Millionaire Center Has New Items

Info From HERE

Spring is in the air. Winter is over! I live in a place where season changes aren't really noticeable, so there's no real change for me.

The Millionaire Center has some new items for the occasion, though.

Items like these:

The Parkstroller Satchel will allow you to open it and choose one item. The Parkstroller Satchel looks like this:

These items will retire June 21, 2014.

Red Dragon (Thomas Harris)

Title: Red Dragon

Series: Hannibal

Author: Thomas Harris

Released: 1981

Rating: 5/6

Basic Plot: A killer called the Tooth Fairy is on the loose and Will Graham is called in to stop him. Graham ends up having to seek the help of the cannibal who tried to kill him. Hannibal Lecter.
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The Tooth Fairy
The villain for this book is complex. He isn't a killer that kills for the sake of killing, he has a reason. He is humanized and I pitied him, but knew he had to be caught. What causes him to kill can be traced back to him being abused in his childhood. So his vision of the world got seriously fucked up. I like when a villain is more than pure evil and you can see why they react like they do. It's not merely that they do bad to do bad, but that they believe they are doing right.

Revealing the Villain
While I don't like Manhunter (the first movie adaptation of this book), the fact is I like that reveal of the Tooth Fairy. I feel that the novel revealed the identity of the Tooth Fairy too early. I get that now that we know who he is we can see the chase from both sides. However, I'd really like the buildup to his reveal to have been longer.

Will's Resolve
Will Graham has been retired but in the beginning of the novel he is brought back in. He doesn't like his work at all. He doesn't like feeling like a killer. Oh, forgot to mention that Will has a sort of superhuman ability to get into the mind of a killer so that he feels what the killer feels. So when he's on a case it can be very disturbing for him. Will mentions at least once in the novel that he goes through Hell so that people will be alive in the future.

Final Thoughts
I bet some of you are wondering why I haven't mentioned Hannibal Lecter in this review. These written reviews are meant to be short and Hannibal doesn't play one of the biggest roles in the novel. Don't get me wrong, he is the one to help Will solve the case and he is also the one to give the Tooth Fairy the ability to find Will's home. But I was trying to keep to the basics here. This is a good novel and it soars over Hannibal Rising (the first book in the Hannibal series I read). If you are looking for a good scare with good characters, I recommend this book for you.

The Eternal Heart: Angelic Savior 7

It had been a few days since I had nearly kissed John. My dreams since then had John touching my lips with his fingers. Unlike reality, however, these dreams always ended with him kissing me. Sometimes they even went further than a kiss.

I had seen John around base and it seemed as though he was avoiding me. I didn't seek him out as I figured that he was deep in thought about what to do. If he was going to choose Katherine or me. Having never been in a relationship before, or at least not remembering being in one, I didn't know how long it would take for him to decide.

After coming back from a training exercise I headed over to the showers. There hadn't been a battle in awhile, but John made sure that we were still in shape. John wouldn't always oversee these exercises himself, but he made sure they went on. While the exercises did give me a distraction, I needed an actual battle with real bloodshed to calm me.

Taking my clothes off, I was very glad that I would get cleaned up some. I hoped that there was running water today but I doubted it. Every now and again the showers would actually work, but it was a rare event.

Once my clothes were off, I headed over for the stalls. I heard someone and sighed as I realized today wouldn't be a good shower day. It would be another day of cleaning with a dirty rag and decently aged water.

Walking around the small room my eyes quickly found the other person. It was John Connor.

"Hi, John." I said and he looked at me.

"You can join me." John said and I walked over to the stall he was in. "I need to talk to you."

I wasn't getting too excited about what John would say. He wasn't looking at me like a lover, but like someone that is about to tell me someone I care about has died. Hopefully I was misreading him.

"So what's the world shattering news from the great John Connor?" I joked as I started to wash.

I didn't want to admit that any term to describe nervous would not even hint at what I was feeling now. I loved John and I wished for that same love in return.

"I met Kate at a very low point in my life." John started to explain. "Before Judgment Day I was trying to hide from the reality that I knew would happen. On Judgment Day she was beside me and hasn't left me since."

I tried to appear like I didn't care. That him choosing Katherine over me was expected and normal. I tried to appear like I was glad to not have ruined a marriage.

But I wasn't happy.

