La GGDBologna #5 si avvicina e stiamo definendo ospiti, interventi e location.  

Ieri sera Geek@Work a casa di Linda. La mia dieta rigorosa e salutista è andata a farsi friggere in un primo di fusilli con verdure  e ricotta e in un secondo di sformatini broccoli e panna!

Brava la cuoca Linda! Clap clap! E brava Ceci che come sempre non sbaglia mai un vino (Faye – rigorosamente riserva).

L’atmosfera vivace (hic!) prima, durante e post cena agevola sempre il lavoro; è stata come sempre una serata produttiva – diciamo che ci piace fare le prove generali, và

My name is Faye…. Yes, just Faye – I have no other names. I’m a Cinematographer based in London and this is my first venture in online presence, pre-website you could say. Have a look at my biog for the official statement and you can see more of what I’ve worked on here:

IMDB

And about me here:

Guiding Lights

Pictures speak louder than words, especially in my world, so there are some snapshots from films I’ve photographed on my flickr page here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thefaye/

That’s it for starters.

According to China News Net (20 Nov. 2009), Hong Kong and Taiwan record company executives are claiming that Faye Wong (王菲) will be staging a series of comeback concerts in October 2010. She will receive 50 million yuan for performances in ten stadiums in cities such as Shanghai and Beijing. Katie Chen (陈家瑛), Faye’s agent, is reported to have confirmed this news. When asked for details about time and place, she replied, “It’s still under study.”

Update 22 Nov. 2009: Chengdu Daily’s Zhang Shihao (张世豪）reported today that the comeback will be staged in Shanghai and Beijing, with five performances in each. Their reporter spoke with Faye’s agent, Katie, who said, “Indeed, we are talking about it. It is proceeding smoothly.” When asked what form the return would take, she said, “It may be a concert.” She also said that the event will not be in October. The date has not been finalized.

Captain Abdoulaye Faye says that Stoke City can qualify for a place in Europe this season…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: city view. The blog is also related to: michigan city.

Captain Abdoulaye Faye says that Stoke City can qualify for a place in Europe this season…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: football teams. The blog is also related to: soccer info.

Another Tuesday night and another chance to watch the goings on at Holby City.

After the drama of Archie’s death and the suspension of Faye, Connie and Ric, it seems like the whole of the hospital needed Elliot’s skills. Now, whilst he may be an excellent surgeon and an adorable one at that, Elliot isn’t Superman and all the extra pressure proved just a bit too much for Mr Hope. Cue Penny to save the day.

For weeks now, Penny and Elliot have been getting closer and I have to say, I think the writers are on to something. The two of them bounce off each other well, have a heart-warming relationship that is part paternal/part mentor and it works. And let’s face it, with all of the hormones flying around Holby City Hospital, it’s good to see there is such a thing as a platonic relationship.

Elsewhere, the Faye/Linden/Joseph saga continued. A clearly distressed Linden was obviously wanted to be the one taking care of Faye, but was struggling with keeping his distance, following the whole “I kissed your bride on your wedding day” showdown with Joseph. Joseph meanwhile was wandering the corridors determined to get to the bottom of Faye’s treatment. He started by screaming at evil Lauren, who knows only too well that she was responsible for Archie’s death but is determined to blame Faye. Just when Joseph goes up in my estimations, he plummets back down and yet again he was like a school boy having a tantrum.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens between Faye and Linden when she returns. Somehow I don’t think we’ve seen the end of the will-they-won’t-they drama and I’m secretly hoping they will! Although judging by the preview of next week’s episode, it seems like Linden will have enough to keep him busy over the next couple of months.

Finally, two questions that are really bugging me:

1. Why has nobody mentioned Linden being Archie’s Godfather?
2. Holby’s F1s seem several years ahead of Casualty’s F2s. Why?

Friday

I met up with Tanya. A girl in my youth group. We talked about a lot of things. We talked about Katie, her friend. Katie is a girl who I started talking to recently. I have a crush on her, and I think she likes me, too.

In the evening I went to my friend’s house, where lots of people from my church were having a party to celebrate the my friends’ birthday parties. They were born on the same day, what are the odds?

I didn’t speak to John.

Saturday

Today was the day of the talent show. We spent the day rehearsing at my church.

I didn’t speak to John.

Me and my co-presenter did a version of this act to kick off the show.

John and Heath are in a band. The winning act was invited to perform an encore.

John’s band won. We welcomed them on to the stage, and I hugged John.

Not a stage hug, a proper, friend hug.

After the show, I went around talking to everyone. Oscar had advised me to talk to Faye more, so I did. She looked totally disinterested. I walked away.

Sunday

I didn’t go to church today. I had to go to see my sister and her new house. We went out for a meal. Waste of a day, really.

 La toute nouvelle association neo-conservatrice et atlanto-sioniste revendiquée “Alliance pour les libertés” dirigée par Jean-François Touzé et dans laquelle l’ancien élu FN d’Ile-de-France a décidé de fondre sa Nouvelle droite républicaine, elle-même le fruit d’une scission avec la Nouvelle droite populaire, compte dans son bureau politique… Guillaume Faye. Celui-ci dirigera même le bimestriel de l’association, Libres.

Au cas où vous ne le sauriez pas, Guillaume Faye (blog), est entre autres :

• un ex-animateur de Skyrock (Skyman),
• un ex-collaborateur de L’Echo des Savanes, 
• un ex-théoricien de la nouvelle droite païenne,
• un opportuniste sans foi ni loi (les révélations de Serge de Beketch)
• ex-chargé de cours de sociologie de la sexualité à la faculté de médecine de Besançon (source)
• ex-secrétaire général de l’Association de défense des travailleurs immigrés arabes en Europe (source)
• un ex-acteur porno (L’Archéofuturisme, L’Æncre, Paris, 1998, p. 103).

Sans parler de ses propos pro-pédérastie (Gaie France Magazine n°4, octobre 1986)…

Après avoir fréquenté les païens de Terre et Peuple, Guillaume Faye s’est rapproché des mouvements pro-Israël : il a tenu une conférence en janvier 2004 devant des membres de l’Association France-Israël et du Jewish American Congress. Il publie en 2008 La nouvelle question juive où il préconise une alliance “avec les sionistes” pour lutter contre l’islam… avant d’être membre fondateur de l’Alliance pour les libertés.

Or, “l’Alliance pour les libertés se reconnaît dans les valeurs essentielles de la civilisation judéo-chrétienne qu’elle se propose de défendre et de promouvoir” lit-on dans la charte de l’association.

Avec Guillaume Faye au bureau, on a du mal à y croire…

Thibaud

Quick preview this week as I’m away all weekend so once again have to make an early-ish transfer. Not that it’s too difficult to decide who to bring in. The first double gameweek of the season sees Aston Villa and West Ham play twice (they face each other on Wednesday) meaning you should be targetting one of their players for your weekly transfer. More on that later, let’s see what happened last week.

