text:
_This page is for the Prime Earth version of Shazam (formerly Captain Marvel), for other versions of Captain Marvel go here. For other versions of Shazam go here._
SHAZAM
[Shazam - New 52]
__
GALLERY
GENERAL INFORMATION
REAL NAME:
William Joseph Batson
FIRST APPEARANCE:
CHRONOLOGICALLY:
_Whiz Comics_ #2 (1940)
NEW EARTH VERSION:
_Legends_ #1 (1986)
POST-_FLASHPOINT:_
_Justice League_ (Vol. 2) #7 (2012)
CREATED BY:
C. C. Beck
Bill Parker
AFFILIATIONS:
Formerly Marvel Family
Justice League of America
Justice Society of America
Squadron of Justice
ABILITIES:
Magically bestowed aspects of various mythological figures, including:
Vast super-strength, speed, and stamina
Physical and magical invulnerability
Flight
Fearlessness
Vast wisdom and enhanced mental perception
Control over and emission of magic lightning
PORTRAYED BY:
Tom Tyler
Frank Coghlan Jr.
Michael Gray
Jackson Bostwick
John Davey
Jerry O'Connell (Voice)
Sean Astin (Voice)
Zachary Levi
Asher Angel
SHAZAM (formerly known as CAPTAIN MARVEL) is a superhero in the DC Comics Universe and the protector of Fawcett City. In his secret identity, he is known as WILLIAM JOSEPH "BILLY" BATSON, a young boy who was chosen to be a champion of good by the wizard Shazam. Whenever Billy speaks the wizard's name, he is struck by a magic thunderbolt that transforms him into an adult superhero empowered with the abilities of six legendary figures.

Throughout his many adventures, Captain Marvel has fought countless enemies, the most famous being Doctor Sivana, Black Adam and Mister Mind. However, he has also earned many allies, such as Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr, forming the Marvel Family .

Historically, Captain Marvel first appeared in _Whiz Comics #2._ However, after the Crisis on Infinite Earths significantly altered the character's history, Captain Marvel's first appearance in the Modern Age of Comic Books was in _History of the DC Universe #2_. After the reboot of the DC Universe (Post-_Flashpoint_), the character was renamed SHAZAM and was re-introduced in _Justice League_ (Volume 2) #7.

Before DC Comics gained ownership of the character, Captain Marvel was originally a property of Fawcett Comcs. However, a copyright infringement lawsuit from DC Comics stated that Captain Marvel was an illegal infringement of Superman. This caused Fawcett to cease publishing Captain Marvel-comics, but DC Comics gained ownership of the Marvel Family characters and returned them to publication.

History

Origins

Billy Batson and his sister Mary were born to archaeologists C. C. and Marylin Batson. Billy's parents were killed by their treacherous assistant, Theo Adam, while on a dig at the tomb of Rameses II at Abu Simbel, Egypt. He also kidnaps Billy's sister Mary, who ends up missing.

Billy was separated from his sister Mary following the death of their parents and left in the care of their uncle Ebenezer, his father's half-brother. Unfortunately, Ebenezer threw Billy out and stole the youth's trust fund money which had been set aside for Billy's care and welfare. Left penniless and homeless, Billy eked out a sorrowful existence in Fawcett City as a newsboy. For shelter, he often slept in the subway terminals.

One night, a mysterious stranger - later revealed to be the spirit of Billy's father - convinced Billy to follow him deep into the subway tunnels. There, Billy found a marvelous train decorated in hieroglyphics and mystic runes. Billy and the stranger rode the train deep into the bowles of the earth and arrived in a cavern that held statues epitomizing the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man, including Envy, Lust, Greed, Pride, Wrath, Sloth, and Gluttony. Within the cavern, Billy met the ancient wizard Shazam, a champion of mankind for thousands of years. Withered with age, Shazam sat on a throne poised benaeth a giant stone block suspended above him as if by magic.

There, the ancient wizard revealed that he had selected Billy to be his champion to fight for good as the "strongest and mightiest man in the world--Captain Marvel!" To that end, Shazam ordered Billy to speak his name, which was actually an acronym for various legendary figures who had agreed to grant aspects of themselves to a willing subject:

S - for the wisdom of Solomon H - for the strength of Hercules A - for the stamina of Atlas Z - for the power of Zeus (which enhances all Marvel's other physical abilities and allows for interdimensional travel) A - for the courage of Achilles (which would include invulnerability from ancient mythology) M - for the speed of Mercury (and, by extension, the power to fly)

Billy then said the wizard's name, and was immediately struck by a magic lightning bolt, turning him into Captain Marvel, an adult superhero. He then learned that he has only to speak the word again to be instantly changed back into Billy.

With that, Shazam was immediately killed by the large granite block that fell from above his throne. Billy vowed to fulfill his bestowed role.

Early Adventures

Captain Marvel became a member of the revived Justice Society of America and was featured prominently in that group alongside his nemesis Black Adam. Captain Marvel had originally joined the team to keep an eye on Adam, who had joined the JSA claiming to have reformed. Black Adam eventually left the JSA to instigate a takeover of his home country of Kahndaq; he had a fondess for the country, and wished to see the totalitarian regime done away in what he saw as justice. Captain Marvel remained with the team.

During his tenure in the JSA, Marvel dated Courtney Whitmore, also known as Stargirl, which put him in an unusual position; while he could legally date Courtney as Billy Batson, it looked very strange for the grown-up Captain Marvel to be with the teenaged Stargirl. The Golden Age The Flash (Jay Garrick)|The Flash, Jay Garrick, another JSA member, confronted Marvel about the issue. Rather than telling Garrick and the team the truth about his age, Marvel chose to follow the Wisdom of Solomon and leave the team and Courtney.

The Marvel Family played an integral part the Infinite Crisis. The climax of the Day of Vengeance saw the Spectre engaged in a cosmic-level battle with the wizard Shazam. At the conclusion of this battle, Shazam was obliterated, and the Rock of Eternity burst apart into Earth's dimension, freeing scores of ancient magicks and evils that had been captured eons ago back into the Universe.

In a later _Day of Vengeance_ one-shot special, Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family then helped Zatanna and several other beings to capture the Seven Deadly Sins and rebuild the Rock of Eternity. Captain Marvel was then required to take over Shazam's role as caretaker of the Rock. Marvel was later shown fulfilling this role, although teetering on the brink of sanity, constantly talking back to the Seven Sins around him. During this time, Marvel was shown helping Black Adam grant Adrianna Tomaz the powers of the goddess Isis. Later that year, Captain Marvel presided at the marriage ceremony of Adam and Isis in Kahndaq.

Black Adam's continued attempts to reform, and depicted Adam's formation of, with Captain Marvel's blessing, a "Black Marvel Family". Joining Black Adam in the Black Marvel Family were his wife Isis and her brother Osiris. Isis and Osiris are murdered by the "Four Horsemen", creatures engineered by a team of DC's mad scientist characters (Dr. Sivana among them). As a result, Black Adam takes his revenge out on the entire world, killing millions. Black Adam is halted for a few minutes, just the time needed for Captain Marvel to force a magic lightning bolt on him, turning Black Adam back to Teth-Adam and changing his magic word into an unknown one.

_Trials of Shazam!_ and _Final Crisis_

The Trials of Shazam!, a 12-issue maxi-series written by Judd Winick and illustrated by Howard Porter for the first eight issues and by Mauro Cascioli for the remaining four, began publication in August 2006. The series redefined the Shazam! mythos, the characters, and their place in the DC Universe. Trials of Shazam! featured Captain Marvel, now with a white costume and long white hair, taking over the role of the wizard Shazam under the name Marvel, while Captain Marvel Jr. and Mary Marvel lose their powers. A powerless Freddy Freeman is then drafted to prove himself worthy to the individual six gods evident in the "Shazam" acronym so that he can become their new champion and herald under the name Shazam, although a witch Sabina from the Council of Merlin attempts to take the power herself, as ordered by her father Merlin. Atlas is killed during the series by Sabina, but Apollo's healing replaces him. Marvel helps Freddy when he is trapped by the weight that Atlas bore.

In the pages of the 2007-2008 Countdown to Final Crisis limited series, Black Adam gives the powerless Mary Batson his powers, turning her into a more villainous character. She eventually relinquishes the power and gets powers from the Olympians, but she is tempted by her old power. By the end of the series, as well as in DC's 2008-2009 Final Crisis limited series, the now black-costumed Mary Marvel, possessed by the evil New God DeSaad, becomes a villain, joining forces with Superman villain Darkseid and fighting both Supergirl and Freddy Freeman/Shazam, who turns her back using his lightning.

Justice Society of America

The redesigned Marvel made a few appearances in various DC comics outside of The Trials of Shazam! maxi-series for two years before returning in _Justice Society of America_ (vol. 3) #23 in January 2009. Justice Society writer Geoff Johns collaborated with writer/artist Jerry Ordway to write a storyline that would again retool the Shazam! franchise.

In the story, Marvel is ambushed by Black Adam and Isis, who are intent on taking over the Rock of Eternity. Isis robs Marvel of his powers by saying Shazam from a spell book to send lightning at him, and banishes a powerless Billy Batson back to Fawcett City, where he contacts the Justice Society for help. Upon arriving at the Rock of Eternity with Billy, the Justice Society fights Black Adam and Isis. Billy is abducted by the now evil Mary Marvel, who shares her powers with him and turns him into an evil teenage Captain Marvel. The evil Billy and Mary join Adam and Isis in fighting the Justice Society. However, Adam switches sides when Isis sets into action her plan to kill off humanity and destroy modern civilization. With the help of the Justice Society's Flash and the spirit of C.C Batson (Mary and Billy's father), the dead wizard Shazam's soul is retrieved from an underworld realm known as the Rock of Finality, and Adam gives up his powers to resurrect him from the statue he is imprisoned in. Shazam promptly takes his powers back from the other three Black Marvels, turns Adam and Isis into stone statues, and banishes Billy and Mary from the Rock of Eternity upon stating that they have failed him. He threatens to come after Freddy Freeman, as his powers come directly from the Gods. They are later seen walking the streets of Fawcett City while homeless and pondering the fate of their father's spirit.

