#from which i conclude: key-smashing is also not allowed. Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[y-psi-lon]

Ok so we know that Psychonauts doesn't let you type swears or ~uncouth~ words with the typewriter in Cruller's Correspondence. However, I did find out that this does not apply if you write them in different languages.

I present you:

[thuyduongiuoi]

Week 4: Digital Community and Fandom: Reality TV Case Study

The convergence of traditional and modern media has led to the emergence of a new form of media different from traditional methods. Studies on viewing habits showed that 54% of viewers in the UK watch audiovisual content on a laptop, 49% on a tablet, and 39% on a mobile phone at least once a week (Sørensen 2015, p. 382).

It is possible to develop definitions that approach Reality Television as a distinct study area with its characteristics. Developing these definitions is by examining the terms 'real' and 'life': the genre invites viewers to witness the everyday, domestic, and behind-the-scenes aspects of ordinary individuals' lives. The audience is promised a glimpse into the lives of "real" people (Alsultany 2016, p. 3), and the shows are not typically scripted, are cheaper to produce, and feature "real" people instead of celebrities. 

The 'REAL' Show

In the analysis of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, the reality program began as a spinoff of TLC's Toddlers and Tiaras which offers a portrayal of people going about their normal lives, with storylines ranging from everyday activities like grocery shopping to unique, remarkable, or bizarre social rituals specific to a particular geographic region or socioeconomic class. However, the constructed panorama must also appeal to commercial television audiences, representing a fusion of popular entertainment with a self-conscious claim to portraying reality (Murray & Oullette 2009, p. 3). This self-awareness highlights the constructed nature of even the most seemingly "observational" Reality Television show, suggesting that perhaps the genre's most fundamental goal is to somehow prevent viewers from critically examining the underlying nature of what they are watching. Conclusively, this highlights that key terms serve an overarching purpose in Reality Television to provide enjoyable voyeurism by allowing viewers to follow an individual's lived experience. When Here Comes Honey Boo Boo premiered in 2012 it was a ratings smash, garnering itself an audience of 2.2 million people and a 1.6 share among 18-49 year-olds, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

Reality TV is a perfect fit for humor as a genre. Social media is a hub for fans to perform for likes and shares, with popular reality franchises like Drag Race and Love Island having multiple fan accounts dedicated to sharing jokes and memes about the shows. Humor is a key component of certain reality brands' social media presence, with both the creation and circulation of jokes and memes being a common practice (Deller 2019). 

The reality series "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" follows the life of Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson, a child beauty pageant participant, and her unique family. Johnny Depp has confessed to being a fan of the show, showing both intrigue and a hint of apprehension, stating, "I'm a little frightened of the show. That's the thing They're probably great people, but there are bits that happen that just I am mesmerized by." Here Comes Honey Boo Boo has amassed many celebrity fans, including Rosie O'Donnell and 'We Can't Stop' singer Miley Cyrus (Harp 2013). In October 2014, the reality TV world was rocked when TMZ.com released a photo of June "Mama June" Shannon in a hotel room with a man named Mark McDaniel, who had just been released from prison after serving ten years for molesting an eight-year-old child. To make matters worse, TMZ also reported that the child was someone Shannon had been in contact with. In response, TLC expressed serious concern and stated that they would be reevaluating the future of the show. The following day, TLC made the decision to cancel Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, emphasizing their commitment to the well-being of the children involved (Meltzer 2023). This caused a stir among both fans of the show and those who were not fond of it, basically, as the TV show was found to be sheltering a criminal. 

To conclude, Reality TV Shows are not about reality, they involve real humans and scenarios.

Reference:

Alsultany, E 2015, ��The Cultural Politics of Islam in U.S. Reality Television,” Communication, Culture & Critique, vol. 9, no. 4, Oxford University Press (OUP), pp. 595–613, accessed <http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cccr.12121>.

Deller, Ruth A, 2019, Extract: 'Chapter Six: Reality Television in an Age of Social Media' Download 'Chapter Six: Reality Television in an Age of Social Media'in Reality Television: The TV Phenomenon That Changed the World (Emerald Publishing).  

Harp, J 2013, “Johnny Depp: ‘I’m a Honey Boo Boo fan, but she scares me,’” Digital Spy, accessed <https://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/a495764/johnny-depp-im-a-honey-boo-boo-fan-but-she-scares-me/>.

Meltzer, M 2023, “The Real Reason Here Comes Honey Boo Boo Was Cancelled,” The List, accessed <https://www.thelist.com/285217/the-real-reason-here-comes-honey-boo-boo-was-cancelled/>.

Murray, S 2009, I Think We Need A New Name For It: The Meeting of Documentary and Reality TV. In S. Murray, & L. Ouellette (Eds.), 2nd ed, New York: New York University Press.

Sørensen, IE 2015, “The revival of live TV: liveness in a multiplatform context,” Media, Culture & Society, vol. 38, no. 3, SAGE Publications, pp. 381–399, accessed &lt;http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0163443715608260>.