Of our captain picks, only Anelka came through really though he only got five points. In our defence we did say Drogba and Lampard were also good choices and they scored 9 and 14 respectively. Crouch was our top transfer in and he did bugger all but Boateng and Petrov had alright scores.

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Gameweek 10 Top Gun (aka Tom Cruise Approves):

Maverick's been expecting him here.

It’s taken ages for him to get going but Frank Lampard finally came through with a big score and wins his first Top Gun of the season. His two goals, clean sheet and bonus point gave him a score of 14 points which was enough to edge out Hugo Rodallega who got 13. I was lucky enough to pick him as captain too which meant a bit of ground was gained on the leaders in my league. Lots of high Chelsea scores all round as Essien and Ballack were next with 11 points each.

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Three Captain Picks:

I know West Ham and Villa play twice but I do think it’s a risk to pick any of their players as captain. Neither team scores too many but clean sheets are at a premium too. I guess Villa have kept three this season which is pretty good and both Collins and Dunne are goal threats but I think the guys below can still outscore them in just one game. Villa are away in both games while West Ham don’t have anyone reliable beyond Cole.

1. Fabregas/Arsenal - Robbie Keane can bleat all he likes about how Spurs are the equal of Arsenal now but I’m certain the Gunners will beat Tottenham at home. At White Hart Lane, it’s usually quite close but at the Emirates it’s a different story (even last season’s 4-4 was 85 minutes Arsenal) and Arsenal should have too much for them. Spurs are still missing Modric and have been struggling without him while Wenger’s side have a 100% home record so far. I think Fabregas controls this game from midfield and maybe get himself a goal too. This usually results in bonus points too.

2. Lampard/Chelsea – Faces Bolton away and I seem to remember him scoring quite a few at the Reebok (and indeed the Bridge) in the last few years. He’s hit some form and the return of Joe Cole allows him to play a bit deeper and more effectively. Chelsea’s reserves smacked Bolton 4-0 in midweek and a similar scoreline won’t surprise me.

3. Elliott/Burnley – Burnley lost their good home record against Wigan last week but I expect them to bounce back against Hull. What better motivation than the possibility of getting Phil Brown the sack. In all seriousness though Hull have just one point away from the KC and I believe Bullard is out again. Elliott is Burnley’s top fantasy performer so if you’re feeling brave give him a shot.

Get's a Captain's tick.

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Three To Bring In:

1. Milner or Young/Aston Villa – This not only applies to this gameweek but for the next month or so too. Villa have Bolton, Burnley and Hull coming up in the next four or five games so one of these tow might be worth a speculative add to see if they can take advantage of playing against some weaker sides.

2. Stoke defenders – I imagine most of you might have Sorensen, Faye or Shawcross in your team but there’s still the option of Wilkinson or Collins if the aforementioned are too pricey. Stoke’s next three games are Wolves (H), Hull (A), Portsmouth (H). That’s at least two if not three clean sheets right there.

3. Aquilani/Liverpool – So the £20million man is finally fit. I saw him in the flesh in Wednesday’s Carling Cup match and he looked pretty tasty in the 15 minutes or so he was on the pitch. I think he could make an immediate impact, especially with Liverpool playing some organised teams in the next five. An interesting gamble at £7.4m.

Might be worth a pick.

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Three To Avoid:

1. Lucas/Liverpool - Even though he’s played the most out of all the Liverpool midfielders, I’d say his place is most under threat from Aquilani.

2. Crouch/Spurs - I retract last week’s recommendation, you can find much better options for his price range.

3. Arsenal goalkeepers – Who’s number one? Nobody knows. They don’t keep clean sheets anyway.

Are you taking the mick?

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T.

Not to be dismissive about Heidegger’s Nazism or anything, but the dialogue has begun (yet) again.  I bookmarked an article entitled “Heil Heidegger,”  for myself (and others, of course) on Twitter last week.  The article discusses a recently translated book revolving around  Heidegger’s Nazism and I just had a chance to look closely at it.  It’s um…rather polemical.    Consider the first paragraph:

How many scholarly stakes in the heart will we need before Martin Heidegger (1889-1976), still regarded by some as Germany’s greatest 20th-century philosopher, reaches his final resting place as a prolific, provincial Nazi hack? Overrated in his prime, bizarrely venerated by acolytes even now, the pretentious old Black Forest babbler makes one wonder whether there’s a university-press equivalent of wolfsbane, guaranteed to keep philosophical frauds at a distance.

Whoa.  Nothing like a little ad hominem attack to get things going.  Sure, Heidegger’s rhetoric is a bit bloated much of the time, but in fact, this paragraph kind of de-legitimizes anything else the author, Carlin Romano, writes afterward.  The connection (identity, really) between Heidegger and Nazism has been picked over and I’m not so sure that Romano is correct to say that there’s been some sort of deliberate systematic disavowal of it on the part of academics.  Anyhow, Romano’s polemic is centered around the forthcoming translation of Emmanuel Faye’s Heidegger: The Introduction of Nazism into Philosophy in Light of the Unpublished Seminars of 1933-1935. Faye’s claim, as far as I can tell, is that Heidegger wasn’t “caught up” or “flirting” with Nazism, but instead, was a theorist or philosopher of Nazism.  Hmm.  Baby.  Bathwater.  I don’t think it’s particular helfpul (or accurate) to  reduce the whole corpus of Heidegger’s work to mere “hate speech.” Both Faye and Romano almost sound like those screaming health care protesters by insisting that publishers (er..Indiana UP and Continuum) stop publishing Heidegger and all of those librarian sympathizers need to cut it out with all this stocking up of Heidegger’s Gesamtausgabe in order to prevent Nazism from encroaching into the public realm and poisoning the minds of the unexpected.  I hardly think Heidegger’s Nazism or minimally, Heidgger’s connection with Nazism should escape serious and legitimate scrutiny, nor should it be defended, but if Faye’s book is half the hatchet job I’ve heard it to be, then it’s not very helpful.  That said, I will read the book with a good deal of interest.

Anyway, after picking on a couple of recent books by Heidegger scholars, Romano writes:

For Faye, new material about Heidegger’s 1930s teaching and administrative work turns a crucial point upside-down. While other thinkers, including Löwith and Maurice Blanchot, suggested that Heidegger’s Nazism stemmed directly from his philosophy, Faye counters that his philosophy grew out of his Nazism, forcing us to see it as a kind of philosophical propaganda for Nazism in a different key.Faye’s leitmotif throughout is that Heidegger, from his earliest writings, drew on reactionary ideas in early-20th-century Germany to absolutely exalt the state and the Volk over the individual, making Nazism and its Blut und Boden (“Blood and Soil”) rhetoric a perfect fit. Heidegger’s Nazism, he writes, “is much worse than has so far been known.” (Exactly how bad remains unclear because the Heidegger family still restricts access to his private papers.)

