title: Melbourne Storm

text: In 1998, the Storm established an affiliation with Queensland Cup side the Norths Devils and used the club as a feeder for their first grade team. The relationship would prove to be a fruitful one as 13 of the 17 players to compete for the Storm in the 2006 NRL Grand Final had played for the Devils in previous years. In 2005, the Storm also established an affiliation with the North Sydney Bears in the New South Wales Cup. Melbourne severed ties with both the Bears (end of 2006) and the Devils (end of 2007) and aligned themselves with the Central Coast Storm in the New South Wales Cup. The affiliation lasted two seasons before the Storm decided to establish their own team in the NSW Cup in 2010 which would share its namesake. An unsuccessful venture saw the Storm revert to the Queensland Cup in 2011 when it established a feeder relationship with the Easts Tigers (now known as Brisbane Tigers). Melbourne established a second feeder relationship with the Sunshine Coast Falcons in 2014, also from the Queensland Cup. The Storm further committed to the area in 2015 when it was announced their National Youth Competition U20 side would be based out of the Sunshine Coast from 2016.


title: Heart (Heart album)

text: Heart is the eighth studio album by American rock band Heart, released on June 21, 1985, by Capitol Records. The album continued the band's transition into mainstream rock, a genre that yielded the band its greatest commercial success. Marking the band's Capitol Records debut, it became Heart's only album to top the US "Billboard" 200 to date. The album was eventually certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)—in contrast to Heart's previous two releases, "Private Audition" and "Passionworks", which remain uncertified—proving that adopting a glam metal direction helped resurrect the band.


title: Heart (Heart album)

text: The album yielded the band's first number-one single, "These Dreams", along with four other singles: "What About Love", "Never", "Nothin' at All", and "If Looks Could Kill", with the first four singles reaching the top 10 of the "Billboard" Hot 100. In 1986, the album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.


title: R/AmItheAsshole

text: r/AmItheAsshole, also referred to as AITA, is a subreddit where users post about their real-world interpersonal conflicts and receive judgement from fellow Redditors. Some posts, such as the December 2021 thread about an orange tabby named Jorts, are shared on other social media platforms besides Reddit. The subreddit allows users to determine the morality of absurd, specific scenarios.


title: R/AmItheAsshole

text: The subreddit was created in 2013 by photographer and dog rescuer Marc Beaulac to determine if he had been inappropriately mansplaining in a debate with female coworkers about the temperature of their office. The subreddit gained popularity in of 2018. By July 2019, it had 1 million members, which it dubs "potential assholes." A Twitter account reposts a curated selection of the posts.


title: R/AmItheAsshole

text: r/AmItheAsshole is based around the concept of posting situations from users' personal lives for judgement. Any user (typically from a single-use account referred to as a throwaway) can make a post, beginning with "AITA", asking if they're an asshole for what they did in a situation they were involved in. Other users can judge them with the ratings of YTA (you're the asshole), NTA (not the asshole), NAH (no assholes here), or ESH (everyone sucks here). An example of the conundrums posted is “AITA for switching to regular milk to prove my lactose intolerant roommate keeps stealing from me?” As of October 2020, the subreddit receives about 800 scenarios per day.


title: R/AmItheAsshole

text: Princeton University ethicist Eleanor Gordon-Smith said to "The Guardian", “There’s something almost thrilling about peeking behind the curtain into other people’s lives, hearing their weird thoughts – what they think deep down of their partners, children, friends.”


title: Sumalee Montano

text: Sumalee Montano (born August 3, 1972) is an American actress who worked as an investment bank analyst in New York City and Hong Kong before starting her acting career.


title: Sumalee Montano

text: For TV and film, Sumalee has appeared on "Close to Home", "Days of Our Lives", "Nashville", "Scandal", "The Young and the Restless", "This Is Us" and "Veep". As a voice actress, she has provided the voices of Pudding in "Space Channel 5" and its , Arcee on "", Cali in the "Skylanders" series, Katana on "Beware the Batman", the President in "Saints Row IV", the in "", and Yuna in "Ghost of Tsushima". She has also guest starred as Nila on the web series "Critical Role".


title: Sumalee Montano

text: Montano is of Filipino and Thai descent and grew up mostly in the United States, but also spent a few years in Bangkok, Thailand. During her high school career, she began acting as an extracurricular activity. Her granduncle is Filipino actor and writer Severino Montano.


title: Sumalee Montano

text: She graduated from Harvard University in 1993 and is a U.S. Fulbright scholar. After graduation, she worked as an investment-banking analyst for Morgan Stanley for a few years. After realizing investment banking wasn't something she was passionate about, Montano quit and went backpacking through Africa before realizing she wanted to pursue acting professionally.


title: Sumalee Montano

text: Montano has taken on a variety of different roles, both live-action and voice-over. She is talented in using many different accents, including Chinese, Filipino, British, Southern, Thai, Vietnamese, Eastern European and Japanese. Her first voice acting role was as Pudding in the 1999 music-rhythm game, "Space Channel 5". Her first major acting role was playing the nurse Duvata Mahal for three seasons of the TV show "ER".


title: Sumalee Montano

text: In 2021, Sumalee Montano gained acclaim for her role as Inoue Sato in the Peacock TV series "The Lost Symbol". Following her portrayal as Sato, she had also appeared in the 2021 animated Disney series "The Ghost and Molly McGee", voicing Sharon McGee, the titular character's mother, and Grandma Nin.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: The "Talwar"-class frigates or Project 11356 are a class of stealth guided missile frigates designed and built by Russia for the Indian Navy. The "Talwar"-class guided missile frigates are the improved versions of the Krivak III-class (Project 1135) frigates used by the Russian Coast Guard. The design has been further developed as the for the Russian Navy. Six ships were built in two batches between 1999 and 2013.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: Designed by Severnoye Design Bureau, the first batch of ships were built by Baltic Shipyard and the second batch by Yantar Shipyard.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: Preceded by the "Brahmaputra"-class frigates, the "Talwar"-class frigates are said to have semi-stealth features and better armament. The Indian Navy currently has six of these ships and 4 more are under construction including 2 in an Indian shipyard, for which Goa shipyard was selected.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: On 17 November 1997, Russia and India signed a $1 billion contract, for three Krivak III-class multi-purpose frigates. The Indian Navy wanted to fill the gap created by the decommissioning of the s until the Project 17-class frigates entered service.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: After the signing of the contract, Severnoye Design Bureau began a detail design layout and the shipbuilder, Baltisky Zavod of St. Petersburg, began preparations for their construction. The project involved around 130 suppliers from Russia, India, Britain, Germany, Denmark, Belarus, Ukraine and other countries including over 30 St. Petersburg-based naval design organizations and institutes.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: The first frigate, INS "Talwar" was delivered in May 2002. The second, INS "Trishul", was delivered in November 2002 and the third, INS "Tabar", in May 2003. The Russian firm delayed the delivery of three frigates by 13 months, 7 months and 11 months respectively. The contract stipulated the levy of liquidated damages for the delays and the same worked out to the equivalent of 38.5 million. This was yet to be recovered as of December 2005.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: The Government of India signed a follow-on contract for the purchase of three additional frigates on 14 July 2006. These ships will be built at Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad. The first frigate was scheduled for delivery in April 2011. These ships will feature BrahMos supersonic anti-ship cruise missile instead of the Klub-N/3M54TE missile system which was provided to the "Talwar", "Trishul" and "Tabar" frigates.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: In July 2012 India Today announced the start of talks about purchasing three additional "Talwar"-class frigates (No.7 to No.9). In March 2016, it was reported that India and Russia are still negotiating the purchase of the additional ships.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: The Severnoye Design Bureau developed the Project 1135.6 vessel using an earlier Project 1135.1 design, which dated back to the early 1980s. The ship's redesigned topside and hull has a considerably reduced radar cross-section. While the superstructure sides are sloped and relatively clean, the very cluttered topside of the ship cannot be remotely described as having any signature reducing features. These frigates will be the first Indian Navy warships to incorporate some stealth features. The ship's hull is characterized by outward flare and tumblehome, while the superstructure (which forms a continuous junction with the hull) has a large fixed tumblehome angle.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: The "Talwar"s features the Zorya designed and Mashproekt (Ukraine) manufactured M7N.1E gas turbine plant which comprises two DS-71 cruise turbines and two DT-59 boost turbines in two engine rooms. The cruising component consists of two DS-71 gas-turbine engines, each rated at in forward running, and in reverse. Two cruising RO63 two-speed gearboxes and one cruising R1063 auxiliary gearbox which makes it possible to use any of the cruising engines to drive both propeller shafts. A boost component with two DT-59.1 gas-turbine engines, each rated at forward running, in reverse and two RO58 single-speed reduction gearboxes. The four gas turbines are mounted on isolated cradles which minimize their contact with the hull and thereby considerably reduce the transmission of her vibration and sound.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: Electrical power is provided by four 1 MW Wärtsilä WCM-1000 generator sets with Cummins KTA50G3 engines and Kirloskar 1 MV AC generators. The contract for the generators was signed with Wärtsilä Denmark.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: The "Talwar" class can accommodate one Ka-28 Helix-A antisubmarine helicopter or one Ka-31 Helix-B airborne early warning helicopter which can provide over-the-horizon targeting. The vessel can also embark the navalised variant of the indigenous HAL Dhruv.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: The frigates are armed with a new 3M-54 Klub anti-ship system with a vertical missile launcher, Shtil-1 multi-channel medium-range surface-to-air missile system (an export version of the SA-N-12 "Grizzly"), a Kashtan anti-aircraft missile and artillery system, a RBU-6000 depth charge launcher and Puma-Universal artillery system. These ships are designed to carry and operate one heavy duty helicopter.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: In the main strike role, an eight-cell 3S14E vertical missile launcher is fitted, which accommodates the 3M-54E Klub-N anti-ship missile developed by the Novator Design Bureau. The Agat Research and Production Enterprise has supplied the 3R14N-11356 shipborne fire-control system associated with the Klub-N. The 3M-54E Klub is an long missile using active radar guidance with a range of . It is a three-stage missile in which the terminal stage reaches supersonic velocity (Mach 2.9) when it is approximately from its target.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: The follow-on order of INS "Teg", "Tarkash" and "Trikand" are fitted with the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, which has a range of and moves with the velocity of Mach 3 throughout its flight.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: The Shtil-1 SAM system with a 3S-90 missile launcher is fitted forward of the bridge and is armed with the 9M317 (SA-N-12 "Grizzly", navalised SA-17) missile. 24 missiles are carried in a magazine located below deck. Guidance and target illumination for these missiles is provided by four MR-90 Orekh (NATO: Front Dome) radars, which are connected to a command and control post. The SA-N-12 missile uses a combination of inertial guidance and semi-active radar homing to its maximum range of . The blast-fragmentation warhead is triggered by a radar proximity fuze. The missile's control system and warhead can be adjusted to a specific target following target recognition, which increases hit probability. Eight Igla-1E (SA-16) portable air defence missiles are also carried.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: For the CIWS role, two Kashtan air defence gun and missile systems are used. Each system consists of two GSh-30k (AO-18K) six-barreled 30 mm Gatling guns, fed by a link-less mechanism, and two SA-N-11 (navalised variant of the 9M311, SA-19) SAM clusters. The system also includes a storing and reloading system to keep 32 SAMs in container-launchers in the vessel's under-deck spaces. The follow-on order ships "Teg", "Tarkash" and "Trikand" were fitted with the AK-630 system, replacing the Kashtan system in the earlier ships.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: One 100 mm A-190(E) gun is fitted forward for use against ship and shore based targets The A-190(E) uses a lightweight gun mount with an automatic gun and fuze setter. Fire control is provided by the 5P-10E Puma FCS. The gun can fire 60 rounds a minute out to a range of . The weight of each shell is .