The Hollywood Reporter 2012, “TLC’s ‘Honey Boo Boo’ Scores Winning Ratings With Series Premiere,” The Hollywood Reporter, accessed January 31, 2024, &lt;https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/honey-boo-boo-tlc-ratings-360966/>.

[biddemo]

Gamefz super smash flash 3

Each character has a number of special attacks, standard attacks and a unique special move called a Final Smash. The characters are the fighters which represent the universe they belong to. The character selection screen as of SSF2 1.3.1 Beta. When a player loses all of their lives, they are "defeated", and the match concludes when there is only one player, or one team left standing. In Stock mode, each player is given a chosen amount of lives, and every time they are KO'd or self-destruct, they lose a life. Should two or more players accumulate the same amount of points, there will be a Sudden Death match to determine the winner. At the end of the designated time limit, the player with the most points wins. In Time Mode, each player receives a point when they KO an opponent, and loses a point if they are KO'd, or if they self-destruct. Matches can be played in either Time, Stock mode, or a combination of the two. Players can customize their controls in the menu. P-2 uses the 1 key on the numpad for special moves (or activating a Final Smash), numpad 2 for standard attacks, numpad 3 for shield and numpad 4 for taunt. The O and P keys still remain in P-1's possession, however, as the O key is used for special moves (or activating a Final Smash), the P key for standard attacks, the I key for shield, and the 1 key for taunting. The W, A, S, and D keys are now assigned to Player 1's movement, while the arrow keys move a second player. The controls are also different from its predecessor. The higher the percentage, the easier it is for a character to be knocked off the stage. As the character is attacked, damage accumulates, and the percent value increases. Unlike most traditional fighting games, a character's health is measured by a damage percentage counter. Super Smash Flash 2's gameplay is very similar to the official Super Smash Bros. The following explanation is based on the gameplay of the demo. games, as the content inclusion criteria has been loosened to include content from any series that has ever appeared on a Nintendo console, allowing the roster access to other third and fourth-party characters including, but not limited to Lloyd, Rayman, Goku, and Ichigo. However, this Flash game does not aim to clone the Super Smash Bros. series, featuring many of its gameplay mechanics and characters. The game is based on the Super Smash Bros. Although initially referred to as a sequel, Super Smash Flash 2 is a reboot of the critically received fan game Super Smash Flash.

Super Smash Flash 2, commonly abbreviated as SSF2, is a periodically-released nonprofit Flash fighting fan game developed by the Super Smash Flash 2 Team, led by Gregory Cleod9 McLeod, and published by McLeodGaming. Since the future subject is still under active development to reach the due date, all information below is subject to change at any time without prior advice. This article regards about an upcoming work or similar media.

[journey2maya]

Narratology: Final draft

Analyse your chosen narrative with close reference to the Hero’s Journey or another appropriate template

For this essay I have chosen to talk about the narrative structure of the 2017 film My Little Pony: The Movie. I will be making a structural analysis with reference to the Quest plot type as described in Cristopher Booker’s The seven basic plots. [Booker, 2005] I will be taking a look at how the animation enriches the narrative through choice of design.

The movie was produced by DHX media in collaboration with AllSpark pictures using Toon Boom Harmony production software [2] which specialises in integrating 3D elements with 2D characters. [3] The film emphasises traditional animation and is supported throughout with modern 3-D solutions. This was a change from the flash-animated TV show and along with this change of animation software there also came a change in art style. To quote Art Director Rebecca Dart; “for the feature film, the characters became more volumetric overall, meaning they have more of a roundness and softness for the 360 degree world of Equestria and beyond that we created for the movie.” [Dart, 2017, pg 22] This extract from the ‘art of’ book shows a comparison of the two styles.As shown In figure. 1.

Figure. 1 [Dart et al, 2017 pg 20]

These small changes really make the difference. They allow the characters to feel more emotion and convey more emotion. This movie can be identified as a quest type narrative. to paraphrase Booker; in any quest story there is always a priceless goal which drives the hero’s passion to succeed. The hero and some companions must embark on a perilous journey filled with monsters, temptation and helpers, to reach their goal. The story is unresolved until the overriding objective has been secured.[Booker 2004 pg 69]

The plot of the movie is as follows; Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity embark on an epic journey to save Equestria from the tyranny of the Storm King. Along the way, the Mane 6 meet new friends and face challenges as they travel beyond Equestria for the first time ever. At the start of the film we get introductions to our characters, including spike, to show a little of their personality. This is important because it makes the characters seem more real. They’re not just an accessory to Twilight's adventure, they’re individuals and they’re part of it in a big way.  Twilight Sparkle, the unofficial leader of the friend group, is being true to character and is worried that the festival won’t be perfect. As the Princess Of Friendship the pressure is all on her to make sure that everypony has a good time at the friendship festival.  Twilight’s friends rally around her in an attempt to reassure her that everything will be fine in the form of the song We Got This Together.

