#i am... not a fan of declan's corrective

[lesbianjudasiscariot]

i really am the worst (best) kind of trc fan cause i love kavinsky and hate declan (correct)

[erstwhilesparrow]

A few years ago, I tried getting into friends at the Table, but got very confused and never finished. However, I noticed you have a tag for it, so i am assuming you listen, and i was wondering,,,,, while I don't have the spoons for another ttrpg podcast atm, I would *love* to hear your thoughts on it/what it's actually about in general, and so I figured I'd ask :3

you have no idea how excited this ask made me; i have indeed listened to friends at the table!! i like it so much!!

okay before i do my spiel, you have to listen to this. I Am Forcing You To. this is not really going to clarify what friends at the table is about, but it will give you a sense of how much Like That they are.

all right, everything else under the cut.

the flippant and easy answer is that fatt is about "critical worldbuilding, smart characterization, and fun interactions between good friends"! that's their tagline, and it's true, but it's also the answer anyone will give you if you ask about the podcast. the other answer is that, across (approximately) seven seasons of varying tones and genres, fatt has with surprising consistency managed to be about love stories without resolutions, communities coming together in apocalyptic times, and Extremely Cool Anime Bullshit.

i absolutely understand trying to get into it and getting lost -- it definitely took me multiple tries for it to click, and none of the helpful guides people offered actually worked for me? (a joke that was going around on tumblr a little bit ago: fatt fans will give suggestions on where to start listening the way new yorkers give directions.) the hosts of the podcast are A Pretty Specific Kind Of People! they are not trying to be marketable here! so it's. hard to sell and hard to explain. i don't know how to say, in an advertise-y way, "i had to trick myself into listening to more than two episodes by putting the podcast on in the background as white noise while i was playing minecraft." and also, "i got through like five multi-hour episodes before i started realizing that not only was i beginning to be able to differentiate voices, but that i might be invested in these characters." and also, "no actual-play in existence is doing it like friends at the table is. you will experience the sickest storytelling and worldbuilding of your life listening to this podcast. but you will first have to get used to every five minute fight or interaction taking twenty minutes because these people are long-winded and very thorough." i'm bad at elevator pitches!

but. but. i started with their fourth season, Twilight Mirage, and to this day i still call it the bearer of my heart. when i say i think it changed my life, i mean i really genuinely think the person i would have been not having listened to it would have been worse off, at least for that stretch of months where i was listening to it. the hosts are so careful and so thoughtful about their worldbuilding, and so interesting about it that after a certain point, i started going, "oh fuck, we're spending hours doing exclusively worldbuilding to set up for the upcoming story? hell yeah!" something that still pierces me to this day when i think about it gets mentioned almost off-handedly: the people from this sci-fi futuristic version of earth are named with possessives -- real canon examples include Morning's Observation, Declan's Corrective, Mother's Story -- because (in the hosts' words) it matters to them that they belong to something. what the FUCK! and it's like this all the time?? they just do this shit?? for free?? THERE'S A CHARACTER NAMED FOURTEEN FIFTEEN. there's not a lot of quotes i can give you out of context that convey what it's like to experience the whole thing, because they throw all these pieces onto the board and go through all of them and it's this huge chaotic jumble and then suddenly one thing connects to another to another to another and it resolves into the most gorgeous mosaic you've ever seen.

twilight mirage is their biggest and messiest season, they try to do a lot of different things with it, but i think the thing that most Got To Me is that it's a story about a utopia in decline? and it really is a utopia. the hosts are explicit about that, that they thought about what a utopia could actually look like, about what infrastructure it would need to work, about how there's no secret caveat or buried rot. this is something i said to a friend of mine shortly after listening: "they said, hey, what does a queer sci-fi utopia look like for us? and answered the question completely seriously. it takes a kind of thoughtfulness and fortitude that i think few possess to answer a question like that without flinching." it's like it flipped enough switches in me to make me go, "wait, you can DO that?" like. this was... the winter joining 2021 and 2022? i was having a bad time with [trying to imagine a future for myself that didn't make me miserable], and twilight mirage didn't, yknow, fix that, but it did suggest visions of the future that i could actually see myself in, and tell stories about things and in ways it had never even occurred to me you could do!

and they. keep doing that. every season. they've been doing that since 2012. there are space fish. there are ships shaped like bouquets of flowers. there is (and i quote) "a big-titty catgirl shrine maiden."

i know i've talked pretty abstractly here about the things i felt listening to this, and i haven't even brought up other seasons i've listened to, but i'm telling you. there's So Much. there is no way for me to meaningfully condense it for a question this general. friends at the table is so expansive and thoughtful and so so fucking good, and i will never have enough words to describe it to my own satisfaction.

(as a treat for after reading all that: another fun answer to "what's fatt's deal?" here.)

[randomidiocyncrazies]

some TM thoughts...

sometimes i think abt how the female antagonists in TM s1 are treated, and then i think about declan's corrective, and i just get So Frustrated. god. stop trying to make him sympathetic. stop giving men the leeway of moral ambiguity that isn't afforded to women. stop making him this beleaguered hapless dude getting dunked on by tender, haha poor guy, isn’t it funny

like... he never showed any remorse onscreen for destabilizing so many ship-societies and wrecking lives. he stayed in contrition’s figure for hundreds of years specifically because he has ZERO REMORSE for his actions. he explicitly said something to the effect of “we’ll starve [the divine fleet] so that they’ll have no choice but come running to us.” forgive me if i don't forgive a guy who used "it's just a job" to justify engineering so much suffering AND gets unearned redemption from the PCs who knows what he did (esp tender t b h). fuck this guy.

and maybe i'm being Too Harsh, but the female antagonists in S1 of TM weren't really allowed to develop imo -- iirc they either uh die (mother's story, the doyenne) or are otherwise incapacitated (open metal). like, open could've been a really interesting antagonist, but her deal boiling down to 'she’s a scared/naive little girl deep down, even though she is a grown woman, and needs 2 be told what 2 do' is. hm. not gr8. just... the emphasis of open’s childish quality (eg. tender’s mental construct of open is a young girl) is a little weird when combined with ‘open secretly wants 2 be bossed around by tender’ & ‘open&tender used 2 date’

also have some mixed feelings re:Mother’s Story’s death scene, despite it being cinematic and cool af -- she basically died in a cutscene, and while i love 1415 i kinda doubt they could take her out in normal gameplay given how their encounters have gone so far? frustrating that the players involved kinda... really relished killing her, but iirc that kind of vitriol was never really directed at a male NPC, or at least never really acted upon on a male NPC?

i’m hopeful for nuanced female antagonists in s2 tho, with the waking cadent and the final hegemon lady. they’re shaping up to be major players so hopefully their development won’t be cut short?

[tinknevertalks]

Teslen and Sanctuary :P

Oooooooh, thank you! :D Gone ship first then fandom, because I could.

002 | Send me a ship and I will tell you:

When I started shipping them: I remembered from when I watched the first airing that I liked the electric vampire guy and how Helen was with him, but that was more a hate-sex pairing. It wasn't until I rewatched (and finished the show) that I super loved them so… Revelations? Yeah.

My thoughts: I love them, even if I make them super soft and squidgy with each other. They're just so ahklgdaafjaa.

What makes me happy about them: Helen takes no shit and Nikola is more than happy to watch her work.

What makes me sad about them: We didn't get to see his face when he realised Helen was still alive!

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: Not getting their vocab correct (especially if its Oxford-era). And having Helen super sappy (I know I'm guilty of this but I try to rein it in). And getting basic geography wrong (but I'm like that with most fic). They're my big three.

Things I look for in fanfic: Depends on my mood, but always decent characterisation, decent grammar (my brain constantly wants to fix it if things aren't formatted correctly), and a somewhat happy (or at least hopeful) ending.

My wishlist: Novel length, battle couple adventure fic. XD If the show was to come back for like a mini series? For Nikola to be in the new Sanctuary full time and it's not a major thing but he and Helen are together and aren't gonna split up anytime soon. 

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Helen/happiness, Nikola/science. Oh, people? Uhm… I don't really mega super ship them with other people (Nikola especially) for more than just a fic or two, like… I can't see either settling down with other people.

My happily ever after for them: I think I covered it in the wishlist? XD Yeah, Helen and Nikola in the new Sanctuary exploring stuff, being adventure buddies and just generally being bickery and lovely at the same time.

--

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my:

Favourite character: Helen.

Least favourite character: Oh that odious little man, the guy who wanted to shut them down in s4. My brain says both Prentiss and Harrison Wells which I know is 100% wrong on both counts… Addison! Or Terrence Wexford - dude needed a slap.

