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OK, it's a wall of text this week, you'll find out why.
Real-time events: Desmond is on the helicopter with Sayid and Frank, looking at a picture of Penny. Frank is flying on the same coordinates that Daniel informed him of, and Sayid becomes worried when they lead them straight into a thunderstorm. They experience some turbulence and Frank reassures Sayid that they will be safe. The turbulence becomes progressively worse and Frank struggles to remain on the correct bearing. The helicopter begins to drift from the 305 heading and suddenly Desmond begins experiencing flashes. Flashtime:Desmond wakes up in a military barrack as a drill begins. His Sergeant starts to shout at him because he did not respond promptly to the wake up call. He demands an explanation and Desmond explains he was having a very vivid dream about being on a helicopter, flying over the ocean, before reaching a thunderstorm. The Sergeant comments that it was at least a military dream but still mocks Desmond. As punishment for Desmond's lack of concentration the Sergeant orders the entire regiment to get ready for the morning routine in double time, 4 minutes instead of the normal 8 minutes. Real-time events: Desmond wakes up in present time after his flash and is noticeably disorientated. He struggles with his seatbelt and is panicking, appearing as if he wants to jump out of the helicopter. Sayid tries to calm him down, asking him if everything is okay. Desmond, puzzled and afraid, ask Sayid's name, not recognizing him. Desmond then pulls out of his pocket the picture of him and Penny, which appears to relax him. The thunderstorm soon clears and the helicopter lands on the freighter. Keamy and Omar come running toward Frank, asking who Desmond and Sayid are and why he brought them with him. Frank explains that they are survivors from Flight 815 to which Keamy replies that he shouldn't have brought them on board. Desmond is distressed and starts yelling that he doesn't know Sayid and Frank. Sayid attempts to calm him down but to no avail. Keamy says he will take Desmond down to the sick bay to let their doctor take a look at him and then Sayid can see him again. Sayid grudgingly agrees. As they go to escort Desmond, Keamy tells him that he is from Las Vegas whilst Omar is from California. They last ported Fiji so at least they know they are still in the Pacific. After this, Desmond has another flash. Flashtime: Desmond is in the rain, standing while all the others in his regiment do crunches. His Sergeant ridicules him and makes the entire regiment run as a punishment for Desmond's erratic behavior. Afterward, Desmond speaks to one of his friends in the regiment, and tells him about his "dreams" he has been experiencing. His friend appears to be in disbelief but asks if there was anyone he knew in the "dream." Desmond then remembers that in the helicopter he was holding onto a photo of Penny. He ventures to a nearby phone booth to call her. However, just as he is about to go in, another person from his regiment comes out, bumping into him, sarcastically thanking him for the extra work the sergeant made them do on the account of Desmond's disobedience. As Desmond reaches down to pick up the dropped coins, his consciousness returns to the freighter. Real-time events: Keamy and Omar bring Desmond down to the sick bay, which they lock him in. Desmond panics and starts pounding on the door and screams to be let out. He hears a voice behind him saying "You have it, too." Turning, he sees a man lying on a bed, strapped to it. The man asks him if "it is happening" to Desmond as well. Back on the beach, Jack and Juliet are worrying about the helicopter, as they haven't heard from Desmond or Sayid for a day now. Juliet notices that Charlotte and Daniel are not so worried, even though the freighter is only 40 miles away - 20 minutes of flying, and questions them about it. Against Charlotte's advice, Daniel admits that the perception of time on the Island might be different than the time experienced off the Island. He says that as long Frank uses the bearings that were given to him, the people on the helicopter should be fine. If not, there could be "side-effects". Meanwhile, on the upper deck, Sayid is surveying the freighter. He notices a closed-circuit camera on the railing beside him. Looking up on a higher deck, he sees Keamy and Frank arguing. As Frank comes down the stairs to meet with Sayid, Sayid asks him why they left at dusk but arrived midday. Frank doesn't know. Sayid then asks for the phone, which Frank will only give him if Sayid gives him the gun. Sayid gives Frank the gun, and calls Jack. He tells him that Desmond doesn't seem to remember who they are. Jack then puts the phone on speaker. Daniel asks if Desmond has been subjected to intense dose of radiation, or electromagnetic energy. He then says that by coming out of the Island, some people "might get a little confused", but it is not amnesia. In the medical room, after Minkowski phases out, a doctor, Ray enters. Minkowski wakes up and tells Ray that "this" will happen to everyone else once they go back to the Island. The doctor injects Minkowski with a sedative. After this, the doctor checks out Desmond's eyes with a lamp, so he can "help him". In the middle of a phrase, Desmond has another flash. Flashtime: After picking up the coins on the floor, Desmond goes to a phone booth to call Penny. Troubled by his call, Penny tells him that he shouldn't be calling her as he broke off with her and then joined the army. She adds that she has moved. She hangs up after telling him to not call her anymore. When Desmond tries to answer her, the flash stops. Real-time events: Sayid comes down with Frank in the medic bay to bring the phone. The doctor pushes the alarm button. Sayid then quickly gives the phone to Desmond as on the other end is Daniel, who urgently wants to speak to him. Daniel asks him what year does he think he is in, to which Desmond answers 1996. Dan then asks where he is "supposed to be". When Desmond tells Daniel that he is supposed to be at the base, Daniel tells him to leave the phone booth he is in and catch a train to Oxford so that Desmond will be able to give Daniel a message in the past. When Omar and Keamy suddenly enter the bay to stop the call, Desmond has another flash. Flashtime: Desmond visits Daniel at Oxford. The 1996 Faraday is seemingly more neurotic than his 2004 counterpart. He chastises some students and rants to himself. When Desmond approaches and tells him that he has been to the future where Dan told him to find him in the past. Daniel is suspicious, feeling that his colleagues were trying to set him up. Desmond has the settings given by Daniel for Faraday's machine: 2.342 and 11 Hz, which piques his interest, but not satisfactorily. Desmond then uses his final piece of information: "I know about Eloise." Desmond then goes with Dan to a secret room, where Daniel does what "Oxford frowns upon". Daniel then asks Desmond if his future-him remembers this particular meeting between the two men, to which Desmond responds negatively. Desmond adds that "maybe you just forgot" to which Daniel laughs at the comment. Daniel then adds that you cannot change the future, he then puts on an anti-radiation vest. Desmond asks why he doesn't get one, but Daniel says that it is only used for prolonged exposure (as he does this kind of thing 20 times a day). Desmond asks why Daniel doesn't put something on his head, but Dan again laughs at the comment. Daniel then pulls out of a cage a rat, named Eloise, and puts it in a maze. After calibrating a machine situated just above the mouse via Des' indications, Daniel turns it on to "unstick Eloise in time". The machine emits a bright red ray on the rat and then stops. Quickly, Daniel takes off his