Faye pulls no punches: Heidegger “devoted himself to putting philosophy at the service of legitimizing and diffusing the very bases of Nazism,” and some of his 1930s texts surpass those of official philosophers of Nazism in “the virulence of their Hitlerism.” Lacking any respect for Heidegger as thinker, Faye writes that the philosopher Hannah Arendt so deeply admired “has done nothing but blend the characteristic opacity of his teaching with the darkness of the phenomenon. Far from furthering the progress of thought, Heidegger has helped to conceal the deeply destructive nature of the Hitlerian undertaking by exalting its ‘grandeur.’”

Faye agrees that it was possible, even in the wake of Farias’s and Ott’s work, “with a lot of self-delusion, to separate the man from the work.” He asserts it’s no longer possible, since scholars can now access “nearly all the courses” that Heidegger taught in the 1930s. According to Faye, “we witness, in the courses and seminars that are ostensibly presented as ‘philosophical,’ a progressive dissolving of the human being, whose individual worth is expressly denied, into a community of people rooted in the land and united by blood.” The unpublished seminar of 1933-34 identifies the people with a “community of biological stock and race. … Thus, through Heidegger’s teaching, the racial conceptions of Nazism enter philosophy.”

The “reality of Nazism,” asserts Faye, inspired Heidegger’s works “in their entirety and nourished them at the root level.” He provides evidence of Heidegger’s “intensity” of commitment to Hitler, his constant use of “the words most operative among the National Socialists,” such as “combat” (Kampf), “sacrifice” (Opfer) and völkisch (which Faye states has a strong anti-Semitic connotation). He also cites Heidegger’s use of epithets against professors such as the philologist Eduard Fraenkel (“the Jew Fraenkel”) and his fervid dislike for “the growing Jewification” that threatens “German spiritual life,” mirroring Hitler’s discourse in Mein Kampf about “Jewified universities.”

For Faye, Heidegger’s 1930s Nazi activism came from the heart. Pains takingly providing sources, Faye exhibits Heidegger’s devotion to “spreading the eros of the people for their Führer,” and the “communal destiny of a people united by blood.” We learn of Heidegger’s desire to be closer to Hitler in Munich, and his eagerness to lead the Gleichschaltung, or “bringing into line,” of the German universities with Nazi ideology. According to several witnesses, Heidegger would show up at class in a brown shirt and salute students with a “Heil Hitler!”

Tellingly, Faye also mines the internal papers of the Munich philosophy faculty, showing that the department’s professors considered Heidegger’s work “claptrap,” and saw him as so politicized that they believed “no philosophy could be offered the students” if he were appointed. They considered appointing Heidegger only because of his well-known status as a professor favored by the Nazis. Synthesizing details with the precision of a Simon Wiesenthal researcher, Faye further undermines Heidegger’s later lies that he was not involved with book burning or anti-Semitic legislation, withdrew from active support of the party after he resigned his rectorship, and became rector only to protect the independence of the universities.

“We must acknowledge,” Faye says in one fierce conclusion, “that an author who has espoused the foundations of Nazism cannot be considered a philosopher.” Finally, he reiterates his opposition to the Heidegger Industry: “If his writings continue to proliferate without our being able to stop this intrusion of Nazism into human education, how can we not expect them to lead to yet another translation into facts and acts, from which this time humanity might not be able to recover?”

Hmm…I can’t see how this witch hunting attitude is helpful, really.  Over the top? Yes.

I went to Oscar’s house today.

We watched X Factor. Oscar’s family (bar Heath) was there, I was there, and the Cordis family were there. We had fajitas and cake because it was Sarah Cordis’ birthday.

I’m nervous about tomorrow.

Mark, my youth leader at church, wants me and John to talk things through with him there to mediate. It could go well. It could not.

I saw Faye today.

Before I went to Oscar’s house, I went to another house where my church’s creative team did some filming for the upcoming talent show. I didn’t speak to her.

Sometimes you feel lonely.

But why feel lonely? God loves you, and God never leaves you.

Some of my best friends went to Durban, South Africa, recently. While they were there, they did a lot of mission work. At one of the churches they were attached to, they sang this song.

Akekho Ofana Nojesu
Akekho Ofana Naye

Sahamba hamba
Lutho Lutho

Safuna funa
Lutho Lutho

Sajika jika
Lutho Lutho

Akekho Ofana Naye

Yeah, I like this song. It’s simple. It’s catchy. It’s beautiful and true.

There’s no one, there’s no one like Jesus
There’s no one, there’s no one like Him

I walk and I walk
Nothing, nothing

There’s no one, there’s no one like Him

It looks like I’m dedicating entire posts to people in my life.

That’s fine by me. This one is for Faye.

Faye is possibly the most important girl in my life. I really like her. You know what I mean.

When I met her, just over a year ago, one Friday evening, I told one of my best friends, Heath, that I thought I loved her.

Two days later he set her and another boy up. I was kinda gutted.

So, I did what I thought I ought to do. I told her how I felt.

Amazingly, it went well. I guess she felt pity, or something.

(Don’t get me wrong, she stayed with the other guy)

I’m particularly fond of one memory. A big group of us went to the movies. As we filed into our seats, Faye grabbed my arm so we wouldn’t get separated and sat next to me. On the aisle seat. Meaning her boyfriend-in-tow was forced to sit in the row behind. I felt rather smug. And embarassed.

That wouldn’t happen today. Now she’s single, and therefore has no “taken” status to hide behind. She knows I like her and is made very uncomfortable by it. She “doesn’t love me back and never will”, she says.

Sucks, really. But then, what can I do?

Just wait, I guess.

Yeah. That’s it.

Just, wait.

took a nap in my bed

Title: หยุดฉันที / Yoot Chun Tee (Stop Me)
Artist: Seven Days (Jam Neko Jump)
Album: Seven Days
Year: 2009

เป็น เป็นเพราะอะไร ยังไม่เข้าใจ ได้เลยสักที
Pben Pben pror arai yung mai kao jai dai loey suk tee
It’s, it’s because of what? I still don’t understand it at all
แค่ได้ยินเสียง ก็หัวใจเต้นถี่อย่างนี้ เธอนั้นมีอะไร
Kae dai yin siang gor hua jai dten tee yahng nee tur nun mee arai
Just to hear your voice, my heart pounds rapidly like this, what do you have?

