Dragster throttle or gas pedal. Heel pivot. Toe Loop. Made of 3/8" x .058" wall chrome moly tubing. Pivot pin welds to bottom frame rail.
Altered throttle or gas pedal. Center pivot. Toe Loop. Made of 3/8" x .058" wall chrome moly tubing. Pivot pin welds to upright or diagonal.


I am deeply sorry for the embarrassment I have brought to Blizzard, the Overwatch League, the Fusion, and my team members through my boosting. I want to start this letter by thanking you for allowing me to be a part of the Overwatch League despite my past mistakes. I am not writing to deny the allegations of my boosting, but instead I hope to provide some context for why I made the mistakes that I did, and explain how I plan to make up for those mistakes moving forward.
I engaged in boosting activity on the Korean ladder during competitive seasons 4 and 5, and in doing so violated the Blizzard End User License Agreement. When I started boosting, I was not in a very good place financially or emotionally. I had just quit high school because I did not feel any satisfaction from my studies, and I felt pressure to bring in money to my family to help support them. Although I had various opportunities with some tier 2 teams in the Korean pro scene, none of those opportunities had been very promising - so I believed my chances of going pro in Overwatch were basically zero. Additionally, I had experienced a high level of throwers and trolls in my games, and that made me feel frustrated with the state of competitive overwatch. I knew a few boosters from the Korean scene, and because I felt my life had no big chances for success, I decided to contact them and see if I could make a little money by boosting. But I know all of these reasons can't justify my boosting activity. I harmed other people in the act of earning money. I should have thought about the right way to make money, but I didn't, and I sincerely regret that. I don't want to make any excuse about my boosting. Boosting activity was completely my fault and at the time I didn't have any serious concerns about that. I can't make up for all my misdeeds in this letter, but I want to apologize again to all people who were harmed by me.
I played as a booster myself, and helped coordinate other people I knew were boosters - the money I received for these actions helped me contribute to my family's financial situation. I could have tried other ways to make money that did not hurt other players, but I did not step back and consider the morality of my actions - I only thought about the financial gain boosting would bring to me and my family. I see now that my own actions of boosting were part of the competitive issues I was frustrated with. I was a part of the problem, and I regret my contribution to that problem on all levels. I am very sorry for engaging in boosting activity, and I am sorry for directly hurting the experience of other players in the games where I was boosting.
But now I am in a very different time in my life. Over the past few months I have had a few different opportunities to scrim with different pro teams, and those scrims renewed my love for Overwatch. Playing in the competitive environment with amazing players and coaches during tryouts made me realize that playing Overwatch professionally is what I want to do with my life - I want to compete and make my fans proud to be my fans. When I was given a trial for the Fusion, I was very excited. I know that many other talented and well respected players, both Korean and Western, tried out for the tank position on Philly - and I do not take the fact that I was chosen over them lightly. The chance to play in the Overwatch League, to come to America and learn English and learn about the culture, means so much to me and my family. I promise to you and my team that I will not waste this amazing opportunity. When I told my parents about my contract with the Fusion they told me how lucky I was to have the chance to play professionally despite my past misdeeds. My mother said this was the first job that really motivated me and would make me happy - so no matter what challenges I faced because of my past I should persevere and not give up my dream of being a pro player.
I have spent the past few weeks reading the comments on reddit & inven, and I see that many Overwatch fans and players do not think I am a person of integrity because of my past actions. I understand why you have doubts about me, I have done bad things and that is all you have seen of me - but soon I will have a chance to show the world the good things about me. I am a hard worker, I am a loyal teammate, and I am a competitor. I hope that when I come to America I can show you who I really am, and maybe you can resolve your doubts about me before the season is over. I owe so much to the Fusion for giving me a second chance, and I want to start competing for them as soon as possible.


