#5 cyclones every cyclone season my man

[fitzvackertheritzcracker]

Cassius, sweetie, why would you build your beachside house on the side of Australia that gets literally so many hurricanes?

[p-receh]

Since my previous posts talked about elementals. I want to write an essay about them from my perspective and possible theories and headcanon I gathered so far. It might not be accurate so fill me in if you want to add or correct some of it. I love open discussion ^^

I've seen some people thought that in the early season, all elementals had not have characteristics but changed after Halilintar's incident.

Boboiboy's emotions under circumstances not only triggered the true self of available elementals, but it also awakened the other elemental powers as well(hence how the rest 4 were born) like what anon said here.

This is gonna be looooong ted talk so I have to spilt this in two parts!

What I want to talk about is how interesting their character development throughout the series. Starting with the original trio!

(That 3rd picture lasted for a few minutes... I didn't even notice their communication at first. :'()

Their development was that drastic in the youth era. The unstoppable "the fun, the serious and the tough one"(edit: more like, "The Striker, Tacklerer, and The Goal Keeper in soccer terms. Don't ask why I thought about this a lot) which sparks Boboiboy as the hero of Pulau Rintis. But, it's starting to decrease during Galaxy onwards.

I know I know they need to blend with the others as well. (They got most of the screen time in every series after all). I already talked about it here.

(People say this year indirectly the reunion of this trio I guess? Windara and Gentaraju animated arc? ...

but... aaah well... my head's spinning right now >_<)

Halilintar/Thunderstorm.

What more to say about this person? haha, I've already talked about it from anon in the first link I put on before and this one.

But still, from the very first moment he arrived till today, I am almost certain my hypothesis then and now is coming true. Being just created as "the cool, serious" side of Boboiboy, This 'talk less, do slash more' guy unknowingly becomes the tsundere eldest due to his tragic incident.

He is such a supportive person behind that murder mask. Seeing rare moments that he actually cares for others whenever he can is an absolute miracle. God, the season 2 comic and Sori continuingly showed his soft side from youth era. wtf my 12-year-old me is screaming right now! aaarghh! :3

(But that face in ep 5 when he's strangled lmaooooo X'D)

Taufan/Cyclone

One of my favorite things that I know about him is he enjoys whenever he's out. He truly loves all the thrilling fights, if not get the vibe, he instantly goes into a bad mood. Every poster I saw about him, always with his smile and never faded. That's why I was shocked when I saw his decision in Windara's arc. Finally, the man he always wanted to be, bravely giving it all in one v one fight. I'm so proud of him! T^T

His easygoing attitude reminds me of a certain hedgehog I knew hehe...both resemble the wind itself right? :] (I need to draw them in June)

Leading the Troublemaker trio is always fun to watch. And the fact that he looks at Hali as his role model is really cute! Despite him and Hali being the first two elements who had civil fights before, a bit sad these two are independent on their own from Galaxy onwards :'(

Gempa/Quake

Gempa got me confirmation that he is the leader of the elementals from the very first fight till now. I can see why he has the closest resemblance to Boboiboy himself (hence the hat position :] ).

To be fair, Gempa is the only elemental that I see no difference with Boboiboy. And with being one of the strongest elementals(with embedded two giant stone hands), he sure is a low-profile person and easily blends with other elementals. Now I know why he gets the title "Mama Gempa". He is unknowingly taking too much care of every elementals like a family ^^)' .

Even tho he's the last power to be introduced(in this trio) and sometimes people see him as a lone wolf in the group, he's natural at giving orders. The others actually listen to him and get scolded if they messed up! Like how parents do! X'D

How about the Temper Duo?

(Why monsta didn't put this dialog to Sori? :''(( )

How fitting the theme song of movie 2 titled Fire and water as well? Hehe.

Being the first two powers to be fused(the coolest name, "Frostfire" :} ), these two are what most people like to call "The polar opposites". The ones that used two hoodies in the youth era(except now only Ice wears it), the ones that had back-to-back introductions (exactly after Fire arrived, water showed up in the next episode, Galaxy season 1 also showcased the exact same pattern), the only two powers survived in movie 2, and even their own original masters lived in the same planet.

I'd say if these elementals do be brothers, these two were most likely born twins. (I know I may be late to this headcanon but hey why not? :/)

Blaze

The gremlin boi who got more screentime in sori than his partner. I absolutely adore this boy in Galaxy onwards. His wild and reckless traits are always the main attraction whenever I watch his combat style. I still think since season 3 and movie 1 He should've gotten a brass knuckle type as a weapon than the fire disc. He's a close combat brawler, right?

Anyway, he might be the one who hasn't changed much since his youth until now. In fact, I'd say he is a pretty consistent character from the start. Only gets wilder and cheekier to his fellow elementals tehee~. But that's the beauty of having a friend like Blaze. If done right, Blaze could shock you with his kindness and care deeply for others. Just like how he did with Duri once he accidentally broke Duri's plant in one of Boboiboy's official posts. (Sori ep 3 and comic made my day lmao)

Ais/Ice

If I can relate to one elemental, I choose Ice. He likes to eat yet is frightened to get fat like he did in his youth era; a very sleepy person; also an introverted person but he is confident when surrounded by his closest circle. And most of my friends are usually the Blaze type. So I can understand how to handle that person ^^)'

Ehem. Ice's first tier, Air/Water, got me confused at first. Mainly how he summons his power. Somehow Ice fixed that issue. Making his right arm purely made of ice is genius. My headcanon is every weapon or power he uses comes from his right arm. His cannon comes from his right arm, the same as the bow & arrow one. Even so, many scenes contradict that(Boboiboy is an ambidextrous guy).

Can I say I'm glad from Galaxy onwards he's a bit more open than in his youth era or just me? This doesn't count during the transition mode. All I see now is that he showed more emotions than Hali. (Also whoever decided Ice's tears become snowflakes, I salute you sir)

Last but not least! The Photosynthesis duo!

(I talk about this scene before but holy shit this scene is always mesmerizing to watch)

Duri and Solar were also made me adore them if not because of season 2 & Sori. Okay, I have to confess first to avoid misconception:

I was disappointed when Duri and Solar showed up in movie 1.

My selfish youth still took some time to get used to with Fire and Water in season 3. And all I think was negative reactions when Duri and Solar showed up. That's... also the reason why I went on hiatus.

Luckily, hence the word "was" I put it there.

I'm very grateful that they reset his watch back to start, so then they can at least make a proper debut with both Duri and Solar in Galaxy series. I much prefer that method. (That last episode was truly huge, I'm shocked they went that grand)

Therefore, Sori could continue to make the audience know better about these two! Pretty creative I'd say! I can see why the last three episodes are fan favorites. Me personally love eps 5 & 6.

Duri/Thorn

The most unique symbol to draw to, Duri truly shines in galaxy 2 comic and Sori. His debut in galaxy 1--oh wait, in Eid Fitri's short video after movie 1 made me confused with Taufan at first. Even though he's got more screen time than Solar, Duri still surprised people with the recent series. Who knew his childish and clumsy features could do unverbal damage to enemies by his words? Count me in! He might not do that to his friends and families, but he will delightedly do so with Solar :D

And thanks to Sori, I can now differentiate between Taufan and Duri more clearly. His design in Sori especially the last three is my fav. I love what Monsta did the effects on his arms. Since he doesn't has a signature weapon, they create a 2D flash-winded green leaf around his arm like a coil. That is a very cute detail for Duri.

A bit surprised when every elemental went to serious mode in Windara's arc, only Duri still managed to find fun in the battle. Heck even Taufan dropped his smile during that.

Solar

Being the trump card of the group, I can see why he is the last elemental to be introduced, both in movie 1 and galaxy series. The hardest one to obtain his 2nd tier that requires proper research and pure luck, Solar's traits are also what makes him interesting. To be honest I didn't expect his characteristic to be like this, at all. And somehow very matched with his design and attack as well. Every aspect is strangely in synch I'm astonished. (Adding a visor to his 2nd tier is uhh *chef's kiss B=) )

Also, I love that his attacks use his finger that's also kinda easter egg of the famous "Ray Gun!" shot attack from Yu Yu Hakusho(look it up, there's a live-action ver if you want to know the short ver of the series. The anime itself is legendary to all weebs out there).

Regardless of his limited screentime in every series. I'm very much grateful Monsta treats him equally. His timing in Sori is exceptional and his popularization bursting successfully. My only hope he didn't get cut in Windara and let all elementals showed up. When was the last time Boboiboy did that without splitting to 7?....

... Well if you count heptasplit part, the last time he did that was in Movie 1. That's 9 years ago.

Now we're done here? Nice! Onto the theory part in reblog!

[saccharineshadow]

- Things in Ride The Cyclone I think about on the daily (SPOILERS!!!)

1. Jane’s head not being visible during the starting number “Karnak’s Dream of Life”

2. In “Fall Fair Suite” when everyone is looking down at Uranium City (from a place Im guessing is limbo) all of them smile or show some kind of joy or nostalgic feeling of sorts, all of them except for Mischa, since he didn’t grow up in Uranium City nor sees it the same way the rest of the choir see it

3. Jane’s Singing during “Fall Fair Suite”

4. Ocean confessing her discomfort before riding the cyclone, feeling rather unsafe (basically the fact she predicted her own doom)

5. The Choir’s catchphrases sort of predicting per say the member’s character development (Ex. Mischa’s catchphrase revealing his soft nature and vulnerability, Ocean’s catchphrase starting as a joke and ending up as her real perspective on things) or reveal something from their past life (Ex. Jane’s catchphrase being an animal fact either predicting she would become Penny or that she used to be Penny *reference to Legoland*)

6. Noel’s Catchphrase (it lives rent free in my head)

7. Jane trying unsuccessfully to get a hug from Ocean

8. Noel’s shadow being more feminine than himself in “Noel’s Lament” representing the version of himself he wished to be

9. The positioning of each member of the choir in each song representing their relationship to the one singing at the moment (Ex. Ocean being shafted and staying in the same pose in the back for the whole of “Noel’s Lament” as well as the major roles both Mischa and Ricky got in that same song)

10. Noel (Or Monique) playing with Ocean’s hair

11. Jane walking normally in "Noel's Lament" (it cracks me up srry)

12. Constance laughing at Mischa’s sarcastic responses to Ocean

13. The fact that Mischa mixed up the plots of Saw 5 and Saw 6 (the plot he describes is the one from Saw 6, not Saw 5 if im not mistaken)

14. Ocean’s song after “Noel’s Lament” (im just putting this one here cause it reminded me of my parents *especially my mom* asking me about the “morals” or if such was educational for pretty much everything *Videogames, Shows, etc*)

15. The fact that no one really knew Ricky for who he really was so they just went with the “Disabled=Literal Child that doesn’t know anything about the world” Therefore shocking the choir (Especially Ocean) when he says something “””perverted”””

16. On the same note, Ricky’s little speech about Porno and how taboo it became to talk about something completely natural and how demonized it is in our Society as a whole (very deep, magical indeed)

17. In some productions (or maybe just one idk), Mischa’s line about not being homophobic mentions the fact he’s watched all seasons of Rupaul’s Drag Race

18. Constance playing the Role of Mischa’s mother (which made me create the headcanon that Constance in some way reminds Mischa of his Mother)

19. I haven’t mentioned it yet but I like that every member has a little moment to talk before their song (except for Jane if I remember correctly)

20. Mischa having two songs (he deserves it tbh)

21. Jane discovering the existence of sunglasses

22. “I lay my masculinity on the altar of your maidenhood”

23. The beatdrop at the end of “Talia” representing Mischa’s rage at the fact he could never meet Talia and will never be able to talk to her again

24. On the same Note, (if Talia is even real in the first place) it’s possible Talia will never really know Mischa died

25. Ocean distorting what Noel was trying to say originally when Mischa was given the opportunity to see what could’ve happened if he met Talia

26. Karnak speeding up Ocean’s rambling

27. On the same note (i’ve used that phrase three times holy crap) Karnak messing with Ocean the whole show

28. The whole of Space Age Bachelor Man

29. "Oh my goodness what have I gotten myself into?"