anti-radiation vest and looks at the rat without doing anything yet as "she is not back yet". When she is, Daniel removes the little door at the beginning of the maze to let the rat walk in it and find the exit. Without any hesitation, the rats quickly finds the exit. Daniel is extremely happy but Desmond doesn't understand why this is incredible. Dan then answers that it is incredible because he built the maze the morning before, and he is not going to teach the rat how to run it until an hour later: he has sent her consciousness, her mind, in the future. Desmond then confronts Daniel as to why he sent him here if not to help him. He then adds that Daniel in the future is on an Island, to which Daniel replies: "Why would I go to an Island?" Real-time events: Back in the bay, Keamy takes the phone back from Desmond. He and Omar then bring Frank outside the room, as the captain wants to talk to him. Sayid adds that he too wants to talk to the captain, to which Keamy answers sarcastically: "I'll be sure to let him know. In the meantime have a seat." Des tries to "get back" using the doctor's lamp but doesn't succeed. After Sayid calls Desmond by name, Minkowski suddenly reacts, freshly woken up. He tells them that he is George Minkowski, the communication officer. Before they strapped him down there, all the calls to and from the boat went through him in the radio room. Every so often, a flashing light went on his console, an incoming call. They were under strict orders never to answer these call, which actually were made by Desmond's girlfriend: Penelope Widmore. Flashtime: Back from the "future", Desmond wakes up in Daniel's Oxford room. Daniel notices that Des was gone for 75 minutes and tells him that the more time he goes back and forth, the more it gets harder and harder as in his case the progression is exponential. Des then notices that the rat is dead, from a brain aneurysm. Desmond then confronts Daniel about that, but Dan says that he doesn't know if Des is going to also die. Eloise's brain short-circuited, she couldn't tell the difference between the past, the present and the future as she didn't have any thing to attach herself to: she did not have a constant. Daniel then tells him about the need for Desmond to have a constant, something that is present in both times and that he really cares about. Desmond then jumps to the phone and calls his constant, Penny, but the number has been disconnected. Real-time events: When Desmond returns to his 2004 conscience, he knows he has to contact Penny. He tells that to Sayid, but Minkowski interrupts their conversation and says that two days earlier, someone sabotaged all the equipment. All communications with the mainland has been lost. Minkowski could have fixed it, but then he went nuts. Sayid then asks where is the radio room and frees Minkowski so he can show them the way. Sayid also asks how they are going to get out of the room, but Minkowski notices that the door is open: they seem to have "a friend on this boat". Desmond notices that George has started to bleed from his nose. They prepare to leave. Flashtime: In 1996, Charles Widmore is present at an auction for lot 2342, the ledger of the Black Rock's first mate. The contents have not been published and are unknown to anyone outside the seller, Tovard Hanso's, family. Charles wins the auction for 380 000 pounds. Meanwhile, Desmond has arrived at the auction and is trying to get past the guard to talk to Widmore. After the auction ends, Widmore walks out and agrees to talk to Desmond quickly. At the men's bathroom, Desmond tells him that he needs to get in touch with Penny. He doesn't know how to reach her as her number has been disconnected. After Widmore talks about Des' cowardice and his "second thoughts", he ultimately gives him her address so that she can tell him herself that she hates him. Just as Des is about to close the sink, the flash ends. Real-time events: On the boat, Sayid, Minkowski and Desmond are going to the sabotaged radio room. Minkowski says that "it" is happening faster and is getting harder. Desmond then asks to George how it happened to him. Minkowski tells him that they were bored out of their minds, waiting for their orders, anchored "here", so him and Brandon, another crew member, decided to take the ship's tender to see the Island. But Brandon started acting crazy so they turned around. Soon after, Brandon died and Minkowski went nuts. Sayid looks at the destroyed equipment and asks Minkowski "who did this". George doesn't seem to know and adds that he feels sorry for the person when the captain finds out. He then suddenly phases out again. Sayid then uses his military training expertise to repair the phone. Desmond notices a calendar: "it's 2004". Sayid sees it also and notes that it's almost Christmas. Desmond starts to bleed from his nose, and suddenly Minkowski has a fit and bleeds from his face. Minkowski's final 'trip' cost him his life, as he returned to 2004 he died, his last words being I can't get back. Flashtime: Desmond awakens in the same bathroom as before, the sink full of water. After refreshing his face, he goes to see Penny. She opens the door to a distraught Desmond in 1996. Despite clear signs that Penny wants to have a "clean break" from Desmond, the latter insists, pleading for her phone number. After entering the flat, he tells her that he needs her phone number so he can call her in 8 years (December 24th, 2004). Ultimately, after a bit of reassuring, Penny gives Desmond her number: 7946 0893. Real-time events: Desmond comes back from another time skip and tells Sayid the London phone number. Sayid repairs the phone, dials it, and then gives it to Desmond. Desmond then engages in a heartwarming phone call with Penny, preparing Christmas; she has been looking for him for 3 years, also confirming to Desmond of her conversation with the late Charlie. She knows about the Island, she has researched it, and is trying to find him. After they exchange their love for each other, the battery dies out. A happy Desmond then thanks Sayid, seemingly having remembered everything. He is now "perfect". On the beach, Daniel begins flipping through his diary until he comes to a page that reads: "If anything goes wrong, Desmond Hume will be my constant."
Written by: Melaisis (Since Dee advertises Lost Alon3 here; I'm doing the same for the obviously superior 3scapism)
A lot has happened since our last update, so much so that I've actually had to plan out this post in advance. We've had reviews submitted ranging from the Sims 2 to Devil May Cry 4, covering all possible genres. I'd like to take this opportunity to not only thank our contributors (both old and new) but also the community for consistently supporting the blog. Currently we receive around 50 unique views a day, mostly down to our subscription service and publicity programming (see below). Thank you all once again for both reading and writing. 3scapism's Expansion Efforts (3EE?): Steam group, Escapist note, Game Revolution. None-review thread of the month:Franchises that NEED to die.
As a side note, a few people have asked how writers are contacted to have their reviews published on 3scapism. I usually use the medium of telepathy, or if that fails, simply message the person I want on the Escapist forums. What determines what people I pick? Well the ability to spell usually sets the current contributors out from the crowd. Quotes from Yahztee every three lines is a big no-no (understandable, but really; if we wanted some of Ben's humour, we'd go watch his reviews) and a decent length to each in flowing prose is what attracts me (and our readers, it appears) to sign people up to 3scapism.
That's it for this month, really. Don't forget to donate (for Christ's sake; someone get the ball rolling. One penny or something!?) and keep reading.
