#all questions about the logistics of universe hopping should be answered

[charonarp]

Fangame Inquiry

So...I've been trying to do some research into the logistics and legality of fangames and what is and isn't allowed, but I'm so confused because none of the examples share what I'm trying to do and doesn't help me know if what I want to do is okay or not...so...I decided to hop on here and see if anyone's able to give me a clear answer if possible.

Recently, I purchased RPG Maker (MV/MZ - got both since they share file sizes and I might like one over the other for different games), and had the idea to make 3 possible fangames: A Legend of Zelda fangame, a Curse of Strahd RPG, and a Thomas Sanders fangame.

I'll be focusing on the first two, since those are connected to large companies. I'm pretty sure I'd be in the green light with my third idea, haha :p

Starting with the Legend of Zelda one (Project Acorn - a temporary name), this is the one I'm the most confused about. With this fangame, I want to make an original story with original characters, which happen to take place in Hyrule and use the races from the game (Hylian, Gerudo, Rito, etc.)

During my research, many have stated that Nintendo is VERY unwelcoming of fangames, but from what I understand, it seems to mostly be due to games that share too much similarity and assets from their games? I plan to make a lot of the game's assets on my own: custom sprites, tiles, portraits, etc., so I don't know where my idea would lie in regards to legality.

I don't plan to call it "Legend of Zelda: ___". The main thing I'm confused about is if it'll be a problem with me using specific locations, temples and races, even if they're original characters and personally constructed. Like Kakariko Village, would I get in trouble if I had this as a location in the storyline? Would I get in trouble for using the word "Hyrule"?

I'm fairly confident that mentioning names of existing characters in the franchise would cause issues, but honestly, I don't plan to have them involved or mentioned at all in it. I genuinely want to make a fully custom story with my own characters in their own timeline/universe, in a time where there is no Hero of Courage, there's no looming threat due to the Triforce of Power or anything related to it.

I plan on making this game entirely free, should it be made. In fact, I plan on making all my fangames free, should I be able to make them long enough to publish. I am just one person after all, with no experience making custom tilesets or sprites or anything (pixel art is not my strong suit, but I'm willing to try). I just have a story in my head I'd love to see in an RPG format, that's all. I also plan to use custom or copyright free music for it as well. Even if I'm no musician, I do wish to learn.

For the second, I can see the Curse of Strahd fangame having some issues, considering the fact that I do have the idea of making an RPG fangame playing a majority of the plot from the campaign into it, but not exactly one-to-one. However, it'd use characters straight from the book, the only custom characters just being the character(s) you play and extras that may share importance to those characters.

This one I'm the most scared of because of this reason. Although I do plan on making the game free (should I be able to make it), I can definitely understand if this one in particular causes problems with wizards. I mean, it would also spoil a lot about the game...I just thought that Curse of Strahd would be a fun game in an RPG format, considering that it's a sandbox adventure that has the same plotline throughout the book, but changes drastically due to the tarot cards.

Now that I think about it, maybe I shouldn't make this game...hmmmm 🤔

Sorry for the long ramble, I'm just genuinely lost. If you tell me to "look it up", I tried. I hate looking up stuff like this because I'll find so many answers and none of them will answer my questions. There's so much information on the internet that I seriously don't know what's true or not by just one post.

Again, I plan to make these free, should I be able to publish them. I personally don't feel comfortable even charging money for anything I'd like to make in regards to games. I'm also pretty sure I'd definitely get in trouble if they costed money to play, lol.

I got inspired to try to make some games again thanks to my 14th re-watch of Markiplier playing the Hearts and Heroes fangame, haha. I tried making games before, but dropped it pretty fast due to being an inexperienced writer and not knowing how to progress at a certain point (I also didn't legally own RPG maker back them either, but that's all gone now lol).

I would probably ask this on Reddit, but I seriously don't understand that website and don't know where I'd even post this, lol. I am also very afraid of that site, so....yeah <_<'

Hope you take care! And remember to HYDRATE :D (Help idk how to tag-)

[the-irrelevant-trumpeter]

Aight: Questions about "the way back home" that aren't too spoiler-seeky, because you asked for questions and the fic is incredible.

1) How did you write something that's already so good??? We are,,, 2 chapters in?? And it is incredible??? Are you a god?????

2) How did you get the idea for the fic? It's a really interesting concept, and I'm kinda curious

3) So, Chris just randomly wished for a thing and it came true?? Is this a thing that could happen to anyone and any wish? What superpower is granting random wishes anyway? I assume we'll find out more later in the fic and this may be bordering on spoilers, so no worries if you can't answer :)

4) How often do (did?) the Cornley Crew show up on each other's doorsteps, and who's the most common to end up on a doorstep/who's doorstep do people most often end up on? It's such a cute image and I need more info lol

5) You are awesome. It's not a question, but whatever.

Hope these questions are okay, kinda hard to come up with questions this early on I guess, there's so much we don't know and so many things I want to ask but can't because spoilers!!!!!

Anyway, have a great day!!

1) how did you discover my secret god identity /j but seriously you‘re too kind <3

2) hmm well i believe i was watching ppgw and i started thinking about what would have happened if it went right, which was the start of the idea seed. then i applied it to tptgw accgw and tgws. i can’t remember where the actual universe traveling part came from, but soon enough it developed in my mind.