text:
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Annenberg Agenda
'Dear News Media: Create news for people who have never read a newspaper.' Journalism's future audience finds its voice.
Gretchen Parker McCartney
Updated December 11, 2019 12:04 p.m.
With the digital media revolution well underway, news organizations have invested a couple decades' worth of innovation into their online presence. Longtime observers and news junkies have watched as website design advanced in leaps and bounds.
Young audiences, though, don't quite see it that way.
Imagine never being a print newspaper reader. If your parents and your teachers never subscribed. If you were not romantically entangled with the memories — the smell of fresh newsprint, the impact of a headline above "the fold," the arrest of a great "double-truck."
You would read information differently. You would consume news differently.
Laura Davis
Photo: John Davis
The next generation of news consumers, or the "future audience," as professor Laura E. Davis puts it, has zero attachment to the way news organizations have always done things. They have no allegiance to news produced for an old format — or for the marketing models behind ad design and placements, columns along the rail, or the cues signaled by font sizes.
And it's not just about aesthetics. Davis was inspired to develop the class after reading research that shows readers actually lose trust in news sources that are difficult to use. When the news delivery is wonky — if it loads slowly, is blocked by ads or is cluttered — the audience ties that inefficiency to the journalism itself.
As news orgs like The New York Times move away from an advertising-based revenue model to one built on digital subscriptions, the need to engage with audiences and build trust is greater than ever. Connecting with readers is no longer a way to bolster advertiser ranks. In itself it's crucial to survival.
"The power structure of journalism has been radically altered," said Davis, assistant professor of professional practice and Annenberg Media's digital news director. "Journalists have to worry so much more now about how their work reaches audiences. They need to be thinking about their audience and what it means for them to have a good user experience. It's absolutely vital now."
Davis has teamed up with lecturer Jenn de la Fuente to co-teach a new directed research class that focuses on intense critical thinking about the news user experience. The class will culminate in the design of a journalism product, along the lines of a "news concierge" app that strengthens the relationship between readers and journalists. The goal will be to foster a direct connection between readers and the editors who curate the app's news, chat with readers, offer context and win their trust.
As the app moves into the development stages, it will be deployed by student-run Annenberg Media. The value is not only to bolster delivery of news but also to help student journalists incorporate the user experience into the journalism they produce. If they're involved in the day-to-day delivery of news, and are responsible for it connecting with audiences, they are more likely to understand the stakes and be able to translate it into a sustainable skill in their careers as journalists.
"I think every journalist needs a little product-thinking to bleed through all of their work," Davis said. "It's really important for them to think about putting readers and users first."
As JOUR 490 delved into that critical thinking, and students posted publicly, something else happened. Their voices found an audience.
Davis' post, shared via Medium, is titled: "Dear news media: Here's what your future audience wants you to fix." And sophomore James Tyner, 19, wrote a post that has been viewed more than 12,000 times and was an Editor's Pick on Medium. His "Dear news media: Create news for people who have never read a newspaper" has been shared by almost 500 readers. He's been contacted by industry leaders at national outlets interested in his point of view, including USA Today. The American Press Institute (API) has featured fellow student Darrell Florence's piece in its daily "Need to Know" newsletter, aimed at thought leaders and digital media executives.
"Eventually, for publishers to succeed long-term, they will need to offer news products that Millennials will pay for," said Will Federman, who graduated in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. "If you don't offer an experience Millennials are willing to pay for, they won't pay for it."
It's a bottom line that seems like a no-brainer, but news delivery models have been top-down for so long, that the reckoning has been slow to arrive.
"My No. 1 takeaway, after two years in the industry, is that it's terrible at customer service," said Federman, whose first job out of USC Annenberg was managing audience engagement for Fortune magazine.
"The user is the customer. If you want to afford the journalism you want to produce, you need customers who will pay for it. And customers are unsatisfied."
Within a year of graduating, he was leading his team. He's now managing editor of Tylt, an online debate forum launched last year by Advance Digital's start-up incubator. The site's team is expanding offices in New York and San Francisco, and 70 percent of its audience is under 40.
Federman learned during his time at Fortune, collaborating with colleagues at parent company Time Inc., that even legacy news orgs are finally understanding. "They need fresh eyes to infuse the industry with the kind of energy and innovation it needs to succeed in the long run," he said.
"A lot of the skills I'm seeing students graduate with now are more in demand and more appreciated at legacy organizations, in particular, than I've seen in years past. A few of us have worked our way up pretty quickly," Federman said.
Along with every imaginable channel of communication, the newsroom hierarchy itself has been turned inside out by the digital revolution. But it's not just next-generation skills that are finally coming into their own in newsrooms.
It has started to click with industry leaders that these cub reporters are more than future news producers — they're news consumers. Cub reporters still learn on the job, but as digital natives, their input is valued in an entirely new way.
That's where Davis' and de la Fuente's students – and their USC Annenberg classmates — come in.
"This is going to be their audience for the next 60-70 years," Davis said. "This is who, frankly, they should be thinking about. I'm not sure the industry realizes how much their habits don't make sense outside their little media bubble."
'It's how all relationships work.'
"Hey, news industry, you're doing it wrong," reads the first line of Tyner's Medium piece.
He dives right in, with a screengrab of The Washington Post's home page.
"Take a look at this site. There's a lot of great content. But where do I start if I don't have all the time in the world and want to meaningfully engage with the news? Do I start with the topics at the top and work my way down? Do I start with one of the videos? Do I follow the size of the text from largest to smallest? There are just so many words on this page with no sense of order, it's not clear what the news actually is."
It's a layout "we'd expect from a newspaper," he writes. "But something created for a young and sophisticated audience needs better design, better visual hierarchy and more color. We grew up in the age of iPod ads, and for us, design matters."
In conversation, Tyner strips it bare in a way that comes down even harder on old news norms. "A younger audience doesn't care what a newspaper looks like," he said. "They never read them and never will. It's not the way to go about presenting news if you're trying to build something for the future."
In his Medium piece, he goes on to outline other news conventions that don't make sense to young readers. Why make videos for their own sake, when a text story works better? Why not abridge enterprise stories, so readers can consume content on their own terms? Why don't sites like Vox explicitly discuss their point of view, instead of making readers guess? ("If you're transparent, people will trust you. It's how all relationships work.")
Much of the JOUR 490 writings centered on trust issues. Florence's piece, the one picked up by API, focused on how much news is delivered with no context. And that's not a generational complaint, he emphasized. His grandmother, 63, articulated what many of his peers expressed — that too often, the news starts in the middle of the story, gives no background, doesn't frame itself, doesn't explain the sourcing. Readers are trying to understand a language they don't speak and are left feeling they don't understand what is truly happening. It's like accidentally sitting down at the cool kids' table and realizing you're totally alone in the world, he writes.
"Consumers," he said, feel "lost in the world." They are being talked down to. There goes the trust.
In fact, research conducted last year by The Media Insight Project, a collaboration of the API and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, revealed that multiple factors of news delivery affect how much people trust news.
Accuracy and being up-to-date were of utmost importance to those polled for the study, when asked why they rely on a particular news source. When it comes to trust, 70 percent said that citing expert sources and data is important.
That a news account be "concise and get to the point" was significant to 72 percent and being able to navigate a site to easily find news and information was critical to 70 percent.
"In other words, having something be navigable, clear and easy to use is a key part of whether people rely on it and value it," the report concluded.
And trust is critical to the vitality of news sources. The study found that those who said they valued trustworthiness the most are the ones more likely to report that they pay for news, share it and follow it on social media.
But a highlight of the study that resonated with Davis — and inspired the development of JOUR 490 — was a finding related specifically to young audiences. The report found that young news consumers place greater importance on "load times, ease of use on mobile phones, lack of interference from ads and inclusion of hyperlinks."
For future news consumers, product experience is paramount. "Bad ads affect how people feel about content creators. A good product experience can restore trust in news," Davis said. "I zeroed in on that."
Not all of the reaction to the students' writing was a lovefest. Tyner got some blowback from people who said he should offer more solutions in addition to pointing out the problems with news delivery.
Enter part two of Davis' and de la Fuente's class: product development. Students are working to incorporate their critical thinking into a design experience that makes sense, and to make their app customizable. Students identified ways to make the tool feel like a personal news guide. With one overarching goal in mind: restoring trust.
"Laura and Jenn never say, 'modify the old news model and make it newer,'" Tyner said. "It's always, 'How can we make something new?' It's always focused on the audience and user. Because for something to resonate with people, it has to be what they want rather than what the reporter wants."
Turns out, that's exactly the theme Davis and de la Fuente want to leave their students with.
"We can't control what the audience does," David said. "That is not our place. I've gotten the sense from legacy publications that they believe they know what's best, and the audience should conform. That is a failing strategy.
"You have to serve them. You have to let go of your way of doing things."
The onus should be on all news organizations to improve the news user experience. But places like USC Annenberg are in a unique position to lead, with more room to explore and offer outsider critique.
"I think it's important that it comes from the students," de la Fuente said. "We are arming them with the right tools and right way of thinking, and they can push the agenda forward.
"If a small crack has opened — maybe they can make a chasm and run through it.
Gretchen Parker McCartney was director of Media Relations for USC Annenberg. Prior to joining USC in 2010, she was a reporter for Us Weekly and a writer for The Associated Press and newspapers in Florida and Texas. Her work has appeared in publications all over the world; most recently, she was...
Annenberg Media
Annenberg Digital Lounge
myUSC
USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism | 3502 Watt Way | Los Angeles, California 90089-0281
© 2019 University of Southern California. All Rights Reserved.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: The standard way to get sizeof(promoted(x)) Is there a standard way to get the size of the type a variable would be promoted to when passed as a variadic argument?
auto x = ...;
auto y = sizeof(promoted(x));

