#or is it her reminiscing on being able to bend and control the corruption to her will like she does in dungeon defenders 2

[dirtsoilmulch]

forgot corruption dryad is an actual semi canon thing

either way i hate the design we have n i made a new one

[penniesforthestorm]

“Me and dead owls don’t give a hoot”: Justified Season 3, Episodes 2-4

We’re back at it, as the major conflicts of Justified’s third season begin to take shape. My recap of Episode One, “The Gunfighter”, is here; the previous season’s notes are tagged with ‘#justified season 2′, and the general tag for related business is ‘#did you miss my heart on purpose’.

Episode Two: “Cut Ties”

-In the aftermath of the encounter with Fletcher Nix, Raylan wakes up in the house Winona shared with Gary, only to have his morning routine disrupted by an ill-timed visit from the new realtor.

-Raylan goes to visit Boyd in jail, and the two of them muse on their unconventional relationships-- Raylan’s contemplating moving in with his pregnant ex-wife, and Boyd is, as he describes it, sleeping with “his dead brother’s widow and murderess”. Raylan also drops a hint that he knows why Boyd was so keen to get himself locked up this time around.

-Marshal Service Case of the Week: Art Mullen gets a visit from his old pal Bill Nichols, who works in Witness Protection. Nichols gets cornered outside a diner and shot in the leg. Following up on his disappearance is Agent Karen Goodall (Carla Gugino) up from Miami, and it’s implied that she and Raylan have a shared past. As the two of them track down a possible lead, Art sends Rachel to the home of one of Nichols’ witnesses--a woman with two small children-- with orders to watch and wait. Art tracks down the man who shot Nichols and, after interrogating him, establishes the link: he sold the addresses of Nichols’ other witnesses to a mob boss named Little Joe DeLaHunt (the man Raylan and Agent Goodall are tracking). Raylan, Goodall, and Art show up to help Rachel, who has managed to fend off two attackers and keep the witness and her children safe.

-Meanwhile Boyd, acting on a reluctant tip from Dewey Crowe, engineers another fight to get himself placed in solitary confinement, where his new neighbor just happens to be Dickie Bennett. Boyd sneaks into Dickie’s cell and holds him at knifepoint, demanding the location of Mags’ money. Dickie informs him it’s with a man named Ellstin Limehouse. Next morning, Boyd is released into Ava’s arms, and explains that getting the money will be trickier than they anticipated.

-In the final scene, we meet the mysterious Mr. Limehouse (Mykelti Williamson)-- aside from Rachel, he and his assistants, Errol (Demetrius Grosse) and Bernard (Cleavon McLendon) are the first major Black characters we’ve seen on the show. While carefully carving up a pig, Limehouse lectures Bernard for falling asleep on watch duty, and offers a choice: Bernard can submit to having his hand burned with lye, to settle the affair, or he can promise not to screw up again, knowing, if he does, the consequences will be dire. Bernard takes “Door #2.” As the camera pulls away, it lingers on Errol’s hand, which is marked with a heavy burn scar.

Episode Three: “Harlan Roulette”

-Ava makes a nocturnal visit to Limehouse’s BBQ shack-- clearly, they know each other well. She brings him to meet with Boyd, who is decidedly out of his comfort zone. Boyd offers to dispatch Dickie Bennett, but Limehouse doesn’t bite, and instead, slyly hints at Boyd’s “weed problem”. Boyd takes a swing at Devil for not burning the marijuana as ordered.

-Trooper Tom Bergen calls Raylan down-- they’ve caught scent of Wade Messer. They’re looking at him for a series of armed robberies, possibly connected to OxyContin trafficking, and Raylan expresses surprise that the generally benign Messer would be caught up in such business. Messer escapes the roadblock, but his buddy JT is caught and arrested.

-We catch up with Dewey Crowe and Dickie Bennett, bro-ing out in the prison yard. Corrupt guard Ash Murphy, who assisted Boyd in the previous episode, bends Dickie’s ear about the Bennett money. Jeremy Davies, as Dickie, gives possibly my favorite line-delivery in whole series when he tells Murphy to “h-h-hold your horses.”