3) yeah so we’ll find out later in the story that there’s a bunch of different factors that resulted in chris being able to do it, but yeah theoretically other people could do it as well.

4) all the time, i am so sure of this. they just turn up at each other’s place whenever they feel like it. i’d say they’d most commonly go to annie’s place, just because

5) awww shucks

thank you so much for the questions!

[winterscaptain]

figure it out.

Aaron Hotchner x Gender Neutral Reader a joyful future fic

a/n: this has been in my wips for literal months as i’ve done my best to get it just right for yall. i hope you enjoy it, and tell me what you think! There’s an addendum to this one, and i’m already working on it, but we’ll see a few more things before that’s ready :)

words: 3.5k warnings: sex mention, sex implication, language

summary: “love is like a backache. it doesn’t show up on an x-ray, but you know it’s there.” - george burns. au!january 2012. 

masterlist | a joyful future masterlist | ajf faq | requests closed!

You roll over in bed when your alarm goes off, but you don’t get very far. Aaron throws an arm over you and pulls you back to him with a grumble. 

You huff a laugh and wiggle up against him. It’s all a tease and you both know it - there isn’t any time to get up to anything fun before work, but it’s far too entertaining to rile him up.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish.” His voice escapes his lips between your shoulder blades and you can feel his smile. 

“Oh, trust me, babe. I can finish.” 

He hums, his smile breaking out into something real. “I noticed.” 

+++

When the two of you finally make it out of bed (surprisingly still on time), you grab one of Aaron’s scarves and a hat on your way out. It’s your turn to drop Jack at school today on your way into the office, and the task serves two purposes. 

The first? It’s nice to spend time with Jack, just the two of you, when it’s your turn and you’re not on a case. It’s the same for Aaron, who always leaves a little earlier so he and Jack can sit down somewhere and have breakfast together.

The second is pure logistics. You two can’t show up to work in the same car at the same time, so a convenient excuse to separate and stagger your arrivals is welcome. 

“Really?” 

Aaron’s question stops you at the threshold and you look over your shoulder “What?” 

“My hat? My scarf?” 

It’s almost too tempting to cave when he’s looking at you like that - his tie hanging around his neck, shirt untucked, arms crossed, and playful frown hiding a smile. 

“Yeah. It’s warm and it’s here and we’re late.” 

Jack squints up at you and says, “We’re not late.”

“You’re not late.”

The observations come within split seconds of each other and you laugh. 

“Fine. Not late, but warm. And you have more hats.” You scamper back into the house to plant a kiss on his lips, smoothing the hair at his temples. 

Jack’s laughter is the underscore to your next quip. “You’re very handsome and I’m sure you’re very smart so you can figure it out.” 

“Yeah, Dad,” Jack chirps. “Figure it out.”

He has nothing to say to your retreating forms as he catches a glimpse of your smile through the crack in the closing door.

+++

Emily and Spencer are away at a conference-book-signing thing, so it’s just the five of you and Penelope this morning. You’d normally figure that would be Rossi’s purview, but apparently - 

“My book-signing days have been put on hold indefinitely in favor of -”

“ - He’s back.” Garcia interrupts, tossing case files at all of you. The conversation is cut short and you suppress a smile. “The Marin headlands last night.” 

You can see Aaron’s lips pull as well. 

It’s the little things. 

Penelope gestures with the notes and crime scene photos appear on the screen. “David Atley and Nicole Puli, both 24, both grad students at Berkeley, shot multiple times in their vehicle-- wait for it--” She clicks again and a familiar sigil appears. 

“The Zodiac?” Morgan’s shock is almost sardonic in its delivery. 

Rossi snorts. “No way.”

“Come on,” Derek says, amused, while JJ chimes in as well. 

 “It's gotta be the 2.0 version.”

While neither of you speak, you share a glance with Aaron. You’re kidding. 

He only raises his eyebrows for a split second and shrugs. 

There’s some part of you a little paranoid that you’re the most obvious couple to exist in the history of the universe. Sure, the team has been teasing you about your friendship for years, the will-the-won’t-they of it all, but now that it’s real you’re almost terrified that they know everything. 

Thus, the overcompensation has been wretched. You and Aaron barely look at each other in the field if you can help it (which you usually can’t) and he tends to put you with Derek more often than not. 

In truth, the others have noticed, but are far too interested in the spectacle to say anything. Emily’s almost certain the two of you have slept together, and Dave may or may not have suggested the possibility of a secret marriage during your period of suspension. 

However far-fetched and ridiculous their theories, they know you two well enough to know that something happened. The tension is gone. 

Derek almost finds himself missing the tension. There hasn’t been much to tease you about lately in its absence. 

“Yeah, you would think so, except for the crazy similarities in the MO.” Penelope clicks through the photos as she talks. 

“I'm talking same victimology, same geography. And,” she adds. “Two souvenirs were left at the crime scene.” She clicks once more and stands back for the full effect. 

“He left a photo?” Rossi asks.

She hums in the affirmative. “Local police say that is Marcia Miller. She was found near Napa in 1971. Strongly suspected that she was a victim of the Zodiac, but police never confirmed it and they didn't publicize the case.” 