This song highlights the mane six’s teamwork and interpersonal relationship as strong. This Song also carries heavy foreshadowing as it implies that everything is certainty not going to go to plan. With dark clouds suddenly appearing, without any influence from the weather ponies, we are introduced to our first antagonist, Tempest Shadow. A jaded unicorn motivated by anger and a wish to be whole again. Her primary objective is to deliver the four princesses to the Storm King so he can siphon their magic using the Staff of Sucannas. Tempest doesn’t fit into this candy-coloured pastel world where friendship is the most powerful thing and her design is reflective of that. Her coat and mane are darker than that of the mane six making her different to the characters we know and trust.

The ponies refuse to surrender so Tempest turns the 3 princesses into obsidian statues, as shown in figure.2 and figure.3, forcing the mane six make a daring escape over one of the waterfalls that make up Canterlots’ architecture. Unequivocally this is what Booker refers to as the call [Booker, 2005 pg 70] Tempest's arrival and disruption is the reason why the mane six must embark on the quest. The Friendship Festival has gone terribly wrong and the stakes are high. Twilight and her friends have to make this journey to set things right. As said in ‘The Seven Basic Plots’, “surrounded by an atmosphere of menace and construction, the Quest hero and her friends feel under intense compulsion to get away.” [Booker 2005, pg 71]  This is exactly what has happened to the mane six and we now have a definite goal which is to save Equestria from the Storm King and Tempest Shadow.

Figure 2. [5]

Figure 3. [5]

Because this is a quest narrative, Twilight is accompanied by her friends who each have their own virtues and abilities that contribute to the success of the adventure. Or to the detriment. Pinkie pie is a particularly important part of Twilights company as she represents one of the 4 basic forms that a hero’s companion should be. A subtle alter-ego whose role is to serve as a foil, displaying qualities of the opposite of those shown by the hero.[Booker 2005 pg 72] for example in the ‘Epic Of Gilgamesh’ whenever Gilgamesh displays assets of courage and confidence it is Enkidu, his brother, who expresses fear and doubt. [Unknown, C.1800 BC tablet 2] In the MLP Movie when Twilight shows concern and worry, Pinkie Pie is only concerned about how much fun can be had and she derails the situation with her silly antics.

Booker notes that there should be a distinct challenge that the hero must face. For Twilight it’s  a temptation. The Mane six find themselves in Seaquestria, the underwater world that the hippogriffs were forced to inhabit to hide from the Storm King. The Queen of the hippogriffs used a magic pearl to turn her subjects into sea ponies. Twilight begs for the pearl as she believes it is the key to defeating the Storm King. Novo refuses to give her it. The mane six go to leave but notice that Skystar is sad because she’s never really had friends before . Twilight, surprisingly, encourages Pinkie pie to cheer her up with a song. When the song is finished we find out that this was just a ploy so everyone would be distracted whilst twilight tries to steal the pearl. (As shown in figure.4)

Figure.4 [5]

This leads to The mane six’s forced exit from seaquestria and more importantly Twilights downfall. Because Pinkie Pie was able to cram a lifetime of fun into one song the hippogriffs were going to give them the pearl as a thank you. Twilights lack of faith in her friends causes a big argument between her and Pinkie Pie which leaves twilight sitting alone on a greyscale beach. This makes her look even more isolated and alone as she is the only colourful thing in the scene. She is captured by Tempest who has been on the group's tail since the start. Tempest shares her backstory with Twilight. This gives us an insight into tempests motivation and creates a vulnerability in her. and she is taken back to Canterlot where we finally see the Storm King in full glory as he is able to steal the magic from all four princesses, channelling it through the Staff of Succannas, becoming omnipotent in the process. The Storm King casts Tempest aside, refusing to restore her horn as he had promised he would.

This is part the final ordeal Where the heroes come to the edge of their great goal [Booker 2004 pg 78] Twilight’s friends engage in an epic battle against the storm creatures with the help of Skystar and others. Near the end of the battle the staff creates a wretched Storm that takes Twilight, the Storm King and the staff away. This is the part in the story where our hero has her last “thrilling escape from death” [Booker 2005 pg 83] and returns with the staff to settle the skies. It is revealed the Storm King also survived the storm. And just when it seems like he has the upper hand and is about to turn the mane six into obsidian statues. Tempest jumps in to save them, reforming  herself and pushing the Storm King over the edge of the balcony so he smashes to pieces.

To conclude; The mane six’s ordinary world is disrupted so they are forced on a journey to save it. The journey is fraught with in-known lands and temptation. Our hero is at one point on the edge of failure but in the end was able to overcome the threat that hung over them before. This is what makes this movie a quest narrative. The movie fits this narrative well and wouldn’t be as effective as it is had it been told with the template of hero’s journey or voyage and return in mind. Twilight doesn’t refuse the call and she is not alone on her quest so these two templates just wouldn’t work with the story and with this movie it’s more about expanding the world of Equestria and beyond and it’s focused more on the journey not the pony taking it as the other two templates would be.

