Tahun ini adalah tahun ke-empat saya menjalankan ibadah Ramadhan di Groningen. Tentunya situasinya sangat berbeda jika menjalankan ibadah puasa ini di Indonesia. Pertama kali Ramadhan di Belanda 4 tahun yang lalu, waktu itu Ramadhan jatuh pada bulan Desember (winter season), yang berarti waktu berpuasanya lebih singkat. Saya masih ingat diminggu terakhir Ramadhan 2002, Subuh jatuh pada pukul tujuh pagi dan waktu Maghrib jatuh pada pukul 4 sore. Bahkan beberapa orang teman sampai saat ini sengaja memanfaatkan ‘waktu yang pendek’ pada musim dingin ini untuk berpuasa senin-kamis. Saya sempat berpikir waktu itu, bagaimana dengan waktu berpuasa di negara-negara yang letaknya lebih utara, tentunya akan lebih singkat lagi.
Tetapi bagaimana pula dengan Ramadhan pada saat musim panas (summer), dimana waktu maghrib sangat dekat dengan waktu subuh, yang berarti juga waktu berpuasa akan lebih panjang. Kembali saya berpikir tentang Ramadhan pada musim panas terutama di negara-negara yang letaknya paling utara, yang saya dengar ‘light-time’-nya mencapai 23 jam.
Saya yakin bahwa ‘Islam as Rahmatan Lil’Alamin’ (Qur’an 21:107; 7:158; 34:28; 33:40), a mercy all unto the worlds, dan berarti juga Islam pastilah bisa dijalankan di seluruh tempat di alam ini.
Sebenarnya yang menjadi perhatian saya bukanlah masalah waktu (panjang atau pendeknya berpuasa), tetapi lebih pada masalah kebutuhan cairan dan kesehatan ginjal. Kebetulan research-project yang sedang saya kerjakan saat ini sangat berhubungan dengan masalah ginjal. Teman-teman sejawat dan para profesor ditempat saya bekerja sering menanyakan efek berpuasa terhadap ginjal. Pertanyaan mereka ini sebenarnya sangat beralasan karena manusia membutuhkan air 3 liter perhari untuk pria dan 2.5 liter untuk wanita. Selama jantung masih melakukan pemompaan darah ke tubuh manusia, pada saat yang sama ginjal akan terus bekerja melakukan filtrasi nya. Jadi ginjal sangat berbeda dengan organ pencernaan yang ‘beristirahat’ menjalankan fungsinya selama puasa. Selama berpuasa ginjal masih terus bekerja. Ginjal terus akan memproduksi urine (air seni) 2.2 liter per hari. Jika jumlah cairan dalam tubuh berkurang, maka ginjal akan menghasilkan urine dengan konsentrasi yang tinggi. Ini mengakibatkan glomerulus (jaringan yang bertugas sebagai penyaring) ginjal akan bekerja lebih berat.
Saya pernah coba menghitung seberapa besar efek yang terjadi pada ginjal, apakah jumlah air minum yang teguk setelah saya berbuka puasa mampu mengkompensasi jumlah cairan yang dibutuhkan seharian dan mampu pula mengembalikan fungsi ginjal secara normal. Tetapi jawabannya masih belum memuaskan diri saya.
Opini di atas tentunya hanya opini manusia dan teori yang berkembang pada era kodekteran modern saat ini. Dan “Allah lah yang lebih tahu apa yang terbaik untuk hamba-Nya”. Saya terus berpikir masih banyak misteri kebaikan-kebaikan Ramadhan yang belum terungkap, terutama kaitannya dengan kesehatan.
Saya terus mencari jawaban dari pertanyaan teman sejawat di atas. Setiap Ramadhan mereka kembali datang pertanyaan yang sama : “You know how important drink for your health and how bad is the effect of dehidration to your kidney”. Mereka bukannya tidak respect terhadap puasa yang saya lakukan, tetapi mereka mengajak berpikir tentang makna dibalik semua perintah Allah SWT tsb. Walau mereka bukanlah muslim, tetapi pola pikir seperti itu saya sukai.
Akhirnya jawaban itu datang juga. Beberapa hari yang lalu saya menemukan jawabannya. Saya berhasil menemukan salah satu penelitian terbaru mengenai efek Ramadhan terhadap penderita yang mendapatkan transplantasi ginjal. Penelitian ini diterbitkan di salah satu jurnal acuan bagi para ahli ginjal sedunia. Penelitian ini mengungkapkan bahwa puasa selama bulan Ramadhan tidak berpengaruh buruk terhadap penderita yang mendapatkan transplantasi ginjal, baik yang masih normal maupun yang sudah pada ginjal yang sudah rusak. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa puasa itu sangat aman, bahkan bagi penderita dengan ginjal yang buruk sekalipun. Akhirnya sayapun lega, bukan karena telah mampu menjawab pertanyaan teman-teman sejawat saya, tetapi lebih karena saya tahu makna dibalik puasa itu sendiri.
“Ini adalah sebuah kitab yang Kami turunkan kepadamu penuh dengan berkah supaya mereka memperhatikan ayat-ayatnya dan supaya mendapat pelajaran bagi orang-orang yang mempunyai pikiran” (QS Shaad, 38:29).
“Sesungguhnya Al-Qur’an itu adalah peringatan. Maka barangsiapa menghendaki, niscaya dia mengambil pelajaran daripadanya (Al-Qur’an). Dan mereka tidak akan mengambil pelajaran daripadanya kecuali (jika) Allah menghendakinya. Dia (Allah) adalah Tuhan Yang patut (kita) bertakwa kepada-Nya dan berhak memberi ampun.” (QS. Al-Muddatstsir, 74: 54-56).
Ya Allah, Engkaulah yang menciptakan daku, memberikan petunjuk kepadaku, memberi makanan padaku, memberikan minuman kepadaku, mematikan daku, dan membangkitkan daku semula.