-Messer and JT show up to apologize to their dealer, pawn-shop owner Glenn Fogle. Fogle makes JT play a few rounds of “Harlan Roulette” in punishment. “Maybe it’s just your lucky day, son,” Fogle says, as JT escapes round after round. “Maybe not,” Fogle intones, after shooting him.

-Errol arrives at the Givens home to offload the ruined weed stash, and Boyd directs Devil to help. Arlo puts a flea in Boyd’s ear about their discontent. Inside, Boyd pulls Devil, Arlo, and Ava in for a meeting and lays out his plans for the new Crowder empire. “We will not work with outsiders,” he declares.

-Off to Lexington, where Robert Quarles is describing his plans to take over the Oxy racket to Wynn Duffy. Quarles takes a phone call, and Duffy asks for the restroom. He takes a wrong turn, and discovers a seemingly naked man, gagged and bound on a bed. Quarles cheerfully redirects him- “Other side, buddy,” and Duffy turns away, visibly creeped out.

-Raylan visits Glenn Fogle, on Messer’s trail. Fogle makes a panicked call to Wynn Duffy, and Quarles, listening in, suggests that Fogle arrange for Wade Messer to kill Raylan.

-Step one of Boyd’s agenda: re-taking control of Johnny’s bar. Johnny, who has been conspicuously absent up to this point, unveils some new recruits to the crew: young punk Jimmy (Jesse Luken), about whom Johnny affectionately says, “We never know what he’ll do, so that’s a problem,” and the menacing, longhaired Rip.

-A very glum Wade Messer, having summoned Raylan to his house under the pretext of surrender, finds Raylan already waiting on the front porch. It turns out that Raylan went inside and found the gun Messer was supposed to shoot him with. Messer lures Glenn Fogle to the scene, and a standoff ensues, with Fogle and his henchman each offering Raylan information before unwittingly shooting each other.

-Boyd drinks with Devil, who reminisces about the glory days of Crowder’s Commandos, to Boyd’s obvious discomfort. Finally, Devil comes to the point-- which Boyd Crowder is he being asked to follow? Boyd responds that he’s the same as he’s always been, which, while probably true, isn’t the answer Devil thinks it is.

-Raylan, acting on a tip from Fogle, pays Wynn Duffy an impromptu visit, just as Robert Quarles is showing off his new wrist-gun rig. Raylan roughs Duffy up a little, and then, in an escalation of his previous threat, drops a bullet on Duffy’s chest. “Next one’s comin’ faster,” he growls, to Quarles’ obvious amusement.

Episode Four: “The Devil You Know”

-Devil meets with none other than Robert Quarles, at the recommendation of his friend Tanner Dodd. Quarles claims to sympathize with Devil’s plight (as told to him by Dodd), and suggests Devil join forces with him. Devil isn’t an idiot, repugnant politics aside-- he knows an opportunity when he sees one.

-Speaking of joining forces, Dewey Crowe jumps in to defend Dickie Bennett during a ruckus in the prison yard, and Murphy, who planned to help Dickie escape, expresses profound irritation. The infirmary nurse Lance (Clayne Crawford), on the other hand, seems to think Dewey might be useful.

-So, there’s a thing in dog training called the “blanket test”, used to measure problem-solving skills. You put a towel or blanket over the dog’s head (gently), and most competent pups will be able to extricate themselves in less than 30 seconds. As Murphy goes to let the two miscreants out of the van, Dewey Crowe falls out, and begins flopping around in a panic, still inside the body bag, failing the blanket test in spectacular fashion.

-Raylan goes to visit Loretta McCready, to ask if she might have any ideas about Mags’ missing money. She gives him a hard time, but clearly, both of them enjoy the interaction, and she mentions Limehouse.

-Next, Raylan and Rachel go to visit Limehouse, and Raylan explains the history of Noble’s Holler-- founded by emancipated slaves, and kept in self-willed isolation ever since. When Raylan mentions his surname, Limehouse pretends not to recognize it. He reluctantly agrees to let the marshals set up a roadblock, watching for Dickie Bennett. Dickie and Murphy see the police lights and head back to a motel, where Dickie makes new arrangements with Limehouse.

