#the prime timeline is when jeff leaves

[vamp1re-bait]

banging my head against the wall, thinking about how the darkest timeline is the one where troy leaves

[r3medialch8os]

since it is clear to all my favorite episode is my namesake i'm going to outline some of my favorite things about remedial chaos theory.

everything leading up to the Darkest Timeline scenario. before we get to the darkest timeline, several time bombs are planted. we as an audience gradually learn about these but the characters' knowledge of them resets with every new timeline. for one, annie's gun is only adressed in the first timeline. then, in the second timeline when shirley storms out, we become aware of the fact that when the door is slammed hard enough, the rolling boulder model is triggered. further, we learn about britta smoking, pierce bringing alcohol, and the troll doll and its effect on troy. all of these things come to a head in the darkest timeline. troy leaves hastily because he doesn't want to miss anything therefore slamming the door, which triggers the indiana jones model. then the rest follows. it's genius because the chaos was unpredictable but as the audience we recognize all the elements that make it that way.

in every timeline, pierce makes a joke involving eartha kitt. the comedy of it is that every time, the segway he employs is more outlandish. it seems like a gag until jeff's timeline comes up. when jeff leaves to get the pizza, pierce in fact does not make the joke, showing us he was doing it to impress jeff the whole time, offering character insight.

jeff hits his head on the ceiling fan in every timeline. again, it seems random, until at the end annie deems it as 'karma'. we realize then, that jeff hitting his head throughout all the timelines was a karmic punishment this whole time, because he was being unfaithful in his pizza-getter divising system which governed the timelines in the first place.

there is a lot to be said about the implications about what happens when a certain group member leaves. troy's leaving causing the darkest timeline has been thoroughly discussed. what i find most interesting about this particular fact is that the timelines are not real, or so they are denoted. it is emphasized over and over again that abed is the one making up the timelines. therefore we can assume his subjective opinion influences the outcomes of the timelines. we could even assume that the whole episode takes place in his brain. it gives a lot of weight to the significance of troy leaving. in any case, it's not just that particular timeline that's interesting on this front.

when abed leaves to get the pizza, every pairing in the study group has some form of a heart-to-heart and then a disastrous outcome of that very moment resulting into a fight. they go through emotional rollercoasters, maybe more so than they have all episode. it is interesting to note that abed's departure allows the study group to access their emotions more freely, whether they be positive or more negative. it's intriguing how abed assuages these intense emotions, and how these kinds of emotional confrontations would have never happened with his being there.

the timeline where jeff leaves is also fasinating as it clearly illustrates how the group will still have fun without jeff, maybe even more so when he's gone. this is also shown in s03ep01 but becomes even clearer here. the group becomes more carefree, cheery. 

the prime timeline, the one where jeff gets the pizza, is when abed catches the die. this scene is hilarious because none of the study group members have experienced the timeline scenarios as we the audience have because they are in fact living their lives in the timeline as is considered normal. this is what makes it extra funny that they indulge abed in his lengthy verbose speech. they really like each other a lot. it's cool.

anyways, this episode is my very favorite ever and i could talk about it forever. 

[foxes-that-run]

2019 Haylor Timeline

Timeline Tag, Back to 2018

1 January - Taylors New Years Eve costume party she dresses as Ariel

3 January - MH asks to produce Harry's next album... via twitter.... and says Harry has blocked him.

6 January - Taylor in LA at Golden Globes afterparty

9 January - Harry still in Japan

Miss Americana filmed between Rep tour and Lover, released in 2020.

16 January - Kiko Mizuhara says she has never met Harry, then

2 February - Kiko at Harry's birthday party they may or may not have dated.

18 January - Taylor seen at recording studio in NYC (suggested Me!, but I think that's too late, it was released as a single in April)

26 January - Harry still in Japan

1 February - Harry's 25th Birthday “I had a very Murakami birthday because I ended up staying in Tokyo on my own. I had grilled fish and miso soup for breakfast, then I went to this cafe. I sat and drank tea and read for five hours.” (Harry Styles on his 25th birthday, Rolling Stone 2019)

10 February - Joe and Taylor go to Harry's local, the Spaniards Inn Hampstead Heath ...... Harry was in LA on the 12th. Seen walking in Paris in March and not again for 7 months.

