Alice

This is a poem I tried to write in the style of fellow poet/blog owner, the one and only Emily Ecrivaine. Hope you enjoy! 

Poem by: Clara Pond

(Cover by the lovely Emily Ecrivaine)

Alice, you have to stop going away,

Stealing to Wonderland every day,

The mushroom wears off, your mind is fried,

Do you know how much your Mother's cried?

You might be mad, but we're all not,

Too many times dreaming you've been caught,

Talking of ballymags and singing flowers,

Caterpillar sages and impossible powers.

Alice, hear me

Stop your dreams

Everything is

As it seems

Dull to you

Yet fine to me

Wake up now

To what you'll be

Remember you're still under the tree,

The reality we're all forced to see,

C'mon, Alice, stop your rhyme,

It makes no sense and I haven't the time.

The Queen of Hearts isn't the rub,

Of dear of Alice there's only a stub,

My precious sister, distraught to tears,

Decided to waste such precious years.

Alice, hear me

Stop your dreams

Everything is

As it seems

Dull to you

Yet fine to me

Wake up now

To what you'll be

I wanted her to surmount all

Instead I got her sanity's fall,

Curled up with the Cheshire Cat,

And the Madman with his Hats.

Butter flies, and plant life mocks,

In her mind Alice now gawks,

Refusing to wake up to me,

Slipping away, pretending she's free.

Alice, hear me

Stop your dreams

Everything is

As it seems

Dull to you

Yet fine to me

Wake up now

To what you'll be

Endless tea and countless dances,

Through imagination Alice prances,

Forgetting what she's left behind,

Bent on what'll be her next find.

Eventually I left her there,

At her aging body I couldn't stare,

A woman who thinks she's a girl,

In a vibrant and ridiculous world.

Alice, hear me

Stop your dreams

Everything is

As it seems

Dull to you

Yet fine to me

Wake up now

To what you'll be

By the day she awoke from sleep,

Her cocoon we could no longer keep,

She'd already been joined with the ground,

Too deep for her screams to ever be found.

Belatedly my Alice had learned,

That even in Wonderland the Circle turns,

Her purring cat dark, empty cups of tea,

Let her see what she came to be.

Sister, hear me

From the void

The reality

I did avoid

Might have been

A better choice

But I can't say

I've lost my voice

And there lies Alice, sleeplessly,

Pondering what in Death she'll see,

Until she realizes she was lost long ago,

The seeds I planted didn't grow. 

She wanders out in ghostly form,

In this shape she is forced to mourn,

Until she finds what she truly lost,

No matter how painful, or what the cost.

Died for my dreams

Buried with hope

It's the only way

I learned to cope

But is it coping

If you lose a life

A family, a future

And still have strife?

Merlin Review: Series 2 Episode 1 "The Curse of Cornelius Sigan"

By: Julian Jones

**Spoilers**
If you have not yet watched this episode, please go and do so before proceeding.

              Hey, look, it's that one pirate from Pirates of the Caribbean! The one I've always privately thought looked like he belonged with the weasels from The Wind in the Willows...

           Anyway, back on track! Merlin finished out its first series with the wonderful, melodramatic, and all-around fun Le Morte d'Arthur where we saw Merlin master the power to Mirror Life and Death (whatever that means) and overpower the sorceress Nimueh. Geeks of Arthurian Legend, such as myself, probably found a sense of poetic justice in that defeat because, in the original stories, she was the one who brought Merlin down and entrapped him forever.

          But after such an enjoyable first series, the première of Series 2 had a lot to live up to. Could it keep up the delicate balance of camp, humor, and charm that Series 1 had championed? Well let's see!

Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:

- So, in the very beginning, was Merlin just hanging about in the antechamber? It's the middle of the night and he lives across the castle. No way could he hear Arthur's enraged bellow (loud though it may be) and get there so fast. So what was he doing? Polishing Arthur's armor again?

- One thing this episode is notable for is that it is the last time we see Merlin utilize his natural ability to control objects with his mind. Whenever the dart flies at Gaius and Merlin levitates a plate to stop it? Yeah. Last time he slows time and last time he doesn't need a spell to do something. Did they figure that they made him too powerful? Was being an idiot and a klutz not enough stacked against him or something?



