Month: October 2022

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Dear Cat’s

Something about me that everyone who knows me can tell you that I love cats. I always knew I was a cat person since I was a child. What attracts me about them is their curious and independent nature. They have so much love to give, but they also want their own space. I guess I can relate to that since I tend to be a very independent person that enjoys my alone time. And they are so cute and funny. 

First came our cat Cookies. Some cats have intuition. They can just sense when a person or family is kind. She was pregnant when she wandered at our door and gave birth to a litter cat’s. I pleaded with my parents to keep her. My mom could not say no to little old me or to a defenseless animal that just gave birth, so we watched the kittens grow up and slowly adopted them out to loving homes. Cookies lived with us eleven great years before she said her goodbye to us.

Next came Gino. I had just entered middle school when my mom picked me up and told me my dad had found a little kitten hiding behind one of our trees. He is a white cat with brown and black spots on his face and body. His eyes are blue and round. I think Gino might have been traumatized from the time he spent outside alone because he is an extremely nervous cat. He reminds me a lot of Courage, the Cowardly dog. He jumps at the sound of anything. Anyways, Gino hid for several days behind our tree before finally coming out. But I held out hope he would approach us one day. He must have been hungry and thirsty because one day he approached my dad and caressed his face against my dad’s leg. It has been 16 years and I am glad to say Gino is still with us. He has watched me grow from a young girl to a woman. And I have watched him grow from a kitten to an old man. He cannot run like he used to. His brown and black hairs have now been replaced with white hairs. Watching him grow old reminds me that time has passed, and I have grown older as well. I fear for the day he leaves because it will mark the end of a chapter of my life, but most importantly, it will be like losing a best friend.

 

 

 

 

 In the last four years, my family has adopted three more cats: Foxy, Herb, and Pepper. Foxy is the mother of Herb and Pepper. First, Foxy is a grey and white cat with big green eyes. And Herb is a greyish cat with blue eyes. He is very fat, and I have reprimanded my parents about how fat they let him get. He is full of love. I do not think you will meet a more loving cat than him. Pepper is a grey and white fur ball that looks like Foxy. She is incredibly nervous, and she reminds me of Gino. Sometimes I make an excuse to visit my parents just to see the cats. Currently, only Gino lives with me. I take him everywhere. He has been there to see all my accomplishments and failures. He has always been my roommate. But I am interested in taking Herb off my parents’ hands to get him in shape. I am determined to get him healthy. 

I have always had a soft spot for cats. I used to spend my teenage years volunteering at San Antonio Pets alive and bottle-feeding kittens. Friends would tell me they had cats, and I would come over just to meet them. Sometimes my parents would convince me to go to relative’s houses I did not want to go to if they told me they had cats. Oftentimes cats are misunderstood. People always say they are mean and use that to justify their dislike for cats. They say that cats just scratch and hiss, but the truth is cats are extremely loving creatures. They will only do that if they have grown up abused, have never been around humans, or if they are in a situation where they are in danger. I guess the negative things a lot of people say about them have driven me closer to them. Even negative stereotypes that have been passed on for years like “the crazy cat lady” or saying black cats bring bad luck is harmful because it has added on to the negative image people give cats. And it discourages people from wanting to adopt cats. All these lies I see spread about cats makes me feel like I need to protect them. They are defenseless creatures. But they are also amazing companions. Was this all a persuasive piece to convince you to love cats? Maybe. But now you know a little bit about me and my never-ending love for feline creatures

 

 

 

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Mass Effect: Immersive Storytelling

Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition - EA Official Site

Over the last few months me and my roommate been laying a game called Mass Effect. It is about a distant future where humanity and other alien civilizations have colonized the known universe using technology left behind by advanced civilizations that have now been wide out. You play as a Commander Shepard, a lieutenant commander for the space capital. You spend the game assembling a team of highly trained aliens and humans as you uncover the mystery of a threatening alien race. There are three mainline games in the series, currently, I’m on the second game, Mass Effect 2, and I’ve been loving every minute of the match, particulate the story. Mass Effect has a unique way of telling its story, as it puts the player in Commander Shepard’s shoes and uses many different narrative techniques to make you feel immersed in the game’s story and lore. I wanted to share some of my favorite parts that Mass Effect has to offer when it comes to the way it immerses the player.