Locke wakes up in a house in the Barracks. He goes downstairs to makes eggs and slices up a melon. He takes the breakfast down to Ben, who's locked in the basement in the same room in which Locke's father was previously constrained. Locke comments that they are the last two eggs at Ben's house. Ben belittles John for being so desperate, unable to figure out what he should do next. He cites Locke's recent failure to find Jacob's cabin as evidence and tells Locke he is now "more lost than he's ever been" as he is now even asking Ben's help. Locke tells Ben he knows what he's trying to do and proceeds to leave the room, with the breakfast, before Ben can manipulate him. However, Ben's words have already had their effect on John who violently throws the tray of food at the wall. Ben hears John's frustration from within his cell. Meanwhile, Kate is sitting on a porch drinking coffee with Claire, when Sawyer appears. Claire goes to make Sawyer coffee, and Sawyer offers Kate a room in his house. Kate tells him she is not moving in with him and at the mention of possible pregnancy, Kate tells him to leave. Back at the beach, Jin and Sun are trying to decide where to live once they leave the island. Jin is studying a map and mentions Albuquerque and New York. Sun says she wants to "raise [ her ] baby at home," back in Seoul, Korea. Jin reminds Sun that the the child is "our baby". Before Sun can respond, Jack, Daniel, Charlotte, and Juliet return. Jack tells them that Sayid and Desmond have left on a helicopter, re-assuring them that rescue will arrive for the rest of the group soon. When Sun asks Jack where Kate is, he admits that she has decided to stay with Locke's group but does not know why. At the Barracks, Kate goes to Locke's house and asks to speak to Miles. Locke declines and warns Kate that while she may think she is living in a democracy, with the way Jack ran things, she is not anymore. Kate seems surprised by Locke's attitude and calls it a dictatorship, to which Locke tells her that if it were a dictatorship, he would have shot her in the head and gone on with his day. He then tells Kate when dinner will be ready and ends the conversation. Kate approaches Hurley and tricks him into telling her that Miles was moved from the Rec Room to the Boathouse. She promises not to do anything and heads to confront Miles. Once inside, as though in a panicked rush, Kate demands to know if Miles knows who she is. Miles won't answer her until she does a favor for him. Kate replies that she cannot free him, but Miles says that he is exactly where he wants to be. The favor he is referring to is to have one minute with Ben. At the beach, Daniel observes the various DHARMA boxes as Jack tries to contact the freighter. Juliet asks Jack if he should try another number on the satellite phone, like 911, as no one is answering to the number given by the freighter people. Sun then asks Jack about Sayid, and if he's made it to the freighter yet. Jack says that he can't get to the people on the freighter. After Sun starts to wonder if Locke was right, and the freighter people are here to hurt the survivors, Jack quickly replies that Locke has no idea of what he is doing. Sun then asks why Kate stayed with Locke if he's so wrong. Over at the Barracks, Claire and Kate hang up the laundry. When Aaron starts to cry, Claire asks Kate if she can get him for her. Kate, visibly embarrassed, says that she is not very good with babies, she doesn't want to upset Aaron. He is then picked up by Claire as Kate adds that the former is so good with "him". Claire then laughs and says that it is the last thing she ever thought she would be good at: to be a mother. At Sawyer and Hurley's house, Kate appears, and they talk in the kitchen over DHARMA wine. Sawyer notes that Kate has been spending a lot of time with Claire and Aaron. Kate then asks Sawyer if he'll help her break out Ben. Sawyer then goes to Locke's house, at first asking to play backgammon, but then telling him, after having got Locke's word that he won't hurt Kate, that she wants to break Ben out so that he can talk to Miles. They go to the boathouse, but find it empty. Miles and Kate are meanwhile breaking into the basement of the house, and Miles goes to talk to Ben. Miles asks Ben if he knows who he is as well as who the man he works for is, to which Ben replies yes to both. Miles extorts Ben and says that he can tell his boss that Ben is dead, and "take care" of Charlotte, the only other one who knows he's alive, if Ben will give him 3.2 million dollars. Ben wonders why the amount is so precise. When Ben feigns his inability to get the money, Miles yells at him to not treat Miles like he's one of the Losties since he knows who Ben is and how powerful he is. Miles first gives Ben two days to come up with the money in cash, but as Ben is a prisoner, he gives him one week. Kate then pins Miles against the wall and demands he tell her what he knows about her. He admits he knows all about her. (The freighter crew have detailed information about everyone on the Flight 815 manifest). He then goes on by saying her full name, why she was on the plane, and then listing the various crimes she has committed. They attempt to leave, but Locke and Sawyer appear at the top of the stairway. Locke reclaims Miles, and demands that Kate return to her house. Later on, at her house, Kate listens to music as Claire arrives. Locke then shows up, wanting to talk to Kate alone. After finding out from her what Ben and Miles said to each other, Locke banishes her and tells her to leave by morning. Kate then goes to Sawyer, who says that if she wants to stay, he'll protect her from Locke. They become intimate. Back at the beach, Daniel and Charlotte are conducting a memory experiment with DHARMA playing cards. After being timed by Charlotte, Daniel can only remember two of three cards, and, contrary to what Charlotte says, he feels he is making no progress. Jack appears, demanding why the line isn't working and no one answers the phone. Charlotte reveals that she has an emergency number, but only in extreme cases can it be used. Juliet replies that it is an emergency and Charlotte then dials the emergency line. She says to Regina that the people want to talk to their friends, Sayid and Desmond, who left with Frank on the helicopter, and make sure they are all right. Regina states that she doesn't know what or whom Charlotte is talking about even though they left the night before. Regina then adds that she was under the impression that the helicopter was still on the island. Miles is tied up, back at the Boathouse. Locke enters, and instead of bringing breakfast, shoves a grenade in Miles's mouth and pulls the pin, so Miles's mouth is holding down the trigger mechanism. Locke tells him that if he doesn't talk, or lift his teeth from the trigger, he'll be fine. Locke calmly states that this is his punishment for breaking his rules. Locke then leaves Miles alone with the grenade in his mouth. Kate wakes up in Sawyer's bed, and wakes him with kisses. He says he understands that "she didn't want to go all the way last night" because "she was sad," but she again turns down his advances and Sawyer wonders aloud if it's because of the pregnancy. Kate states she is certain she is not pregnant. When Sawyer seems relieved, Kate becomes upset and begins to leave. Sawyer states that she'll come running back once she's mad at Jack again, and Kate slaps Sawyer across the face.
"HE'S RIGHT KATE, YOU SLAG!"
The following Flashforward section is from Lostpedia.
Kate and her lawyer arrive at a courthouse. Kate is hesitant about entering and asks if there is a back entrance. Her lawyer tells her that she will go in the front door with her head held high. Kate then puts on sunglasses, they both exit the car and they enter through a throng of reporters and protesters, with Kate's lawyer refusing to give any comments. Inside, court is called to session and the bailiff reads a list of Kate's charges which include fraud, arson, assault and murder. Kate pleads not guilty, which seems to shock the court's audience. The judge asks to hear arguments on bail, and the District Attorney requests that Kate be remanded (held without bail) for the duration of the trial. Kate's lawyer argues that she is not a flight risk because she is one of the most recognizable people in America, but the judge agrees with the District Attorney and orders Kate to be taken into custody. Later, Kate's lawyer meets her inside a prison parlor. The lawyer wants to make the case about who she is, rather than what she has done. He suggests that they bring Kate's son to the court to create sympathy towards her, but Kate refuses to involve him in her trial. After admittedly being damaged in the prosecution's opening statement, Kate's lawyer apologizes to Kate for what he has to do, and calls a clean-shaven Dr. Jack Shephard to the stand. Kate seems surprised. Once sworn in, Jack states that he knows Kate because he was also on Oceanic Flight 815 which crashed on an island in the South Pacific. Kate's lawyer asks him if he knew of Kate's fugitive status and how. Jack replies that it wasn't via the marshal telling him, as he died during the plane crash. It was Kate who later told him of her status. Jack then adds that, due to her character, he believed it to be a mistake. He also states there were only 8 survivors of the crash, all of which Kate helped get to shore and then to safety and treated them with first-aid. According to Jack, Kate was the one who helped the survivors. Before he can continue his testimony, Kate interrupts in protest. The DA then cross-examines with a single question: "Do you love the defendant?" Jack hesitates, then answers "not anymore." Later, Kate's mother approaches her. She asks why Kate didn't come see her. Kate references that the last time she contacted her, her mother shouted and then called the cops. Her mother tells Kate that the doctor told her she had "6 months to live for the past 4 years." She says she doesn't want to testify against Kate. Kate replies, "Then don't." Her mother implies that she wouldn't testify if she could see Kate's child. Kate refuses, saying she doesn't want her mother anywhere near her child. Back in court, the DA converses with her fellow attorneys and then comes to see the judge to tell him that Kate's mother cannot at present testify due to a health problem. The judge calls recess. During the recess, the district attorney offers Kate a deal of 4 years in prison. Kate's lawyer objects, claiming that the jury would never choose jail time for her, due to the heroic story and the fact that she was killing her father to save her mother from abuse. The DA then offers a deal of time served plus 10 years of in-state probation. Kate agrees over her lawyer's objection, telling the DA to give her something to sign because she just wants the whole thing behind her. She adds that she isn't going anywhere because she has a son. When leaving the courtroom out the back door, Kate spots her waiting taxi. Jack, after quickly exiting his big truck suddenly calls out for her. When asked how he knew she'd be there, Jack states her lawyer "owed him one." He tells her that he didn't mean what he said in court, apparently meaning that he still does love her. Kate tells him that she's heard him tell the story he told on the stand so many times that she thinks he's starting to actually believe it. Kate invites Jack back to her house to visit her and her son. He refuses, saying he has to get back to the hospital, but offers to meet for coffee instead. Kate tells him she understands why he doesn't want to see her son, but that until he does there won't be any talks over coffee. She then adds that if he ever changes his mind, he can come see them whenever he wants to. Kate arrives to her opulent home and is greeted warmly by a nanny. The nanny remarks that Kate's baby missed her badly, but he is now asleep upstairs. Kate enters his bedroom and he is revealed to be a toddler with very blond hair. The child wakes up, hugs Kate and calls her "mommy"; she calls him Aaron.