12 February - Joe and Taylor attend the BAFTAS Taylor is photographed having dinner with Liam Payne

5 March - Taylor things before 30 article, includes that Andrea is again in treatment

14 March - Harry arriving at gym in London

28 March - Harry JFK airport, then hotel in NY

29 March - Harry and Xander dinner Ny

5 April - Harry in LOndon

23 April - Taylor plays Time 100 show setlist is Style, Delicate, Love Story, NYD and Shake it off

26 April Me! Video released, just before April 29 anniversary... Joe not seen with Taylor till October.

2 May - Taylor Zane Lowe Me! Interview

3 May - Harry in LA

5 May - Harry Anna Wintour's apartment, pre-met Gala dinner

7 May - Harry hosts his only met gala attendance, Taylor’s doesn’t go anymore. Adore you and Lights up written in May. Harry and Kendall have after party and both leave at 6am and both stayed at the Bowery hotel. Jeff and Xander also there.

May - 6 July Joe filming A Christmas Carol in Hampstead Heath and stays in London after. Taylor in US, billboard awards, Lover media

15 May Harry was in the studio, Harry writes Adore You, Lights up, Treat People with Kindness, starts Boyfriends.

18 May - Harry driving a bright yellow vintage ferrari in Malibu, you can practically hear golden in that photo.

20 May (Haylor anniversary #1), still in studio, Harry wears a white horses shirt and fearless gold shorts on the beach in Malibu. While Horse is a Fearless song he also references in the Daylight video. Fine Line then complete

21 May - Gucci Swan Campaign released

24 May - Taylor in Paris with Joe, she recreates scenes from Begin Again which are later in the TV version of Taylor Swift Live in the City of Lover, except the concert was filmed months later when Joe was not there.

3, 6 June - Harry in London,

9 June - Blind that Taylor & Joe double date was PR setup

30 June Big Machine Records sold with Taylor’s masters.

2-6 July - Taylor in Virgin Isles with her mum, Ashley and the Haim sisters, Joe still filming UK.

10 July Taylor Performs at Amazon Prime event in NYC, points at a figure in Delicate thought to be Joe.

15-17 June - Harry visits Xander in Philly, airport photos

18 July - Harry sells LA house at a loss after 2 years on market

20 July - Taylor in NYC

29 July - Harry in NYC for Rolling Stone shoot in Hawaiian shirt (the eternal sunshine of Harry styles story with Rob Sheffield)

1 August - Gucci fragrance campaign where Harry plays with a ring and leans his head on a blonde lady with a cat masks shoulder. This mask is vintage, there is a Tiktok of the guy who owns it. Taylor wore a similar mask in the LAWYMMD video and was filming cats. We don't know who's in the mask, Harris Reed is on the set and I wonder if it is her.

4 August - Harry shot Lights Up music video in Mexico

6 August - Harry in philli

19 August - stories that KK falling out was she threw a party in Taylor’s NY house

23 August - Lover released. Lover Video released with quite clear Haylor references. Taylor says relationship not up for discussion. in NYC Taylor poses next to a photo of One Direction backstage at a signing in Brooklyn New York.

29 August - Taylor films BBC Live Lounge in NY with emotional performance of London Boy, Lover, The Archer, I can’t stop loving you (Phil Collin’s), Holy Ground and YNTCD. Holy Ground and ICSlY are particularly emotional and Taylor talks about loving someone even if they don’t love you back and that she chose Holy Ground because it refers to NY.

2 September - Harry in London, then disappears for 10 days. Gucci Fragrance Campaign where Harry wore the Haylor Ring.

7 September - both at Ed Sheeran's wedding in a big top. Joe maybe there - Niall followed Joe 8 Sept; Joe back 21 Sept

9 September - Taylor records City of Lover in Paris. Live setlist #7 was DBAC and #13 was Style, also played Love Story, Delicate, ATW, Red, Style and Shake it Off. Joe in Toronto.