Gantz(ガンツGantsu?) is a Japanese manga and anime series written and illustrated by Hiroya Oku. Gantz tells the story of Kei Kurono and his friend Masaru Kato who die in a train accident and become part of a semi-posthumous "game" in which they and several other recently deceased people are forced to hunt down and kill aliens armed with a handful of futuristic items of equipment and weaponry. The Gantz anime, directed by Ichiro Itano and animated by Gonzo, ran for 13 episodes and had a direct sequel called Gantz: Second Stage, which continued the series for another 13 episodes. Both seasons make up the 26 episode series. It was licensed in North America by ADV Films. The anime series is distributed in the United Kingdom by MVM Films, and in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment. Dark Horse Comics started releasing the manga in English in June 2008. A series of two live-action movies based on the manga was produced and released in January-April 2011.
A pair of high school students, Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato, are hit by a subway train in an attempt to save the life of a homeless drunk who had fallen onto the tracks. Following their deaths, Kurono and Kato find themselves transported to the interior of an unfurnished Tokyo apartment. The pair soon realize others are present and find that they are not able to leave the apartment. At one end of the room there is a featureless black sphere known as "Gantz".
After some time in the room, the Gantz sphere opens up, revealing a bald naked man with a breathing mask and wires attached to his head, and three racks protruding from it, that offer various items for them to use. These include the custom fitting black suits Gantz makes for each of them, giving them super-human abilities, a controller which acts as a radar and stealth unit, and three types of guns.
When the Gantz sphere opens, green text appears on its surface, informing those present that their "lives have ended and now belong" to him. A picture and brief information is shown of some of the Gantz Targets, Gantz ordering them to go and kill them. All but one target shown thus far, have been aliens living on Earth, which take on a wide variety of forms. After a period of time which varies between missions, everyone except Gantz are transported to the location of the mission.
Those sent cannot return from the mission until all enemies have been killed, or the time limit has run out. If they survive a successful mission, each individual is awarded points for the aliens they have killed. They are then allowed to leave, and live their lives as they see fit until Gantz summons them back again for the next mission. The only way to stop having to participate in the missions is to earn one hundred points, and choose the option to be freed. Several participants are killed through the third mission they are given, leaving Kurono as the only survivor and the new leader from the "Gantz Team". However, as the series continues, Kurono participates with the objective to revive his deceased friends with the 100 points he can obtain throughout the missions.
After several missions, Nishi unveils a countdown on Gantz to "Catastrophe" the other players were unaware of. This is thought to indicate the human race will be over in a week for an unknown reason, but it also frees all the participants from the game. A week later, a massive alien force invades the Earth and begins exterminating the human race, while Kurono and his companions try their best to make use of Gantz's advanced technology and weaponry in order to take a stand against the alien invasion.
There's more than just contextual advertising networks as a means of generating revenue from your web site. In some scenarios, contextual ads just don't work and you need to be able to take greater control over what appears in the ad space. Consider utilizing banner ad networks.
Banner advertising payout rates have definitely decreased since the heady days of the late 90's, but there is some good news for web masters looking for a flexible and reliable way of selling banner ad space. Banner ads have come a long way with many different options and variations on creatives. On a related topic, if you're more interested in implementing pop up/under ads as a means of generating income, learn more in our pop up and pop under revenue guide.
Teaming up the best banner advertising network rather than intensive marketing to individual clients can save a lot of time and provide you with a steady income. The size of that cash flow is a numbers game - the more relevant ads you display, the more you will probably make. The networks provide the clients and the ads, you simply implement some code in your banner space and the ad will appear. In your association with these companies, you will be known as an "affiliate" or "publisher".
We decided to research the best banner advertising network for publishers/affiliates who have a site of our size. We tried many different networks, but only one stood out - more on that later. Many promised a great deal, but returned nothing. Some networks allowed very unethical advertisers to peddle their wares. On investigating a number of networks, we also discovered a few of them did not pay in accordance with their terms and conditions - worse still, some did not pay at all.
The following is a list of desirable affiliate/publisher features that you should look for before agreeing to "rent" out your prime advertising space to an agency:
Targeting
Does the network provide ads that are relevant to your subject area or that would appeal to the users of your web site? Irrelevant ads will not only fail if you are participating in a CPC campaign, but they may annoy your visitors.
CPC, CPM and CPA options
A good ad agency will give you a mixture of CPC and CPM ads. CPC ads pay when a visitor to your site clicks on a banner through to an advertisers web site . CPM advertising is based on $X.XX per thousand views (impressions). Another variation is CPA - a visitor clicks a banner, passes through to the advertiser's web site and either purchases (a sale) or expresses interest (a lead) in the companies products or services. CPA pays the highest but usually has a much lower conversion ratio.
Control over ads displayed
The better ad networks have comprehensive publisher/affiliate administrative interfaces where you can preview a banner and decide whether you want that particular campaign displayed on your site. This is particularly useful if you (or your visitors) object to certain kinds of advertising - such as those wonderful flashing ads that we have all grown to love ;0) - an interesting and amazing fact is that those flashing ads do draw high clickthrough rates - figure that one out! If your agency is really on the ball, there will also be visual flags in your administration area to indicate that the ad contains references to adult material, gambling or tobacco related products etc.
Default ad control
Most agencies have quotas on the number of ads appearing to particular users. After that quota is filled for the hour or day etc., "default" ads will be displayed. These banners do not earn you any money - but they do tend to display community oriented ads, so you can also be promoting positive social messages - but be sure to check this out before signing up. Quality agencies will also give you control over these default ads allowing you to display your own offers instead. This gives you further opportunities in making money from this prime advertising space. If the default banner rate is too high in proportion to paying banners, and those non-paying banners promote other businesses, then these networks are well worth avoiding.
Rates
The days of the $10.00 CPM ads are pretty much well over, unless you find advertisers yourself by direct marketing, but there are still great payment rate differences between networks. Shop around carefully. You should aim to receive on average US$1.00 - $4.00 CPM or at least US$.15 - $.20 CPC.
Referral Bonuses
Another way to benefit financially from your publisher/affiliate association is to be paid a percentage of any referrals of new affiliates or advertisers to the network from your web site. Again, the rates vary greatly between networks, but an ongoing rate of 5% is a level that can provide you with decent residual income in the years ahead. With advertising campaigns quite often running into thousands of dollars, it is possible to draw a good supplementary income from referring advertisers.
Payout Schedule
Look for a banner network that pays promptly. I came across a couple of agencies that paid up to 4 months after the end of month! A common pay schedule is anything from 15-30 days after the end of month.