As part of my unofficial campaign to make, on average, one blog post spanning the entire Three Rs network per day, I've stumbled across this gem (which may hit a little too close to home for some) today. Uncovered on Game Revolution.
They are the stories written by Three Rs members. There was only ever three members who got a story in the book. That being; Me(4leeds), Jord(batlord) and Prodi(Ste). However as you may of realised. Jordan's story was never posted.
Why? Because fate stood in the way. First time I wrote the story out, my internet went down. Had I thought about it logically at the time and not spazz out because it repeatedly was turning off, I could of saved it in a Notepad file and posted it the next day. Anyway, the next day I tried again. Wrote the story out again and went to publish it again. However this time my computer decided now was the time to crash. So I just through the book in my room and gave up. So basically, here's attempt three.
The Nightmare
It was a dark night outside 56 Denver Street, storm clouds had been billowing for a few nights now and Jenny had been wondering if what they had saud was true.
Suddenly, but not unexpectedly, there was a knock on her bedroom door and a familiar voice sound in the room. 'Who's there?' Jenny asked. 'Your sister, Julianne . . . open the door,' she whispered so she didn't wake their parents. Jenny crept towards the door and opened it. 'Are you ready? I have the book,' Julianne whispered. 'Good, enter, we must be quick, you knowof my reluctance,' she said hastily.
They set up the equipment and opened the book to a page with a most grotesque picture; Jenny looked at all the photos in her room and wondered why she had agreed to do this. 'Are you read? Are you sure that you want to awaken the nightmare?' Julianne asked, slowly. 'Yes, it has to be done, anything is better than my current life.' Jenny mumbled.
They touched the crystal and loudly spoke the words that were not of any known language; everything fell silent. 'Did it work?' Jenny asked, rather casually. 'Yes,' came the reply. 'So, um . . . what now?' Jenny asked. 'Sleep, do not fear what is to come, for there is no turning back now.' Julianne wept as she said this.
Jenny went to bed and then slept, I guess what they had said about the nightmare was true . . . for she never awoke again.
Episode 3. Another Corker. And some serious thinking.
The Economist
This week it's all about...
...Sayid Jarrah.
Recap
The following flashforward section is from Lostpedia.
Sayid is seen playing golf in the Seychelles. Another man approaches on a golf cart and begins a conversation. Sayid seems reluctant to converse with him, saying that they paid a premium for privacy. The man recommends that Sayid use a five iron but he insists that his seven iron will be better. The other man suggests a bet of fifty euros, to which Sayid replies "Why not one hundred?" The man asks Sayid what he does for a living. Sayid replies that he does nothing and lives off of a substantial settlement he received from Oceanic Airlines. He reveals that he is one of the Oceanic 6. Upon hearing this, the man becomes visibly nervous. Despite having won the wager he declares that Sayid doesn't need to pay him, and attempts to leave. Sayid reaches down to his bag as if reaching for his wallet but comes up with a gun. He says "I insist, Mr. Avellino" just before he shoots the man dead and then calmly walks away from the scene. Some time later Sayid is in a cafe in Berlin, Germany. The only empty seat is at a table with a pretty blonde woman named Elsa. Sayid asks her for directions to Potsdamer Platz. She gives them to him and then introduces herself as Elsa. When Sayid asks her what she does she indicates that she works as a personal assistant for an unnamed economist. She carries a pager with which he will alert her when he is in Germany and needs her services. When she asks Sayid what he does he tells her that he is a corporate headhunter and will only be in town for one week. She then indicates that Sayid seems familiar to her. He offers to tell her where she knows him from over dinner that night. After leaving the cafe, Sayid calls someone on a cell phone and tells that person that he has "made contact". He throws the cell phone in the trash. The woman is apparently part of an assignment he is working on. On their fifth date, Sayid and Elsa are going to the opera. She seems very fond of Sayid and decides to leave her pager at home. She says that she does not care if her boss calls that night, she just wants to spend it with Sayid. After a moment's thought, Sayid offers to carry her pager, saying that he would not want her to be fired because of him. When she asks why he is still in Berlin, Sayid tells her that his job is taking longer than expected. She regretfully tells him that she wishes that she was the reason he was staying. Some time later, Sayid and Elsa are lying in bed, having just had sex. Elsa indicates that she is growing tired of not knowing anything about Sayid's job or background. She tells him that she loves him and that they should have no secrets. Sayid agrees, but just when he is about to tell her, Elsa's pager goes off. She begins scrambling to get dressed and respond to her boss's call. At this point Sayid tells her that she must leave. He says that people will be asking questions about what happened to her boss. At this point Elsa begins to understand what Sayid's job is. She accuses him of wanting to kill her boss. Sayid reveals that her boss is not an economist. Apparently upset, she retreats into the bathroom. When Sayid tries to talk to her she turns to him with a gun and shoots him. As Sayid lies bleeding on the bed, Elsa, still in the bathroom, calls someone on her cell phone, apparently the economist. She indicates that Sayid still will not tell her the name of his employer. As she talks, Sayid grabs an object and throws it against the mirror of the bathroom door, from which Elsa had been observing him. When she storms out he lunges for his gun and shoots her dead. When Sayid takes a closer look at the body, he sees that Elsa is wearing a bracelet similar to Naomi's. Later on, Sayid stumbles into a dimly lit veterinarian's office. He is still wounded from his shoot-out with Elsa. He proceeds into the operating room where someone tells him to take off his jacket. Sayid sits down and the unseen person begins treating and questioning him. The unseen voice wants to know what Elsa's objective had been. Sayid tells the man, his employer, that she had been trying to find out his identity and the identity of his employer. The camera cuts to reveal that the man is Ben. Ben tells Sayid that he has another name for Sayid's list. When Sayid expresses reluctance Ben asks him, "Do you remember what happened the last time you followed your heart?" and reminds Sayid that the work they are doing "protects your friends". Sayid explains that "they" know he is coming now, to which Ben merely smiles and replies, "Good."