- And is it just me, or does the jewel in Sigan's chest actually look like something that belongs in a Happy Meal prize?

- Either that or a Breath Mint commercial prop...


- "Were you born clumsy or do you work at it?" Yeah, Arthur, I've asked Merlin that very question myself a few times. I find myself in the uncomfortable place of agreeing with you.

- Morgana has a lot of dreams about ravens...that I guess are supposed to represent Sigan because that's his sigil...but what on earth? Always before her dreams have shown flashes of what's going to happen, not abstract omens. So is this supposed to be a sign of her powers manifesting?

- How doesn't Arthur notice that Cedric is a villain? I mean, aside from the little toady taking every opportunity to melodramatically lick his boots, they had just discovered a cache of treasure under the castle. I'd be suspicious in general if I was a prince and a greasy stranger tried to get access to my chambers, but this is just ridiculous!

- You've really got to feel sorry for Merlin in this episode, though. And I'm not just talking about the exhausted nap he takes in the stable...mess. No, I mean the absolutely heartbroken look he gets every time Arthur yells at him and pats Cedric on the back. Poor guy!

- Come to think of it, between all of the insults and hits and everything, Merlin gets abused a lot in this episode.

- I wonder if Arthur ever apologized whenever it turned out that Merlin was right? Probably not, seeing as how in a deleted scene Merlin did accidentally spill the chamber pot on him...

- We're also given a new insult for Prince Pratdragon:

- That's one of my favorites.

- *snort* Sorry, sorry...I just simply cannot take Sigan's jewel (haw haw!) seriously. It looks like something from a Disney Princess knock-off tiara!

- I will say this, though, the special effects for the scenes where the gargoyles come to life and start attacking Camelot are quite impressive. It helps that the lighting is so dark.

- I'm not sure if I buy the huge build-up about Sigan's power, though. Typical Merlin move...going too over the top too soon to disguise bad writing.

- We even get a bit of an advancement to the Arthur/Gwen storyline!

- I miss these early days of their ship whenever things felt more natural.

- Actually, all the special effects for this entire series are a lot better than what we saw before. Did they get a bigger budget or something? I mean...they're by no means good, but I watch Doctor Who, so I have a high tolerance. And, compared to last series, they look pretty impressive. Especially those gargoyles and the blue mist that is Sigan's (Ghost? Spirit? Essence?) soul.

- Even if the jewel does still look like a kiddie perfume bottle.

- I'd be interested in a translation of the spell Merlin uses to actually put Sigan back into his bottle (teeheehee). Why? Because it seems like he overpowered the evil sorcerer FAR too easily. I know he's Merlin...but still. They built up Sigan to be some big, powerful entity and then Merlin took him down easier than Nimueh! Does not compute. Sorry, that just doesn't seem logical!

- The shot where Merlin (potentially possessed) comes through the smoke and smog, face grim and expressionless, is actually really cool looking from a cinematography standpoint. Sure it may be an over-used trick, but it gets the atmosphere across.

- I was actually a bit bummed out whenever Sigan didn't possess Merlin. He was built up to be such a formidable foe (thanks to Exposition Gaius) that it would have made more sense (and been very interesting) to have him be the Big Bad for the series. What a miss opportunity!

- The hug Merlin and Gaius share is pretty heart-warming, though. Maybe I'll forgive them...

He looks like he's about to take flight.

         This episode was a bit of a mixed bag. It managed to both start out the second series with a bang and fall horribly flat. The mystery was interesting and the special effects have improved greatly. I liked Cedric...at least before he was possessed...and he was a fun character to hate. Arthur was a prat, Merlin was an idiot, Uther was a jerk, and the status quo remains un-disturbed. The Curse of Cornelius Sigan is a 3/5.



What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?

House M.D. Review: Season 1 Episode 4 "Maternity"

Episode By: Peter Blake

*Spoilers!*

Maternity (or The Case of the Unexplainably Dying Babies)

Quote: “I defer to your legal wisdom; which takes precedence, six dying babies or a missing consent form?” - House

Overall Thoughts/Observances:

            Obviously, not every patient is going to survive. House may be the most brilliant doctor there is, but even he has to lose a patient now and again. House, as a show, knows this. And in this episode, they portray the very hard decisions doctors sometimes have to make.