Dialogue Wheel

In many video games, when a cut scene plays out, it usually feels like you’re watching a movie everything plays out a certain way, with very little freedom for the player to make decisions and take control. In Mass Effect, whenever Commander Shepard is about to say something in a cutscene, the game reveals a dialogue wheel, with 2-6 dialogue options, depending on the conversation, that the player can choose to make Commander Shepard say.  The player chooses how the cutscenes play out since they have full control of what the main character says. This makes talking to characters in the game so much more interesting, as you can find out as much as you want. If you disagree with a character’s decision, you have a dialogue option to call them out on their behavior. However, if you agree with them you have another option to support their decisions. This makes the story so much more compelling since you have a say in most of it.

9 Amazing Video Game Features You'll NEVER See In Anything Else – Page 5

Some dialogue options may just give you different answers from characters, however, sometimes the dialogue makes drastic changes to the story, like making you choose which member of your team will have to sacrifice themselves. This raises the stakes since almost everything in the game is on you, the good and the bad, naming your choice of words is very important. At times I feel like I’m Shepard like I’m there commanding my team or discussing with the enemy. The game has several options of dialogue for different play styles. If you like talking your way out of situations, at times if you say the right things you can talk your way out of fighting the enemy or saving a person’s life. Or if you like immediately causing chaos, you can cut the conversations off short and just start shooting people. This freedom of choice makes me feel immersed in the way I play since I’m not only playing during the combat segments but in the cutscene segments as well.

Shepard’s Team

Your squad plays a very important role in the Mass Effect games. Throughout the three games, find characters that over time slowly fill up your squad. Your team is comprised of several different alien species, coming from all sorts of different backgrounds, such as assassins, scientists, soldiers, and more. You pick members to go on missions with you, helping you eliminate enemies and get to your goal. While in other games you have merely allies that are always with you, Mass Effect takes it a step further. Over time, taking certain members of your team on missions more and more will increase their trust in you, making them fight better for you in missions. You can also talk to your members separately on your ship, They have scattered around between missions. Talking to your members will give you a backstory on where they come from and what their desires are, increasing their trust in you and building their loyalty. I enjoy this mechanic since it makes me spend more time with these characters, and over time you begin to care about them since you know their traits, desires, and struggles throughout the series. There are certain members of my team that I like more than others, and the freedom of choice that Mass Effect gives me allows me to build loyalty with the ones I like.  These things are essential because you want your squad to like you. There will be moments in the game where situations get heated, and if a member of your team doesn’t have enough loyalty, they may turn on you.

Mass Effect 3 Companions Guide - SegmentNext

Also, if one of your team members dies, they don’t come back. They don’t respawn, if a member dies in your party, they won’t show up in the rest of the games, since your story continues through the trilogy. This adds stakes to your missions and decisions, you could have a strong bond with one of your squad mates, just for them to die. You feel these deaths more emotionally since you may have taken the time to build loyalty with them.

I’ve really enjoyed my time with Mass Effect and its immersive storytelling. If you have an interest in video games, I would greatly suggest playing the Mass Effect trilogy and getting yourself invested in the lore, characters, dialogue, and story these games have to offer.

 

 

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Fate of the Future, Chapter 1

An old oil rig that turned into a theme park. There are added drawings that suggest it has been turned into a permanent living situation in the apocalypse.

**This is the first Chapter of a story I’ve wanted to write for a while called Fate of the Future. 

I have lived on this waterlogged city all my life. The Oceanic Indoor Town of Science – Organics & Neurology, or as I prefer to call it OITSON. I find it rather amusing that a research facility would have such a competitive acronym, but I suppose it’s fitting.

A little info, my father is the head of the facility and everyone respects him, or fears him. Everyone here looks the same except me. I have pale blue-gray hair, gray eyes and freckled skin. My father makes me wear a wig, contacts, and enough makeup to suffocate me. Everyone has dark hair and blue, green, or hazel eyes.

Since I am a student, I have not been subjected to the experiments yet. After I turn 19, which is anytime now, I am to take a test that will forever determine my fate. Just. One. Test.

I have never failed a test before, but those are tests of right or wrong, black and white. This test has no right answer, just the answer that is right for you, gray. This answer doesn’t have to be one you like, though some have found their results satisfying, but I am afraid of mine. Afraid isn’t the right word…. dreading, no…. apprehensive….  gah, the right word isn’t important. Just like a lot of things that I would be pleased to have.

This facility has very little color. Colors are only for the use of coding documents and experiments. Otherwise, we are always in gray uniforms. An interesting thought, I guess I can’t say that the facility is colorless. Gray, white, and black are all colors, be them neutral and bland, but colors nonetheless. What no single soul knows, is that in my closet is a sketchbook. Just a regular textbook to the naked eye, but it contains my imagination on paper. It’s interesting, the human mind can draw things it’s never seen in reality. Though it has seen them within its own depths.