As Sayid is meditating near the helicopter, Jack and Miles argue about what to do about Ben and Charlotte. Miles wants to go retrieve them but Jack is more cautious. Sayid crosses to Naomi's body and closes her eyes, covering her with a blanket. At the same time he removes a metal bracelet from her wrist and reads an inscription from the inside: "N, I'll always be with you. R.G." Sayid offers to go and retrieve Charlotte from Locke. He believes that he can do it safely, while Jack will only cause violence. He gets Frank to promise that if he brings Charlotte back, Frank will take Sayid to the freighter. Miles and Sayid prepare to go retrieve Charlotte. Jack suggests that Kate should go with them, and the three set off to the Barracks. Daniel takes the lull during Sayid's mission to perform an experiment. He sets up a tripod with a beacon and a clock on it. He then asks Frank for his phone so he can call Regina. Frank hands it over on the condition that if Minkowski answers, for him to hang up. Daniel agrees and phones the freighter, getting Regina. He asks her to send a small rocket to the beacon set on the tripod. Regina does so and begins counting down the geographic arrival of the missile, but when she says the rocket has reached the beacon, it has not. Daniel is confused for awhile, but when the missile finally arrives, he becomes intrigued. He compares the times on the missile and the tripod to see that they are different by 31 minutes. When Daniel calls Regina again, she is confused at the result - claiming that it was "weird". Daniel becomes very concerned, stating that this "goes beyond weird". When Sayid, Kate, and Miles reach the Barracks they find it apparently deserted. As they sneak around the settlement they hear thumping. Following the sound into a house they discover Hurley tied up in a closet. Hurley tells them that he was left behind by Locke. He says that Locke was threatening Charlotte and when Hurley tried to talk him out of it that Locke tied Hurley up in the closet. Hurley says that he doesn't know where the rest of Team Locke went, but that they were going to stop at Ben's house before they left. Sayid, Miles, and Kate head to Ben's house and begin to search it. While Kate searches the bedroom, Sayid notices grooves in the floor at the base of a bookshelf in the living room. When he moves it, he finds a hidden walk-in closet. In the closet are numerous sets of nice clothing and several bureaus. Opening drawers, Sayid finds masses of cash from different countries. In another drawer he finds several passports from different countries. Opening one of them he sees that the passport is Ben's as, presumably, are the others. In the bedroom, Kate is searching under Ben's bed when she sees a pair of feet enter the room. When she stands up she sees Sawyer. He motions for her to be quiet, but she immediately yells for Sayid. When Sayid runs out of the closet he finds Locke pointing a gun at him. In the kitchen, Rousseau has a gun pointed at Miles. As the three of them are herded together, Hurley appears and apologizes for lying to Sayid. Locke takes Sayid to the Others' game room, where Kate had been imprisoned before. There Sayid finds Ben also imprisoned. Meanwhile, Kate and Sawyer talk about why they decided to go with Jack and Locke, respectively. When Kate indicates her belief that the freighter people can get them off the Island, Sawyer asks her why she's so anxious to go back. Locke comes to see Sayid. Locke apologizes for the ruse but he says they weren't sure whether or not the three of them were alone. Sayid indicates that he does not trust Miles and his people either. He tells Locke that if he brings Charlotte back then he will be able to gain access to the freighter and be better able to ascertain their motives. When Locke indicates that he is unwilling to turn over Charlotte for nothing, Sayid suggests a trade. Back at the helicopter, Desmond confronts Frank about the picture Naomi had of him and Penelope. Frank says that he knows nothing about it and does not know Penelope. Desmond seems not to believe him and demands that Frank take him to the freighter on the next flight. Frank agrees. As they finish talking, they see Sayid coming over a hill. A moment later, Charlotte appears next to him. Kate and Miles are nowhere to be seen. When Jack asks what happened to Kate, Sayid tells him that she decided to stay with Locke. Sayid indicates that he had to trade Miles for Charlotte. Frank accuses Sayid of being dishonest about their deal, but agrees to take Sayid to the freighter because Miles was "always a pain in my ass". Frank offers to take a third person but both Charlotte and Dan indicate that they wish to remain on the Island for now. Sayid insists that they take Naomi's body. As Sayid and Desmond load Naomi into the chopper, Dan tells Frank that mo matter what happens, they must fly on the exact same heading on which they entered. Frank agrees to do as Dan says and lifts off, piloting the chopper off of the Island. If you look closely, it looks like Sayid has taken Naomi's bracelet off of her wrist, probably as he was loading her body into the chopper.
It's back. The Three Rs on Tour. Follow on from the infamous "Christmas Shopping with the Three Rs," the Three Rs decends upon another year calender event: St. Valentine's Day.
The day started with the thought of 3 single guys on the day of love. I'll just let your thoughts run wild for a few momments... And you're back. What do we do? Ste had a suggestion...
..."What about if we buy a good ol' VHS of everybody's favourite hunk Leonardo Di Caprio?" Scott was less then pleased. But that was possibly becuase Me and Ste left him in the queue at Home Bargins. We are not usually that mean... honest.
Fast forward past the noisey train journey to the grand city of (Dee4)Leeds. In the streets we decided it was time to take a photo. What of? Who with? I know! Strangers!
Though I do seem to recognise them from somewhere, I'm not sure where. The dark haired one seems to be familiar with "Hand Guns." No! Not his large penis! A gun which is his hand! Either way they both must be scary fellows, just look at Ste's face! Next, we decided to go to H&M.
...
"No Photo?" I hear you cry. That's because the bastards stopped us from taking any photos. Yeah, it's true. What exactly do they think we are going to do with the photos? Steal the designs? It's a piss take and we can clarify the "Rs" were less than happy. We had to do something dignified to make up for the sheer cock-up that was H&M. Too Waterstones! Various talks about books and such. All was calm. That was, until, Scott's eyes was drawn to a certain picture.
Typical Scott. Always with the breasts. Tut. So where in a bookshop, where to next? I know Borders! But before then. Time to recreate the now famous Primark lift picture.
But this time we did it in one take! Oh, how I was proud. I was proud all the way too Borders. Which, for those not in the know, isn't that far. My proudness seemed to take a toll on Scott though, who seemed less then happy. (As like he was during the Home Bargins queue.)
The sheer streams of manhood Scott was unfurling in the above picture got me into a situation. I entered a special area in my mind. An area for women. An area I dub...
"The Bone Garden."
I needed to calm down after that jizztastic moment. (OK, we'll conceed the "Wood magazine" joke worked better.) Let's have a nice quiet read in the comfty chairs and read a magazine.
Pay? You must be joking. Ste was reading the always cool "Kerrang Magazine" if anyone asks. I on the over hand was reading "Metal Hammer." As I like Metal and Hammering. However in Kerrang magazine a certain band's future live performance caught his eye...
Basically I think that picture means the Three Rs will be there and will have a Live Review in the future.
"Oh wait. There was supposed to be a theme to this day." I thought. So I got Scott and Ste each a book which I thought was very topical.
However they disagreed. The day grew later, the chance of valentines love for any of us was almost lost. (I suggested I would have Scott. Ste disagreed.) But under some Mothercare shop, Scott found love...
Unless you have been living under rock, I sure that you've heard the Soulja boy classic "Crank that." Basically it's a really poor rap/dance/crunk/thing that a 5 year-old could write, that has somehow become a club anthem. And let’s not even get started on the accompanying dance.
Here's the original.
Now that is just piss poor. But luckily thanks to the internet and various other means, different versions have been created to somewhat varying results.
I'll start with, according to Wikipedia, the official remix of Crank That. The Travis Barker Rock remix. Travis Barker being the drummer of +44 and Blink 182. (Yes, they do sound the same as Angel and Airwaves. What about Boxcar Racer for that matter?) Basically this version adds drums and guitar, always a good thing. Most of the time anyway.
I think we can all agree that this is a major improvement, making the song actually likeable. I want this to come on a party now, just to ruin for the original likers, followed by a moshpit. Yeah, we'll make our own Soulja boy dance. It'll be a lot more violent.