5 favourite ships (canon or non-canon): Helen/Nikola (natch), Henry/Abby, Helen/Abby, Helen/Nikola/Nigel, Helen/Declan.

Character I find most attractive: Helen.

Character I would marry: Henry. Or Abby. Either/or. Both.

Character I would be best friends with: Henry. XD

A random thought: I wish there had been an ep with Kate, Abby, and Helen.

An unpopular opinion: Can't think of one. :-/ I'm sure I have an unpopular opinion, but can my brain function to tell me it?

My canon OTP: Teslen (we see two on-screen kisses between them in a show that only shows her kissing two/three people in the whole run so I'm calling it canon. XD)

My non-canon OTP: Oooooh, this changes on my mood. Helen/Abby or Ashley/Kate.

Most badass character: Helen.

Most epic villain: Adam!

Pairing I am not a fan of: Will/Abby post s3.

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): Will. He got Flanderised so bad. 

Favourite friendship: Henry, Will, and Kate.

Character I most identify with: Today? Biggie - I'm just trying my best around the house here but I have all these little kids running around my feet.

Character I wish I could be: Helen, in a heartbeat.

[stargleeksil-blog]

Criminal Minds S07E01 “It Takes a Village” review - or more aptly named, PAGET BREWSTER AND AJ COOK! <3

Episode 01 – It Takes a Village

Hey everyone!

So I’m uber excited about this season!

So without any further ado ...

Let’s see what happens!

Wait. Why are my honeys on trial? What’s going on here?

“Three and a half months, sir.”

“Agents Rossi, Morgan and I were there with our technical analyst Penelope Garcia.”

“Seventeen, sir.”

They solved seventeen cases over three and a half months? DAMN.

“Thank you.”

“Why aren’t we in there?”

“They’re just trying to intimidate us.”

“Well, that’s not about to happen.”

“I’m not okay with this.”

“You may not even be a witness.”

“Sir, I’m not worried about me.”

“Don’t they have anything better to do than …”

“Baby girl, this is just what they do?”

“Anything?”

“It doesn’t look good.”

Well, shit!

“How long is she gonna be there?”

“It required a lot of detail.”

“We didn’t have time, sir. Once the subject was confirmed, we had to act quickly.”

“Don’t take the shot!”

“Don’t shoot!”

“I got him!”

“Yes. We put an international criminal with terrorist connections in federal custody.”

Yeah, baby.

Queen Elizabeth: “The past cannot be cured.”

“No one could locate Doyle, except Agent Morgan.”

“After hiding dead ends in that world, Agent Morgan put himself in Doyle’s shoes and knew that he would be looking for his son, Declan.”

“Okay, Emily needed to get Declan a new identity. So she must have used someone she trusted.”

“All right, well, that’s a short list, but it’s probably not even written down.”

“Even if it was, she’d had contacts all over the world.”

“Oh, tell me about it. Two columns – domestic and imports.”

“Hey. You guys seen Spence?”

“He’s at the firing range.”

“Again?”

“Ever since Prentiss died, he …”

“Right.”

“Uh … did you guys just get a new case?”

“It’s just an old one.”

“Do you want some fresh eyes?

“Not just yet.”

“Okay. Um, well, let me know.”

“Shouldn’t we tell her?”

“Garcia, this has been a long shot for six months. Why get her hopes up?”

“What about Hotch?”

“He knows I’m doing this.”

“He does?”

“Not technically, but he knows I’m not about to let Doyle roam free.”

“Does he know we’re looking for Declan?”

“I just figured I’d call him when I have something to report.”

“Okay.”

“But it feels weird not sharing.”

“Baby girl. You don’t have to do this.”

“I know.”

I love how loyal and protective my puppy is.

“Ian Doyle wasn’t at the top of anyone’s list, Senator.”

“I’m thinking domestic contacts. Em was already in the states when she faked Declan’s death, so … Her associates must be in Boston?”

“No, Garcia, she would have covered her tracks better than that.”

“All right, why did Prentiss join the BAU?”

“To have a normal life.”

“She could have gone anywhere with her skill set, but she chose DC.”

“Maybe to be close to her mom?”

“No. No way. That was just by default.”

“Garcia, she did all of this to protect a child.”

“Right. So you’re saying she came here just so she could be close to the kid.”

“And if she did, she probably had people she could trust living right here.”

“Right. So domestic contacts.”

“There are surprising few in our nation’s capital. One of which is dead.”

“Ben Corelli.”

“He was the forger. Doyle killed him and Prentiss’s friend. He worked out of his apartment, remember?”

“Yeah. And we processed his belongings.”

“Thanks.”

“This would have been a heck of a lot easier had he gone digital.”

“Garcia, there’s an art to all of this. This guy was meticulous. Definite control freak.”

“Yet he’s dead. He couldn’t control that.”

“There can’t be a lot of IDs for children.”

“Actually, you’d be surprised.”

“Okay, wait a minute. Didn’t Prentiss live in Reston, Virginia, for a while?”

“Yeah. Before we knew her, she rented a big house in a cul-de-sac.”

“Okay, why would she live way out there.”

“To be close to Declan.”

“Who had blond hair and blue eyes.”

“Well, I’m sure they’ve changed his hair color by now.”

“Yeah, but you can’t change those cerulean blues.”

Aww.

“Okay, here’s the nanny.”

“Garcia, she still lives in Virginia.”

“Here’s all I got. Declan’s going to a boarding school in Stafford County. His nanny lives five minutes from campus. All signs point to a really well-adjusted kid. He’s an honor student. He’s playing lacrosse. He’s winning science fairs. It looks like he’s got the life Emily wanted for him.”

Surveillance Derek is hot.

“I knew if I could find him, it was only a matter of time before Doyle did.”

“When I wasn’t in the field, I was there.”

“I set up pole cameras for surveillance.”

“Senator, I needed to protect this child because I knew Doyle would find him eventually.”

“Lock down security on his son and then move in on Doyle.”

“Oh, my God. Oh, my God.”

Why is my baby freaking out?

“It’s him. I’m pretty sure it’s him.”

“It’s blurry and, you know, he’s not like posing for the camera or anything like that, but you said he’d come and see and it’s been a while and now he’s here and –”

“Garcia, Garcia, calm down. Let me take a look.”

How dare they put my goddess on the stand? Well, on the bench ... but still.

“What? No, it doesn’t work that way, sir.”

“Agent Morgan called Hotch – excuse me, our unit chief, When the team downsized, he was assigned to lead an investigative task force.”

Wait. So everything went to shit because of fucking money? God, I hate this world.

“Hotchner.”

“Hey, it’s me. How’s it going out there?”

Out where? Where the fuck is Hotch right now?

“You know, long days, some territorial issues to work out. Nothing surprising. How’s everything there?”

“Hotch, we found Declan Doyle.”

“What?”

Ooh, my puppy is in trouble.

“I’ve had surveillance at his house and his school for a few weeks.”

“Morgan, I didn’t authorize this.”

Whoop.

“I know you didn’t, Hotch, but listen to me. I think Doyle may have found Declan, too.”

“All right, I’m coming back.”

“You want me to wait?”

“Morgan, it could be a trap. You make sure you have eyes on Doyle.”

Oh dear.

“And if it is him?”

“Then you take the shot.”

WHAT?

“Hey, Spence.”

“I can’t find him.”

Uh-oh.

“What do you mean, you can’t find him?”

“The headmistress said Declan got sick and went home.”

“Okay, uh, call for back up and get to the house.”

“We’re already here.”

“You see the agents?”

“The lights are off. I’ll call you back.”

“What – Reid!”

“I’ll check the back. You take the hallway.”

“Must be the nanny.”

“Three bodies and no kid. Doyle’s got him.”

“The squad car that went by got Doyle’s attention.”

“You see that?”

“I’ve got movement.”

“He’s in there.”

“He’s going to the roof. JJ, cover the back stairs.”

“He deserved the same beating he gave Prentiss, but I did not unleash that on him, Senator.”

Ooh, Doyle is in trouble now.

“Have you ever been in the field?”

Oh, Rossi burn!

“Then maybe you can imagine what it was like for Agent Morgan to find Emily Prentiss dying … at the hands of Ian Doyle.”

“Now ask yourself … was it wrong for him to want to take that man out?”

“Doyle, where’s Declan?”

“Where is Declan right now?”

“You expect me to believe you had nothing to do with his abduction?”

“Listen to me, you son of a bitch. I am not playing games with you.”

“If you care about anybody other than yourself, you’ll give me a list of who would have done this.”

“You tell me.”

“Someone does.”

“Because when we followed you to that little rat trap, somebody took him from his house.”

“Somebody else was watching you, Doyle. Now tell me who.”