“Daughter,” Unfortunately, my lovely thought time draws to a close, I turn around to see the revered, if not dreadful, overlord of this cage himself, “it seems your time has come.”

I had been staring  out the window into the dark blue waters churning below me. Now, as I turn to face him, my hands rest on the windowsill of the permanently closed window, and my shoulders roll back in a position that would make me appear taller and more confident. I don’t dare make eye contact, but stare just above him. “I suppose you are referring to my age count. I am one year older now?”

“Yes, indeed.” He says in a neutral tone.

Neutral is the word to describe his appearance. He has the fitting dark hair combed in the proper way so that his bangs were halfway down his forehead, reminding me of the optimism test, a glass halfway full and empty at the same time. I like to call it the paradox glass, though that is probably incorrect in some way. He has dark brown eyes that remind me of the manure I see in the gardening department when I sometimes walk around during a stormy day. His skin, like mine, is a pale milky white. I am slightly darker, but that is due to the light from the window.

“My test is later today, during normal school periods?” I ask, now looking around. He smiled wryly at my question and only nods in confirmation. My eyes reclaim focus on my alarm clock, Thursday, July 23, 34XX, 2:14 am, I found my birth time and date rather interesting.

“You know, I believe you will be put in a good position by this test.” He steps closer, “But if you don’t,” He grabs my chin and forces me to stare him in the eye, then spat his next words like venom, “you know what will happen?”

I shake his hand off me, not breaking eye contact, “Of course, you can expect no less.” He laughs dryly and leaves me in peace. I’ve told him, or should I say asked, not to say things of that nature, but he doesn’t seem to care.

I am supposed to be awake so that I will know the exact moment I come of age and no longer have the protection that blissfully ignorant and naive children receive at birth. Now that I have been notified, I can return back to bed and sleep slightly later than usual, since I no longer have class and the test is shorter than the first six hour period. However, my thoughts are racing. Father has expectations for me that reach higher than the lightning rod upon the central spire. I know I am capable, but he is a demanding sort that I have never been able to please. What will he do to me this time if he is unsatisfied? Fear overtakes my throat suddenly like a hand trying to crush the life from me. It is one of few familiar feelings.

— Sarah Guynn

 

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Tide continue to roll

The University of Alabama’s starting quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy Winner Bryce Young sustained a shoulder sprain in last Saturday’s contest against The University of Arkansas, causing him to exit the game. This forced backup quarterback Jalen Milroe to come in and fill the void, who lead the Crimson Tide to a 49-26 victory over the Razorbacks.

Milroe completed four of his nine passes for 65 yards and a touchdown, but most of his impact came with his legs. Milroe rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown, including an explosive run that gave the team new life. He gave their offense a different look than they normally have with Young.

Of course Alabama fans wish Young a speedy recovery, and hope to see him on the field as soon as possible, but if Milroe can beat a top 20 team like Arkansas, it brings into question whether or not they need Young to suit up right away. Could Milroe lead the Tide to victory (potentially multiple) until Young is back to his full health? They obviously have enough star power at the skill positions, with Jahmyr Gibbs and Jase McClellan being a violent one two punch and putting up great numbers out of the backfield. The tide has a more balanced passing attack this year as well, with a wider variety of wide receivers filling the void left by Jameson Williams.

Their defense is of course always going to be stout, and will keep them in games, per usual when coached by a Nick Saban team. This year it is led once again by Heisman candidate Will Anderson Jr. who is having a phenomenal start to his season. All positions aside from the quarterback would still be elite. The Tide are now left with a decision. Do you start an 70 to 75% Bryce Young? Or do you start an 100% Jalen Milroe.

Former Alabama starting quarterback Greg McElroy, who went 24-3 in his career, including leading the team to a national title, believes Milroe is the better option of the two, and makes great points to support his case. Milroe offers an athleticism and explosiveness that Young simply does not have, and is much more dynamic in the run game. He is also a capable enough passer to manage the game, and has the ability to use his legs to scramble when prompted. He can lead the Tide to victory against a sub-par Texas A&M team. 

That is not to say, however, that A&M is a walk in the park. They are well coached, have explosive athletes at all positions, and this game will be their ‘Super Bowl’, especially with all of the off season drama between Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher. This is certainly going to add fuel to the fire and add intensity for both players and fans, who are fighting to defend tradition, the team, their reputation, and their coaches. A&M is constantly at the top of the recruiting classes, and has tremendous talent. They are not a team to just gloss over.