Terms and Conditions
Before joining any banner ad network, ensure you read the terms and conditions carefully. The banner advertising industry is well known for its share of fraud - perpetrated by all parties. Some agencies combat this with Draconian rules, which gives publishers and affiliates very little flexibility - look for an agency that takes fraud seriously, but still gives you some room to move. It is also EXTREMELY important to read the terms and conditions carefully, otherwise you may be breaking the rules without even knowing it. This usually results in termination of your account and forfeit of any money that you have made.
Variety of mediums
Many major ad networks now also offer interstitial, in-vues, pop-up and pop-under campaigns and other advertising creatives as a means of creating income from your web site. For a more detailed look at the pop-up and pop-under industry, read our guide.
One of the most popular revenue generation methods that pay well and is very easy to implement is Google AdSense:
Another way to derive income from your web site is through affiliate programs that offer text links. Descriptive text links are not only kinder on bandwidth and load times, but tend to draw higher click through rates. Learn more of the benefits and pitfalls of the text link affiliate game and also some of the better networks around.
While you may not make a million dollars through banner ads, they can be a good way to recuperate web site maintenance costs and stick a few bucks in the bank. If you do make a million bucks as a result of our recommendations, donations will be gratefully accepted! ;0)
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The Prince of Persia franchise has undergone several reworkings (reboots) and many different stories are told throughout the different games. However, they all share similar story elements. For example, all of the games are set in ancient Persia and they all feature a prince, who is adept at acrobatic feats while attempting to save the main plot element.
The Sands of Time trilogy, played out in three games between 2003 and 2005, keeps the common elements of an unnamed Prince, Vizier and Princess (Farah), and focuses rather on two critical elements, namely The Sands of Time and The Dagger of Time, both with elements of the concept of time travel. The Sands of Time have the power to infect and turn all forms of life into dangerous monsters, while the Dagger of Time has the power to slow down, stop and even reverse time. Time travel and its consequences feature both as gameplay and plot elements throughout the series, which is far more plot-focused than earlier games. As well as the three games mentioned below, a tactics game was also released for the Nintendo DS, complementing The Two Thrones, while another mainline game in the series, called The Forgotten Sands, was released in 2010.
Passing through India en route to Azad, King Shahraman and his son, the Prince, conquer the Maharajah of India for honor and glory. After looting the city, they continue to Azad. In Azad, the Vizier of the Maharajah tricks the Prince into releasing the Sands of Time, using the Dagger of Time. The Sands infect everyone in the kingdom, turning them into monsters. The Prince, Princess Farah (the Maharajah's daughter), and the Vizier remain unchanged due to the mystical qualities of their possessions: a dagger, a medallion, and a staff, respectively. On a journey to repair the damage he has caused, the Prince teams up with Farah to return the Sands of Time to the hourglass, using the Dagger of Time. As time goes on, the Prince and Farah start to grow closer, to the point where she admits her feelings to the Prince while he was unconscious. After they make their way to the Hourglass of Time, the Prince hesitates, and the Vizier uses magic to throw him and Farah into a tomb devoid of lights. Farah tells the Prince of the word "kakolookiyam" [From Hindu Sanskrit Fable Panchatantra: Kaka + Ulluka + Iyam: Meaning "Of Kak (Crow) and Ulluka (Owl)"], a word her mother taught her when she was little. The Prince awakens, and the Dagger and his weapon have been stolen by Farah, who left him with her medallion so that he would not be affected by the Sands of Time. The Prince pursues and catches her, but she falls to her death. Driven by grief, the Prince stabs the top of the hourglass with the Dagger of Time, locking the Sands of Time back into the hourglass, reversing the events of the game. The Prince awakens prior to the invasion of the Maharajah's kingdom, and makes his way to Farah's bedroom. He tells her a story about the events of the game, as she does not remember, but the Vizier shows up, and fights the Prince. The Prince emerges victorious and gives the Dagger of Time back to Farah. As he leaves, Farah asks what his name is. He responds by saying, "kakolookiyam", to prove that his story was true.
Seven years after the events of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the Prince finds himself constantly hunted by a terrible beast known as the Dahaka. The Prince seeks counsel from an old wise man who explains that whoever releases the Sands of Time must die. The Prince sets sail for the Island of Time, which the old man told him of, in an attempt to prevent the Sands of Time from ever being created, an act he believes will appease the Dahaka. The Prince arrives at the Island and chases a mysterious woman in black (whom he fought with on the sea) through the Empress of Time's fortress into a portal that transports the two into the past. The Prince saves the woman named Kaileena from being killed by the woman in black, Shahdee. Unable to grant the Prince an audience with the Empress of Time, Kaileena instead tells him how to unlock the door to the throne room in which the Empress resides. The Prince makes his way through the fortress, utilizing the sand portals to travel back and forth between the past and present, and narrowly escapes several encounters with the Dahaka. After unlocking the door, the Prince enters the throne room only to discover that Kaileena is actually the Empress of Time herself, who has foreseen in the Timeline that the Prince will kill her and who has decided to attempt to defy her fate, just as the Prince is doing. A battle ensues and the Prince proves victorious; he kills Kaileena and returns to the present. He believes that he has changed his fate, but another encounter with the Dahaka forces him to realize that in killing Kaileena, he was, in essence, the one to create the Sands of Time (as the Sands were created from her remains). The Prince then learns of a magical artifact called the Mask of the Wraith, which is said to transport the wearer into the past, allowing the wearer to alter his own Timeline. The Prince wastes no time in seeking out and donning the mask, which transforms him into the Sand Wraith and sends him back to the time when he first arrived on the Island of Time. He formulates a plan to force Kaileena into the present with him, believing that if he kills her then, the Sands of Time will be created seven years after the events of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, meaning it will be impossible for the Prince to release them in Azad. While still in the past, the Prince (as the Sand Wraith) ensures that the Dahaka takes and destroys his other self, who has just finished unlocking the door to the throne room, leaving the Sand Wraith the only Prince in that Timeline. This act loosens the Mask of the Wraith from the Prince's face and allows him to remove it and return to his normal form. The Prince goes to the throne room and, despite his pleas to Kaileena, his battle with her begins as before. He forces her into the present with him, and it is at this point that the game has two alternate endings, wherein the player fights either Kaileena or the Dahaka as the final battle. In both endings, the Prince sails home to Babylon (either alone or with Kaileena) only to discover that the city is being ravaged by war and the old wise man's voice is heard, once again stating: "Your journey will not end well. You cannot change your fate. No man can."