Bibliography

[1] - Booker, C (2005) The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories, continuum

[2]- My Little Pony: The Movie (2027 film) available at: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Little_Pony:_The_Movie_(2017_film)

[3]- Toon Boom Harmony animation production software available at:

https://www.toonboom.com/products/harmony

[4]- Hasbro. Dart, R,et al (2017) The Art Of My Little Pony The Movie, VIZ Media LLC

[5]- My Little Pony: The Movie (2017) Directed by Jayson Thiessen [DVD] United States, AllSpark Pictures

[6]- Unknown. (C.1800 BC) The Epic Of Gilgamesh, Ancient Mesopotamia, self published  Clay tablet. Pdf available at:

https://uruk-warka.dk/Gilgamish/The%20Epic%20of%20Gilgamesh.pdf

I actually wasn’t expecting this draft to be the final one. I do think this is an improvement though. I got the word count down to 1,509, just by cutting out some necessary dribble that I realized wasn’t needed. 

[tipsoctopus]

"Separated by two moments of quality" - 2 Man City fans make FA Cup final predictions

Manchester City take on Watford in the FA Cup final this weekend, looking to become the first team in history to win a domestic treble.

Pep Guardiola’s men, of course, romped to the Premier League title, accruing 98 points and ultimately holding off the stunning challenge of Liverpool on the final day with a 4-1 thumping of Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Carabao Cup was secured in February thanks to a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Chelsea and now attention turns back to Wembley.

City take on a Hornets side that finished 11th in the Premier League this term, with Javi Gracia’s side out to become the first Watford team ever to win an FA Cup.

There is a lot riding on this, then. Do two City fans – Football FanCast’s own Jack Saville and Digital Sport editor Chris McMullan – have any worries going into the game? They share their thoughts and predictions below…

Could complacency creep in for a Man City side chasing a domestic treble, given the clear gulf in class between themselves and Watford?

Jack: “Pep Guardiola’s sides simply don’t allow complacency to slip in. His players are more hungry and determined than they have ever been and you only need to appreciate the extent of their mettle in the final weeks of the title race to know that they’ll be well up for the FA Cup final.

“City will have enjoyed their title celebrations last weekend and who can blame them after the season they’ve had, but rest assured they will have been back on the training ground this week ahead of a fixture which could seal their place in history.”

Chris: “When Sky Sports interviewed Vincent Kompany on the pitch at the Amex Stadium on Sunday afternoon, holding an infectious grin and a near-empty bottle of champagne, I did find myself doing a bit of a double take.

“Then again, he was also wearing a Premier League winners’ medal around his tree-trunk of a neck. That piece of gold was won thanks to the unerring consistency needed to win the final 14 games in a row and finish on 98 points, so if complacency does creep in it will be a surprise: and at this point, City’s players have earned the benefit of the doubt.”

City have been an irrepressible winning machine this season but one feels that Watford will have to rely on them having an off day to have any chance whatsoever on Saturday.

Indeed, the Hornets have never beaten City in the Premier League era in any competition; their last victory over the Blues came in 1989 in Division Two.

How times have changed.

It remains to be seen, however, which City team they will come up against this weekend, given the depth of talent at Guardiola’s disposal…

Is there any chance that Pep will spring another surprise with his team selection? Lots of fans seemed shocked Riyad Mahrez played against Brighton.

Jack: “I, like the vast majority of supporters, was stunned to see Mahrez included in the starting XI last weekend, but that only made his title-clinching goal all the sweeter!

“Personally, I don’t envisage a trick up the sleeve on Saturday and I wouldn’t be surprised if City were unchanged from last weekend. 

“I expect Leroy Sane to remain on the bench but Mahrez could be axed to make room for one of Kevin de Bruyne or Fernandino, with Bernardo Silva moving onto the right side of the attacking trio.”

Chris: “I’d say there’s every chance. When it works, Pep’s a genius, when it doesn’t… well, that big, bulging brain of his has done too much thinking yet again.

The thing is, Watford have played well against City this season. At the Etihad, Javi Gracia rested key players ahead of yet another crucial FA Cup tie, but with the score at 3-0 to City he brought on Troy Deeney and Gerard Deulofeu, who combined to score almost instantly.

“That’s the kind of moment that will have made Pep sit up and take notice.”

Guardiola does love to tinker. His selection of Mahrez was ultimately a masterstroke that led to his side clinching the title but one can never be sure who is going to make up the attack.

We could easily see Gabriel Jesus given a game, for example, with Sergio Aguero dropping to the bench. As Chris says, Pep has often been accused of overthinking; if he plays it simple, City should win.

But Watford, remember, are out to etch their own names into the history books…

Is there any danger in playing a team who have never won the FA Cup? 

Jack: “Absolutely. This is one of Watford’s biggest matches in their history and the magnitude of the occasion will undoubtedly give them an extra edge. 

“The Hornets have shown they are no mugs this season and their performances against Man City in the league will give their fans a glimmer of hope of springing a major surprise to end the season.

“Javi Gracia has the ammunition to stun City and the favourites will need to dig in to clinch an unprecedented domestic treble.”

Chris: “Oh yes. Watford are a very good football team, and one who have gone strangely under the radar this season.

“City should win this game, but underestimating the Hornets in a Cup final would be a terrible time to get stung.”