11 September - Blind that Joe wasn't able to talk about Taylor, about stilted showing at Favorite premiere

12 September - Harry seen in London and MIA till LAX on 17th

14 September - Joe and Taylor Rhode Island and fly to London

17 September - Harry private club Hollywood

24 September - Harry seen with Xander in LA

26 September - Harry Miami with Xander

28 September - Harry leaves Miami with Gucci Mickey Mouse suitcase.

29 September - Harry in London gallery with Georgia Ritz and her BF (Xander’s sister)

4 October - Matty Healy says he wants to produce Taylors record (said about Harry earlier the year) and went on to say 'that taylor swift song about supporting gay people, when it came out we already knew that."

5 October Joe hold hands at Taylors SNL appearance, Elle comments 'their version of PDA at least' which is holding hands. Do you know who you are starts. Taylor performs Lover at SNL, the arrangement is acoustic and slow, she's wearing green, with a green piano and green floor, walls and nails! The music sheets look like paper planes. False God also.

21 October - A Fashion designer said they met Harry at the Bowery Hotel

27 October - Harry goes on stage at Kasey Musgraves last concert, wearing an all black version of the Fine Line Outfit.

28 October - Taylor's tiny desk concert, her CD is still in the background for Harry's in March.

5 November - Harry announced Fine Line

12, 17 November - Harry in New York

13 November - Joe and Taylor Thai restaurant Hampstead

16 November - Watermelon Sugar released as promotional single. Harry with Xander NY

20 November - Harry filmed the cross walk concert

23 November Harry's Zane Lowe interview (SNL 16 Nov)

1 December - Taylor on cover of British Vogue

7 December - Harry performs at Capitals Jingle Bell Ball, London

8 December - Taylor performs at Capitals Jingle Bell Ball, London

11 December - Kendall and Harry on Spill your guts

13 December - Fine Line released, Taylor’s birthday, Harry performed it in LA that night Harry Styles ‘Fine Line’ Concert at Forum in L.A. – Rolling Stone. Photos of Harry in Japan released. Taylor also performed that night but at MSG NY, making of photos. Rumour Xander there. Taylor performs in NY for Jingle Bell Ball and tells Fletcher "She had mentioned to me how much she loved the lyrics [to Undrunk]. I nearly fainted and passed away at that moment." Undrunk is about wanting to be over an ex.

15 December - Taylor’s 30th birthday party in NY with all the famous people, tiny pupils and a cat face cake. Media says Joe there, but:

16 December - Joe is in London, not at Taylor's birthday

18 December - Cats premiere, Taylor has a swollen lip. Joe attends holds hands as they leave. Flakes answering about holiday plans. Joe does Christmas Carol interview where he says he jumps in Hampstead Heath Pond every year. What convenient cross marketing, the film is shot in Hampstead, Paper Rings refers to icy outdoor pools. I wonder if he ran into Harry there. Harry at BBC Live Lounge recorded Juice cover

31 December - Joe, Taylor and friends at Maldives for New Years, Harry first wore the But Daddy I love him shirt on New Years Eve video of him dancing with no shoes and tipped a bartender $2020 in Anguilla in the Caribbean

Continue in 2020

[darkwood-sleddog]

I love seeing all the mushers i follow on social medias post about their specific dogs on their Iditarod teams. Dogs of all ages, dogs that are “old”. I know that pretty much all mushers know that age isn’t necessarily a factor when it comes to a dog’s ability to run and perform well and it’s nice to see dogs doing stuff well past an age that many much too online sport people I know say about their dog’s “limited window” for competitive sport or whatever.

[homing-pigeon-dna]

i dont consider the s4 finale to be ‘canon darkest timeline’ (not bc of the gas leak, its bc its jeffs emotional support maladaptive daydream scenario not abeds) however the end tag Could be canon bc we dont know if its still in jeffs head However the timeline they cut to in Troy and Abed in the Morning is #5 which is the timeline where abed leaves to get the pizza, and considering the timelines are a small glimpse into ‘what would happen if this person left the group’ when abed comes back everyone is at each others throats. in the fifth timeline troy and britta are still together and even have a baby. this tells me that troy and britta stayed together bc abed wasnt in the picture. this means in the prime timeline they broke up bc of abed.