เคย เคยคิดแข็งใจ แต่ก็ทำไป ได้เพียงไม่นาน
Koey koey kit kaeng jai dtae gor tum pbai dai piang mai nahn
I once, once thought I was patient, but doing it, it’s not very long
รู้สึกคล้ายๆสายลมที่อ่อนหวาน
Roo seuk klai klai sai lom tee orn wahn
I feel like the gentle wind
โอบกอดตัวฉันอย่างอ่อนไหว
Ob got dtua chun yahng orn wai
Embracing myself softly

* ยิ่งเธอเข้าใกล้เท่าไหร่
Ying tur kao glai tao rai
The closer you get
ลมหายใจยิ่งขาดตอน ซ่อนไว้อย่างไร
Lom hai jai ying kaht dton son wai yahng rai
The more my breath weakens, how can I hide it?
หากมี สักคนเห็นได้ไหม หยุดฉันที
Hahk mee suk kon hen dai mai yoot chun tee
If there’s anyone who can see it, stop me

** จับฉันเอาไว้ ดึงฉันเอาไว้
Jup chun ao wai deung chun ao wai
Grab me and pull me away
ส่งเสียงเรียกหัวใจ ของฉันคืนมา
Song siang riak hua jai kong chun keun mah
Shout for my heart to come back
ในตอนที่ฉันสัมผัส สายตา
Nai dton tee chun sum put sai dtah
The moment we made eye contact
อ่อนโยนจนทำให้ใจฉันล่องลอยเพราะเธอ
Orn yohn jon tum hai jai chun long loy pror tur
It was gentle until it made my heart float away because of you
ปลุกฉันได้ไหม ดึงฉันเอาไว้
Pblook chun dai mai deung chun ao wai
Snap me out of it, please, pull me away
ก่อนที่เธอจะมาเห็น
Gorn tee tur ja mah hen
Before you’ll see
ฉันมาพบเธอ ก็ยังไม่อยากให้รู้
Chun ma pob tur gor yung mai yahk hai roo
I came to see you, but I still don’t want you to know
อาการที่เป็นอยู่ จากคน คนนึงที่ใจทั้งใจมันรักเธอ
Ahgahn tee pben yoo jahk kon kon neung tee jai tung jai mun ruk tur
The symptoms that I have from this one person whose whole heart loves you

(*,**, *, **)

“Hurry up, you lousy piece of rotten meat!” The green monster, his scales full of grime and sweat, beat the side of the large ship with his tough hand. “My dead mother can do this faster than you!”

He was talking to a slave, perched on top of a high, wooden mobile staircase. The slave’s paw, covered in white fur, was hot and sticky. He was nimbly holding a heavy panel, trying to reattach it to the side of the Cargo Ship, after fixing the pipes it held inside. The Gowak’s taunts angered him, and his eyes were furrowed with silent fury. The panel slid in, and he turned to look at the filthy Shipper for the first time. “Done!”

The gowak grunted, and walked bow-legged over to the entrance hatch.  “It’s about time…” He snapped, passing the Mrow.

Narl was immune to his comments due to prolonged exposure to it. The mrow turned his yellow eyes toward the Garage door, and out onto the rocky exterior. He could see the layers of the canyon, all different shades of auburn that had grown so boring over the years, but that wasn’t what was important. Narl was looking for the light outside. In great luck, it was dark and the shadows told him he was done. He took in a deep breath, and shook off grease on his paws.

Jumping down, he landed on all fours, and was just as comfortable as on two, thanks to the digitigrade structure of his legs. He stood up, nonetheless, and dashed down to his quarters.

The hallway connecting the Docking bay and Cargo Hold to the backroom Slave Quarters was nicknamed by its walker, the Chapper’s lane. All the things that had been dragged and scraped along the cheap metal had created a hard, prickly floor. Narl’s feet were thick and covered in callus, so the pain of Chapper’s lane hadn’t stung for a while now. He dashed around the corner, and through the broken door that hanged slack on its hinge. “Faye!” He called. His mouth was curled in a smile by the simplest reason. “Faye!” The other slaves, who where shuffling in, growled between hard breaths. He turned to his left. There she was, a soft, creamy brown queen with long, fluffy hair.

Narl jumped over to her. “Faye! Oh, how are you?” He wrapped his hands around her arms.

She looked back with blue eyes sparkling. “I am very good, honey. My foot feels so much better, thank you.”

“Oh it was nothing.” He let his tail, tipped with a back tuft, twitch; a sign of relief. “Anything for my beautiful wife.” She rubbed her muzzle against his, and brushed some sweat of his fur. Earlier that day, hours before the work, she had told him of her foot. He massaged it, and could tell something was strained. He tied his grease cloth around her foot to help it, but he could tell there was something more. Narl read his wife’s eyes; she couldn’t work all day, and spoke himself to do her job as well. The beautiful Faye had thanked him so, witch was enough reward for the white tom.

They sat down on an empty cot, an un-sanded plank of wood shelf, and embraced one another. It was a couple of minutes before a shriek echoed of the cold metal walls. It was a familiar call, announcing the coming of dinner, but still blood curdling a sound. As always, the scraping of paws, dashing down Chapper’s Lane, quickly followed it. These were the slaves that, for some reason, couldn’t make it down to the Quarters in time. Be it no access to time-tellers, or an overtime job. Their slave keepers, the eight intelligent lacking Gowaks, didn’t care what the reason. They marinated a policy of only feeding the mrows that were there.

Narl helped his wife up, and headed over to the line. The main face of their masters handed out their dinner, a plant similar to the earthen potato, ground up with cheap meat. Each got about one hand full of it. The mrows chewed on it and finished the meal quickly. The Gowak lingered at the door for a while, watching them eat, and spat on the ground. “Lights out now.” He hissed between his crocodilian lips, and turned his key to turn off the dim bulb.

The quarters were plunged in darkness, and all of them swallowed their last bites. A couple of stragglers came huffing into the room. All of them sighed, knowing they wouldn’t get any food until tomorrow. Narl squeezed himself through the crowds of Mrows, holding onto Faye’s hand to guide her. They came to their cot, shared to give space for others, and climbed into it. He laid down on it, and put both his hands over the spot on his chest where it was also black, and got back up. He used his claw, blunted, to remove a new splinter that had come up in the wood. “Okay, dear, you can come in.”

Faye climbed over one leg at a time. “Oh, Narl. You let me live in luxury, you don’t have to.”

He got into the shelf next to her. “Oh, but Faye, I want to. You deserve to live in Luxury.” This was the end of their conversation. Many of the tired slaves wanted nothing more to sleep, and that meant no romance of the couple around them.

The two curled up, holding each other’s hands, and closed their eyes. Sleep came on swift wings for both of them, although not deep. Unexpectantly, a Gowak’s hiss flooded the room.

            “What!” It yelled furiously. “Unacceptable!” The light was switched on, and many of the slaves jumped. Narl looked up and hit his head on a pair of another Mrow’s feet. He growled, but couldn’t say anything before the Ship Port Captain continued his rant.

            “Which one…? Tell me witch one of these filthy mops, damn it!” The Gowaks smashed his foot on the worn metal ground.  Faye twisted her face. She hated that word, Mop, the most hideous thing one could all the Mrows.