The opening itself should have given us a warning, I suppose. Though they successfully show the parents as just being over-protective (which they kind of are), having a baby going into spasms might have given the sign this episode was going to hold some uncomfortable moments.
   

            After the opening, though, the episode continues light-heartily, with House mooching the maternal doctor’s lounge to watch his soaps (anyone else think the doctor in his show looks creepily like Chase?). Of course, he gets kicked out. And that’s when it all begins.

            House finds the epidemic. He sees that something is going on. He’s Sherlock – his deductive observances lead him to believe that there’s an epidemic. And what does Cuddy do? She says that he’s wrong.

            I understand saying that to another doctor, maybe. But 1) if there was any possibility of an epidemic at my hospital, I’d have at least somebody check it out, and 2) this is House. He’s the Sherlock to Cuddy’s Lestrade, in a way. She knows that he’s better at doing his job than she’ll ever be. She couldn’t diagnose half of the things House has (though she’s still a good doctor in her own right). If House thinks something is up, I’d check it.

            Well, doesn’t matter anyway. Because Cuddy gets her proof soon enough.

            The faces of the team when House says they need to risk two babies’ lives to save the others, and they all know that one of them will die… it’s painful. But they know that, as horrible as it is, House is doing the most logical thing. Minimalize the damage, save everyone you can.

            But oh, it can’t just be two random babies. We have to meet the parents as well. I’m actually glad we got to see both couples. We were equally familiar with both, and we don’t want either baby to die (though I did find myself wondering which would perish – and felt kind of startled by the thought process). Also, lesbian couple – yay House for normal human being LGBTQ+ character writing (you wouldn’t believe how much TV messes around with the presentation of Gay characters).

            One of my favorite scenes ever of House is when the whole team plus Wilson and Cuddy get together to decide which illnesses they should test the children for. All of them together, working towards saving these children, and succeeding to do so, was nice to see after having the death of that sacrificed child.

            We saw more of Cameron’s vulnerability in this episode – when she can’t tell the family how badly their baby is doing, when she says everything’s going to be fine when it’s obviously not, her inability to state the fact that the two woman’s child died for five others…

 But her compassion also lets her do some wonderful things. When she got the one couple to hold up their baby for a minute or two, you could tell how much they needed that contact with their child. Even though the other couple had the right to know their child was doing poorly, it was only out of love that Cameron didn’t tell them the full truth. Yes, it’s a bit idealistic, but Cameron really is just trying to ease the pain of a very pain-filled situation.

            House is right to get upset with her. She’s not doing her job. But you can also see, in the way she talks to Foreman, Wilson and House after backing away from saying the blatant truth, that something’s happened (as House deduces). Whatever it is, it must’ve been bad. Though Cameron does seem a bit soft, she doesn’t seem like the kind of woman to let an unimportant event affect her. No, this was, as House said, a loss. Of a friend, a child, maybe a boyfriend? Sister? We have no idea. But now I want to know more than ever. And I think House does, too.

The Case and the Patients

            The patients are the children of two couples, both of whom have just had their newborns whisked away from them because of an unknown disease. We see the couples looking on anxiously, waiting to hear the next piece of news. We also see the reaction of the couple whose child died for the sake of the others, and the reaction of the other couple whose child lived because of that sacrifice.

            I really, really liked this episode. Though it was sad, it wasn’t overbearingly so. We did have some funny moments with Cuddy leading the team of med students around the hospital while trying to find the source of the virus. I especially liked when she cut off the one guy's tie - she told him to get a clip!

And when the kid does die, he doesn't go easily. The whole Team tries so hard to save that poor child. The little crack in Chase's voice when he says "Charging," right before House stops him made my heart skip a beat. In this episode, it's easy to see the doctors, especially House, as being cold and cruel. But they really do care. They just don't know how to save everyone.

            The solution itself was almost frustrating to me. The woman who was bringing the toys to all the babies’ rooms passed on Echo 11 to the children because she didn’t use tissues or wash her hands while having a runny nose. The fact that one person could do that much damage by being careless is infuriating. Though I suppose we can’t blame her, I’m still going to. She’s in a hospital. USE A TISSUE AND STOP FORCING HOUSE TO SACRIFICE THE INNOCENT. 

            I needed to let that out.