“Your son is missing. So think.”

“The night he killed Prentiss in Boston. He refused to believe Doyle just vanished.”

I hate Strauss.

“Why are you surprised?”

“He seems genuine.”

“See his carotid? His heart started racing when Morgan told him about Declan.”

“Damn it.”

Huh?

“Rossi, it’s me. I just see one ninja-like guy.”

“Yeah, he came out of nowhere, you sure?”

“And just clipped the camera.”

“I’m sorry.”

Crap.

“Don’t worry, Garcia. You were busy looking for Doyle.”

I love papa Rossi.

“She didn’t see a team on the footage. This was well-organized.”

“One could have cut the camera while the other started in here.”

“So they cut off the power, but no signs of forced entry.”

“So how do you overpower two armed agents?”

“A male and a female.”

“Maybe whoever did this posed at the next shift?”

“Make sense. Everything about them seems efficient.”

“Except they took the time to shove her in the closet.”

“Only Declan and the caregiver live here, so whose stuff is this?”

“You still think Doyle’s behind this?”

Oh God, someone bonk Strauss on the head.

“He’s capable of a lot of things, but being two places at once isn’t one of them.”

“Doyle, I’m gonna ask you one last time … who hates you long enough to take him?”

“Six hours.”

“That’s not about to happen.”

“He didn’t do it.”

“No.”

“He’s on his way.”

“What have you got?”

“Got a top-ten list of Doyle’s enemies.”

“Anybody recently in the states?”

“Richard Gerace’s been here a few weeks. He’s a low-level gun-runner who angrily crossed paths with Doyle. I caught an image of him on the surveillance camera at Declan’s house, confirmed it was him through a scar on his neck.”

“All right. Get me everything you can on Gerace.”

“Yeah. What I just told you is everything I’ve got.”

“Well, that’s a good look.”

“How was the desert?”

I LOVE ROSSI!

“Hot.”

“You seen Jack yet?”

“No. Jessica took him to Hershey Park for the weekend.”

“Well, he’ll love that beard.”

“Yeah, we Skyped every day. He’s not a fan.”

I LOVE HOTCH!

Whoop.

“Doyle, do you consider Richard Gerace an enemy?”

“Tell me about him.”

“Whose problem was he?”

“Why not?”

“That’s correct, sir.”

I don’t know why Jack didn’t like it, the beard was an improvement.

“Hey, Got your message.”

“It’s time.”

Time for what?

“Why? Morgan may be able to break Doyle without her.”

“Declan tried to make a call. She’s on the way.”

“All right.”

“I’ll get Morgan.”

“I’ll tell the others.”

TELL THEM WHAT?

“You get anywhere with Doyle?”

“Doyle doesn’t think Gerace had the guts to take them on. But that’s definitely Gerace on the tape.”

“Welcome back.”

“Thanks. Everyone have a seat.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“Everything’s all right?”

“Seven months ago I made a decision that affected this team.”

“As you all know, Emily had lost a lot of blood after her fight with Doyle. But the doctors were able to stabilize her.”

WHAT?

“And she was airlifted from Boston to Bethesda under a covert exfiltration.”

Wait. WHAT now?

“Her identity was strictly need-to-know. And she stayed there until she was well enough to travel. She was reassigned to Paris where she was given several identities, none of which we had access to for her security.”

WHAT!

“She’s alive?”

FUCK.

Called it.

“But we buried her.”

“As I said, I take full responsibility for the decision. If anyone has any issues, they should be directed toward me.”

“Any issues? Yeah, I got issues.”

“Oh, my God.”

“At least you’ve got her back.”

“Did we?”

Yes, you did! Puppy, get back on track!

YES!!!!!! PAGET!!!!!!!!!!!!

“I am so sorry. I really am.”

“Not a day went by that I didn’t want to … Really, I … you didn’t deserve that.”

“And I’m so sorry.”

“There’s so much I want to tell you guys, and I will. I promise. But right now I really need to know what’s going on with Declan.”

This is fucking breaking my heart.

“My friend Tom Koehler. He was raising Declan as his own.”

Huh.

“I never saw him, where is he?”

“Go in or out of that house. He was on assignment overseas.”

“But he’s all right?”

“Yes. He’s on his way back now.”

“He got a call from Declan, he called me, and when I landed, Hotch told me that you had Doyle in custody.”

“And because of Tom’s line of work, that’s why you enrolled Declan in a boarding school.”

“I made sure that he, Louise, and I were the only ones allowed to take him off campus.”

“Louise took him home last night because he was sick. Food poisoning.”

“Yeah, a few of the kids had it, apparently.”

“So whoever did this got to him on campus. The knew they only had one chance.”

“Current suspect is Richard Gerace. He’s the most recent arrival into the States.”

“We’ve been tracking his progress through the city, but we came up empty.”

“But we know it’s him because he has the scar.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Gerace gave up on Doyle a long time ago.”

“He said you were the only one who knew Gerace.”

“Which is why I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have the balls to pull this off.”

“There was no forced entry at the house?”

“I had two agents working security.”

“We think Gerace and his partner posed as the next shift, and one of the agents was a woman.”

“She’s the alpha.”

“So we’re looking for a woman who’s getting back at Doyle.”

“And our suspect list just got a whole lot longer.”

“Doyle had relations with all of these ladies?”

“Most.”

Yikes.

“Wow.”

“Hey, can you shoot these into the roundtable room for me?”

“Anything you say, visitor Prentiss.”

“Thanks.”

“I haven’t seen Ashley.”

“Oh, well, she’s transferred to Andi Swan’s unit.”

YES.

I’m starting to like this season.

“Good for her.”

Sure.

“So, how, uh, angry is the team?”

“They’re in shock.”

“Of course.”

Duh.

“Thank you.”

“It is really good to see you.”

“These women are associates of Doyle’s who may have crossed paths with Gerace.”

“Anyone with deeper personal connections with Doyle?”

“Whoever took Declan showed a lot or rage at the nanny.”

“She had been with Doyle since before Declan was born. The nanny represents a caregiver, a mother figure.”

“Who is Delcan’s mother?”

“Doyle told me she was dead.”

“Which one is Declan’s mom?”

“How do you know? Did you kill her, too?”

“She brought tainted cupcakes to the boarding school and just walked right in.”

“Oh, that is creepy. We thought Doyle was bad.”

“Check her out.”

“Yeah, she ran an international prostitution ring before moving on to chemicals. Distribution and trafficking, manufacturing, possession, weapons charges?”

“Went away for three years.”

“That’s it?”

“She hardly seems the mothering type. Why would she take Declan? It isn’t love.”

“Who were her contacts in the States?”

“This is about you, Ian. You just told me you kept her a prisoner for nine months.”

“Seven.”

Like it matters.

“Did Louise help deliver Declan?”

“That’s called revenge, Ian.”

“Chloe didn’t just forget about what you put her through. Chaining her to a bed wasn’t the answer.”

“That was torture, Ian.”

“And you don’t think she spent years figuring out how to do the same to you?”

“She took the only thing you love.”

“What else would she and Gerace have to gain from taking Declan?”

“I need a list of everyone with the kind of money they’re looking for, and anyone else who wants to hurt you.”

“You know, statistically the abduction of a child by its mother, no matter the psychological disposition of said mother, would be one of low risk to a child.”

“She’s got plenty of connections. She could go underground.”

“Is there anywhere in the US where Chloe and Doyle had a history?”

“No. But they do have a lot of ties in Europe.”

“Doyle came up with associates of Chloe’s who have healthy bank accounts.”

“He thinks it’s a trade? For what, weapons? Drugs?”

“Does it matter?”

Nope.

“Garcia, run these names. See if anyone have locals connections.”

“Yeah. What else should I be looking for, you guys?”

“Secluded properties. A legitimate business that requires international bank accounts and trade.”

“It could be mundane. They survive under the radar.”

“Garcia, start with Irish backgrounds. This type of feud could go back generations.”

“Oh. It looks like the Doyles and the McDermotts have a thing.”

“What kind of thing?”

Yeah, what kind of thing?

“Ian Doyle murdered Jimmy McDermott, but his younger brother Lachlan owns an import company.”

“Do they ship internationally?”

“You know it.”

“He has three warehouses, one of which is slated to be demolished.”

“Where?”

“Inner Harbor, Baltimore.”

“Let’s go.”

“No, sir.”

“He’s gone.”

“Over here!”

“Doyle said Chloe would clean house. So what the hell is she doing now?”

“She’s getting out of the country.”

“Gerace was dead weight. She thinks she’s gonna get more for the kid without him.”

“Yeah. Declan’s disappeared.”