[twh-news]

What is the Multiverse? Five Must-See Alternate Timeline TV Episodes to Watch After ‘Loki’

Look, I get it — multiverse storytelling can be confusing. Marvel’s Loki streaming series is only the latest in a long line of stories that plays fast and loose with the idea of multiple or parallel timelines. Loki follows the God of Mischief (Tom Hiddleston) after he gets involved with the Time Variance Authority, or the TVA, as they try to correct problems in individual timelines. This provides us a chance to see lots of variant Lokis (including our favorite chompy green boy) and opens up opportunities for a lot of zany storytelling that doesn’t necessarily have to impact the primary timeline.

The idea of multiple universes existing at the same time isn’t anything new. Some of the earliest examples date back to Norse mythology, which divided existence into nine worlds. DC Comics first introduced the idea of the DC multiverse in its comics in All Star Comics #3 in 1940, and Marvel later followed suit, starting with their What if? series in the 1970s. While the concept of parallel universes might feel a little daunting to contemplate on your own, these five television episodes will help you understand the magic of the multiverse.

“The Parallel” — The Twilight Zone

When it comes to television that changed the way we think, Rod Serling‘s The Twilight Zone is the forebear of them all. The original series ran from 1959 to 1964 and contained stories from science fiction greats like Ray Bradbury (Farhenheit 451) and  Richard Matheson (I Am Legend). Each episode in the anthology series told a different short story, most with the intent of exploring some political or social allegory.

In 1963’s “The Parallel”, Major Robert Gaines (Steve Forrest) is orbiting earth in his space capsule when he suddenly blacks out and wakes up on Earth with no memory of how he got there. He’s uninjured, but the world he’s arrived in doesn’t quite match the one he left. His daughter suspects he’s someone else, his house suddenly has a white picket fence that his wife swears has always been there, and everyone keeps calling him Colonel, which matches his uniform but not his memories. He’s a little shaken until he comes to the conclusion that he’s in a parallel universe, and then takes steps to get back to his own timeline.

“The Parallel” marks the first instance of multiverse storytelling on TV. It doesn’t do anything particularly groundbreaking and is a middle-of-the-road The Twilight Zone episode, but it’s the first, which means it paved the way for everyone else to tell TV stories about parallel universes and doppelgangers.

“Mirror Mirror”/”Crossover” — Star Trek/Star Trek Deep Space Nine

Did I say doppelgangers? If there’s one franchise that has capitalized on the potential fun of meeting your alternate self, it’s Star Trek. In the “Mirror Mirror” episode of the original series, a teleporter mishap sends Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, and Uhura to a parallel dimension where everything is reversed. The Federation has become an evil Empire, Kirk is a tyrant, and Spock has a goatee (that’s how you know he’s evil). The episode started several tropes about doppelgangers (including the whole goatee thing), and paved the way for future Star Trek iterations to really go wild with the Mirror Universe.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine explored the Mirror Universe more than any other Star Trek series, with stories taking place there over five different episodes. The first of these, “Crossover,” is the most important and sets the stage for the later mirror episodes. In “Crossover,” Major Kira (Nana Visitor) and Doctor Bashir (Alexander Siddig) have an accident inside of the wormhole near the planet Bajor, sending them to the Mirror Universe. It’s been decades since Kirk and co. crossed over, but things are still pretty backwards in the Mirrorverse. Instead of the Federation, there’s a coalition between the Klingons, Cardassians, and Bajorans. Terrans (a fancy word for Earthlings) have been enslaved. The space station Deep Space Nine is instead a mining operation, run by the alternate Kira, the Intendant.

There are few things in the world as enjoyable as watching Visitor play her double role. The entire cast really gets to go for it with their Mirrorverse personas, and you can tell they’re having a blast. The Mirror Universe in Deep Space Nine gave the actors a chance to explore their characters in new ways, and it provided more insight into their individual pathos. Sure, the Mirrorverse versions were the “evil” versions of themselves, but there were still versions of themselves. Kira is a strong leader with a dry sense of humor, regardless of whether she’s the former Bajoran freedom fighter or the Intendant. “Crossover” set up the following four Deep Space Nine Mirror episodes, including episodes where Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) must pretend to be his doppelganger and deal with the fact that his dead wife is still very alive in the parallel universe. Some of the episodes are silly fun, and some are a bit more heady, but they all get to explore sides of these characters that we’ve never seen before.