Morgan’s still squinting at the screen. “So the Zodiac took this photo at the killing and then saved it all these years?”

“The Zodiac's last confirmed victim was the cabdriver Paul Stine,” Dave notes devolving into a conversation about The Zodiac, his timeline, his signature. 

It’s nothing new - The Zodiac Killer’s case details are common knowledge in your line of work, nevermind the sheer number of copycats that try their hand at the highly-ritualistic murders before inevitably getting arrested. 

There’s a reason this guy hasn’t been caught in forty years. 

After a few minutes of bouncing between you all, Hotch pushes back from the table and stands. “Have Reid and Prentiss meet us in San Francisco. Wheels up in 30.”

He heads straight to his office to collect his things and you swing in by the tips of your fingers for just a second. “You wanna call Jess or do you want me to?” 

In the middle of throwing files in his briefcase, he doesn’t look up when he answers. “Can you, please? I was supposed to meet with Strauss this afternoon and need to stop by her office before wheels up.” 

You smile at him, tapping the door frame twice. “You got it.” 

+++

It’s boots on the ground right away when you land in San Francisco. You drive to the crime scene with Aaron in the passenger seat beside you and JJ in the back. The radio’s on, and you sing under your breath, tapping your fingers on the steering wheel as you make your way up to the crime scene. 

Before you get to the local FBI agents, JJ catches you by the sleeve. “It’s nice to have music in the car again.” 

You just smile at her. Aaron looks a little puzzled. 

The three of you wipe the looks off your faces by the time you get to Agent Lynn. 

+++

“What did JJ mean?” Aaron asks you. 

The two of you are alone for the time being, posted up in the conference room with the old Zodiac case files. You look up. “Hmm?” 

“What did she mean when she mentioned the music earlier?” 

“Oh.” A little flush of embarrassment shoots down your gut. “Derek pointed out to me last summer that I didn’t play any music in the car.” 

...while you were gone is the thing you don’t say, but he knows that’s what you mean. 

“I didn’t really notice.” You shrug to cover your fib. “I guess I’ve reacquainted myself with the radio in the last couple of weeks.” 

Aaron hums, returning to his work. Something’s off, but you’re sure it’ll come up later. 

+++

“You don’t think it’s really him, do you?” You ask, unbuttoning your shirt and throwing your pajamas on. 

Surprisingly, this case seems to be one of those that allows for sleep at regular hours. For that, you’re grateful. It’s much harder to find time to wind down with Aaron at the end of the day when you’re all forced to sleep in shifts. 

Aaron shakes his head, “No, I think Reid’s right. We’re looking at a particularly sophisticated copycat.” 

“Isn’t that kind of worse?” Hopping up on your bed, you curl up and look at him over your nose - a clear invitation to join you. 

With a huff down his nose and a little smile, he flops down beside you and props his chin on his arms over your belly. “Could be. Luckily, we have Reid.” 

You almost think he’s going to say something else, but he gets that pensive look on his face again. 

“What?” 

With a sigh, he says, “I’m just thinking about what JJ said.” 

“Oh, Aaron -” 

He doesn’t let you finish. It’s probably a good thing. You didn’t know what you wanted to say anyway. 

“I knew how hard it was on me, but I’m realizing more and more how hard it was on you, too.” He shakes his head. “I feel ...I don’t know. I feel like I should have known better… or something.” 

Winding your fingers in his hair, you sit in silence for a moment. He doesn’t have anything more to say and eventually he crawls up your body and settles in under your arm, his head on your chest and legs wound between yours.

Sometimes, you’ve found, he likes to feel small.  

“You’re safe and you’re home. That’s what matters.” You kiss the top of his head. “And I love you.” 

He hums, arcing into your touch and wrapping an arm around your waist. “I love you.” 

+++

You spend much of the next day chasing Spencer around the city, keeping notes handy (for yourself, not for him - he doesn't need them) and reporting back on his discoveries to the team like some kind of overwrought and hyper-trained secretary. 

Stepping off to the side, you answer a call from Aaron. 

“Hit your limit yet?” 

You look over at Spencer, who’s flipping through a newspaper like a man on a mission. “It’s actually kind of entertaining.” 

And that’s actually true. Watching Spencer push the limits of his intelligence is always a treat - it happens so rarely you almost forget how much you enjoy it every time. 

He huffs into the phone. “Hang in there. We’ll all meet back at the precinct once Reid’s done -”

“Doing magic?” 

“Exactly. Keep me posted.” There’s a pause. It’s an odd little habit you two developed in the field to leave space for the words you can’t say in front of the others. 

I love you.

“Me too.” 

+++

You’re almost asleep when a sliver of yellow light shoots across your room, promptly disappearing as the door to the hallway closes. 

He pads across the room and slips under the covers. “Hi.” 

A little smile crosses your face as you roll over to face him. “Hi.”

Before you can say anything else, his hands are on you and he’s half on top of you as he captures your lips. 

Needless to say, the lack of sleep is worth it. 

+++

Emily, long after she and Aaron are the only ones left in the precinct conference room, squints as she notices something right under his collar. 