30. "There's only one rule in the Space Age Bachelor Man Bible, Don't be a dick"

31. "We listen to you now Space Jesus"

32. The whole of "The Ballad of Jane Doe"

33. The shadow behind Jane having the form of wings

34. The New birthday song

35. The duo interactions after/During Jane's made up birthday

36. Constance's speech before "Sugar Cloud" (Jawbreaker) *that shit made me cry I relate to Constance so bad omg*

37. Ocean's Final Vote

38. The expressions of each member at the end showing fear and being unsure to cross to the other side, then showing acceptance and somewhat joy at the fact they will finally rest in peace

39. The Musical ends the same way it starts (Jane singing her part from "Karnak's Dream of Life" The rest of the choir going back to their positions when they rode the cyclone inicially)

40. That existencial dread that you get once you finish the show. Damn

Wow this was long and totally did not take like 3 days to put together but I had to get it out of the way

[holditdown-dare]

I posted 892 times in 2022

10 posts created (1%)

882 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@cisphobicdabi

@tododeku-or-bust

@nonbinarydekumidoriya

@strongintherealgay

@natasharomanovofficial

I tagged 362 of my posts in 2022

#bts - 46 posts

#bnha - 41 posts

#ride the cyclone - 26 posts

#banana fish - 23 posts

#sims - 21 posts

#cedar point - 12 posts

#mcr - 9 posts

#fnaf - 8 posts

#pjo - 7 posts

#my candy love - 7 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#jin i am free on monday if you would like to get a drink. please message me on monday when i am free so that we can get a drink on monday

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

WAIT WAIT WAIT THE OLD LIS ARE BACK???

5 notes - Posted January 4, 2022

#4

Just turned in the application for this season :D

9 notes - Posted January 4, 2022

#3

now that i've gotten some attention do you guys want to hear about my rtc oc

13 notes - Posted September 27, 2022

#2

Justice for the bnha characters that aren't Bakugo

14 notes - Posted December 1, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

What your favorite Ride The Cyclone song says about you

Karnak's Dream of Life: you are me. Alternately you have the best taste of everyone here and if anyone argues they are wrong.

Uranium Suite: oh you love arguing with people huh

Fall Fair/Tragic Fact: you're far too used to having things not go your way

What The World Needs: you need to gain some people skills stat

Noel's Lament: you are a nisha shipper

Every Story's Got a Lesson: you do not exist

This Song is Awesome: you love a good comedy number

Talia: you didn't believe in love until you heard this song

Space Age Bachelor Man: you're either a furry or you love a good riff

The Ballad of Jane Doe: you're a sucker for a eleven o'clock number

The New Birthday Song: you want nothing but good things for Jane Doe and you're right

Jawbreaker: you need a hug stat

Sugar Cloud: you are tired of being nice and want to go ape shit

It's Not a Game/It's Just a Ride: you are objectively correct AND are a sucker for an ending you can interpret yourself

25 notes - Posted November 3, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[jedi-anakin]

2020 – what happened so far

(it’s impossible to include all, but I try my best)

January

January 1 – Palau became the first country to ban sun creams containing ingredients that are harmful to coral and marine life.

January 2 – The government of New South Wales, Australia, declares a state of emergency whilst the government of Victoria, Australia declares a state of disaster amid large bushfires that have killed as many as 500 million animals.

January 3 – A US drone strike at Baghdad International Airport kills Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

January 5 – Iran pulls out of the 2015 nuclear deal, will not limit its uranium enrichment.

January 7 – 56 people are reported killed and over 200 injured in a crush at the funeral of general Qasem Soleimani in the city of Kerman, Iran.

January 7 – A 6.4 magnitude earthquake in Puerto Rico, island's largest in a century, kill 1 person and destroy 800 homes.

January 8 – Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 is shot down by Iran's armed forces shortly after takeoff from Tehran Imam Khomeini Airport, killing all 176 people on board.

January 8 – Duke and Duchess of Sussex announce they are stepping back as "senior" royals, will work towards becoming financially independent.

January 16 – The impeachment trial of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, begins in the US Senate.

January 26 – Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant dies in a helicopter crash.

January 30 – The World Health Organization (WHO) declares the outbreak of the disease as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

January 31 – The United Kingdom and Gibraltar formally withdraw from the European Union at 11PM (GMT), beginning an 11-month transition period.

January 2020 was the hottest January in recorded history according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

February

February 3 – Cruise ship Diamond Princess with 3711 passengers quarantined in Yokohama port, Japan after cases of coronavirus found on board.

February 5 – The US Senate acquits US president Donald Trump on articles of impeachment.

February 8 – 20 people dies in a mall shooting in Thailand.

February 9 – Deaths from the Coronavirus overtake those of Sars (2003) with 813 deaths worldwide.

February 10 – More than 30 bushfires put out by heaviest rainfall for 30 years in New South Wales, Australia, helping end one of the worst bushfire seasons ever, 46 million acres burnt, over 1 billion animals killed, 34 people dead.

February 11 – Snow falls in Baghdad, Iraq, for only the second time in a century.

February 23 – First major coronavirus outbreak in Europe in Italy with 152 cases and three deaths, prompting emergency measures, locking down 10 towns in Lombardy.

February 23 – China's Supreme Leader Xi Jinping describes the country's coronavirus outbreak as the China's largest health emergency since 1949.

February 24 – Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape and a criminal sexual act.

February 29 – Luxembourg becomes the first country in the world to make all public transport in the country (buses, trams, and trains) free to use.

February 29 – A conditional peace agreement is signed between the United States and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar. The U.S. begins gradually withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.

March

March 8 – Italy places 16 million people in quarantine, more than a quarter of its population, in a bid to stop the spread of COVID-19. A day later, the quarantine is expanded to cover the entire country, becoming the first country to apply this measure nationwide.

March 9 – International share prices fall sharply in response to a Russo-Saudi oil price war and the impact of COVID-19. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) plunges more than 2,000 points, the largest fall in its history up to that point. Oil prices also plunge by as much as 30% in early trading, the biggest fall since 1991.

March 11 – The World Health Organization declares the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic with 121,564 cases worldwide and 4,373 deaths.

March 11 – Harvey Weinstein is sentenced to 23 years in prison for a criminal sex act and rape in New York.

March 12 – Global stock markets crash. The Dow Jones Industrial Average goes into free fall, closing at over −2,300 points, the worst losses for the index since 1987.

March 13 – The government of Nepal announces that Mount Everest will be closed to climbers and the public for the rest of the season due to concerns from the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia.

March 14 – Spain goes into lockdown after COVID-19 cases in the country surge.

March 16 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 2,997, the single largest point drop in history and the second-largest percentage drop ever at 12.93 percent, an even greater crash than Black Monday (1929).

March 17 – European leaders close the EU's external and Schengen borders for at least 30 days in an effort to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.

March 17 – The island of Luzon, the largest island of the Philippines, is placed under the enhanced community quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

March 18 – The European Broadcasting Union announces that the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 will be cancelled due to COVID-19 in Europe, the first cancellation in the contest's 64-year history.

March 20 – The worldwide death toll from COVID-19 surpasses 10,000 as the total number of cases reaches a quarter of a million.

March 20 – Smoke from Australian bushfires killed more people than the fires - 417 vs 33 according to new study published in "Medical Journal of Australia."

March 22 – A prison riot in Colombia, which was sparked by coronavirus fears, left 23 inmates dead and another 83 injured.

March 24 – Indian PM Narendra Modi orders a 21 day lockdown for world's second most populous country of 1.3 billion people.

March 26 – Global COVID-19 cases reach 500,000, with nearly 23,000 deaths confirmed. American cases exceed all other countries, with 81,578 cases and 1,180 deaths.

March 28 – North Korea launched an unidentified projectile off the coast of Japan. This is the sixth launch in the last month.

March 30 – The price of Brent Crude Oil falls 9% to $23 per barrel, the lowest level since November 2002.

March 30 – The International Olympic Committee and Japan suspend the 2020 Summer Olympics and are rescheduled for July 23 to August 8, 2021.

April

April 2 – The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 1 million worldwide.

April 5 – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted to hospital suffering from coronavirus COVID-19.

April 7 – Japan declares a state of emergency in response to COVID-19, and finalises a stimulus package worth 108 trillion yen (US$990 billion), equal to 20% of the country's GDP.

April 10 – The death toll from COVID-19 exceeds 100,000 globally.

April 14 – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it expects the world economy to shrink 3%, the worst contraction since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

April 14 – US President Donald Trump freezes funding for the World Health Organization pending a review, for mistakes in handling the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and for being "China-centric", prompting international criticism.

April 15 – The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 2 million worldwide.

April 16 – 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment in 4 weeks (5.2 million in the last week), wiping out 9 1/2 years of job gains.

April 20 – Oil prices reach a record low.

April 25 – The global death toll from COVID-19 exceeds 200,000.

April 27 – The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 3 million worldwide.

April 28 – US Department of Defense releases three declassified videos of possible UFOs from 2004 and 2015.

April 30 – British Captain Tom Moore, who raised more £30 million for the National Health Service walking in his garden, turns 100 and made an honorary colonel by the Queen.

May

May 5 – The UK death toll from COVID-19 becomes the highest in Europe.

May 6 – Irish organisation repays a 170 year old favor, raising over $2 million (to date) for US Navajo Nation and Hopi Reservation badly affected by coronavirus. In 1840s Choctaw Nation sent $170 to aid Irish potato famine.

May 6 – Hungary has become the first EU member state to lose their democractic status according to the NGO Freedom House.

May 10 – The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 4 million worldwide.

May 12 – Gunmen storm a maternity hospital and kill 24 people, including two newborn babies, in Dashte Barchi, a majority-Shia neighborhood of Kabul, Afghanistan.

May 13 – Every African country now has cases of coronavirus COVID-19.

May 14 – The UN warns of a global mental health crisis caused by isolation, fear, uncertainty and economic turmoil.

May 16 – 118-year old American department store JC Penney files for bankruptcy.

May 19 – Greenhouse gas emissions dropped 17% worldwide in April 2020 when world was in lockdown, in study published in "Nature Climate Change."

May 19 – Two dams on Tittabawassee River in central Michigan breached by floodwaters, forcing evacuation of thousands of residents.

May 21 – Cyclone Amphan makes landfall in eastern India and Bangladesh, killing over 100 people and forcing the evacuation of more than 4 million others. It causes over US$13 billion in damage, making it the costliest cyclone ever recorded in the North Indian Ocean.

May 26 – George Floyd, an African-American man dies after he was handcuffed and lying face down on a city street during an arrest, Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer kept his knee on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds despite he was pleading for breath.

May 26 – Costa Rica becomes the first Central American country to legalise same-sex marriage.

May 26 – Twitter adds warning labels to warn about inaccuracies in US President Donald Trump's tweets for the first time.

May 26 – After a recording by a bystander about the arrest of George Floyd went viral the four officers who were present were fired. The same day a demonstrations and protests took place in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area.

May 27 – The Chinese National People's Congress votes in favour of national security legislation that prevents subversion, terrorism, separatism and foreign interference in Hong Kong.

May 27 – Spain begins 10 days of mourning for victims of COVID-19.

May 28 – The United States Department of Justice released a joint statement with the FBI, saying they had made the investigation into George Floyd's death "a top priority".

May 29 – Derek Chauvin was arrested and charged him with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, becoming the first white officer in Minnesota to be charged for the death of a black civilian.

May 30 – The first crewed flight of the Dragon 2 is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the first manned spacecraft to take off from U.S. soil since 2011. The next day the spacecraft successfully reached the International Space Station (ISS).

May 31 – Since May 26 over a 100 city in all 50 states in the US was held supporting those seeking justice for George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, and speaking out against police brutality.

May 31 – The hacktivist group Anonymous released a video after remaining silent for 3 years demanding justice for George Floyd.

May 31 – The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 passes 6 million worldwide.

[zelsisi]

So. Tiger & Bunny. This show is now my new fandom. And for good reason. It’s so damn good! My god!