Blackest Night

During Blackest Night, they are living in an apartment, and comment on how scary it is not to have their powers anymore.

Shazam One-Shot

Freddy is seen with Billy and Mary in their apartment. They reminisce about the past and how Mary now feels useless without her powers. Mary is later seen assaulting Freddy, Blaze appears. The scene cuts to a homeless shelter. Blaze is seen talking to Mary. She tells Mary that if she kills Freddy, she will restore Billy and Mary's powers. It cuts back. Blaze is seen breaking her promise to Mary. Seconds later the word 'Shazam' is heard, sending Blaze rocketing through the wall. It turns out Freddy was in on it too, only pretending to get killed. Blaze and Freddy fight in the streets. Blaze punches Freddy with a ring containing liquid from the river of the Styx, which is toxic to everyone besides the residents of Hell. Billy is seen telling Mary to distract Blaze while he helps Freddy wash off the toxic water. Freddy then follows by "killing" Blaze and sending her back to Hell. Later on, Freddy tells Billy and Mary that no matter what, he will find a way to restore their powers!

Flashpoint

_See: Captain Thunder_
DCnU

The Flash's changes to reality created a new world where Billy's life had significantly changed. In this new world, his superhero identity was called Shazam, not Captain Marvel. Billy also had undergone a personality change: while he was still essentially a good boy, he was distrustful of people and wanted to become an adult as fast as possible so that he could take care of himself and not worry about anybody else.

Billy lived in an orphanage in Philadelphia and was interviewed by a couple of parents, the Vasquezes, so that he could be adopted and attend to school. He behaved properly towards the Vasquezes, who decided to adopt him. As soon as they left, however, Billy expressed indifference towards them. Later, Billy sees an emergency in the city and transforms into Shazam. After being adopted he moves to the Vasquezes home where he meets the rest of their family, who are also adopted. It is immediately apparent that Billy does not fit in with the rest and he soon gets into a fight with the others, storming off into his room.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

POWER OF SHAZAM: In order to access the powers of Captain Marvel, Batson must invoke the name of the Wizard Shazam, thereby summoning the spells and energies of those extra-dimensional beings once known as "the gods on Earth". Batson also has ties to the Quintessence.

Batson must invoke the spell in order to call upon these powers. In a burst of supernatural thunder and lightning, Captain Marvel wields the mighty powers of the immortals.

Batson was able to share his power with others who are worthy. His sister became Mary Marvel and Freddy Freeman became Captain Marvel Jr. In this state, each person is in possession of a fragment of the power of "Captain Marvel". By calling upon Shazam again, each member of the Marvels can once again return to their former identities. This allows one of their numbers, such as Billy or Mary, to have the full power of the spell. The spell can be shared with others of noble intent and purity, such as Superman, who once switched identities with Captain Marvel. Bolstered by the Stamina of Atlas, the invulnerability of Achilles, and the power of Zeus, Marvel is often depicted with strength on par with Superman.

Captain Marvel possesses the following superhuman and magical powers:

S FOR THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON: Solomon was the third king of united Israel in historical times. According to the Bible God blessed him with supernatural wisdom at his request to lead Israel. Captain Marvel has instant access to a vast amount of knowledge. The wisdom of Solomon is sometimes known as the Wisdom of the Ancients. Captain Marvel has superhuman clairvoyance and awareness. He is provided with counsel and advice in times of need. Captain Marvel has knowledge of all languages, ancient and modern warfare, and can hypnotize or enchant people with his power. The power of wisdom lends him knowledge far beyond mortal comprehension.
-   _SUPERHUMAN KNOWLEDGE_: Captain Marvel has exceptional photographic recall and mental acuity allowing him to read and decipher hieroglyphics, recall everything he has ever learned and solve long mathematical equations. Instantaneously he can make intuitive guesses based on limited data; to the point his guesses are almost always correct; also he has a great understanding of divine phenomenon in the mortal world.
-   _CLAIRVOYANCE_: Captain Marvel possesses an uncanny awareness of his circumstances that allows him to turn disadvantages into advantages.
-   _HYPNOSIS_: Through sheer power and magic he can hypnotize people for length of time (undetermined). Only those of great willpower can overcome this ability.
-   _OMNI-LINGUAL_: He can speak every language known to humans as well as ancient or dead languages and is able to understand aliens.

H FOR THE STRENGTH OF HERCULES: In his role as Earth's Mightiest Mortal, Batson has incredible super strength. He has stalemated Superman in an arm wrestling contest, and has managed to match the strength of an Eclipso possesed Superman when he wasn't holding back at all (although Eclipso didn't know how to use Superman's power at it full extent and also Marvel showed more strain, indicating that Superman is fractionally stronger), and has rendered Superman unconscious (however he had the advantage of catching Superman by surprise). Captain Marvel has moved and destroyed massive objects. He has fought warriors such as Wonder Woman and Superman although both of them have defeated him. Captain Marvel refrains from such power displays as physically moving planets, although, given his abilities against Superman and Wonder Woman, such feats would be within his abilities.
-   _SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH_: Give him the ability to lift and/or press volumes of mass far in excess to that normally possible for a human being functioning in Earth gravity.

A FOR THE STAMINA OF ATLAS: The Titan known as Atlas had limitless endurance. Atlas cradled the Earth for time immemorial. He can overcome tremendous physical resistance. This superhuman ability lends to his ability to stay as Captain Marvel for elongated periods of time, survive in space and fight seemingly endless battles such as his fight with the [[w:c:batman:Spectre|Spectre] or Black Adam.
-   _SELF-SUSTENANCE_: He does not need to eat, sleep, or breathe as Shazam.
-   _SUPERHUMAN STAMINA_: His incredible metabolism endows him with practically infinite endurance and inexhaustible stamina.

Z FOR THE POWER OF ZEUS: Zeus was Olympus's high father and the god of magical lightning bolts. Zeus' power, besides fueling the magic thunderbolt that transform Captain Marvel, also enhances Captain Marvel's other physical and magical abilities. This power reinforces his physical invulnerability and resistance against magic spells and attacks. Captain Marvel can use the magical lightning as a weapon. He can summon Zeus's lighting bolts to strike his opponents. Zeus's lightning may be used to create mythic apparatus, restore damage done to Marvel, and act as a power source for magical spells. He knocked Superman unconscious with the speed of Mercury and with his fists wrapped in lighting bolts.
-   _MAGICAL RESISTANCE_: This boosts his Invulnerability and Endurance powers to god-like levels. Making him only affected by the most potent of spells and abilities.
-   _PHYSICAL ENHANCEMENT_: His muscles, height increase, weight, mass and all physical properties that differ from Billy Batson's are a magical enhancement.
-   _INTER-DIMENSIONAL TRAVEL_: This can only be used to travel to the Rock of Eternity.
-   _SPELL SOURCE_: He is the focal point and immediate source of Mary Marvel and Freddy Freeman's powers. Just as Shazam is the source of Billy Batson's powers.
-   _SORCERY_: Captain Marvel is a creature of pure and ancient magic. This allows for his ability to resist and cast magic spells, Zeus's Lightning being the most notable.
-   _ADVANCED HEALING_: If he is injured in battle he may call on the magical lightning to heal himself and mend wounds. If wounded, his divine and supernatural energies enable him to recover at other worldly speed.

A FOR THE COURAGE OF ACHILLES: Captain Marvel has heroic levels of inner strength from which to draw. He has the courage of the Greek Hero Achilles which in battle and while in the Captain Marvel form allows him to wield great bravery and spirit. Captain Marvel is blessed with an innate and harmonious good will. A divine cheerfulness that is characterized by his trademark grin. It gives him a perseverance that pushes him to always confront a challenge with a knowing optimism.
-   _INVULNERABILITY_: Captain Marvel is virtually invulnerable, and resistant to all types of physical injuries. His resilience to damage is on par with beings such as Superman, but without the weaknesses.
-   _OPTIMISM_: With the Courage of Achilles combined with the Wisdom of Solomon and the boyish personality of Billy Batson this creates a certain kind of optimism of which Captain Marvel is supremely known for. Able to smile down most opponents and using his powers in special ways other than fighting, Captain Marvel will forever remain the staple "boy scout".

M FOR THE SPEED OF MERCURY: By channeling Mercury's speed, Captain Marvel can easily fly and move at speeds far exceeding Mach 10 (2 miles a second) while in earth's atmosphere. This is far from his limit as the Speed of Mercury allows him to move at speeds faster than light. Just like Black Adam, his reflexes and speed enhance the impact of his uncharted physical strength. Thanks to the power of Mercury, Marvel flies as swiftly as the messenger god of Greek and Roman myth.
-   _SUPERHUMAN SPEED_: He can move at incredible speeds making him fast enough to fight beings such as Superman and Black Adam.
-   _FLIGHT_: Captain Marvel can also mystically fly through the atmosphere. This enables him to soar effortlessly sub-orbital levels and travel across the planet in blinding speed. He can travel through space, but has sometimes uses devices to ease communication during interstellar travel.

Abilities

-   Various. The knowledge he currently possesses is unending, therefore he is capable of anything.

-   MULTILINGUAL: Thanks to the Wisdom of Solomon, he has the ability to understand, comprehend, and speak any language on earth.

-   GENIUS-LEVEL INTELLECT: He also is considered a genius among geniuses.

-   SMOOTH TALKER: Another facet of his intelligence is ability to talk his way out of situations, as a man with an unprecedented amount of wisdom, he prefers to talk, rather than fight.

Strength

-   Class 100 +. As Captain Marvel his strength is on par with Superman. When he received the upgrade to Lord Marvel and became the keeper of the Rock of Eternity he was one of the strongest beings in the Universe.

Weaknesses

HIGH ORDER MAGIC: Only the strongest of magics can affect him in any particular way, such as those wielded by the Spectre.

SPEECH IMPEDIMENT: The spell that allows Billy to transform into Captain Marvel is purely vocal. Therefore, if he is prevented from speaking, such as being gagged, he will not be able to transform.