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones follows Prince of Persia: Warrior Within by a few weeks, picking up from the second ending of Warrior Within in which the Prince defeated the Dahaka and left the Island of Time with Kaileena. The vessel that the Prince and Kaileena are sailing on nears the shores of Babylon and, upon arriving, the Prince is horrified to find the city being ravaged by war. His and Kaileena's ship is destroyed and the two are tossed into the sea. Kaileena drifts ashore unconsciously and is taken prisoner. The Prince fights his way through the city to try and rescue her, in the process discovering that as a result of his efforts on the Island of Time, the events of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time never occurred, meaning the Vizier was never killed. Rather, he has grown powerful and now possesses the Dagger of Time as well as his magical staff. The Prince manages to find Kaileena, whom the Vizier has captured, but is thrown to the ground and can only watch in anguish as the Vizier stabs her with the Dagger of Time, killing her. The power-hungry Vizier then stabs himself with the Dagger, transforming himself into an immortal being. The Sands of Time are released as a result of Kaileena's death, and they spread through the city, infecting all its residents. Through an open wound on his arm, the Prince is also contaminated by the Sands and a piece of a daggertail sword is fused with his body. The Prince escapes, managing to grab the Dagger of Time in the process. Traveling through the city on a mission to kill the Vizier, the Prince once again encounters Farah, who does not remember him, and the two decide to travel together. As he continues his journey, the Prince finds that his exposure to the Sands of Time has affected his mind. The infection has split his consciousness into two personalities: the good, yet jaded, Prince, and the cruel, enraged Dark Prince. When consumed by dark emotions, the Prince transforms into this Dark Prince, who possesses different powers and who utilizes the daggertail sword as a weapon and tool. After many trials and setbacks, including a falling out with Farah caused by the Dark Prince's negative influence, the Prince stumbles upon the body of his father, whom he had hoped to reconcile with. The tragedy of the discovery causes the Prince to finally accept his mistakes, and the internal voice of the Dark Prince (which had been growing stronger up until that point) is seemingly silenced forever. The Prince confronts the now monstrous Vizier and finally kills him by stabbing him with the Dagger of Time. Kaileena's spirit appears before the Prince and she cures him of his infection while also cleansing the city, ridding it of the blight of the Sands of Time. Suddenly, the Prince is drawn into his own subconscious by the Dark Prince, and the two personalities struggle for control of the Prince's being. After trying in vain to defeat the Dark Prince, the Prince ignores his taunts, and the evil personality is starved and dies. The Prince then awakens in Farah's arms, his consciousness intact and devoid of evil. Looking out from the top of the Tower of Babel, Farah asks the Prince how he knew her name upon their meeting earlier. The Prince responds by beginning the tale he told seven years ago in Azad, in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
Prince of Persia (2008) is set in a mysterious land (the setting of which is largely based on aspects of the Zoroastrianism religion) in ancient Persia where the Prince found himself in after getting lost in a fierce sandstorm. Following the sandstorm the prince meets Elika, a princess of the Ahura who is fleeing from soldiers. The prince helps Elika defeat her pursuers and follows her to a temple at the center of the kingdom. The pair meet Elika's father, who, it is revealed, commanded the soldiers to pursue Elika. Her father destroys the tree of life freeing the dark god Ahriman who spreads corruption on the land. Outside, Elika explains that they must heal all the Fertile Grounds in the kingdom in order to regain power and to stop Ahriman.
As the Prince and Elika travel the kingdom, healing the fertile lands as they go, Elika reveals that she had previously died. Her father, the Mourning King, could not handle his grief, and made a deal with Ahriman; Elika's life in return for his freedom.
After cleansing the lands the duo return to the temple. Inside, the Prince and Elika must defeat the Mourning King and Ahriman. In order to do this, Elika transfers her own life to heal the tree. The Prince, driven by grief, destroys the tree of life, transferring its life force back to Elika, resurrecting her, but in doing so also fully releases Ahriman. The Prince carries Elika to the desert whilst the temple is destroyed and Ahriman escapes.
Released by the time of the live action film, its story is set into The Sands of Time chronology between the first and second games. The HD version (PC/PS3/Xbox 360), the Wii version, the PSP version and the DS version all contain different plots.
In the HD version, the Prince is sent by his father to the ancient ruins of King Solomon's palace to visit his elder brother Malik, who is the rightful heir to the throne and commander of the army. Their reunion is cut short when an invading army storms the palace and easily overcomes its defenses.
Facing imminent defeat, Malik decides to release Solomon's mythical army which is sealed inside the palace's secret chambers despite the Prince's warnings. The army composed of monstrous sand creatures start attacking indiscriminately and the only ones able to fight it are the brothers as each one carries one half of the medallion that serves as the key to the seal and protects them from the monsters' powers.
Soon after the Prince meets Razia, an ancient Djinn who reveals that the army did not belong to King Solomon, but was actually created to destroy him. She asks the Prince to have him and Malik rejoin their halves of the key in order to seal the army once more. But as the Prince meets Malik he finds that just like him, his brother grows strong as he destroys the soldiers of the army and is unwilling to part with his half. As the game progresses, the prince tries to convince his brother to help him seal the army without success until the duo is forced to confront Ratash, another Djinn who is the real creator of the army. Malik manages to defeat Ratash, but its essence gets absorbed by his body and eventually Ratash's power overcomes his will.
With Malik's half of the seal destroyed, the only way to destroy the army according to Razia is by killing Ratash, using a special sword forged by the Djinn. The Prince manages to retrieve the sword from the ancient city of the Djinn and Razia fuses her essence with the sword in order to empower it. Despite being unwilling to attack his own brother, the Prince confronts and destroys Ratash at the highest spot of the palace. Ratash finally disappears, leaving a dying Malik in his brother's arms. With no response from Razia after Ratash's defeat, the Prince puts the sword back where he obtained it and departs sorrowfully to give the news of Malik's death to his father.