It’s a superhero anime following Kotetsu (Wild Tiger) and Barnaby (Bunny) who get lumped together as a team. At first. Not good. But over time they’ve come to trust one another. (Side note I’m only getting to episode 14 out of 25 so I haven’t seen all of it. Just 13 episodes in). At first, ah enemies. Quarter of the way in, ah friends. Now, ah lovers.

Best part is the writers and production team actually let us ship them. They say it’s open to interpretation. Which means if one person sees it platonically and another sees it romantically then both are correct.

There are other characters that are so good. A tomboy girl that’s young and has lightning powers (Pao-Lin/Dragon Kid). A teenage girl who loves to sing and has ice powers (Karina/Blue Rose). A big hulking man that cares so much with rock powers (Antonio/Rock Bison). A flamboyant transgender flame wielded (Nathan/Fire Emblem). A ninja who photobombs every shot but actually does work around episode 8 (Ivan/Origami Cyclone). And then the King of Heroes who wields wind powers (Keith/Sky High).

And that’s not all. The writing is good and it keeps things going in the background while focusing on important stuff. Oh. And another thing. The Heroes have time limits on their power. They don’t have it for unlimited amount of time like we’re used to. They only have 5 minutes to use it so they use suits and other gear from sponsors (big companies) to get around quickly and without their powers.

And another thing. They get shown taking down all sorts of baddies from low end criminals to terrorists and syndicates. And they get awarded points for each arrest and for each person rescued. Then at the end of the season we find out who is the King of Heroes. Currently it’s Sky High but I feel like it’s changing hands soon.

The villains are fun. But I’m not diving in just yet till I know all of the villains. So far though, I hate Jake.

But thanks for listening to my ramblings. I’m always looking for fan art and fanfictions. So if you find any good ones send them my way.

[thecollegefootballguy]

2019 Top Games of the Week: Week 6

Conference play is starting to ramp up and the conference races have taken shape. Week 6 offers us what could be the best single slate of games so far in 2019. The SEC and Big Ten spearhead a great mixture of Playoff relevant contests, while most other leagues have their fair share of intrigue. Not really in the ACC, but you can’t have everything.

-

The Top Ten Games of the Week

10. Pittsburgh 3-2 (0-1) at Duke 3-1 (1-0)

Hell, as far as I know this will decide the ACC Coastal. Virginia aside this division is a weird mix of teams and most of them are still in play except Georgia Tech. Pitt and Duke (but mostly Duke) has shown real promise this year. Somebody will challenge the Cavaliers, it might as well be these guys.

9. #11 Texas 3-1 (1-0) at West Virginia 3-1 (1-0)

I’ll admit I didn’t buy Texas as early as I should have. That’s not to say that I think the Longhorns will make the Playoff or anything, just that they’re clearly the #2 team in the Big 12 as far as I can tell. And if they beat Oklahoma again, well who knows? As for West Virginia, they Mountaineers seemed like they were headed in the wrong direction thanks to graduation attrition. But so far WVU has done a good job and has looked solid enough. Tom Herman’s achilles heel has been losing games he shouldn’t have, and a trip to Morgantown is never easy.

8. TCU 3-1 (1-0) at Iowa State 2-2 (0-1)

Two of the Big 12 dark horses are starting to look like they’re in a real bind. TCU’s loss to SMU was a nice black eye for the Horned Frogs. I get that the Mustangs are having a year but TCU usually beats them no matter what. Meanwhile, Iowa State was the popular choice in preseason to challenge mighty OU and UT as an outside bid for the conference crown. So far the Cyclones haven’t impressed. For both teams, it will be important to see if their slow starts are just a stumble out of the gate or a larger issue.

7. #21 Oklahoma State 4-1 (1-1) at Texas Tech 2-2 (0-1)

Oklahoma State is trying to separate itself from the rest of the pack in the Big 12. The Cowboys barely lost to Texas and looked good handling Kansas State. Texas Tech shouldn’t be the biggest hurdle OSU faces between now and Bedlam, but the wins have to keep coming to stay abreast in this very dense conference.

6. Baylor 4-0 (1-0) at Kansas State 3-1 (0-1)

The middle of the Big 12 is still sorting itself out. I’m not sure either of these teams are going to be the league dark horse, but at this point we have to just let the teams play and see what happens. This conference has a lot going on and my advice is to keep tabs on most Big 12 games when you can.

5. #18 UCF 4-1 (1-0) at Cincinnati 3-1 (0-0)

The rare G5 appearance in the Top 5 is worth it because this one will probably decide the AAC East. Unlike the West division, which is looking very much up for grabs at the moment, the East’s two best teams are clearly defined and face off Friday night. UCF suffered a major embarrassment at the hands of Pitt, but the Knights still are the major favorites in the conference. Meanwhile, Cincinnati has been quietly building a solid program. The Bearcats might not have enough firepower to take down Central Florida, but they blew up C-USA favorite Marshall last week which is very encouraging.

4. California 4-1 (1-1) at #13 Oregon 3-1 (1-0)

The PAC-12 is very much a conference in flux. The race isn’t about making the Playoff, but more just who’s going to come out on top with so many programs headed in different directions. Cal had a tough time scoring against Arizona State after QB Chase Garbers went down. Regardless of who is behind center this week, facing Oregon at Autzen is a daunting task. The Ducks have been the favorite for many, but so far their only challenging opponent beat them.

3. #25 Michigan State 4-1 (2-0) at #4 Ohio State 5-0 (2-0)

A team of Michigan State’s caliber will probably just be a speedbump for Ohio State, who have so far torn apart every squad unfortunate enough to face them. However, the Spartans aren’t governed by the laws of man or nature, and make every game way closer than it perhaps should be, for better or worse. It’s actually a bit scary now that Sparty has shown a bit of offense. That might not be enough to best the Buckeyes, but it could really throw off Michigan or Penn State down the line.

2. #14 Iowa 4-0 (1-0) at #19 Michigan 3-1 (1-1)

I think this is the most interesting matchup in Week 6. Iowa has looked very competent so far, albeit very untested. Michigan completely failed their test against Wisconsin, but the Wolverines reminded us what they’re capable of when they beat Rutgers so bad they fired their coach. I am really curious to see what happens here.

1. #7 Auburn 5-0 (2-0) at #10 Florida 5-0 (2-0)

The Auburn-Florida rivalry(?) has another matchup full of intrigue. The Tigers so far have one of the better resumes in this young season, having taken down PAC-12 favorite Oregon and SEC dark horse Texas A&M. Florida, meanwhile, has one of the least impressive resumes of any undefeated Power conference team. The Gators scraped by Miami and Kentucky and only blew out a reeling Tennessee squad. Now that UF is getting their first real test, let’s see how good they really are. Both of these teams have bigger games down the schedule, but a loss here would cripple their prospective Playoff aspirations.

-

5 G5 Games of the Week

5. Troy 2-2 (0-1) at Missouri 3-1 (1-0)

It’s the annual Troy special. The Trojans upset Nebraska last season and LSU in 2017. Let’s see if Troy can pull off the hat trick.

4. Tulsa 2-2 (0-0) at #24 SMU 5-0 (1-0)

SMU has emerged as a real contender for the AAC West. The Mustangs are off to their best start since the death penalty. Tulsa isn’t exactly a world beater at this point, but the Mustangs have to prove they’re consistent before they can even attempt to claim the AAC crown.

3. Tulane 3-1 (1-0) at Army 3-1

This game was scheduled back when Tulane and Army were doormat programs getting shoved around by every kid on the playground. Look at how far they’ve come. The Green Wave and Black Knights feature two of the most innovative option attacks in college football and already have claim to two of the most exciting games in this young season (Tulane’s comeback over Houston and Army’s near upset of Michigan).

2. Air Force 3-1 (1-1) at Navy 2-1 (1-1)

The first leg of the three-way Service Academy rivalry kicks off this weekend. Air Force and Navy both look like they’ve rebounded from pretty dismal seasons last year. This should be the most fierce competition for the Commander-in-Chief Trophy that we’ve seen in decades.

1. Western Michigan 3-2 (1-0) at Toledo 3-1 (0-0)

The MAC West might be decided pretty early. Western Michigan and Toledo have been the favorites and it’s likely that landscape hasn’t changed unless EMU or NIU wants to throw their hats into the ring. As far as I can tell nobody is winning the MAC East, so this game might could very well decide the whole conference.

-

FCS Games of the Week

4. #18 Youngstown State 4-0 (0-0) at #13 Northern Iowa 2-2 (0-0)

The MVFC will probably put about 4 teams into the Playoff, and these two are currently angling for that last spot. Youngstown State has been one of the nice stories so far, but the Penguins haven’t faced any hard competition like the battle tested Northern Iowa Panthers.

3. #2 James Madison 4-1 (1-0) at #24 Stony Brook 4-1 (1-0)

The CAA remains as stacked as ever. Surprisingly we only get one ranked vs ranked game from that league this week even though a full 6 out of 12 conference teams are in the top 25. James Madison probably wins here.

2. #11 Central Arkansas 3-1 (1-0) at #16 Nicholls State 2-2 (1-0)

Apparently Nicholls State is going by Nicholls now. Idk that feels weird to me. Any way, these are the two conference favorites, the winner here has a good chance to claim the Southland title this year.

1. #1 North Dakota State 4-0 (0-0) at #10 Illinois State 3-1 (0-0)

North Dakota State travels to Normal to face off against the top ten ranked Redbirds. I doubt the Bison lose here, but it’s foolish to pick them losing in any one particular game.

[notspoondere]

How to Scoop Less: Sky Strikers

I promised I'd make this in a banlist analysis post I never put into a public tag and which nobody remembers, but I'm nothing of not a man of my word.

[This has honestly been sitting in my drafts for months. Nats season has already come and gone. I don’t know how much longer this will be useful for, but better late than never.]

If you've played the game at all since the release of Dark Saviors, you might recognize this little old deck on account of it dominating the competitive scene for... a few formats here or there, sort of. It's hard to call this deck broken given that tournament results don't 100% agree with me (Gouki was arguably better until Firewall was banned, Sky Striker Trickstar only dominated for a few tournaments, and Hornet Drones dominates in every deck), but if you've played the matchup without teching against it, you probably know how impossible it feels. So let's fix that.

I've heard Sky Striker most often labelled a "tempo control" deck, which I believe means that it's a deck that has 1 card combos and multiple +1s but can't OTK you with them. Alternatively, you can view it as a deck that uses its inherent card advantage to back up a simple engine by accruing backrow. So you should be able to deal with it like any backrow deck, right? Not quite; the backrow is mostly quick-play spells, so Red Reboot is out of the window, and you can't easily OTK them because Kagari gets big and Shizuku debuffs everything and both can float into Raye who can tag into the other. Well, okay, those are Extra Deck monsters so I can just use Cherries, right? Well, you can, but you'd want to hit Kagari with that and Raye can tag out into Kagari in response, so their first turn is essentially impossible to stop with Cherries if they open Raye. And they play a hell of a lot of cards that get to Raye.

In short, a lot of the usual suspects are invalid here. That doesn't mean you don't have options. If you can view Sky Striker as a deck with two main components (monsters and backrow), one of the best ways to deal with it is to find a way that best disrupts both.

Before we begin properly, several Sky Striker cards are mentioned by name in this post. The Yugipedia page contains a list of all of them, so I won’t link them individually.

Going first, Shared Ride is such a common answer that it's become an occasional main deck choice. It is favored over Droll & Lock Bird because you will get to draw off of Engage, Kagari, and Shizuku, putting you in a good position to win the game after keeping up with their card advantage. It also can't be negated by Called By The Grave, but it can be negated with Ash Blossom.

Anti-Spell Fragrance, Secret Village of the Spellcasters and Imperial Order are similarly strong choices for hopefully obvious reasons. If they resolve, you will probably win the game, provided you kill them before they draw an answer.

If you're running a lot of floodgates, Gozen Match is the best versus Striker. Flip it before Raye hits field and they won't be able to summon anything else.

As for going second...