-Raylan heads to Johnny’s bar, trying to sniff out Boyd’s angle on Noble’s Holler. More history is revealed: Limehouse has offered sanctuary to white women looking to escape abusive husbands, including Raylan’s mother Frances. Raylan witnessed Arlo receive a beating at Limehouse’s hands when he attempted to get Frances back. Raylan then pulls Boyd aside, alerting him that Dewey and Dickie are out and looking for Mags’ money.

-Back at the motel, Murphy, Lance, and Dickie squabble-- Limehouse is supposed to call Dickie when the money has been delivered, and hours have passed with no word. Murphy goes out for fried chicken.

-At the bar, Johnny finds Devil lurking in the back office, and asks what’s on his mind. Devil says he’s through with Boyd Crowder, and he knows how to get in some “deep pockets”. Johnny drily says, “Start talking, Devil.”

-Raylan tracks down Murphy, tray of chicken in hand, and literally runs him down, as Dickie and the others escape from the hotel room. Murphy details the plan, and makes a remark about things potentially getting “weird”. Dewey tries to run away at a gas station, and Lance takes him, while Dickie and the others head to the store.

-Rachel stops Errol’s truck, which he claims is full of pig manure, and makes it clear she has every intention of searching it before she’ll let him through the roadblock. He turns back around, and a dismayed Raylan realizes that he was probably carrying the money. “Goddamn if I don’t have to save Dickie Bennett,” he mutters, driving off.

-Sure enough, Dickie is about to meet some unpleasant fate at the hands of the two men from the motel when Errol and Limehouse arrive at the store. Dickie opens a cooler, only to find that there’s significantly less money in it than expected. He angrily hands it back to Limehouse, saying their business isn’t finished until the whole $3 million is recovered. Raylan shows up, and Dickie surrenders.

-Devil makes his play-- with Johnny at his side, he corners Boyd for a “come-to-Jesus” meeting. Boyd sighs with regret, calling him “son”, and seeming to surrender. He asks for one last word, and Devil nods. “Knowing me the way that you do,” Boyd says softly, “What ever led you to believe you could pull this off?” Johnny raises his pistol to Devil’s head, and Boyd shoots him in the chest. He’s clearly furious, but there’s also grief in his voice-- no doubt Devil reminds him of his younger, angrier self. The episode ends with Boyd firing directly into Devil’s forehead, to ease his passing.

[workreveal-blog]

Female gamers: can they game?

New Post has been published on https://workreveal.biz/female-gamers-can-they-game/

Female gamers: can they game?

They say Female gamers game better than male gamers. My earliest childhood memory is pointing and crying at a kitchen cupboard that presumably contained apple sauce. In my next most initial reminiscence, within the identical condo, my start father is gambling Mountain King at the Atari 2600 There have been different video games in our circle of relatives library: Berzerk, Asteroids, Haunted House, Adventure. But Mountain King, released in 1983, became mystical. It is also frequently stated, 30 years on, because the toughest sport for the Atari gadget.

game

as the “Intrepid Explorer” my father could deftly manoeuvre up the mountainside, accumulating gems and hunting the elusive Flame Spirit, which seems onscreen as a dancing shadow. (As soon as the Flame Spirit is captured, it encircles the Intrepid Explorer’s head like a flickering, ghostly wreath.)

Then my father would assignment down the treacherous peaks closer to the Throne Room, that is guarded via the ominous Skull Spirit. He would kneel at the Cranium, provide the Flame, be granted safe passage into the Throne Room where the crown rests. As quickly because the queen became settled on my father’s head, the music – a violent However strangely lively rendition of inside the Hall of the Mountain King – would play. My dad might clamber returned up the mountain, in a ballet of arcing leaps. (There’s also a tremendous inexperienced spider that trawls alongside the mountain’s base, that is ever a lot greater scary to a toddler than grey bats are. In spite of the Atari 2600’s constrained sound competencies, the spider made this lousy skritching sound as he approached.)