In the Wii version, which occurs chronogically at roughly the same time, the Prince has left his father's side in search of a Kingdom to conquer. In the Persian desert wilderness he has discovered the forgotten kingdom of Izdihar. As the ruins crumble around him, his life is saved by the djinn Zahra, who tells the prince she will lead him into the heart of Izdihar to help him conquer it. But as the Prince proceeds he discovers the country is occupied by strange beasts and dangerous forces that force him to question Zahra's motives. He discovers Zahra's existence is as a guardian of Izdahar and she has led him on a perilous journey to rid the kingdom of its powerful and evil possessors. They are a dark sorceress and a monster that was once a man. No longer possessing the dagger of time, the Prince is forced to learn new powers that will help him in his quest. He learns from the djinn how to manipulate sand to give him powers that will help him scale heights beyond all belief, and to evade death.
The PSP version features a plot in which the prophecy is written that a member of Prince's royal family will bring end to an evil fire spirit Ahihud's dark reign over hidden mystic land. To ensure his survival, the evil spirit's minions hunt down those with the royal blood. Prince escapes his tower, where he is kept protected by his father, and pursues a mysterious guiding light, which turns out to be Helem, a spirit of time who promises to help the Prince defeat his enemy.
The plot of the DS version centers around the Prince character being abducted by a cult. This cult brings the Prince to an ancient temple in India and uses his sword, which houses the Djinn queen Razia, to obtain a blood sacrifice from him. Using the Prince's royal blood and Razia's Sand powers, the cult liberates an evil force locked in the temple, erasing the Prince's memory and stealing Razia's powers in the process. The temple collapses as the evil is freed, and the Prince falls into a pit. At the bottom, Razia's spirit leads the Prince to his weapon, and tells him that the ceremony he was abducted for is the reason why he does not remember anything. She informs him further that he is a prince, and that he and Razia are longtime friends, which the Prince believes. He decides to follow her instructions warily, as he does not remember anything himself. They escape from the bottom of the collapsed temple and Razia tells the Prince that their quest must be to hunt down and kill the three members of the cult who abducted them.
Prince of Persia Trilogy
The Prince of Persia Trilogy (known as Prince of Persia Trilogy 3D on the title screen) is a remastered collection of The Sands of Time trilogy released exclusively on PlayStation 3 as part of the Classics HD range. The collection includes The Sands of Time, Warrior Within and The Two Thrones, all previously released on sixth-generationvideo game consoles and PC, remastered in HD with 3D and PlayStation Network Trophy support on one Blu-ray Disc. It was released on November 19, 2010 on Blu-ray in PAL regions. The release marks the first Classics HD title to not be published by Sony Computer Entertainment.
In North America the three games were originally released separately as downloadable only titles on the PlayStation Store. The first, The Sands of Time, was released on November 16, 2010 while the other two games followed in December 2010.The Blu-ray version was to be released in North America on March 22, 2011but the collection was later delayed until April 19, 2011.
Prince of Persia graphic novel
Jordan Mechner finished writing the story for a graphic novel in 2007. The novel was written by A.B. Sina, and illustrated by Alex Puvilland and LeUyen Pham. It was released by First Second Books in autumn 2008.The story follows two Princes, jumping to and from the 9th and 13th centuries. Although it belongs to the franchise the plot is not related to any of the game continuities or that of the 2010 film.
Prince of Persia: Before the Sandstorm
"Before the Sandstorm" is a 2010 one-shot comic book that serves as a direct prequel to the feature film and thus explaines the motives and backgrounds of some characters. It was published by Disney press and written by Jordan Mechner with illustrations by Todd Mcfarlane, Nico Henrichon, David Lopez and Bernard Chang.
In both original 2D games and The Sands of Time trilogy the Prince encounters alternate forms of himself.
The Shadow is created in Prince of Persia when the Prince leaps through a magic mirror. The Shadow mimics the appearance of the Prince, but is clad in darker coloured clothes. It hinders the player's progress several times throughout the game, but in the end the Shadow and the Prince merge, becoming a single person once again. The Shadow returns in Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame, but this time, rather than being a separate being which hinders the Prince's progress, the Prince can become the Shadow, abandoning his body to become an invisible ghost. The Shadow allows the Prince to retrieve a sacred blue flame from a temple, as the Prince is killed by a guard. When the Shadow retrieves the blue flames, the Prince rises again, this time possessing the flames himself. During the end events of the game, the Prince takes the appearance of the Shadow again, using it to launch the sacred flame at Jaffar, killing him. The Shadow then merges again with the Prince, making no further appearances.
In Warrior Within the Prince encounters the "Sand Wraith", who is later revealed to be the Prince from the future, wearing the "Mask of the Wraith" - a powerful ancient artifact, which can be used to travel back in time to fix one's previous mistakes. The Sand Wraith has much improved time controlling abilities, but his health degrades over time. With the help of the Mask, the Prince manages to sacrifice himself from the past and change his fate.
In The Two Thrones the Prince is infected with the essence of the Sands of Time, which causes him to develop an evil alternate personality - The Dark Prince, which in turn is the evil side of him for the past seven years, which led to the events and the reason why Warrior Within is so brutal and bloody. The Dark Prince has some improved fighting and acrobatic skills, but his health also degrades over time, so he must regularly consume Sands of Time to remain alive. The Prince reverts back to his normal form by touching water. Sensing that his alternate personality is slowly taking him over, the Prince finally manages to overcome it and defeats his enemies on his own.
The Dagger of Time
The Dagger of Time is a powerful weapon, capable of allowing its wielder to harness the power of the Sands of Time, and manipulate time itself. If the wielder steps into a large concentration of the Sands of Time, the Dagger of Time will allow them a brief look into the future. The Dagger of Time also is capable of making its wielder immortal. If the wielder uses the weapon to harness the power of the Sands of Time, then impales themselves with the blade, it will embed the Sands of Time into that wielder, making them immortal. The Dagger of Time is also the "key" which opens the lock on the Hourglass of Time.