If Milroe was to play in place of Young, their offense scheme will undoubtedly be run heavy, most likely involving a lot of designed runs for Milroe. Saban always has tricks up his sleeve, and prepares for any and all situations (just think back to Tua’s entrance into college football). He undoubtedly has an idea of what he would like to do if Milroe were the starter in the next few games. Opposing teams not having an extensive amount of game film on Milroe will absolutely be to the Tide’s advantage. Expect a lot of zone read, Pat White-Steve Slayton West Virginia circa 2007, because Milroe is that caliber of athlete.

The biggest pitfall to Milroe, is experience (or lack thereof). He simply has not played much, hardly at all compared to Young. In the game against Texas, Bryce Young was able to put the team on his shoulders towards the end of the game because of his vast experience playing on the biggest stages. His calm demeanor showed through in that game, and was an indication in large part of why the Tide came out victorious. It would not be out of the realm of possibilities that both quarterbacks dress the game, and Milroe starts. If he were to struggle and they need a bailout, Young could potentially come in as a last resort. Obviously they do not want to risk Young re-injuring that shoulder, or damaging it worse than it already is.

There is not an exact timetable on Young’s return, but they can only hope to have him on October 15, when Alabama faces The University of Tennessee, the number 8 team in the country. This will be their first matchup against a top ten team this season (assuming a Tennessee win this week), and their first real test of the season.

 

 

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Balancing school, work and a social life? Here are some tips for surviving college.

These days the majority of students find themselves trying to juggle the responsibility of being not only full-time students but also part-time workers to provide for themselves. On top of all of that, we are expected to and want to experience the social aspect of college too.  It may seem absolutly impossible to be in so many places at one time, which is why I wanted to share just a few of the things, i feel keep my cool, calm, and collected throughout my hectic weeks.

Today, I wanted to share a few things I do throughout the weeks to avoid getting burnt out quickly.

One of the main things I do to help prepare for my week is resetting. I know everybody says “Sunday reset,” but as someone who works every Saturday and Sunday, I find it better to do my reset on Monday. The key part of my weekly reset is to clean my room. Getting all of the laundry done, making your bed, and putting everything back where it belongs makes me feel so much more peaceful. I know everyone has different schedules and my process may not fit yours, but as humans, we need to find a few hours in each day to breathe.  Mondays usually include a coffee run for me as well. Some of my favorite coffee spots in San Marcos are:

  • Joe’s Coffee House
  • Summer Moon
  • Mochas ad Javas
  • Lampost

Another thing I find beneficial for preventing burn out is taking a few hours in the gym each week. I find starting my day with a run or some yoga just helps to kickstart my day. Working out is a very good stress relief and it is something er csn do absolutly anywhere. No one needs a state of the art gym to get active everyday. Youtuube is filled witht imed workouts that do not require any equipament and can be done from the comfort of your bed room floor. Getting outside and going for a nice 30 minute to hour long walk is also very relaxing in the morning. If you live in an apartment complex, you may have acces to a gym. Utilizing the gyms some of these complexs have is so covienient,

Another way to unwind from your day is to treat yourself to a little jight time spa routine. Having a relaxing end- of- day skin care routine can be soemthing you look forward to every night. This gives you a few minutes of reserved time at the end of your day to papmper yousefl, even if it is only for a couple of minutes.

Another thing I try to do two or three times a week is cook myself dinner. No, there is not need to go all out and cook yourself a five star meal, but someting as simple as a pre made cesar salad from H-E-B can be a great dinner. My roomates and I find outselves making quick and easy chicken cesear salads multiple times a week by air- frying chicken nuggets and chopping them up over a ceaser salad.

Hanging out with the people you like is super important as a college kid. You have to find a few hours during the week to unwind and just enjoy some conversation with your friends. If you are close with your roommates, a roommate movie nigh could be just what you are your friends need. You can call a few friends and just take a few hours to talk and catch up. My roommates and I find ourselves curling up on the couch at least once a day. Somedays we watch movies and chat, and other days we just catch up for a few minutes in between the next obligation we are headed to. Having some time to forget about the crazy dayto day of college is absolutly 100% necesary to making it through college. As students, I think we find outselves so caught up in due dates, and chapter quizzes that we forget we are also here to have a little bit of fun. Now, fun within limits of course. Getting stuck in the whirlwind of going out is also a very serious problem. You don’t want to over do it so much it messes with your grades, but you need to enough so you can stop worrying about all of the things you need to do weighing on you.

I know the words unwind and relax were heavily used today but we need to understand that these are things we need to do to keep out mental health afloat. College causes so much anxiety these days you truly owe it to yourself.

I hope that these few tips I was able to give you can help you all to release some stress, and remmeber that at the end of the day, you are doing your absolute best and that is all that matters.