Starting with hand traps. Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring is obviously the best card ever and it's great here as well. If Multirole has resolved, you can't ash Engage, but if they use Multirole to send Area Zero to summon Raye, you can definitely Ash that. Droll & Lock Bird was mentioned above and it is decent as well. Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit is worth playing solely to interrupt Multirole. Effect Veiler is kind of meh, but playable--Infinite Impermanence is even better since it can stop their backrow once set. Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion is actually better than both unless you really can’t afford to take hits from Hayate, since it can negate Kagari, Shark Cannon, and Called by the Grave. Speaking of which, Called is really good against Raye, so bring that in if you’ve got it in side instead of main for some reason.

Now that you aren't obliged by Gouki to run Sphere Mode or Cyber Dragon etc, you can safely start running Kaiju monsters. Any will work, but they get special mention because giving them a Kaiju will not trigger Raye and will actually prevent them from activating Sky Striker spells while they control it. Just tribute over Shizuku, deal with the backrow, then kill the Kaiju. (One of my all-time greatest moments in tournament was going to time vs a Sky Striker player who was slightly up on life with Kaina... With 5 seconds on clock, enter Main Phase, give you a Gameciel, give myself a Dogoran, declare Battle Phase, time called. Who needs engine cards when you see this much side?)

Speaking of making Raye not float, if you can make a Rank 4 undisrupted, Number 101: Silent Honor ARK can gobble up Shizuku and leave Raye alone in grave. This works because a monster isn't considered to have left the field once it becomes an Xyz material. That tech saw some minor play in Pendulum but has fallen out of favor as the deck has abandoned utility options for MORE COMBO. Other techs that function off of the same mechanic include Mind Control and Instant Fusion (summoning Thousand-Eyes Restrict, equipping the opponent’s Link Monster and linking it away).

Evenly Matched is also a decent choice, and if they don’t keep the monster, Raye will not float. The situation involving this card has become much more complex, though; seasoned players will play around it in games 2 and 3 if they haven’t seen their own sided-in copies of Solemn Judgment. The question then becomes whether it’s worth it to side Evenly Matched with the expectation that it’s there to bait Solemn Judgment... verdict’s still out, but I think it might be. Also worth mentioning: Sky Striker is not a deck that can kill you in a turn for leaving an empty board, so if you sae sided copies of Evenly Matched, but your opponent makes you go first, it might be worth passing turn without playing a card. Just play it off as though you bricked really hard. (smile)

Denko Sekka won't deal with the monsters, but it will totally shut off all of their other backrow (Shared Ride, Twin Twisters, etc). If you can spare the normal summon, she's worth it. Note that Denko is searchable off of Thunder Dragon Fusion.

Of course there’s a solid chance you’re not even losing to Sky Striker cards, but rather, Mystic Mine. This complete mess of a card absolutely demands answers by itself, so if you aren’t playing Twin Twisters or Cosmic Cyclone somewhere in your main or side, make sure to do that. Sky Striker typically ends up with one monster on board after breaking the Mine-induced stalemate, so intentionally linking your own board down to a single Knightmare Phoenix might be the play that saves your hide if it ever comes down to it.

All done. Hopefully the dust on this one doesn’t show through. I have some ideas cooking, but in order to avoid this situation happening again, I’ll keep them a secret for now. See you soon.

[paulbogaards]

I’m looking to hire a Publicist

ACTUAL JOB DESCRIPTION (not the one you will find posted on PRH):

The Executive Vice President, Director of Publicity and Media Relations for the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group (@paulbogaards) is seeking a Publicist to dazzle the industry and world with their work and brio and warm good humor providing day-to-day support and counseling for authors (a lot of counseling) in a blistering-paced, internal and external facing (internal = editors = suspicious, external = agents = sometimes mean though they will describe their behavior as outcome directed), detail-oriented (seat 2A not 12A), data-driven (blah blah blah) environment working with dying legacy media professionals, social media pioneers, brand ambassadors (FML), booksellers (❤️), and other half-crazed publishing desperados.

The ideal candidate for this position will have had previous experience working as a magician. There is no finer point to make. As a publicist, you need to make magic happen. Magic. Every fucking day. Come equipped with a rabbit and a top hat and a goddamn wand and get ready to wave it every Wednesday afternoon at approximately 4:00 PM. You will be given books to work on that have no possibility whatsoever of becoming bestsellers, and yet, the operating expectation is that all of them will list. Authors expect that outcome. Agents expect that outcome. Editors expect that outcome. Publishers expect that outcome. It’s as if they’re all smoking the same green-blonde hallucinogenic.

The job is a grind. No one is capable of doing it for very long. The hours, the demands, the pressure, the weight of expectation, the dissonance between acquisitions and the marketplace, all of these things cause enormous stress on publicists. Think about this: the executive director has been doing it for thirty plus years. He has become a hollow shell of the man he once was as a result.

“Every day is a beat down.”

“I know.”

“Editors. Agents. Authors. Journalists. All of them are a fucking menace.”

“Tell me about it.”

“They look at us like we are, I don’t know what.”

“They look at us like we are fucking waterboys. That’s how they look at us.”

“That’s exactly right. We’re the fucking waterboys.”

You could be that person -- one of the waterboys (or gals). You are young and full of magic and convinced that book publishing is not decline but instead enjoying a renaissance. You look at Amazon with wide-eyed awe and innocence. You will step into the job thinking of the difference you are able to exact on behalf of writers everywhere. You, my friend, are a naif.

This is what will actually happen: You will be staring at your mobile in a crosswalk, answering a complaint from an author about their seat assignment on a United flight, and then be hit by an Uber. That is the most succinct description of book publishing in the 21st century that the director can think of.

All candidates for the position will undergo Anna’s box test. This is a test where you are invited in for an interview with the director, and there is a box on the seat you are supposed to sit in. If you just stare at the box, waiting for the director to move it, you are summarily dismissed and immediately disqualified as a candidate. If you pick up the box and place it somewhere else, you have passed the first test.

You will hear whispers about publishing projects where the company is rumored to have paid considerable sums of money for a book and then a call will come in from a reporter asking questions about said project and you will immediately route it to the director. The director has experience answering questions about the amount of money the company overpaid (5 million, 10 million, 20 million) and why the book is worth that much (it’s not) and how many copies will it take to earn out (it won’t) in what will become an infinite loop of inquiry and denial and the reporter, determined, will end up substantiating the figure through a disgruntled publisher who was knocked out on the last best bid (Karp) and then come back to you and ask you to confirm the figure and you will again deny it and they will wind up reporting the number anyway (though reporters these days don’t press in the same rough way that, say, Streitfeld and Kirkpatrick used to, and that is OK with the director, he is accepting of the new school press corps, though he generally prefers old school guys, and will always answer the phone when Keith Kelly calls, because he is the embodiment of OLD FUCKING SCHOOL, a guy who will tease out any story he can about Jann Wenner).

As a publicist, editors will complain to you about the New York Times (what the fuck are they doing over there?) and then become agitated and disgruntled and dismayed and threatening when one of their books is overlooked by that outlet (they reviewed a fucking book from New Directions instead of my book?) suggesting to you that action is essential (we need to do something) and you will reassure them, say of course, of course, I’ll get right on it, but really, what are you going to do? You will come to understand, very quickly, that happiness is elusive in our industry and joy is fleeting. Mostly, everyone suspects each other of book espionage.

Generally, the Publicist can expect career advancement provided they do their job without committing actionable offenses on social media or installing a joy button under the desk in their office or threatening to kill someone because they wrote a bad review (editors do this all the time. First, they threaten you. Then they threaten the BRE. Then they write a drunken email to the reviewer). Do not be led by their bad example.

This is a good position to learn about the business, as good as any, the director basically runs a farm team for the industry, his first hire now runs comms for one of the Big Five and he will smile when he sees a story in the paper with her Chairman touting the benefits of open floor plans (“there was just this energy and buzz and sense of excitement of collaborative human endeavor that really was kind of exhilarating”) and he is proud for a moment recognizing that his first hire has mastered the PR skill of ventriloquism (she has also mastered adapting the infinite loop of denial into the infinite loop of positivity.) Others have gone on to assume posts of similar stature at The New Yorker (where Remnick still won’t give anyone a credit line including Tommy Orange whose book THERE THERE was just excerpted in the magazine and everyone is supposed to be thrilled about that and the mention of said work on the contributor page but I’m like FUCK THAT who looks at the contributor page give me a book shot in the well of the magazine but of course there is no justice in much of this work, people want what they want when they want it and for selfish ends, the labors of the writer remain forgotten, the working men and women who are the backbone of our industry are frequently an afterthought, and THAT SEEMS TO ME A GREAT PUBLISHING INJUSTICE), and the Brooklyn Cyclones (that was Dave, he was a very handsome, I went to his wedding in New Jersey, there was a Venetian dessert table with fountains, it was like something out of the Sopranos), and Jennifer, who married someone rich and Jewish (that is kind of like going to work for The New Yorker) and gave birth to four children and will sometimes send me emails asking what the fuck happened to her life:

“What the fuck happened to my life?”

“Husband. Money. Kids.”

“FUCK.” Jennifer had (has) a foul mouth. I loved (love) that about her.

“Is there still work for me in publishing?”

“No. Business is dying. Stick with your plan. Keep the husband.”

Occasionally, you will find the director weeping at his desk and you will wonder if he is suffering from some kind of nervous breakdown and then you will observe an open email on his computer and see that it is simply a note of gratitude from a colleague - warmly written and sincere - and you will come to understand that they appear so infrequently that when they do the only way he knows how to respond is by weeping and you will feel a little sad for him. As a publicist, you will live a life of sadness and defeat. And you will learn to cry.

The director is looking for someone to step into his role because he is tired of weeping. The job has exacted a toll. He has become impatient.  His responses to queries are no longer soft and nuanced. This week, for example, an editor from T Magazine sent him an email asking if Cormac McCarthy would cooperate for a cover profile and he responded “Not possible” and the editor wrote back asking “As in not possible for October because the book is so far out, or...unlikely to be possible at any time?” and the director wrote back “EVER” in all caps and then he sat back is his chair and thought “who are these fucking dragoons and when will they ever learn?”

Another reporter suggested to the director that he was giving him incorrect guidance, when, in fact, the director answered the reporter’s question with the information at hand. The director is fifty-seven and has made a living being honest with reporters and went back and forth with the reporter about his track.

“He kept asking me the same fucking question.”

“That’s how they work.”

“I said to him, ‘We’re in the weeds here. You’re suggesting the football moved. I’m telling you it was a completion. End of story.’”

You will attend meetings where nothing happens. That is another succinct description of book publishing in the 21st century.

You will be working with seasoned publishing veterans who spend most of their day worrying about Amazon and Barnes & Noble and the death of media.

You will read books before they become books and often find yourself thinking about transitioning out of the industry.

One page proposals will arrive with breathy notes from editors. An auction will follow. The director will be asked to create a marketing and publicity summary in advance of the auction.

“Based on what?”

“The proposal.”

“The proposal is one page.”

“Just make something up.”

So the director will make something up. You will help him. This will happen simultaneously across the industry. The people who make up the best things often acquire the book. So if you are good at making things up, possibly this is a job for you.

You will send emails, respond to emails, and stuff books in jiffy bags. If you are good at stuffing things in jiffy bags, possibly this is a job for you.

People will ask you questions. People from inside and outside the company. The desk you occupy is a kind of information station and you will need to learn the answers to so many questions (the director knows the answers to these questions but doesn’t have the patience to respond anymore and indeed it has become dangerous to let any questions through to him because he will often say something wrong on purpose, or say something inappropriate, there was even an instance when a reader called inquiring about Carl Hiaasen’s book tour and he asked her out on a date and Who the fuck does that?)

Candidates for this position need to be confident and made of steel and in possession of magic. Possibly you are that person. Please apply by clicking on the link here.

Thank you.