“They had him at the warehouse, but now they’re gone.”

“Your ex is working with Lachlan McDermott. How would he leave the country?”

“He hates you, doesn’t he?”

“Then I think we should give him what he really wants.”

“You.”

“A young boy’s life was at stake. I ran the probability of his survival and it wasn’t good.”

“If you want to punish me for taking a risk, then I encourage you to do that, but do not put the rest of my team on trial for something that I suggested.”

“This is calm, and it’s doctor.”

XD

“No, we are not letting him out of here, Reid.”

Wait, he wants to let Doyle out? What the hell is going on in my poodle’s brain?

“Prentiss, I will chain myself to him if I have to.”

“He’ll find a way to escape.”

“No, he won’t, and we’re running out of time. If we find McDermott now, we have a chance to save Declan.”

“New York City, July 2010, referred to as the spy swap. Igor …”

“You can’t change the rules, sir.”

Ooh, don’t mess with my doctor.

“Is Strauss still here?”

“We need full support.”

“Doyle said McDermott’s family imported weapons to a private airfield in Maryland.”

“I fully understand that, ma’am, but I’m telling you, it’s only a matter of minutes before they leave the country with him.”

“We won’t let that happen.”

“I am certain that without this move, there is a good chance that little boy is going to die.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Lachlan McDermott and Chloe Donaghy, this is the FBI.”

“We know you have Dechlan.”

My badass cupcakes

“To ensure his safety we would like to trade. We will give you Ian Doyle and you send us the boy.”

“Hotch, are we really gonna do this?”

“Gun!”

Poodle shooting!

“May I?”

“The journey was not traditional, but this team neutralized four international criminals and saved the life of a young boy in the process.”

“Agent Prentiss, we’re not done.”

“Hey.”

“I never thought we’d be taking one of these down.”

“I already tried. It’s screwed in.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“I got this.”

“Perfect.”

“I also have Sergio.’

“Oh, I knew you would.”

“I need visitation rights.”

“He’s a love, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he takes after his mom.”

“Morgan.”

“I know what you’ve been through.”

“I understand that you’re angry, but I hope that you understand that this is not about you … or me.”

“This was about saving Emily.”

“We need to talk.”

So Emily saved them all XD I love this woman so much.

“So we’re okay?”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

So she’s invited back on the team and she needs to think about it?

“May I think about it?”

“I’m in.”

Emily, you little shit.

“I have a stack of cases on my desk. I’m happy to pass them all off to you.”

“I’ll pick them up in the morning.”

“Emily, uh … what did you tell him?”

“The only people I know who could accomplish that mission just walked out.”

“They do their jobs with integrity, and most importantly, they honor their oath.”

FBI oath: “I will support and defend the constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. That I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me God.”

So ... that happened.

Oh my fucking god, I am so fucking excited about this season! Also, it is not fair how hurt Derek is bec axuse my heart is literally breaking here.

But, thi sseason is foing to be off the chian, bro! So, as ever, thank you so much for sticking around, and here is a series of photos of Derek.

[whimsically-ominously-auspice]

Im playing my online farming game and I hear "come on guys. Let's go. Time to quit playing around. Mom has people waiting -- like the whole world for our results"

Well it's been 7 hours since the last update and about 6 since they got that larger batch going

Chasity: the UV is doing better than i expected, I'm pleasantly surprised but it's also worse than i thought.

So she explains to me that it is easy to kill but it develops very quickly as it ages but its not harder to kill. Like a fine wine it goes down quick.

Chasity: mom you play too Much. So as it ages it does become slower to kill but it's not easier nor harder just longer.

Me: that's weird

Chasity: yep. We had several different people test it. And the results were all the same But it was milliseconds however we are spraying directly onto a a Petri dish, an antiseptic/antiviral/antibacterial that is prescription for lab use only and so in real life out in the air we don't know the actual results as far as in time - at this time. But we are only 12 hours into the testing phase -- first we had to confiscate the correct virus -- which we did about midnight last night but we didn't really want to test it unless there was an interest and to prove the "PRESIDENT" wrong is an interest. At least for us here in this lab. Because we Are scientist and not idiots. And so to find out how about air we have to spray it into a confined room we have here in the lab and it will show how fast it dies airborne or if it remains air borne past the allowable spray. So like is it just sprayed then falls like the one mom had created (on "accident" through George Bush) so its not airborne or does it remain air borne like the COVID and COVID-19. which once again if you have COVID-19 you cannot get COVID, I've tested it here in this lab they do not interact -- mom what do you call it? A one way window?

Me: yeah because i tried to explain the one way pathway but George Bush didn't understand... He doesn't understand that blood flows one direction through the body from left to right he just thinks the blood goes back and forth in the same blood tube. Like a two way street and so he argued with me and so i explained it as a one way and two way window and he was all "the only one getting arrested here is you. I've proved I'm not smart enough to do all this! Twice!! Just to you!" And he leaned over the table And whispered "And all my life to the secret service" he makes it fun to screw him over to make the perfect virus to kill aliens. To get them off our planet. But to keep humans safe!! And so yes one way mirror.

Chasity: oh that is too funny. That is all i wanted to hear you say, that hes dumb. Your memory is perfect!

Me: so how is the humidity going?

Chasity: sucks fast growing and not easy to kill. But! It does die in about 5 whole seconds and not milliseconds like the UV

Me: so people should feel safe to hang their clothes on the line?

Chasity: oh yeah! Exactly! But they should know the virus can spread in the sun and the UV aka sun won't kill them but it should be safe if it's not like apartment living and its in a private location. It would be better watched to dry in the sun with a fan on an extension cord in a barricaded outdoor place and if you hear someone cough while your clothes are outside you should spray Lysol for at least 2 seconds immediately directly onto the clothes. At least that's what I would do, stay outside with them listening for a cough or discreet spray from a hoodlum or terrorist which is the same now a days. While reading a book and catching some rays myself with sunscreen and sunglasses of course -- in the privacy of my own yard which is allowed even in Spain.

Wendy: so what is the safety? I'll answer that myself. Very very bad. The one mom had was very digital and not many were getting sick from just the Corona. This one however is very bad in just the way it makes any one everywhere very sick and the rate it multiplies. Mom waited too long to close the labs but she stopped one that was 10 times worse and presumed to kill within hours if not just a few days. Like 3 or 4 immediate death. This one now isn't designed to kill, its like mom's. But this one she stopped on Tuesday was like COVID But for every one. It was true Hell. Luckily JuJu pissed her off and she ordered it closed. Otherwise my dad would be dead and probably millions if not billions. They had the orders up,boxed and ready to ship, they just wanted to test on a human first -- my dad.

Long story short. JuJu was the test dummy..

Wendy: yeah! And he died in 4 short hours! My dad wouldn't even had time to get home and would died in his car on the road and it would looked like a generic car accident! So yeah fuck JuJu. I'll kick his ass.

Me: sounds like you did

Wendy: no that was you! Once you posted he committed suicide he knew it was a cover up Because you were just going to have him murdered so he just drank it on his own. That's what i saw.

Me: he hates women so much he committed suicide so that i couldn't have the honor of killing him. Well he only proved women are always right which has Always been my fight with him. Well we won in the end! Hoorah!

Wendy: like 17 people committed suicide that night!

Chasity: Mostly by poisons. They didn't wanna go to jail And wanted control over their own death.

Me: over all death. That's why we always tried to stop them but that was dam sneaky on JuJu

Chasity: he said it was an antidote mom so we didn't know what to do

Me: don't listen to the lab people. I said there is no cure.

Chasity: but for the Corona because we knew there was a new variant for the President of the United State's request because he's mad he is going to die of COVID. I told y'all we needed a human!

Me: well just kill any thing the Corona Variant 2 is mild

Chasity: just a wet cough. But dad got it worse than you so we we're kinda scared.

Me: well i got it at Allsups and I'm nearly over it. As long as i take cough medicine. And fever. Its less than the modern day cold and flu. Corona is literally a joy to have over regular sinus infections and bronchitis. Shit i been sick from that crap they've let loose on their labs. For months sick. This is a wonder virus. So nice to have compared to 2013 and 2014. There was no emergency anything but the cold medicine aisle was wiped out all kinds. People were sick and dying! This? I'm all sleep for awhile, cough take medicine and that's it.

Chasity: yeah well dad had it really bad i thought he was going to die

Me: but he was working out exercise and working and

Chasity: doing cardio and all. See dad? You should stay with mom. She would take care of you. Stay in bed and have chicken soup, a few push ups and repetitive weights and back to bed. You don't have to reply but I hope you're listening.