The Dagger of Time was created on the Island of Time for the ability of controlling the sands, as indicated by the Vizier in Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, who expressed his feelings over finding it there. It was stolen from the Island of Time before the events of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time by the Maharajah of India, along with the Hourglass of Time, which contain the Sands of Time. The Prince uses the Dagger of Time to release the Sands of Time during the events of the game. This brings about a plague of sorts; only carriers of the artifacts of time avoid mutation, and the resulting monsters can also only be killed by the artifacts of time. At the end of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the Prince uses the Dagger of Time to lock the Sands of Time back into the Hourglass of Time, reversing the events of the game. He then gives the Dagger of Time to the Maharajah's daughter, telling her to lock it in the Maharajah's treasure vaults.
It is revealed in the Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones that the Vizier is alive again, due to the Prince's manipulation of the time line. Upon searching the Island of Time, the Vizier once again finds the Dagger of Time . He kills the Maharajah of India, and uses his army to invade Babylon, the place where the Empress of Time will soon arrive. He uses it to kill Kaileena, releasing the Sands of Time, but then impales himself, which makes him immortal. During this transformation, the Prince retrieves the Dagger of Time once again. At the end of the game, the Prince uses the Dagger of Time to kill the Vizier. The freed Sands of Time form a physical manifestation of the spirit of Kaileena, who takes the Dagger of Time from the Prince, and destroys it, along with the Sands of Time.
Sasori (サソリ, Sasori), also known as Sasori of the Red Sand (赤砂のサソリ, Akasuna no Sasori) was a shinobi who originated from Sunagakure and joined Akatsuki, where he was partnered with Orochimaru and later Deidara.
When Sasori was young, his father and mother were killed by Sakumo Hatake, leaving him with no one but his grandmother, Chiyo, to take care of him. To cheer up Sasori, Chiyo began to teach him the art of making puppets. He began making puppets at the age of five, and even made puppets that resembled his parents to get rid of the terrible loneliness he felt. But because they were only puppets, incapable of giving him the natural parental love he desired, he lost interest in them. They later fell into Chiyo's possession. Sasori proved to be a born natural at the art, even devising masterful ways of eliminating a puppet master's weakness.
Sasori created many ingenious puppets, including the ones that were now owned by Kankurō. During the Third Shinobi World War, these puppets were used so successfully, they dyed the sand red with blood. This gave rise to the name Sasori of the Red Sand. Twenty years before his introduction in the series, he left Sunagakure at age fifteen, after which he secretly kidnapped and killed the Third Kazekage (although his involvement in the Third's disappearance would not be discovered until around the time of his death).[4] More than that, Sasori eventually converted himself into a human puppet to maintain his youthful appearance and increase his own offensive capabilities.
Sometime after leaving the village, Sasori joined Akatsuki, and was eventually paired with Orochimaru. They had great respect for each other during their partnership, and did many things together. After Orochimaru left Akatsuki (after a failed attempt at stealing fellow member Itachi Uchiha's body), Sasori was teamed up with Deidara, although he always carried a grudge against his former partner. He sent Kabuto Yakushi to spy on Orochimaru, but Orochimaru dispelled Sasori's technique and convinced Kabuto to join him. Sasori was also shown having numerous other underlings and spies in many nations, such as Yūra and Mukade.
Without his puppet armour he maintained the appearance of a teenage boy with wide brown eyes (which he inherited from his mother), and short red hair (inherited from his father). As a child, he wore green robes with a pale jacket around them. As an adult, he was mostly seen in the Akatsuki robe. When Sasori revealed his true body, which was a puppet with a pair of spinning claws attached to his lower back, a holder for four scrolls on the back, a stinger in the empty and open stomach cavity, a compartment in the right chest, and a core in the left, his eyes were wide open in a maniacal-like way, as opposed to his normal calm looking eyes.
On his left thumb was his Akatsuki ring, which bears the kanji for Jewel or Sphere (玉, gyoku). Sasori also wore teal nail polish. Even though he possessed a headband from Sunagakure that was slashed out, he was never seen wearing it.
As a child, Sasori always seemed sad, due to the lack of parental love. When introduced to the art of puppetry by his grandmother, Chiyo, he grew a little happier. He eventually created puppets with the likeness of his parents, but when the puppets couldn't give him the parental love he desired, he became cold and aloof. This led to him having little regard for human life, and he went so far to state that he would feel nothing if Chiyo died, as he claimed that his heart had become like his puppet body: without any emotions. Despite his cruelty, Sasori also had been shown to possess a very down-to-earth outlook on life, rarely growing worked up over obstacles that came his way. He also rarely showed any extreme emotions, and even these instances were short-lived.
Sasori was also known for his impatience, as he repeatedly noted that he did not wish to wait or keep others waiting.[6] Despite his impatience, he took his time with his first battle against Kankurō due to seeing interest of fighting against his old creations used by the next generation, making Deidara wait.
Sasori and his second partner in Akatsuki, Deidara, both had conflicting views of art, and they frequently argued about their different views.[7] Deidara maintained the opinion that art was something transient that departs quickly, where as Sasori believed that fine art is something wonderful that is left long into the future. This reflected their individual natures; Deidara made clay sculptures which exploded, while Sasori created long-lasting puppets out of humans. Nevertheless, Deidara outwardly seemed to respect Sasori's beliefs, although Sasori never respected Deidara's.
Sasori's ambition was to become art by becoming a puppet, because he thought art is something wonderful that is left long into the future. He abandoned this ambition when Kankurō told him that it was his creations that he put his heart and soul into that would last forever. After accepting Kankurō's view on eternal art, he entrusted his Mother and Father puppets to Kankurō, and told him to pass them on to the next generation when he dies. In this moment, he is shown to have an emotional side as well.
Also worthy of note is that he was willing to accept other people's views on certain topics, unlike Deidara, who stubbornly stood by his beliefs.
Sasori was an extemely powerful shinobi. He was a highly analytical man. Sasori's use of his puppets were greatly feared during the Third Shinobi World War as he turned the sand red with blood, thus giving him the nickname "Sasori of the Red Sand". Sasori's abilities also gave him the power to defeat and kill the Third Kazekage, who was said to be the strongest ninja in the history of Sunagakure, though Sasori states that he had some trouble obtaining him. Deidara himself even admitted that Sasori was stronger of the two.
Puppet Master
The symbol Sasori placed on the puppets he created.