PS: “I’ll need a spacious south facing hotel room in a 4 star property, and OMG it cannot be The Muse, I mean how could you book anyone in that hotel?, it’s full of escorts and German tourists, the rooms are tiny, mine felt like a cell, and given my crippling anxiety about touring I’m lucky to be alive after that stay, you need to respect the work I’m doing on the road, and that was not a respectful hotel booking, and being in United boarding group two on my flight to New York, well, that was not respectful either, but I don’t want to get too far afield here, I just need you to listen to me and hew to my requests, do that and we will have a successful tour, my comfort and safety remain a priority, take it seriously, double pane windows on a high floor are essential, but not too high, away from the elevators and adjacent to a fire stairway, and quiet, the room has to be quiet, with fine linens and towels and four down pillows (one for between my legs, two for my head, and one to snuggle with), a king bed, a duvet, fresh flowers, white peonies if they are in season, a tub and a shower and 24-hour room service, these are the basics, the last tour almost killed me and that simply cannot happen this time out…”

#publishing #books #publicrelations

[junker-town]

We took the worst college basketball program ever to the NCAA tournament in a simulated video game

Western Illinois’ quest for a college basketball national championship in ‘College Hoops 2K8’ turns up in Year 4 and Year 5.

Welcome back to Western Illinois’ chase for a national championship in College Hoops 2K8. We introduced the idea and simmed through the first season in the opening installment of this series, then played through Year 2 and Year 3 in the second chapter. Here’s a recap of everything that happened in the last post.

Year 2 was a disaster on the court — 10-18 overall and a dead-last finish in the Summit League. The saving grace was a terrific four-man recruiting class headlined by three-star shooting guards Wilbur Messy and Tracy Hehn.

Year 3 was incredible. Western Illinois finished 23-9 overall, won an absolute thriller in the Summit League tournament championship game, and reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history.

Took a No. 13 seed into the big dance against Florida, got blown out.

Signed two promising recruits when the season ended, 6’4 point guard Giovanni Nelke and center Deke Van, both coveted three-stars.

Let’s look at the roster again heading into Year 4:

This is the first incoming recruiting class I’ll have the luxury of redshirting because I finally have enough depth throughout the roster. Both Nelke (who has already grown an inch to 6’5) and Van are sitting the year, and look really promising long-term with C+ potential.

We’re going with a tight eight-man rotation this year (we had been playing nine before this season) and finally have a rotation with only players I recruited. Apologies to long-time holdover SG No. 23, who will be relegated to garbage time this season.

Western Illinois is ranked 83 overall. Next best team in the Summit League is Oral Roberts at 78. This season is conference-tournament-title-or-bust all the way.

I have two scholarships available heading into the season. Going to try to something new this year and recruit junior college players. This serves two purposes:

Getting players on the same timeline as Nelke and Van

Two of the goals I have to hit to get a coaching attribute point are “sign a four-star recruit” and “sign a five-star recruit.” It’s going to be easier to get guys rated that highly at the JUCO level.

I offer two five-star JUCOs on the first week. Point guard Damon Hendriks from Simi Valley, California, and power forward Dawud Byfield out of Los Angeles.

Hendricks’ top priority is reveals itself to be “playing at a big program,” which doesn’t bode well for Western Illinois. I’m still sticking with him. Byfield loves Stanford, but they haven’t offered yet.

I actually have a real non-conference schedule this year. My first game is against Colorado.

Big win, 73-69.

Sophomore shooting guard Tracy Hehn pops off for 18 points, while the starting front court of Bud Richards and Ferdinand Thompson each drop 16 points in the win. Great omen for the rest of this season. Let the rest of America know: the Leathernecks are ready.

Well, shit, maybe not: we lose to Sacramento State in the next game. My team shoots only 1-for-14 from three. Next up is a game with Washington — rated as a 93 overall. We take a 73-67 loss. Another terrible shooting night, 24-of-63 from the field and 5-of-23 from three.

Here’s a rundown of the next month or so:

Blow out a solid Troy team (82 overall), 84-57, with six players in double-figures. Next up: 16-point win over McNeese State.

Beat Montana State, 88-50. Bud Richards goes off for 26 points and six blocks on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 2-for-2 from three. Then crush North Dakota State and South Dakota State.

Lose a heartbreaker to Creighton, 64-63, then get a win against Wichita State, 86-74. Richards hangs 21 points and three blocks on the Shockers. We lose by one to UW-Milwaukee the next game (Richards: 19 points, six rebounds, and five stocks), then beat UT-San Antonio by six (Richards: 24 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks). My guy is having the breakout junior season we’ve been waiting for.

Next up is my first game vs. a ranked team: No. 24 Iowa State, a 92 overall. BUT THE CYCLONES ARE GOING DOWN.

That’s a big win. Ugly game offensively (28-of-63 from field, 5-of-19 from three, 8-of-18 from the foul line) but we gut it out. We lose to Oral Roberts in a conference game next, 79-76, to fall to 11-5 overall.

Next five games: four wins followed by a loss to IUPUI. Rematch against Oral Roberts is next: I get blown out, 101-76. Holy shit. That’s the low point of the season. They score 56 on us in the second half, which just isn’t going to cut it. We go 5-1 over the final six games, with our only loss is to Southern Utah.

At 21-8 overall and 14-4 in conference, we win the regular-season Summit League title and head into the conference tournament as the top seed. The in-season recruiting period is also over, with Hendriks looking like a safe bet to sign, and Byfield likely coming if his leading school — Stanford — is caught without an open roster spot in the spring. I’ve been recruiting a three-star small forward as a backup if I lose out on Byfield.

Before advancing to the conference tournament, I look at the roster again. I suddenly have three players (Richards, Hehn, and Messy) rated in the 80s now. That teaching boost is starting to pay off.

Summit League tournament

We’re opening the tournament with South Dakota State, the same team I needed an overtime thriller to beat in the title game last year. Things are easier this time: Leathernecks win, 83-56. Richards: 21 points. Wiedemann: 19 points.

Next up is Oral Roberts, who has already beaten me twice this year and smoked me by 25 last time I played them.

I really shouldn’t be so worried for this, but ....

Jesus. 89-77 loss. I really just allowed Oral Roberts to score 54 second half points in an elimination game.

We’re 22-9 overall, but it’s a disappointing season without a tournament berth. But just when I think the season is over .... Western Illinois gets chosen for the NIT, with a first-round matchup against Clemson.

NIT

Clemson is 19-12 overall, but they’re damn good: rated as a 93 overall. I don’t have a great feeling about this.

Lose, 86-81. Season over. We end the year 22-10. Maryland wins the title.

OH YEAH: Richards wins Summit League Player of the Year. That gets me a coaching attribute point.

I have three points to improve my coach. I give one each in offense, defense, and teaching. I get offered the Idaho job and turn it down. I also overhaul my assistant coaches and find a gem in Danny O’Sullivan, who is A- at teaching and C+ at scouting. He’s a C- in offense, but we’ll live with it.

Now, it’s time to lock up my recruits. Hendriks — a 6-foot point guard — signs after the second week, giving the program its first-ever five-star recruit as a JUCO player. When Stanford drops out for Byfield the next week, I land both of my targets.

With my first recruiting class set to be seniors in the upcoming season, I’m loading up the non-con schedule for Year 5. I’m opening the year with Illinois, and also schedule DePaul.

This is the last ride for Bud Richards, Marvin Cisse, Ferdinand Thompson, and Andre Wiedemann. I’m getting emotional just thinking about it.

Year 5

Here’s a first look at the roster.

Wow, new arrival Hendriks is a 77 overall. He’s my fifth-best player immediately, but I still decide to redshirt him given my depth at guard. He’s going to be ridiculously good after four years. Byfield also looks solid as a 72 overall with B- potential. I redshirt him, too.

Nelke has grown to 6’6 now. I’m changing him to shooting guard, where he goes up three points to 77 overall as a redshirt freshman. We’ll be going with a 10-man rotation this year, with Waller and Ward rounding out the bench.

Also, I just noticed I have five California guys on this roster, and still no local kids. Chicago Public League coaches are sarcastically calling me “Ricky California.”

We’re rated 87 overall heading into the year and are clearly the favorites in the Summit — Southern Utah is the next best team at 74. No excuses this year.

This is going to be a huge season for recruiting, too

In addition to this being the best team I’ve had yet at Western Illinois, I also have five scholarships to fill. My first thought for recruiting: I need to fill out my starting lineup of the immediate future with a JUCO forward. I already have two guards (Nelke, Hendricks) and two bigs (Byfield, Van) who will all be redshirt sophomores next year, just need one more guy on their timeline to finish out that starting five. The ideal haul for this season would be one five-star JUCO wing paired with four top-150-rated high school seniors.

This five-man class is going to seriously shape the future of the program, but it also won’t be easy given how few recruiting points I have at a school as small as WIU (I covered this in the introduction). Here are my offers on the first day you can do it:

Dane Janiszewski, small forward, five-star JUCO freshman

Burton Ballinger, center, No. 214 (No. 15 C)

Alberto Tangara, small forward, No. 165 (No. 35 SF)

Hugh Spong, point guard, No. 181 (No. 56 PG)

Darell Hicks, power forward, No. 136 (No. 26)

The stakes are at an all-time high in every possible way this year. I think that calls for a press conference.

Coach Rick press conference

Alright, it’s time to start this shit.

First game: @ Illinois.

There would be no better way to open the biggest season in program history than by beating the Illini in Champaign. We want to show the rest of the state that the Leathernecks are the new premier basketball program in Illinois.

Unfortunately that does not happen.

The offense just totally dried up, and we could not defend the perimeter. They had one guy hit 10 threes! I actually watched this game, but there are in-game highlights coming later in the season (spoiler alert), so I will spare Leatherneck Nation the pain of watching the Illini smoke me.

We play in a tournament the next week and go 2-1, but lose to Northern Illinois. Turns out we might not even be the premier directional basketball program in Illinois.

Then comes the recruiting bloodbath. Janiszewski is offered by FIU, Hicks is offered by Green Bay-Wisconsin, Tangara is offered by North Florida, Sprong gets a Robert Morris offer. I drop all over them and completely redo my board.

I do have a big lead for Ballinger, and convince him to sign at the end of the in-season recruiting period. This is the first fall recruit I’ve had Western Illinois — great grab as a top-15 center who averages a double-double and makes a serious impact defensively.

We beat Dayton the next game, 87-81, behind big games from Richards and Thompson. Here’s where I’m at with recruiting:

I have an offer out to Earnest Robertson, a four-star point guard from Los Angeles ranked No. 51 overall and No. 21 at his position. Obviously, this would be the biggest recruit in program history. UCLA and Oregon lead for Robertson, but his recruitment has a long way to go and I’m still his only offer.

I extend an offer to five-star shooting guard Arvydas Kavaliauskas out of Lithuania. I also offer Josiah Taybron, a 6’8 small forward ranked No. 109 overall (No. 21 at his position).

My final offer goes to Ira Willis, 6’7 power forward out of Queens, ranked No. 82 overall and No. 17 at his position.

I’m still chasing high upside guys over lower ranked prospects who I might have a better chance with. I’m hoping I can land one or two of these highly-ranked guys and still have some decent players left to choose from in the spring to fill out my class.

DePaul game is next. They’re an 89 overall, I’m an 88. This would be a huge win — and I get it, 63-47.

Like everyone says: Coach Rick, defensive mastermind. We beat UMBC, 87-54, with all five starters in double-figures the next game, then pound Saint Louis (Richards: 24 points and seven rebounds; Hehn: 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting from three).

My Leathernecks are 7-2 overall as the schedule full turns over to conference play. Is my team good enough to run the table in the Summit?

I win the first eight games by an average margin of about 15 points. We’re currently 15-2 overall and undefeated in conference on Jan. 23 when we drop 123 points on Oakland in a blowout win where Nelke — possibly my star of the future — scores 19 points off the bench on 5-of-5 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 shooting from three-point range. This is a demolition.

At the same time, It’s not going as well on the recruiting front. Each one of the four players I’ve offered is slow playing it. The good news is they’re slow playing it for everyone, not just me. It doesn’t make this any less nerve-wracking though considering I have so many scholarships to fill. Here’s what the board looks like right now — none of these guys are even close to committing.