The results should be:
char  -> sizeof(int)
int   -> sizeof(int)
float -> sizeof(double)
...

A: auto s = sizeof(+x);

should do the trick for integers.
+x makes use of the unary + operator, which performs integer promotion just like any other arithmetic operator.
I am not aware of any standard promotion rules for float that would apply here (in the integer promotion sense) since you can do arithmetic with them without promoting. If you always want to promote to at least double you can try
auto s = sizeof(x + 0.);

and then distinguish between floating point and integers before you get there.
Again, I do not think that you can handle integers and floating points at once because of the different meanings of "promotion" we are applying here.

A: We can simply declare overloaded promoted functions with the proper types:
int promoted(char);
int promoted(short);
int promoted(int);
long promoted(long);
long long promoted(long long);
double promoted(float);
double promoted(double);
long double promoted(long double);

Note that the functions need no implementations, because we are never actually calling them.
Here is a simple test run which prints 1, 4 and 4, 8 on my machine:
std::cout << sizeof('a') << '\n';
std::cout << sizeof(promoted('a')) << '\n';

std::cout << sizeof(3.14f) << '\n';
std::cout << sizeof(promoted(3.14f)) << '\n';

A: To generalise Baum mit Augen's answer, you could write function templates like this:
template <typename T>
auto promoted(T)
  -> std::enable_if_t<std::is_integral<T>::value, decltype(+T{})>;

template <typename T>
auto promoted(T)
  -> std::enable_if_t<std::is_floating_point<T>::value, decltype(T{}+0.)>;

//usage
sizeof(promoted(a))

Or a version using type traits:
template <typename T, typename = void>
struct promoted;

template <typename T>
struct promoted<T, std::enable_if_t<std::is_integral<T>::value>>
{ using type = decltype(+T{}); };

template <typename T>
struct promoted<T, std::enable_if_t<std::is_floating_point<T>::value>>
{ using type = decltype(T{} + 0.); };

template <typename T>
using promoted_t = typename promoted<T>::type;

//usage
sizeof(promoted_t<decltype(a)>)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: how to add "android.library=true" with the "android update" command I want to build an Android project from command-line and want to add the android.library=true flag to the project.properties. I also want to do it with he the android command from the sdk and NOT add it manually to the file, because file- and property-names could change.
the command android update lib-project -p PATH does not add this flag anymore.
the command android create lib-project ... does "add" this flag, but overrides some files like string resources
So my question is: it is possible with the android tool to make a project.properties that has this android.library flag set to true, and doesn't do much more?
What is the difference between android update project and android update lib-project beside I cannot use some flags in lib-project?

A: From http://developer.android.com/tools/projects/projects-cmdline.html#UpdatingLibraryProject
With android update lib-project you can only update the build target and the path.
Check your command
This is the syntax to update the lib-project
android update lib-project \
--target  \
--path path/to/your/project
you are trying to update with just -p
Answering your second question the command name itself tells the answer that "android update project" is used to update the projects which is not a library project but a normal project. whereas "android update lib-project" is used to update the library projects.