Being trained by his powerful grandmother, Chiyo, in the art, Sasori was a master of puppetry and had great skill in both creating and controlling them. He created a number of ingenious puppets; while in Sunagakure he created the three puppets that Kankurō used, and had 298 other puppets in his personal collection.[8] His status as a master puppeteer offered him a tremendous advantage against other puppeteer shinobi, especially if the puppets they were using happened to be formerly his own, as seen in his battle against Kankurō. As puppets are usually installed with long-range weapons, Sasori was an expert at fighting at long distances. Sasori can also control living people as puppets, even against their will, if they are weakened enough. His usage of puppets were at such a high level that he made mere techniques appear as an artistic performance, what he called his "Red Secret Technique".[9]
Hiruko
Sasori's puppet armour, Hiruko.
Hiruko was the first puppet to be shown being used by Sasori in the series. Sasori actually wore this puppet as an armour and weapon, and controlled it from the inside, thus eliminating the puppeteer's weakness of being a separate and exposed target.[10] While within Hiruko, Sasori had a deeper and more hoarse voice. Hiruko was his favourite puppet, such that he adorned it during nearly his entire tenure with Akatsuki, and had it wear the Akatsuki cloak and hat. Sasori used Hiruko so much that many people seemed to have rarely seen Sasori himself in person, as evidenced by Zetsu and Kabuto's responses to seeing that Hiruko was not his actual body. On the other hand, Orochimaru did realise he was not Sasori, implying he had seen Sasori's true face during his time with Akatsuki. During an anime omake, it was shown that Deidara has also seen Sasori's true face while Sasori was doing maintenance of Hiruko.
Hiruko had a long mechanical, scorpion-like tail (an allusion to Sasori's name meaning "scorpion"), extending from the mouth of what appeared to be a demon mask on its back. Chiyo said this mask was a recent addition by Sasori to add extra defence to a weak point in the puppet. The tail worked as Hiruko's main offensive weapon, and was laced with his poison. The tail was also used as an extra defence by spinning it around his body at a rapid speed. Hiruko's left arm was rigged with a projectile launcher capable of firing poisoned shrapnel and needles,[11] and its mouth could also be used to serve a similar function of firing poisoned needles.
Hiruko is only said to have been a human puppet in the anime, from a once famous Sunagakure shinobi that Sasori converted upon death. In the manga it was just a regular puppet.
Human Puppetry
Main article: Human Puppet Sasori's puppets were unique in that they were made from the still-living bodies of humans. These human puppets were more versatile than regular puppets, since, in addition to having many dangerous devices installed within them (as is common with regular puppets), they were also able to use chakra and perform jutsu. Any jutsu or kekkei genkai abilities possessed by the converted human were also passed onto the puppet.
Sasori's favourite human puppet, the Third Kazekage.
Sasori's favourite human puppet was the Third Kazekage, which retained its unique kekkei genkaiIron Sand techniques. When mixed with Sasori's poison, the Iron Sand was given a more lethal edge. The Iron Sand could also be used to fill up the joints of other puppets, thus immobilizing them. Due to the Iron Sand being derived from the Third's ability to convert chakra to magnetism, this grants Sasori immunity from metallic weapons. The Third's puppet's right arm held several poisoned blades, while the left arm could open up to reveal several summoning seals that summoned thousands of similar arms to attack the target. These arms were capable of crushing an opponent, emitting poisonous gas clouds, and releasing wires that dragged the opponent into the gas cloud. If these arms were cut off, a small buzz-saw took their place.
Although Sasori was thirty-five years old, he maintained the appearance of a teenage boy. Sasori's unnaturally young appearance was a product of his design. Aside from his heart, Sasori's body was actually a puppet.[12] In place of his stomach was a thick cable coiled around a pole, allowing Sasori to use it as a stinger and retract it if necessary. Attached to his back was a scroll holder, containing four scrolls that seemed to serve as "ammunition", which Sasori used to store his human puppets. Sasori also added a pair of poles to the back of his hips, each equipped with five large blades that could spin like a propeller, granting him both a way to move faster and a monstrous close combat weapon, and pipes to each of his hands that could spew out intense fire, hot enough to even melt rock, or, in the anime, powerful water jets with such pressure that they were capable of cutting through rock.
Despite being loaded with weapons, Sasori kept them (and his true form) hidden with his Akatsuki robes, which were large enough to conceal them without problem. Curiously, when using "himself", Sasori's eyes were always wide open, giving him a somewhat maniacal look. In contrast, prior to revealing his puppet body, they were always half-closed, making him appear calmer and aloof. Sasori has claimed that he has not used "himself" since joining Akatsuki, until his last battle with his grandmother and Sakura Haruno.
Installed in the right part of his chest was a mechanism that could spin numerous Chakra Threads, allowing Sasori to use his Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets. With it, he was given a drastic advantage over other puppeteers, such that he claimed to have taken down an entire country with it. Sasori's left part of his chest held the only part of him still human and thus the only, and necessary, part of his body capable of controlling chakra: a cylinder-shaped device containing his heart.
Since his own body was also turned into one of his puppets he controlled, technically, this is Sasori.
Because Sasori's heart was the only living part of himself, his puppet body was virtually indestructible, allowing him to survive the poison mist Kankurō bombarded him with, as well as the impact from Sakura's punches. He was also able to fight for extended periods of time without hindrances that would normally affect a human's body, such as fatigue, muscle failure, loss of blood, wounds and pain. When smashed apart, he could simply draw the pieces back together. Additionally, he could transfer his heart to other puppets in a split second, allowing him to abandon a body should it be damaged beyond repair or otherwise incapacitated. It is suggested in the manga that Sasori created more than one puppet body in his image. The core was his only weakness, and its destruction would mean his death. After Sasori's death, Kankurō would later take the body and use it as his puppet.
Intelligence
Repeatedly, Sasori has demonstrated to be a highly cunning ninja, able to handle situations with various traps and misdirection. He is also shown to be a highly analytical man, able to quickly determine his opponent's strengths and combat methods. Like his grandmother, Sasori has a great knowledge of the human body, as shown from his brainwashing technique and his mastery over creating different types of poisons. His unique poisons, that he laced nearly every weapon in his arsenal with, took effect instantly, and one such poison could kill the target after three days of suffering; according to Sakura, this poison is refined with heavy metals, which gets into the muscles and destroys the cells.[13] Sasori initially believed this poison to be incurable, but later, to his surprise, Sakura came up with a successful antidote for the poison; Sasori noted that creating the antidote requires extreme precision, with no room for failure, and that is something difficult even for himself.