He’s already loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his dress shirt, no longer standing on ceremony now that all the local police have retired and the rest of the team gone up to their hotel rooms. There’s not much to do, but the compulsion to get ahead for tomorrow is one neither one of them can shake. 

What Aaron failed to remember when executing his wardrobe adjustment was the rather...spirited romp in your room the night prior. The little purple swatches painted on his skin just under the line of his collar stood out stark against the crisp lines of his dress shirt. 

Fortunately for you, there was no way in hell the rest of the team would find anything he left on you last night. 

Emily reaches into her purse and pulls out a tube of concealer and a powder compact. Though he’s more olive-toned than she is, it’ll be good enough in a pinch. “Hey, Hotch.” 

He looks at her over his nose, his eyes tired. 

“You might want this for tomorrow morning.” She pushes the crisis control kit across the table to him, but he only frowns and deepens his squint. 

By way of explanation, she reaches across the table and presses the tip of her finger into one of the visible bruises in the hollow of his throat. He flinches, freezes, and then immediately drops his head into his hands. 

It’s easy to say Emily is amused in the extreme. “Those look...really fresh.” 

He shakes his head, insisting as he picks up a file at random, “They’re from before we left.” 

It’s only because it’s Emily that he’s even humoring this conversation. 

“No they’re not.” She sticks her tongue firmly in her cheek. “These ones are though.” She points at yellowing marks on his collarbone and he smacks her hands away. 

“And I know what fresh hickies look like, Hotch. Those are fresh fresh. Like, last night fresh. And we’ve been here for four days.” She frowns, tracking back through the day. “When on earth would you have time to -” 

A series of images flash through her head, random wayward connections flashing together in an alarmingly clear picture.

You, avoiding her at the office back in September with quickly-covered marks painted across your neck.

You, flirting with Sean and having way too much fun doing it, looking over his shoulder at ...someone else.

Hotch, in a perpetually good mood (for him, anyway, and despite looking ill-slept) for the last five months. 

The way the mistletoe kiss at Dave’s Christmas party looked way too easy, too familiar. 

And now, the obvious indicators that Hotch is not only getting it, he’s getting it good. 

If he got those last night…

Wait. 

Their hotel rooms are right next to …

Oh my God. 

Hotch watches the realization flash across Emily’s face, and he knows you’re both busted. Instead of losing her shit like he expected, Emily just leans back in her chair - smug. 

“So. Are you still Not the Boyfriend, or has there been an update?”

He sighs. 

The corner of her mouth tips up. “How long?”

“For which part? The not-boyfriend part, the boyfriend part, or this part?” He gestures vaguely to the space behind his tie, and Emily snorts. 

“Just spill it.” 

Holding up a finger, he pulls his phone out of his pocket, dialing the first number on his speed dial. 

You’re hardly asleep, sitting up in bed waiting for him with a case file in your lap, when you get the call. You’re not sure who’s listening, so a “Hey, Hotch. What’s up?” will have to do. 

“Emily knows.” 

You straighten. “How?”

“Doesn’t matter. She knows.” 

There’s a scramble, and suddenly Emily’s on the other end of the phone. “He’s got very questionable and very fresh bruises just under his collar. Care to explain?”

There’s another shuffle. 

“Ignore her,” Aaron says. With a hand pressed to your forehead, you understand the question implicit in his phone call. 

“Just tell her. It’s basically her fault, anyways. If she hadn’t ditched it then we’d have our heads up our asses for another five years.”

“Alright,” then, after a second of realizing you don’t sound sleepy at all, “Go to bed.”

“I’m in bed.” 

He rolls his eyes. Emily can only look on with amusement, gleeful in the extreme. “You know that’s not what I mean. Go to sleep.”

“Alright, alright. Fine.” You reluctantly close the casefile and put him on speaker so he can hear the light click off. “I’m going to sleep.” Then, “I love you. Come up soon.”

“Okay.” He shoots a glance at Emily. Because he’ll never hear the end of it anyway, more ammo won’t hurt at this point. “I love you too. Now, really. Go to slee -”

You hang up on him. He double-takes at his phone for a moment before shoving it back in his pocket. 

He’s met with Emily’s surprisingly moved eyes. “You’re...okay.”

What she means is, You’re happy. 

He knows. 

He nods. “I’m okay.”

She puts her files down and leans forward, resting her elbows on the table and lacing her fingers. “Tell me.” 

So, he does. 

He tells her about the way you stuck to him like glue through the divorce, the way you wiggled your way into Haley’s heart, captured the love of his son, and earned the trust of his entire family. 

He tells her what Haley said in the hospital, the tenacious care you showed his unyielding and unwilling ass when he was healing, the way your grief soothed his in the wake of Haley’s loss. 

He tells her about the moments of euphoria in the years of want and doubt and fear. 

He tells Emily about the day she died, how there was nothing more painful than that necessary lie. He tells her how easy it was to lie to the others, how it ripped him in half to lie to you. 

He tells her about the day he left for Pakistan, about the fight the night before, the kiss he pressed to your cheek on the tarmac, the endless, wretched nights missing you in the desert. 

He tells her about the fight when he finally came home, skims over the following days, jumps and meanders around to Christmas, to moving in, to the bliss that now seems to follow him wherever he goes. 