From time to time my father made it to the top of the mountain But regularly he didn’t. This turned into after I’d usually pay attention him swear a little bit.

In lots of methods, Mountain King was my first bedtime story. And like any toddler with a favourite bedtime story, I wanted my father to inform it to me time and again. Best, my dad advised it to me with small, dexterous bends of the 2600’s joystick, with a cartridge and a tv set. He was in his late 20s then.

Besides, I assume this is how I fell in love with video games.

A year after my father’s death, my adoptive mother and father gave me a laptop, a Packard Bell 486-33. Of route, I in no way asked for a laptop – I wanted a Splendid Nintendo or, God helps me, a few type of Sega aspect – However my old dad and mum had decided that video games corrupt young minds and that PC video games are so much more highbrow. (For anything cause, recreation Boys have been high.)

I was pleased, though, and using Christmas 1993, I used to be on the line for the primary time. My piano instructor – an older neighbour with a brilliant-red dye job and a penchant for floral muumuus – taught me the way to navigate file directories in MS-DOS. Soon my piano classes had was me, an obstinate eleven-year antique, traumatic that my neighbour educates me ever-more tricky DOS commands.

It by no means As soon as struck me as strange that my piano teacher – a politically conservative retired nurse with cats – also became a Pc whiz. I don’t think kids ever absolutely be aware that form of component.

Or perhaps kids do. When I was round 12, my adoptive mother advocated me to inform an own family buddy what I desired to be when I grew up. “I need to jot down PC video games!” I instructed her triumphantly. “I’m going to be a clothier!”

“Well, then,” the lady warned, “you ain’t be capable of having children.”

“I gained,” I promised her in a serious voice. Proper around the time I demanded my dad and mum let me pick out my very own garments – being dressed like Patty McCormack from The Terrible Seed does little good on your social standing – I began choosing out my very own video games, too. I played plenty of Adventure video games during the next five years. Those games had been heavy on textual content and tale-pushed, and they took a long time to complete.

And at the same time as I gained defend it as a favourite sport, I keep in mind loving Myst once I first played it in 1993. Superficially, the sport is about strolling round, getting misplaced and clicking on matters; at its coronary heart, even though, it is very similar to Mountain King. Each is approximately a type of video game agnosticism; about learning an esoteric mechanical vocabulary and, from there, intuiting the way to absolutely play.

My mother and father had a coverage stipulating I wasn’t allowed to have a new computer sport until I’d finished the last one. After months of being stuck in Myst, I sooner or later lied. I don’t forget it because it was my first actual lie. I hated Myst.

Using 1996, most of my girl classmates had stopped gambling video games. I assume some of this had to do with societal pressures, but the rest of it had to do with the Nintendo sixty-four. Even now its controller is nonsense; in 1996 it was outright galling. Where had these types of buttons come from? Why became it shaped like that? Why become there an analogue stick stuck in the middle of it?.

In the meantime, liked franchises inclusive of Mario and Zelda had shifted from dimensions to a few, and not every girl become without problems able to adapt to those new spatial challenges. For the primary time, some us started out to think about console gaming as “boys’ toys”. I did, too, and that I began to regard my personal regular after-faculty laptop gaming as my secret shame.

I suppose 1998 marked one in every of video games’ hugest upheavals. The Sega Dreamcast – which would move on to grow to be a technical failure – supplied thrilling arcade studies (Loopy Taxi) for gamers at home. Journey games had been additionally trying to adapt and failing. Sierra’s King’s Quest franchise, as an example, chose that yr to alienate its in general girl target market with 3-D platforming and hack-and-lessen fight (which was routinely amusing But in the long run did no longer paintings. That attempt, King’s Quest VIII, would be the closing access in the series). The similarly maligned Gabriel Knight three has long past down in history as incorporating the dumbest puzzle of all time.