Brian: shit she takes care of me like I'm a beast! Don't touch me! Breathe over there! We will lay back to back so you know I'm here but no breathy stuff. You want sex? Die first So i don't catch what you got then come back to life after. She is funny tho. I don't mind her so much. That last time i was sick and she was with me i was all "i feel great let me go running!" Then i went back and begged her to never let me do that again!

Chasity: you wanted to die huh?

Brian: she put me in a cool bath and I fell asleep. And I woke up and she was adding hot water. Which made me sleep more. But she left me in there alone while I was asleep! She said I was too tall to drown unless she tried to kill me so she just stopped any one but the little girls from going in. But she covered me with a towel so they couldn't see my junk in the front. And i thought it was a blanket and I was all "oh she's so sweet to bring me a blankie. What the fuck! It's wet who did this to me?! Oh that water is hot. Ouch. Good thing I'm asleep that ain't me. I always turn my own water on. No girl would bathe me. Just ask JuJu Bee. Im too ugly but then again she tells,him she calls him that because bees only sting once and Then they die and she's been stung and she's just waiting for him to die and JuJu because there's no Jesus for what he's done and over all jujuBe candy is good for nothing with no nutrient value and he should shut his face or she's gonna kick it in. What a chick. Hand me that wet towel back I'm getting cold" and you know she told me "it's hot you can't tell the difference of the temperature and the towel is in your lap you never handed it out. But some things you see in your dreams are real. Your body just doesn't know it." And I seriously woke up and I shrieked "are you trying to burn me like in that book with the grandma? You're trying to burn my balls off?!?" And I heard all this laughter but I saw her face looking directly at me not at all amused but slightly sad and I got really scared "why are you such a nightmare?!?!" I seriously shrieked and i thought she would cry but she started to laugh and she got up from the edge of the tub and suddenly a rubber ducky started to float in the tub and I grabbed her arm and said "no babe look!! Did you turn into a duck?!?! No I'm grabbing your arm what am I thinking?!" And she looked down into my eyes real deep like she does and she says "you're real beautiful don't you know?" And i let go of her arm "go on go pee. But what is that laughing you have a tape recorder or something?" She said she wished because it wasn't funny then but she knew she would laugh later. Finally she told on them two, Annabelle and Declan because she adjusted the towel and I was getting ready to throw it out but she shrieked then "no!! You need it to cover up for the kids!" And I said "well where are they?" And she moved her head slightly to the left and motioned me to shh. So i pretended to be a sea monster with a pink towel over my waist and scared the dickens out of them both. Declan looked at me in horror and said I was no fun! Me! Me! Of all people. After i was nearly pissing in my tub talking in my sleep. Shit. I knew i said some bad stuff but all i could think was that it was about sex and murder. Luckily the words that came out were sober compared to what was in my head which was drunk with power.

Chasity: so you're seriously thinking it won't be so bad then? To live with mom then with me?

Brian: I mean well..yeah now JuJu is dead and so is a lot of other people it might be a possibility.

Chasity: because dad this is really important to me So don't mislead me.

Brian: well she's not So bad... She's just a lot of work!

Me: you are a lot of work. You want to treat me like a baby and do everything

Brian: No like you're a doll! But you talk back! Sheesh! A lot too I might add! That makes the work double because then i got to think!

Me: well you don't seem to listen too badly.

Brian: Oh wow! What a compliment! That is a compliment isn't it?!

Me: yeah

Wendy: im Peter Pan's wife do you remember me? Dad you need to grow up and get a wife. Quit being a bachelor. The look isn't good on you. Or on mom. Do you hear?

Brian: yeah i hear. I am listening.

Wendy: okay good. In conclusion of the virus growth we will get back to you tomorrow, general public. And dad we hope you grow over night just as Much. Mom's been typing just over an hour and no major changes to report but now we need to get the room ready and we will have that report tomorrow. Dad thanks for the talk. We always enjoy the Tales of the Man Dressed in a Pink Towel in the Bathtub.

[degrassionline]

I've been receiving some messages recently and reading posts on this website from fans feeling very defensive. And honestly I get it. I am this highly sensitive anxious person who takes everything personally even if it's some random I don't even know making fun of my favourite character. Even though I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Getting caught up in ship wars and online debate can get toxic really fast. If Season 4 has taught us anything it's that the most important thing is to take care of yourself first and foremost. Personally sometimes I need to unfollow someone or even take a break from the internet entirely because I can see it affecting my own health and anxiety.

I love Degrassi more than anything; this show was there for me when I needed it most and for that reason I'm loyal to it forever. But it's not a perfect show by any means. More than anything I wish that Tristan didn't make biphobic comments. I wish that Adam Torres wasn't killed off. I wish Degrassi Goes Hollywood never existed. I wish that the Holly J/Declan (almost?) rape storyline in Love Lockdown was handled differently. I wish Hazel wasn't played as the "black girl best friend" character during the TNG era.

But the great thing about Degrassi is that, because the show has lasted so long, they are able to learn from their mistakes. Every season they seem to get better by making corrections or addressing past wrongs.

Degrassi is a very personal show. We're all watching it hoping to see ourselves represented so we can be reassured that we're not alone. The fact that they can tell these stories is what makes it so special. However it also means that online comments that may seem like not a big deal can actually be really hurtful.

I guess what I'm saying is that if you are feeling like this it's OKAY. I'm feeling it too. Take a break, turn off your computer, take care of yourself :) If you want to talk about how much you love Degrassi I'm here to listen.

[secondsofhappiness]

THANK YOU so so much for posting your photographs from the village tour. You look so happy to be there. Can you tell us any stuff from the tour because so many of us can't get to go and I'd really like to know the things you said they told you about filming there. I hope you come back very soon ☺️

Aww thank you so much!

Of course, I’d be so happy to. I wish you could all go visit, as a really big fan it was rather special for me so I wish there was a way for us all to go.

I’m sure this kind of thing has been done before but I’m happy to post everything I can remember! I was like a school kid, I’m sure the tour guide thought I was an enormous nerd but I wasn’t the only excited one.

MY EMMERDALE VILLAGE TOUR REPORT ❤️

First off, I’ve visited quite a few TV sets with work and attended a few studio TV tapings but this place is something else. It’s so immersive. It’s little wonder the cast feel like it’s home, it feels so real and is absolutely cared for and feels extremely lived in.

It’s tiny in real life though. Not the village itself (I think the “set” is 11 acres they said but the houses. They look SO SMALL and everything feels dainty which was precious to me, the Woolpack specifically. It’s so iconic and yet when I saw it, I awww-ed :)

For those of you who are planning on going at some point, it might be a shame to know all this before you go as the tour guides seem to tell people the same stuff so I’d maybe not read - wanted to warn in case!

It’s a little long so be prepared!

Ok, so first off, for me the thing that struck me was how green it was and how perfectly the village fit into the surroundings. It feels VERY real and is so bedded into the grounds that they barely need to do anything to make it appear “life like”. There is a gardener (one lady!) who looks after all of the plants/trees and foliage. She has her work cut out as most of the greenery is real but it obviously reacts to seasonal changes so due to how far in advance they tape, she is sometimes up against it and has to glue leaves to trees or add extra flowers in or potentially has to replace or hide foliage with stuff to make it look dead. I spotted a few fake plants too, especially in tubs and pots. She keeps her equipment in Tall Trees (Marlon’s house) which is actually located behind the cricket pavilion over the “bridge of tears”. I did NOT know Marlon lived so far out of the village, actually the opposite side of the village to The Dingles. There are issues with grass though. Some areas get worn away and there was a rule on the tour not to stand on it because they’d be filming Monday etc. So all of the grass outside of David’s shop is fake and there’s also a patch of fake grass near the bus stop and the Thomas’ cottage (Mulberry).

There are things that are placed VERY differently to how they seem on the show which makes the tour pretty funny at first. The Sharmas is less then a 30 second walk from the factory in reality but Jai uses his car to travel there… haha. The Sharma’s house is definitely supposed to be elsewhere but in reality it’s right next to Wishing Well! Same with the scrap yard… it’s mega close to the village but Rob’s always driving there and giving Aaron a lift etc. Dude just wants to have Aaron in his car!

Also, hilariously, (someone who has done the tour can correct me on this if I’m wrong) but I’m almost certain that the road in from the security hut that allows you on site is the “Robron first kiss” road… which, if I’m right and let’s face it, we’d recognise that road anywhere, is a short walk from the village. So Rob’s whole “I’m stranded, save me Aaron!” thing becomes hysterically funny.

Butler’s Farm is set alone out of the village near a local pub and looks as quaint and is pretty much a working farm…!