At the start of Part II, Sasori, hidden in his puppet, Hiruko, returned to his former village, Sunagakure, with Deidara to capture the One-Tailed Shukaku's jinchūriki, and the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara. Both the Akatsuki members easily penetrated Suna's defences, as the village was betrayed by one of Sasori's own subordinates, Yūra. After Deidara captured Gaara, the latter's elder brother, Kankurō, attempted to stop the Akatsuki duo from fleeing. But Sasori confronted him so that Deidara could go on ahead unopposed, and made quick work of Kankurō, poisoning and nearly killing him, and easily destroying his puppets, as he had pre-existing knowledge of their secrets. After the Akatsuki members extracted and sealed the One-Tailed Shukaku from Gaara at the Akatsuki hideout, Sasori and Deidara were left in charge by their leader of defeating the pursuing Team 7 and Sasori's grandmother, Chiyo. As Deidara led Naruto Uzumaki and Kakashi Hatake away, using Gaara's dead body as bait, Sasori was left to face Sakura Haruno and Chiyo.
Soon after the battle began, with Chiyo controlling her as a puppet, Sakura was able to destroy Sasori's puppet, Hiruko. As Sasori emerged from Hiruko's remains and revealed his true self, Chiyo and Sakura were shocked to see his youthful face, considering he had left Sunagakure over twenty years ago. Not wasting any time, however, Sasori brought out his Third Kazekage puppet, who he revealed to be his favorite, as the Third was the hardest to kill and add in his collection. Since the Third Kazekage was a human puppet, Sasori was able use its various Iron Sand abilities to attack and overwhelm Chiyo and Sakura. To try and combat the Kazekage, Chiyo brought out Sasori's parents' puppets. Although Chiyo had since equipped them with extra weapons and defences, the Kazekage's puppet's Iron Sand quickly disabled the two puppets. Acting on her own, Sakura demolished the Kazekage puppet after picking up on its movements and using herself as bait to lower Sasori's guard.
With the loss of the Kazekage puppet, Sasori revealed the reason behind his eternal youth: his own human puppet body, which itself was fitted with numerous weapons and traps laced with poison. When Chiyo brought out her own ten puppets in an attempt to level the playing field, Sasori used his Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets, allowing him to control ten times as many puppets as Chiyo. Since Chiyo's puppets were designed to work together, a trait lacking with all of Sasori's puppets, her puppets fared far better than his, although they were eventually overwhelmed by sheer numbers. During the battle, Chiyo attempted to seal Sasori's chakra with a special orb from one of her puppets, but missed his heart - the only living part of his body and the source of his chakra - and only trapped his puppet body. As Chiyo and Sakura were distracted by his summoned puppets, Sasori was revealed to have transferred the cylindrical container housing his heart into another one of his own puppets, possessing his own face's likeness, before the seal nailed his original body to a wall.
Sasori dying in the embrace of his "parents".
Using the seal as a distraction, Sasori, in his new puppet body, attempted a sneak attack on Chiyo. However, Sakura took the sword's attack from Sasori for Chiyo. As Sasori prepared to attack again, it gave Chiyo a chance to use Sasori's parents' puppets to stab him through the heart in the form of a hug, a position that he always wanted to be in ever since his childhood.
Before dying, as a reward to Sakura for defeating him, Sasori informed her of a spy that he had within his former Akatsuki partner, Orochimaru's, ranks, and told her of when and where she could meet that spy. When Sasori died, Chiyo implied that Sasori could have avoided her last attack, but he deliberately allowed himself to be killed. Thus, it appeared as if Sasori chose to die in the loving embrace of his parents.
Confining the Jinchūriki Arc
Sasori, along with other former Akatsuki members that have been revived by Kabuto.
He is resurrected again, and placed, alongside Deidara, Shin and Chūkichi in Akatsuki's Surprise Attack and Diversion Platoon. He is disappointed to see that he has to take orders from his former subordinate, and that the only living members of Akatsuki are Zetsu and Tobi (his replacement). He and Deidara get into a fight about art. Later, the platoon moves in on the remaining members of Anko Mitarashi's team. During the battle against the Ambush Squad, he was surprised that Omoi managed to cut his chakra strings. He is pulled down by Kankurō, and compliments him on his increase in skill. When Kankurō pulled out Sasori's old puppet body, he commented on how pointless making that body seemed now, as he had gotten the body he had always desired, while becoming a puppet in every sense of the word.[16] He attached his chakra strings next to Shin, using him to combat Kankurō.
Deidara and Sasori fighting Sai.
After Deidara caused Shin to explode, Sasori explained his knowledge of Root, stating they are very similar to him. He and Deidara are attacked by one of Sai's paintings in a fit of rage, and trapped inside two Black Ant puppets, and bound by lightning enhanced blades. As Shin collapses into dust, Sasori notes how he can't feel any response from his chakra strings. As Kankurō explains that Sasori's strength comes from his soul, as he poured his heart and soul into the puppets he created. Sasori, now filled with emotion, finally accepts that his puppets and techniques were what immortalized him and starts to crumble away. Before his soul was freed, he entrusts his Mother and Father puppets to Kankurō, telling him to pass them down to future generations when Kankurō himself dies. After his soul had been freed and he crumbled away, the corpse of the sacrifice used to bind his soul appeared among the dust and ashes.
Legacy
At the time of his death, Sasori had not yet captured his assigned tailed beast. A short dialogue between himself and Deidara suggested that Sasori did not even know what beast he had been assigned to target.[17] However, after his death, Tobi took his place as Deidara's new partner and his ring in Akatsuki, and, later, he captured the Three-Tails, thereby suggesting that the beast was Sasori's target.
However, due to the preservation of his body, Sasori's influence on future events was not over with his death. Sometime after the puppet master's death and prior to the Five Kage Summit, Kankurō recovered his puppet body to replace the three puppets that Sasori destroyed. It seems that some modifications have been made to his body since Sasori's death, although it's unknown if certain mechanisms were previously installed, but were not shown prior to Sasori's death.