Emily watches the smile that plays at his mouth when he talks about you, the softness in his eyes as recalls the look on your face and the words you said and the way you are with Jack. There’s a kind of peace in him that she’s never really seen before. 

Maybe, she imagines, it was there before she met him (the second time). Maybe this peace existed with Haley. Maybe this is the most she’s ever heard him speak at once. Maybe it makes her smile. 

Maybe this peace is what his love looks like. 

If that’s the case, she thinks, you are very lucky indeed. 

It could have been hours, it could have been minutes, but at some point he stops talking. 

“Hotch?” 

He looks over at her, the softness lingering in his eyes. 

“I’m really happy for you.” 

His lips twitch. “Thanks.” 

“And you know it’s my God-given right to tell everyone else once this case is over, right?”

+++

You actually are asleep by the time Aaron gets back to the hotel. He leans against the wall in the dark with his hands in his pockets, enjoying the peace before the inevitable shitshow. 

He crosses the room and crouches at your side, running the back of his fingers over your cheek. You stir, sleepy noises leaving your throat as your eyes crack open. 

“Aaron?”

“Yeah. Just me.” 

You smile a little and close your eyes again. “How’d she take it?”

“Remarkably well.” He kisses your forehead. “Get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.” 

“No,” you whine, drawn-out and slurred. “Don’t leave. Stay. I set an alarm.”

With a resigned sigh, he strips and slides into bed behind you, wrapping you in his arms and holding you close. 

+++

You and Aaron sit on proverbial pins and needles for the rest of the case, but Emily keeps her word. The only indication of her knowledge came the morning after her chat with Aaron, when she pulled you to her and hugged you so tight you could hardly breathe. 

She seizes her moment on the plane, about halfway home. 

“Derek, you owe me fifty bucks.” 

She hardly looks up from her book as she speaks. 

He takes off his headphones and wrinkles his brow. “What?”

She repeats herself, slower, as if she was speaking to a child. “You. Owe. Me. Fifty. Bucks.”

“...Why?” 

Emily finally looks up from her book to pointedly stare at you and Aaron, seated next to each other and sharing a bag of Goldfish you stole from Jack’s snack drawer. You’re both reading from the same file, absently reaching for crackers as you go along. 

Derek’s confusion continues to smother his face until it finally clicks in. 

He steals a page from Reid’s notebook and balls it up, tossing it across the plane and breaking your concentration. You look up, only a little startled, to find a face-splitting grin blinding you across the cabin.

Derek’s small ruckus has drawn the attention of the rest of the team - well, all except JJ, who’s fast asleep on the couch. 

There seems to be a collective sigh of relief as money exchanges hands. You’re not quite sure what the bet was, but Emily seems to have won handily. 

Aaron takes your hand under the table, waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

It doesn’t. 

Everyone simply returns to their tasks, little smiles on their faces. 

+++

tagging: @quillvine @agenthotchner @hurricanejjareau @rousethemouse @criminalsmarts @genevievedarcygrangerwriting @ssaic-jareau @davidrossi-ismydad @angelsbabey @hotchsflower @hotchslatte @risenfox @mrs-dr-reid @captain-christopher-pike @dwellingsofrosie @pan-pride-12 @sunshine-em @word-scribbless @jdougl-love @sageellsworth05 @dreila03 @forgottenword @aaronhotchnerr @ssa-morgan @tegggeeee @abschaffer2 @ellyhotchner @lotties-journey-abroad @mrs-joel-pimentel-23-25 @laneygthememequeen @mooneylupinblack @ssareidbby @violet-amxthyst @bwbatta @roses-and-grasses @lcvischmitt @capricorngf @missdowntonabbey @averyhotchner @mandylove1000 @cevanswhre @qvid-pro-qvo @jeor @spencers-hoodrat @infinity1321 @zizzlekwum @popped-weasels @evee87 @nuvoleincielo @this-broken-band-girl @reidtomestyles @hotch-meeeeeuppppp @winqhster @arthurmorrgans @the-falling-in-the-danger @softbibxtch @iconicc @mangoberry43 @andreasworlsboring101 @kerrswriting @mac99martin @itsalwaysb33nyou @baumarvel @kerrswriting @messyhairday-me @ssworldofsw @deagibs @crazyshannonigans @moonshinerbynight @jhiddles03 @teamhappyme @mendesmelodies @starsandasteroids @unicorn-bitch @ambicaos

[aion-rsa]

Wynonna Earp Season 4 Episode 1 Review: On the Road Again

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This Wynonna Earp review contains spoilers.

Wynonna Earp Season 4, Episode 1

Hold onto your flasks, Earpers. For the next six weeks, new episodes of Wynonna Earp will be gracing our hearts and eyeballs. It’s almost too good to believe that, after almost two years, a time in which funding snafus and then COVID-19 temporary halted production, we have more of this wonderfully bonkers, ridiculously fun, and unabashedly sentimental story that centers found family, queer love, and women getting shit done to look forward to, but sometimes the universe gives you something good.