I sim through the regular season and win out. Richards drops a career-high 35 points against UMKC in my last game. We end the regular season at 25-2 overall and 18-0 in conference.

No heartbreak in the Summit tournament this year, please.

Summit League tournament

Despite my sparkling record, I have no confidence I’ll get an at-large bid should we be upset in the conference tournament. First game is against Fort Wayne. I take home a 78-62 win with Richards leading the way with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Next up is South Dakota State in the semifinals. I win, 93-67, with Hehn dropping 26 points and Thompson finishing with 21 points and seven rebounds.

Now I have Southern Utah in the title game. Let’s go!

Oh, my God. My first conference loss of the year, and it happens in the title game, 84-80. I think I just felt my stomach fall out of my body. If this is Richards’ last game, at least he goes out with a new career-high of 37 points.

But wait! We get an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament

I can’t believe it. Is this the first at-large bid in Summit League history?

The Leathernecks are a No. 11 seed against Miami (Florida) in the first round. My team’s overall rating is up to a 90 now, with Richards at 87 overall as a senior, and Hehn and Messy at 84 and 83 overall, respectively, as true juniors. The Hurricanes are rated as a 94 overall.

No. 6 Miami (Florida) vs. No. 11 Western Illinois, NCAA tournament opening round

You know I watched the full game and cut up highlights — as a reminder, I’m not actually playing any of the games throughout this series, just watching the computer play it out.

Leatherneck Nation, let’s do this.

The soundtrack for this game is “The Better Parts of Space” from my bud Patrick Cosmos’ 2017 album Tonal Rotors. Support his music here.

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HELL YEAH.

What a win! Down eight with just over six minutes left, and we battle back. Messy was knocking down everything in the second half, and Wiedemann controlled the game from the opening tip. Love to see it. Also shouts to my center of the future, Deke Van, with the big 8-8-2 game without missing a shot.

WESTERN ILLINOIS IS STILL DANCING.

Next up: No. 3 seed Florida State in the Round of 32.

No. 11 Western Illinois vs. No. 3 Florida State, NCAA tournament Round of 32

This game features commentary from my bud, Zach (@ZM_Baseball), and I. It was incredibly intense from the opening tip to the final buzzer. Please enjoy more than seven minutes of Leathernecks basketball:

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One. Stop. Away. From the Sweet 16. And the refs bail out FSU with a whistle. UGH.

Incredible game, incredible season. Western Illinois will be back.

UCLA wins the national championship. My seniors — my first full recruiting class — have graduated:

Richards exits school with 1,614 points for his career — he somehow didn’t win back-to-back Summit League Player of the Year awards, which is a crime. Wiedemann, Cisse, Thompson ... all of them had great careers. And now the program moves forward.

Western Kentucky and UIC offer me a job. No thank you. Instead, I use my new coaching attribute points to boost my offensive and defensive ratings up to a B- and my teaching up to a B+.

Fall recruiting

I still have a ton of work to do in recruiting and I’m not optimistic.

Robertson — my four-star point guard ranked No. 51 overall — signs with UCLA after the second week. Damn.

One by one, everyone else also signs with another school, with one exception: power forward Ira Wells, who commits to WIU on the last week and becomes the first top-100 prospect in program history at No. 82 overall.

I just went 2-for-5 on open scholarships because I don’t have enough recruiting points at Western Illinois to make up ground late in the spring. This isn’t a death sentence for the program, but definitely a set back. I’m going to have to do major work on the recruiting front next year.

After setting my schedule, I sim forward to my sixth year.

Year 6

Here’s the first look at the roster:

To be continued.

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[bibliothecar-y]

Letter to the Earth - Mark Twain

OFFICE OF THE RECORDING ANGEL Department of Petitions, Jan. 20

Abner Scofield Coal Dealer Buffalo, New York

    I have the honor, as per command, to inform you that your recent act of benevolence and self-sacrifice has been recorded upon a page of the Book called Golden Deeds of Men; a distinction, I am permitted to remark, which is not merely extraordinary, it is unique.     As regards your prayers, for the week ending the 19th, I have the honor to report as follows:     1. For weather to advance hard coal 15 cents a ton. Granted.     2. For influx of laborers to reduce wages 10 percent. Granted.     3. For a break in rival soft-coal prices. Granted.     4. For a visitation upon the man, or upon the family of the man, who has set up a competing retail coal-yard in Rochester. Granted, as follows: diphtheria, 2, 1 fatal; scarlet fever, 1, to result in deafness and imbecility, Note. This prayer should have been directed against this subordinate's principals, the N. Y. Central R. R. Co.     5. For deportation to Sheol of annoying swarms of persons who apply daily for work, or for favors of one sort or another. Taken under advisement for later decision and compromise, this petition appearing to conflict with another one of same date, which will be cited further along.     6. For application of some form of violent death to neighbor who threw brick at family cat, whilst the same was serenading. Reserved for consideration and compromise because of conflict with a prayer of even date to be cited further along.     7. To "damn the missionary cause." Reserved also -- as above.     8. To increase December profits of $22,230 to $45,000 for January, and perpetuate a proportionate monthly increase thereafter -- "which will satisfy you." The prayer granted, the added remark accepted with reservations.     9. For cyclone, to destroy the works and fill up the mine of the North Pennsylvania Co. NOTE: Cyclones are not kept in stock in the winter season. A reliable article of firedamp can be furnished upon application.     Especial note is made of the above list, they being of particular moment. The 298 remaining supplications classifiable under the head of Special Providences, Schedule A, for week ending 19th, are granted in a body, except that 3 of the 32 cases requiring immediate death have been modified to incurable disease.     This completes the week's invoice of petitions known to this office under the technical designation of Secret Supplications of the Heart, and which, for a reason which may suggest itself, always receive our first and especial attention.     The remainder of the week's invoice falls under the head of what we term Public Prayers, in which classification we place prayers uttered in Prayer Meeting, Sunday School, Class Meeting, Family Worship, etc. These kinds of prayers have value according to classification of Christian uttering them. By rule of this office, Christians are divided into two grand classes, to wit; (1) Professing Christians; (2) Professional Christians. These, in turn, are minutely subdivided and classified by Size, Species, and Family; and finally, Standing is determined by carats, the minimum being 1, the maximum 1,000.     As per balance sheet for quarter ending Dec. 31st, 1847, you stood classified as follows:     Grand Classification: Professing Christian.     Size: one-fourth of maximum.     Species: Human-Spiritual.     Family: A of the Elect, Division 16.     Standing: 322 carats fine.     As per balance sheet for quarter just ended -- that is to say, forty years later -- you stand classified as follows:     Grand Classification: Professional Christian.     Size: six one-hundredths of maximum.     Species: Human-Animal.     Family: W of the Elect, Division 1547.     Standing: 3 carats fine.     I have the honor to call your attention to the fact that you seem to have deteriorated.     To resume report upon your Public Prayers -- with the side remark, that in order to encourage Christians of your grade and of approximate grades, it is the custom of this office to grant many things to them which would not be granted to Christians of a higher grade -- partly because they would not be asked for:     Prayer for weather mercifully tempered to the needs of the poor and the naked. Denied. This was a Prayer-Meeting prayer. It conflicts with Item 1 of this report, which was a Secret Supplication of the Heart. By a rigid rule of this office, certain sorts of Public Prayer of Professional Christians are forbidden to take precedence of Secret Supplications of the Heart.     Prayer for better times and plentier food "for the hard-handed son of toil whose patient and exhausting labors make comfortable the homes, and pleasant the ways, of the more fortunate, and entitle him to our vigilant and effective protection from the wrongs and injustices which grasping avarice would do him, and to the ten dearest offices of our grateful hearts." Prayer-Meeting prayer. Refused. Conflicts with Secret Supplication of the Heart No. 2.     Prayer "that such as in any way obstruct our preferences may be generously blessed, both themselves and their families, we here calling our hearts to witness that in their worldly prosperity we are spiritually blessed, and our joys made perfect." Prayer-Meeting prayer. Refused. Conflicts with Secret Supplications of the Heart Nos. 3 and 4.     "Oh, let none fall heir to the pains of perdition through words or acts of ours." Family Worship. Received fifteen minutes in advance of Secret Supplication of the Heart No. 5, with which it distinctly conflicts. It is suggested that one or the other of these prayers be withdrawn, or both of them modified.     "Be mercifully inclined toward all who would do us offense in our persons or our property." Includes man who threw brick at cat. Family Prayer. Received some minutes in advance of No. 6, Secret Supplications of the Heart. Modification suggested, to reconcile discrepancy.     "Grant that the noble missionary cause, the most precious labor entrusted to the hands of men, may spread and prosper without let or limit in all heathen lands that do as yet reproach us with their spiritual darkness." Uninvited prayer shoved in at meeting of American Board. Received nearly half a day in advance of No. 7 Secret Supplications of the Heart. This office takes no stock in missionaries, and is not connected in any way with the American Board. We should like to grant one of these prayers, but cannot grant both. It is suggested that the American Board one be withdrawn.     This office desires for the twentieth time to call urgent attention to your remark appended to No. 8. It is a chestnut.     Of the 464 specifications contained in your Public Prayers for the week, and not previously noted in this report, we grant 2, and deny the rest. To wit; Granted, (1) "that the clouds may continue to perform their office; (2) and the sun his." It was the divine purpose anyhow; it will gratify you to know that you have not disturbed it. Of the 462 details refused, 61 were uttered in Sunday School. In this connection I must once more remind you that we grant no Sunday School Prayers of Professional Christians of the classification technically known in this office as the John Wanamaker grade. We merely enter them as "words," and they count to his credit according to number uttered within certain limits of time; 3,000 per quarter-minute required, or no score; 4,200 in a possible 5,000 is a quite common Sunday School score, among experts, and counts the same as two hymns and a bouquet furnished by young ladies in the assassin's cell, execution morning. Your remaining 401 details count for wind only. We bunch them and use them for head winds in retarding the ships of improper people, but it takes so many of them to make an impression that we cannot allow anything for their use.

    I desire to add a word of my own to this report. When certain sorts of people do a sizable good deed, we credit them up a thousand-fold more for it than we would in the case of a better man -- on account of the strain. You stand far away above your classification record here, because of certain self-sacrifices of yours which greatly exceed what could have been expected of you.     Years ago, when you were worth only $100,000, and sent $2 to your impoverished cousin the widow when she appealed to you for help, there were many in heaven who were not able to believe it, and many more who believed that the money was counterfeit.     Your character went up many degrees when it was shown that these suspicions were unfounded. A year or two later, when you sent the poor girl $4 in answer to another appeal, everybody believed it, and you were all the talk here for days together. Two years later you sent $6, upon supplication, when the widow's youngest child died, and that act made perfect your good fame. Everybody in heaven said, "Have you heard about Abner?" -- for you are now affectionately called Abner here. Your increasing donation, every two or three years, has kept your name on all lips, and warm in all hearts. All heaven watches you Sundays, as you drive to church in your handsome carriage; and when your hand retires from the contribution plate, the glad shout is heard even to the ruddy walls of remote Sheol, "Another nickel from Abner!"     But the climax came a few days ago, when the widow wrote and said she could get a school in a far village to teach if she had $50 to get herself and her two surviving children over the long journey; and you counted up last month's clear profit from your three coal mines -- $22,230 -- and added to it the certain profit for the current month -- $45,000 and a possible fifty -- and then got down your pen and your checkbook and mailed her fifteen whole dollars!     Ah, heaven bless and keep you forever and ever, generous heart! There was not a dry eye in the realms of bliss; and amidst the hand-shakings, and embracings, and praisinqs, the decree was thundered forth from the shining mount, that this deed should outhonor all the historic self-sacrifices of men and angels, and be recorded by itself upon a page of its own, for that the Strain of it upon you had been heavier and bitterer than the strain it costs ten thousand martyrs to yield up their lives at the fiery stake; and all said, "What is the giving up of life, to a noble soul, or to ten thousand noble souls, compared with the giving up of fifteen dollars out of the greedy grip of the meanest white man that ever lived on the face of the earth?"     And it was a true word. And Abraham, weeping, shook out the contents of his bosom and pasted the eloquent label there, "RESERVED": and Peter, weeping, said, "He shall be received with a torchlight procession when he comes"; and then all heaven boomed, and was glad you were going there. And so was hell.