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: The gun features higher automation of fire preparation and control and employs advanced guided and rocket-assisted long-range and enhanced-lethality projectiles fitted with dual-mode impact/proximity fuzes. Together with the use of the muzzle velocity meter, it is designed to produce increased combat capability. In addition, the gun turret features stealth technology to minimize the radar signature of a ship.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: The ships carry the RPK-8 system, which uses a 12 barreled RBU-6000 ASW rocket launcher to fire the 212 mm 90R anti-submarine rocket or RGB-60 depth charges. The firing range is from , and the depth of engagement is up to .


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: Two twin 533 mm DTA-53-11356 fixed torpedo tube launchers are fitted amidships and fire the SET-65E/53-65KE torpedoes. The Purga anti-submarine fire-control system provides control for both the RBU-6000 and DTA-53 launchers.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: According to some reports, the APSOH (Advanced Panoramic Sonar Hull) hull-mounted sonar is fitted on the vessels. The APSOH sonar performs active ranging, passive listening, auto tracking of targets and classification. Other reports indicate that the BEL HUMSA (Hull Mounted Sonar Array) sonar is fitted. The HUMSA is a panoramic medium-range active/passive sonar system developed by the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL). As a stop gap measure, Russian Bronza (MG-345) hull mounted sonars are installed.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: Information released from the Severnoye Design Bureau (SDB) indicate that French towed array sonars (TAS) are also fitted. This is very plausible given that many Indian Navy ships now use French TAS, however INS "Talwar" shows no signs of such a system. The vessel may also have a Russian SSN-137 Variable Depth Sonar (VDS) with NATO reporting name Steer Hide, providing active search with medium frequency, and the sonar might be license produced in India with Indian designation SSSN-113.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: The frigate features the Russian-made TK-25E-5 integrated electronic warfare suite, which comprises a wideband electronic support measures system that has antenna arrays mounted in the superstructure and a multimode jammer. Four KT-216 decoy launchers, forming part of the PK-10 system, are fitted for soft-kill defence. A total of 120 120mm chaff and infrared decoy rounds are carried on board.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: Some ships of the class including INS Tabar have had their TK-25E-5 ESM suites replaced with BEL manufactured Varuna ESM systems with their distinctive circular housing located above the Fregat radar.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: India and Russia are negotiating for building four more "Talwar" frigates for the Indian Navy. In September 2016, it was reported that India would acquire two s from Russia and remaining two will be built in India. The deal was signed in October 2016. These frigates are based on the "Talwar" class and were to be commissioned into the Russian Navy, but after the Ukrainian Conflict, Ukraine refused to supply any more engines for the Russian ships. So far, only two of the six have been commissioned by Russia. In August 2017, the Indian Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) cleared a proposal of Rs 490 crore to buy two gas turbines from Zorya-Mashproekt in Ukraine for the s being built in Russia.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: In October 2018, Indian Ministry of Defense signed a deal for US$950 million for procuring two s, "Admiral Butakov" and "Admiral Istomin". The two frigates will be delivered to Indian Navy by 2022.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: A contract was signed between Rosoboronexport and Goa Shipyard for the construction of 2 frigates under license on 20 November 2018. The two frigates will be armed with Brahmos missile system and will include a host of Indian equipment and will be delivered by 2027. The contract for the two ships was awarded to Goa Shipyard Limited by the government of India on 30 January 2019.


title: Talwar-class frigate

text: The two frigates being built at Goa Shipyard will boasts of a much higher indigenous content and will be named Triput class frigate. The new class of ship will feature BHEL made 76mm gun instead of its Russian counterpart, along with other Indian weapon and sensors.


title: S.P.A.L.

text: Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor, commonly known as S.P.A.L. (), is a professional football club based in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The team plays in Serie B, the second tier of the Italian football league system.


title: S.P.A.L.

text: Founded in 1907, since 1928 they have played their home matches at Stadio Paolo Mazza, named after Paolo Mazza (chairman of the club 1946–1977).


title: S.P.A.L.

text: In total, SPAL have participated in 24 top-tier, 27 second-tier, 41 third-tier, 7 fourth-tier and 1 fifth-tier league seasons. The club's best finish was when they came fifth in the 1959–60 Serie A; they also reached the 1961–62 Coppa Italia final.


title: S.P.A.L.

text: The club was founded in March 1907 as Circolo Ars et Labor (latin for "Art and Work Club") by the Salesian priest Pietro Acerbis. In the early stages, it was mainly a cultural and religious association, then in 1913 it became a multi-sports company, taking the name of Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor (SPAL). The team began its professional activity under the aegis of the Italian Football Federation (Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio) in 1919, competing in the second-tier tournament.


title: S.P.A.L.

text: SPAL played in the top flight league from 1920 to 1925, reaching the qualification playoff for the National Finals in 1921–22. From 1925 until the Second World War, they played in Serie B and Serie C: in this period, the club's all-time top striker Mario Romani scored 130 goals in 189 games during two different periods with the white-blues (1925–32 and 1937–38).


title: S.P.A.L.

text: Between 1939 and 1943 the club temporarily changed its name to A.C. Ferrara, wearing the black and white colours of the city. After the suspension of the championships due to war, in 1945 the club returned to the name SPAL and to the light blue and white kits.


title: S.P.A.L.

text: In 1946 Paolo Mazza became chairman of the club. After five consecutive seasons in Serie B, SPAL won promotion to Serie A after finishing the championship first in 1950–51. The white-blues subsequently stayed in the top division for most of the 1950s and 1960s, competing in 16 out of 17 Serie A seasons from 1951 to 1968.


title: S.P.A.L.

text: SPAL finished fifth in 1959–60, thus obtaining the best finish in its history. Also, in 1961–62 they played in the Coppa Italia final, losing against Napoli. In the early stages of 1962–63 season, in which the club finished in eighth place, the white and blues managed to reach the top of the league table. During those years, the club was a launchpad for many young players who became stars, among them Fabio Capello.


title: S.P.A.L.

text: In 1963–64 they were relegated to Serie B, but they came back to Serie A after only one year, and remained in the top division until 1968. At the end of the last season in the top flight, SPAL won the Cup of Italian-Swiss Friendship.


title: S.P.A.L.

text: Paolo Mazza quit the presidency in December 1976 and was replaced by Primo Mazzanti. The former chairman died in December 1981 and three months later Ferrara's Stadio Comunale was named after him.


title: S.P.A.L.

text: In 1990, Giovanni Donigaglia became chairman of the club: between 1990 and 1992 SPAL obtained back-to-back promotions from Serie C2 to Serie B, under the management of Giovan Battista Fabbri. Donigaglia left the presidency in 2002 with the squad in Serie C1. He was replaced by Lino di Nardo.


title: S.P.A.L.

text: The club went bankrupt in 2005, and were reformed as SPAL 1907 S.r.l., under the terms of Article 52 of N.O.I.F. In the summer of 2012, after suffering a second bankruptcy, the club was refounded for the second time as Società Sportiva Dilettantistica Real SPAL and would begin life in Serie D again under Article 52 of N.O.I.F.


title: S.P.A.L.

text: At the end of the 2012–13 season the club took back its original name. Giacomense, a club founded in 1967 at Masi San Giacomo, a "frazione" of Masi Torello, had moved to the city of Ferrara; on 12 July 2013, owner Roberto Benasciutti made a deal with the Colombarini family for a merger between SPAL and Giacomense, with the latter giving its sports title to SPAL and continuing to play in Ferrara. The club changed its name to S.P.A.L. 2013, in order to continue the football history of SPAL. They finished the 2013–14 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione season in sixth place, thus qualifying for the inaugural unified 2014–15 Lega Pro season.


title: S.P.A.L.

text: In 2015–16, the squad won promotion to Serie B for the first time since the 1992–93 season, after finishing first in group B of the Lega Pro. The following year they came first in Serie B, thus obtaining promotion to Serie A after a 49-year absence.


title: S.P.A.L.

text: In their first season back in Serie A, SPAL avoided relegation by finishing in 17th place. At the end of the 2018–19 season they confirmed their presence in the top flight for a third consecutive year, finishing 13th. The club had mixed fortunes in the 2019–2020 season and, after gaining just 15 points in 23 games, coach Leonardo Semplici was dismissed in February 2020, replaced by Luigi Di Biagio. SPAL were relegated to Serie B, finishing in last place with 20 points. The club reached the 2020–21 Coppa Italia quarter-finals, becoming the only team from Serie B to advance to that stage in the competition.


title: S.P.A.L.