ELECTRICITY: A powerful enough electric discharge can transform Captain Marvel back into Billy and vice versa. This has worked both to his advantage and detriment oftentimes.

Former Weaknesses

GUARDIAN OF THE ROCK LIMITATION: Marvel is required to remain on the Rock of Eternity, and can only be away from the Rock for twenty-four hours at a time. However, as Billy is no longer the caretaker of the Rock of Eternity, this weakness no longer applies.

Equipment

All the mystical items belonging to Shazam.

-   HISTORAMA: Shazam owned the Historama that adorns the space near his throne at the Rock of Eternity. It functions as a crystal ball, but with Incredible range and accuracy. He activates the Historama by saying, "Historama show me...". The historama has incredible material strength and provides the following abilities:

-   _CLAIRVOYANCE_
-   _CLAIRAUDIENCE_
-   _REMOTE SENSING_
-   _EXTRA-DIMENSIONAL DETECTION_
-   _TRUE SIGHT_
-   _DIMENSIONAL VIEWING_
-   _TEMPORAL VIEWING_: ability to look into the past, and functions just like Dimensional Viewing. These powers allow the Historama to "cleave through the barriers" to show the occupants of the Rock of Eternity what transpires in other dimensions and even other times.

Batson had forgone the original historama and has opted for a more up to date version and has redirected the Rock of Eternity with a multitude of different tv screens which portrays whatever he chooses, just as the original historama.

In Other Media

FILM

-   The first filmed adaptation of Captain Marvel was produced in 1941. _Adventures of Captain Marvel_, starring Tom Tyler in the title role and Frank Coghlan, Jr. as Billy Batson, was a twelve-part film serial produced by Republic Pictures in 1941. Often ranked among the finest examples of the form, its release made Captain Marvel the first superhero to be depicted in film. Whitey Murphy, a supporting character in the serial, found his way into Fawcett's Captain Marvel stories, and elements of the serial's plot were later worked into DC's _The Power of Shazam_ continuity. _The Adventures of Captain Marvel_ (the man-in-flight effects techniques which, ironically, were originally developed for a Superman film serial that Republic never produced) predated Fleischer Studios' Superman cartoons by six months.
-   In 1950, Columbia Pictures released the comedy/mystery _The Good Humor Man_ with Jack Carson, Lola Albright, and George Reeves. The storyline has Carson as an ice cream vendor who also belongs to a home-grown Captain Marvel Club with some of the kids in the neighborhood. Fawcett released a tie-in one-shot the same year the movie appeared, _Captain Marvel and the Good Humor Man_.

_SHAZAM!_

New Line Cinema began development of a _Shazam!_ live-action feature film in the early 2000s, with screenplay drafts by the team of William Goldman and Bryan Goluboff and later being written by John August. Peter Segal was attached as director and former wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was in talks to appear as Black Adam. The _Shazam!_ film was originally being produced by New Line Cinema, which was absorbed into Warner Bros. during the course of pre-production. Following the success of Warner's film noir-inspired Batman film The Dark Knight and the commercial failure of its lighter, family-friendly Speed Racer during the summer of 2008, August departed from the project after being forced to make the film's script more in line with The Dark Knight's serious tone. In the summer of 2009, it was announced Bill Birch and JSA/52 co-author Geoff Johns were assigned to write the screenplay, while Segal remained attached as director. In August 2010, Los Angeles Times columnist Geoff Boucher reported discussions had begun to possibly cancel the theatrical movie and do a live action series for prime time network television instead.

However, on April 28, 2014, _The Wall Street Journal_ revealed an upcoming slate of Warner Bros. films based on DC Comics properties, including a _Shazam_ film to be potentially released in 2016. Dwayne Johnson confirmed the project and his attachment on August 20, 2014, officially announcing his casting as Black Adam on September 3, 2014. _Shazam_, still a New Line Cinema production being released through Warner Bros., is being executive produced by Toby Emmerich and screenwriter Darren Lenke of _Jack the Giant Slayer_ and _Turbo_, has been hired to write the script. Emmerich told _Entertainment Weekly_ in an interview that the film will have a tone unto itself separate from the concurrent _Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice_ film: with a sense of fun and humor, but with real stakes and an anti-hero version of Black Adam. On October 15, 2014, Warner Bros. announced _Shazam_ for an April 5, 2019 release as the eighth installment of the DC Extended Universe with Zachary Levi as Shazam and Asher Angel as Billy Baston.

_JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER_

Captain Marvel's first appearance in Warner Bros.' line of DC Animated Universe direct-to-video films was a brief cameo in 2008's _Justice League: The New Frontier_.

_SUPERMAN/BATMAN: PUBLIC ENEMIES_

The character had a more substantial role in the 2009 animated film _Superman/Batman: Public Enemies_, based on a _Superman/Batman_ comic book arc in which Marvel battles Superman under orders from United States president Lex Luthor. Captain Marvel was voiced by Corey Burton. An uncredited Rachael MacFarlane voiced Billy Batson.

_SUPERMAN/SHAZAM!: THE RETURN OF BLACK ADAM_

Captain Marvel appears in an animated short film entitled _Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam_ (released on the _DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection_ DVD compilation as part of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies) with Jerry O'Connell reprising his role as Captain Marvel and Billy Batson voiced by Zach Callison.

TELEVISION

-   Captain Marvel first came to television in 1974. Filmation produced _Shazam!_, a live-action television show which ran from 1974 to 1977 on CBS. From 1975 until the end of its run, it aired as one-half of The Shazam!/Isis Hour, featuring Filmation's own _The Secrets of Isis_ as a companion program. Instead of directly following the lead of the comic, the _Shazam!_ TV show took a more indirect approach to the character: Billy Batson/Captain Marvel, accompanied by an older man known simply as Mentor (Les Tremayne), traveled in an RV motor home across the USA, interacting with people in different towns they stopped in to save the citizens or help them combat evil. The wizard Shazam was absent from this series, and Billy received his powers and counsel directly from the six "immortal elders" represented in the "Shazam" name, who were depicted via animation: Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury. _Shazam!_ starred Michael Gray as Billy Batson, with both Jackson Bostwick (season one) and John Davey (seasons two and three) as Captain Marvel. An adapted version of Isis, the heroine of _The Secrets of Isis_, was introduced into DC Comics in 2006 as Black Adam's wife in the weekly comic book series _52_.
-   Shortly after the _Shazam!_ show ended its network run, Captain Marvel, played by Garrett Craig, appeared as a character in a pair of low-budgeted live-action comedy specials, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions under the name _Legends of the Superheroes_ in 1978. The specials also featured Howard Morris as Doctor Sivana, and Ruth Buzzi as Aunt Minerva, marking the first appearance of those characters in film or television. Although Captain Marvel did not appear in Hanna-Barbera's long-running concurrent Saturday morning cartoon series _Super Friends_ (which featured many of the other DC superheroes), he did appear in some of the merchandise associated with the show.
-   Filmation revisited the character three years later for an animated _Shazam!_ cartoon, which ran on NBC from 1981 to 1982 as part of _The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!_ with Captain Marvel voiced by Burr Middleton. The rest of the Marvel Family joined Captain Marvel on his adventures in this series, which were more similar to his comic-book adventures than the 1970s TV show. Dr. Sivana, Mr. Mind, Black Adam, and other familiar Captain Marvel foes appeared as enemies.
-   Captain Marvel and/or Billy Batson made brief "cameo" appearances in two 1990s TV series. Billy has a non-speaking cameo in the _Superman: The Animated Series_ episode "Obsession", while live actors portraying Captain Marvel make "cameo" appearances in both a dream-sequence within an episode of _The Drew Carey Show_, and in the Beastie Boys' music video for "Alive".

DC ANIMATED UNIVERSE

Captain Marvel's first formal appearance in a DC Animated Universe series, the name given to the animated DC Comics spin-off productions produced by Bruce Timm and/or Paul Dini, was as the main guest star character of the _Justice League Unlimited_ episode "Clash", originally aired in 2005 on Cartoon Network. Captain Marvel was voiced by Jerry O'Connell and Billy Batson voiced by Shane Haboucha. In this episode, Captain Marvel joins the Justice League, but his positive opinions about supervillain Lex Luthor's apparent reform create a heavy strain on his relationship with Superman. This tension eventually leads to an all-out battle between Marvel and Superman which destroys Luthor's newest creation, Lexor City. Marvel loses to Superman. Although Marvel is eventually proven to have been right all along, he is still understandably hurt by Superman's actions, and resigns from the Justice League in disgust despite Superman's efforts to apologise, unaware that he was unwittingly a pawn in a plot by Luthor and Amanda Waller to damage Superman's image.

_BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD_

Four years later, Captain Marvel made seven appearances in Cartoon Network's _Batman: The Brave and the Bold_ series with Captain Marvel voiced by Jeff Bennett and Billy Batson voiced by Tara Strong. He appears in the opening teaser to the episode "Death Race to Oblivion!" helping Batman battle the supervillain Blockbuster. A later episode in the same 2009-10 season, "The Power of Shazam!", was set in Fawcett City and featured Captain Marvel/Billy Batson, as well as the Sivana Family, Black Adam, the wizard Shazam, Aunt Minerva, and Mary Batson. Marvel later appeared in the two-episode storyline "The Siege of Starro!", in which he joins a small coalition of heroes, among them Firestorm, B'wana Beast, and Booster Gold, in helping Batman stop a malevolent alien from invading and devouring the Earth. The entire Marvel Family was featured in the episode "The Malicious Mr. Mind!", which pitted Batman, Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, and Captain Marvel Jr. against Sivana, Mr. Mind, and the rest of the Monster Society of Evil. He later covered for Batman, while wearing his costume, fighting Bane, Blockbuster, Solomon Grundy, and Killer Croc in "Night of the Batmen!". He became a member of the Justice League International in "Crisis: 22,300 Miles Above Earth!".