The Dingles, Pollard’s house and The Scrap Yard are all set a little outside the village (a very short walk) and so aren’t on the tour. Home Farm also isn’t a set, external shots are filmed at a nearby estate which I always expected but when Declan set fire to it (ah happy memories) I presumed it was a set… and I was right! They did build a version or started to build a HF set but planning permission failed so, they set fire to it! SO THIS MEANS MY DREAMS OF A FULL HF FIRE ARE DASHED :( Dog is going to have to find a different method than knocking over a candle!

As most people know, most of the inside stuff is in the Kirkstall Road studio in Leeds but there are a few indoor sets at the village including the B&B, the church, the village hall, the vet surgery, Rhona’s cottage, Eric’s House, the pirate ship and the barns (I think they’re all of the interior sets at the village). They do have a Woolpack set that can be placed inside the village Woolpack building because they used it for the Live episode but it’s rarely required.

The Barns! Ok, so we’ve all been a bit confused about the barns on the show and which is which so one of my aims while I was there was to work that shiz out. First of all, it’s probably important to say that I got mega excited seeing the barn where Sarah died. It took me right back and it’s quite far out of the village and is the security hut to allow you onto the set. It’s quite bleak where it is so I can imagine in Winter it’s mega exposed.

The “near proposal/bread barn/affair barn” is just a random barn on the way into the village. It’s close to The Dingles and not far from the scrap yard etc but is just this little random barn… and is entirely separate but hilariously overlooked so you can’t exactly be inconspicuous! It’s a different barn to the one Charity and Ross got it on in and Sarah found Faith in as that’s a much smaller barn further out of the village. Hilarious how many random barns there are!

The graveyard is something I was surprised by! I thought they’d just put the graves out there when they needed them but nope, if a gravestone has been shown on the show then it’s an ACTUAL gravestone buried into the ground so there were so many recognisable ones - especially for long time viewers! Half the King family take up a corner…! Sarah’s is off by herself at the top (definitely felt super special seeing that!) and Val’s sits proudly in the centre at all times!!! We saw Ashley’s cross and apparently they use that cross for all characters so it just gets moved around hahaha. They’re apparently giving Ashley his own grave stone (obviously!) so it’ll be shown in the show at some point. The other random graves are actual gravestones taken from a graveyard in London somewhere as it was being “closed”… creepy. Some ex- crew who were heavily involved in the early success of the show have their own graves!

The village was built in 1997 but obviously had to be made to look worn in, old and imbedded. They used a yoghurt and manure mixture on the walls to encourage lichen to grow! They also used grinders on stone steps and other techniques to make the houses/stone work appear worn from use/weather.

The cars. I kind of got a bit excited as the first thing I saw was The Dingles van. Most of the cars are purchased by the show but some are actually the cars of crew members… apparently Cain’s BMW belongs to the cleaner! I was gutted I couldn’t see Rob’s Porsche but I was told some cars are kept at the scrap yard and as much as I tried, I couldn’t spot it. They had a car park near the drop off point that had character cars in it and I saw “the digger” hahaha, had a giggle to myself.

The fact that the buildings are either empty, shells or are used as make-up, costumes, toilets (Ness’ cottage is the toilets!) or prop storage, it means that obviously special effects are required to make them look lived in. That includes smoke from chimneys, interior lighting etc which is all via remote control. I found that incredibly cool. They all have entrance ways built onto them so when the characters are at their doors, it looks like it’s an actual house though, which is obvious but still a fun little detail.

Apparently the B&B has only one internal bedroom and so if they need to make it look there are more than one like if they shoot in a couple supposed to be used for guests, they just have to change the bedding and lamps etc to make it look different.

It’s hilarious looking at the size of some of the houses and wondering how the heck the families fit in ESPECIALLY The Bartons. It’s one of the smaller cottages and has like one room upstairs… haha

I actually didn’t get an answer to my question about The Mill and if any of it is on location at the village but from what I could see, the downstairs windows look dressed with pull down blinds and looks “used” but the upstairs looks blank. I’m not sure if the ground floor has an internal set (the tour guide didn’t know) or if it’s just got window dressings for external shots but either way it is HANDS DOWN the prettiest house in the village and has the most beautiful location. It looks so grand and cosy and I am biased because it was ALWAYS my favourite set when The Kings lived there and now my other faves are taking it over but genuinely, it’s mega pretty.

Another thing I found funny was the layout. I have been watching this show for nearly 22 years and I still got a shock when I realised where the village hall and church were in comparison to the rest of the village…! Hahaha. It’s so lame of me. I didn’t realise that the back gardens of the cottages that The Bartons and Vic/Adam live in back onto the village hall and that the hall and church is as far away, also the garage! How the heck did I NOT realise where it was?! I didn’t realise it was so close to the Woolpack… also the cricket pavillion is entirely NOT where I expected it to be and is also on a really steep bank. Rob and Aaron’s picnic and Gabby stripping off and all of the other scenes have NEVER made it look like it was on a proper hill! Camera magic, eh?!

And yes it is real beer/lager/ale that comes out of the pumps. The way they do it is, if a pint is being poured and scene requires the actor to drink it immediately, they’ll be drinking real alcohol but if not then their pint will be replaced by the fake stuff and if there are scenes where drinks are already poured, it’ll be fake and also if drinks are downed! That said, some of the stuff the actors drink is actually the proper stuff. Makes sense why some of them always have a swig as soon as Chas passes them it ;)

So! That’s everything I can think of. It’s probably massively boring but I thought I’d write it up anyone for those that are interested. If you can get to visit then I’d definitely recommend it. I found those moments of looking back up behind me to the empty village ESPECIALLY from the direction of The Mill Upwards towards the Pub and bus stop… that was quite special for me. It felt really strange as I’ve grown up watching these places every week night for most of my life and to stand there was surreal and all I kept saying to my friend was how pretty and peaceful it was and how homely it felt. Makes sense as it’s our lovely cosy crazy little show!

[torentialtribute]

Fans turned off by ‘FARCE’: Afternoon of anger and confusion as VAR technology makes debut

Fans disabled by & # 39; FARCE & # 39 ;: afternoon of anger and confusion as VAR technology debuts in Manchester City's victory over West Ham

VAR was hot topic after the dust settled from the Man City victory in West Ham

Fans were left with technology after three controversial decisions

Former Premier League referee Chris Foy thought it got every decision correct

There are concerns that supporters may become disillusioned because of VAR

Against Stephen Davies for the mail on Sunday

Published: 22:34 BST, August 10, 2019 | Updated: 22:34 BST, August 10, 2019

Any suggestion that the arrival of VAR would end any debate about questionable Arbitral decisions are clearly not the court case in Saturday's controversies in West Ham .

Although there was no doubt about the excellence of Manchester City in his 5-0 win, it was the impact of VAR rather than the class of champions that was the most popular topic ever dust had settled in the London Stadium.

A former Premier League star thinks fans are & # 39; disillusioned & # 39; will feel, while Pep Guardiola believes that VAR is the dynamics of games.

]

Cries of & # 39; VAR is f **** ** s **** & # 39; tinkling around the stadium and adding fuel to the fire that will convince fans a lot that the system will work. City had ruled out a goal, another on excessive offside calls and a penalty that was retracted for infringement – all three incidents were referred to the VAR with the associated delays.

Fans across the country descended on social media to air a mixture of indignation, disbelief, indignation and incidental support from high-tech histrionics.

And it wasn't just fans who were stunned. & # 39; I just didn't enjoy what's going on & # 39 ;, said former Manchester United defender Paul Parker for the BBC. & # 39; It's disillusioning fans. & # 39;

His opinion is that the excessive margins with the two goals – one scored by Gabriel Jesus, the other given by Raheem Sterling – were so good that there is no guarantee that the technology can be so accurate. & # 39; The two finishes were similar, & # 39; he said. & # 39; We are talking about fractions. & # 39;

Pep Guardiola, the boss of Manchester City thinks VAR is the dynamic will change games

DANNY MURPHY ANALYSIS: WE MUST HAVE & # 39; TIME DAYLIGHT & # 39; USING

Those who are a little skeptical about both VAR are good for our game. feel sad at two points because of what happened in West Ham.

Some people will say that the offside decision against Raheem Sterling in the run-up to Gabriel Jesus' goal was technically correct with a fraction of a shoulder. But I don't think a system is infallible if it is that close and you take into account the movement of different players and the ball.

I prefer to see a & # 39; daylight line & # 39; has been introduced so that the decision of a referee can only be ignored if there is an opening that indicates offside, instead of a body part being millimeters away.

My biggest concern, however, is not technical, it is how these hairline decisions affect the spirit of the game.

Later in the game, Sterling scored and his celebration was somewhat muffled. There is now a subconscious feeling where you have to wait until technology approves a goal before you can show joy and that kills what makes football great.