However that same 12 months, Sierra published a primary-person shooter known as Half-Existence, which instantly became the enterprise’s gold famous for high-quality. The market was flooded with modern thoughts, most of which failed, But Half of-Existence seemed to stick. And the marketplace, in turn, narrowed its cognizance and became greater homogenised in its services. A variety of genres died that 12 months.

In 1998, my very own tastes – which are fortunately flexible, luckily – adapted to this climate shift. The two CD-ROMs I took to college have been 1/2-Existence and American McGee’s Alice. Each day after lunch, my subwoofer boomed in time with the subwoofers up at the 1/3 floor of our residential university, wherein the men lived. Perhaps not coincidentally, my roommate transferred to every other university.

I loved multiplayer video games. Playing video games had continually been any such lonely endeavour; I’d ultimately determined others. I ended being shy about games, started evangelising approximately them.

The idea of gamers as a unified network become new to me – to each person. It felt like When someone abruptly turns up the lighting in a darkened bar, and you understand there are some humans within the same room, all jostling for the area and they all appearance distinct to what you expected (and lots of them, to my excellent remedy, had been ladies). I assume that second must be very jarring or scary for actual humans and Possibly makes them feel even extra alone.

gamer

But I never wanted to move again to the darkness. I by no means once more wanted to experience like a 13-12 months-old lady, hopelessly by myself and disconnected, go-legged in front of a Tv or sitting at a computer, hiding.

In 2005, sparkling out of university, I took on freelance paintings reviewing games for a mag called Digital Gaming Monthly. I welcomed this work specifically to harass my mum. But I additionally took on the process due to the fact I intended there could be 13-12 months-antique ladies like I had been, who would possibly turn via the magazine and experience remedy to see my byline.

It wasn’t easy to work. I remember wondering that EGM has been probable giving me evaluations because a salaried writer couldn’t end them. I often received games Only days before the opinions have been due. Once, I fell asleep in the course of a longwinded Suikoden cutscene (a series where the participant has restrained manipulate). Every of those evaluations paid about £37. And I’m describing the enterprise When pay was at its exceptional.

In 2006, I commenced paintings as 1UP.Com’s community supervisor, an article role that worked with fellow writers, PR, builders, the advertising and marketing department and “person retention” groups. I was not very good at that activity and that i had never purported to be. I in no way labored Well in a group. I often want I could have remembered that approximately myself on my way in.

However the position opened my eyes to positive aspects of online gaming, consisting of harassment, abuse, threats and even stalking, and In many methods, it’s far an sad enjoy that I wish I should undo. After that activity, I spent a yr in therapy.

Weeks in the past, I wrote a 500-phrase opinion piece in the Mum or dad, titled “the way to attack a lady who works in video gaming”. I used my pulpit to sentence abuse, which is rampant in my enterprise. I have lengthy witnessed on line abuse firsthand, and that i trust the mainstream video games industry’s silence tacitly condones it. I don’t care who the goals are or what harassers can also agree with they have performed. it’s miles unacceptable. it is usually unacceptable.

But ultimately saying so was by no means my “dream article”. Once I, elderly 12, advised that female I dreamed of being a laptop video games designer, I used to be not dreaming of ultimately writing an opinion piece denouncing abuse. However acknowledging that violence exists is – sadly – enough to inspire it. Days after the book, I retired from writing approximately games.

female

Then an editor on the Mum or dad requested me if I’d task out of my two-week retirement and give an explanation for why I like video games. It’s smooth to be coaxed out of retirement if you have loved video games for 30 years and written professionally approximately them for nine.

And so I had to take delivery of because I clearly do love games. Oh, my God, I cherish them, all the way down to my material, right down to the crude, essential Lego bricks that made me. I like what they’re, and what they can be. And that I wholeheartedly love everybody else who plays them, all people who would name themselves a “gamer”.

Being a gamer, though, way you essentially must trust in belonging: consider that people of all attitudes, from all walks of Lifestyles, can peaceably coexist. And while I would in no way outline myself completely by using just one pastime or function – whether or not it’s analysing comedian books, gathering toys, playing video games or being female – I do trust that some rare matters in Lifestyles, like loving video games, defy all limitations.