_YOUNG JUSTICE_

Captain Marvel also appears in the ongoing DC Comics-based Cartoon Network series _Young Justice_, with his voice provided by Rob Lowe. In "Alpha Male" Captain Marvel is introduced as the team's new "den mother" after what happened to Red Tornado. He accompanies the team to India where mutated animals have been attacking people. The culprits are later revealed to be the Brain and Monsieur Mallah who captured Captain Marvel and want to experiment on his brain before they are stopped by the team. Captain Marvel also gives Aqualad (who is questioning his role as the leader of the team) some advice on how to be an effective leader, which proves to be pivotal in the rescue mission. His identity as 10-year-old Billy Batson is only revealed at the end as he is shown living with Uncle Dudley. He is briefly included in the following episode, "Revelation", where he is seen eating Kid Flash's food. He then proceeds to join the team on their mission, but is stopped by Batman, and is told to join the League in fighting the plant creatures. In "Humanity", Captain Marvel takes care of Wally, who broke his arm in the fight against the Injustice League. The team then sets him up when they send him out to play with Wolf so they could "kidnap" Zatanna to find Red Tornado.

VIDEO GAMES

-   Captain Marvel made his first official video game appearance as a playable character in _Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe_ played by Stephan Scalabrino and voiced by Kevin Delaney, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game consoles. In the story, Captain Marvel is among several DC superheroes teleported to the Mortal Kombat video game universe when the two universes merge and characters from each franchise are forced to do battle.
-   Captain Marvel also appears as a jump-in hero character in _Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame_ voiced by Jeff Bennett.
-   Captain Marvel appears in _DC Universe Online_.
-   Shazam appears as a playable character in _Injustice: Gods Among Us_. He dies in the Story Mode while trying to explain to Superman that what he was doing is wrong. Shazam overheard Superman's plans to destroy Metropolis and spoke out (mentioning Lois). This prompted Superman to grab Shazam around the throat. SHazam attempted to transform back to Billy but Superman used his arctic breath to freeze his mouth so the spell did not work. Superman then used to heat vision to lobotomize him in the forehead instantly killing him. This act prompted the Regime Flash to defect to the insurgents. Solomon Grundy buried his body.
-   Shazam appears as a DLC pre-order playable character in _LEGO Batman 2: DC Superheroes_. The character had the abilities of flight, super strength, invulnerability and the unique ability of shooting lightning bolts from his chest. He is also set to appear in _LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham_ this time as an in game character.

Links

-   http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/William_Batson_(New_Earth)
-   http://www.comicvine.com/captain-marvel/29-2350/

est

question: Who is Shazam?

answer: a superhero in the DC Comics Universe and the protector of Fawcett City.

question: Who is Shazam formerly known as?

answer: Captain Marvel

question: Who has Captain Marvel fought?

answer: countless enemies, the most famous being Doctor Sivana, Black Adam and Mister Mind

question: How was Captain Marvel renamed?

answer: After the reboot of the DC Universe, the character was renamed Shazam

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: The article is a page on the history of Shazam, formerly Captain Marvel.


split: train

text:
Muralist Aramis Hamer, in a still from UNCODE.

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[]

Film project UNCODE spotlights the diversity of black voices.

For years, husband and wife Ali Graham and Myisa Plancq-Graham had been looking for a way to work together, but his crazy schedule in the world of start-up mergers and acquisitions kept him busy and she was occupied with expanding her photography business. One morning last February, Myisa woke up to find Ali on the couch, mulling over the idea that would finally get them collaborating: a video project called UNCODE that showcases the hugely varied interests of the African diaspora.

“The initial idea was to provide a platform for people to share who they are with no angles and no ulterior intention, and to be solution-driven and positive,” Myisa says. “Not phony, but uplifting for a change, and combating a monolithic depiction of African Americans. In seeing the same images over and over again you start to believe that’s all you have to aspire to.”

UNCODE premieres this month on Amazon Prime and YouTube. Its stories are tightly paced, slickly shot short videos, to be released monthly in collections assembled around a theme. The first episode is about the Seattle community and features drag performer Amora Dior Black, muralist Aramis Hamer, rapper Gifted Gab and chef Tarik Abdullah. Episode 2 is focused on health, food and wellness, featuring James Beard Award-winning, Bay Area chef Bryant Terry talking about alternatives for people living in food deserts, and Portland’s Jesse Horton, a dispensary owner, grow operator and director of the Minority Cannabis Business Association. There’s also a travel episode brewing.

The idea for UNCODE may have arrived in a flash, but its execution is meticulously, methodically planned and data-driven. The very first thing Ali and Myisa did was partner with Amazon, where he was then working as a contract manager for global facilities. (He left the company in June, to focus on growing UNCODE.) In March, Amazon’s Black Employee Network was hosting a hackathon, and Ali and Myisa asked if they could tag along and shoot video, both to hone their skills and create a proof of concept for the project.

When Myisa and Ali started figuring out how best to deliver the stories they wanted to tell, they learned that not only are Black people some of the largest consumers of media in all forms, they’re also leaders in second-screening—“consuming content, and then hopping on social media to talk about consuming that content,” Ali explains. “We decided that if we were going to do it, why not try and be as ahead of the curve as possible?” Rather than just making digital content or video content, they decided to “focus on mobile video content, packaging our stories to be consumable on a mobile device.”

The goal by the third episode is to have established a collective. “We want filmmakers and storytellers, writers and editors from all over the country and ideally at some point globally, contributing,” Myisa says.

“We know that we’re coming from a position of privilege, from tech companies and with our contacts,” Ali says. The collective is a way of sharing that solid foundation with artists who may not have the time or ability to build a company from the ground up. “We want different voices, and different voices of different creators,” Myisa says. “We really want this to feel like a community, and a mosaic.”

question: What is UNCODE?

answer: UNCODE is a film project that spotlights the diversity of black voices, featuring short videos of local musicians, artists, and businesspeople with tightly paced stories that are released monthly in collections assembled around a theme.

question: Who created UNCODE?

answer: Husband and wife Ali Graham and Myisa Plancq-Graham.

question: What is the idea behind UNCODE?

answer: The initial idea was to provide a platform for people to share who they are with no angles or ulterior intentions and to be solution-driven and positive.

question: Where will UNCODE premiere at?

answer: Amazon Prime and YouTube.

question: Write a ~3 sentence summary.

answer: Husband and wife team Ali Graham and Myisa Plancq-Graham collaborate to create UNCODE, a film project that spotlights the diversity of black voices. UNCODE features short videos of local musicians, artists, and businesspeople with tightly paced stories. UNCODE episodes are released monthly in collections assembled around a theme and will premiere on Amazon Prime and YouTube.


text:
BROWN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION (BRIO), sometimes wrongfully referred to as the Brown RISD International Organization, is a student-run cultural association at Brown University in Providence, RI, United States. BRIO was established in 1983.

Origins

When BRIO was founded in 1983, it represented a peer-support group for foreign students who were not familiar with many of the customs inherent in the American university system. At this time, the student body demographics were such that the international population at Brown University's campus was very small.

Since 2005 the international student body has grown to represent about 12% of the overall undergraduate student body and 35% of the overall graduate student body in 2016. In Brown University's Class of 2020, about 16% of the students self-identify themselves as international students. This shift in demographics led to more visibility of this group on campus and growth of BRIO.[1][2][3][4][5]

Annual Events

BRIO organizes many events throughout the academic year which are open to all students on campus, international and domestic alike. Famous are their lecture series which have brought to campus many prominent speakers including Oscar-nominee Milcho Manchevski,[6] ICC lawyer Michael Karnavas,[7] actor Clayton Raithel in addition to numerous others. Some of BRIO's events have turned into beloved annual traditions on Brown University's campus.

BRIO Student-Faculty Mixer

The BRIO Student-Faculty Mixer (BSFM), formerly known as International Student-Faculty Mixer (ISFM), was organized for the first time in 2005. It was intended to give international students a chance to talk with their favorite faculty members outside of an academic setting. This would allow faculty to better understand the needs and concerns international students faced, and would give students chance to form a personal connection with faculty. This connection is important as students can receive from them advice regarding academics which they would normally get from their parents if they went through the American educational system. Ever since the event has grown and seen attendance from many of the senior administrators, such as Brown University President Christina Paxson, as well as most beloved faculty members at Brown, such as Prof. Barrett Hazeltine, in addition to numerous students.

Cupid's Auction

Since 2013 BRIO has organized an annual auction _of hearts and art_ to celebrate Valentine's Day. The _hearts_ are BRIO members or other Brown University students who have volunteered to sell a service they can offer, such as teach a class of foreign language. The _art_ are artistic pieces made by Brown University and RISD students. All the proceeds from the auction go towards the BRIO IMPACT FELLOWSHIP which supports a project by a Brown University student with some international focus.[8] The auction is named by the Roman god of love, Cupid.

World Cultural Dinner

The World Cultural Dinner (WCD) has been annually organized since the early days of the organization. The exact year when this event was organized for the first time is unknown. It happens in the Spring semester and features a buffet with delicacies from all over the world. During the dinner, BRIO invites many student performance groups to showcase their work, thus building bridges between international and domestic students and celebrating Brown University's diversity. The dinner was attended by Azerbaijani embassy officials and Rhode Island senators in 2015.

[1] https://www.brown.edu/admission/undergraduate/international-students

[2] http://www.internationalstudent.com/school-search/915/usa/rhode-island/brown-university/

[3] http://www.browndailyherald.com/2016/10/03/international-students-navigate-need-aware-policy/

[4] http://www.browndailyherald.com/2011/05/29/mingling-cultures-browns-international-student-body/

[5] http://www.browndailyherald.com/2014/03/03/applicant-pool-sees-global-shifts/

[6]

[7] http://www.michaelgkarnavas.net/files/BrownUSeminar_27Feb14.pdf

[8] https://twitter.com/MEDIntl/status/458700527514050560?lang=en

title: Brown International Organization

question: What is the Brown International Organization?

answer: A student-run cultural association at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, United States.

question: What is the acronym associated with it?

answer: BRIO.

question: To what is it sometimes wrongly referred?

answer: The Brown RISD International Organization.

question: When was the BRIO Student-Faculty mixer first organized?

answer: 2005.

question: Write a ~6 sentence summary.

answer:
The Brown International Organization, or BRIO, is a student-run cultural association at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1983,  it represented a peer-support group for foreign students who were not familiar with many of the customs inherent in the American university system. At this time, the student body demographics were such that the international population at Brown University's campus was very small.