You can say that waiting for the VAR decision has its own excitement, but I am not excited about celebrating a goal without a doubt.

I have no intention of complaining about VAR every week; it's there now, the players will learn to be patient and I have to accept that it will be used.

But I think introducing a daylight rule, so we don't have to cancel targets for fractional decisions that can still be debated, would be an improvement.

The beautiful hat of Raheem Sterling was deceived by the controversial VAR decisions

Gary Lineker tweeted: & I am by the way for VAR. It has always been that way, but it is offside or it is not. & # 39; The argument is good if we have the technology to prove it – and it will come. I think it needs some kind of in-ball technology to determine the exact moment of contact. & # 39;

Contest officials and VAR supporters are convinced that the technology used in deciding on offside calls will soon be considered reliable as target line technology.

Former referee Peter Walton said: & # 39; We accept goal line technology when a ball is a millimeter across the line and by the end of this season, people accept that a player is a millimeter offside. & # 39;

What is undeniable is that Saturday's references on the field caused confusion. Fans were stunned when referee Mike Dean said City should retake a penalty after Lukasz Fabianski saved Sergio Aguero's first attempt, VAR decided that Declan Rice was guilty of offense rather than officials detecting false moves by the keeper.

]

And Guardiola the The stop-start character of VAR calls can change the course of competitions. City would have risen 3-0 if the goal of Jesus had stood. Moments later, only Ederson & # 39; s double-save stopped being 2-1. & # 39; You must be mentally strong if VAR goes against you & # 39 ;, Guardiola said. & # 39; At 0-3 the game is almost over. Then it is 0-2 and Ederson had to make an incredible save to keep it 1-2. You have to be calm, strong. It will change the dynamics. & # 39;

Rio Ferdinand, who works for BT Sport, said: & # 39; The danger is going to separate the game from the normal fan. The great thing about football is that it's simple. But they will get more decisions right than wrong and that must be right. & # 39;

And that view was reflected by Jamie Carragher, who tweeted: & # 39; VAR will sometimes have problems but criticize it as

However, not everyone was so convinced, with former City player David Brightwell who undoubtedly reflected the thoughts of thousands of fans when he tweeted: & # 39; It becomes a looooonnnngggg season this farce. & # 39;

KLOPP & # 39; S LOOPHOLE TO WALL RULE

Jurgen Klopp devised an innovative way to bypass the new rules for building his own rules.

Opposition players are not allowed within a meter of a defensive wall, removing the spades that can stop the game. Klopp's solution against Norwich was to build a wall a meter before Norwich (left), obscuring the view of keeper Tim Krul.

& # 39; It is within the letter of the law & # 39 ;, said former referee Chris Foy.

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[swipestream]

Sensor Sweep: REH Guide, Realism, Short Stories, Street & Smith Pulp Sales, Star Wars

Books (Skelos Press): Presenting the English translation of the award-winning book that introduced a new generation of French fans to the father of sword and sorcery. The Robert E. Howard Guide was born out of years of scholarship, but took its final form after answering the same questions from fans over and over again. In many ways, Howard remains a “famous unknown writer, “the man who single handedly defined modern fantasy, but whose life and works are still known mostly filtered through adaptations, pastiches and gross approximations. Because of those specificities, he is more often than not known for what and who he wasn’t, for sentences he never wrote, or for characters who bear little resemblance—if any—to his original creations. This, in turn, explains how and why this book was conceived.

  Popular Culture (Jeffro Johnson): You can see the cultural programming for this present disaster hit hard just by looking at the movies of the sixties and seventies. Marathon Man (1976) features a “nice guy” protagonist. Dustin Hoffman plays a nebbish that blunders into a bit of a thriller. “Realism” in this case means that he is such a loser that the only woman willing to take up with him is one which is willing to do so under the orders of a mysterious figure from the underworld. (Note how this character type would undergo some modifications in the eighties: loser protagonists in both Gremlins and The Karate Kid fall into completely arbitrary female favor without establishing any of the sort of qualities that could motivate it while characters that could command that sort of attention are painted in the worst light possible.

Gaming (Gaming Ballistic): Today I pushed the “Blast Emails” button on the PDF for Dragon Heresy. It’s got the cover, hyperlinks and bookmarks, and I hope is as error-free as it could be. Backers should find the notification in their email box.

I will be spooling out a gigantic file for upload to the printer today or tomorrow (the office in Hong Kong is closed tomorrow, so doing it early doesn’t make much sense). It’s been a long journey to this point, but within a day the process of making the physical books will begin. I’ll stage the PDF for release on my site and Drive ThruRPG in a week or so; I need a breather first. On the other hand: PDF promised end of July. Delivered 6wks early. Booyah. Now I start cranking HARD on Hall of Judgment.

  Publishing (Red Pill Religion): Science Fiction is a wasteland of Politically Correct, croney-laden publishers. Most self-publishing solutions generation nothing. How do you sell books in the early 21st Century? Join professional writers Brian Neiemeier, Declan Finn, Russell Newquist, Nick Col, and John C. Wright as we discuss navigating Science Fiction and Fantasy publishing in 2018!

  Comic Books (Brian Niemeier): Yesterday I mentioned comic artist Ethan Van Sciver’s account of his amicable separation from DC Comics. Ethan’s a decent guy–the kind of normie entrepreneur, husband, and father one could once be in America before peak SJW convergence. It’s good to know he isn’t fretting over where his next meal is coming from since his independent Cyberfrog comic just raised over $200,000.

I take comfort in knowing that creators like EVS are out there, humbly making new culture to replace what the Morlocks befouled. I experience an altogether different emotion when I hear of the diabolical persecution SJWs subject honest family men like Ethan to.

  Gaming (Walker’s Retreat): I’m seeing the institutional incompetence too common in tabletop RPGs is now present in videogames.

The tell? The production of things that call themselves games, but are not.

A game has a few defining characteristics:

A defined scenario, putting out what the playable space is and what constraints bind it.

A defined objective- a win condition.

Limited resources–including time–to achieve it.

Systems for interaction between player(s) and the situation as it develops.

Defined loss conditions.

No reliance on narrative or other non-gaming practices to produce a satisfactory experience as well as to avoid detracting from same, because the point is to challenge the player, to see if he can face adversity, and then to see if he can adapt and overcome to achieve the objective.

  Writing (Wasteland and Sky): From a chart passed around by author Jon Del Arroz comes this list showing the sales of different SF subgenres. To no one’s surprise, the ones focused on action and adventure are at the top of the chart. In addition to some weird listings (“Alternate History” and “Alternative History” are two different categories) this isn’t all that surprising to anyone who pays attention to what mainstream people like. I’m sure if you’ve read this blog or similar ones you know all of this.

The worst part of this chart is how low short stories are. Despite being cut up into three categories (again, for some reason) short stories are at the rock bottom of the list and have been for a very long time. Think about it.

  Publishing (Pulprev): We’ve got to create the culture that we want to enjoy, and that means backing those willing to put themselves out there. While that does mean spreading the word, ultimately it comes down to putting either your money or your skin where your mouth is. I understand if you’re having to pinch your pennies, but if you can’t put your money down then you can find a way to contribute otherwise; I can write, so I’m putting skin down instead and throwing my hat into the ring. Below is an excerpt of what I put out on my writing blog last Friday.

  Pulp Magazines (Pulp Archivist): I recently came across a ThePulp.net article covering the 1949 death of the pulps, where Street & Smith axed all their pulps except for Astounding. It parroted the popular wisdom of the time, where changing tastes among the audience doomed the medium. However, what caught my eye was the sales figures included.

  Gaming (RPG Pundit): So, I have an earlier blog entry where I’ve told my readers that they can post questions and/or requests for rant topics from me. I will periodically respond to any of these I think I can do a good job at answering. So if you have something you want to ask me, or ask me to write about, go to that entry and put your question/request in the comments!

Today, we have a question from Omer G. Joel: “I’d like to read your opinion about “new school” D&D, that is 3.5E/4E, as I got the impression (am I right?) that you are closer to the Old School in your tastes and views.”

  Cinema (Reactionary Times): Kathleen Kennedy hasn’t just destroyed careers and childhood dreams during the parade of incompetence that was her tenure as head of Lucasfilm. Theaters got hurt.  Disney investors got hurt.  Disney as a whole has taken a punch to the head. From Ace: First: Disney’s publicity machine got a new recruit in its war on (former) Star Wars fans: Steven Colbert decided to attack them as racist, sexist manbabies.

Everything to protect his Khalisi Kathleen Kennedy.