Last night I attended one of Camberwell's premiere fashion events Stylelights Runway Show 2014. It's a great opportunity for local retailers to show us some of the fashions that are currently in their stores. It's always a great night and a fun social event.
After being wined and dined, we were treated to a runway show from than 20 stores including new retailers Sportscraft, Taking Shape and international boutique OSKA. Favourites such as Feathers, Meredith and Susan also made an appearance. Boutiques such as Esse, Bojangles and Sisca showcased some their current fashion trends as did Gidget and Sportsgirl. The men weren't neglected either- Esprit, Country Road and Cavalier showed us some of their favourite Winter looks for 2014.


text:
/**
 * Generates the style sheet that we need to use
 */
function generateStyleSheet(colors) {
  var styleEl = document.getElementById('nfe_style');
  if (!styleEl) {
    styleEl = document.createElement('style');
    styleEl.type = 'text/css';
    styleEl.id = 'nfe_style';
    document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(styleEl);
    if (colors.nofollow_fg && colors.nofollow_bg) {
      styleEl.appendChild(document.createTextNode('a.nfe-extension-link.nfe-nofollow, a.nfe-extension-link.nfe-nofollow * {color: #' + colors.nofollow_fg + '; background-color: #' + colors.nofollow_bg+ ' !important;}'));
      styleEl.appendChild(document.createTextNode('a.nfe-extension-link.nfe-nofollow img {border: 6px solid #' + colors.nofollow_bg + ' !important;}'));
    }
    if (colors.follow_fg && colors.follow_bg) {
      styleEl.appendChild(document.createTextNode('a.nfe-extension-link.nfe-follow, a.nfe-extension-link.nfe-follow * {color: #' + colors.follow_fg + '; background-color: #' + colors.follow_bg+ ' !important;}'));
      styleEl.appendChild(document.createTextNode('a.nfe-extension-link.nfe-follow img {border: 6px solid #' + colors.follow_bg + ' !important;}'));
    }
  }
}

/**
 * Applies Nofollow Highlighter classes
 */
function applyClasses(domains, colors) {
  $('a').each(function (index, el) {
    var $el = $(el);
    var href = $el.attr('href');
    if (href) {
      var matches = $el.attr('href').match(/^https?\:\/\/([^\/?#]+)(?:[\/?#]|$)/i);
      var domain = matches && matches[1];
      if (domain) {
        generateStyleSheet(colors);
        for (var i = 0; i < domains.length; i++) {
          // only root domains will be in the settings. Check that host ends with the domain
          if (domain.toLowerCase().indexOf(domains[i].toLowerCase(), domain.length - domains[i].length) !== -1) {
            $el.addClass('nfe-extension-link');
            if ($el.attr("rel") && $el.attr("rel").split(' ').indexOf("nofollow") > -1) {
              $el.addClass('nfe-nofollow');
            } else {
              $el.addClass('nfe-follow');
            }
            break;
          }
        }
      }
    }
  });
}

/**
 * Removes all Nofollow Highlighter classes
 */
function removeClasses() {
  var links = $('.nfe-extension-link');
  links.removeClass('nfe-extension-link');
  links.removeClass('nfe-follow');
  links.removeClass('nfe-nofollow');
}

/*
 * Listeners
 */

chrome.runtime.onMessage.addListener(
  function(req, sender, sendResponse) {
    if (req.show) {
      applyClasses(req.domains, req.colors);
    } else {
      removeClasses();
    }

    // ack back to background script
    sendResponse({ok: true});
  }
);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY INTRODUCES AWARDS FOR PRODUCTION DESIGN AND EDITING
This year's 23rd European Film Awards will see the re-launch of two award categories: EUROPEAN PRODUCTION DESIGNER and EUROPEAN EDITOR.
The move has been decided by the Board of the European Film Academy during
their latest meeting in Berlin and reflects the distinct wish by EFA
Members to honour the outstanding contribution of production designers and
editors to European film culture.
The two awards replace the Prix d'Excellence which honoured achievements
in the different film crafts. The recipients will be elected by the more
than 2,000 members of the European Film Academy. They will vote from a
list of three nominations in each of these categories, chosen from the
selection list of around 40 recommended films.
The European Film Awards 2010 will be celebrated in Tallinn, Estonia, on 4
Berlin, 2 February 2010
Pascal Edelmann
Head of Press & PR
EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY e.V.
tel. +49 - 30 - 887 167 - 0
fax +49 - 30 - 887 167 - 77
http://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/
Director: Marion Döring / registered at Amtsgericht Charlottenburg 14236 Nz
THE 23rd EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS:
Tallinn / Estonia, 4 Dec 2010
Published in Festivals


to enhance peoples' overall experience with RIVA speakers.
RIVA's patented Trillium™ audio technology delivers stereophonic sound from each individual speaker so every seat is the best seat in the house.
The RIVA team's advanced understanding of physics, acoustics, and psychoacoustics resulted in the invention of Trillium, a new method for sound reproduction. Trillium up- mixes the left-right stereo signal and outputs it through three channels of amplification and seven transducers to create a stereophonic image much larger than the actual speaker size.
Active speakers, positioned left, center and right, mix in-air to create virtual left and right speakers outside the enclosure.
Passive radiators use a symmetrical arrangement to balance the vibrational forces. With physics, we convert more of the drivers' energy into sound.
This creates a wider listening area with locked center image location which means every seat is the best seat in the house.
Customize your music how YOU want!
Use the RIVA WAND app to customize your listening experience with one of the following modes to suite your taste.
Designate speakers as dedicated left/right channels to customize your listening experience.
Enjoy stereophonic sound from each individual speaker with RIVA's patented Trillium technology.
Turn it up to 11! Power Mode is ideal for outdoor use or if you really want to wake up the neighbors.
Get the most out of your RIVA WAND speakers!
We recommend placing your speakers about 3 – 6 in (8 – 15 cm) from a corner or wall to take advantage of the natural acoustics of the room.
RIVA's active drivers are high-output, wide bandwidth, compact speakers that deliver a much broader range of the musical spectrum without colorization or distortion.
Our proprietary passive radiators are designed with dedicated dual suspensions and custom bobbins and frames to support the highly impressive low-frequency performance.