Since 2005 the international student body has grown to represent about 12% of the overall undergraduate student body and 35% of the overall graduate student body in 2016. In Brown University's Class of 2020, about 16% of the students self-identify themselves as international students. Some of BRIO's events include a student-faculty mixer, an annual auction called the Cupid's Auction, and the World Cultural Dinner.


text:
John Snatch. Given name: Johnny Snatch. John Snatch sounds more professional though.

John worked in an office downtown. The office was on the third floor of
what used to be a grain storage building or something like that. John didn't care too much for the specifics, and certainly didn't pay much attention during the tour on his first day. He didn't even know the name of the offices above and below his.

Like him, his coworkers were young subscribers to the current urban fads and had certain sensitivities to the nonchalant method of doing things. Indie music that wasn't so indie anymore could often be heard throughout his office. No one wore khakis to work. A generation with an appreciation for themselves.
	His job was relatively unimportant, but necessary nonetheless. John was a secretary, and had his explanation for the peculiar job down pat. "Just trying to break those gender barriers," John would say, adding in a half-hearted attempt at a laugh. The truth was that John didn't care much for any job he could occupy his time with. He saw a certain level of the superficial in just about everything he did now. A somewhat nihilistic and apathetic attitude embraced him most of the time. He didn't understand why everyone couldn't just slow down.

Our story sets its self on the twenty-fifth of September, a day with a temperature of about 60 degrees. John walked out of his measly apartment, a paperback book tucked under his arm and messenger bag over his shoulder. He wore a white oxford shirt with an olive green sweater vest on top -the sleeves were half rolled up his forearm- his pants were brown and his shoes a different shade of the color. John had not opened his red and white paper back book in three days, but carried it along with him in unrecognized hopes that he could tell someone about it. He was about half way through, and mildly enjoyed the story. John's vocabulary was wide enough to make the plot seem much more interesting that it was, anyways.

On the bus, John found the usual urge to listen to music off of his mobile phone absent. Today was an overcast day, a day to stare out of the window of your bus silently as if you're conceptualizing your new novel, or maybe considering the human condition by forcing the rain in to some complex metaphor for which it was never intended. John exited a stop early and unconsciously decided to not go in to work that day.

The stop happened to be in front of an old, yet hip (by the new definition) bookstore and coffee shop. John had never noticed it before, but ducked in for no particular reason. He ordered his coffee, a mocha, no whipped cream, and walked around the bookstore. John dodged the regular titles found at all stores that at least turn a regular profit, catering to the likes of teenagers that needed a copy of Crime and Punishment with a foreword that would write their reports for them. John immediately looked for the most dust covered shelf.

On it, John found an odd assortment of literature, they were not in alphabetical order, nor in any order of genre or style. Not by color, size, rating, rarity. Although, something about many of them spiked familiarity in John. He picked up a book titled "Amy Rhinehart, the girl." This was odd. The girl in cubicle twenty-two was named Amy Rhinehart. He guessed it was an odd enough named to be used in a book. He opened to the first page. "Amy Rhinehart was born on the seventeenth of June, 1982." John looked up from the book, starting in to the shelves who, if by some sort of magic could transform in to a mirror, John would have seen the most puzzled look that ever wrote itself upon a man's face. Amy Rhinehart -the real one, from the office- was born June 17, 1982. He had read it in a personnel file just a day before. Surely he had misread.

Nope. The paper in front of him still printed the same thing he had seen moments before. "Odd." John thought. He put the book on the shelf, not wanting to scare himself any farther. He scanned the rows again, and as if by some spell saw a book titled, "Rob Snatch." His father's name. John couldn't help but express his confusion audibly. John began to reach for the novel, but before his hand could grasp its target, his eye found a new obsession. "The Mild Adventures of Johnny Snatch."

John asked the price of the book. It wasn't for sale. John stared at the cover for a moment, and opened the cover with the anticipation of a pirate, finding his lost gold contained in a chest within the bowels of a cave. John saw no text in this book, instead, he found a pen secured in a cut out of the pages. He picked the pen up, and while examining it, did not notice that the cutout ceased to exist. John looked back at the book, his mind was as blank as the pages before him.

The book wasn't for sale.
John ran out of the store, book and all.
No one stopped him.

title: First short story, 'John.' Feedback is greatly appreciated!

question: What might happen next in the story?

answer:
It is implied that the books John found contain the life story of the people they feature. Meanwhile John's book is blank but it has given him a pen. The story ended with John running away with the book and the pen.

So it is likely that John will use the pen on the blank book to write what will happen in his life.


text: The soldier looked to his left and right, appalled by his comrade's blank expressions. They stared forward with apathy, as if the impending battle was nonexistent. The soldier gulped as the front line began to edge forward, one enemy at a time. His comrades began to counter attack, strategically matching their opponents. After a matter of only minutes, the soldier gasped for air and began to collapse along with the rest of his army. The Heavens seemed to speak at that moment, and as his vision began to fade, the soldier heard the sacred word: "checkmate."

title: The Obsolete Soldier

question: What war is the soldier fighting?

answer: It seems this is a game of chess.

question: Why do the soldiers have blank expressions?

answer: It's a game of chess.

question: Why is the soldier appalled by his comrade's blank expression?

answer: It seems this particular piece is somehow animated.

question: How long does the battle last?

answer: Only minutes.

question: Write a ~1 sentence summary.

answer: A soldier watches with concern as his expressionless enemies and comrades make strategic moves for a couple minutes until he hears "checkmate".


text:
The River
Since I was young I had always found closure in the river next to my home.  I would always go and camp by the riverside whenever I had the chance.  The feeling was like no other to get away from the business of life and relax in the stillness that nature had to offer.
I recall one time I went camping.  The day started off like every other day, I woke up in my one man tent to the comfort of my Colman sleeping bag.  The crisp, morning air scorched my nostrils as I slowly rose from my slumber.  I exited my tent and stood still in my camp listening to the slow, rhythmic splashes of the river.  The sound put my mind into a trance as I tried to shake the sleepiness that the morning brings.  While standing still I heard the giggling of a group of girls.  An early morning tubing brigade was in the making.  One could tell just by looking at this group that this was not their first time around the bend.  There were about four of them, each with their individual coolers that were probably not filled with pop and bottled water.
Knowing the history of the Crow Wing River I assumed that these girls were going to slowly float down to the bridge trying to catch an early morning buzz.  With each empty beer they would gossip about boys and try to one up each other with their “personal” experiences.  I had to chuckle softly to myself, thinking of what those girls were going to talk about, and knowing that I was going to join them on the river in the hours to come.
I turned my back to the river and headed for my cooler, trying to find something to cure my morning hunger.  I opened the lid and found six beers, a loaf of wheat bread, some venison steaks, and a freezer bag of premade pancakes.  I pulled out the pancakes and opened the bag. A brief smell of stale bread brushed my nose, but I was too hungry to care.  I sat in my folding chair as I ate my breakfast.  While I sat and ate, I listened to the music of the woods.  The birds were singing their good morning song, the trees creaking to the light wind that wisped over the land.  I ate half of the bag of pancakes and threw the rest into the woods so the birds could have breakfast as well.
I started to clean up my camp a bit and get ready for the day’s activities.  I had planned on tubing the river that day, and that is what I was going to do.  I retrieved my tube from the back of my car and took out the cold Bud Light’s that were in my cooler.  Being only sixteen at the time I was at risk of getting caught, but the area was so remote that there was only a slight chance.  I made my way down to the river, slowly wading in to check the water.  The water was cold, but not shockingly cold.  I was only knee deep in the water and I threw my tube in.  With beer in hand I submerged my body underneath the water.  There was a momentary pain in my trunks, but it went away fast as my whole body was chilled.  I came up next to my tube and climbed in.  The sun was beaming down on my body and it felt good on my freshly chilled skin.  I started rowing with my hands trying to find the right spot in the river where I could just sit and let the current do all the work.
 I made my way down the river, sipping on my beer and lost in my thoughts.  My mind started running with all of my life’s stresses, school, grades, football and girls.  I, not knowingly, entered the first of many bends in the river and became stuck on the edge.  On one side there was a forest filled with brush and on the other was a small meadow where deer were known to bed.  I was brought back from my thoughts as I was stuck for a short while.  When I looked up I was presented with a picturesque scene.  A faun was jumping around in the meadow, happy to be alive.  I could tell it was young from the spots it still had.  The faun seemed to have not a care in the world, rolling in the grass that grew thick in the meadow.  I slowly pushed off from the shore, still looking at this being full of life.  I quietly passed by the faun, yet midway through I had to cough.  The noise shook the little deer and its ears perked up.  The faun found my position in the river and I froze solid, trying not to make it run away. We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity.  As I slowly moved with the river I lost contact with the faun, but heard it resume frolicking in its meadow.
I started to think of the faun, how it didn’t scare when it saw me, how it found me nonthreatening and how its will to play was greater than its will to run.  I pondered our meeting while the river swept me away.  The faun was stricken with fear when it saw me, yet it overcame that fear so it could play and be happy.  I was transfixed by this topic until the river brought me to a group of five children; all of them not older then thirteen.  They were swinging from a rope tied onto a tree that grew over the river.  They were taking turns grabbing onto the rope and swinging into the water.  Nothing could break their happiness.  They were laughing as each one hit the water and came up with a huge grin.  As I watched I thought how lucky they were, to be young and not care about the stresses that I had to endure.  All they knew was that swinging off the rope into the river was fun and that is all they needed to know.
I made my way farther down the river still thinking about the faun and the children when I came across a tree that had fallen into the river.  I put my hands in the water and maneuvered around the fallen tree.  As I passed I started wondering how that could be, how the tree was so tall and scraping the sky one day and the next it was dead in the water.  The idea hit me that all trees do is stay stationary in one spot all of their life, waiting for death to fall upon them.  They wait and watch as the world around them bustles with life, not able to do anything about it.  They wait for their roots to give out and just the right amount of wind to push them over.  All they can do is sit and wait for their demise.
The current then took me farther down the river and I could see my destination.  My destination was Mary Brown Bridge.  The bridge was covered in graffiti from each graduating class of the surrounding schools.  As I came closer I could hear the slurred yelling from the group of girls that left before me.  They were standing on the side of the bridge jumping into the river like it was their job.  After each one would jump they would whoop and holler, while they took another chug of beer.  I made it to the bank of the bridge and slowly rose from my tube, I didn’t realize how much I had actually drunk on the river, and I stumbled my way up onto the bridge.  The girls noticed my presence and beckoned me to join them in their end of float fun.  As I walked to the side of the bridge fear overcame my body.  The risk of drowning subdued me from jumping as I placed my hands on the wall and looked down at the water.  The river was high this year so the current was really strong, especially under the bridge.
My legs started to buckle in fear as the girls provoked me to jump.  I started thinking about the children that didn’t care if they got hurt jumping into the river; they were having too much fun.  I thought of the faun and how it overcame its fear so it could frolic around, not caring who was watching.  I thought about how the tree stood still its whole life, and then died without any accomplishments, how it was alive one day and gone the next.  The risk of drowning started to die down and courage arose within me.  Life is too short to not take risks, to not have fun.  I then got up on the edge of the bridge, the girls started to cheer, and I jumped.