"I hope you have a long life together." I said as I turned away from him.

"Jash," He said and grabbed my arm so I would face him. "I know you're upset and I don't blame you. But Kate has helped me through times that I couldn't have gotten by without her. I love you, Jash, but I can't be with you."

"Why not?" I pleaded. "If you love me then why can't you be with me? You're the le-"

"Just because I'm a leader doesn't mean I can do whatever want. I love you and Kate both. But I won't dissolve my marriage because of something I want to happen. I want a future with you but I couldn't live with myself if I divorced Kate."

"She must be special to you."

A tear went down John's cheek as he replied, "She is."

"And you wish she wasn't."

John just nodded.

A tear fell down my cheek and suddenly John and I were embracing. I was crying on his shoulder and he was crying on mine.

"I understand." I said through my sobs. "I wish I didn't."

"I'll always care for you, but I can't be with you."

After that brief bit of dialogue we continued to cry.
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Of Mice and Lizzie

If you haven't seen The Walking Dead episode "The Grove" you should watch it now. This post will contain major spoilers and you should watch the episode, get your heart ripped out, and then read this post.

Now I am someone with tough skin when it comes to depressing stuff in fiction. I didn't cry when Mufasa died in The Lion King and even Dale's death, though it was hard to bear, didn't make me cry like a little baby. That was saved until Hershel's death.

So when I found out that people said this was a really depressing episode I had to check it out for myself sooner than I had intended. I usually watch episodes a day after they air but this time I had to watch it right before bed.

This is also something that you shouldn't finish right before bed.

The reason why I, and many others, found it so heartbreaking is what happens between Lizzie and Mika. Plus what finally happens to Lizzie is beyond heartbreaking because...I'll get to that soon.

So do I agree about Carol killing Lizzie?

Lizzie is mentally unstable. There is no avoiding that fact. She is crazy.

She thinks that Walkers are like people and that they're just sick/different. In one scene this episode she was even playing with one. She didn't find anything dangerous with the Walker and told Carol that the Walker was a friend.

In another scene Lizzie tells Mika that she never pretended that the Walkers were people, it was always a reality for her.

In an earlier episode Lizzie was shown to nearly smother Judith.

We found out in this episode that it was Lizzie who fed the Walkers so that they caused problems for the people in the Prison (you could also say it was because of Lizzie that Hershel is dead) and she was the one that was dissecting animals.

The final act of killing that Lizzie does is to kill her sister Mika (and she would've killed Judith if Carol and Tyreese hadn't arrived when they did) to prove to the others the 'truth' she knows about the Walkers.

If there was a mental institution in sight, I would say that Lizzie should've been taken there. This is so that she wouldn't cause harm to anyone else and maybe even make a full recovery one day. But this is the Zombie Apocalypse and no one on the show has that luxury.

Because if Lizzie had lived she couldn't stay with Carol, Tyreese, and Judith since having Lizzie around people isn't safe. Another option would be to just leave Lizzie in the house which would've been a slow death if no one came by (and if people came by...yeah, not good either).

So I fully agree with Carol killing Lizzie since that was the best option available at the time.

But the thing that makes Lizzie's death scene so heartbreaking is that she doesn't know what she's done. She merely thinks Carol is mad at her for holding her at gunpoint. She finds NOTHING wrong with having killed her sister.

So Lizzie's death was no real victory in the end since a real victory would be her recognizing what she did was wrong. Lizzie's death was just something that had to happen in the world Carol and the others live in now.

I watched this scene and thought of the ending Of Mice and Men.

Chibi Torrent and Revamped Chibi Clawsion

Did you have fun over Saint Patrick's Day? For those of you who are of age: do you have a hangover from last night?

For either of those instances: here are some cute pets to help make a bright day brighter or a bad day happy!

The Chibi Torrent looks like it wants to give you a hug and play with you. Its smile goes from its eyes to its mouth. So adorable!

The Chibi Clawsion has been revamped. Its pose is the same but the art has been updated.

Here's the old version for comparison:

Tobias and Me 3

I sat on the log in my Hork-Bajir morph. Now that the Skrit Na had seen me in this morph I couldn't change back. Maybe they'd just assume that I was stuck in morph and so couldn't demorph. Maybe they would connect my non-working translator chip into this theory somehow.