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NFL Quarter of the Season Surprising Teams and Disappointing Teams

We are one month into the new N-F-L season and boy has it been one of the most interesting starts to an N-F-L season I have ever seen. From weeks one to four, we have seen many highs for N-F-L teams and we have seen a lot of lows for certain N-F-L teams. One thing is for certain though, the N-F-L season is still young and there are plenty of teams that can turn it around after a slow start and there are also teams that start out hot to begin the first quarter of the season and then cool off towards the end of the season.

I want to start off by highlighting some teams that have surprised me the most through four weeks. One team that has definitely surprised me the most to start this season has got to be the Philadelphia Eagles. If you would have told me in the month of July that the Philadelphia Eagles not only traded for and signed wide receiver AJ Brown, Jalen Hurts will play like an M-V-P quarterback, the Eagles defense will be one of the best units in the league, and that the Eagles would be the only undefeated team left in the N-F-L through four weeks, I would tell you that you are out of your mind. But that is exactly what happened and the Eagles if they can keep this up, not only have a great chance to win there division, but to perhaps go on a deep playoff run in the month of January.

Another team that I want to highlight that is off to a surprising start that I did not see coming has to be the Miami Dolphins who are currently as of today three and one. The reason why I am shocked at their surging start is due to the fact that during the offseason, the Miami Dolphins had a lot of changes to the coaching staff and the roster as a whole. The Miami Dolphins have also had to deal a lot of scandals during the offseason and during the season. One of those scandals was former head coach Brian Flores filing a lawsuit against the Dolphins accusing them of intentionally paying to lose games. Another scandal that hit the Dolphins was tampering with Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and former N-F-L head coach Sean Payton. After those scandals hit, the Dolphins managed to persevere into the N-F-L with a new head coach named Mike McDaniel and a new wide receiver who they traded for named Tyreek Hill, former Kansas City Chiefs receiver now Miami Dolphin. Overall, the Dolphins as of this point can be a good dark horse candidate for the playoffs in a loaded A-F-C conference, but, for the Dolphins to be good for the rest of the season, it will all be on their quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa.

After naming my surprising teams so far this season, lets name some disappointing teams so far a quarter way into this young N-F-L season. One of those disappointing teams that have to be named has to be the Indianapolis Colts. The reason why I put the Indianapolis Colts on this list is not only due to how badly they finished last season, losing the final two games of the season to miss the playoffs but, through four weeks, the Colts have a record of one win, two losses, and one tie. Safe to say, the Colts are off to a slow start to begin this season. The other reason why the Colts have to be on the list is due to the fact that the reason why they traded for quarterback Matt Ryan was due to the fact that with Carson Wentz, they only won nine games and he struggled during that season. The Colts believed that with Matt Ryan, they could win more than nine games. But so far to this point, Matt Ryan is struggling at the quarterback position due to old age, bad offensive line play, and the overall team is struggling as a whole whether that is with playing against division opponents like the Jaguars and Titans or having to battle injuries to the likes of Michael Pittman jr and Shaquille Leonard.

The other team that I am disappointed with so far this season has to be the Las Vegas Raiders. The reason being is because before yesterday’s victory against the Denver Broncos, the Raiders were the only team besides the Houston Texans to not win a game so far this season. I am also disappointed in the Raiders due to the fact that after last season of winning ten games and making the playoffs with former head coach now special teams coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, Rich Bisaccia, they got even better by trading for one of the best receivers in the N-F-L named Davante Adams and hiring Josh McDaniels to be their head coach for this season. Even after all of those moves, the Raiders have one big problem and if they want to redeem themselves and be off the disappointing list, the defense has to get better and Derek Carr has to play like he did last year and will his teams to victory out of thin air.

This N-F-L season is very young and many things can change as the season goes on. But so far, teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and the Miami Dolphins have surprised me the most while teams like the Indianapolis Colts and the Las Vegas Raiders have been disappointing to me.

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Sasha Banks and Naomi, The Game Changers

Courtesy of the WWE

When you recognize the names Sasha Banks and Naomi you are probably a wrestling fan. You might now even call yourself a wrestling fan and know the names due to the popularity of these two women. They have become some of the biggest names in women’s professional wrestling in the last decade. Later, I will try to list their accomplishments, and it is defiantly going to take some time.