title: I wrote this awhile back, hope you guys like it.

question: How did the author find the courage to jump off the Mary Brown Bridge?

answer: He remembered the things he saw while tubing down the river; the kids that were having a lot of fun carelessly jumping into the river, the faun, that, instead of being petrified by the author's presence continued frolicking, the tree that was alive one day and dead the next. All these memories helped the author summon courage.

question: Why did the narrator write the story?

answer: He might have written the story as a way of remembering the river and what it meant to him.

question: What is the likely gender of the narrator?

answer: He might be a teenage male.

question: How did the narrator feel when he was tubbing on the river?

answer: He felt relaxed, lost in thoughts at times, in awe of the world around him, contemplating what he sees.


text:
March 3rd, 2017 00:52 GMT

March 3, 2007

The day that went down in BW history as the day of the revolution!
The day that the PvZ meta was flipped upside down on its head!
The day that the Maestro Savior fell from grace!
A day that few could have predicted!

Savior, a bonjwa who had several MSLs under his belt had advanced from the semifinals in the first season of GomTV MSL after beating Hwasin 3-2 in a close series. Since his first MSL win over Reach in UZOO MSL 2005, Savior had been crushing Protosses left and right. In the two years that had passed, he was 13-0 in series with a monstrous 75% winrate. He had emerged victorious in the 'Holy Wars' against Nal_rA, staved off unorthodox strategies from Daezang and Pusan, and showed no mercy against the likes of Kingdom and Much.

[[image loading]]

Savior's management style and star sense allowed him to consistently out play the meta builds at that time – forge-FE into 5gate speed zealot or forge-FE into sair/reaver when the map permitted. His strategic and tactical maneuvering as well as extremely deep understanding of the various matchups also allowed him to dominate his opponents like none other and seize the Zerg throne for himself. The Maestro had overcome every obstacle, every challenger and every race to claim his first OSL victory. Now only one Protoss stood between him and his fourth MSL title and the elusive double-crown.

His opponent was Bisu, a Protoss player with nothing to his name and no titles to speak off. He had quickly become a fan favorite through his stylish and control-oriented play. Nonetheless he remained a dark horse against the Maestro. Bisu had made the finals on the back of beating Terran and Protoss players, stomping Nal_rA 3-0 in the semifinals to the surprise of critics. The obliteration of Nal_rA, who was sporting a PvP winrate of 87.5% at the time, was the first signs that Bisu was no rookie to be taken lightly. Still, it had been some time since Bisu had shown his PvZ. With no gauge on his current skill and Savior's incredible form, it was clear that the Maestro was going to be his biggest obstacle yet. The consensus going into the final was that Savior will take the series 3-0, or at worst 3-1, and prove his dominance beyond all doubt.

Despite the difficult challenge ahead of him, Bisu was not afraid. Rather, he had the audacity to call out Savior! A level of confidence not seen by many, Bisu stated in an interview that was aired right after Savior's semifinals win that he will take the series 3-0 or 3-1. His rhetoric was dismissed by pundits as cheap talk and false confident -- after all he was against the best ZvP player on the planet and recent OSL champion. Bisu's confidence showed in his preparation; he went on vacation with his team in Phuket to celebrate their 2006 Proleague championship title.

For anyone to state that Bisu had a good chance to win the series was to be blinded by pure fanboyism and devoid of all logic in the face of absolute truth. It would take a miracle for Bisu to upset Savior, that much was fact. Yet, we all know what happened that night. Coming into the series as a huge underdog, Bisu dismantled Savior in one of the most one-sided thrashes to date. In a mere 3 games lasting less than an hour in total, Savior looked on helplessly as his overlords and drones were slaughtered in front of his eyes. He tried to seize what was always natural to him, victory but it kept escaping his grasp. Despite Bisu playing the same build all three games, Savior could find no answer to his strategy.

[[image loading]]

By the end of the night, Savior was shut out in one of the biggest upsets in BW history and our own conceptions regarding PvZ were shattered into a million pieces. History had changed and we were its witnesses! Bisu's new build, aptly named the Bisu build was revealed to the world! Though a similar build was used in the past on one occasion by DaezanG, Bisu refined his build and used his insane multitasking and macro to help him overcome Savior.

The “Bisu Build” consisted of a few parts; Forge-FE, a Stargate to produce at least two corsairs, and a Templar Archives for Dark Templar shortly after. The builds' brilliance is in its adaptability. The two Corsairs gave the Protoss player some map control and allowed the player vision of what the Zerg is doing. If the Zerg is making Mutalisks, these can be dealt with by continuing corsair production. Otherwise, the Corsairs can control where Overlords are placed which restricts vision and detection. This allowed Dark Templars to harass the Zerg third in a macro game or defend against Hydralisk pushes and other aggressive strategies. Furthermore, they can also be dropped into the main to snipe drones and important tech structures. The build gave Protoss a pathway through the difficult early-midgame where other Forge-FE Protoss openings are usually at their weakest.

"HISTORY HAD CHANGED AND WE WERE ITS WITNESSES!"

Brood War might be a ‘strategy game’ but it is so rare to see the metagame be broken before your eyes in a high stakes setting. Usually these metagame breaking builds are trialed during low-stake matches like proleague, or are popularized on a specific map before being proven viable elsewhere, or become popular on the ladder. The only comparable series to the Bisu-Savior final is the semifinal between Boxer and YellOw from EVER 2004 OSL. Boxer famously bunker rushed YellOw three times, to which YellOw had no response. To this point, no Terran had used almost all of their SCVs to support a bunker rush, and the strategy was devastatingly powerful. Every Zerg player was forced to learn how to defend this fearsome all-in and every Zerg build needed to be able to withstand its force.

[[image loading]]

The Bisu Build had a similar transformative effect on the meta. ZvP to this point had been considered Zerg favored, mostly because Zerg held map and vision control early on which required the Protoss to guess at their strategy. Guess wrong and you're behind, if not dead. The Bisu Build changed that dynamic. Zerg had to find new ways to find advantages in the matchup. To some extent, this was directly responsible for ushering in a golden age of Protoss which culminated in the era of the 6 Dragons. It wasn’t until much later that Jaedong found a comprehensive solution for the build using Scourge to control Corsairs while using a 5 Hatch style to parry the harass from the build.

"IT IS SO RARE TO SEE THE METAGAME BE BROKEN BEFORE YOUR EYES IN A HIGH STAKES SETTING"

Although the revolution was the biggest highlight of the night, this night also marked the fall of Savior and the rise of Bisu. Savior was not the same again, failing to make another finals with his last notable achievement being a third place finish behind Hwasin and Stork in WCG Korea 2007. Bisu went on to win two more MSLs (GomTV MSL Season 2 and Clubday MSL) and placed second in a third one (GomTV MSL Season 3) placing him amongst the most decorated progamers. He also placed third in the 2007 EVER OSL and took first place in WCG Korea 2009 afterwards. To date, Bisu remains one of the best and most influential Protoss players that the scene has ever had.

VIVA REVOLUTION!!!!!
Writers: BigFan and Plexa
Graphics: shiroiusagi
Photo Credits: FighterForum

A fine tribute! Bisu may not quite have risen to Jaedong's tyrannical heights let alone Flash's auto-win hacks, but 03/03/07 will always be his uniquely historical ascension.

Yaasssss <3
Bisu has been my favorite player ever since.

+ Show Spoiler +

Btw,

"Guess wrong and you're behind, if not dead." *

Comma removed.

[]

48967 Posts

seriously can't believe its a decade since this happened - felt like only yesterday.

ON MARCH 03 2017 10:07 GTR WROTE:
seriously can't believe its a decade since this happened - felt like only yesterday.

Seriously.

The Great Day of the Protoss Uprising™. []
[[image loading]]

Bisu is my favorite player []
That night will be remembered forever!

yeah! march 3 is bisu day.
<3 bisu <3

If only I had been there to witness it.

[]

5314 Posts

At the time, protoss was seen as really weak. I remember watching bisu's games in pure amazement and trying to copy his play, it was the most exciting time!

Small things nobody ever says:
Bisu was a known 2v2 player for MBC.

The Bisu build had the benefit of a Nexus first 3 times in a row because Savior thought hatch first was the only way to play.

The Bisu build as itself was shut down within a month.