            Another worker entered the room. He was apparently hovering outside the door before, and waiting to be called in. His yellow eyes, small and sharp, looked around the cots at the frightened faces of his property. The few lines of confused muttering ended now. He turned his head all around once, and then looked toward the center. His long, lanky arm lifted it up limply, and the worker extended a single, scaly claw. “That one.”

            Every eye in the crowded room followed his finger with fright. Its condemning point aimed right for the brown, beautiful Queen. Narl’s jaw dropped, and looked at Faye. His wife seemed just as startled as him. They looked in each other’s eyes, carrying out a conversation revealing that Faye had no idea what she did.

            The captain raised his chin, letting his scaly plumage, hanging from his head, fall back over his neck. “That one?”

            The lanky worker nodded vigorously. “Yep, sir. I didn’t see her come t’ work today.”

 The black-and-white tom held his tongue from commenting on that sentence. He turned back to the captain, a large Gowak with wide-spaced eyes. He was walking in a half-circle, looking at Faye sideways. “Slave, what is your name?” He finally said in a high, calm tone.

She stood up and let her tail hang down. “Sir, my name is Faye, sir.” Her voice jumped vowels with fright to match her large blue eyes.

The captain nodded once, still looking up. He cupped his hand toward himself and curved his wrist in. The Slave Master looked down to look at Narl’s wife. “Come here Faye.”  He cooed in that voice, like calm before the storm. Narl put his hands on her shoulder, rubbed her, and then let the brown queen go. Her walk was followed by every eye in the building. The other Gowak had backed up to the door, half hiding again. The Ship Captain took her hand, dwarfed by his own, and led Faye to the hallway outside their quarters. The other mrows began to follow, but the worker grimaced at them. They ended up crowded the doorway like school-children, with Narl pushing himself to the front.

The other six Gowaks were in the hallway as well. Their presence was a sign of an event bigger than what the Captain wanted it to seem. He kneeled, his legs being plantigrade, and let his toe-claws scrape the ground with a whiny screech. His thick arm wrapped around Faye’s shoulder with an eerie lightness. “Faye…” He whispered. “Did you go to work today?” As he spoke, the Monster noticed the cloth wrapped on her foot.

She looked to the side, and breathed. “No, Sir. But, my husband, Narl worked for both of us.”

The Ship Captain smiled. “No. Mops can’t have husbands.” The workers snickered, looking at each other with grins. “Another mrow did your work today?”

“Yes sir.” She said with a nod, hoping he’d understand.

Leaning back, the Gowak took his hand off her. “The work got done, then? Well, still, I can’t let you continue with this behavior. What if other slaves began to do that? You surely understand that I have the amount of mops that I do for a reason.” He paused, allowing Faye to agree reluctantly. “May I ask why you didn’t do your work today?”

“My foot hurt, sir.”

The Ship Captain’s laugh was like a barking snap. “Your foot hurt? Her foot hurt!” He looked behind him at the other workers, laughing in rasps. He took a breath before turning back to Faye. “Faye, Faye. I can’t let my slaves just stop working because they hurt. That would promote laziness among you things, and you are already too sloth.”  She looked at Narl, and again agreed.

“So, my darling, the work got done? Were there any problems?” The monsters grumbled with a general “negative” tone. He nodded quickly, and smiled grimly. “Don’t be lazy again Mop, I own you.”

Faye closed her eyes tight, and thanked her higher power for granting the Captain kindness today, although it shown dimly. She opened them more calm and grateful. “It will not happen again, sir.” Narl smiled at her.

“I know it won’t.”  The green lizard whispered, smiling. His neck snapped in, and his long mouth became a hook. His jaws snapped around her neck, his canine slicing right into her jugular. Red blood splashed out her like a great flame, staining her soft, brown fur. The monster’s mouth dripped with her blood, highlighting his smirk. His claws, now dug into her cold body, pulled out and let the corpse, fall back. As Faye hit the ground, her wound shot more liquid upon herself and the ground. “The work got done without you.” He growled after the deathly pause.

Narl vaulted himself out of the crowd. His claws unsheathed and teeth glimmering in the dim light. “You bastard!” His eyes were full of primal fury and confused rage. His back curled, and the tom landed face down on the Captain’s shoulder. His teeth bit into the shoulder, but only penetrated the rough hide. The Gowak was on his feet, and whipped his hand over his chest. His claws dug into the tom’s back, and he slung him onto the wall.

He hit the wall with a crack, his neck tossing his head back. Narl’s spine stiffened. He tried to raise his paws, but it was useless. He was stuck in a floppy position in the corner. A gurgling anger slowly leaked from his half-open mouth.

The Ship Captain looked at the crowding slaves. “Anybody else?” He snapped, throwing his hands back. “Anybody else lazy?” He pointed at the bloody body. “Anybody else a hero?” A growl escaped him, slowly dissolving into a breath. “Or does anybody else know who they work for? Does anybody know what they are?” He turned at the mrows, all receding back in their quarters like frightened birds.

The captain snarled at the slaves, then turned around. He swung his arm toward the other Gowaks. “Back to your posts.” They followed silently, gleaming joyfully.

Narl growled as they walked off, and he could barely see the mrows slinking back in. They would be quiet…they were extinguished flames….they were scared. Narl would’ve continued the thought, if he hadn’t been drawn into an unwilling sleep.

His eyes slowly opened, and he blinked twice. Narl took a deep breath. “W…what?” He leaned forward, climbing to his feet. His back was dull with pain, that he couldn’t quite remember getting. Running his hand along the ground, he could tell he wasn’t in the cots. His mind began to seep back to the body. Narl was angry. Eyes adjusting, he could see he was in the hallway. Narl turned his eyes, and could see Faye’s feet.

“Faye!” He smiled. Maybe his beautiful wife new what was going on? “Faye!” He walked over to her. Then he smelt it…blood. His breath began to race out of his mouth. Weakened, he dropped down with his legs sprawled in all directions. His white paw eased under her head, pushing out dried blood. “Faye…?” He mumbled. “Faye, speak to me.”

Narl suddenly heard her; breathing out a sigh of relief, and then a horrendous, shriek. He chocked on his breath, and his heart shattered. “Faye…? Faye, Faye? Faye! Faye, oh Faye!” He pushed his muzzles against her breast. “Faye…Faye…” His tears mixed in with his wife’s blood. The tom moaned between long, sobbing gasps, hoping his hugs would bring the lifeless shell back.

Like a flash of thunder, his memories came back. His precious’s foot, the scraggly worker, the Ship Captain…  His grasp tightened around his wife. They did this! This useless death… Narl growled. They killed, massacred his innocent wife!  He felt as if his eyes were suddenly so dry, and his muscles tightened. Faye was dead! Killed by those hideous monsters…the demonic eight workers. Cowards! All weak and pathetic! His depression grew to rage. Scum tyrants, bloated with undeserved power.