text: The team's colours are light blue and white, which derive from the Salesians' emblem. The home kit, since 1962, has been composed of a vertical striped light blue-white shirt, white trainers and white socks. The only exception to light blue and white was when the club adopted a black and white kit between 1939 and 1943 (when it was named A.C. Ferrara), in honour of Ferrara's civic colours.


title: S.P.A.L.

text: Currently the badge features an oval-shaped light blue escutcheon, with a white band in the upper section, on which is written the acronym "S.P.A.L." in golden characters. Also, in the lower section, the black and white emblem of the city is featured. From 1980 until mid-1990s the official badge featured a fawn, another symbol of the club.


title: S.P.A.L.

text: SPAL's most common nicknames are "Biancazzurri" (from the club colours, light blue and white) and "Estensi" (from the House of Este, ancient European noble dynasty that ruled Ferrara from 1240 to 1597).


title: S.P.A.L.

text: The current home ground of SPAL is the 16,134 seater Stadio Paolo Mazza. The stadium was opened in September 1928 as Stadio Comunale, then took on its current name in February 1982, in honour of the former president of the club Paolo Mazza, who died two months earlier.


title: S.P.A.L.

text: Initially it had a capacity of 4,000. Then, in concomitance with the promotion of SPAL to Serie A, in 1951 it was subjected to a heavy restructuring that brought capacity to 25,000. Between 1960s and 1980s it was renovated again, reducing the number of possible spectators to 22,000 until the mid-2000s.


title: S.P.A.L.

text: From 2005 to 2016 the capacity was limited to 7,500 due to safety reasons and cost containment. In 2016–17, after the club's promotion to Serie B and then to Serie A, the stadium was restructured again to match the modern needs of comfort and safety. In the summer of 2018 a further remodeling took place, in order to bring the stadium capacity from 13,135 seats to 16,134.


title: S.P.A.L.

text: SPAL have had several presidents (chairmen) ( or ) over the course of their history. Some of them have been the main shareholder of the club. The longest-serving chairman is Paolo Mazza.


title: S.P.A.L.

text: SPAL have had many managers and head coaches throughout their history, below is a chronological list of them.


title: Paestum

text: Paestum ( , , ) was a major ancient Greek city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Magna Graecia (southern Italy). The ruins of Paestum are famous for their three ancient Greek temples in the Doric order, dating from about 550 to 450 BC, which are in an excellent state of preservation. The city walls and amphitheatre are largely intact, and the bottom of the walls of many other structures remain, as well as paved roads. The site is open to the public, and there is a modern national museum within it, which also contains the finds from the associated Greek site of Foce del Sele.


title: Paestum

text: Solinus wrote that it was established by Dorians. After its foundation by Greek colonists under the name of Poseidonia (), it was eventually conquered by the local Lucanians and later the Romans. The Lucanians renamed it to Paistos and the Romans gave the city its current name. As Pesto or Paestum, the town became a bishopric (now only titular), but it was abandoned in the Early Middle Ages, and left undisturbed and largely forgotten until the eighteenth century.


title: Paestum

text: Today the remains of the city are found in the modern "frazione" of Paestum, which is part of the "comune" of Capaccio Paestum in the Province of Salerno in the region of Campania, Italy. The modern settlement, directly to the south of the archaeological site, is a popular seaside resort with long sandy beaches. The Paestum rail station on the Naples-Salerno-Reggio Calabria railway line is directly to the east of the ancient city walls.


title: Paestum

text: Much of the most celebrated features of the site today are the three large temples in the Archaic version of the Greek Doric order, dating from about 550 to 450 BC. All are typical of the period, with massive colonnades having a very pronounced entasis (widening as they go down), and very wide capitals resembling upturned mushrooms. Above the columns, only the second Temple of Hera retains most of its entablature, the other two having only the architrave in place.


title: Paestum

text: These were dedicated to Hera and Athena (Juno and Minerva to the Romans), although previously they often have been identified otherwise, following eighteenth-century arguments. The two temples of Hera are right next to each other, while the Temple of Athena is on the other side of the town center. There were other temples, both Greek and Roman, which are far less well preserved.


title: Paestum

text: Paestum is far from any sources of good marble. Unsurprisingly, the three main temples had few stone reliefs, perhaps using painting instead. Painted terracotta was used for some detailed parts of the structure. The large pieces of terracotta that have survived are in the museum.


title: Paestum

text: The whole ancient city of Paestum covered an area of approximately 120 hectares. Only the 25 hectares that contain the three main temples and the other main buildings have been excavated. The other 95 hectares remain on private land and have not been studied.


title: Paestum

text: The ancient city was surrounded by defensive walls, which are largely intact. The walls are approximately long in its polygonal perimeter, typically high, and thick. Corresponding with the cardinal points, there were four main openings in the wall: Porta Sirena (east to the hills); Porta Giustizia (south, now to the modern village Paestum); Porta Marina (west to the sea); and Porta Aurea (north), which was later destroyed. Positioned along the wall were 24 square or round towers. There may have been as many as 28, but some of them (and Porta Aurea) were destroyed during the construction of a highway during the 18th century that effectively cut the ancient site in two.


title: Paestum

text: The central area is completely clear of modern buildings and always has been largely so, since the Middle Ages. Although much stone has been stripped from the site, large numbers of buildings remain detectable by their footings or the lower parts of their walls, and the main roads remain paved. A low-built heroon or shrine memorial to an unknown local hero survived intact; the contents are in the museum. Numerous tombs have been excavated outside the walls.


title: Paestum

text: The first Temple of Hera, built around 550 BC by the Greek colonists, is the oldest surviving temple in Paestum and the one furthest south. 18th-century archaeologists named it "the Basilica" because some mistakenly believed it to be a Roman building. (The original Roman basilica was essentially a civic form of building, before the basilica plan was adopted by the Early Christians for churches.)


title: Paestum

text: Inscriptions and terracotta statuettes revealed that the goddess worshiped here was Hera. Later, an altar was unearthed in front of the temple, in the open-air site usual for a Greek altar. The faithful could attend rites and sacrifices without entering the "cella" or inner sanctuary.


title: Paestum

text: The columns have a very strong entasis or curvature down their length, an indication of an early date of construction. Some of the capitals still retain visible traces of their original paint. The temple is wider than most Greek temples, probably because there are two doors and a row of seven columns running centrally inside the cella, an unusual feature. This may reflect a dual dedication of the temple. Having an odd number of columns, here nine, across the shorter sides also is very unusual; there are eighteen columns along the longer sides. This was possible, or necessary, because of the two doors, so that neither has a view blocked by a column.


title: Paestum

text: The second Temple of Hera was built around 460–450 BC, just north of the first Hera Temple. It was once mistakenly thought to be dedicated to Poseidon. Instead of the typical 20 flutes on each column, they have 24 flutes. The Temple of Hera II also has a wider column size and smaller intervals between columns. The temple was also used to worship Zeus and another deity, whose identity is unknown. There are visible on the east side the remains of two altars, one large and one smaller. The smaller one is a Roman addition, built when a road leading to a Roman forum was cut through the larger one. It also is possible that the temple originally was dedicated to both Hera and Poseidon; some offertory statues found around the larger altar are thought to demonstrate this identification.


title: Paestum

text: On the highest point of the town, some way from the Hera Temples and north of the center of the ancient settlement, is the Temple of Athena. It was built around 500 BC, and was for some time incorrectly thought to have been dedicated to Ceres. The architecture is transitional, being mainly built in early Doric style and partially Ionic. Three medieval Christian tombs in the floor show that the temple was at one time used as a Christian church.


title: Paestum

text: In the central part of the complex is the Roman Forum, thought to have been built on the site of the preceding Greek agora. On the north side of the forum is a small Roman temple, dated to 200 BC. It was dedicated to the Capitoline Triad, Jupiter, Juno and Minerva.


title: Paestum

text: To the north-east of the forum is the amphitheater. This is of normal Roman pattern, although much smaller than later examples. Only the western half is visible; in 1930 AD, a road was built across the site, burying the eastern half. It is said by local inhabitants that the civil engineer responsible was tried, convicted and received a prison sentence for what was described as wanton destruction of a historic site. There is also a small circular council hall ("bouleuterion") or assembly space ("ekklesiasterion"), with seats in tiers. It was probably never roofed, but had a wall around it, perhaps with a small arcade round the inside. This ceased to have a role in Roman times and was filled over.


title: Paestum

text: The heroön, close to the forum and the Temple of Athena, probably celebrated the founder of the city, though constructed around a century after the death of this unnamed figure. It was a low tumulus with a walled rectangular enclosure faced with large stones around it. When it was excavated in 1954 a low stone chamber with a pitched roof was discovered at the centre, half below the surrounding ground level and half above. This contained several large, rare, and splendid bronze vessels, perhaps not locally-made, and a large Athenian pottery black-figure amphora of about 520–500 BC. The bronze vessels had traces of honey inside. These are all now in the museum.


title: Paestum

text: Just south of the city walls, at a site still called Santa Venera, a series of small terracotta offertory molded statuettes of a standing nude woman wearing the "polos" headdress of Anatolian and Syrian goddesses, which were dated to the first half of the sixth century BC, were found in the sanctuary. Other similar ones have been excavated at other Paestum sanctuaries during excavations in the 1980s. The figure is highly unusual in the Western Mediterranean. The open-air "temenos" was established at the start of Greek occupation: a temple on the site was not built until the early fifth century BC. A nude goddess is a figure alien to Greek culture before the famous Cnidian Aphrodite by Praxiteles in the fourth century: iconographic analogies must be sought in Phoenician Astarte and the Cypriote Aphrodite. "In places where the Greeks and Phoenicians came in contact with one another, there is often an overlapping in the persona of the two deities."


title: Paestum

text: Paestum also is renowned for its painted tombs, mainly belonging to the Lucanian period, while only one of them dates to the Greek period. However, this is the Tomb of the Diver (Italian: "Tomba del tuffatore"), which is the most famous. It is named after the enigmatic scene, depicted on the underside of the covering slab, of a young man diving into a stream of water. It dates to the first half of the fifth century BC (about 470 BC), the Golden Age of the Greek town. It was found, on 3 June 1968, in a small necropolis some 1.5 km south of the ancient walls. The paintings have now been transferred to the museum. The tomb is painted with the "true fresco" technique and its importance lies in being "the only example of Greek painting with figured scenes dating from the Orientalizing, Archaic, or Classical periods to survive in its entirety. Among the thousands of Greek tombs known from this time (roughly 700–400 BC), this is the only one found to have been decorated with frescoes of human subjects."