  T.V. (Emperor Ponders): *Kyphosis, actually, but that doesn’t sound that funny.

I saw this image yesterday, and I chuckled immediately. It was a reflexive laughter, and it took me awhile to understand what exactly had triggered my reaction. s I said, I laughed when I saw this, even before I had consciously processed what I had seen. A few minutes of heavy thunkin’ later, I realized what was wrong: they look ridiculous while trying to look cool, which is the worst kind of ridiculousness that exists.

  Sensor Sweep: REH Guide, Realism, Short Stories, Street & Smith Pulp Sales, Star Wars published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames

[thenthdimension]

My Top Ten Comics of the Year List because the one from Vice Sucked

So vice has released a list of its top ten comics of the year that was only eight entries long because apparently comics were so bad this year that eight was as many as they could manage. This really frustrated me, mainly because their problem was with the quality of comics (which I thought was great) and not the behaviour of individuals and organisations within the industry (a lot of which was very bad). I am not going to link to the article because if you want to find it you can but I am not going to help you. I am however going to give my top ten list which I realise a lot of other people have done in reaction to the article but I’m just too annoyed to do nothing.

Some caveats before I start, firstly I am just someone who likes comics and I have not read 90% of the stuff that has come out because I am not a) rich or b) someone who receives comics to review. Secondly I am a white/cis/het man and my comics reading is not as diverse as I would like but I do want to work on that this year. Thirdly some of these will be graphic novels, some individual issues and some on-goings. Finally this is in no particular order, feel free to skip past entries you have not interest in and please check to the end of the list to see if something catches your interest. If one person reads one comic because I did this that is a huge win.

Aliens Dead Orbit by James Stokoe

James Stokoe is one of the best cartoonists working in comics today. Most of the books he works on are top to bottom his work, writing, pencils, inks, colouring, lettering the whole bag and that is the case here. The details in his panels is incredible as you can see here but only when it needs to be. When he needs the readers eye to move quickly across a page to show speed or to make show a lot happening in a short space of time the detail drops without losing any of the skill. Also I just love his colouring the warm lighting contrasting with the cold metal of the ship and dark blacks of space and the aliens themselves. This is not a complicated or deep story that going to tell anything new about this universe its just excellently told and looks fab.

Kaijumax: Season 3 by Zander Cannon with colour assists by Jason Fischer

This is a prison comic where the prisoners are giant monsters, I really don’t know what else you want me to say about this. At its best it can be disturbing, funny, exciting and you will never know how much you could care about a giant satanic Goat. That goat is the Creature from Devils Creek and his is the best story line this season, I was honestly upset and some of the things he had to go through. I obviously recommend going back and reading the previous two seasons but this is the best Kaijumax has been and I cannot wait for season 4.

Doom Patrol Written by Gerard Way, Pencils by Nick Derington, Inks by Tom Fowler, Colours by Tamara Bonvillian and Letters by Todd Klien

The lead singer of My Chemical Romance writes one of my favourite comics. That’s a weird thing to say but then comics are weird and this comic if full bore weird. Coming from DC’s Young Animal line which is basically Way’s baby this is technically a book about a team of superheros but really its well developed characters dealing with whatever mad thing happens that month. But as much as I enjoy the madness and Ways writing Nick Derington is the best thing about this book. There was an issue that had guest art by Mike Allred, who I love, and all I wanted was for Derington to come back. Plus that madcap writing means he gets to draw some incredible looking stuff. Also one of the main characters has sex with their anthropomorphised cat.

The Wicked + The Divine Written by Kieron Gillen, Art by Jamie McKelvie, Colours by Matthew Wilson and Letters by Clayton Cowles

It was never going to be ok. That’s basically the motto of this book and this year has shown you how true that is. Every 90 years the cycle repeats normal people become gods and will not live past 2 years, this time they also became pop stars. Wic Div has been going for a couple of years now and it just keeps getting better, the characters are so real and who they are is brilliantly reflected in the art. It will break your heart but it will also have dying to read the next issue. Plus they have started doing specials which show glimpses of the past pantheons. Its currently on issue 34 so its something of a commitment but it rewards that commitments and the collections come out with a decent regularity. Oh if you are a tumblr person do not look at the Wic Div tag unless you want SPOILERS.

Copra #31 by Michel Fiffe

Fiffe is another top to bottom cartoonist and he also self publishes Copra, so this is proper indie comics. Copra is a Suicide Squad fan comic that’s almost consistently better than the actual Suicide Squad comic. A team of mercenaries and criminals do the jobs no one can admit to and treated as expendable by those who put them in harms way. Its art and action comics all at once. This issue focuses on Castillo who as you may be able to tell is somewhat like the Punisher and its just a great example of what makes Copra great. I could see Fiffes art not being for everybody but its 100% for me.

Southern Cross written by Becky Cloonan, Art by Andy Belanger, Colours by Lee Loughride and Letters by Serge LaPointe

Southern Cross is like an Aliens movie directed by John Carpenter filtered through H.P. Lovecreaft. Put on some synth-wave, prog rock or cosmic metal and enjoy a horror comic that’s also a huge amount of fun. The first arc was Alex Braith booking passage aboard the Southern Cross to find out what happened to her sister. This years second arc takes us to the rigs on Titan where the mystery of whats going on deepens and we find out more about the life in this universe. Can’t recommend it highly enough, plus some of the space suits have Jason masks, which makes me very happy.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl # 26 The Zine Issue by Ryan North, Erica Henderson, Rico Renzi and many, many more

I cannot list all the creators please go look them up. Squirrel Girl (she has the powers of both Squirrel and Girl) is a comic that is always a huge amount of fun and this issue is the zine that Squirrel Girl has put together with her friends to raise money for all the public buildings superheroes destroy. It features a feel good inspiration comic written by a nihilistic brain in a jar, Cat Loki, a quite touching story about Wolverine and a sentinel and a Galactus comic written and drawn by Jim Davis the creator of Garfield. You can read this all by itself and still enjoy it so its a great place to find out if Squirrel Girl is for you which it probably is because Squirrel Girl rules. Eat nuts, kick butts. 

Mister Miracle #4 Written by Tom King, Art by Mitch Gerads and letters by Clayton Cowles

Mister Miracle is one of the New Gods. Mister Miracle can escape any trap. Mister Miracle is depressed and recently tried to kill himself. This twelve issue mini series is going to show up on a lot of best of lists this year and that’s totally justified. But of the five issues released so far I believe this, The Trial of Mister Miracle, is the best. Every great about this series is crystallised here, the 9 panel grids, the quite unflinching look at depression, the art that expertly mixes the fantastic and the mundane and the incredibly sharp writing. I haven’t seen a better example of a character who is entirely correct but also completely wrong.

Savage Town written by Declan Shalvey, Art by Philip Barrett, Colours by Jordie Bellaire and Letters by Clayton Cowles

Cartoonists get a lot of props for being able to handle every aspect of creating a comic book and there are some great examples on this list. This comic I believe is the best example of how a great team on a book can be just as effective as a great cartoonist. Its Limerick near the turn of 2000, Jimmy Savage is the leader of a small gang and trouble is heading his way. I love that one of the best crime comics this year is about an Irish city and comes from a majority Irish team. Its also great to see a comics writer writing Irish accented dialogue that doesn’t read like its out of Darby O’Gil and the Little people. And its a great story too, I really hope there is some kind of follow up as I’d really love to come back to this town and these characters again.

My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Nagata Kabi

This year I decided to start reading more manga (Japanese comics) and I decided to start with this which was a bit of an odd choice but one I do not regret. This true story can be difficult to read because it is true. Nagata was this lonely, this isolated, this depressed and the really had this struggle with their sexuality. The depression they felt was crippling and while a lot of things I could relate to, especially berating yourself which I used to do a lot, I really had no idea. I have always considered myself as decent person who understood that depression was something that could paralyse a person but until I read this I don’t think I truly considered what that meant. The sense of isolation and loneliness is so strong I honestly don’t know how they got through it. And then they recounted it with such a great sense of humour and didn’t shy away at all. I feel like I am not explaining this well, I don’t read lot of things like this and maybe I don’t have quite the right vocabulary. Just know that this is the most affecting piece of media I came across this year. If I know you IRL please ask to borrow it because I would love to hear what other people think of it.

And that’s it, those are the ten best comics I read this year. You can find all of these on comixology, amazon and good comic book stores. If there is something you’d be interesting in reading and you don’t know how to get a hold of it ask me and I’ll see if I can help you find it. Comics a great and anyone who kind find ten great ones in a year is not looking hard enough or is a pretentious prick. I know for a fact there is stacks of great stuff I didn’t get to read this year. Its all out there, you just have to look.