Narl stood up. The fur all down his spine prickled up. Hideous, bumbling, fiends. How dare they think eight idiots could rule over the mrows, a proud people…

Eight. The word echoed in his mind like a church bell. Eight, weak monsters. Monsters…monsters…monsters…

Punishment.

His eyes narrowed, his pupil became slits.  Narl stood up, his legs stronger than they could possibly be. Claws flexed, he let them dig into his palms. They’ll pay for this! His thoughts began to race, and began to just blur into meaningless jumbles. Narl leaped on four legs, skidding across Chapper’s Line. He took a graceful leap, and hid behind a large cargo box left overnight. He pulled his head up with his front legs over the crate. There was one of the guards, leaning hapharazadly against the wall. His tail straightened out, and he pulled back his head, growling viciously.

The guard looked up. “Wha’? Liam?” He brushed the back of his claws against his plumage, the bright colored scales that hung down from a string on his head. As expecting of the worker, lazy and apathetic, he went back to his daze.

Narl climbed to top of the wooden crate. A skill common to Mrows, he could sit so still, hiding in plain sight. His wait was brief. Sporadically, the white-and-black slave leaped. He landed on the guard’s shin. Narl slithered up his back, dragging his feet to create long slashes along his skin. “Hell fire!” The Gowak tried to grab Narl, but the mrow was moving swiftly. Teeth digging into his shoulder, he let his weight hang on the worker’s shoulder.

The guard tried to scream but a white paw clamped his mouth. The lanky one, the monster who pointed out Faye, suddenly bent over. His thick tail swatted the mrow, and the additional plumage swatted him. Narl hung on tight, but still flipped over onto the Gowak’s chest. His claws stabbed into its chest, and the other hand kept the mouth shut. The guard swatted him again, and holding on was getting harder.

Narl’s blind rage was giving him strength to hold on. He pulled himself up and bit at one of his eyes. Suddenly, the Gowak’s mouth flew opening, throwing the mrow to the ground. “Mop! Mop!” He shouted. Narl pounced, wrapping all his legs around the Gowak’s neck.

The Gowak twisted his neck up, screeching. His grip on the reptile’s neck tightened, and in a swimming motion, the mrow got his paws on the top of its head. The guard titled right, staggering sideways, inching toward the Captain’s Quarter. Plowing claws pulled Narl’s torso to the top of the monster’s head. As the guard opened its long mouth, Narl’s claws darted into the thin lining of its upper mouth. It felt to him as if he had no mind anymore. Things were not thought, they were done. Using the arm-strength he had learned as a slave, he ripped back with the gowak’s head, and his legs crushed his neck.

A satisfying crack from the monster’s skull echoed in Narl’s paws. He propelled himself off the gowak’s back, sliding on the ground. The towering beast fell to the ground with limbs flopping. Two deep breaths later, the Gowak showed its true form. The shadow of ever scale slugged together. They combined into a floating, twisting and bubbling ball of black goop.

Narl growled a gasp in times of instinct.  He knew that it was coming, but somehow did not plan that. Now, all he thought was that it couldn’t be touched. The glob swooped down, charging for the fluffy creature. He tumbled behind one of the boxes to dodge. The maneuver wouldn’t buy him much time. His hands were behind him, searching blindly on the floor. Something finally touched against his fur. As the Gowak blob flew toward him, Narl grabbed the item. Without looking, he lodged it with force toward the enemy.

The flying splinter of wood hit the creature on the blunt, flat side, but it was enough for the fragile Gowak at its true nature. The glop seemed to shrink for a split-second, and was gone.

            Narl grinned in a grim joy. It could be done…

“Hey, what’s going on down here!”

            …And could be repeated.

The approaching gowak looked over the boxes. His yellow eyes scanned the area. “Hey!” He snapped. He laid reptilian hand on a crate, pivoting around. “Where are you? What’s going on?”  Suddenly, his eye’s caught the Gowak’s reptile corpse.

Narl exploited his shock. He pushed out with his back legs and leaped over the body to the other side. The guard pulled out his gun, a strange orb-like thing, and fired at the air where the black tip of fur once was. “Get out here!” He hissed.

Narl slid out from behind the stack of crates he had jumped to, grabbing the corpse’s own weapon. He rolled over. His stomach was up and his arm was holding him up. In that awkward position, he let out a ray from the gun. It released silently, zipping thought the air. The red, glowing laser hissed as it shot through the guard’s eye. He screamed, clutching the bleeding hole on his face, but the scream faded into a gurgling noise of blood and bile. He tumbled to the ground.

Narl ready the handgun again. The true-form showed itself quicker than the last. The black blob’s bumps seem to come and recede quicker than before. A silent shot fired straight through the bottom, and it was gone.

He didn’t even look up after that. Yellow, slitted eyes turned toward the weapon. It was such a basic technology. The red Merr, the core orb of the gun, had a small ring of the spotted-mineral Leppa stuck to it, and a steel bar thin enough to bend held a lump of Pike over the entire thing.  If the Pike touched the Merr, the reaction would start. The Merr would release its mass into a highly charged bolt of some kind. Without the Leppa, with witch the Merr was unexplainably attracted too, the energy would radiate from all sides. But the mineral held it in place, creating an aim-able missile. It was so simple…so effective. The tom clutched in his paw.

He got up onto his legs and began to dash out of the shipping room. There were six other Gowaks in the port, and Narl really had no specific idea where they were. Letting his instinct-full legs take him, he came to the communication hub. Screens, buttons, dials and meters lit up the entire dim, metallic wall. There was no one in it.

A scaly tapping came charging toward him. “There’s an intruder! Two guards down!” He called in a raspy voice. Narl receded behind a wall, pressing his fur against it. The panicked gowak slapped his fingers onto a board of buttons. “Danger! Intruder!” He looked around at the dials, searching for the right one.

The white-and-black mrow aimed and fired. A red, glowing beam pierced into the Gowak’s muscular leg. “Aaaah!”  The monster screamed. His legs gave way, letting him fall to the floor. Narl hopped toward him. Curled over, the crocodilian creature spat at him. “Mop!”

The mrow opened his mouth, showing his glistening fangs. A primal noise escaped him, part hiss, part growl, and part blood-curling scream. He fired another shot into the monster’s snout. Narl held down the Pike, letting a continuous string of silent energy go. The true-form had barely time to materialize before a beam hit it.

Knowing it was truly dead, he hissed again. “Mop!” He growled, low in his throat. Five more Gowaks haunted this place, and they had surely heard his growls.

A yellow-spotted mrow blinked awake. The other slaves were so exhausted their sleep could not be bothered, but her relatively easy work hadn’t made her so tired. She slowly climbed out of her cot, paw pads gently touching the floor.