text:
use strict;
use warnings;

use PostgresNode;
use Test::More tests => 4;

my $node = get_new_node('main');
$node->init;
$node->start;

$node->issues_sql_like(
	[ 'vacuumdb', '--analyze-in-stages', 'postgres' ],
	qr/statement:\ SET\ default_statistics_target=1;\ SET\ vacuum_cost_delay=0;
                   .*statement:\ ANALYZE
                   .*statement:\ SET\ default_statistics_target=10;\ RESET\ vacuum_cost_delay;
                   .*statement:\ ANALYZE
                   .*statement:\ RESET\ default_statistics_target;
                   .*statement:\ ANALYZE/sx,
	'analyze three times');

$node->issues_sql_like(
	[ 'vacuumdb', '--analyze-in-stages', '--all' ],
	qr/statement:\ SET\ default_statistics_target=1;\ SET\ vacuum_cost_delay=0;
                   .*statement:\ ANALYZE
                   .*statement:\ SET\ default_statistics_target=1;\ SET\ vacuum_cost_delay=0;
                   .*statement:\ ANALYZE
                   .*statement:\ SET\ default_statistics_target=10;\ RESET\ vacuum_cost_delay;
                   .*statement:\ ANALYZE
                   .*statement:\ SET\ default_statistics_target=10;\ RESET\ vacuum_cost_delay;
                   .*statement:\ ANALYZE
                   .*statement:\ RESET\ default_statistics_target;
                   .*statement:\ ANALYZE
                   .*statement:\ RESET\ default_statistics_target;
                   .*statement:\ ANALYZE/sx,
	'analyze more than one database in stages');