Next we have a more jokes version of the song. This is your typical YouTube spoof, with poor sound editing and all filmed in the same area. But that's not a complaint; you need something to tear it apart from the rubbish you see on Channel U. Right, here's the SmoothE remix.
Ok Jewish jokes... meh.
Now, it seems Crank That remixes have hit the mainstream, to advertise the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. They covered the song.
I can understand why people would like this; something about high pitched voices gets young kids in hysterics. I on the other hand found this kind of blatant kid remix patronising.
The next one is, surprisingly an actual single. It's the Crank That Batman remix by the Pop It Off Boyz.
This is saved by the including of the peanut butter jelly time banana. Yes I know, Adam West appears in the song and surely that's enough to make it a number one single. But if it was all sang by him it would be a different story.
And finally, the screamo version by Calvary Boy.
It's a shame it's not until the end the backing music turns into a full on metal song. Other than that they really make the song there own. If only this and Travis Barker remix was mixed together. Oh, yeah. I also enjoyed the milkshake remix at the end, slick.
That's all from Dee today. Until next time remember to "Superman that Hoe."
Week 2 of 8(?). It's a real corker this week, so I'm not going to waste anytime.
Confirmed Dead
OK, this is where it gets tricky, as this week it was a...
..."Various" flashback. I'll try explain later.
Recap
In a change of pace, and to make sense for the flashback, we'll start with the realtime. Four people are on a helicopter which is struggling to stay in the air. One of the passengers pushes a another scared scared passenger out of the chopper. When the pushed passenger lands, he is disoriented. He hears people approaching. He quickly readies a handgun which he hides in the back of his trousers just as Jack and Kate arrive. "Are you Jack?" The man introduces himself as "Daniel Faraday" and asks for the phone. Daniel calls Minkowski, who asks what happened because the chopper's communications went dead. Daniel says he doesn't know; everything went dead in the electrical storm. He then says he's speaking with some of the survivors. Kate tells Jack not to worry. "Are you sure?" Jack says, pointing out the gun that is exposed. Daniel returns, telling them that the ship has no communication with anyone else. He doesn't know where the others are but they all have GPS units which allow their sat-phones to track them. His sat-phone is in his pack, which he lost. Jack hands him Naomi's. Over at the beach, Sayid is staring at the ocean. Juliet approaches him. Sayid asks her why Ben would say the people coming were going to kill them. Juliet says because he's a liar, or because they're trying to kill them. She then asks how many guns he has left. Back with Kate, Jack and Daniel, the sat-phone begins picking up another passengers location. They head towards the signal. On their travels they find a metal box. Kate asks if that's from his chopper. Jack notices a gas mask with a quarantine logo on it and asks what it for. Daniel looks nervous and says he wasn't the one in charge of packing. Jack confronts him on why he has a gun, Daniel reveals that saving them is not their primary objective. They ultimately find the other passenger, Miles, unconscious on a rocky outcropping by the shore. Jack approaches and removes Miles helmet in order to examine him. When he does so, Miles pulls a gun on Jack. He asks where Naomi is, then informs them that asking after your sister was a distress code for help. Kate informs Miles that Naomi was killed by Locke. Miles insists that they take him to Naomi's body, asserting that he'll know whether they're telling the truth. Skip Forward in time, they have taken Miles to Naomi's body, he chants quietly over her. He informs Faraday that Jack and Kate are telling the truth. Just then they receive a signal from another passenger's GPS. Miles orders everyone to follow him. Jack insists that Miles and Faraday put away their guns. When Miles resists, Jack says that his own people are waiting in the jungle with rifles. Two shots ring out as Juliet and Sayid come into the clearing, pointing guns at Faraday and Miles. Jack collects their guns and they head off to find the next passenger. Over at Team Locke, they are continuing their trek across the Island to the Barracks. Sawyer realizes that they aren't going the right way. Locke replies that they have to take a detour to a cabin. Hurley then says that the cabin is in a different direction. Locke and Ben look surprised, which prompts Hurley to claim he ment the plane's cabin. Sawyer asks Locke who told him that the Freighter people are bad people. Locke responds that it was Walt. He then adds that Walt told him he had to "stop Naomi from bringing the rest of her people". Sawyer asks why he didn't ask any questions and he says because Ben shot him and Walt saved him. Sawyer is doubtful but Locke lifts his shirt to show his wound, saying the bullet went through him and he's lucky he doesn't have a kidney where the bullet went through or he'd be dead. Meanwhile, the passenger Jack, Kate etc. are looking for wakes up upside down hanging a tree branch over a river. She frees herself and plunges into the water. She looks around and seems ecstatic to be on the Island. When she surfaces she sees Team Locke watching her. When she, Charlotte, gets out of the water she explains the situation to the group, who exhibit various levels of hostility. She indicates that she has a GPS tracker phone which will allow the rest of her group to find her. As Jack and the others search for Charlotte, Sayid questions Miles about why the four of them are here. Sayid takes Miles' sat phone and tries to use it to call the freighter but instead he sees Charlotte's signal. It's moving quickly towards them. The group runs toward the signal but when it comes close they find that Charlotte's GPS has been tied around Vincent's neck. Jack realizes that Locke has Charlotte. The last of the four passengers is pulling himself out of some bushes. He climbs up a hill, tries to stand up but his legs fail him. When he pulls out his sat phone he discovers that it is broken. So he takes a flare gun from a pocket and fires a flare. Charlotte and Team Locke see the flare. Charlotte declares her intention to go towards it. Locke tells her that they won't allow that, but Charlotte insists. Suddenly Ben takes Karl's gun and shoots Charlotte multiple times in the chest. Sawyer attacks Ben and beats him. When Locke goes to check on Charlotte he finds her still alive. She had been wearing a bullet proof vest under her jacket. Sawyer throws Ben againist a tree and puts a gun to his head. Back with Jack and the others have also seen the flare and are now with him. Daniel and Miles try to get his, Franks, attention but he seems dazed. They ask where the helicopter has crashed. Frank informs them that it didn't crash. He landed it a short distance away. When they go and look they find the helicopter intact. Jack asks Miles why they are really here, Miles agrees to divulge this information if Jack gives him the phone; he agrees. Miles tries to call Minkowski, but is informed by a woman that he is not able to answer the phone at this time. When Dan and Kate tries to load the dead Naomi on the plane, Miles stops them. Frank promises to take Naomi on another flight. The helicopter cannot take more weight because its burned most of its fuel. Meanwhile, Juliet is treating Frank for a head wound. He asks her for her name, and when she tells it to him. He recognizes her as not having been on the plane since he studied the manifest. Miles comes over and informs Frank that she is a native. Miles, aggressivly, asks Juliet where "he" is. When Jack steps between, Miles pulls out a picture of Ben, stating that they have come to the island to find him. And finally, at team Locke, Locke takes Sawyer's gun, intending to kill Ben himself. Ignoring the protests of Alex and Claire. Ben pleads for his life, claiming that he has information. Locke demands to know what the monster is, but Ben claims that he does not know. He then starts blurting out information about Charlotte. Her full name, family and educational information, of which she does not deny. He also names the other members of her team, and states that they were sent to the island in search of him. When asked about the source of the information, Ben claims to "have a man on their boat."
OK, here comes the somewhat tricky part. You'll just have to role with it.