[Signed] THE RECORDING ANGEL [SEAL] By command

[redantsunderneath]

An explanation of the end of Twin Peaks that provides closure

Short version, unpacked below:  The story in the World of Twin Peaks has its end mid part 17 when the lights go out in the sheriff's station (with a farewell coda at the boiler room door).  Coop’s face superimposed on the screen indicates a dissociative episode, one foot on the denouement of the TP story and one in the temptation of solving the only unresolved issue: Laura.  The remainder of the show is a “last temptation of Cooper” fantasy/nightmare where the lesson metaphorically learned through his 25 years in the lodge is played out in the real world and demonstrates the horrific consequences of wasting your life in an obsession with solving other’s problems without facing your own.  After Coop’s nightmare climax winks out, leaving us in the real world as pre-season Coop returns to the lodge.  As farewell, we get the lingering lesson of the whisper, “you can never save me,” which brings us around to the fact that this has been learned before Coop leaves the Lodge – we end at the beginning, and this 1.5 episodes really belong before the first (holla, Infinite Jest fans) and is placed here as a remembered lesson, a real world version of 25 years in the lodge.

So, biases on the table – I needed an explanation that accomplished 3 things:

1. Provides closure – it has to work as a series finale without all the “there has to be a fourth season now”

2. Allows for Coop to not have to have, after the last 25 years, not learned his lesson – no cycle of “never learn” purgatory allowed

3. Saving Laura is bad because it robs her of agency and redemption and Coop’s desire to do it is damaging and reflects his deepest flaw

I bring a couple of preconceptions to the table that are, for certain, not universal.

1 Coop lost his confrontation with his shadow self (s2e22) because of his tainted savior complex.  This is due to the nature of white knight-ism itself (reducing women to grail objects), his repeating pattern of his relationships being structured this way (he tried to break this pattern with Annie, but Windom Earle placed her back in this context, setting him up for a fall), and a general fascination with the dark/morbid aspects of humanity/sexuality (grinning inappropriately at Fleshworld, desiring to see dead bodies at a young age, job enabled obsession with victims of sexual violence after it is too late). But also, the problem to be solved is that of a system that he has internalized, a kind of “bad” pattern of the way males and females relate, and he has not really taken a look at himself (or the FBI for that matter).  Going back to save Laura is the direct but wrong way to deal with his deepest desires and the problem with the world and not only would rob her of her own salvation but has the same cosmic wrongness that is demonstrated by the zombie Kahl Drogo sequence in GoT (has anyone compared that yet?). This is bad Coop – ends justify the means, playing with dark forces, trucking in life and death.  Mr C, another words.

2 In the World of Twin Peaks, things work like TV (the OS like nighttime soaps the Return like prestige drama) but with the symbolic aspects manifested as a psychological space of archetypes spilling in to the ground reality.  Thus, conflicts are played out metaphorically, but one can imagine the real world analogue to any of these.  Coop’s confrontation in the (s2 last episode) Lodge becomes him losing himself to his darker impulses given the situation (Annie possibly being killed like Caroline), killing Earle in rage, and this changing him, his demons taking over.  The current season does a lot to define the TP world against our world, both in implicating a dreamer (not just Lynch and Frost, but the audience which includes “real world” Coop/Richard, see below), placing Audrey/Sherlyn Fenn there (this only makes sense but is too much to broach here), including a real world city limits sign to contrast with the TP sign, and casting the owner of the house as the owner of the house.  

3 The ring represents responsibility for your actions.  Choosing to put the ring on is an act of radical self-determination, taking responsibility who you are and what you have done, enabling a choice whether to succumb to your demons, and dangerously stepping into the unknown world where the will meets the real (as opposed to the self-imagined or the civilized-symbolic).  Having the ring put on you is forcing responsibility and exposing someone to judgement.  I’d love to see a Green Lantern that took this view of the “ring of will,” the unworthy burning themselves out.  Cooper telling Laura “don’t take the ring” is a mistake of someone who has yet to learn the lesson (see savior complex above).  She and maybe some element of the world is saved by her sacrifice which is enacted by owning her actions.

4 I haven’t seen mentioned that, with everybody noting the Wizard of Oz nature of the “last scene in the world of TP,” the superimposed face is an element of going from Kansas to Oz.  Dorothy’s face doubles and the double hangs superimposed over the cyclone.  This is that in reverse, going from the “dream” to the real world.

5 Remember when Laura not only screamed at Cooper in FWWM (in black and white, Oz dudes) but then every line she says after that works as if addressed to him?  “Your Laura is gone, there’s only me now” “you want to take me home now.” That was awesome

6 Naido is only revealed to be Diane in the dissociative space while Coop’s real analogue views the dream, starting (seeing Naido is the first “split off” moment). Until then she is the injured, unaware, incoherent feminine who makes monkey noises, firmly in the symbolic space, rescue bait for old Cooper, the agency-less victim.  Coop maps her to Diane but also to the red room (face, Diane’s nail and hair choices).  The red room is a feminine space – vaginal red curtains, Venuses (note the replacement of the Venus DeMilo with no arms with the Venus of Arles with the arms ripped off, a change of nature, Naido to Judy), and the fact that the trial of the masculine entails facing the feminine.  Naido is a figment of the male imagination and being turned into the 3d Diane is the moment Coop shows he has learned.

7 Judy is tough to talk about, but we are gonna. The FBI men have clearly been on a search for something wrong with women (OK, the feminine) they can fix. Being less charitable, the function of the FBI in Twin Peaks the Return is to investigate what went wrong with women since WWII… what with the acting like men, gaining subjectivity, being less nurturing, and all. Charitably, something is wrong in every generation with the masculine and the feminine and the wish to try to find a solution.  Judy as the goddess of negative feminine energy makes sense, but Coop seems to be looking for something more like “the daughter” (Naido identifies Judy as mother just as Sarah is Laura’s mother), the woman in trouble to be saved from her Judy-bred impulses. This is kind of hard to articulate but this goes to my “TP is about Boomers” theory where there is a post war problem with the feminine associated with inattentiveness (Judy and Naido have no eyes), a replacement of the maternal succor with aggression, and a putting a part of its nature asleep.  Naido is the vulnerable, underdeveloped, defanged product of this.  

8 Coop’s 25 year period is a metaphor for the problems of America but, more importantly, is a metaphorical story of a man at war with himself.  Cooper’s fireman nature (strong, silent, problem solving, scrupulous, doing what needs to be done, productive of joy – in the lodge) has been suppressed in favor of his Bob nature (a taker, end justifies the means, all goal - doing what he wants, leaving destruction – Mr C) but it is Dougie (the original) that is the “real” Cooper in that this is the identity that has been manufactured to cover the deeper faces, the one he shows the world.  When the “mid-life crisis” hits, the good starts to reassert, there is a fight, the return of the good fixed the world, and the identity is recreated as a better person.  Note this is the metaphor I’m not claiming this is what “actually happened,” whatever the hell that means.

9 I think Mr C was on a mission to do what the Blue Rose task force set out to do - find Judy – he just didn’t care who died in the process and was an adversary of anything that would get in the way.  He had the same goal as OG Coop did. He needed the coordinates because he wanted Naido who, as above, is a sort of contrapositive of Judy.  The giant flips between the location of the TP embodiment of Judy (Sarah) and that of Naido.  The white lodge was another trap.

10 Diane has, this season, lined up to represent the relationship Coop really needs.  He realizes Mr C has raped her, and the seeing her in Naido is a demonstration in mastery, by making her her in his mind, not a victim.  All the stuff at the end is the failure of this mastery previously in the lodge which maybe “flits through" Coop's mind while the face is up (though the face disappears during the true healing/win moment of the kiss, real recognition, and affirmation of memory).

So away we go. It works like this:  In the “world of TP” Coop has gotten right with his identity (Mr C and Bob gone) and relation to the world (Dougie) has been restored.  Mr C has been brought down by an avatar of weaponized innocence (Lucy) and Coop has faced Bob who has been brought down by an avatar of, well, gumption (determination, enthusiasm, taking a leap of faith).  Then he sees Naido, an avatar of the helpless traumatized woman, the thing his trial is based on.

This brings about the superimposed face – this is a diffracted reality: “Coop” as a real world manifestation as part of the audience (see below) witnessing the end of the show he and all of us are dreaming.  From a TP plot perspective, they have rescued Diane from Mr C’s victimization (rape) and contact with the good Coop brings her back to herself.  He demonstrates that he has learned his lesson by making her a human in his mind.  He sees in her the red room - in Naido/Diane is the nature of his trial, the ugly thing in the room that has a distorted, covered Diane and Judy as part of it emblematic of the taint he has to banish.   He has triumphed, they are both whole.

The dreamer turns away just long enough to miss the real reconciliation and affirmation that they remember what happened.  Everyting is finalized, everyone has arrived, Coop says hope to see you again, and the lights of the world of the show go out – the end.

Lynch and his two lead actors of his career go to the Great Northern boiler room door, Kyle says he must go alone, and goes through.  This is Lynch, finished with his film career, saying goodbye as Lynch’s representative in the world of the show must go it alone.  The face is gone, the dream is over, see you at the curtain call. One could stop here as the show world is over.  Note that the idea of going to get Laura or going to get Judy has never even been broached (it seems like it, but it hasn’t - there is no indication that that's why he is going through the door).

We go back to the past (and I mean Dale in the lodge past), to the fantasy that will haunt everything retroactively.  Dale is allowed to experience his rescue Laura but loses her to the ratcheting sound of the compulsive attempt (the B&W slipping into color, the white lodge being lost).  He should not be doing this and he needs to become the guy who doesn’t.  This is happening again and again while Dale is in the lodge – he is tested, and fails. This failure causes the loss of Laura (to a similar “woosh”) in the red room.  Dale has to ignore Leland (the clear eyed one that killed his daughter, not the dopple white eyed one that never killed anybody) and leave Laura’s redemptive act intact. We witness one such failure in the fantasy space followed by the same in the room itself (shown extended in episode 1, again Dark Tower and IJ).  But there is a version we haven’t seen, the “real world” one that the others have been analogies of.  

OK, we’ve reached a part that has multiple layers going on at once.  The rest of the episode shows a “real” version of Coop living the fact that he will never be the savior, a demonstration of how his obsession drove away the real love of his life, a representation of the time in the lodge as really just 25 years wasted on a tainted dream, a presentation of what the complete un-metaphorically split Coop would have been like those 25 years, and a symbolic depiction of (and middle finger to) fandom.  You could read it as a coda which goes back to dramatize the lodge or a moment of Cooper in Twin Peaks (when the face is up) having the “lesson” flashed through his mind.

It begins. After a third repeat of the red room stuff with Leland, etc., the room appears to let him out into the world, our world.  He gets to live the life he would have lived, beginning with a symbolic marriage to Diane - they say are you sure you want to do this, kiss, and cross the threshold, risk be damned.  The “honeymoon” sex really represents their entire marriage/relationship… he commands, she obeys, their closeness slips into alienation, she loses who he is, as the Mr C part of him is dominant.  There is no rape per se, he violates her spirit.  There is no tulpa, just a person she becomes as a result of the general trauma of being with him.  This is what being married to old Dougie was like for Diane’s “sister,” except she was the fantasy version that could tough it out with resilience, spunk, and good spirit.  After 25 years, she leaves (the hotel is the same one 25 years later, but that’s just shorthand for he’s stuck, never "home" the whole time).  They are literally different people, now.  