The Clinic

            The clinic was another little spot of humor amongst the anguish elsewhere in this episode. My favorite House scene of all time comes from the clinic, where House tells the patient she has a parasite.

            “A parasite?!?” she exclaims, alarmed. But House goes on to consolidate her.

            “But don’t worry. Many women learn to embrace this parasite, they name it, dress it up in tiny clothes, arrange playdates with other parasites.”

            And she even convinces him to do the delivery. It’s a very sweet story – and the only thing that help me survive this episode.

Last Words

            The most striking scene, to me, was when House preformed the autopsy on the child that died. The child who died because of his decision. I think it was the right one. I’m sure everyone thinks it was the right one by the end of the episode. But I wonder what ran through his head during that time. Did he feel guilt? Grief? Or did he, in his Houseish way, merely feel that this was a necessary consequence of a disaster that wasn’t his fault?

Rating: 9.3/10

Thanks for reading!

Next Episode

Supernatural Review: Season 5 Episode 14 "My Bloody Valentine"

By: Ben Edlund

**Spoilers**

If you have not yet watched this episode, please go and do so before proceeding.

           All references aside, I can't think of a more accurate title for an episode. This was disgusting. But at least we got to meet Cupid...

          Whenever the story started off with a young couple literally eating each other to death, I very nearly threw my remote at the screen and turned it off. That right there was the most disgusting thing SPN has ever put to screen. Thankfully it was over fast and we went straight to the Winchesters from there. To be honest whenever this episode started out, I thought it would just be a funny (albeit gross) romp through the clichés and ridiculousness of St. Valentine's Day. Ha! How wrong I was!

        This episode is significant because it is the introduction of the second Horseman - Famine. I really found the way they did this character to be interesting. Instead of Famine riding across the land (Why does everything supernatural attack the US? Is it like London or Cardiff and alien invasions?) and killing the crops to bring literal famine, it's more like he gives everyone an insatiable hunger for the things they have been restricting themselves from. Food, drink, commitment, shopping, booze, sex...it doesn't matter what, once Famine gets his claws into you you're doomed to "...eat, drink, and screw yourself to death." (to quote Sam Winchester)

        And at least we got to meet Cupid...


Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:

- As I said before, this episode is not for the faint of heart (Really...what about SPN is?!) as it opens with a couple, starved for sex and who-knows-what, literally eating each other due to the influence of Famine. DISGUSTING!

- "Um...No EMF, no sulfur. Ghost possession and demonic possession are both probably out." You have to love how there is a sentence like this in almost every episode of SPN (even the ones that do involve possessions). I almost wonder why they even bother checking for those things any more seeing as how they rarely show up accurately.
         
- It makes me laugh whenever Sam's all concerned about Dean not taking advantage of Valentine's Day (a.k.a. Christmas for unattached free drifters) and compares it to when a dog refuses to eat, much to Dean's disgust.



- I have to say that portions of this episode put the biggest, sappiest, most ridiculous smile on my face ever. Why? Because of the Sam-Dean-Cas trio! I just love episodes where the three of them are working together on some mystery or case...and just working on the case, not dealing with inter-group bickering and tension. Do you know how rare that actually is?

- The scene where Dean calls Cas up on the phone because of the Enochian Sam spotted never fails to make me laugh. Cas' struggles to understand technology are always hilarious. How many years has his garrison been watching over Earth? You'd think he'd at least have learned something!

- "Cupid?! You mean the little fat guy in a diaper?" "No. They're not incontinent." Oh Cas...I don't think that's what Dean meant.

- This is also the episode where Cas becomes addicted to hamburgers. Well...it's because Jimmy, his vessel, has a taste for red meat and apparently even an angel of the Lord can't overcome the base instinct of hunger.

A hug from Cupid...Dean doesn't look happy!

- He even goes so far as to steal Dean's lunch before he's distracted by Cupid's presence.

- Cupid himself is a funny little chap with a grin and an obsession with spouting off romantic clichés.

- I think there was a reference to It's A Wonderful Life in there when Castiel started talking about the different 'classes' of angels. It's fascinating the way the angels of this universe seem to run Heaven very much like it's a tough and militaristic business corporation.

- Gotta love the boys' (and angel's) reaction to Cupid.

- Dean punched Cupid. Dean. Punched. CUPID! I'm laughing far too hard to make a joke about that right now...