Whatever the case would be, I would remain in Hork-Bajir morph as long as I could since if I demorphed the Skrit Na could pass on the information to the Yeerks. I knew they wouldn't actively seek out the parasitic slugs, but if threatened they'd admit anything to live.

"What are you?" The woman asked.

I turned my head and looked at her. The woman had appeared weak and fragile when I had first looked at her, but she seemed stronger now. Maybe not strong enough to take on the whole Yeerk Empire by herself, but strong enough not to lose herself while with the Skrit Na.

"Andalite." I lied and felt guilty.

But I didn't have a plan yet and if she was taken as a Controller and got the information back to Earth...well, I would be the one to sign the death warrants for my friends. The only hope humans had to remain a free species of the galaxy.

"I'm Tobias." I told her.

"That doesn't sound like an alien name." She replied. "Sounds like a human one."

"I've been hiding on Earth for awhile, kind of forgot my real name."

"You forgot your name?"

"Hey, I've been hiding for a long time."

The woman laughed for a minute before she calmed down enough to say, "Okay, Tobias."

"What's your name?" I asked, not knowing why I was embarrassed about asking the question.

"Cat." She replied. "You're kinder than the other aliens."

"The Skrit Na." I said. "They're...not the most noble of the aliens. They are hoarders of other cultures."

"Like me?"

"Yeah, like you." I explained to her while trying not to vomit because I thought of innocent people being taken to the Skrit Na home world to live the rest of their lives in a zoo exhibit. "They go to primitive worlds and collect things. The natives of those planets can be taken from time to time."

"So I'm not the first one?" Cat asked.

"No." I replied. "My-an Andalite Prince got invovled with some humans that were captured by the Skrit Na when he was still an Aristh."

"What's an Aristh?"

"It's a cadet in the Andalite military." I said. "That's what I am."

Cat put a hand on my arm nervously. I wanted to laugh because I was nervous about her touching me. Not because red-tailed hawks aren't usually touched but because of a reason I couldn't explain. I just felt nervous of her touching me because then she could tell me about that reason.

"You'll get back to them." Cat reassured me.

"And I'll get you back home." I said and hoped it wasn't in the same fashion my father arrived to Earth the second time.

"Why would an Andalite care?"

"Some of us are assholes, but some of us actually care. I am one of those that care is all."

Cat started rubbing my arm as I was tensing up. I liked the feeling as it was the only human touch I could have at the moment.

"I'm better." I said and tried to smile with my Hork-Bajir mouth.

Cat quickly removed her hand from my arm.

"I won't bite." I reassured her, suddenly worried.

"It's not that." Cat tried to explain. "I just...don't like being physical with people. A lot of the time they expect something more with just a little kindness."

I didn't know how to respond. Marco or Cassie could respond better than me. Marco would have a sarcastic and insensitive remark about how he was too hot for any mortal woman ready. Cassie would have a good explanation about how Cat shouldn't worry all prepared.

But right now there was only me talking to Cat.

"I understand how some people could be." I said as best as I could. "But right now I just need to get back to Earth so you can go home and I can continue to fight the Yeerks."

"And even if you didn't have all that to consider, would you try to hit on me?" Cat asked.

"I wouldn't hit on you if you didn't like it."

"Lots of people don't hit on me even when I would like it."

I put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Then they're fools. You aren't trash, Cat, and the Skrit Na have abducted more than they thought they did."

Cat looked from my hand to my face. She had a confused expression on her face and I was suddenly embarrassed.

"I just mean to not doubt yourself."

A small grin appeared on her face and she nodded.

"So do you want to explain the Yeerks?" Cat asked and I started to explain.

It was a hell of a lot easier to talk about the Yeerks than to explain about my previous statement. I wasn't in a relationship with Rachel right now, but any budding feelings for Cat wouldn't be appreciated by my former girlfriend. We had breakups before and we always got back together.

I wanted to be with Rachel again, even though our relationship was wearing a little thin to me. And if I acted on any feelings towards Cat, my relationship with Rachel would be over.
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All of Tobias and Me 

Black Widow and Friends

-This is a Mature Story (if in content if not plot)
-It's a The Avengers fanfic
-It's a Bruce Banner/Natasha Romanov/Tony Stark fanfic

You can read it HERE