If you have been keeping up with professional wrestling in the last 6 months, you would know that has been suspended by the WWE indefinitely. WWE announcers Corey Graves and Michael Cole made public statements saying they left the live taping of Monday Night Raw and that their actions are “disappointing.” No one truly knows what happened in that situation but there have been many rumors. Some people say that Sasha and Naomi felt like the WWE was “burying” the women’s tag division and they felt disrespected. That title has not been used consistently as other titles in the WWE. Rumors also say that the plan was for Naomi to face the RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair. Simultaneously Sasha was supposed to face the then Smackdown Women’s champion, Ronda Rousey. I know personally, a Naomi vs Bianca match feud sounds amazing, but we all know how it will end. We all know the feuds during that time were due to the women champions not having challengers. I can understand why Sasha Banks and Naomi are frustrated about being champions and having a WrestleMania victory and then losing in a program that does not promote your championships legacy.

Speaking of legacy both women have many accomplishments that very few women can compete with. I will start by listing Naomi’s achievements.

  • Number 30 in WWE 50 Greatest Women Superstars of ALL Time
  • Inaugural FCW Divas Champion
  • Ranked No. 7 in the PWI Female 50 in 2015
  • Most Welcome Heel Turn (2015) by Rolling Stone
  • WWE Smackdowns Women’s Champion (2 times)
  • First Black WWE SmackDown Champions
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion
  • A part of the first Black Woman to win the Women Tag Team Champion’s
  • First ever WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal
  • Most Underrated Superstar of the Year (2018)
  • Numerous Main Event Matches
  • Numerous WrestleMania matches and 3 wins
  • Cast member Total Diva reality show

I’m not sure how much I missed but I feel like I covered most of it. Besides all the history she made being a part of Total Divas was very groundbreaking as well. Total Divas was very successful and are a reason more women have watched WWE in the past decade. Also, some current WWE Superstars credit Total Divas for joining the WWE such as Bianca Belair. Naomi was a main cast member from Seasons 1-4 and 6-9.  She ties with Nikki and Brie Bella on being on the most seasons. Right underneath Natalya who was a main cast member every season.

Now on to the legit Boss, The Standard, The Blueprint Sasha Banks. She has accomplished things that every woman in the industry wants to have. Let me start.

  • Number 6 in WWE 50 Greatest Women Superstars of ALL Time
  • CBS Tag Team of the Year (2020) with Bayley
  • ESPY Awards Best WWE Moment (2021) – Banks and Bianca Belair make history as the first Black women to main-event WrestleMania
  • Independent Wrestling Entertainment Women’s Championship
  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated

o                      Match of the Year (2015) vs. Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Respect

o                      Woman of the Year (2015)

o                      Feud of the Year (2016) vs. Charlotte Flair

o                      Feud of the Year (2020) vs. Bayley

o                      Tag Team of the Year (2020) – with Bayley

o                      Ranked No. 2 of the top 50 female wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2016

o                      Ranked No. 3 of the top 50 tag teams in the PWI Tag Team 50 in 2020 – with Bayley

  • Rolling Stone

o                      Future Diva of the Year (2015)

o                      Ranked No. 4 of the 10 best WWE wrestlers of 2016

o                      NXT Match of the Year (2015) vs. Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn

o                      Title Feud of the Year, NXT (2015) vs. Bayley for the NXT Women’s Championship

  • Sirius XM Busted Open Radio

o                      Wrestler of the Year (2020)

o                      Tag Team of the Year (2020) – with Bayley

  • Sports Illustrated

o                      Ranked No. 8 of the top 10 female wrestlers in 2019 – tied with Bayley

o                      Wrestler of the Year (2020)

  • WWE

o                      NXT Women’s Championship (1 time)

o                      WWE Raw Women’s Championship (5 times)

o                      WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship (1 time)

o                      WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Bayley (2), and Naomi (1)

o                      Fourth WWE Women’s Triple Crown Champion

o                      Third WWE Women’s Grand Slam Champion

o                      NXT Year-End Award (1 time)

  • Match of the Year (2015) vs. Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn
  • Slammy Award (2 times)
  • Female Superstar of the Year (2020)
  • Double-Cross of the Year (2020) – Bayley attacks Sasha Banks on SmackDown (September 4)
  • Bumpy Award (1 time)
    • Tag Team of the Half-Year (2020) – with Bayley
    • Best Match of the Half-Year (2021) – vs. Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 37

This woman has been the face of WWE for some parts of her career, and it is easy to know why. Look at what she has accomplished.

Hopefully in the next few months, these women can come back to WWE and show what the world has been missing. They are missed and they are special. The wrestling community has been missing out, but I know the WWE Universe will rejoice when they come back.