- This is episode is interesting because it introduces the concepts of the pure power of souls that will feature prominently in later seasons. In this story it's because the demons are stealing the souls of the people killed by Famine for the Horseman to eat.

- It's also nice the way  this episode brings back the element of Sam's blood addiction again. Well...not exactly nice, but it is a good piece of continuity rather than having the deus ex machina (literally) cure him of it the way it looked like it had in the season première. It had played such a big part in the angst and plot of Season 4 that it would have been a MAJOR cop-out to just magic it away without consequences. There are subtle clues that Sam is starting to feel cravings again all throughout the episode, beginning whenever he and Dean step into the morgue. That should have been a clue for us as to what the boys were dealing with.

- I could watch Castiel eat burgers all day. I really wish we had gotten the full count of how many he actually devoured, though.

- The scene with the raw beef grossed me out. Think of the potential food poisoning! I hope Cas purged that from poor Jimmy's stomach once he came out from under Famine's influence!

- Also...how is Jimmy still alive? Raphael smote Castiel and totally destroyed the younger angel, vessel and all. Whenever God brought Cas back, did he restore Jimmy's soul too? Do angels have to inhabit a vessel containing a living soul? Why does it work like that? Is it ever explained?

- Famine's entrance is just epic. Dark and gross and scary, but epic. With Castiel reciting from the book of Revelations over the montage of the Horseman riding into the All You Can Eat buffet at Biggerson's (Why do things always go wrong in that restaurant on this show?) and striking down all the patrons with that damning, all-encompassing hunger.

- The french-fry guy was especially gross.

- I appreciate the way Sam came clean to Dean in this episode about the blood cravings and I really hope that Dean does too. It must have been hard for both boys to realize that Ruby's specter was still hanging over them. Poor Sam!

- I really want to know why, whenever he chained Sam up, Dean didn't pain a devil's trap over the hotel door or something like that. Did he and Cas just think that all the demons would be busy with their sneak assault or something?

- Of course demons find Sam and he ends up breaking free and totally wiping them out, giving in to Famine's influence in the process. He's a messy eater. (I'm sorry...that was a totally inappropriate joke.)

- And we finally get an answer as to why Dean seems to be immune to the poison that even Cas succumbs to: "...you're not hungry, Dean, because inside you're already dead." Oh Dean... *sniff*

- Sammy to the rescue again. He manages to get hold of himself long enough to resist further temptation from Famine and even figures out how to cripple the Horseman by tricking Famine into swallowing the demons and then using his powers of controlling them to rip Famine apart from the inside. Good for Sam! It was a great climax and an interesting twist that I did not see coming!

- But the episode ends on a downer note with Sam screaming in the panic room again with Dean and Cas slowly drinking their sorrows away outside. Team Free Will is in a dark place.

            This was a great episode. It started out as a satirical (and gross) comedy making fun of the soppy tropes and clichés surrounding the holiday of lurve and then morphed into something else entirely. Famine was a deliciously disgusting (pun intended) villain who really managed to get under the boys' skins as well as reminding us just how screwed up they are. As if we ever forgot! It was funny and depressing and dark and everything that a great Supernatural episode usually is. My Bloody Valentine is a 5/5.




What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?

Film Review: X-Men Days of Future Past

**Spoilers**
If you have not yet seen this film, please go and do so before proceeding.

        I learned two things from this. One, X-Men: The Last Stand would have been awesome if Bryan Singer had directed it and two, JFK was assassinated because he was a mutant. Also Jennifer Lawrence is awesome. But we already knew that. Oh. And Quicksilver is all manner of hot and sure to gain a small (or not so small) fandom following all of his own....just sayin'.

      The casting in this film was done really well, even if young!Professor X reminds me of what I always imagined young!Sirius Black to look like. And while we're on the subject of younger versions of him, I swear that really!young!Xavier is the kid from the Doctor Who A Christmas Carol special! But seriously, the casting is just perfect. From Quicksilver to Trask, everyone just feels perfect in the roles they have been cast in.

         I love Quicksilver and the trick he pulls on the security footage. Very classy. I also appreciate that he notices just how gross the concept of Wolverine's claws really is. The way he broke Magento out was also very interesting. Use of 'Time In A Bottle' during the Quicksilver vs. Pentagon Security fight scene made me laugh SO hard! It really was a priceless touch and the slow-motion used to give us his POV was also very interesting.