text:
-Circuit of Champions (60)
-G-KING (3)
-Neo League 0001 (63)
Neo League 0120 - NL#0135: Bulleta vs Koto
Description: Koto, one of the curent Neo League season's most prolific fighters is matched against the seemingly innocent B.B. Hood. A battle for points and League supremacy eventually shows itself to be something else entirely when the bounty hunter makes a play to capture something more valuable than either: a hero's trust. (Winner: Bulleta)
[KOTO]
Neo League always has sometimes interesting locations. Koto had bene flown out to get a good look before hand at the Urquhart Castle. And here he was just wandering a bit as he looked about. The front of the castle where the whole fight was to take place had him actually looking a bit upwards, around, and more so looking at different structures a bit.
Obviously, the teenage student is a bit impressed by it, too! He hasn't even changed into his costume for the fight yet as he stands there in his more casual clothes at the moment. Camoflauge pants, some Japanese show's costumed heroes on his black shirt, and a pair of tennis shoes. Seriously, he doesn't look like much of a fighter at all other than being in pretty good shape. "Wow. I never thought they would have us come out to Scotland!"
He looks around, "So, who am I fighting, anyways? Please don't tell me it's Abigail again! That guy hits like a truck!" He asks, then blinks. "Oh yeah. I should transform first, too."
The young man slides into a stance, then moves his hands to near his waist before crossing his left arm over and sliding it across rather quickly, "HEEENSHIN!" A bright prismatic glow covers him, leaving him in a bit of an odd costumed look much like the characters that were on his shirt's back before hand. The silver additions and the black suit with blue and silver accents is just a bit strange. Like someone mashed up some of the more popular costumed hero ideas of Japan's more popular live action shows to make it work.
[BULLETA]
'Mega Dragon Fighter J-Dragon' is a costumed fighter who made the Southtown News last month by stopping a Darkstalker attack.
Koto Mukai, a Pacific High student who's among the most active participants in the current Neo-League season.
'B.B. Hood' is a Seijyun High student who made it into a number of FightLeak compilations with her clumsy, accidentally effective style and borderline-deranged love for the missing actress Jezebel Faiblesse.
'Bulleta', a monster hunter who'll do just about anything to just about anyone in the name of her bottom-line.
A meeting was inevitable: 'J-Dragon', after all, represents a potential ally and/or rival in the shadow-world where Bulleta prowls, and Koto?
Koto's a lucky break. Koto means no lurking on the periphery of future incidents, waiting to see how much mayhem it takes to draw a superhero into action while weighing professional curiosity against profit. Koto has the courtesy to make himself /easy/ to find, easy to corner; all it took was a plain envelope appearing on the right desk, with the right amount of Yen.
"... ohmygod," B.B. Hood gasps into her hands as he transforms. Near the edge of the audience, the girl's wearing a red hoodie, a gold-trimmed red mask over her nose and mouth, and a long, white skirt patterned with red flowers. A large, tan satchel hangs from her shoulder, its straps now clasped in a death-grip. Koto could easily be forgiven for overlooking her when seeking her opponent: she has a way of letting her shy uncertainty function as active camo in a crowd, and she's /small/ to boot. Koto, at least, has a healthy form to suggest his prowess; B.B. Hood, on the other hand...
"M-me," she stammers with a tentative step forward. A few helpful hands gently nudge her further towards the fighting stage once she makes herself known, then she plasters a smile on and offers a small, stiff wave. "I-- I am, hi-- ohmy/god/, haaa..."
B.B. Hood barely looks as if she belongs in the /audience/ of a high stakes fighting event, much less in its ring.
Stammering becomes a drawn out sigh, which becomes quick, jagged breaths. A couple beats later, when they settle, she thrusts a hand forward while painting her face with best approximation of determination a terrified girl can manage.
"It's-- it's really nice to meet you," she quietly offers. "I can't believe they'd send us here /either/, /wow/..."
COMBATSYS: Bulleta has started a fight here.
Bulleta 0/-------/-======|
Koto blinks a few times. "Uh... you sure, kid? I mean, you don't exactly /look/ like a fighter."
Koto reaches up to scratch a bit on the top of his helmet. So far, anyone he has faced has at least looked the part. Now? Well... girl in white dress, red hooded cape, and just carrying a satchel?
So very, very not fighter. Koto looks very, very confused as far as his body stance since his face can't be seen. It's not exactly well hidden there.
Looking over at the camera crews, he calls out, "Hey, can someone make sure she's really my opponent? I swear I'm going to feel bad about this if she is. She's too cute." He, of course, is not mentioning past fights. Eve and Hinata at least looked half-way cute, and one pegged him with shoes for crying out loud.
"I--"
B.B. Hood swallows a lump and lowers her eyes. A tiny hand wrings the strap as she does her best to keep her breathing steady.
"I know," she murmurs.
B.B. Hood happens to be the Red League Pro belt holder. She won it during a fight she didn't sign up for, from an opponent who didn't even want it, and wound up forfeiting the match after getting her face slashed. This may be why there's no response to Koto's request for confirmation: whether it does anything to suggest her worthiness for /this/ fight is questionable, but whether or not she's here on purpose, less so.
"I just... ... it's been a hard few months, and-- and I /need/ this. I need-- I need /something/-- I'm not GOOD at anything, but I've gotta-- I've gotta EAT, y'know? I've got bills, a-and-- and it's just /me/, now, and..." She sucks in a breath and releases with a shudder.
"A-and-- and I promise I'll do my best not to waste your time, if you'll just-- just give me a chance... okay?"
Whether Koto takes the offered handshake or not, she'll punctuate her plea by jerking her free hand back to assume a parody of a boxing stance. A bobbing, weaving, tilting, fumbling--
-- stumbling, after her foot catches a rock, or a crack, or-- /something/ on the ground--
-- stance. A surprised shriek accompanies the stumble forward-- a surprised shriek and a satchel whipping rapidly towards Koto's ribs.
A satchel much, /much/ heavier and harder than it looks while it casually dangles from B.B.'s shoulder.
COMBATSYS: Koto has joined the fight here.
Bulleta 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Koto
COMBATSYS: Koto blocks Bulleta's Tricky Basket.
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Bulleta 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Koto
Koto does at least shake hands. Then moves back to his own stance. Which is probably the only thing that saves him, even if he gets brought to a knee by heavy satchel shennanigans blasting him across the forearm and a head. "What the hell!?"
Moving quickly, Koto tries to snag that satchel with a glowing, prismatic palm as he attempts to get behind the young girl, hand trying to get on the small of her back as he holds on to what appears to be the main weapon in an attempt to well... not be smacked repeatedly by an overgrown satchel filled with who knows what.
"What in the world do you have in there, kid? That thing feels like a ton of bricks!" Koto asks, even though his palms are no longer glowing once he's in position at least.
COMBATSYS: Koto successfully hits Bulleta with Becoming the Moon.
Bulleta 1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0 Koto
What's in the satchel? It's a fair question. A /good/ question.