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Dual Of the Fates: a Masterpiece

Star Wars. one of the most influential and successful film franchises of all time.  Fans have been watching Star Wars for nearing 50 years now , and they’ve gone through a rollercoaster of experiences at the hands of Lucasfilm and most recently Disney. Whether it be the original destroying of the Death Star in the original New Hope movie in 1977, or the death of the beloved Han Solo in The Force Awakens. Whatever the moment is , every Star Wars fan has a moment that they love the most and hold dear to their heart. Me personally, we’ll have to go back to the not so popular Episode I: The Phantom Menace. I believe that the Duel of Fates scene in the end of the film and the scores role in the prequel trilogy. I think that this moment and the musics evolution and meaning in the 3 prequel movies, is the catalyst of the Star Wars universe and really transcends the film it was written for.

John Williams is the mastermind behind many of the themes from film that most people can hum from memory, Jaws, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, and of course Star Wars just to name a few. Every Star Wars fan knows the scene, Darth Maul, one of the few things that is universally loved from the prequels, black and red war painted face, double ended lightsaber wielding Sith Lord, is faced against the noble Qui Gon Jin and his padewan young Obi Wan Kenobi. what seems to be a simple evil vs good battle, but just as we find in the film’s title , there is more than what meets the eye with the Dual of the Fates lightsaber dual. Williams scores have this enate ability to feel as though they are these massive , almost religious experiences that seemingly have been echoing since the beginning of time, they’re just that powerful. And Dual of the Fates is certainly no exception. Darth Maul’s entrance is flanked with low bass fan fare, the rest of the sound comes in, with pumping orchestra strings, low woodwinds, the French horns, all stacking on top of each other, building the melody up and up to what I think sets this piece apart from anything else , The choir, this jarring almost frenzied choral of 80 people tiered perfectly. This choir is the most powerful thing ever heard from a film score, enough to send shivers down your spine.

Ultimately this rollercoaster of a scene is just that a rollercoaster, rising and falling taking by the seat of your pants, and finally releasing you as Qui Gon Jin being defeated by Darth Maul, and his Padewan Obi Wan avenging him by slicing Darth Maul in half. While this is one of the best lightsaber duels in the whole Star Wars universe, I think its the way this song fits into the plot and the overarching story of the prequel trilogies that makes it so transcendental.

In the first movie the plot involves young Anakin Skywalker, Qui Gon and Obi Wan find the young bound to be most powerful Sith Lord of all time on a small desert planet Tatooine. Qui Gon quickly senses that this boy has the potential to become the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, some could even say “the chosen one”. After winning a pod race, Anakin is released from his slave role, and is set off with Qui Gon and Obi-wan to become a Jedi. These plans are disrupted as when Qui-Gon returns to Coursaunt, the Jedi counsel tell him that he cannot take young Anakin as his padewan as he already has one in Obi-wan, also Jedi Master Yoda proclaims that he senses the boy’s future is clouded. Qui-Gon is displeased with this news and really plans to take Anakin under his wing against the counsel’s wishes. Obviously this plan gets cut short as he is defeated by Darth Maul, Obi-wan goes on to take in Anakin as a padewan as to continue this deceased master’s final wishes, even though he isn’t the most fond of the boy and wants to follow the Jedi counsels orders. Long story short Anakin becomes Darth Vader, if you didn’t know. Now I can hear you asking, where does Dual of the Fates come into this? In the title itself.

 

 

 

What I find so monumental about this piece of music is that this is the crux of the entire Star Wars universe and not many people see it. The battle between Maul , Kenobi, and Qui Gon, is the battle for the fate of Anakin Skywalker, the two fates of the chosen one are fighting physically. On one hand if Qui-Gon lives, he presumably takes Anakin under his wing and makes him become a noble Jedi such as he , but what ends up being the result on the other hand , is that Obi-Wan reluctantly takes Anakin in and we see young Skywalker develop into the Sith Lord Darth Vader. I think that the title of Dual of the Fates is so powerful within itself that the whole first movie could have been titled that.

What makes Dual of the Fates transcend the Phantom Menace though is that it is played throughout the rest of the trilogy whenever Anakin is at a cross road. For example in Episode II when Anakin finds out that the sand people have captured and tourtured his mother to death, as he races to the village on the speeder, the faint melody of Dual of the Fates being played in the background. Anakin’s fate is once again on the fence, Anakin eventually ends up slaughtering the entire village, the women, the children, like animals. But this piece of music that in the first movie represented the universe’s tussle with fate is heard in the background, if Anakin doesn’t act on his feelings of hate and fear, he isn’t going to be led further to the dark-side, instead the dark side pulls the chosen one further into it’s grasp. The song is heard once again in episode III after Anakin is officially dubbed lord Vader and is going to kill the younglings at the Jedi temple. Anakin’s fate is in constant turmoil, until the end of the Revenge of the Sith where we see the dark side fully encompass Anakin Skywalker and produce Lord Vader.