Coop is going to finish this.  He shows off how he’s Coop, Mr C, and Dougie at once in the Judy’s diner scene. Finding Laura is the one thing that gives his life meaning (fandom alert).  He finds her, still trapped in the life/cycle her resolve and death freed her from, takes her “home” where the RR is closed (or is it the real diner -Norma's place never closes) and the Laura’s house is owned by the real house owner.  He lets out a wail of wasted time “what year is it?”  as she suddenly wakes up to the vast degree of her (and everyone like her)’s pain.  He has done nothing but create more suffering.  The lights go out, simulation over, and he returns to the red room.

The cycle starts again.  Laura whispers “Jackass, you cannot save me/women in trouble because the problem is in you” and he makes the face of horrifying recognition.  Start the season over, this is just the setup.

Hope this helps.

[thecollegefootballguy]

2019 Top Games of the Week: Week 3

Not much is changing at the very top of the sport, but usually that takes more than a few weeks to figure out, but everything else, man, we’ve got a season on our hands. I mean, my god, Virginia and Maryland are ranked. Week 2 was packed with big games and near-miss upsets. I hope the trend continues as the weeks go on.

The Top Ten Games of the Week

10. TCU 1-0 (0-0) at Purdue 1-1 (0-0) (Saturday 9/14)

I’m a fan of this nonconference matchup, mostly because I can’t place either of these teams just yet. TCU has only played one game against an FCS opponent which doesn’t tell us a thing. Purdue has lost to Nevada but beat Vanderbilt pretty handily, so I really can’t say I’ve made up my mind about the Boilermakers except maybe Vanderbilt is worse than I thought.

9. Kansas State 2-0 (0-0) at Mississippi State 2-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/14)

Neither team has played much competition so far, so this game could end up telling us a lot about each squad. Both are hoping to crash their respective conference races and could use some momentum going into league play.

8. #24 USC 2-0 (1-0) at BYU 1-1 (Saturday 9/14)

Well I’m very curious what’s gonna go on here. USC seems to have found themselves a gunslinger in true freshman Kedon Slovis at QB. Meanwhile, BYU has become the latest non-P5 team to go to Knoxville and come away with a win. The Trojans have to be the favorites here but Brigham Young, despite its best efforts, almost never gets a shot at a team like Southern California in Provo. This is a huge statement game for the Cougars and they should give SC their best shot.

7. #9 Florida 2-0 (0-0) at Kentucky 2-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/14)

Do you believe in miracles? How about twice in a row? Last year Kentucky beat Florida in Gainesville for the first time since the 70′s. Now the Wildcats are tasked with taking down the Gators in Lexington for the first time since 1986 and with winning two in a row since 1976-77. It’s a tall order, but the seal has been broken. UK has the ability to beat Florida again, let’s see if they can take advantage.

6. #2 Alabama 2-0 (0-0) at South Carolina 1-1 (0-0) (Saturday 9/14)

I don’t think I’d have put this game on the top ten if it was played later in the season, but here we are. Alabama will probably crush South Carolina, but the Gamecocks just outdid their all-time scoring record on UT Martin, so maybe they can make something happen on offense. And besides, they aren’t playing Clemson yet, it’s not like this is the hardest game on the South Carolina’s schedule.

5. #1 Clemson 2-0 (0-0) at Syracuse 1-1 (0-0) (Saturday 9/14)

This one felt a lot more interesting before last week before Syracuse got blown up by Maryland. Clemson should probably knock over the Orange with little effort, but that’s what we all thought the last time the Tigers went to the Carrier Dome, and we all remember what happened then.

4. North Carolina 2-0 (0-0) at Wake Forest 2-0 (0-0) (Friday 9/13)

How can you not be fascinated by this game? North Carolina has turned from out and out loser to serious ACC Coastal contender in two weeks. Mack Brown has somehow resuscitated the Tar Heels in just two short weeks. Meanwhile, Wake Forest keeps plowing along, punching well above their weight in the past few years and looking to further improve up the Atlantic hierarchy despite massive institutional disadvantages. These long time, in-state rivals wanted to play each other so badly that they scheduled a non-conference series against each other to take the field this Friday night. That’s right, this isn’t even an ACC game and doesn’t count in the league standings. My god, this is just wild that we’re seeing this.

3. Arizona State 2-0 (0-0) at #18 Michigan State 2-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/14)

This part of the season is so fun because narratives about each team are just starting to crop up. Not for Arizona State though. The Sun Devils are the only team in the PAC-12 South to have absolutely no buzz around them positive or negative. So we’ll learn a lot from them this week. Michigan State, meanwhile, needs a good challenge to see if the Spartans are the real deal or not. Against Tulsa they looked moribund, against WMU Sparty looked kind of scary on offense. Imagine if MSU had an offense, just the thought sends a chill down my spine.

2. #20 Washington State 2-0 (0-0) vs Houston 1-1 (0-0) (Saturday 9/14)

Boy, the PAC-12 could actually sink lower if they lose this one. They really shouldn’t if they want any part in the national conversation. This one is being played at NRG, allegedly a neutral site, but I don’t think anybody is buying that one. Oh yeah, it’s the Cougar Bowl. That’s kind cool.

1. #19 Iowa 2-0 (1-0) at Iowa State 1-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/14)

As the prophesy foretold, one day, the Iowa-Iowa State would grab the nation’s attention. God I’m so mad that the AP took the Cyclones out of the top 25, even if it was warranted by almost losing to Northern Iowa. This could have been a top 25 matchup! That would’ve been so cool given that this game is usually either ignored or laughed at. Oh well, you’re missing out if you don’t watch this one. Iowa is one of the two serious players in the Big Ten West race and ISU has been among the three best teams in the Big 12 the past two years.

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Top 5 G5 Games of the Week

5. Miami OH 1-1 (0-0) at Cincinnati 1-1 (0-0) (Saturday 9/14)

I’m a sucker for longstanding rivalry games, which explains why this matchup is in the top 5 and not something like Air Force at Colorado. I remain unrepentant. The Victory Bell is one of the G5′s best (and only) non-conference trophy games and it’s fantastic that these two still play every year. Also Cincinnati could use a tune-up after getting thrashed by Ohio State.

4. Southern Miss 1-1 (0-0) at Troy 1-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/14)

I really like this regional non-conference matchup. Southern Miss and Troy are both hoping to win their respective conferences and a victory here would help out a great deal despite not counting in the official standings.

3. Hawaii 2-0 (0-0) at #23 Washington 1-1 (0-1) (Saturday 9/14)

I think Washington is going to use this game to remind people why they’ve won the PAC-12 twice in the last two years, but Hawaii has won two games already against PAC-12 opponents. We can dream.

2. Stanford 1-1 (0-1) at #17 UCF 2-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/14)

UCF might have another big season here. The Knights are getting to play two P5 teams in a row and should be the favorites both times. Stanford started strong but ended up getting hammered by USC last week. KJ Costello should be back as QB but the Cardinal’s issues on offense and defense probably won’t get covered up fully against an experienced team like Central Florida.

1. #21 Maryland 2-0 (0-0) at Temple 1-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/14)

Temple’s relatively innocuous game against Maryland has suddenly gained some importance now that the Terrapins have shown themselves to be severely underrated. The Owls have the chance to knock off a high flying opponent with a lot of momentum going their way.

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FCS Games of the Week

I didn’t include the FCS vs P5 games this week, mostly because the FCS teams are all severely overmatched by P5 opponents. I mean, I think it’d be cool if they won, but it’s not very likely.

5. #13 Illinois State 1-1 (0-0) at Eastern Illinois 0-2 (0-0) (Saturday 9/14)

The Mid-America classic is one of the FCS’s most played rivalries outside of the Ivy League. Illinois State is probably Playoff bound, but the Redbirds have to win on the road against the rebuilding Panthers.

4. #6 Weber State 1-1 (0-0) at Nevada 1-1 (0-0) (Saturday 9/14)

Let’s get the transitive wins going. Nevada beat Purdue already. We could do some real damage here. Idaho State > Ohio State?

3. #4 Eastern Washington 1-1 (0-0) at #17 Jacksonville State 1-1 (0-0) (Saturday 9/14)

Two perennial FCS powerhouses square off in this Playoff preview. Jacksonville State might need this one a bit worse, though. The Gamecocks’ loss to SELA in Week 1 really took the wind out of their sails.

2. #1 North Dakota State 2-0 (0-0) at #18 Delaware 2-0 (1-0) (Saturday 9/14)

Two perennial FCS powerhouses square off in this Playoff preview. This time without a qualifier.

1. #8 Towson 2-0 (0-0) at #6 Maine 1-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/14)

The CAA has gifted us with a great Top Ten matchup early on in the season. The only one in D-I football this week. Might as well watch it right?

[thenamnguyen]

Wanderlust, Island Edition

So here’s the thing:

I feel like running. Not running away but just running. Escaping the monotony of daily work life and lighting that fire inside and fuelling that wanderlust rocket to places far and wide. The when is coming together slowly and the time period is slowly becoming clearer of when travel is permissible. The how is obvious but the where is part that remains sketch. Several viable options are being cycled. Each have their own merit but each their own downside too.

 Option 1 – Lord Howe Island

Expensive, yes. Always accessible, no. It’s a place that I’ve yearned to explore. It’s my ideal escape from the hustle. Coastal stroll, frolics on the beach, wildlife and wild hikes. It’s also insanely picturesque and small enough to venture out and explore. Downside is that it’s not only expensive because the only way to get there is by plane and that shit ain’t cheap and what’s worse is that it’s only accessible in certain times of the year. Makes sense though because such a small island wouldn’t be pleasant to vacay in during rainy seasons (cue imagination creating an image of a cyclone blowing my ass out to sea). Even still, I know that I won’t die a happy man until I visit the island at least once in my life. So what caused this fascination? A movie……The Shallows to be exact. The moment I saw Blake Lively being driven through the greenery, I knew I had to see it myself. The moment she reached the beach and that wide shot of the shore captured the foliage, ocean, beach and mountain, I decided there and then as I was munching on my malteasers that I need to experience it for myself.

 Option 2 – Whitsundays

Another island escape but less wild more resort. So it lacks the wilderness that I crave but makes up for it with an insane amount of relaxation. The ultimate reset button. For that reason, I want to escape to this general region. Hamilton Island for the little resort island feel. Leave the car behind an be pampered on a little resort island and take in the sights. Perhaps even venture north to the Great Barrier Reef and see the natural beauty there. Plus, Whitehaven Beach. Wilderness, check. The lessor known islands are also on the list. Daydream Island. My ideal escape. Nothing to distract, nothing to bother, just pure island life relaxation. Downside is that it won’t be accessible until mid October 2018. I can wait. Tad bit pricey, yep but fuck it, I’m going there. A must see and do before I die. Hayman Island……fucking expensive as shit but damn it’s beautiful…..maybe for a special occasion but yes, a definite destination.

 Option 3 – Japan

My home away from home where I live like a king. I will never not go back and if I could I’d go back year after year. If I was rich, I’d live there in winter and Australia in Summer. Legit live there. There’s still so much to see and do there that I will live my whole life and still, I won’t have seen or done it all. Definite. Eyeing November and wildly affordable. I love the place, people, food and atmosphere. Only downside is that I will once again miss the Cherry blossom festival this year but I can catch the next or the one after. No biggie.

 Option 4  - Hawaii

For obvious reasons. Affordable flights. Hotels may hit the hip pocket a little hard but it may be worth it just to experience island life. Stairway to heaven, volcano tours, beach life and Spam. All it takes it timing for this one. Time it right and buy USD where the market is most favourable.

 Option 5 – Pacific Islands

Vanuatu, Fiji, New Caledonia. All three hit that island escape craving. All three are extremely accessible and affordable and all three will be visited. But it doesn’t quite tug as hard as the ones above as of yet but every once in a while, it pokes it’s head up and nudged me.

Option 6 – Tulum

Dream. This is the one. It’s pure beauty to me. From the Mayan Ruins that satisfy my adventurous side to the Azulik swing, I want to wake up in Tulum one day. Downside, danger. It’s Mexico after all but fuck me, I still want to go. Might as well see Chichen Itza as well while I’m there. Even now, I can feel that adventurous fire sparking  while I sit in this quite uncomfortable office chair.

Ok now to find the cash to do all this shit……