Another, more visceral shriek rings out when Koto seizes B.B. Hood and raw psionic energy courses through her body. Limbs twitch and jitter as her nervous system briefly fails her, inundated as it is by foreign power.
Another good question: what's in B.B. Hood's pockets?
It takes a couple seconds before she can do /more/ than twitch-- for trained discipline to kick against thrumming pain and /force/ her right hand to move the way /she/ wants it to-- towards the two-sided pocket sewn into the hoodie's front.
"C-- can't-- c-can't-- tell--" she manages to strain out through the litany of little screams and pained cries following the initial shriek.
"S-s-- sec-- secret--!"
A box cutter.
A box cutter's tightly gripped and ready when, with one last howl, she wrenches around in his grip and tries to buy herself some space the easy way, with a blade across Koto's belly.
COMBATSYS: Bulleta successfully hits Koto with Random Strike.
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Bulleta 1/----===/=======|===----\-------\0 Koto
Fortunately that suit seems to be made of some tough material! The box cutter barely gets a bit of bleeding going on it from the looks, but still... it did manage to make it through.
Of course, it gets her free but she's uncomfortably close. His stance, however, seems to have changed a bit. Instead of the more open and wider stance he had before, he's now stepped back to avoid the majority of well... a box cutter.
It still means he can do something, however, as he moves in a step, swinging his back leg straight at her legs to try to flat out sweep and toss her away at the same time. No prismatic energies at all going on, just one hell of a good kick at her legs.
COMBATSYS: Bulleta blocks Koto's Tsunami Sweep.
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Bulleta 1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0 Koto
B.B. Hood gets the space she wanted; she just has to suffer a few more bruises that she would've liked to get it after Koto throws her. Every revolution she makes brings the satchel /hammering/ into the ground, filling the air with stormy crashes and leaving a line of damaged stonework. The initial fall roughly drove the air from her lungs so the tumbling ends with her flat on her back, panting.
"S... s... sorry...!" she gasps between breaths, once the satchel falls one more time and comes to rest in a shallow crater. A fumbling thumb draws the blade back into its housing. "I-I-I-- I panicked, I--"
Another, gulping swallow, then she rolls to her belly and slowly pushes herself up on her hands and knees.
"I-it brings back all kinds of me-memories, being-- being /grabbed/ like that...!" B.B. shivers and hunches her shoulders briefly, then hauls herself upright, where she wobbles for another moment before returning to the awkward, tentative she calls a fighting stance. At least it doesn't last long before she finds it within herself to return to the free, charging directly at the costumed powerhouse while the satchel dangles--
-- no, /spins/ at her side, whirling through increasingly rapid revolutions thanks to firm but subtle twitches of her left wrist. It's all's very brave, a great show of determination from a young fighter who must've lucked her way into the ring today.
And it ends when one of those revolutions goes wildly out of control, breaking her pace by jerking her several steps forward. She manages to catch herself with flailing arms and careful balance on one leg, but the satchel keeps going-- keeps falling, angling towards Koto's toros.
COMBATSYS: Koto fails to interrupt Shyness & Strike from Bulleta with J-Punch.
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Bulleta 1/=======/=======|=======\-------\0 Koto
Well, Koto was watching that satchel this time. Especially when she starts swinging it around.
"So... uh... yeah. That whole box cutter thing kinda hurts, you know?" He winces a bit, checking where the box cutter went across his midsection before bringing his hands back to a guarding stance.
And well, here comes that satchel again! Koto does the valiant thing and instead of attempting to block, tries to punch the thing instead. Which ends up still smacking him away pretty freaking hard. Afterwards, Koto is shaking his hand from the rather painful impact of fist even grazing that satchel.
"Ow." He shakes his hand. "... geez. Some kid's kicking my butt all over the place. What gives?"
Koto draws back for a punch.
The basket strikes before he does.
Beneath the mask, Bulleta smiles while shock fills B.B. Hood's eyes.
"I'm sorry! I just--"
Sputtering as she takes a beat to let the satchel fall back to her side while collecting herself, she leans slightly forward to squint at his injuries. Her jaw visibly works beneath the mask as the smile falls into nervous lip-chewing.
"I /have/ to win," she whispers. "I have to, I /have/ to, I-- aaaah!"
It's not much of a kiai, but it accompanies a lunging, hooking punch aimed for the rip in Koto's armor, just the same. In the brief moment it takes to snap her fist out and - hopefully - bring it back in, clumsy awkwardness somehow manages to accomodate stiff precision with a blow that only leaves her extended and unguarded for as long as it takes to be thrown.
COMBATSYS: Bulleta successfully hits Koto with Medium Strike.
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Bulleta 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\===----\1 Koto
The punch to his stomach has Koto actually holding his stomach and stumbling a step or two back. And well... that /has/ to hurt, even if Koto might have a bleeding heart...
He seems to glare at the girl. "Go back home already..."
Koto's hands come up. If she was a bit wild, his were a bit more focused as his stance slides wider, and his arms come around to cross before him at about waist level in front, then slide upwards into a plus sign.
He seems to slightly, just slightly hestiate before he calls out, "AURORA BURST!" It looks like he decided to stop taking things so easy on the apparently sweet, innocent girl.
Especially as he's unleashing what looks like literal rainbow colored hell at the girl with a large beam of energy aimed straight for her.
COMBATSYS: Bulleta dodges Koto's Aurora Burst.
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Bulleta 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=------\-------\0 Koto
B.B. Hood shudders and recoils from the rebuke. It takes a moment before she can even open her eyes, much less look at him.
"I-- I-- I-I-- I CAN'T!" she finally bursts while her eyes squeeze shut again. Deceptively dangerous fists curl near her cheeks as her whole body goes rigid with the strain of keeping a cracked dam from breaking. "M-my-- my parents are-- they're DEAD--! They got EATEN, th-th-- they-- they-- th-- there were men in black boots, but th-they-- they weren't MEN, they were..."
Welling blue eyes rove between Koto's visor and his arms as rainbow scintillas swirl. An echo of her last brush with his power burns through her nerves and reminds her: 'Mega Dragon Fighter J-Dragon', 'Koto Mukai'... /who/ever, /what/ever this masked man is, deep down, he's nothing to play with. A /brush/ left her twitching and momentarily paralyzed.
Where, then, would whatever hellish torrent those crossed arms and that rainbow build-up portend leave her?
By his side, apparently.
It's /close/, even with the brief warning his stance provides - enough so that the satchel takes a portion of the blast and is sent whirling around her shoulders by the impact - but she manages to make it to his flank with a desperate-looking diagonal dive. Smoke curls from the faintly darkened spot marring the satchel's surface while B.B. Hood cowers on her belly with her hands clasped atop her head.
There are tears when looks up, as the torrent begins to fade.
"H-how-- how can I-- how can I go home...? What-- what even /is/ 'home' i-if-- if they're not /there/...?" she wonders in a wavering whisper.