The entire original Trilogy rests on Luke’s battle with His father Darth Vader, the entire thing, thus making the Dual of the Fates Battle in episode I the most pivotal moment in all of Star Wars for me. And the score more than justifies that, the entire FATE of the universe rests on Qui-Gon’s death, without this battle, there may have never been a Death Star or an unlikely hero from Tatooine having to fight his father for the sake of the universe. This is why Duel of The Fates transcends the prequels, the entire fate of the galaxy, and cinemas most iconic villas, rests upon and is felt in this masterpiece of a score,

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The Experience of People of Color in the LGBTQ+ Community

In today’s LGBTQ+ community, there lays a troubling issue that many have given voice to. POCs (people of color, who aren’t white or not only white) are treated differently, often in a negative light.

Racism, microaggressions, sexualization/fetishization, and ousting. These are just some of the things POCs face day-to-day as they continue to show pride in a community that causes them hardships along with the ones they already face in the cisgender, heterosexual communities.

For example, on the basis of gay men of color, “The racial hierarchy of desire had several negative consequences for gay men of color. First, gay men of color often reported having to ‘play the game,’ in order to find sexual partners. That is, they often engaged in sexual activity for the pleasure of white sexual partners, making their own sexual needs secondary. More damaging was the impact that sexual racism had on the self-esteem of gay men of color. Gay men of color often felt marginalized and frustrated in the larger gay community as a result of their sexual exclusion. Thus, sexual racism had both a sexual and social consequence for gay men of color.” (Han and Choi, 2018)

Social oppression can also cause health issues on individuals. Mental and physical issues are often the most documented concerns among oppressed communities. LGBTQ+ people are at a higher risk of mental health issues compared to the general population. Such as depression, anxiety, substance use, and even suicide.

People of color in the LGBTQ+ community are what led to the need for change for our rights and ways of living. For instance, the Stonewall Riots on June 28th, 1969. Two transgender woman of color, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, are credited as leading the LGBTQ+ movement that was born from the riot. However, there are white, cisgender men in the community that try to erase our history by whitewashing.

In my own experience, I’ve faced multiple issues with the LGBTQ+ community. I identify as a queer, trans man, but where I face acceptance and love from much of my community, so do I face discrimination and prejudice. I am not the ideal type of muscle, abs, and white skin nor do I want to be. However, this is often what you see on the profiles of cisgender, gay man on dating apps who will unashamedly post, “No fats, no femmes [feminine gay men], no Asians/Latinos/Black people, etc.” These are popular ones to see for example.

“When desirability is linked with race, and when certain races are ascribed greater erotic interest than others, then to be a member of an ‘unsexy’ ethnic group is to be equated with an inferior form of existence.” (Jackson, 2000)

I cannot speak for the experience of every queer or trans POC in Austin, but I, myself, have had more bad experience than good. Discrimination, racism, prejudice, transphobia, masked heteronormative views. This are just some of the issues me and my friends have faced.

“Although we all share the same oppressors, white queer folks must come to terms with the fact that they play a role in the harm experienced by Black and Brown queer folks — a problem they could stop if they acknowledge the privilege they have…” (Johnson, 2019)

These issues cause toxicity and hate amongst the community. These issues can transcend to the younger generation who may be barely coming into their sexuality and/or gender identity, and are looking for a safe space hoping to come into. LGBTQ+ youths already face issues of higher suicide rates, being four times more likely to make a suicide attempt than their peers. It’s especially upsetting for the POC youths that are hoping for the same thing, only to have to deal with disgusting behavior when also having to deal with difficulties outside of the community such as home life, school, and social settings.

While there are many drawbacks, there’s also good. The community isn’t made up of just one group, but multiple. So for my future posts, I will be interviewing fellow LGBTQ+ POCs, discussing the issues and other matters of concern experienced in the community while also talking about the hopes for the future of the community.

 

CITATIONS:

Peter A Jackson (2000) ‘That’s what rice queens study!’ white gay desire and representing Asian homosexualities, Journal of Australian Studies, 24:65, 181-188, DOI: 10.1080/14443050009387602

Han CS, Choi KH. Very Few People Say “No Whites”: Gay Men of Color and The Racial Politics of Desire. Sociol Spectr. 2018;38(3):145-161. doi: 10.1080/02732173.2018.1469444. Epub 2018 Jul 6. PMID: 30906102; PMCID: PMC6426121.

Johnson, G. (2019, 30 May). Opinion | White gay privilege exists all year, but it hurts the most during Pride. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/white-gay-privilege-exists-all-year-it-particularly-hurtful-during-ncna1024961.