"The ROV's and Daniel Faraday"
Two Remotely Operated Vehicles are probing the floor of an ocean. The vantage point first is of "ROV 01" and switches to that of "ROV 02," with a dialogue between two scientists, one named Ron and the other unnamed, happening. The ROV display does not specify the boat or research team it is operated by. They claim that the sonar is picking up something and the operator of ROV 02 says he is heading on a bearing of "about 137, from the coordinates we pulled off of our guy's map." He also goes on to say that his magnometer is picking up a lot of anomalies and suggests he needs to re-calibrate. The ROV suddenly comes across the wreckage of an Oceanic plane and the operator declares it is Flight 815. The wreckage viewed by the ROV shows the entire plane, broken into three pieces. We cut to a news report showing footage of the submerged plane, explaining that the remains of Flight 815 have been found. The reporter says "Oceanic Flight 815 did, in fact, crash at sea," but says the discovery does not offer any sense of closure. All of the passengers are "confirmed dead." The screen pans out to reveal Daniel. In Essex, Massachusetts, Daniel weeps as he watches a news report about the discovery on television. Dan's Wife asks him why he is crying. He replies that he does not know.
"Miles Straume"
In Inglewood, California, Miles a man drives up to a house. He gets a briefcase out of his trunk and goes to the door. Mrs. Gardner opens the door and Miles announces himself, saying that they spoke earlier. She lets him in. She diercts Miles upstairs. He then opens a briefcase and assembles a strange device from pieces within, and says "no matter what happens or what you hear, don't come upstairs." He goes upstairs to her grandson's room. He sets his machine on the table and turns it on. Sitting on the bed, he begins to speak to the empty room. He tells whomever he believes is there that he isn't doing his grandma any good by staying. Miles then adds that he wants to tell Mrs. Gardener that the listener has left but that he can only do so if told where "it" is. Suddenly a noise attracts his attention to the bookcase. Moving it he discovers a bundle of cash and small bag of yellow powder concealed in an air vent. Miles keeps the cash, but replaces the powder in the vent, then tells the listener he can leave. He goes downstairs and tells Mrs. Gardner it worked and that “he's at peace now." After refunding some of Mrs. Gardener's fee, saying that "it wasn't as tricky as I thought," he departs.
"Charlotte Lewis"
In Medenine, Tunisia, a blonde woman, Charlotte, picks up a French newspaper that says that Flight 815 has been recovered. Her friend asks, "How many different languages do you have to read it in to believe it?" She quips, "How many different languages are there?" They bribe their way into an excavation site in the middle of the desert where they find the bones of a polar bear. Her associate then questions its authenticity, claiming that it must be a joke. Charlotte, instead of studying the polar bear goes digging around it and quickly finds a collar that has a Dharma Hydra Station sign on it. She smiles looking at it.
"Frank Lapidus"
In Eleuthera, Bahamas, Frank Lapidus is watching television coverage of the discovery of Flight 815, which shows bodies in the undersea wreckage. When one body is identified as Seth Norris, the pilot, Frank calls the Oceanic hotline that has been set up for families of the victims and demands to speak to a supervisor. He asserts that the man shown is not Seth Norris. He claims this because Seth Norris always wore his wedding ring, and the corpse shown had no ring. When the man on the other end of the phone argues with him, Frank insists that he knew Seth well, and the body was not his. He then reveals that he was originally supposed to be the pilot of Flight 815.
"Naomi Dorrit"
The final flashback is of Naomi talking to Matthew Abaddon regarding their mission. (Matthew Abaddon is the man who questioned Hurely last week.) The location for this flashback is not given. She emphasizes the level of danger in the Island Operation. She thinks Abaddon has not chosen the right people for this mission as they lack military or field experience. She says it would be a disaster without protection. "You are their protection," Abaddon says. Naomi replies that it's a "high risk, covert operation in unstable territory, especially with four untrained operatives." She then describes the team one by one. "A head case," "Ghostbuster," "Anthropologist" and a "a drunk." Abaddon assures her that Frank is a competent pilot and that all of the team members were chosen for specific reasons. Naomi questions what to do if she finds survivors of Flight 815 but Abaddon is adamant that there were no survivors.
Today marks 1 year of Virgin Media. I thought I would express the last year with you and how or if my opinions changed with them. For those not in know, Virgin Media is the UK's leading Cable TV provider, second overall, behind BSkyB's Sky Digital Satellite service.
A year ago I would of protected Virgin Media to the end of the Earth, possibly with the only exception being Virgin Media's HD system. (Which is still horrifically horrible.) But over the course of 12 months sheer incompetence and ignorance to their costumers has made me change my opinion.
Well, it didn't start too well. A month after creation the Sky Basic channels were dropped and by dropped I mean they refused to pay. Both Sky and Virgin Media pulled huge public, hissy fits. But from the Q2 results it seemed the costumer was just as confused as the companies comparison pages are. Neither company lost or gained a substantial amount of people. I still protected Virgin at the time, claiming that the only decent show from the hand full of channels was Lost. Which is arguably bigger than the channel itself. It began to calm down on the Virgin front until they devised a plan to combat Sky and their Sports monopoly. They got in bed with Setanta. Thus meaning that premium sports would be available on a non-premium level, a first you could say and would probably be correct. I must admit when we first got the channel I made sure I was watching all the English and Scottish premier league matches, until I realised that watching the bastarding channel was the same as paying for a stadium ticket but watching though a cheese grater. After that epic failed, Virgin began their next drop into programming with the no-so cleverly named "Virgin 1." A rebrand of "Ftn" with a few extra American Shows that nobody else picked up. Again I tried to watch it but it's serious lack of "Proper Telly" just made it impossible. Though I am led to believe that the channel does ok, but that's probably because of its presence of the channel on Freeview. (The free Digital Terrestrial Provider.) And finally the last straw. Now Virgins music selection was never brilliant to say the least, but when they announced they were to remove Scuzz the ball dropped. Followed by the other. Then I got angry about Virgin dropping Scuzz. (Well, I think the joke worked.) My protection stopped at that moment. What appeared to happen is that they swapped Scuzz for some low-quality kids channels.
So basically to sum up the TV offering, it failed...
VOD. Possibly the only area of Virgin which delivered somewhat. OK, they promised much more but I can't complain, its free. (Free in the sense that its extra, not that its probably not part of the package.) The only news which ever came from the VOD side of things was acquisition of the sworn rival's Lost on-demand. Which would make up for the lack of it on Virgin's platform? Yes? Well, season 3 was added a week ago, the same day season 4 started in America. Convenient, especially for those who wanted to rewatch season 3 before watching season 4. Other than that its lived up to the promises. Also they decided to offer to Music On Demand free to their top-tier costumers. Again, a nice thing to do. But, with the sheer amount of videos by the time you've found a song to play, you just cant be arsed and long for preloaded content you find on channels.
I wont go into the broadband side of things because it gets way too nerdy and I just don't understand it. Something to do with "stm" I don't know. I hate it when nerds get nerdy, nerds should stay less nerdy. Stop the pushing of a social stereotype, ya dig homie?
Basically, I will not protect Virgin from this day on, with the exception of the OD system which wont be challenged for a long time as apposing companies can only provide Push-OD. Go on. Wiki it.
Avenged Sevenfold ( Featuring Black Tide & Bloodsimple )
Black Tide: 1.5/5 Bloodsimple: 2.9/5 Avenged Sevenfold: 3.7/5
A long time coming (about a week now) but here is the review of the A7X gig. Going with among others, Dee(4leeds), it was a gig that admittedly based on A7X's most recent stuff, I wasn't anticipating verily. Not to say the new album is bad, it just deviates from the stronger metal formula they so successfully adopted in 'City Of Evil', into the more commercialised rock they produced in their new album.