title: Paestum

text: The remaining four walls of the tomb are occupied by symposium-related scenes, an iconography far more familiar from Greek pottery than the diving scene. All the five frescoes are displayed in the museum, together with other cycles from Lucanian painted tombs. In contrast to earlier Greek tomb paintings, these later scenes have many figures and a high proportion of scenes including horses and equestrian sports.


title: Paestum

text: A few kilometres from Paestum there was a temple complex at the mouth of the Sele river ("Foce del Sele" in Italian) dedicated to Hera. The temple is now all but destroyed, and little remains of several other buildings. About 70 of the sixth-century BC Archaic metope relief panels on the temple and another building at the site were recovered, however. These fall into two groups, the earlier of which shows the story of the life of Heracles in 38 surviving reliefs; the later group, of about 510 BC, shows pairs of running women. The earlier cycle forms the centrepiece of the Paestum museum, set in place around walls of the original height. At the site there is a "museo narrante" with video displays, but no original artefacts.


title: Paestum

text: The Paestum archaeological museum holds the largest collection, but many significant pieces were removed from the site before modern controls and are in a number of collections around the world. The National Archaeological Museum of Spain in Madrid has especially rich holdings, with two important Imperial Roman statues and many, very fine vases (see below). Other pieces, mostly painted pottery, are in the Louvre, the Antikensammlung Berlin, and other museums in Europe and America.


title: Paestum

text: In the case of painted pottery, a number of individual artists, especially from the fourth century BC, have been identified and given notnames whose work has been found in tombs around the city and the region, and sometimes further afield. It has been presumed that these artists were based in the city.


title: Paestum

text: The highlights of the national museum at Paestum are mentioned above: the Sele metopes, the Tomb of the Diver, and the contents of the Heroon. The displays also show a number of large painted terracotta architectural fragments from the temples and other buildings, many Greek terracotta figurines, and incomplete larger terracotta statues, and pottery including painted vases.


title: Paestum

text: According to Strabo, the city was founded as Poseidonia (named after the Greek deity of the sea) by Greek Achaeans from Sybaris. The colonists had built fortifications close to the sea, but then decided to found the city farther inland at a higher elevation. The fortifications might have been built to the south of Poseidonia on the promontory where Agropoli is now. According to the historical tradition the sanctuary to Poseidon was located there, after which the city would have been named. The date of Poseidonia's founding is not given by ancient sources, but the archaeological evidence gives a date of approximately 600 BC.


title: Paestum

text: Alternatively in fact, the Sybarites may have been Troezenians. Aristotle wrote that a group of Troezenians was expelled from Sybaris by the Achaeans after their joint founding of that city. Gaius Julius Solinus calls Paestum a Dorian colony and Strabo mentions that Troezen once was called Poseidonia. As a consequence it has been argued that Paestum was founded by the Troezenians referred to by Aristotle. Another hypothesis is that the Sybarites were aided by Dorians in their founding of Poseidonia.


title: Paestum

text: Archaeological evidence from Paestum's first centuries indicates the building of roads, temples, and other features of a growing city. Coinage, architecture, and molded votive figurines all attest to close relations maintained with Metaponto in the sixth and fifth centuries.


title: Paestum

text: It is presumed that Poseidonia harbored refugees from its mother city, Sybaris, when that city was conquered by Croton in 510 BC. In the early fifth century, Poseidonia's coins adopted the Achaean weight standard and the bull seen on Sybarite coins. A. J. Graham thinks it was plausible that the number of refugees was large enough for some kind of synoecism to have occurred between the Poseidonians and the Sybarites, possibly in the form of a sympolity.


title: Paestum

text: Poseidonia might have had a major share in a new foundation of Sybaris, which lasted from 452/1 BC until 446/5 BC. This is suggested by the great resemblance of the coins of Sybaris to those of Poseidonia during this period. Possibly a treaty of friendship between Sybaris, its allies, and the Serdaioi (an unknown people) dates to this new foundation, because Poseidonia was the guarantor of this treaty.


title: Paestum

text: It is not until the end of the fifth century BC that the city is mentioned, when according to Strabo, the city was conquered by the Lucanians. From the archaeological evidence it appears that the two cultures, Greek and Oscan, were able to thrive alongside one another.


title: Paestum

text: It became the Roman city of Paestum in 273 BC in the aftermath of the Pyrrhic War, in which the Graeco-Italian Poseidonians sided with king Pyrrhus of Epirus against the Roman Republic.


title: Paestum

text: During the Carthaginian invasion of Italy by Hannibal, the city remained faithful to Rome and afterward, was granted special favours such as the minting of its own coinage. The city continued to prosper during the Roman imperial period and became a bishopric as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pesto around 400 AD.


title: Paestum

text: It started to go into decline between the fourth and seventh centuries AD, and was abandoned during the Middle Ages. The bishopric was suppressed in 1100. Like Naples and most of the surrounding region, the inhabitants presumably spoke a Greek dialect throughout its history. The decline and desertion were probably due to changes in local land drainage patterns, leading to swampy malarial conditions. Raids by "Saracen" pirates and slavers also may have been a deciding factor. The remaining population seems to have moved to the more easily defended cliff-top settlement at Agropoli (i.e. "acropolis" or "citadel" in Greek), a few kilometres away, although this settlement became a base for Muslim raiders for a period. The Paestum site became overgrown and largely forgotten, although some stone "spolia" were collected and used in Salerno Cathedral by Robert Guiscard (d. 1085).


title: Paestum

text: Despite stray mentions such as that in the history of Pietro Summonte in 1524, who correctly identified the three Doric temples as such, its ruins only came to wide notice again in the eighteenth century, following the rediscovery of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and during the construction of a new coastal road south from Naples. The modern settlement had begun to revive by at least the sixteenth century, to the side of the ancient ruins. After a complicated start, the rediscovery of the three relatively easily accessible, and early, Greek temples created huge interest throughout Europe. Prints of artworks by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1778) and others were widely circulated. The complete and relatively simple form of the temples became influential in early Greek Revival architecture.


title: Paestum

text: In 1740 a proposal was made, but not executed, to remove columns for the new Palace of Capodimonte in Naples. Initially, eighteenth-century savants doubted that the structures had been temples, and it was suggested variously, that they included a gymnasium, a public basilica or hall, or a "portico". There also was controversy and misunderstanding of their cultural background. Alessio Simmaco Mazzocchi, a clergyman and antiquarian, "the founder of the modern study of Magna Graecia" (the ancient Greeks in Italy), thought they were Etruscan, in line with his theories that Greek colonists merely had joined existing cultures in Italy, founded by peoples from farther east. He derived the etymology of "Poseidonia" from an invented Phoenician sea deity.


title: Paestum

text: The first modern published account of the ruins was "Les Ruines de Paestum" in 1764, by G. P. M. Dumont, who had been taken to the site in 1750, along with the architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot, by Count Gazzola, an engineer for the government in Naples. Gazzola had drawn or commissioned measured drawings, to which Dumont added his own, as well as, more artistic plates. There was an expanded edition in 1769, the same year when a still more extensive account was published by the Englishman Thomas Major. By 1774 there were nine different illustrated publications on the site.


title: Paestum

text: On September 9, 1943, Paestum was the location of the landing beaches of the U.S. 36th Infantry Division during the Allied invasion of Italy. German forces resisted the landings from the outset, causing heavy fighting within and around the town. Combat persisted around the town for nine days before the Germans withdrew to the north. The Allied forces set up their Red Cross first aid tents in, and around, the temples since the Temples were "off limits" to bombing by both sides.