“Remedial Chaos Theory” — Community

The NBC sitcom Community frequently made its own riffs on popular tropes, and it had an utter field day with parallel universes. In the season 3 episode, “Remedial Chaos Theory,” viewers are treated to seeing six different ways the same evening could have played out. The friends, who met in a Spanish study group at their community college, are all celebrating Troy (Donald Glover) and Abed (Danny Pudi) moving into a new apartment. When the pizza arrives, group leader Jeff (Joel McHale) suggests they roll dice to see who has to go get the pizza. Abed, who is sensitive to tropes, points out that Jeff is creating new timelines by introducing chance, and then we get to see each of them play out.

What “Remedial Chaos Theory” does is brilliant. It’s a bottle episode, all set in one location with no visible impact on the overall plot. However, by seeing how the situations change each time a single character is removed from the group dynamic, we’re able to learn so much more about the group as a whole. The episode gives us insight into the characters and their relationships by changing up the formula just a pinch and removing one element. In the Darkest Timeline, which leaves Pierce (Chevy Chase) dead and severely maims the rest of the group, it’s revealed that things fall apart without Troy in the mix. At the end of the episode, the prime timeline continues and it’s Jeff who has to go get the pizza. This ends up being the most positive of the timelines, which means maybe the group is better off without Jeff at all. It’s a great piece of character storytelling and even ends with the Darkest Timeline versions of Troy and Abed making felt goatees for themselves before declaring they are Evil Troy and Evil Abed.

“Rixty Minutes” – Rick and Morty

Community showrunner Dan Harmon clearly has a love for stories involving parallel timelines, so it’s no surprise that he expanded on those ideas in Rick and Morty, the adult animated series he developed with Justin Roiland. Rick and Morty is a kind of Back to the Future for twisted adults; it follows the adventures of alcoholic mad scientist Rick Sanchez (Roiland) and his hapless grandson Morty Smith (also Roiland) as they travel through space and time. In the first season episode “Rixty Minutes,” Rick introduces the entire Smith family to the many parallel timelines that exist. He and Morty watch Interdimensional Cable in the A plot, which gives Roiland a chance for lots of fun improvisational gags, but the B plot is more interesting. In order to enjoy his cable watching, Rick gives Morty’s parents and sister a helmet that will let them see through the eyes of some of their alternate selves.

Jerry (Chris Parnell) finds a version of himself that’s a huge Hollywood player who parties with Johnny Depp. Beth (Sarah Chalke) finds a reality where she’s not a horse surgeon, but a human surgeon, like she always wanted. Their teenage daughter Summer (Spencer Grammar) discovers that she was an unplanned pregnancy and that her parents argued about whether or not to get an abortion. In the parallel universes, she either doesn’t exist or her life is hopelessly boring. This leads to a pretty massive existential crisis, but she’s stopped by Morty, who has already had his fair share of timey-wimey weirdness.

Morty takes Summer upstairs and shows her two dirt mounds in the backyard. He explains that he’s not the Morty from this timeline, and that he and Rick had to come here after things in their timeline got too bad. The Rick and Morty in this timeline had just died, so they slipped in unnoticed. Then, Morty gives Summer a bit of advice that shows he’s beginning to grow up a bit on his madcap adventures.

“Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere. Everybody’s gonna die. Come watch TV?” he pleads.

The episode ends with the entire Smith family realizing that dwelling on possible alternate realities will only ever cause problems. It’s a testament to living in the here and now, and is one of the series’ most emotionally resounding moments.

There are dozens of shows with multiverse stories out there, from ’90s sci-fi staple Sliders to the later seasons of Supernatural. These five, however, helped expand upon the trope as a whole, and are worth checking out to improve your pop culture savvy. That, and they’re just a lot of fun.

[aion-rsa]

Doctor Who: Why Does Everyone Keep Forgetting the Daleks?

https://ift.tt/3g81nbE

A scene that did not appear in New Year’s Day’s Doctor Who Special, ‘Revolution of the Daleks’.