Watford don’t get to Wembley all that often and their heroic comeback in the semi-final against Wolves is evidence that they have the stomach for the fight.

They also boast the likes of Deeney and Deulofeu who, on their day, are game-changers.

City, of course, know all about falling at the final hurdle due to an unfancied rival…

Are there any echoes of the Wigan final in 2013 when a totally unfancied team turned up and spoiled City’s day?

Jack: “I wouldn’t say so no.

“I think it undermines the quality of this Watford side to compare this fixture to the 2013 final. Wigan’s victory was a smash and grab triumph during a period of unrest behind the scenes at City. 

“This time around City are strong from the hierarchy right the way through to the kitman, and they won’t be putting in a performance as abject as the one that cost them FA Cup glory in 2013.

“If Watford pull off an upset it will be an achievement which far exceeds what Wigan did in 2013.”

Chris: “There are echoes of it, but they’re faint.

“Minds will certainly turn to that day when Ben Watson – himself formerly of the Vicarage Road parish – nodded in a late winner, reminiscent of Glenn Murray’s goal against City on Sunday.

“But that was a very different team to this year’s side. Roberto Mancini was relieved of his duties shortly after the 2013 Wembley defeat, but that owed more to his deteriorating relationship with players and board than the humiliation of losing to a team who would go on to get relegated three days later. The 2019 side are 90 minutes from history, not 90 minutes from utter disarray.”

Both Jack and Chris are right to point out that Mancini’s empire was crumbling at the Etihad.

Guardiola, meanwhile, has just built his castle and is surveying all that he has won in his time in Manchester.

They should be mindful, though, of the threat posed by Watford; City underestimated Wigan in 2013, and Guardiola will be at pains to ensure that doesn’t happen again, particularly with his side on the precipice of something really quite remarkable…

If City win, are they the greatest domestic team of all time?

Jack: “I don’t think there’s any doubt that they’ll be the greatest team if they’re not already. 

“That they managed to pip Liverpool to the Premier League title just one year on from lifting the trophy with a tally of 100 points is probably enough to vindicate that label, but becoming the first team to win a domestic treble will absolutely clinch it.”

Chris: “I think they already are. In an era when the FA Cup and the League Cup seem to matter less and less, it’s refreshing to see a club take them as seriously as City, but surely you only have to look at 198 points over two seasons and conclude that they are indeed the best.

“There’ll be a debate about that of course – arguing over the best teams in history is one of football’s greatest pleasures – and I get the argument that other sides have won all of the domestic trophies, but the fact remains that over two full seasons City have dropped 30 points.

“If the 22 other teams to have played Premier League football in that time pooled the points they won from the back-to-back champions, they wouldn’t even have a sniff of survival.”

No team has ever got close to what City have achieved over two seasons.

Prior to Guardiola’s appointment, no team in Premier League history had accrued 100 points but he did it and then he went within two of doing it again.

The bar has been forever raised by the Catalan and this City side and it now seems that the top of the table is a private club that can only be entered if you boast around 18 genuinely world-class footballers in your ranks.

The lads are right to claim that City probably already are the best domestic team this country has ever seen; they just need to crown it…

What’s your score prediction?

Jack: “I think this will be a tightly-fought game separated by two moments of quality either side of half time: 2-0 to City.” 

Chris: “On the FiF pod this week I said 3-1 to City, so I’d look pretty foolish changing it now.”

from FootballFanCast.com http://bit.ly/2WWeq6M via IFTTT from Blogger http://bit.ly/2QcXLZR via IFTTT

[mancitynoise]

Manchester City take on Watford in the FA Cup final this weekend, looking to become the first team in history to win a domestic treble.

Pep Guardiola’s men, of course, romped to the Premier League title, accruing 98 points and ultimately holding off the stunning challenge of Liverpool on the final day with a 4-1 thumping of Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Carabao Cup was secured in February thanks to a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Chelsea and now attention turns back to Wembley.

City take on a Hornets side that finished 11th in the Premier League this term, with Javi Gracia’s side out to become the first Watford team ever to win an FA Cup.

There is a lot riding on this, then. Do two City fans – Football FanCast’s own Jack Saville and Digital Sport editor Chris McMullan – have any worries going into the game? They share their thoughts and predictions below…

Could complacency creep in for a Man City side chasing a domestic treble, given the clear gulf in class between themselves and Watford?

Jack: “Pep Guardiola’s sides simply don’t allow complacency to slip in. His players are more hungry and determined than they have ever been and you only need to appreciate the extent of their mettle in the final weeks of the title race to know that they’ll be well up for the FA Cup final.

“City will have enjoyed their title celebrations last weekend and who can blame them after the season they’ve had, but rest assured they will have been back on the training ground this week ahead of a fixture which could seal their place in history.”

Chris: “When Sky Sports interviewed Vincent Kompany on the pitch at the Amex Stadium on Sunday afternoon, holding an infectious grin and a near-empty bottle of champagne, I did find myself doing a bit of a double take.