title: Paestum

text: The coins of Paestum begin about 550 BC. These early issues were perhaps all festival coins. They usually have Poseidon with upraised trident. Issues continue until the reign of Tiberius. For unknown reasons Paestum alone of all the smaller Italian mints, was allowed to continue minting bronze coins by a Senatorial decree of about 89 BC, after this had been centralized. Later coins carry "P. S. S. C.", standing for "Paesti Signatum Senatus Consulto" to reflect this.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: The game's story takes place five hundred years after the previous game's ending. Lightning, the main protagonist of the first game and a key character in the second, awakes from a self-imposed hibernation 13 days before the world's end, and is chosen by the deity Bhunivelze to save the people of the dying world, including former friends and allies who have developed heavy emotional burdens. As she travels, she learns the full truth behind both the world's fate and Bhunivelze's true agenda.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: Development of the game started in May 2012, shortly after the release of "XIII-2"s final piece of DLC, and was unveiled at a special 25th Anniversary Event for the "Final Fantasy" series in September that year. Most of the previous games' key creative minds and developers returned, and it was developed by Square Enix's First Production Department, with developer tri-Ace helping with the graphics. The development team wanted the game to bring a conclusive end to the story of both Lightning and the "XIII" universe, and to address criticisms leveled against the last two games. During its first week on sale in Japan, it sold 277,000 units, and by the end of 2013 become the 17th best-selling game of the year selling over 400,000 copies. It has sold 800,000 copies as of May 2014. It has received mixed reviews: while the main praise went to the game's battle system, opinions were more mixed for the graphics, time limit and other aspects of gameplay, while the story and characters were criticized for being weak or poorly developed.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: The player directly controls the character Lightning through a third-person perspective to interact with people, objects, and enemies throughout the game. The player can also turn the camera around the character, which allows for a 360° view of the surroundings. The world of "Lightning Returns", as with "Final Fantasy XIII" and its sequel "XIII-2", is rendered to scale with the character, who navigates the world on foot. In one of the areas, the player can use chocobos, a recurring animal in the "Final Fantasy" series. The player is able to freely navigate the game's open world layout, explore towns and country areas, and accept quests from various non-playable characters (NPCs). Lightning is also able to sprint for limited periods, climb up ladders and jump freely. The game features three difficulty levels: Easy, Normal and Hard, the latter of which is unlocked after first completing the game. There is also a New Game+ option, whereby players can start a new game while carrying over their equipment and stats from a previous playthrough. The in-game clock runs continuously during normal navigation, with one in-game day equating to two to three hours in real time on Easy mode and one hour on Normal and Hard modes. The timer starts out at seven in-game days, but can be extended to a maximum of thirteen days. The timer stops during cutscenes, conversations and battles. Lightning can also pause time using an ability called Chronostasis.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: Quests are directly linked to Lightning's growth: as she completes quests, her stats are boosted, with the main story quests yielding the biggest boosts. Many side quests can only be obtained at certain times, since the real-time build of the world means NPCs are in constant movement, and only appear in certain places at a given time. Lightning can also accept quests from the Canvas of Prayers, a post board found in all the main locations. Upon completing NPC quests, Lightning is rewarded with a portion of Eradia, spiritual energy retrieved when a person's burden is lifted. Every day at 6 AM game-time, Lightning is drawn back into the Ark, a location where the in-game clock does not progress. Once there, Lightning gives her gathered Eradia to a tree called Yggdrasil: if she has gathered enough, the in-game clock is extended by a day. She can also restock on supplies and collect new equipment. Another feature in the game was Outerworld Services, a feature where players could take photos and share them, along with their personal stats and battle scores, on Facebook and Twitter. The Facebook features were disabled in April 2015. All Outerworld services were terminated in April the following year.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: The battle system, called the Style-Change Active Time Battle system, uses elements from the Active Time Battle (ATB)-based Paradigm system from the first and second "XIII" games and bears similarities to the dressphere system featured in "Final Fantasy X-2". Lightning has access to several customizable outfits (garb) with different power sets (plural: "Schemata"; singular: "Schema"). Each garb has its own separate ATB gauge, and actions for them are mapped onto the controller's face buttons, meaning that the usual menu-style ATB battle system is no longer needed: this enables Lightning to be moved around the battle field to a limited degree. The majority of the garbs and their accessories are either purchasable in the in-game shops or received upon completing quests. Stronger garbs, items, shields and weapons are unlocked in Hard Mode, along with access to more challenging areas and boss battles. Lightning can equip three Schemata directly, while having additional slots for backup costumes which can be equipped outside battle. She can be equipped with a close-combat weapon (sword, spear, etc.), a shield and a cosmetic accessory. The color scheme of each garb can be customized using both pre-set and custom color: there are options to alter both specific portions and all portions of the costume.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: As with the previous game, enemies appear in the open field and can be avoided or engaged. The number of enemies increases during night-time, and their strength and ability to deal damage increases the more days pass in-game. By killing all the standard versions of an enemy, a final version appears as a boss. Defeating it will yield a high reward and make the enemy type extinct in an area of the game. When Lightning attacks an enemy, or they attack her, the battle starts. If Lightning strikes a monster, they lose a small portion of health, while if the enemy strikes Lightning first, she will lose health. As Lightning performs attacks, her ATB meter is drained and she must switch to another assigned garb: the depleted garb's meter recharges while not being used. Lightning utilizes her many swords for short-range melee attacks and magic for long-range attacks. She can block enemy attacks using her shield and has the option to evade an attack, which can be assigned to any garb. Each enemy has a stagger meter, represented by a line behind their health bar. As Lightning lands certain kinds of magical or physical blows on the enemy, their meter oscillates more. Eventually, the enemy is staggered, rendering them vulnerable to damaging attacks. Lightning can also spend Energy Points to perform special moves or activate abilities, such as Overclock (which slows time for Lightning's opponents and enables her to land more hits); and Army of One, Lightning's signature move. By winning battles, Lightning earns gil, the in-game currency, and replenishes a portion of her Energy Point gauge. In Normal and Hard modes, if Lightning flees from or dies in battle, one in-game hour is lost. Unlike the last two games, the player character does not automatically recover HP after battles, instead needing to use remedies bought from merchants and shops, and there is no auto-battle mode, with Lightning needing to be controlled manually at all times. In Easy Mode, Lightning regenerates health if she stands idle.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: "Lightning Returns" is set after the events of "Final Fantasy XIII" and "Final Fantasy XIII-2". In "XIII", Lightning is one of six people who are turned by a fal'Cie—one of a race created by the gods—into l'Cie, servants of the fal'Cie gifted with magical powers and a 'Focus'—an assigned task to be completed within a time limit; those that succeed in their Focus go into crystal stasis, while those that fail turn into monsters called Cie'th. The six were intended to cause the large, floating sphere named Cocoon to fall onto the world of Gran Pulse below, killing all the humans of Cocoon. At the finale of the game, two of the l'Cie transformed into a crystal pillar to support Cocoon, preventing the catastrophe. The remaining l'Cie were made human again by the Goddess Etro, the deity responsible for maintaining the balance between the mortal world and the Unseen Realm. In "XIII-2", it is revealed that Etro's interference allowed Chaos, an energy trapped in the Unseen Realm, to escape and distort the timeline as written after the fall of Cocoon. Lightning was drawn to Valhalla, Etro's citadel, and decided to stay and act as her protector. Three years after Cocoon's fall, Lightning's sister Serah sets out to correct the timeline distortions and reunite with Lightning, while the people of Gran Pulse construct a new Cocoon, since the old one is destined to collapse. The protagonists unwittingly end up instigating the death of Etro, which allows Chaos to spill into the mortal world and bring an end to time itself. Serah also dies, causing Lightning to nearly lose hope. Reassured by her sister's spirit, Lightning chooses to enter crystal stasis to preserve her sister's memory and keep hope alive.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: "Lightning Returns" is set five hundred years after the ending of "XIII-2", during the final thirteen days of the world's existence. Because of the unleashing of Chaos, the world of Gran Pulse has been consumed, leaving only a set of islands called Nova Chrysalia. The new Cocoon, called "Bhunivelze" after the key deity of the "XIII" universe, acts as the world's moon. The Chaos has halted human aging and no new children are born due to Etro's death, causing the human population to stagnate and shrink. Over the intervening centuries, two opposing religions have formed and dominate the life of Nova Chrysalia's people: the Order of Salvation, that worships Bhunivelze, and the Children of Etro, a rebel cult who worship the Goddess. The world itself is divided into four regions, each dominated by a specific mood and environment. The city of Luxerion is a capital of worship whose people are loyal to the Order. The pleasure capital of Yusnaan is a city of revelry where people live in a constant state of celebration. The Dead Dunes is a desert area dominated by ruins. The Wildlands is an untamed area where the human city of Academia used to stand; it also houses the remains of Valhalla, the capital of Etro. Within the New Cocoon is the Ark, a zone where time is frozen.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: Lightning (Ali Hillis/Maaya Sakamoto), a central character from both "XIII" and "XIII-2", is the game's main protagonist, sole playable character, and narrator. The other main characters from the previous games also make appearances: Hope Estheim (Vincent Martella/Yūki Kaji) aids Lightning using a wireless communicator; Snow Villiers (Troy Baker/Daisuke Ono), devastated by the death of Serah Farron (Laura Bailey/Minako Kotobuki)—his fiancée and Lightning's sister—becomes the leader of Yusnaan and the world's last l'Cie; Oerba Dia Vanille (Georgia van Cuylenburg/Yukari Fukui) and Oerba Yun Fang (Rachel Robinson/Mabuki Andou), released from crystal stasis, go separate ways, with Fang becoming the leader of Monoculus, a bandit gang in the Dead Dunes, and Vanille gaining the power to hear the voices of the dead, thus being deemed a saint and falling under the constant protection of the Order in Luxerion. Noel Kreiss (Jason Marsden/Daisuke Kishio), feeling guilty over his role in the deaths of Etro and Serah and the world's current state, becomes a vigilante in Luxerion. Sazh Katzroy (Reno Wilson/Daisuke Kishio) and his son Dajh, who fell into a comatose state, reside in the Wildlands. The region also becomes the home of Mog (Bailey Gambertoglio/Sumire Morohoshi), the former moogle companion of Noel and Serah from "XIII-2"; Caius Ballad (Liam O'Brien/Hiroshi Shirokuma), Lightning's old adversary and the one responsible for the unleashing of Chaos into the mortal world; and Paddra Nsu-Yeul (Amber Hood/Mariya Ise), a former seeress and pivotal character in the previous game whose cycle of early death and reincarnation was the motivation behind Caius's actions. The game also introduces Lumina (Jessica DiCicco/Kanae Ito), a mysterious near-doppelganger of Serah who both aids and taunts Lightning during her quest; and Bhunivelze (Daniel Riordan/also Kaji), the main deity of the "Final Fantasy XIII" universe who chooses Lightning as the world's savior.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: Lightning is awoken from crystal stasis by the god Bhunivelze. The world is set to end in 13 days, and to this end Lightning is made the Savior, a figure who will free the souls of humanity from the burdens on their hearts and guide them to a new world that Bhunivelze will create once the 13 days are up. Lightning agrees to commit this task, on the condition that Bhunivelze ensure the rebirth of Serah's spirit. Hope acts as her guide from the Ark, which houses the rescued souls of humanity. Bhunivelze chose him and changed his physical form to his 14-year-old self from "XIII". As she journeys and performs her task, she encounters her former allies and adversaries, many of whom carry heavy emotional burdens. She is also followed about by Lumina, who both gives her advice and taunts her at regular intervals.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: In Luxerion, Lightning investigates a series of murders where all the victims match the physical description of the Savior; the culprits are the Children of Etro. During her journey, she is followed by Noel, who has become obsessed with a prophecy that he must kill Lightning to realize a better world and reunite with Yeul. The two briefly ally to rout the Children of Etro, then later do battle. Lightning uses Noel's rage to make him realize and accept his mistakes, lifting his burden. Lightning also meets Vanille in the Order's cathedral. Vanille shows Lightning a place within the cathedral where the souls of the dead have gathered. Vanille is being prepared for a ritual to take place on the final day that will apparently purify the souls. She hopes to atone for past actions by doing so. In the Dead Dunes, Lightning encounters Fang and goes with her on a journey through the region's dungeons in search of a relic called the Holy Clavis. When they find it, Fang reveals that it is key to the ritual in Luxerion as it has the power to draw in the souls of the dead, and that the ritual will kill Vanille. Fang attempts to destroy the relic, but the forces of the Order arrive and take it. On the eleventh day, the souls of the dead speak to Lightning through the visage of Cid Raines, a man Lightning encountered during "XIII". He tells her that the Order has deceived Vanille and plans to sacrifice her to destroy the dead, so the living will forget their existence before their rebirth in the new world. Lightning decides to stop the ritual, though Cid warns her that she will be defying Bhunivelze's will.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: In the Wildlands, Lightning saves a white chocobo called the "Angel of Valhalla" from monsters and nurses it back to health. The chocobo is revealed to be Odin, one of the Eidolon race who acted as her ally in "XIII". She encounters Sazh, whose son Dajh has fallen into a coma and become unwilling to wake because of his father's current state. Lightning retrieves the fragments of Dajh's soul, lifting Sazh's emotional burden and waking his son. Traveling to the ruins of Valhalla, Lightning encounters Caius and multiple versions of Yeul. After fighting with Caius, Lightning learns that he has become tied to life by the Yeuls and thus cannot be saved. She also learns that it was Yeul's perpetual rebirth that caused the Chaos to seep into the mortal world and trigger the events of "XIII-2". Encountering Mog as the leader of a moogle village, she helps him fend off attacking monsters. In Yusnaan, Lightning infiltrates Snow's palace and finds him preparing to enter a concentration of Chaos contained inside the palace. He plans to absorb the Chaos, transform into a Cie'th, and have Lightning kill him. Though he performs the act and they fight, Lightning manages to renew his hope of seeing Serah again, reverse his transformation and lift his burden. On Nova Chrysalia's final day, Hope reveals to Lightning that Bhunivelze used him to watch Lightning and that the deity will dispose of him now that his task is completed.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: After Hope disappears, Lightning is transported to Luxerion and enters the cathedral, where Noel, Snow and Fang help her fight the Order to save Vanille. Lightning manages to convince her to free the souls of the dead. This act allows Lightning to find Serah's soul, kept safe inside Lumina, but Bhunivelze arrives using Hope as his host and captures everyone but Lightning. Transported to an otherworldly realm, Lightning meets Bhunivelze in person, and learns that he has been conditioning Lightning to replace Etro. After wounding the god in battle, she frees Hope and prepares to become the new Goddess and protect the new world by trapping herself and Bhunivelze in the Unseen Realm. An illusion of Serah then confronts Lightning, revealing Lumina as the physical manifestation of Lightning's suppressed vulnerabilities. Accepting Lumina as a part of herself, Lightning calls for aid. Hope, Snow, Noel, Vanille, Fang and the Eidolons answer her call, severing Bhunivelze's hold on the souls of humanity, including Sazh, Dajh, Mog, and Serah. The souls then unite and defeat Bhunivelze. In the aftermath, Caius and the multiple versions of Yeul choose to remain in the Unseen Realm and protect the balance between worlds in Etro's stead. The final incarnation of Yeul, who wishes to live with Noel, is allowed to accompany Lightning and her friends. After the Eidolons and Mog depart for the Unseen Realm, Lightning, her allies, and the souls of humanity travel to a new world. In a post-credits scene, Lightning is seen going to reunite with one of her friends.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: The concept of "Lightning Returns" originated during development of "XIII-2", while the development team was brainstorming ideas for possible continuations of the story and universe of the games, though there was no solid decision to make a second sequel to "XIII" at the time. Development of "Lightning Returns" started in May 2012, soon after the release of "Requiem of the Goddess", the final story-based DLC episode for "XIII-2". According to Motomu Toriyama, he had wanted to tell more stories about Lightning, and the DLC had not provided a satisfactory ending for her. The game was designed in a shorter time than the other games in the series; Yoshinori Kitase explained that this was because the team did not want players to forget the story of the previous games, and the team needed to work especially hard as a result. Another reason was that the team wished to bring the "XIII" series to a close before the release of the next generation of gaming hardware. The title was also chosen to be the last original "Final Fantasy" game on seventh generation consoles, and next-gen versions of the game were not considered. Developer tri-Ace, who had previously worked with the team on "XIII-2", returned to help with the graphics.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: One of the key story concepts behind the game was the "rebirth" of Lightning as a character: this was cited as the main reason why the game was called "Lightning Returns" and not "XIII-3", alongside the team's desire to attract new players to the series. Lightning was also made into a darker and more vulnerable character, partly because Kitase felt that her previous stoic depictions might have alienated earlier players. The main scenario and script was written by Daisuke Watanabe, the main writer for the previous "XIII" games. During the concept process, Watanabe, Toriyama and other members of staff brainstormed ideas for important scenes and events leading up to them. The process of writing the script was slow, causing difficulties for the rest of the team. In response to this, Watanabe worked extra hard to create an appropriate finale for the characters and story. He also wrote the script as more hard-edged than those for the previous "XIII" games.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: The game was designed as the final entry in the "XIII" storyline (generally dubbed the "Lightning Saga" by the production team), but was also intended to stand independent of the "Final Fantasy" series as a whole. One example of the breakaway from series norms is the game's logo, which was not designed by regular series logo artist Yoshitaka Amano, and which was one of several created during the early stages of development. The concept of the story's progression was termed as "world-driven", a concept whereby the world the player interacted with moved independently of their actions: i.e. NPCs would appear in different locations depending on the time of day. That concept partially gave rise to the game's time limit, which was suggested by game design director Yuji Abe after having read of the Doomsday Clock. Another inspiration behind the story pacing and time limit was the 2011 movie "In Time". The open world aspect of the game was heavily influenced by "", and some of the hard-edged gameplay ideas were borrowed from "Dark Souls". The majority of the hardcore-gaming elements were eventually trimmed out in order to make the game accessible to newcomers.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: In terms of assets, the team reused very little from the previous two games, choosing to build a large proportion of the game from the ground up, especially when it came to the overworld design and NPC behaviors. The Crystal Tools engine, used in the last two "XIII" games, required a major overhaul as it was not designed for open-world games. In contrast to the previous games, a lot of the game's cutscenes were created while the game was still in development, meaning many placeholder objects and models had to be used until the final assets could be put in place. The team also had to thoroughly check Lightning's various outfits and weapons, to ensure that there were no mistakes in cutscenes with the weapons going through the scenery, and that the character's underwear remained concealed during active battles even for her more revealing outfits. Because the team was mostly using new assets to create the game, the various continents took longer to create than the environments in "XIII-2", and story scenes sometimes needed to be redone as the game's overall plot had yet to be finalized when development began. The voice actors, in contrast to the normal procedure doing their performances first and those being used to create the game characters' facial expressions, recorded their lines for the characters well after the various cutscenes had been created.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: The concept of "Lightning Returns" battle system originated while ideas were being discussed for the battle system in "Final Fantasy XIII", but technical limitations and problems implementing it in a party-based battle system prevented it from being used in that game. It reemerged when some of the development team wanted Lightning to change her appearance during battle, and reducing to one playable character opened up the memory space necessary for such a system to be implemented. In making the system revolve around one character, the developers ended up removing any opportunity for story scenes between party members, which was cited by Abe as its main weakness. The time limit sprang from the story concept of a world with a set time to live. When the feature was first announced, there were some who felt it was too new a thing, as a time limit was seen as a taboo in role-playing video games. The mechanic originally received negative feedback from test players who were unable to complete the game in time. In response to this, the team made adjustments so that players were given a more comfortable amount of time. Along with sharing design elements with the previous two "XIII" games, the system also bears similarities to the battle system of "Final Fantasy XV", although the developers said that they were not directly inspired by it.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: Lightning's multiple outfits were designed by Isamu Kamikokuryo, the game's art director, Toshitaka Matsuda, the lead art designer, and Toshiyuki Itahana, a designer who had worked on "Final Fantasy IX" and the "Crystal Chronicles" series. The three drew inspiration from character designs done by Amano and the atmospheres of game locations. Matsuda and Itahana also respectively did the character designs for Bhunivelze and Lumina. Tetsuya Nomura returned to design Lightning and Snow's new looks. Kamikokuryo used the game's theme of a dying world to create Nova Chrysalia, as well as incorporating cultural and architectural influences from the Middle East, Asia, and London during the Industrial Revolution. Nova Chrysalia was originally conceived as a single island, but as the game's development advanced, the world grew into its final, four-island configuration. The world's open design was inspired by MMORPGs such as "Final Fantasy XI", described by Abe as a "tourist guide style". Each island was designed to have a definite feel and theme, while their construction was handled by separate small teams, with the content for each area held and quality-controlled by each team. The art team used multiple real world locations as inspiration: Luxerion and Yusnaan were inspired by Paris and Las Vegas, while the Dead Dunes and Wildlands were influenced by Cairo and Costa Rica. The scenery for the final FMV was based on southern Europe.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: The music of "Lightning Returns" was composed by Masashi Hamauzu, who composed the music for "XIII", Naoshi Mizuta and Mitsuto Suzuki, who co-composed the music for "XIII-2" with Hamauzu. Others involved in recording the soundtrack were Japanese band Language and the Video Game Orchestra, founded by Shota Nakama. Multiple tracks used "Blinded by Light", a recurring theme in the "XIII" games, as a leitmotif. Unlike the previous "XIII" games, a theme song was not created, with the composers instead creating a purely orchestral piece for the finale. The main soundtrack album, "Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack", was released on four compact discs on November 21, 2013. A bonus album, "Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Soundtrack Plus", featuring unreleased tracks and rearrangements of classic themes used in the game, was released on March 26, 2014. A promotional album, "Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Pre Soundtrack", was released in July 2013. The game featured multiple musical Easter eggs, including tunes from previous entries in the franchise. The commercial albums respectively reached #29 and #211 on the Oricon charts.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: Rumors about a second sequel's existence started even before "XIII-2"s release, when a domain name was registered in the name of "Final Fantasy XIII-3", however it turned out that the domain was registered by the company's western branch without the main company's knowledge. After "XIII-2"s cliffhanger ending became common knowledge, the game's creators released a statement saying that the ending was meant to prepare fans for coming DLC packets that would expand upon the game's story. However, after the release of the last piece of DLC, company officials stated that they would be releasing future content related to "XIII". By August 2012, during the run-up to a special 25th Anniversary commemoration event for the "Final Fantasy" series, a teaser site titled "A Storm Gathers" was released, promising new developments for the "XIII" series and its main protagonist. The game itself was finally unveiled at the event, with Toriyama, Kamikokuryo, Abe and Kitase detailing the core concepts of the game. Because character dialogue varied due to the time of day in-game, the western release of the game was delayed by over two months after the local release, as there was far more translation, dubbing work and lip-synching than in previous titles. For the promotion and marketing of the game, the development team rethought their strategy. They worked closely with Yohei Murakami, the publicity and marketing agent for many Square Enix games. "Lightning Returns" was heavily promoted at gaming events throughout 2013. As part of the promotion campaign, Lightning and monsters from the "XIII" series featured in a series of in "".