However, as it turns out I was satisfied by the energy with which they played, and genuinely surprised at how good even the songs I didn't like as much sounded live. Tracks like 'Almost Easy' had a much more raw, heavier sound than they did in their recorded versions, I will even go as far as to say I enjoyed them.
As expected they played their most well known hits from previous works, like Unholy Confessions' (Waking The Fallen) and 'Beast and the Harlot', 'Seize The Day' and 'Bat Country' (City Of Evil). 'Burn It Down' would have made the set a brilliant one, as well as some factors. Firstly it was a tad short, an hour at most, but then it could be said rather a good hour than only a decent hour and a half, still though more is better. Secondly, the drums were slightly outmuscling and overpowering the guitars and the vocals which added to the strength of the sound but deducted from the melodic nature in which many of the songs are created.
Not like Black Tide, who just seemed to be completely melody-less and all loud noise, and not even the good kind. Bloodsimple were tighter but again guitars and vocals required slight straining to be singled out amongst the crowd sound, but were thoroughly enjoyable, especially in the case of the mosh pit. I had my iPod so I couldn't go in, but Dee did. At the end of the night though there wasn't a lot to complain about, the atmosphere was brilliant and despite my disappointment of their recent work, I couldn't fault its live execution.
Short clip but its there courtesy of Dee, and if you can't tell its Seize The Day.
As you may or may not know, we at the Three Rs like others to bask in our obvious greatness, so we allow guest writers to post their feelings, thoughts, rants etc. And I, Dee5Chester, is using this post to advertise.
That's their claim to Three Rs stardom, is it yours next? Do you want to be a guest writer on the Three Rs? Get in contact with us, via whatever means it takes (Eg: Myspace or by our email TheThreeRscouk@gmail.com) and if we deem you worthy you can have you very own slice of the Three Rs pie.
In this post I'm taking time out of my current Lost post mind set to show you the best a hidden comedy gem on the internet.
Basically many (Very many) Saturdays ago, me and Karmacarroll (Realname: Benlol Annlol Calol) wrote a piece of comedy genius on Wikipedia rip-off Uncyclopedia. After many different ideas, we decided that in the "1337-sp34k" area it was lacking an article for "GTFO."
To even do something like this you can tell we was bored. (Very Bored.) So without further ado, here's "GTFO."
GTFO
GTFO was created in Ancient Egyptian times by peasant rebels. Usually standing for "Get the Pharaoh out." Which was ironic, since pharaoh is spelt with a 'p' and Egyptians had no knowledge of the English language. Thier marches inspired many travelers and the abbreviation quickly spread across the globe. However, through lack of use, the phrase began to die out, and by the late 19th century, had become completely obsolete, mainly due to lack of pharaohs. However, thanks to the Vietnam war between 1959 and 1975, the phrase had been reborn. 'GTFO' was the main headline in the "Vietnews" paper, standing for "Guerrilla's Topple Foreign Oppressors" The headline inspired many travelers and the abbreviation quickly spread across the globe.
The Many Meanings of GTFO - 'Get the Fuck Out' e.g. ZOMG, GTFO my chatroom biatches. - 'Grandma's trousers fell off' e.g. ZOMG, GTFO again! - 'George Takei for Overlord.' e.g. ZOMG, at next election vote GTFO. - 'Giles Turns Females On' e.g. ZOMG, GTFO, I wish I was him. - 'German Terroists find Osama' e.g. ZOMG, how did those GTFO before us. - 'Chuck Norris has no Abbreviation' e.g. ZOMG, Another Chuck Norris joke.
The article did have Images but I couldn't be arsed transporting them over here. Basically it was George Takei's promotional shoot image with the caption "I would."
Credit goes to this mission at PMOG. SEIBEI: Not your typical 'funny' t-shirts, really. SEIBEI rolls out some of the most original t-shirts (sort of like Threadless). Use coupon code 'fanblog' for 15% off!
Squidfire: Lots of cute hand-printed t-shirts for men, women, and children. Seems to be focused on small detail and interaction of animals/humans than big ass designs. Kindred Market: Obscure music and movie references, ancient maps, crazed lumberjacks... what's not to love? Surreal as heck.
Pop Junkie: Some beautiful designs, exquisitely crafted. Yee haww! Heavy Tees: Perhaps a little more mainstream than the rest, Heavy Tees has an enormous catalogue. Think nu-rave with more originality and you're half way there. Art In The Age: Useful for the formulation of revolutionary demands in the politics of art. Scene-esque.
That's about it, really. Thought I'd just make some sort of list of them.
The above is a trailer for an upcoming independent movie, entitled 'Second Skin'. The film, produced by upcoming production company 'Pure West Films' (see website) is a project which will probably hit a little too close to home for some people. It tackles pseudo-psychological subjects such as 'addiction' to a MMORPG to finding love online. It certainly will be controversial with both the gaming masses and the mainstream media. It is definitely difficult to determine which angle 'Second Skin' is trying to take. But by assuming the number of negative aspects highlighted in the advertisement ('we all have our demons,' to 'my whole life just fell apart') reflect on the content of the overall production; I am not optimistic that this will portray the networked gaming nation in a positive light. I have no doubt the film will be... insightful, but surely haven't we all seen the subjects before? We all go on forums, right? There's already a high chance we've all met someone (or even been that person) who's become addicted to the said game, or met someone from online, or dated someone in-game. It is just accepted as gaming culture has developed and these cases become more common. So what exactly is the commotion? A big deal out of nothing? I'm sure we'll see when it is actually released to the public. But for now, we're looking at a cheap, unoriginal film which, despite the immense amount of viral marketing, is focused towards people who watch crap like this and believe it applies to all of us.
I'm not saying Second Skin cannot take a balanced approach on things. If anything, the community needs some sort of rationale right now when the industry is under attack from all angles thanks to certain news stations. But when a production aims to not only attempt to appeal to us, but highlight all the points of gaming which we already know about? Please. Do we need this right now?
A while back, I started playing SimCity again. This was mainly down to me purchasing the Deluxe edition from Gamestation for like, a tenner, but all the same. Anyway, before my CDs became ripped to shreds during an unpleasant accident involving a toaster, zeppelin and thirty Chinese men* I created somewhat of a sprawling metropolis over a reasonably large region. Now I'm offering the whole place up so fans who still play the bloody game can have something to mess about with. This also allows me to test out using Google Mail as a hosting program.
Note: I'm not sure if it matters, but the version I was using was (I think) an unpatched Deluxe. Take care if simply installing on vanilla. I've also compressed the lot as a .rar file, so get WinRAR too.
I maybe, kinda cheated so each city, despite being a sprawling metropolis, is actually lacking both basic power and water facilities. You can continue cheating and playing without them (just Google it for the cheats) or alternatively, try and rectify my n00bish situation. Enjoy, anyway.
Well guys. This month has got off to a rather riveting start. After a simplistic idea of simply cataloguing some reviews given unto us all kindly by certain members of the Escapist community, 3scapism has evolved quite considerably already. You'd be surprised at the number of hits we've already got, without any advertising! The Escapist Magazine boasts a great level of writing, and the same can obviously be said of the community. Thank you for all who have contributed in January. This month's writers, as of this post:
Thank you again to all who have submitted material so far. If your next review (or even first) has not been posted yet; don't fret, I'm just working on marketing before updating with some more great work.
Now for some Escapist forum references (after all, we are simply turning into a blog for the community):
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