Given the long, long hiatus, you would be forgiven for not remembering everything that happened in Season 3 and, cleverly, this premiere doesn’t expect you to. While some of the dialogue refreshers can feel a bit crammed in there, given that the alternative would be showing a 15-minute recap at the beginning of the hour, it’s a necessary sacrifice. Basically, what you need to remember from Season 3 is this: half-angel Waverly got pulled into The Garden (of Eden), vampire gentleman Doc went after her. The curse is broken and therefore Wynonna no longer has Peacemaker. And, after drugging all of her family (save Waverly) in a misguided attempt to keep them safe from Bulshar, everyone in Purgatory disappeared save for Nedley. Got it? Good.

“On the Road Again” spends some time getting its characters into place for the episode’s main action. We quickly find out that Nicole, Jeremy, Kate, and the rest of Purgatory’s residents (whoever they are) were taken by either the government or private militia posing as government (this “distinction” hits different in the COVID-19 era). They were forced at gunpoint onto a train out of the Ghost River Triangle. Nicole hops off before they reach the border, but not before getting a high-stakes Tarot card reading from vampire Kate, who also gives her an assist off the train, as its doors are rigged to turn humans into french fries (not literally—I feel like I have to make that kind of thing clear with this show) should they try to open them.

Meanwhile, Wynonna and Nedley have gathered firepower and are heading back to the steps that lead to The Garden. We also quickly find out that Wynonna (still) can’t get into the Garden (I guess it’s good to double check?) and that Nedley retired for a reason. After getting bitten by some demon crabs that crawled out of Eden, Wynonna has to leave an injured Nedley in the loving (she makes omelettes!) care of Mercedes as she goes to investigate some Valdez leads she found in Dolls’ old files.

Because Nedley needs a rest and Mercedes can’t really be trusted, Wynonna is on this rescue mission alone, and you can tell it’s starting to shake her. Sure, she drugged her friends and family so she could go it alone, like she used to be more comfortable doing, but she soon realizes that she has grown to become accustomed to a team. When her truck gets a flat and Wynonna starts to lose faith in herself, she imagines what Doc and Waverly would say, obviously starting to understand just how much she needs backup both for emotional and logistical support.

It’s not Doc and Waverly that comes to Wynonna’s aid, but rather Nicole, who has caught up to Wynonna and wants to give her a piece of her mind—and a punch to the face. I love that Nicole, and therefore the show, doesn’t let Wynonna off the hook for the fact that she drugged her loved ones in the season finale. This is the kind of thing that happens all of the time in genre programming and that is treated as heroic, but it’s really, really not. Wynonna not only drugged them without their consent, she took their agency away from them. Frankly, Nicole lets her off easy.

Nicole’s unwillingness to let Wynonna get away with things is one of the best things about their odd couple dynamic, and I love that we see it centered yet again in the season premiere. Wynonna is a sarcastic, drinks a lot of the time, and isn’t always a team player. Meanwhile, Nicole is a straight-shooter who likes to have a plan, do things by the book, and keep lines of communication open and honest. They are two different kinds of leaders, and probably wouldn’t hang out in normal circumstances, but they both love Waverly more than anything in the world and that makes them family.

Following the “Valdez” clues Wynonna found in Dolls’ Black Badge files, Wynonna and Nicole continue on to an abandoned facility in nearby Monument, hoping they will find an alternate way into The Garden there. What they do find is Dr. Gloria Valdez’s gunslinging teen daughter and a whole lot of zombies. The zombies give the premiere a chance for the kind of stylish, oh-so-fun fight scene Wynonna Earp does so well, but they also feel like one obstacle too many. And did I mention the precarious grates? The facility has those to and, when Wynonna steps on one, she seems sure she’s marked for death. But Officer Haught has something to say about it. She knocks Wynonna off the grate and falls down the hole below instead, into darkness.

Elswhere in the episode, we get to see where Waverly and Doc ended up after going through that gate and it’s not super homey… at least not initially. The barren snowscape has no food or water to speak of, only looming obelisks and stone doorways that cast long, ominous shadows. Oh, and a throne (Julian’s throne), that Waverly seems like she kinda sorta wants to sit in?

Waverly and Doc aren’t the only characters in the Garden. They meet a former Black Badger driven crazy by his time there. He doesn’t give Waverly and Doc much of an explanation of what he’s doing there, other than that they need to pour human blood down a hole or something bad will happen, before he uses some supersized shears to chop off his own head. The situation is all very Desmond in The Bunker. Waverly and Doc have one teeny, tiny problem: neither of them are what you might strictly call “human.”

Another side effect of staying in The Garden? The longer you stay there, the more it messes with your memory. Waverly and Doc go from reminiscing about the dark deeds they’ve committed in the past to having trouble remembering the people they love most over the course of one scene. They can’t remember how long they’ve been in The Garden and we don’t actually know how much time they’ve been in there either. When Dolls falls asleep, Waverly wanders back into the bunker and feeds it some half-angel blood, “the good stuff.” It more than does the trick. Trees grow. Flowers blossom. Something deep inside the bunker whispers Waverly’s name.