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: While the previous game had a large amount of downloadable content in the form of character costumes, extra story episodes and battles in the game's fighting arena, the reaction to these was mixed. The costumes were liked by fans, despite some complaints of them being purely cosmetic, but the presence of story DLC caused many to criticize the original game as incomplete. In reaction to this, the developers decided to package the game's entire story with the retail edition. However, they did create pre-order DLC for the game in the form of outfits Lightning could use in battle. One of these featured the clothing, weapon and equipment of Cloud Strife from "Final Fantasy VII", available with the game's limited edition Pre-Order Bonus Pack, while another featured a collection of Samurai-inspired outfits. In addition to this, as part of a cross-game promotional campaign, Square Enix of Japan also made Yuna's costume from "Final Fantasy X" a playable garb for those who had purchased the Japanese HD Remaster of the game on either PS3 or Vita. The garb was later made available as a pre-order exclusive from Amazon.com. After the game's release, an additional set of DLC costumes was released, among them a moogle outfit. In the Western release of the game scheduled on February 11, 2014, a free DLC pack was released that enabled players to play the localized version of the game with Japanese voice acting and lip-synching. The DLC was free for the first two weeks, and then became paid DLC.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: "Lightning Returns" was released on November 21, 2013 in Japan and on February 11, 13 and 14, 2014 in North America, Australia and Europe respectively. Alongside the standard release, a special box set titled "Lightning Ultimate box" was released. It included "Final Fantasy XIII", "XIII-2" and "Lightning Returns", a figurine of Lightning, selected music from the games, a special stand from the game and a book of artwork. A limited edition of the PlayStation 3 version containing a specially-themed DualShock 3 controller was also released in Asia. A Collector's Edition exclusive to North America was released through Square Enix's online store. It contained a copy of the game, an artwork book, a pocket watch embossed with the game's logo and codes for costume DLC. The game was also ported to Microsoft Windows platforms via Steam for release in 2015. After a long delay, Kitase announced in October 2015 that the game would release in December that year. Its official release date was announced in November 2015. It features all DLC outfits apart from the Aerith-themed one, and removes the ability to name chocobos, map markers or schemata. A release on iOS and Android devices followed on February 17, 2016 in Japan.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: As part of the game's promotion in Japan, Square Enix teamed up with Japanese confectionery company Ezaki Glico to market a range of Pocky snacks in packaging promoting the game. A Play Arts Kai figurine of Lightning as she appears in the game was also created by Square Enix. After the game's release, an Ultimania guide to the game was also released, containing concept and character artwork, interviews with staff members, and guides to the game's enemies, continent layouts and times for events. A book set between "XIII-2" and "Lightning Returns", "Chronicle of Chaotic Era", was originally scheduled to be released alongside the game in Japan, but was eventually cancelled due to the author falling ill. After the game's release, a three-part novella set after "Lightning Returns" ending was released through "Famitsu Weekly" magazine, titled "Final Fantasy XIII Reminiscence: tracer of memories". Written by Watanabe based on and incorporating the material written for "Chronicle of Chaotic Era", the book takes the form of a series of interviews with the main characters of the "XIII" series.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: On November 13, 2018 it was added to Xbox One Backward Compatibility along with its prequels making it playable on the console. It is also Xbox One X Enhanced allowing it to display in 4K Ultra HD.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: In Japan, the PS3 version of "Lightning Returns" reached the top of the Top 20 in software sales in its first week, selling just over 277,000 units and beating Nintendo's "Super Mario 3D World". In the same period, the Xbox 360 version sold 4,000 units, under half of the initial sales of "XIII-2" for that platform. By the end of 2013, the PS3 version was 17th among the 100 best-selling titles of the year, selling over 400,000 copies. In the United Kingdom, "Lightning Returns" debuted at third place in the top ten debut video games. The game was 8th in the top ten best-selling video games of February. By May 2014, the game had sold approximately 800,000 copies worldwide. According to Steam Spy, a further 376,000 copies of the Windows PC version were sold by April 2018. In September 2014, Square Enix announced the "Final Fantasy XIII" series has been widely successful and has shipped over 11 million copies worldwide. "Final Fantasy" series brand manager Shinji Hashimoto revealed in October 2016 that "Lightning Returns" met sales expectations and that Square Enix is satisfied with it.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: "Lightning Returns" has received mixed to positive reviews from critics. The game scored 37/40 in "Famitsu" magazine, with the reviewers giving scores of 10, 10, 9 and 8 out of 10 for each console version of the game. "Famitsu" later gave the game an "Excellence" award during the 2013 "Famitsu" Awards. Review aggregator website Metacritic gave the Xbox 360 version 69/100 based on 21 reviews, and the PlayStation 3 version 66/100 based on 62 reviews.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: The battle system gained the highest amount of praise. Matt Elliot of "Official PlayStation Magazine" said the battle system was fun and "[felt] like "Final Fantasy": an energetic, modern approximation of combat that was previously turn-based." IGN's Marty Sliva greatly enjoyed the battle system, saying that "Lightning Returns did a great job of empowering me to create a [trio of Schema] that felt unique and personal." Joe Juba of Game Informer was also pleased with the system which he considered to be an improvement over the previous two "XIII" games, noting that the switching of Schema created "a fast-paced, high-tension system that makes fights exciting." Eurogamer's Simon Parkin called it "perhaps the best and certainly most flexible version yet" when compared to the other "XIII" games, while GameSpot's Kevin VanOrd stated that if it were not for a few flaws such as the blocking, "it may have even found a place among Final Fantasy's better battle systems." "Famitsu" generally cited the battle system as "excellent", noting it as fast-paced and fun, but also noting that some enemies were tricky even on Easy mode. It also praised the level of "uniqueness" available in garb customization.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: The quest gameplay was less-well received, with Sliva saying it made him "feel like [he] was stuck in the opening hours of an MMO", while Juba called the tasks "dull". Parkin stated that the quests "can seem trivial under the eye of the apocalyptic clock". VanOrd commented that while many quests were "absorbing on their own", he admired their ability to get the player out into the world. Destructoid's Dale North felt that the time limit made the quests "a waste of the precious time left". The time limit itself received mixed reviews. Sliva said the time limit gave the game "a sense of urgency ... that I really enjoy.", while VanOrd said the limit worked against the player and "collides with almost every other aspect of the game." Juba enjoyed planning out his days, but on the other had felt that the time limit prevented exploration, and that it "severely [limited] your ability to fully dive into some of the systems." Elliot said the limit overly pressured him, and became unpleasant when coupled with the time penalty for fleeing battle. The "Famitsu" reviewers said that the time limit was not an overly stressful factor.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: The graphics received mixed reviews. Sliva referred to the locations as "visually interesting and varied", while VanOrd said the player "can't help but gawk at the beautiful spectacle before [them]." Juba liked the overall look and design of the main cast and environment, but critiqued the environment textures and NPCs. Elliot praised the CG cutscenes, but said that "the tired, boxy side streets feel unfinished." However, he further said that the expansive nature of environments balanced this issue out. The environments were praised by "Famitsu", which stated that due to the expansive nature of the environments and the lack of hints concerning quests, new players might take a bit of time getting used to it. It also generally called the game "quite nice".