“Hello?” She whispered. The mrow quietly scurried out of the room. Her foot stepped in something sticky, her eye quickly following. Holding back a gasp, Seni stared at the blood. The cold body of the mrow killed earlier remained on the ground. She leaped back and dashed down chapper’s lane. She was sure she heard something.

Seni’s paw steps made only a faint pitter-pitter on the cold ground. Her arms were held up to her face, hiding her gasping mouth. The racket she heard had died down. The yellow mrow, covered in black spots, had no idea where it came from.

…Then there was another crash.

Narl leapt backwards, catching the corner of a crate with his paw, and spun the rest of his body around in midair. His outstretched back-paws swiped the tip of the Gowak’s nose. The creature growled, but continued charging forward.

The skinny mrow landed in all fours. The guard shot down, missing as Narl back flipped to safety. The tall crocodilian made a hiss, spluttering with his bleeding nose. He shot another silent red beam. Again, the mrow dodged.

The Gowak walked closer, raising his gun. He was slower this time. Narl crouched, prepared to dodge again, when he realized his tail was against the wall. Blinded by fury…he walked into a corner.

“Stupid mop…” The guard smiled, aiming his gun right for the mrow’s head.

SCHWACK!

Blindsided, the towering monster fell sideways, landing in an awkward position. Seni breathed heavily on top of a box behind the creature. Her job-tool, a crowbar, was clenched in her paws.

Narl stared at her for a few seconds, shocked. The surprised dulled quickly. He slid on the back calluses of his paws to retrieve his lost gun a few steps away. Just as the huge Gowak began to grunt back in to consciousness, he let the lasers fly. Three shots. Two for the scaled body, one for the black grime.

Seni began to hyperventilate, her breaths loud and quick. She had hit the Gowak in an impulse…and now she was scared. The white tom knew she was not going to be able to do anything like that again.

“What the kirf is going on here?” A deep, boisterous voice echoed across the halls.

The black-and-white mrow leaped over the yellow counterpart, turning to hiss at her. “Hide go- now!” His voice was almost hidden under the growl.

She didn’t let go of her crowbar, nodding nervously and scampering behind some boxes. She picked a particularly removed pile- way in the back of the storage room- and hid behind them. Metal rod shaking in her hand, she tried to control her breathing to remain hidden.

Narl leaped on top of a barrel. He pressed his belly against the top, hugging it as tightly as he could. He could see a shadow of a great beast down the hall, closer toward the Docking Bay. He stretched out his arms and sank onto the ground, keeping down as he creeped closer.

The Guard beckoned a friend over, from behind a wall. The two charged, gun’s first, down the empty room. Narl drew back his neck a little, shocked by the strange use of organization from the stupid creatures. He jumped out of his hiding spot, nonetheless, and rolled head-over-heels across the floor. The sharp heat of the lasers swooped past him. On all fours, Narl jumped onto the wall, and leaped onto the floor in front of the two.

The two Gowak’s growled, firing down. The mrow drew back, avoiding most of the blast to only have his tail hit. Back against the floor, he shot. The laser pierced through one of the Guard’s shoulders. Narl didn’t have time to look before his companion fired at him. The fallen Gowak clenched his shoulder, hissing. He picked up his gun off the ground.

Narl fired a laser, in mid-jump while dodging an incoming shot. It was off target, slightly, but the energy pierced enough of the standing Gowak to kill him. He fell at an angle. The true-form rose out of his mouth. Narl shot it as he landed back on the ground.

Suddenly, four claws stung into his back. The other Gowak, still grasping his shoulder, pulled himself closer to Narl. The mrow wriggled, but he couldn’t break free from the guard’s hold. Eye’s thin with anger, Narl turned to face him. The Gowak’s mouth was open slightly, teeth barely apart, and letting out a deep chuckle. His claws let go of the injured shoulder and grabbed the gun.

He roared, letting all the energy he could come out of his mouth. The Gowak flinched in surprise, loosening his grip just enough for Narl to pull himself out. He wrapped his claws around the monster’s dangling flare, yanking it forward. It’s neck jerked out, exposing the soft spot on the base of the head. He shot it-dead.

The white tom let go quickly, bounding backwards. His thoughts raced through his mind so fast he could barely understand it.

Don’t let the goo touch me, don’t let the goo touch me!

His paws flew over the metal flooring. If the Gowak’s true body were to reach him, it would enter him. Narl would be gone…controlled as the new host of the horrible parasite.

 The shifting blob lunged down toward Narl. He jumped, landing on his shoulder and sliding against the floor. Thinking quickly, he lobbed the round gun over his head. It vanquished the remains of the guard.

His white ear’s pricked up. Narl could hear the soft plink of his gun landing. He pulled himself up, coughing up some blood and mucus. It had landed closer toward the Captain’s quarters.

The Captain had placed walls in the entrance to his area, so one had to criss-cross to reach it, to prevent noise from bothering him. Narl wasn’t sure how effective the walls were…but the lack of his personal guard coming out made it seem that he wasn’t alerted of the renegade mrow.

Narl walked slowly toward the entrance. He picked up his gun and continued to snake about each of the walls. There were at least seven… it wasn’t a wonder that the lazy Gowak could sleep through landing ships. He poked his nose out.

The Captain’s personal Gowak guard, a tall monster with a uncommonly bright plumage, was near the closed door. Narl was never really sure why he was chosen to be the bodyguard…he wasn’t nearly the strongest. Right now, the tall reptile was rocking back and forward.

“Captain…” He whispered, tapping the steel door with a claw. “Captain? May I have permission to enter? I need to use the facilities…sir.”

The mrow held back a snicker. He was sure the greedy wide-eyed monster would rather the guard piss on the floor than let him use his personal bathroom. “Captain…Sir?” He tapped a claw on the door once more.

Narl stepped out from behind the wall. He wasn’t watching this monster dance on the floor anymore. Two shots silently flew across the short space. He got lucky. The timing was just right to shoot both the reptilian shell, and the emerging blob.

As soon as the scales clanked against the floor, the steel door was slung open. The Captain showed himself. “What the hell…!” His arm clenched a large, more sophisticated rifle gun. The weapon was easily five times more powerful than Narl’s round handgun…probably a lot more than that. He stepped fully outside of the room, eye’s clenched.

The white mrow was standing proud where from where he shot the Gowak. It was a foolish thing, but anger and pride overruled that. The six-foot-two reptile, dawning a metal shield-shirt, stared down at him with wide, cold, eyes.

“…The hero?”  He coughed. The words barely escaped him before he let loose a rapid fire of powerful bursts.

Narl slid sideways, dodging the bursts. As soon as his shoulder hit the ground, he shot back. The red beam hit the Captain square on the metal-shield. It was absorbed immediately. The monster smiled a little.