The bunker also gives Waverly a choice. We see books with four different character names on them: Wynonna Earp, Waverly Earp, Nicole Haught, and Doc Holliday. It seems like Waverly chooses the book marked “Nicole” before venturing deeper into the bunker, towards that whispering voice. That leaves Doc all alone for now and means he’s the only one home when a very naked Nicole Haught appears in the bunker, chipper and only somewhat confused. She doesn’t seem to remember how she got there or even perhaps who Doc is? Was this the effect of Waverly potentially choosing Nicole’s book? Is it a result of Nicole falling down the grate? Could it have been a gate to The Garden? The Season 4 premiere leaves us with some great questions, and the promise of a new episode next week to start answering them. What a feeling.

Additional thoughts.

“You almost done? I feel like I’ve been standing here for two years.” Brilliant.

Is Kate going to come back? This show has an unfortunate pattern of writing out and/or de-centering its characters of color.

Wynonna Earp manages to both lean into the “Girl Chained to the Train Tracks” trope with Waverly and also subvert its problematic aspects at the exact same time.

Reader, that taser was not set to tickle.

Petition to have the characters of Wynonna Earp continue to use pads as bandages for the rest of its existence? This show normalizes parts of womanhood, from pregnancy to periods, like no other. Every time, it feels like a radical revelation.

“Well, that’s a felony.” Nedley’s response to hearing that Wynonna drugged her friends. Yes, yes it is.

Generally, we see dude characters doing the whole “I take away characters consent in the name of protection” shtick. I hope Wynonna Earp continues to push back against this really fucked up decision Wynonna made in the Season 3 finale, and we see Wynonna realize how much of a hurtful mistake this was.

What is time passes differently in The Garden and Waverly and Doc have been in there for the time it took for Wynonna Earp to come back after the Season 3 finale???

It was Jeremy, he of the former Black Badge employment, who scratched “Valdez” into Wynonna’s staircase. Like normal, Jeremy seems to know more than he is letting on. Why didn’t he tell Wynonna about “Valdez” before? Sadly, this is all we see of Jeremy in this premiere, which is probably an intentional choice to preserve some of the mystery of this premiere.

“Do you have anything of hers?” *Nicole looks for and realizes she doesn’t have Waverly’s wing, but offers Kate her hand instead. “Yeah… me.”

“This is Eden? It’s not the way they wrote it up.” I love Doc Holliday.

“You came?” “Of course.” I also love the Doc/Waverly dynamic. Get you a show that doesn’t just give your complex dynamics between the “traditional” relationships, like romantic partners or family members, but between all of its characters.

“You don’t get the judge of who matters and who doesn’t.” Nicole makes Wynonna better. Not sure if I believe they are best friends, though.

Calgary’s really beautiful.

What was Julian protecting The Garden from if not Bulshar? And are there more of those demon crab things? Asking for a friend.

“It is my birthright. My legacy.” Is Wynonna getting brainwashed by The Garden?

“Is that a yes?” “Like I would tell you first.” Still waiting on an answer to Waverly’s proposal…

“These guys did not find a great work-life balance.” Relatable.

The post Wynonna Earp Season 4 Episode 1 Review: On the Road Again appeared first on Den of Geek.

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Ingredients for Amazon’s HQ2 all available in St. Louis

https://www.vionafrica.cf/ingredients-for-amazons-hq2-all-available-in-st-louis/

Ingredients for Amazon’s HQ2 all available in St. Louis

Aaron Perlut Contributor

A 12-year resident of St. Louis, Aaron Perlut is a founding partner of digital marketing firm Elasticity, as well as the Startup Voodoo innovation conference.

There’s a whisper-quiet rumor making the rounds that Amazon is looking to establish a second headquarters outside of its initial digs in Seattle. It’s even got a name — HQ2 — and, in reality, Amazon’s announcement was a thunderous roar.

One of the premier global brands to which anyone or any city would love to hitch its wagon, when Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos sneezes, people want to examine the tissue for opportunity. Thus, economic development officials nationwide are foaming at the mouth while preparing to put their best foot forward, and pundits are speculating as to choices like Denver, Boston, Chicago, Austin and others.

In the offing is some 50,000 new jobs, deep organizational investments in infrastructure and more, thousands of relocating smart minds, high wages, residual economic benefits like new home sales, wage taxes, millions upon millions spent with regional retailers, charitable impacts and hundreds of other companies that will establish a presence to feed off of Amazon. Plus, as CEO Jeff Bezos said, “…billions of dollars in up-front and ongoing investments.” The prospective impact is remarkable, meaningful and has the potential to transform a region.

The big question is: Where? My unabashedly biased answer: St. Louis.

Yes, that St. Louis, in Missouri. The one I once wrote did “not suck” in Forbes. It’s where the Cardinals win a lot of baseball games and the Gateway Arch and Energizer Bunny live, and yes, the region that admittedly grapples with the same set of complex human challenges that nearly every other major metropolitan area in the U.S. is working to address today.

Why should Amazon look to St. Louis? In actuality, there is no one singular selling point, nor should there be if Amazon — or for that matter, any other company — is considering it. Rather, the choice revolves around a broad-based criterion, as anyone working in economic development and site selection understands.

Where to begin? Well, although it’s not particularly important for all practical purposes, let’s start with legacy, as St. Louis’ run of innovation and corporate success over the past two centuries is nothing short of remarkable.