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: The game's story received mixed reviews. Sliva said the narrative was "drenched in uninteresting pathos that failed to give me a reason to care about these characters that I've spent well over 100 hours with." Juba called the story "a joke", saying that there was little development for Lightning as a character, and that the narrative "killed whatever lingering investment [he] had in the universe." VanOrd found the large amount of character dialogue a distracting and jarring feature, while Parkin said that the game's narrative could not fix the issues present in the previous two "XIII" games, although the side-quests and dialogue helped lighten Lightning's character. Elliot spoke of it as one of the reasons to play the game, terming it a "typically bonkers narrative".


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: The "Final Fantasy XIII" series won a "Sound Division: Award of Excellence" at the CEDEC AWARDS 2014 for the sound development team.


title: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

text: Both Toriyama and Kitase have responded to the mixed review scores the game received. Speaking to Siliconera about the Japanese reviews, Toriyama said that most of the negativity stemmed from the time limit, and that "opinions on the game become more positive after some time since "Lightning Returns" initial release [after players get used to the nuances]." Speaking with Joystiq, Kitase said that he "wasn't really shocked. There are negative reviews and positive reviews, it's a real mixture. When I started making this game I took on very new challenges, so in a way I had anticipated that there would be mixed opinions, so this is more or less what we had anticipated." Shinji Hashimoto revealed in October 2016 that "Lightning Returns" met sales expectations and that Square Enix is satisfied with it.


title: Monchhichi

text: Four television series were produced based on the characters: The Japanese anime series in 1980, produced by Tokyo 12 Channel (now TV Tokyo), the American cartoon series "Monchhichis" in 1983, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, the French cartoon series "Kiki, le Kiki de tous les Kiki" in 2001, produced by Ben-J Productions, the Japanese stop-motion series in 2005, by Kids Station and the French CGI series "Monchhichi Tribe" (La Tribu Monchhichi) in 2017, produced by Technicolor Animation Productions.


title: Monchhichi

text: The Monchhichi franchise is held by the Sekiguchi Corporation, a famous doll company, located in Tokyo, Japan. Monchhichi was created by Yoshiharu Washino on January 25, 1974, as an improvement to the already successful Kuta Kuta Monkey (Exhausted monkey).