“Then again, he was also wearing a Premier League winners’ medal around his tree-trunk of a neck. That piece of gold was won thanks to the unerring consistency needed to win the final 14 games in a row and finish on 98 points, so if complacency does creep in it will be a surprise: and at this point, City’s players have earned the benefit of the doubt.”

City have been an irrepressible winning machine this season but one feels that Watford will have to rely on them having an off day to have any chance whatsoever on Saturday.

Indeed, the Hornets have never beaten City in the Premier League era in any competition; their last victory over the Blues came in 1989 in Division Two.

How times have changed.

It remains to be seen, however, which City team they will come up against this weekend, given the depth of talent at Guardiola’s disposal…

Is there any chance that Pep will spring another surprise with his team selection? Lots of fans seemed shocked Riyad Mahrez played against Brighton.

Jack: “I, like the vast majority of supporters, was stunned to see Mahrez included in the starting XI last weekend, but that only made his title-clinching goal all the sweeter!

“Personally, I don’t envisage a trick up the sleeve on Saturday and I wouldn’t be surprised if City were unchanged from last weekend. 

“I expect Leroy Sane to remain on the bench but Mahrez could be axed to make room for one of Kevin de Bruyne or Fernandino, with Bernardo Silva moving onto the right side of the attacking trio.”

Chris: “I’d say there’s every chance. When it works, Pep’s a genius, when it doesn’t… well, that big, bulging brain of his has done too much thinking yet again.

The thing is, Watford have played well against City this season. At the Etihad, Javi Gracia rested key players ahead of yet another crucial FA Cup tie, but with the score at 3-0 to City he brought on Troy Deeney and Gerard Deulofeu, who combined to score almost instantly.

“That’s the kind of moment that will have made Pep sit up and take notice.”

Guardiola does love to tinker. His selection of Mahrez was ultimately a masterstroke that led to his side clinching the title but one can never be sure who is going to make up the attack.

We could easily see Gabriel Jesus given a game, for example, with Sergio Aguero dropping to the bench. As Chris says, Pep has often been accused of overthinking; if he plays it simple, City should win.

But Watford, remember, are out to etch their own names into the history books…

Is there any danger in playing a team who have never won the FA Cup? 

Jack: “Absolutely. This is one of Watford’s biggest matches in their history and the magnitude of the occasion will undoubtedly give them an extra edge. 

“The Hornets have shown they are no mugs this season and their performances against Man City in the league will give their fans a glimmer of hope of springing a major surprise to end the season.

“Javi Gracia has the ammunition to stun City and the favourites will need to dig in to clinch an unprecedented domestic treble.”

Chris: “Oh yes. Watford are a very good football team, and one who have gone strangely under the radar this season.

“City should win this game, but underestimating the Hornets in a Cup final would be a terrible time to get stung.”

Watford don’t get to Wembley all that often and their heroic comeback in the semi-final against Wolves is evidence that they have the stomach for the fight.

They also boast the likes of Deeney and Deulofeu who, on their day, are game-changers.

City, of course, know all about falling at the final hurdle due to an unfancied rival…

Are there any echoes of the Wigan final in 2013 when a totally unfancied team turned up and spoiled City’s day?

Jack: “I wouldn’t say so no.

“I think it undermines the quality of this Watford side to compare this fixture to the 2013 final. Wigan’s victory was a smash and grab triumph during a period of unrest behind the scenes at City. 

“This time around City are strong from the hierarchy right the way through to the kitman, and they won’t be putting in a performance as abject as the one that cost them FA Cup glory in 2013.

“If Watford pull off an upset it will be an achievement which far exceeds what Wigan did in 2013.”

Chris: “There are echoes of it, but they’re faint.

“Minds will certainly turn to that day when Ben Watson – himself formerly of the Vicarage Road parish – nodded in a late winner, reminiscent of Glenn Murray’s goal against City on Sunday.

“But that was a very different team to this year’s side. Roberto Mancini was relieved of his duties shortly after the 2013 Wembley defeat, but that owed more to his deteriorating relationship with players and board than the humiliation of losing to a team who would go on to get relegated three days later. The 2019 side are 90 minutes from history, not 90 minutes from utter disarray.”

Both Jack and Chris are right to point out that Mancini’s empire was crumbling at the Etihad.

Guardiola, meanwhile, has just built his castle and is surveying all that he has won in his time in Manchester.

They should be mindful, though, of the threat posed by Watford; City underestimated Wigan in 2013, and Guardiola will be at pains to ensure that doesn’t happen again, particularly with his side on the precipice of something really quite remarkable…

If City win, are they the greatest domestic team of all time?

Jack: “I don’t think there’s any doubt that they’ll be the greatest team if they’re not already. 

“That they managed to pip Liverpool to the Premier League title just one year on from lifting the trophy with a tally of 100 points is probably enough to vindicate that label, but becoming the first team to win a domestic treble will absolutely clinch it.”

Chris: “I think they already are. In an era when the FA Cup and the League Cup seem to matter less and less, it’s refreshing to see a club take them as seriously as City, but surely you only have to look at 198 points over two seasons and conclude that they are indeed the best.