I miss Savior, what he did was certainly maladroit, but he was certainly a legend, and very friendly on his stream, I think he truly regretted what he did... I think people should open their hearts to forgiveness for him. This was a nice little article, It'd be nice if we had some newbies on the forum who would know less about this classic rivalry. If afreeca hadn't shut him down (I'm fine with his league play ban) he would have done great things, and he had a killer playlist, beautiful low apm zerg genius dude, and zvt master. Sadly, life isn't always a bowl of cherries and we have lost another starfriend(though many angry tl'ers would never call him that.) I don't consider his situation similar to Life's, life knew more what he was doing was wrong... savior just got caught up in the gangster lifestyle and he gets a bad rap. The damage he did to proleague was insufferable, but I miss him nonetheless, let's face it he was a really nice guy. Hope he's doing well in the "real" world.

I hate Bisu with passion but I must admit, he is indeed one of the best Protoss that ever grace BroodWar.
Can't believe this was already a decade ago.
Sheesh, I feel old.

[]

Seeker [*]

Where dat snitch at?33867 Posts

Bisu is so sexy, even 10 years later...

[]

Japan11276 Posts

I wish I was there to witness it and be shocked. (10 years ago o.O) With the way ZvP went back then you would have thought that a terran or a zerg player would be able to topple him instead of some no-name protoss. Of all protoss players, Nal_rA himself should have been the best candidate where every protoss was either slumping or already got smashed.

I think I started watching about 6 months after it happened so I missed the entire Savior era.

Is there higher quality vods of this? I know some korean youtube channels are uploading their old tournaments.

[]

United States9145 Posts

you're all disgusting

I have nothing to contribute here in terms of content.
Just one thing though, if my language-intuition is not wrong for english here:

With one of the first four lines in your text ("The day that the PvZ meta was flipped upside down on its head!") you are implying that you're a counter-revolutionist, as obviously things shouldn't stay flipped upside down on their heads...

Like most people will know, there is a famous quote (dunno who said/wrote it) about Marx' critique of Hegel's philosophy, along the lines:
"Marx came with his Materialism and flipped that idealist crap of Hegel, and by doing so he set the feet of philosophy back on the ground (instead of everything being 'grounded' on head/ideas, like with Hegel)".

So you might want to change that line I assume, given the rest of this eulogy. Maybe just cut the three last words ("on its head.")

question: Who is Bisu?

answer: A Protoss player with no titles who had become a fan favorite through his stylish and control-oriented play.

question: Why did the day in question go down in BW history?

answer: Despite being an underdog, Bisu managed to defeat Savior in one of the biggest upsets in BW history.

question: Explain what BW is.

answer: Brood War, a strategy game.

question: What does the term PvZ mean?

answer: This information is not explicitly stated, but from context it possibly stands for Protoss vs. Zerg.

question: Who is the Maestro Savior?

answer: A Brood War player who had won several MSLs and had a 75% winrate.

question: On what date did the match discussed in the article occur?

answer: March 3, 2007

question: Write a ~4 sentence summary.

answer: This article highlights Bisu's historic defeat of Savior in the OSL finals for Brood War, a strategy game. Despite his status as an underdog, Bisu managed to beat Savior. The article details the "Bisu Build" he used to claim his victory. Bisu went on to win two more MSLs.


text:
This is a free part of our fly fishing entomology course.  If you like what you see, check out our full entomology course here.  In order to take your fly fishing to the next level, you need an understanding of basic entomology (the study of insects) and how it applies to fly selection. This will cover the basic bugs found in typical trout waters and help you understand how to catch fish with this knowledge including what flies to use.

First off, don’t get overwhelmed and think you need to learn every bug on the water and their latin name, species, and genus just to catch more fish. The real key with any fly fishing entomology lesson is to equip you with the knowledge you need to identify the FAMILY OF BUG, and tHE STAGE THAT BUG IS IN. Once you know that, you then see if that bug is on the menu for trout in that stage and match your fly accordingly. It’s really rather simple when you have the basic knowledge.

Secondly, let’s remember the biological classification order and understand that for most fly patterns, we imitate the family or even the order of the insect, not every single species. This is especially true with a fly like the Parachute Adams Dry Fly as there is no such thing as an “adams” insect, it is meant to imitate a wide variety of mayflies (Ephemeroptera). That greatly reduces the amount of knowledge you’ll need in your head at any given time to understand the basic entomology for fly fishing.

Here are 8 simple categories that you can memorize that will help you identify insects on the river:

-   Midge Patterns
-   Mayfly Patterns
-   Caddis Patterns
-   Stonefly Patterns
-   Terrestrial Patterns
-   Scuds & Sowbugs
-   Annelids (Worms)
-   Damselflies, Dragonflies and Water boatman

Now, without any more introductions here is the Basic Entomology Guide for Fly Fishing Part 1.

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Step 1 – Identify the Bug and The Stage

The first step in improving your fly fishing with basic entomology is to be able to identify what you are looking at. Let’s address 2 of the major categories of insects that fly fisherman mimic with fly patterns in this first part of basic entomology for fly fishing.  In addition, I will address the stages of the insects and help you identify the stage the insect you are looking at is in.

Midges (Chironomidae)

[Midge-Life-Cycle]

A close relative to a mosquito and often mistaken for them, midges are present in a river year round and will always be on the menu for trout. At times trout will look for bigger meals when those bigger meals are more prevalant, but it’s never bad to throw on a midge.

Here is a great video about midges and their lifecycle:

HOW TO IDENTIFY A MIDGE: Easy answer? If they look like a mosquito, but they aren’t biting you, they’re midges. You’ll often see them buzzing around and above your head in huge swarms.

LONGER ANSWER: Midges have 2, long and narrow wings without scales, are rarely bigger than a size #16 and the males have long feathery plumose antennae (often imitated with cdc puffs). Their wings are layed back along their body (different than mayflies and caddis), without a tent shape (like caddis) and most of the time these are mistaken as mosquitos.

Lifecycle of a Midge

Midges go through 4 stages, and fly fisherman really only care about 3.  Larva, Pupa/Emerger, Dry/Adult.  They have a spinner form, but I don’t think anyone really imitates it.  Let’s address what the characteristics of these stages are to help identify the stage of a midge for fly fishing.

Midge Larva/Nymph

[midge-nymph-icon]

Midge larva are little worms that have segmented bodies and are often red due to their diet.  your class midge nymph pattern such as a black beauty, is an accurate imitation.  Midge larva are the standard “nymph” form of a midge and are fished sub surface throughout the water column.

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Midge Pupa

[midge-emerger-icon]Midge pupa are the emergent form of the midge patterns.  The key difference between a midge larva/nymph and a midge pupa is the air bubble they use to emerge and the U-shape they often make while just below the water’s surface.

Often, midge patterns with beadheads imitate a pupa because the flash of the bead imitates the air bubble.  Great emerger patterns or pupa patterns for midges include the Top Secret Midge, UV sparkle midge emerger, Smokejumper, and mercury midge.

Midge Dry/Adult

[midge-dry-identification-diagram]

Midge Dries or Adults are the final stage for midges that fly fisherman care about.  They are fished with a dry fly imitation.  Midge adults are small and often difficult to fish.  They appear to be mosquitos on the water and some of your best chances of imitating them are to use a cluster pattern like a griffiths gnat.  When midges mate, they all gather together on and above the water in a cluster.  The cluster is a perfect meal for a trout and worth the effort of a rise, whereas a single midge adult is less appealing to trout (though not always, as is a smokejumper pattern imitates a single midge).  This isn’t always the case but often a good strategy to use when fly fishing with midge dry fly patterns.

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Here is a quick 15 second video of a midge cluster on the water to get an idea of why a griffiths gnat  or crackleback patterns works.

Mayflies (Ephemeroptera)

[mayfly-lifecycle]

Mayflies are arguably the most elegant insect of the fly fishing world.  They vary in size and color and are a staple in the trout’s diet.  As fly fisherman, we imitate this order with patterns like the parachute adams, adams dry fly, pheasant tail, comparadun, and the mercury baetis.

HOW TO IDENTIFY A MAYFLY DRY/ADULT: Easy answer is if the fly has wings that post straight up like a sailboat, it’s likely a mayfly.  They emerge/hatch during the morning and evening hours most of the time (though sometimes more)  and you will see trout slowly and methodically eating something on the surface.  Good chance it’s a mayfly.

Mayflies have 2 wings that sit vertical, and have transparency to them and often detailed designs.  the nymphs have long legs, short antennae, and have 2 or 3 tails.

Life Cycle of a Mayfly

Here is a quick video on the life cycle of a mayfly

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Mayfly Nymphs

[mayfly-nymph-identification-diagram]

Mayfly nymphs are broken down into 4 groups:  SWIMMERS, CLINGERS, CRAWLERS, AND BURROWERS.   Most mayfly nymphs are imitated with the same patterns, but fished at different depths and different styles.  Swimmer nymphs for example can be stripped like a streamer to get a strike, burrowers, are often drifted along the bottom.   Identifying which bugs the fish are eating is almost always a process of elimination.  However if you use a seine to see what’s in the water and choose the most prevalent, you have better chances then just guessing. In addition, a lot of mayfly nymph patterns mimic all of these types with moderate accuracy so there isn’t always a need to decipher mayfly behavior patterns except on the most selective tailwaters.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mayfly Emergers

[mayfly-emerger-icon]

Mayfly emergers are likely one of the most important stages for trout fisherman to know and identify.  Emergers will have a shuck behind their bodies and will be fresh on the water or just below the surface.  It’s easy to tell if a trout is feeding on an mayfly emerger.  All you do is look to see if you can see the trout’s mouth.  Often, they will rise, you will see their tails but never their mouths or heads pop our of the water.  This is because trout are feeding just below the surface and feeding on emergers.  depending on the voracity will help determine the kind of emerger they are feeding on (mayfly, midge, caddis etc).

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mayfly Adults

[mayfly-dry-icon]

The adults are most often fished and easily identifiable.  They will have their wings intact and will be floating well on the water.  The adults rarely spend much time on the water however, which makes this less important of a stage.  Even though most of our fly patterns we use as fly fishermen are tied as an adult, I believe they imitate the spinner form as well and the fish are rarely too selective to only eat spinners vs the adults that are on the water or just recently emerged.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mayfly Spinners

[spinner-flies]

Likely one of the most important stages to pay attention to and the easiest to identify.  These are mayflies that are falling back to the water after mating.  They don’t really move on the water as most are dead or close to dead and they are easy prey for trout.  The key to identifying these is simple.  You’ll see them on the water with wings fallen to the sides.  The recommended patterns do a great job of imitating a mayfly spinner.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Want the Full Course?