Since she's /close/, and is /plenty/ familiar with how dangerous he can be if given an opening to capitalize on, she surging to her feet in the wake of that question and lunging to wrap her arms around his body. If she manages it, she'll cinch tight, locking him in a fierce embrace--
-- and spinning.
And spinning.
And spinning, and /spinning/, fast enough to stir the air around them and suck stone chips and other light debris into their orbit.
Fast enough that when she eventually releases him with a grunt and an upward thrust, he'll be sent /flying/ straight into the air.
But not too fast for a small card to slip from one of her sleeves into his belt before she lets go.
COMBATSYS: Bulleta successfully hits Koto with Sentimental Typhoon.
- Power hit! -
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Bulleta 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0 Koto
Koto did not expect to... well... now he's suddenly being whirled, and sent flying!? Like, seriously, how high did he go with that, and still spinning. Realizing that perhaps this isn't all like it seems has Koto growling a bit that he seemed to have been played so very well.
And even if he knows he's not going to like the impact, he can still use the whole spinning thing considering he's coming down near her at least.
There's a sudden glow around one of his legs before he unleashes one last shot in an attempt to at least make the girl think twice about the whole possible act or whatever it is as he calls out "THUNDER KICK!" on the way down, even if the move misses, considering he's landing almost on his head practically, it's still at least hopefully going to give her something to think about.
COMBATSYS: Koto prepares to take his last stand against Bulleta!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /// ]
COMBATSYS: Bulleta dodges Koto's Thunder Kick.
And then, realizing how cruel it is? Something within Koto just... snaps a bit as his kick causes him to spin, he further spins with his arms and ends up with that roundhouse kick coming around and spinning him to his feet rather than landing on his head and shoulders for a possible KO.
"That... was all an act, wasn't it?" He asks, looking to be breathing heavily, bleeding still, and all around not liking the fact that he had been played. At all.
The move narrowly misses, leaving another crack in the castle. B.B. Hood's on her stomach again, sans cowering. She manages to retake her feet in short order afterwards, then slowly exhales and wheels around to survey her...
... still-conscious, still /standing/ opponent.
He's /tough/.
This is /excellent/.
He's also pissed and suspicious. This is less excellent, but at least it isn't /new/. He confronts her directly; she recoils from him again as if the accusation was fired from a barrel.
"Wh-- what...?"
Bulleta takes just a moment to consider. He's... 'heroic', he's young. He bought the game wholeheartedly, for a while; questioned her worthiness openly, then hesitated to show him his.
His heart's big and open, full of noble aspirations. A somewhat predictable but nonetheless tricky mix when she needs him to do more than just stop fighting.
"I-- wh-why would I-- about /THAT/...? I-- I have pictures, J-Dragon, I-- I snuck through the police tape, after... I just. I had to s-/SEE/ them, one last time, e-even if..."
Her eyes fall as she unzips the satchel and reaches inside.
"... even if they were c-completely..."
She rummages until she finds a little bundle of props secured somewhere within, then runs her fingers over meticulously notched edges.
"... u-utterly... g-/god/...!"
Her hand comes free, sending a pair of gruesome photos flying his way. Each features a headless man and a blonde woman, both with a number of deep, ragged slashes all over their body. One's closer up than the other, trading a clear look at pooled blood for an intimate view of ruined flesh and exposed inner workings.
She gives him a tick to process before darting forward, looking to slam into his midsection and tackle him to the ground.
COMBATSYS: Koto endures Bulleta's Medium Throw.
~ Cruel hit! ~
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Bulleta 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\-------\0 Koto
"It's just /me/ out here," she whispers in his ear once he's close. Her voice is-- noticeably lower; there's a lot more mezzo in her soprano, now.
"Just little, lonely me, trying to get by however I /have/ to, without them... but. I'm sorry, Koto."
Her words are markedly steadier as they come out, too, with regret taking the place of fearful reservation.
"I know it's wrong, lying-- /acting/. But it wasn't for /you/..."
She does what she can to try and capture his gaze, given the mask, then deliberately turns her eyes towards the nearest camera.
"... it was for /them/. It's just /me/, and-- I knew I needed a /hook/ if anyone was gonna care about some orphan who wants to fight people. People-- people love an underdog, you know...? Especially if she can /win/."
Koto ends up on his back. He blinks a few times, probably more on the edge of passing out, but well... that's still very, very despicable. He didn't want to see half of those pictures that ended up in his face practically.
Nor did he want to hear her reasons. The lying. The act. He didn't care what it was for, really.
The only warning she has is that there's some weird symbol appearing underneath them A large, prismatic symbol. That quickly surrounds one of his fists as he unleashes a super charged punch at her to make her back away, even as he falls over. "Dragon... Punch..."
Then he ends up falling over, still bleeding a bit from the box cutter wound. Still, it's obvious that maybe she did at least get to him a little. Maybe.
COMBATSYS: Koto can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Bulleta 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
COMBATSYS: Bulleta full-parries Koto's Dragon Punch!!
The colorful sigil and the power it represents explode against that damn satchel. The build-up gave her time to jerk it into place; whatever it's made of allows it to survive bearing the brunt of a scorned hero;s vengeance.
Neither it nor the deceptive strength backing it are enough to keep the little manipulator who wields both from /flying/. (Psycho)Kinetic force sends her on a sharp trajectory that doesn't end until her back slams into a fading stone wall, at which point it becomes more of a brisk downward slide.
It takes a few seconds of sitting there, panting with the satchel clutched to her chest before she's able to retake her feet with a groan and a grimace.
The ref's already calling it, but she doesn't let him stop her from shuffling towards Koto until she's close enough to drop prone near his ear.
"You're probably /mad/," she whispers, "and you /deserve/ to be... but I can make it up to you. All I wanted to do was /meet/ you, Koto-- to meet someone else brave enough to fight /monsters/, all by himself. Someone who wants to protect children and their parents from the worst things on Earth. Check your belt when you wake up..."
A quick take over her shoulder, towards the incoming ref and ring announcer, then it's back to the costumed hero:
"... check it, and give me a chance to make this right. I'm nobody's /hero/, but you /are/... and neither of us should have to do this alone, should we...?"
Once she's said her piece to the fading young man, she hops to her feet, wobbles a little, then staggers a few steps forward to meet the incoming officials.
The cameras gets a lensful of shock and watery-eyed astonishment as her hand is raised.
The card is off-white with red text. 'B.B. HOOD' is engraved across the top in a faintly ornate font, followed by 'Bounty Hunter' in slightly smaller, more subdued lettering. A few lines beneath it, there's a phone number.
'SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY', reads the final line.
COMBATSYS: Bulleta has ended the fight here.
Log created on 12:56:17 12/11/2018 by Bulleta, and last modified on 12:39:03 12/12/2018.