“There’ll be a debate about that of course – arguing over the best teams in history is one of football’s greatest pleasures – and I get the argument that other sides have won all of the domestic trophies, but the fact remains that over two full seasons City have dropped 30 points.

“If the 22 other teams to have played Premier League football in that time pooled the points they won from the back-to-back champions, they wouldn’t even have a sniff of survival.”

No team has ever got close to what City have achieved over two seasons.

Prior to Guardiola’s appointment, no team in Premier League history had accrued 100 points but he did it and then he went within two of doing it again.

The bar has been forever raised by the Catalan and this City side and it now seems that the top of the table is a private club that can only be entered if you boast around 18 genuinely world-class footballers in your ranks.

The lads are right to claim that City probably already are the best domestic team this country has ever seen; they just need to crown it…

What’s your score prediction?

Jack: “I think this will be a tightly-fought game separated by two moments of quality either side of half time: 2-0 to City.” 

Chris: “On the FiF pod this week I said 3-1 to City, so I’d look pretty foolish changing it now.”

[claraoswald81]

10 Mind Numbing Facts About SEO 2019

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Intended for successful team management and inter-client cooperation, online editors really are usually a must, especially those which usually detect and highlight critical SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION errors, non-unique, text, and key phrase stuffing. By the end of this particular module, you should be capable to define Search Engine Search engine optimization and explain the basics associated with SEO being a business (as nicely as how SEO shapes the particular Internet itself. ) You'll furthermore be able to explain the particular differences between three main SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION job types, and be ready to choose a career that will best suits your current objectives. A highly effective research marketing campaign, will encompass each search engine optimisation (SEO) plus pay per click advertising (PPC). One of our favorite on the web toolkits is SEMrush, which consists of a variety of tools with regard to SEO, content marketing, and search engine marketing techniques. An SEO Content Writer will be somebody who writes content for the particular purpose of having it display up on search engines plus gain website visitors. Internet marketing perfect for the platform of SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION or Search engine optimization. With voice search arrives two areas of interest in order to SEO folks wishing to link with consumers: intent and circumstance. SocialSEO is proud to help future experts in the globe of business and marketing along with the annual SocialSEO Digital Marketing and advertising and SEO Scholarship. Finally SEO Wise links enables you to fixed nofollow attribute and open hyperlinks in new window.

[operationrainfall]

At the start of this week, I didn’t expect this to be a very exciting Smashing Saturdays. Sure, it would have the usual fun stuff, but nothing truly game-breaking. But then they announced a Nintendo Direct on Thursday, and boy did it deliver! So this is a special Smashing Saturdays, and it will gloss over the cool stuff revealed in the Direct, as well as having the usual character profiles, stage bios, music and more. So let’s get started with the stuff that happened prior to Thursday’s revelations.

While I’m not great playing as either Samus, I’m quite glad Zero Suit Samus is allowed to share the spotlight with her usual armored self. She’s as deadly as she is sexy, and in the right hands she is a devastating force of nature. Few brawlers are as acrobatic, fast or cruel as ZSS, and though it was cool watching Samus alternate between both versions, I’m glad they’re separate entities now. It was a bit too powerful to have strength and speed in the same package. Having said that, I’m more than ready to get my ass kicked by her in Ultimate.

I know, I know, they told us every stage was in Ultimate, but I’m still a little surprised Living Room made the cut. Not cause I hate it. It’s an adorable little stage, with the puppies and kittens frolicking about. What’s less cute is when I get beaned by falling blocks. Those selfsame objects can make it hard to smash foes off the screen, but I guess it’s not the worst stage. That would be a tie between Pac-Man’s stage and Balloon Fight. I can take adorable animals and blocks over those chaotic stages any day.

I like to make fun of Rosalina on a pretty regular basis. I call her things like Emo Peach and mock her as being a crappy divine entity in the Mario universe. But that’s mostly cover for my respect for how overwhelming of a force she can be in Smash Bros. She plays very distinctly from Peach, and definitely requires a lot of practice to master. But once you get a handle on using the Luma, she’s actually pretty fun. Though I didn’t play her much on my 3DS, lately I’ve had some decent luck using her. So maybe I will actually enjoy using Rosalina and Luma in Ultimate.

HOLY KRAPTRAP!!!

We all learned to respect the Klaptrap in the Jungle Japes stage. There’s few things as irritating as being dragged to a watery grave by the big mouthed Kremling. And now, he’s an Assist Trophy. Though this version won’t drag you to your death, he will chomp the crap out of anyone unlucky enough to get gobbled. Now, let’s move onto a quick recap of the fun stuff from the Direct!