Learn to identify all 12 insect categories, their stages and tips on how to fish them so you can catch fish anywhere you throw a fly with consistency.

If you’re ready to take your fly fishing to the next level, check out what we have for you…

[]

Passion that isn't shared with others is wasted. That's why I teach every one of the 500,000 people who come to this site every year about how to become a better lifestyle angler based on my 15 yrs experience fishing. When I'm not on the river, I'm a husband, father of three, entrepreneuring, craft-brew-drinking, God-fearing man who's just trying his hardest to love others and serve them the way I'm called to. I love a good laugh and not afraid to waddle down the bank of a river in a water master to get to the good fishing…

→ Allen Gardner

question: What course is being discussed?

answer: A fly fishing entomology course

question: How many categories are there to memorize that will help one identify insects on the river?

answer: 8 simple categories

question: What is the first direction in the Basic Entomology Guide for Fly Fishins?

answer: Step 1- Identify the Bug and the Stage

question: How many years of fishing experience does the instructor of the course have?

answer: 15 years

question: Write a ~2 sentence summary.

answer: The basic of how to fly fish are explained and a guide for fly fishing is included. The course covers all the details needed to know for fly fishing and the instructor has over 15 years of experience in fishing.


text:
"I remember early years digging my toes into the sand, holding a grip, mocking the tide to try and wash me away" I whisper in the ear of my companion. I can tell she is eating up every word, this spirited half elf sea-nymph. "Do you remember how it felt to feel infinite, as if we will exist in this moment forever..." My words flow like the water across the sand, eroding her sensibilities, telling her to give in.

"Bwump!" As the head of an Orc falls by my side, desecrating the sand, ruining the magic of the moment, his wry smile tells the story.

"He's been stalking us since Newkirk" Gladius speaks up from the shadows. "Must of felt comfortable that I had gone away, and you two were properly distracted for the evening" he continues chuckling, he pulls his shaft from the monsters back and checks it's point and fletching.

"Let the dead keep your arrow" I say in a hiss, the ruined plans of my evening running like the black of orcblood in the sand.

"Price of having a 5000 gold bounty, my love" whispers Evelyn as she nibbles at my ear. "I pray you to keep close in the future, Gladius" she says aloud "Gods forbid the creature caught us loosed of our under-garments..."

"He'd never have bothered, once he saw my sword drawn" I cut in with one hand on my cock and the other on the sword-hilt.

"I fear the road ahead is far more loathsome Barnaby" Gladius remarked while rolling his eyes. "I had hoped you could satisfy your lusts here, we need your wits for the next few nights, we are only a day's journey from Mendleheim, and possibly our deaths"

"You fear too much brother" I say in a boastful voice, "how many ventures have ended in the blood of our enemies and not our own"

"I have watched the waters for signs here" Evelyn spoke up, "perhaps the waves have washed away our footprints, erasing our memory, past and future"

"Don't talk nonsense dear, a man controls his own fate" I say without thinking.

"The waves led me to you" she says as she walks back toward the sea sullenly.

"You sure know how to make them smile" Gladius jeered.

Time to change the subject "Where the hell is Frem, I thought you told him to..." I feel a creeping chill run up my spine, my time in the priesthood had left me but a few gifts, an innate sense for extreme evil was one of them. I quickly turned back to the road and see a flicker in the distance.

Gladius followed my lead, "perhaps it's a signal from Frem?" He says, trying to calm my nerves

"No, not Frem." I say as I turn to douse our campfire with sand. "Get your gear my lady" I say to Evelyn, who had been praying in the waves, the water soaking her under-clothes, making them cling to every curve of her body.

"Yes, love, I felt it too", she said as she absorbs the seawater with minor effort. "No rest tonight it seems"

Gladius had already brought the horses around, when I was fully equipped, long sword and a dagger, a small round shield with the arms of some once-proud house emblazoned across it. "I wonder what it's like to be rich" I say to Gladius as I mount my palfrey.

"You will never know if we stay here" Gladius says as he gallops into the direction of the flames.

I watch Evelyn follow close behind him "sometimes, I'd rather just lay in the sand, and stay in the shadows" I whisper to myself as I grab the reigns and follow them back onto the road.

title: Into The Deep: Barnaby part 1 [FN]

question: What does the story say about the dwarves?

question: What does the story say about Barnaby?

answer: Barnaby appears to be the story's main character. He is romancing Evelyn, a half-elf sea-nymph who is a member of his party. Barnaby is arrogant, easily distracted by worldly desires, and has a 5,000 gold bounty on his head. He spent time in the priesthood and developed an innate sense for detecting extreme evil. He might be Gladius' real brother, or they just call each other "brother" as many men do.

question: What does the story say about the differences between Gladius and Barnaby?

answer: Gladius is an archer and a scout. Barnaby prefers a sword, shield, and dagger. Gladius is focused and takes things a little more seriously. Barnaby is easily distracted and boastful.

question: What is Evelyn's role in the story?

answer: Evelyn is a half-elf sea nymph. She is Barnaby's love interest in the story. Evelyn appears to also play the role of the party's seer and is shown praying in the waves. She has abilities that allow her to the waters for signs of things coming or danger.


text:
5G is the Holy Grail of the telecom industry. It will enable the future of technology, providing the foundation not just for faster downloads but for leveraging the entire Internet of Things (IoT), from smart toasters to sensor-enabled manufacturing to self-driving cars. And right now, the driving force is a legion of forward-thinking leaders. These are the executives and managers who are pushing digitization at their organizations in order to remain viable in a competitive, global environment. To support them, to fuel business innovation —and the economy — we need 5G and we need it now!

But we don’t just need 5G. In the global arena, we need to dominate 5G just as American telecom companies have dominated 4G. The stakes are too high to lose our leading edge in this industry. That’s especially true since there’s another entire dimension to this discussion, and that’s power.

As you’ll see below, the evolution of 5G networks is also the evolution of global economic power as well as political influence. So when it comes down to it, our IT workforce will play a pivotal role in the nation’s ability to remain among the world’s top powerhouses. Are we ready?

The Race to Lead the World in 5G: Critical in More Ways Than Most People Know

In an era where technology is inextricably intertwined with economics and national security, it matters greatly just who owns 5G. On a national level, leaders are concerned with mergers, takeovers, and foreign investment, eyeing everything carefully lest U.S.-based companies’ ability to dominate 5G becomes threatened.

[]

In Tech, Innovation Wins the Race

Soon, the need for 5G infrastructure development will be massive. To get rolling with 5G, we’re talking large-scale investment by telecom companies to the tune of tens of billions of dollars. Some of that will go to patent-producing research but eventually, funds will go toward creating the infrastructure that’s necessary to support the new networks.

Money is only part of the equation in winning this global race. Companies will need to foster innovation if they want to help the U.S. maintain a position of strength in the tech world. But no matter who wins the 5G tech race, the IT workforce — the field engineers, for example — must stand ready to take up the baton for the next stage of the relay. That means becoming more agile.

It can also mean going freelance. As most IT professionals are already aware, the use of third-party IT services is on the rise. Individual departments yearn for a more personalized, user-friendly approach to IT and they’re turning to cloud-based services to get it.

SaaS companies often thrive by tapping into a global network of independent workers — many of whom have shifted away from traditional “IT Department” jobs to become part of a growing, agile, remote workforce. This is happening in the telecom sector too, where the need for engineers and others essential to building the 5G infrastructure can expand and contract quickly and dramatically.

Once 5G is enabled, this trend will blossom even further, gaining maximum momentum.

To Prepare for the Era of 5G, the IT Workforce Must Become Agile

To compete with the rest of the world, companies need a malleable IT workforce, one that can quickly scale up or down as needs change. One that can quickly learn new technologies, new processes, and other requirements of a fast-paced, mobile environment.

Everyone is busy adapting, growing, and benefitting from the internet…so should those who enable it. Becoming agile is everyone’s job nowadays, including those in IT — even the field engineers. It’s how innovation takes place and it’s how we’ll eventually become the leaders in the race to implement 5G.

[]

question: What does the text say about why the 5G is a necessity?

answer: 5G network puts a lot of industries in the forefront of their business through its massive benefits over the 4G network. It makes for easier and quicker access to the internet, manufacturing self-driving cars to smart toasters, etc. The evolution of 5G networks is also the evolution of global economic power and political influence. It gives rise to a more advanced means and advantage of handling national security, securing foreign deals, and ensuring a more stable economy.


text:
"I love you."

She was looking at me. Looking into me even. Her eyes wide with the soft hope that comes with saying those words. This girl, here and now, has opened up to me expecting me to do the same. What was I to do? A girl's emotions are a frail thing, and one would have to be a monster to betray such trust.

"Do.. you love me?"

I was taking too long. The panic was starting to show in her face. Her mask beginning to slip. I know how I feel about her, but what was I to do? To say? I did the only thing I could. The only possible choice I really had.

I lied.

I lied because I didn't want to hurt her. I had seen the brief regret in her face during that silence following her question.. the doubt. I had to make it right. I never wanted to see her sad again, never wanted to see her dreams broken. To tell the truth would be only heartless.

I have grown accustomed to her smile. Her happiness bringing me my own in a way that only the strange magic of the mind can fathom. In that moment of confession, she was so perfect.. so sure of her life. The only thing I could hope, in the most secret corners of my heart, is that she could be as happy as she was in that moment forever.

Who am I to take that away from this beautiful girl? This kind, and loving girl? I had no choice. I am not the one who deserves her affection. I was never good enough for her. Too far gone for my own angel. What cruel god could create such a perfect human being.. and make her have pity on me?

In that moment, every fiber of my being screamed I love you too.

I love you so much it keeps me up at night.

My heart.. my mind.. my soul.. all said I love you.

I said "No."

title: The Lie

question: Write a ~0 sentence summary.