              I liked the way they really delved into how awful it actually would be for Professor X with his telepathy, hearing all of the hurting voices in the world screaming at him inside his head. I also laughed a bit whenever Wolverine said about his head being already screwed up. What I really loved, though, was the talk between old and young Xavier. This scene could have been clichéd and cheesy...but it just worked so well! A real testament to the actors and director, I think. Also of the mutant powers were showcased really well in this film, but a special shout-out should go to Magneto and the way he tries to steal the sentinels.

         There was a Star Trek reference in there with Beast's den. The conversation about time streams and the butterfly effect was also interesting and got the Doctor Who wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey fan in me squeeing.

      This film's pacing was just perfect. Right from the beginning it tore out of the starting gate and slammed on forward with an unrelenting pace. Yet it never feels overstuffed or cluttered and it does take time to breath and get the emotional weight of everything across. In my humble opinion, this is the best X-Men film yet. Better than one, better than two, and certainly realms ahead of three! It's better than any of them. I was actually moved to near tears at a couple of points during the experience. The emotions are there, the characters are wonderful, and the story is one of hope. X-Men Days of Future Past is a SOLID 5/5!


What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?

Doctor of the Mind and Hearts (DW)

Part II of the poem I wrote for River/Eleven. Thought River deserved a say!

(A companion piece to Songs of Fate and Future)

Poem by: Clara Pond

A person who's not done yet, 

A picture without a name.

Ever since you saved me,

Nothing can be the same.

So long I have lived with 

The immortality you lovingly gave.

Yet, though I can live forever,

Life with you is all I crave.

I've seen you travel with Clara,

Across the vast and distant stars.

Showing her the wonders

I once heard you call ours.

I wanted deeply to hold you 

When you ascended to your cloud.

But alas, I could not reach you,

My wishes were not allowed.

I was cheered you found another 

(Though she can never replace me).

Someone who can understand you, 

And with brand new eyes can see.

I've traced you across the Universes, 

Your majestic trips and stops.

Many creatures have seen so much, 

But your sights all of their's tops.

Even with your new companion, 

I felt from my watch something wrong.

A force seemed to shadow you, 

Guiding your TARDIS along.

Then came the meeting of Vastra, 

When I talked to Clara finally.

She just looked so confused,

The little girl I used to be.

And when I saw the chance, I took it,

Able to stay with your friend.

I helped her move you along, 

On the planet of your end.

Even though I was convinced 

You'd never hear my cry,

I said you shouldn't jump,

Dear Doctor, you can't fly.

You really had my fooled.

I was sure you couldn't know.

Then you turn around and talked,

Which made my hard heart glow.

Then you knew I was watching over

In your times of fear and doubt?

How could you have ignored me,

With your tears, your laughs and shouts?

Oh, my Doctor, I'm so sorry

That my image carries pain.

But is there no good feeling 

In seeing my face again?

I heartily received 

The first kiss I'd had in years.

In those precious moments, 

You erased my every fear.

"So long, Professor Song," You said. 

"Until the next time we do meet."

In my head I added

That I'd sweep you off your feet.

And off you went, still running,

Right into the killing power.

While I know you would succeed, 

All my happiness turned sour.

At least you tried to sway me 

Into thinking you'd come back.

But deep inside I sensed your ending, 

When your vision'd fade to black.

After that event, I still watched,

Just as I am doing now.

Though my view is a bit blurry, 

With the tears that're falling down.

The yellow warmth is coming,

Something that nits us close together.

You get another regeneration, 

I hope this time the heartache's better.

I've sent to you this one last vision,

My mother who we lost long ago.

I hope she'll guide you safely, 

That your every cut she'll sew.

I would've sent myself, 

But I know you feel me there.

My teardrops plinking quickly, 

Grievances filling the air.

Clara, I hope you have the strength 

To deal with a whole other man.

Just remember he's the Doctor,

And I know protect him you can.

Doctor, I pray that you remember 

A young girl called River Song.

Who you changed for the better,

Shaping her her whole life long.

Most of all, I ask you both

To keep on traveling hand in hand.

Teaching more like me 

How to act and make a stand.

Part I