title: Monchhichi

text: Sekiguchi claims they created these characters in order to inspire respect and love in the young (Japanese) children and adults, their name is derived from the words "Mon" which translates to "Mine" in French and "Chichi" which closely resembles the sound a child's pacifier would produce according to Japanese phonetics, also the resulting word has a similar sound to the word "Monkey" in English.


title: Monchhichi

text: The dolls were successful in Japan, and the animated TV series, "Futago no Monchhichi" (ふたごのモンチッチ, "Monchhichi Twins") which ran in 1980, helped increase its popularity even further.


title: Monchhichi

text: Export of the doll line started in 1975, to Germany and Austria. The following years would see the Monchhichi line marketed in more countries. The original name was changed to "Chicaboo" in the United Kingdom, to "Mon Cicci" in Italy, to "Kiki" in France, to "Bølle" in Denmark, to "Moncsicsi" in Hungary and to "Virkiki" in Spain. The height of the Monchhichi dolls' popularity was in Germany during the 1980s, surpassing even the Japanese figure sales during this period.


title: Monchhichi

text: The Monchhichi doll line reached North American shores in 1980. Mattel bought the license for the toy line. The American cartoon series "Monchhichis" was produced by Hanna-Barbera in 1983 and aired on ABC (as part of "The Monchhichis/Little Rascals/Richie Rich Show") in an effort to promote the doll line. The line was dropped by Mattel due to poor sales in 1985, but was reintroduced during Monchhichi's 30 anniversary in 2004 by Sekiguchi. As of 2013, Monchhichi dolls are still available in the United States from retailers such as Target.


title: Monchhichi

text: As of 2015, Monchchichi are still popular in Germany, sometimes filling an entire rack space in toy shops. Many variants and sizes of Monchhichi have emerged. For example, the original Monchhichi is still available under the Classic variant in 10 cm, 20 cm, 24 cm, 45 cm and even 80 cm sizes. Also other variants like Boutique (Monchhichi in various dress styles), Mother Care (Monchhichi with a young one in her front pocket), and the 40th Anniversary edition are available. Even dollhouses for Monchhichi are available.


title: Duck Dodgers (TV series)

text: Duck Dodgers is an American animated television series, based on the 1953 theatrical cartoon short "of the same name", produced by Warner Bros. Animation from 2003 to 2005. "Duck Dodgers" is a comic science fiction series, featuring the fictional Looney Tunes characters in metafictional roles, with the character Daffy Duck as the title character. It originally aired on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. Reruns of the show continued on Boomerang until March 1, 2010.


title: Duck Dodgers (TV series)

text: Though primarily based around the original "Duck Dodgers" short (which is set in roughly 2350 AD), the series also takes visual and thematic cues from other "Looney Tunes" shorts, with other "Looney Tunes" characters appearing in the series, albeit adapted to fit within the show's universe. For example, Yosemite Sam becomes "K'chutha Sa'am", a parody of Klingons in "Star Trek", Elmer Fudd becomes "The Fudd", a parasitic mind-altering alien disease, (a combination of the Flood and the Borg), Wile E. Coyote was a Predator-like alien hunter. Also appearing in the show were Witch Hazel, Count Bloodcount, Goofy Gophers, Nasty Canasta, Taz, Rocky and Mugsy, the Crusher, "Shropshire Slasher", Michigan J. Frog, Ralph Phillips, Egghead Junior, and the unnamed evil scientist who owned Gossamer.


title: Duck Dodgers (TV series)

text: The show's theme song (arranged by the Flaming Lips) is sung by Tom Jones, in a style reminiscent of the theme from the James Bond film "Thunderball". A caricature of Jones also appears in the second-season episode "Talent Show A Go-Go", singing his signature song, "It's Not Unusual". Dave Mustaine of the thrash metal band Megadeth was featured in the third-season episode "In Space, No One Can Hear You Rock", with the band performing the song "Back in the Day" from their 2004 album "The System Has Failed".


title: Duck Dodgers (TV series)

text: "Duck Dodgers" was nominated in 2004 Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Production Produced For Children, Music in an Animated Television Production, Production Design in an Animated Television Production, and Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production. It won the Annie award in 2004, for Music in an Animated Television Production, music by Robert J. Kral. It was also nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Editing – Live Action and Animation and Special Class Animated Program in 2004, and again in 2005. It later won for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program—Joe Alaskey. The series ended production in 2005 after its third season.


title: Duck Dodgers (TV series)

text: Warner Home Video released "Duck Dodgers – The Complete First Season: Dark Side of the Duck" to DVD on February 19, 2013, "Duck Dodgers – The Complete Second Season: Deep Space Duck" on July 23, 2013, and "Duck Dodgers - The Complete Third Season" on January 28, 2020. Unlike the previous 2 seasons released on DVD the 3rd was released on a DVD-R.


title: Prakashan Parakkatte

text: Prakashan Parakkatte () is a 2022 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film directed by Shahad Nilambur and written by Dhyan Sreenivasan. It stars Mathew Thomas, Dileesh Pothan, Nisha Sarang, Saiju Kurup, Aju Varghese, Dhyan Sreenivasan, Malavika Manoj and Sreejith Ravi. Rathin Radhakrishnan edits the film while Guruprasad handles the cinematography. Shaan Rahman composes the original songs and background score. The film is produced by Aju Varghese and Visakh Subramaniam under Funtasic Films in association with Tinu Thomas ' Hit Makers Entertainments. The film also marks the debut of 5 year old Ritunjay, son of actor Sreejith Ravi and grandson of actor T. G. Ravi.


title: Prakashan Parakkatte

text: Dasan son of Prakashan is a 12th standard student who is a habitual absentee at his school. Instead of going to classes he roams around town with his close friend Anwar. He feels disillusioned with his family when they celebrate his little brother Akhil's successes and birthday. Meanwhile, he falls in love with Neethu and pursues that relationship. Carelessness from Dasan causes his brother a near-fatal accident. This and his failure in final exam cause changes in the way he carried on with his life.


title: Prakashan Parakkatte

text: The film was announced on 14 November 2020 on children's day as the movie followed the dreams of a young boy. Principal photography of the film began on 18 January 2021 at Poovaranthode, Aanakkampoyil and Kozhikode city. The filming was completed on 16 February 2021.


title: Prakashan Parakkatte

text: The post-theatrical streaming rights of the film was bought by ZEE5 and the satellite rights of the film was bought by Zee Keralam.


title: Premier Volleyball League

text: The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) is a women's professional volleyball league in the Philippines organized by Sports Vision Management Group, Inc. The league began in 2004 as the Shakey's V-League, a women's collegiate league. Since 2011, the league became open to participation of corporate clubs and other non-collegiate teams.


title: Premier Volleyball League

text: The Premier Volleyball League was established in 2004 as the Shakey's V-League by Sports Vision Management Group, Inc. led by Jun Bernardino, Ricky Palou, Moying Martelino, and Rhea Navarro who were businessmen previously known for being men's basketball patrons. The Shakey's V-League was initially an inter-collegiate women's league with teams from the UAAP, NCAA, CESAFI among others playing in the league. The league's establishment was in cooperation with Shakey's Pizza (Philippines) which was the league's title sponsor until 2016. Prior to the league's establishment, volleyball has been in a state of stagnation since 1990s with the highest level of volleyball being the women's tournament of the Metro Manila-based UAAP.


title: Premier Volleyball League

text: The UST Golden Tigresses won the inaugural V-League championship in 2004 defeating the DLSU Lady Archers. But the DLSU won the next three conferences, defeating UST in both conferences of Season 2 and the SSC-R Lady Stags in Season 3, sweeping both in the Finals of the three conferences.


title: Premier Volleyball League

text: The UST Tigresses returned to the League in 2007, after missing Season 3, winning both conferences of Season 4 by defeating the SSC-R Lady Stags in both finals series.


title: Premier Volleyball League

text: Year 2008 saw the crowning of two other schools aside from UST and DLSU. Adamson University won the championship in the first conference of Season 5 defeating the Ateneo Lady Eagles while San Sebastian College-Recoletos Lady Stags won the second conference of season 5 by sweeping the two comebacking champion teams: DLSU Lady Archers in the semifinals and UST Tigresses in the finals.


title: Premier Volleyball League

text: However, the Tigresses made history via a "three-peat" winning their fourth, fifth and sixth championships by sweeping both conferences of Season 6 by defeating SSC-R and Adamson, respectively in both championship series, and again winning the first conference of Season 7 by beating SSC-R for the fourth time in the finals. It was the battle for silver of the last two conferences when Adamson University faced the Lady Stags of SSC-R in the finals of the 2nd Conference Season 7. Adamson won its second V-League crown after defeating San Sebastian 2–1 in their Finals series.


title: Premier Volleyball League

text: In the 1st Conference Season 8, the Ateneo Lady Eagles won their first Shakey's V-League crown by thumping defending champions Adamson in the Finals. The 2nd Conference of Season 8 was renamed the Shakey's V-League Open Conference as it was opened to non-school teams. Four non-school teams joined the tournament, namely, the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy, Philippine Air Force and Maynilad. The Philippine Army won their first Shakey's V-League championship. Season 8-Open Conference, Shakey's V-League will also aired on GMA Life TV, GMA News TV and GMA Pinoy TV for the international viewers.


title: Premier Volleyball League

text: The Shakey's V-League welcomed the participation of corporate and non-collegiate teams starting 2011.


title: Premier Volleyball League

text: Beginning its 10th Season, Shakey's V-League's new broadcasting partner was GMA News TV. Matches were aired at 1PM to 3PM during weekdays, and 12:45PM to 2:30PM during Saturdays. On May 26, 2013, Shakey's V-League held its first live TV coverage via GMA News TV. It is also announced that the Game 3 matches, both for Championship and the Battle for 3rd will be aired live on GMA News TV on June 2, 2013. In Season 10 Open Conference, Cagayan Valley made history as the Lady Rising Suns scored a 16–0 sweep en route to the team's first V-League title with a 2–0 series win over Smart-Maynilad Net Spikers.


title: Premier Volleyball League

text: On October 2, 2014, it was reported that a men's division will be included in its 21st conference with four teams.


title: Premier Volleyball League

text: On May 24, 2016, it was officially announced that Shakey's V-League will be aired on S+A Channel 23 following an agreement between Sports Vision, Shakey's and ABS-CBN Sports.