Z is for Team Zeal!

Well well well! It is the final day ladies and gentlemen :D

Day Zero in the annual A to Z challenge, marking also the last day of April 2016, I hope you all had such a pleasant month, and year so far.

Like I said before I missed quite a lot of letters this time around and I’m not sure where I stand, am I a winner at least cause I didn’t get cut from the competition? Or are bloggers like me are to only be called participants?

I think it doesn’t matter, reality is I’m still here and frankly I did not even expect it with my busy schedule, therefore, to me that is a success I’m keeping.

Wait, wait! I still got one last team to gather for one last mission, a dream team filled with “Zeal”

Dun dun Daaan!

ONE:

Zell Dincht from PS game Final Fantasy VIII

Zell with the famous rolled up sleeves

“Zell is a master of hand-to-hand combat and prefers to let his fists guide him out of situations his mouth cannot.” Wikia (Hehehe! Spot on :D)

So here I am coming back to Zell like I keep coming back to Iniesta. And with the same story of Edge, Zell is the boy that your Captain should never have fallen for. I mean just look at him. I never even liked those baggy shorts, except on him of course, it suited him so well.

In FF VIII he is the protagonist’s best friend, they met before the SeeD test (a kind of military school that train kids to become SeeD) and he was immediately the complete opposite of Squall’s recluse and lonesome character (and rather rude if you ask me) filled with energy, he was represented with a short scene where he jumped and somersaulted his way to Squall and man, that was the entrance. 

the unforgettable entrance

Funny, brave and quirky, Zell was the member I take with me on every journey if I can help it, playing with him was such a rush, he is a martialartist like no on other at his school and learned all his new moves (the amazing limit break) from a magazine called Combat King, no need to add that I collected the whole collection…ehem.

always the case with him

I was in 1^st year in high school when we played FFVIII, and my best friend Hiba was astonished by my Zell thing? She thought he was too goofy and hasty. Indeed Zell had the tendency to shoot himself in the foot but I couldn’t care less. He stole my attention. And because he had such a short temper I gave him Ifirit the king of fire to fight on his side.

What I loved most about him? He was the one filling the gap, when no one was talking or doing anything interesting, Zell was picking fights, or asking you to go training or eating his much loved hot-dogs, perhaps the only character that had good relationship with his family, and everybody in his town knew him, who would miss the crazy loud kid with a tribal tattoo on the side of his face and riding a noisy T-Board (a flying board that is) yes he made trouble here and there breaking the rules and stuff but in good well. And he was actually a very good student.

Do you see these eyes?..eye...?

And his bravery? I still remember how when Galbadia (another school) attacked their compass and Zell quickly went out to defend it stimulating other students to follow his lead.

And you know, he is one of the characters that stuck with me for many years, I thought of so many story lines for his future life,  and till this day characters inspired by him make it to my stories.

Thinking about him just makes me smile.

I recently read on Wikia that the librarian girl had a crush on him….say what? How did I miss that?!!!

Ah well, at least it wasn’t just me :) because you can really love this boy.

So he can engage the enemy very well, ready to take a bullet for you, extremely helpful when you ask him and can get you spending the time dying from laughter. 

Having said that, be aware of his dangerous mood swings, his easily wounded pride and his childish ways. Just saying.

TOW:

Zorro

Like duh! The national Mexican hero, the man of the people, the savor of the weak and the bringer of justice, who doesn’t love him? I grew up watching all kinds of shows and cartoons of this legend, and I still have it in me to see another adaptation…Z is one of my favorite letters in the English alphabet but I do believe Zorro had a role in this :)

My brother, MirJoySpoiler brought us the videotape for the Antonio Banderas movie (The Mask of Zorro) years ago, it was so cool, still is. But I remember when I was in Intermediate School there was this cartoon that got girls gushing and fangirling about Zorro every day, ah the good all days.

Yea...that's him

Zorro is also the one responsible for me loving sword fighting and the word duelist.  

Come on, do I really have to tell you what he’s capable of?

The final barca player to supervise team Z is a youngster I became very found of this season, his name may not start with a Z but it has a Z in it and that is the best I could do :) please say hello to:

THREE:

Sandro Ramírez

Just like his fellow Munir, our number 19 forward debuted with the first team in 2014. He scored a fascinating hat-trick on an unforgettable night in a 6-1 win against Villanovense and is considered to be another talent for the future for both Barca and La Roja (the Spanish national team).

with Dani Alves

Sandro has caught some nasty injuries in his short time in the first team, but hopefully it won’t affect his career considering he’s only 20. And of course he also doesn’t get enough time on the pitch like Munir because, well, Barca’s leading forwards are the mighty MSN (Messi, Suarez, Neymar) who are currently the best in the world in their positions so, the la masia graduates will have to wait for better chances where they can shine and show their worth.

I like Sandro, his character, his dedication to barca, and I also like his name. Had a cat named Sandro just for him :) 

Goaaaal!

I see this dream team working together, having lots of fun, as Zorro leads the two young men all through the mission, fooling guards, kicking and punching while hitting some with the ball in their faces, saving village people, and  helpless cute robots and a damsel named Eiko and a city of living breathing teapots, etc...carving the elegant Z on each final corner.

They will laugh at the journey as much as the outcome, and will swear to stay friends forever. Of course after Sandro offers the two Zs tickets to the final Copa del Rey match against Sivilla.

Aaand I’m still waiting for my ticket…..pouting.

My friends, I hope you enjoyed this challenge as much as I did and spent some good times at my blog and maybe even learnt something new. So honored and happy to have had this apportunity of participating again this year in the marvelous A to Z challenge, thanks for those in charge and insha’Allah we meet again next year :)

Before I go. In the upcoming days, hopefully before the Reflection on the challenge post I will be posting a review for Sunbolt by Intisar Khanani.

Bye