I have to admit) characters is Sonchai's intrepid mother Nong, a former bargirl who has parlayed her gift of languages, learned from living off Western lovers, and her shrewd head for business, into a venture that is sure to make her rich -- a brothel catering exclusively for the Viagra set. Is this immoral? Or is she simply filling an unmet need? It depends on how you look at it; just as one needs to put aside one's Western prejudices and read this book from an Eastern perspective. The one cavil I have with the book is Burdett's tendency to stereotype; the venal Vikorn probably doesn't represent all Thai policemen any more than the bitter and sexually frustrated Jones represents all American career women. It's the one jarring note in an otherwise very good mystery novel.
2.0 out of 5 stars Long and verbose with a rambling plot,
Larry (Tampa, Florida) - See all my reviews
Sonchai Jitpleecheep is a cop in Bangkok. He is of mixed extraction- father was a GI in Vietnam and is now long gone. His mother was a bar girl. He and his partner are called to investigate the death of a black marine sergeant who is found dead in his car after being trapped in the vehicle with many highly poisonous cobras and a deadly python. Sonchai's partner is killed by one of the snakes while trying to get the marine out. Sonchai wants questions answered- who is the marine and why was he killed? Who killed him? The answers will not only solve the crime but, to Sonchai's mind, allow him to seek revenge over the death of his partner.
BANGKOK 8 is a very long verbose book that delves into life in the dark underbelly of the city that lends its name to the title. We meet dozens of unsavory individuals as Sonchai searches for answers. The portrait of the city and its inhabitants are superbly and carefully rendered. However, as a thriller and as an entertainment, the book lacks a true pulse. The plot meanders through much explanation of Sonchai's philosophy on life. Of course these explanations slow down the pacing to practically a standstill. Getting through the book is rendered even more difficult by the sheer volume of characters the reader must keep track of.
4.0 out of 5 stars Not A Masterpiece, But An Enjoyable Yarn,
Patrick Mc Coy (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
I recently devoured Bangkok 8 in a couple of days. It is a compelling mystery with excellent use of local culture and customs to add color to the novel. It is literally overflowing with lurid and accurate details of Bangkok. He also manages to convey a lot about Buddhism. I liked how he used a radio call in talk show with a sociologist host to make observations and analysis about Thai culture and societal problems, rather than giving long speeches to characters. I like the fact that he made the main character half Thai and half Caucasian (or double if you prefer). This dual status gives him access and insight into Thai culture and western culture. Furthermore, it makes him an outsider in both cultures as well. He is also well steeped in the world of prostitution since his mother used to earn her living via the trade. In addition, his Buddhism and personal knowledge of the street makes him a pure cop, who doesn't take a bribe, but is tolerated for his ability to speak English, which can come in handy for the police department. The ending is somewhat anti-climatic, but somehow appropriate to the tone of the story.
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book,
Verita "a devoted reader" (Northeast) - See all my reviews
I just finished reading it, and couldn't put it down. Very suspenseful and also poignant, as the main character is the son of a Thai prostitute and a white American soldier. He gives a moving picture of life in the ... trade, life as a half caste in Thailand, and life as a Thai Buddhist. This last was fascinating and a big part of why I recommend this book. It's a page turner of a murder mystery, starting with a dead marine and a beautiful suspect, but the best part is following what we have come to think of as a standard story through the viewpoint of a Buddhist cop working in a corrupt, if "compassionate" culture. It's hilarious at times, and at times heartbreaking, and if you happen to guess who the murderer is, you'll still never guess why. To people who say the ending is a letdown, well, that is one of the drawbacks of this type of book. It's always a letdown to solve a tantalizing case and end a compelling read. This book was definitely worth it, and I've already bought another of his books to read asap.
4.0 out of 5 stars An Entertaining Read,
Emil L. Posey (Huntsville, AL USA) - See all my reviews
An unusual murder and the concomitant death of a partner who was also a cherished, life-long friend - so begins an intriguing, garish, yet sympathetic look into the underside of life in Bangkok. These deaths occurred in Bangkok's 8th police district (hence the title). As summarized on the front end flap, "Under a Bangkok bridge, inside a bolted-shut Mercedes: a murder by snake - a charismatic African American Marine sergeant killed by a methamphetamine-stoked python and a swarm of stoned cobras. Two cops - the only two in the city not on the take - arrive too late. Minutes later, only one is alive: Sonchai Jitpleecheep - a devout Buddhist, equally versed in the sacred and the profane - son of a long-gone Vietnam War G.I. and a Thai bar girl whose subsequent international clientele contributed richly to Sonchai's sophistication."