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The Direct started with the reveal that Ken is coming to the game as an Echo of Ryu. Not surprising, also not that exciting. But then they revealed a new playable pokémon in Incineroar. I’m quite excited for the fiery cat luchador. He looks to play completely differently from Greninja, whom I detest playing, and looks utterly fierce. The fact he confidently poses when he damages foes is just beautiful. That wasn’t all, though, as they also confirmed that the roster of the game will be 75, and that we’re getting 5 DLC sets into 2020 with a new character, stage and music. The key thing to remember is that the 75th addition to the roster won’t be available until after Ultimate releases, and that’s a pretty strange character…

I’ve been saying for a while that I expected one more weirdo character in Smash Bros. Ultimate. And frankly, neither Ken nor Incineroar qualifies. But Piranha Plant certainly does! I was initially very confused by the reveal, but I wasn’t upset after seeing PP’s moveset. It looks to be a very tricky and unique fighter, spitting poison, shooting spike balls, lunging out of his pot and even using his leaves to helicopter around. Best of all is watching it crawl around inside his pot like a goofball. It shouldn’t work, but Sakurai is great at turning strange ideas into fascinating and playable concepts. The only downside is that Piranha Plant won’t be available until a couple months after the launch of Ultimate. But, if you register your game, you’ll get Bowser’s minion for absolutely free. Not a bad offer, considering the last time Sakurai tried something similar, we only got Mewtwo. Here’s hoping PP is much more functional and fun to play as.

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Less significant, but still cool, was that the Direct showed off some new Assist Trophies. The likes of Spring Man, one of the heroines from Maiden of Black Water, and even the devious Dr. Wily made the cut. Best of all, they confirmed that there will be 59 Assist Trophies in the game. I haven’t done a count of how many were revealed yet, but that’s still a great diversity of characters.

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Lastly, the Direct touched on the hidden mode that was previously glossed over by Sakurai. It’s none other than the Adventure mode, which is apparently called World of Light. It’s less story driven than Subspace Emissary, but it still looks quite cool. Some (angelic?) force has turned all the characters in the game back into statues, and morphed the other characters from their respective series into Spirits. These Spirits then possess the captured heroes, with one exception. Kirby escapes, and sets out to free his friends and defeat the force that caused so much chaos. As for how the mode plays out, it’s much more combat oriented than what we got in the 3DS and Wii U versions, which I’m happy about. The Spirits seem to replace the Trophies from the other games, though they also have a combat utility. You can equip Primary and Secondary Spirits to your character to empower them and give them various bonuses. When you fight your friends, you’ll need to satisfy special requirements to defeat them, and then try to capture their malevolent Spirit puppeteer. It all sounds fantastic to me, and I feel I’ll spend much more time in this Adventure mode than in previous ones.

A couple more updates before we move onto our Most Wanted Brawler this week. Both are Pokémon related. First, we have a new song from the series coming to Ultimate. It’s none other than Battle! (Wild Pokémon) from Pokémon Sun and Moon. It’s composed by Hiroyuki Kawada. The song is incredibly upbeat and cheerful, so it should make for interesting background noise.

Though I already touched upon Incineroar earlier, I felt we might as well post his awesome trailer! The feline champion hits hard, and uses his iconic moves Darkest Lariat, Cross Chop and Revenge, as well as another unnamed move where he tosses foes into the ropes and pile drives them. For his Final Smash, he activates his Z-Power and takes his foes into the ring with a devastating Max Malicious Moonsault. Though I haven’t had much success with other Pokémon brawlers, I’m going to enjoy learning to master Incineroar.

Now, don’t leave yet! I still have more for you in the form of a new Most Wanted Brawler this week.

Most Wanted Brawler Dixie Kong

I’m sure some thought I would no longer do the Most Wanted Brawler segment now that the 75 player roster has been revealed. But you know what? There’s still 5 unknown DLC characters on the horizon, so hopefully I’ll manage to speculate who one of those will end up being! After all, I kind of predicted K. Rool and Ridley, so anything is possible. And since King K. Rool just made it onto the roster, why not another character from the Donkey Kong series? Though I enjoy both Donkey and Diddy Kong, Dixie is just as important to the series. After all, she headlined a couple of her own games on the SNES.

Dixie is known for her golden locks, so it stands to reason her moveset would be based around them. For her Up B Special, she would hover upwards like a simian helicopter, slashing anybody in her path, then be able to gently hover towards the ground. For her Side B, I could see her grabbing items or characters with her ponytail, then hurl them to shatter on the ground. For her Neutral B, I could see her using her own Popgun to shoot bubblegum, like in Tropical Freeze. And for her Down B, perhaps she could twirl her locks in front of her face, deflecting projectiles. As for her Final Smash, I see it taking a page from Donkey Kong Country 3, and having Dixie team up with Kiddy Kong to put the hurt on foes. He could hurl her like a cannonball, then jump up and smash down on foes’ heads, and finally both Kongs would tag team their opponent into submission. I really think Dixie Kong could make the cut as a DLC character for Ultimate, and hope I’m right. We need more a bit more gender diversity in Smash Bros., and she provides the perfect opportunity.

Thanks as always for joining us today for Smashing Saturdays! We still have a few weeks left before the release of Ultimate, and will probably conclude that week. However there’s still a chance we’ll return to cover the upcoming DLC characters, so stay tuned to oprainfall!

Smashing Saturdays! Week 72: October 29-November 3, 2018 At the start of this week, I didn't expect this to be a very exciting Smashing Saturdays.