Anheuser-Busch birthed the global beer industry and Purina the worldwide pet food market; Energizer batteries and the largest car rental company, Enterprise, launched in St. Louis; and say what you want about GMO crops pending your politics, but St. Louis-based Monsanto has ensured for a generation of food production while global farmland dissipates and worldwide population numbers soar.

What have you done for me lately? Jim McKelvey and some anonymous guy from St. Louis named Jack Dorsey founded Square payments systems — not in the Bay Area — but in St. Louis; Mercy Hospitals is revolutionizing virtual healthcare here and Washington University Medical’s Human Genome Project has been hailed as groundbreaking.

What’s ironically lost relative to what Amazon is, and is not, revolves around perhaps the most boring moniker in business: Logistics.

But what about tech? Amazon, of course, is a tech giant, and one would imagine that being a “tech town” is important. St. Louis was once corporate America’s manufacturing backyard, but through strategic planning initiatives first launched at the start of the new millennium, the region has evolved into a vibrant hotbed of technology, as well as a cradle of entrepreneurship over the past decade. But don’t take my word for it — Forbes’ Christopher Steiner cited St. Louis as “The Right Way To Build a Tech City,” the city was ranked as the top startup city by Popular Mechanics in 2015, the fastest growing startup city by Business Insiderand the “new startup frontier” by FiveThirtyEight in 2016.

What’s ironically lost relative to what Amazon is, and is not, revolves around perhaps the most boring moniker in business: Logistics. That’s right — at its core, Amazon is simply a logistics company. And guess what? St. Louis is a logistics town — total ballers in moving goods. The region is centered in the middle of the U.S., at the cross-section of international air, rail, interstate and major rivers; within 500 miles of one-third of the U.S. population and 1,500 miles of 90 percent of the people in North America.

And beyond the stereotypical perspective of transportation, let’s not forget the softer side of the modern worker’s everyday life — public transit — which is a key component for Amazon employees. Millennial workers today are less interested in driving to and from work and more interested in hopping a train to work as well as play. Thus, light rail is no frivolous criterion, and it just so happens that St. Louis has one, offering convenient service throughout the city, into nearby suburbs and to the airport.

What about human assets, or more plainly, a strong native workforce?

From a potential standpoint, the region has more than 30 four-year colleges and universities in the region, enrolling approximately 120,000 students, with options ranging from community and technical colleges to the esteemed Saint Louis University and the nationally recognized and prestigious Washington University in St. Louis. Plus, St. Louis has a strong pipeline of talent to one of the finest software engineering programs in the U.S. — the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana.

From a more present-day perspective, the region is a hotbed of smart minds. For example, it has more plant science PhDs than anywhere else in the world thanks to the presence of Monsanto, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and Washington University, among others. The region also boasts one of the largest STEM workforces in the U.S. as more than 80,000 are employed in these highly specialized occupations. Additionally, metro-St. Louis has cultivated a bioscience machine as noted by The Initiative for Competitive Inner Cities’ report, “Building Strong Clusters for Strong Urban Economies.” The organization cited St. Louis’ BioSTL bioscience economic development coalition — established in 2001 to build on plant and life science strengths — as a model for cities endeavoring to create economic growth through regional strengths.

Jeff Bezos, Amazon decision makers, even Santa Claus — are you paying attention? It’s all right there in front you.

How about life beyond the day-to-day grind of work? Good news — the region’s cultural assets are rich and diverse. St. Louis boasts one of the largest urban parks in the U.S. (Forest Park), amazing theaters like the historic Fabulous Fox and Muny theaters, The National Blues Museum, a strong live music scene highlighted by the annual LouFest music festival, the insane City Museum, the Magic House children’s museum, a vast collection of historic architecture, phenomenal art and history museums and, of course, the obligatory reference to the Gateway Arch.

Plus, St. Louis couldn’t exist without baseball and beer, and has not only been widely hailed as America’s best baseball town, but also is an unquestioned beer town — built on the backs of Anheuser-Busch — and now boasts one of the most respected craft beer communities in the U.S. led by Schlafly and Urban Chestnut, among other stellar microbrews.

And while you never lead a sale with price, let’s finish with it. In reality, you can’t sing karaoke in a public park in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, DC or Miami without it somehow costing you $145 per cubic note.

Good thing St. Louis’ median home value, at $164,200, is well below the U.S. median of $194,500, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015 American Community Survey data. But what does that really get you? Certainly more than your $2,000-per-month 400-square-foot efficiency in Manhattan.

The Council for Community and Economic Research (ACCRA) Cost of Living Index that measures the relative cost of U.S. metropolitan areas examines a new 2,400 square foot, four-bedroom, two-bath home with an attached two-car garage suitable for a management household. This index correlated with an average St. Louis-area home price of $214,260 for the year 2016 versus the U.S. metro average of $326,999 for the same period.

Jeff Bezos, Amazon decision makers, even Santa Claus — are you paying attention? It’s all right there in front you. The smart choice. A community that has a certain hustle in its step that has the red carpet laid out for you — that’s St. Louis. Whether it’s smart minds, a welcoming business environment, cultural assets, a legacy of innovation, tech talent or even cost of living — this region has all the ingredients Amazon needs to make HQ2 a success. Let’s get cooking, together.

Featured Image: Danita Delimont/Getty Images