The unusual circumstances behind the two deaths are matched by a variety of compelling, occasionally surrealistic characters Detective Jitpleecheep encounters as he works his way through seemingly disparate clues - bargirls who use the only resource available to themselves as they try to find a better life, an international art dealer who uses his power to satisfy his sado-sexual fantasies, a transsexual driven by a desire for revenge, and police officials that use and perpetuate institutionalized corruption as a vehicle to achieve personal wealth and power. Along the way he ruminates on his past, his close relationship with his now-dead partner, subtleties of Thai culture, and an uncertain future as he struggles to reconcile his inner conflict: his Western biological roots versus his deep affinity for Thai culture; his role in a tangled world versus his longing for self-enlightenment and inner peace. His struggle mirrors the broader struggle that is Burdett's central theme: the longing for a spiritual Buddhist past versus the increasing encroachment of Western technological consumerism.
The plot is contrived, somewhat larger than life, but luckily doesn't get in the way. It holds one's interest, but the beauty of the book is the story of the seamier side of Bangkok's culture. Burdett has captured the turmoil, the inner conflict, of a spiritual people who avoided outright European colonization (one of a small handful of Asian countries to do so) only to succumb to Western wealth in the second half of the twentieth century. The conflict within Detective Jitpleecheep mirrors this broader Thai conundrum.
Burdett's style is readable; the story well paced. The ending is a bit strange, but the descriptions of Thai culture and life in Bangkok that season the book throughout are a delight. It has the makings of a movie along with a sequel or two. One hope's we have not heard the last from Sonchai Jitpleecheep.
5.0 out of 5 stars Surreal, Magical, Gritty,
MontezumesRevenge "montezumas_revenge" (West Coast , USA) - See all my reviews
Great Surreal, yet gritty Portrait of Bangkok, a "why'd-they-do-it", magical, Spicey, with a fresh, funky ending. Does not follow dogmatic, petrified-wood thriller formula.
Ignore the folks complaining this is anti-American or whatever....I think most people can tell by the book title that it's about Bangkok. If you want a really, really patriotic American story....I don't know, maybe look for a book that doesn't have Bangkok in the title.
You have 2 childhood friends, Sonchai and Pinchai, troublemakers sent to the Bhuddist Monastery for a year by their prostitute mothers, then placed on the police force. They are so spiritual, devout, they could ascend to heaven now, but resist to pay for their sins. Being in the monastery apparently rewired their delinquent brains, as they seem to be more sensitive to the environment, people, and possibly, the nonvisible universe.
Yet, for all his straining for spiritual ideals, he is accidentally always around westerners, drawn to top-of-the-line clothing and perfumes. He has a yearning for connection to his mysterious caucasian father, and that the only males to spend quality time with him were westerners.
They are sent to tail a US Marine, only to find him murdered in a freaky revenge killing, and our lead's pal is accidentally killed. For all his buddist values, he vows deadly revenge.
There's a lot of atmosphere building, lots of background which is fascinating, especially the lifestyle and treatment of prostitutes, and their children, especially the half-asian ones.
He and the FBI team to work on this case, only it starts to get sticky politically, starts reaching far up the American foodchain. He is paired up with some americans but eventually ends up with MS. FBI who seems to be pursuing this in her own vendetta, and she has twisted the facts in order to pursue the culprit against top-brass orders.
It is interesting to see the clash of styles in personal dynamics between Ms. FBI and him. He's used to female Thai behavior, their flirting, approachability and sexuality. She is slow to warm up, very business-like and assertive, which to him is manlike. It is very interesting to see them alternately flirting, then offending each other, getting turned off, yet still being drawn to each other, despite what they think is commonsense, and their pride and mutual stereotypes get in the way. He can't see it at all, which is rather funny.
They do hammer each other with their dumb mutual stereotypes of what America & Americans are like vs. Thailand and Thai folks are like. (This happens at my work too, when one Thai guy says that Thai schools are so much better, so I "innocently" ask if everybody can fight like Jackie Chan & fly through the air.)
They are both conflicted about themselves. He's supposed to be free of desires, yet lonely, can't seem to not flirt or allow physical proximaty. She's supposed to be professional, robot-like, yet very lonely, alternately wanting professionalism yet starving for connection and romance.
His police boss, although corrupt, is a caring, responsible man, who has done the best he could in life. His mother is one smart ex-prostitute business woman, and she scares him a little with her ambition and brains.
A lot of the things you see in the news about SE Asia are tied together here in vivid grit. The Russians, moonshiners, spirits, ghosts, bribery, artwork, plastic surgery and the drug and sex trade---all portrayed in very interesting fashion.
I did not want to have this story end.
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Bangkok 8: A Royal Thai Detective Novel (1) by John Burdett (Paperback - July 13 2004)
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