Barreling, the mrow had little time to avoid the next barrage of beams. He jumped onto the wall, propelling himself across the room, firing his handgun. In rhythm, the Gowak swayed his body to avoid every single one. “Stupid mop!” His hissed, firing back.

Narl only managed to avoid the beam by a few centimeters. He could feel the amount of heat against his leg. Breath rolling rapidly out of him, he tried to shoot again. Once more the shot was taken by the large shield. He jumped over another laser, landing only on one foot when he leaped sideways. Narl stretched out his claws desperately, trying to slash onto the Captain’s eyes. The Gowak slung his arms, batting the white tom off with the side of the rifle. Narl’s back slammed against the hard wall.

He ducked down, letting the rifle-fire go over his head. This isn’t working… Narl thought, feeling blood flow out his nose. Panicked, he dashed out of the room. He covered his bloodied face with his free paw, keeping from leaving a track. The frilled lizard was hot on his trail, letting off powerful bursts whenever he got the chance. His aim was getting better, and Narl was beginning to get scraped.

Black-tipped tail disappearing behind the final wall, the Captain dashed out to follow. The powerful weapon was ready, set against his eye. “Where are you,” The monster cooed, tentatively stepping forward. His head surveyed the area, gun read. “I have no time for these stupid games, mop!”

The mrow’s body was shoved closely against the wall to the control center. The room was adjacent to the Captain’s room…but no doors connected them. Narl caught his breath in the lightly buzzing room, full of buttons and screens. Closing his eyes and drawing a last deep breath, his white foot shot out, breaking a glass screen. CRAAAACK!

The Captain turned around on his heel, racing toward the Control Center. “Got ya.”  He jumped into the room, guns blazing. Narl stood still against the entrance wall as the lasers shot into the machinery. Electric sparks and wires hissed and crackled.

Narl roared, flying out of the shadows. The Gowak’s eyes widened. He was too startled to attack. Arms stretched out, the mrow shoved the gargantuan beast backwards. His leathery scales flew back and crashed against the exposed wiring. Narl lost momentum and fell onto the ground.

The Captain was paralyzed, unable to move from the continuing electrical shocks. His eyes wobbled in their sockets and his bright, colorful flails began to turn black. A horrible, shrieking pop exploded from his metallic shirt-shield as it ripped off his body. It exposed burnt, black scales. The monster’s body grew limp and dropped to the ground, some parts still steaming.

Narl stood over the fallen giant. His small, round hand-gun was tightly held in his paws. Where were the remnants of the Gowak?  His question was quickly answered.

Before the yellow-eyed mrow could see it form, the glop bolted for him. Narl landed awkwardly oh his shoulder. He fired shots blindly into the air. The Gowak dodged, again swooping for a body to possess. He held his ground and fired. The beam went straight through the center of the demon. It was gone. They were all gone.

Narl fell onto his knees, hands against the ground. His stolen gun dropped on the floor, rolling slightly toward the burnt corpse. The mrow’s bloodied nose, starting to clot, dripped with cold taps against the floor. Narl breathed in and out with his mouth, chest heaving.

As his smile rose and pressed his cheeks against his eyes….the mrow began to cry.

Last Season: 12^th.

Say hello to your new teammates: Dean Whitehead.

Close the door on your way out: Seyi Olofinjana, Vincent Pericard.

Predicted star: Ryan Shawcross and Abdoulaye Faye will once again be dominant in defence while providing an attacking outlet for Rory Delap to aim at.

Needs a big year: James Beattie needs to continue the form he showed after signing in January. Too often in the past he has had good runs of form before drifting away and becoming ineffective and fat. Stoke will need his goals to ensure another season of Premier League football.

One to watch: Liam Lawrence scored 14 goals when Stoke got promoted from the Championship but injury limited his effectiveness last season. Now fit again, he should provide crosses and goals from the right wing.

What they want to happen: Another season where they’re difficult to beat, with home form keeping them safe once more.

Nightmare scenario: The direct tactics don’t work and Stoke’s lack of creativity sees them struggle this time round.

Plan A: Use free kicks and throw ins to supply ammunition to Fuller, Beattie, Faye and Shawcross.

Plan B, just in case: Delap -> box -> confusion -> goal.

Wing Commander Delap launches Stoke's aerial attack...

Predicted finish: 14^th.

Why? Stoke were never in trouble last season, their unique brand of simple yet effective football causing problems for many teams. As with any promoted side who wants to stay up, they realised that home form was key and they lost just four times at the Britannia Stadium while conceding just 15 goals. 35 of Stoke’s 45 points were gained at home and this compared favourably to all the teams below them as well as several above. It would have kept them up even if they had lost every single away game!

12^th place was just reward for a team which was incredibly difficult to break down, with only Man Utd, Arsenal, Man City and Blackburn beating them by more than two goals. This was in part due to a team full of strong players who were 6ft plus and very well organised. Manager Tony Pulis kept things simple and played to Stoke’s strengths. Rory Delap’s throw in skill was one of them and for a while they would cause havoc against every team Stoke played. As powerful as a cross but more accurate, Delap assisted several goals. He wasn’t just a one trick pony though as he also provided hard work and assists from open play.

Got to love a 51 year old wearing a baseball cap.

In terms of this season it’s as you were squad wise with only Dean Whitehead coming in from Sunderland. He’s another defensive midfielder to add to the riches the Potters have in that department. It will be harder for them this round but I don’t see too many problems in terms of staying up for a third season. If nothing else, Pulis can try and repeat the impact of last January’s signings if things are sticky mid-season. I don’t think he’ll need to though as Stoke should finish in around 14^th place.

.

T.

That’s right fellow Jackers, Jumble and Pearls is back at Albert and Pearl, 181 Upper Street in Angel and will be running from 1pm until 5pm. And it’s FREE entry!

We went along to Jumble and Pearls a couple of months ago and you can read all about the shop and rock event in Who’s Jack Issue 21.

So get with the P.G (that’s program and it’s easy) and join us and other fashionistas in checking out the great jumble for men and women, with new stock including pure vintage, designer clothes, tracksuit chic and high street brands with the most random of treasures including bric and brac.

On top of all this, Jumble and Pearls provides you with a ’shop n rock’ soundtrack to the already original concept and best shopping experience that side of town. Plus, Albert and Pearl serve up some of the best cuppas and cocktails throughout the day.

To find out more about just what the hell I am talking about then get yourself over to Issue 21 of Who’s Jack and read Faye’ s article or go to their Facebook and visit the guys yourself!

Don’t worry if you can’t make it on the 1st Sept, Jumble and Pearls happens every month and the 1st October is very special indeed as it is their 1st Birthday! But more about that nearer the time…

And, as if this isn’t enough to get your vintage knickers in a twist about then Jumble and Pearls will be hitting the road and setting up shop at the Storm in a Tea Cup festival, Somerset and will also be guesting in and around East London very soon.