SCENE: EXT. 10 DOWNING STREET, A PRESS CONFERENCE IS BEING HELD

PRIME MINISTER JO PATTERSON: …and so I introduce to you, our new, fully automated defence drones!

A “DEFENCE DRONE” GLIDES INTO VIEW.

JOURNALIST (RAISES A HAND): Hello, Jeff Typeface, Daily Exposition. Sorry but, um, isn’t that just a Dalek?

PM: A what?

JOURNALIST: A Dalek? About twelve years ago they transported the entire planet through space then rounded humans up in the streets and exterminated them?

PM: Hmmm. Doesn’t ring a bell.

ANOTHER JOURNALIST: Yeah, and a few years before that a bunch of them came flying out of Canary Wharf?

PM: Sorry, I’m completely drawing a blank.

JOURNALIST: Come on! They murdered one of your predecessors!

PM: Excuse me, but you can’t honestly expect me to remember every single British Prime Minister that suffered a violent death over the last two decades. We all know this job has the life expectancy of a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

PM’S ADVISOR: Actually, Prime Minister, talking of your predecessors, Winston Churchill did try this exact same plan with a very similar looking contraption during the War, and I hear that went badly.

PM: I mean, I’m sure I believe you. I’m just saying this is all news to me.

JOURNALIST: Very well. Moving on, how will these “Defence Drones” help us deal with the Covid-19 pandemic?

PM: See, now you’re just making words up.

Doctor Who has always been a series that points and laughs at fans who want to try and piece together a consistent continuity across all its stories, but even by Doctor Who standards, forgetting an entire global invasion barely more than a decade ago (y’know, just before most of the show’s viewers were born, you absolute fossil you) might seem like a stretch.

Of course, the real reason Jo Patterson couldn’t remember the Daleks is that unlike say, the MCU, where weirdness layers upon weirdness to create a world that almost counts as alt-history, Doctor Who is, on some level, always reaching to be set in “our” universe. The key conceit of the show is that you might turn a corner, find a blue box, and suddenly be whisked away through space and time to a world of adventure. Which doesn’t really work if the British town squares of the Doctor Who universe all feature memorials to the victims of the Daleks and diet pills have to be tested for Adipose DNA.

But at the same time, Doctor Who just loves a great big Hollywood space invasion, and making these two core ingredients of the show mesh is a nightmare for continuity.

Let’s, for instance, take a look at the life of recently departed Doctor’s companion, Ryan Sinclair.

Life of Ryan

Ryan was born in 1998 or 1999. As a child, he attended Redlands Primary School at around the same time London was hit by a “terrorist attack” when shop windows dummies started shooting people. A year later a spaceship crashed into Big Ben, although this was later dismissed as a hoax. That Christmas Day, when Ryan was around eight years old, every human with O negative blood got up in a trance and went and stood on a tall building while a gigantic spaceship hung over London.

Still Ryan is a kid, he doesn’t watch the news, maybe nobody in his family is O negative and let’s face it, news of a lot of this stuff probably doesn’t get as far as Sheffield.

However, even in Sheffield he would have seen the regular “ghost shifts” that appeared all over the world, and at nine years old he would have been traumatised to have his home, like so many others, invaded by Cybermen before they all got sucked away by something.

His family make the wise decision not to turn on the news that Christmas, so he doesn’t hear about the “Christmas star” attack, or later that year a hospital being teleported to the moon, and while he probably remembers grown-ups getting very excited by Harold Saxon getting elected, fortunately most of his tenure as Prime Minister was erased from history.

Read more

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By Chris Farnell

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Ryan would have noticed when CBBC was replaced by a giant eyeball shouting that “Prisoner Zero Has Escaped”, and, shortly after turning ten, he definitely would have noticed when the entire sky was set on fire to prevent a Sontaran invasion.

And then of course, the Earth was teleported across space, planets filled the skies, and Daleks roamed the streets rounding people up. He would have been about the same age as future astronaut and Mars colonist, Adelaide Brooke at this time, and she was profoundly affected by the experience.

After that it’s possible the government may have rounded up him and his classmates to offer up to the 456.

To round the year off, Ryan actually turned into Harold Saxon for a bit. This was probably, on balance, the worst Christmas of the lot.

2011 was largely uneventful except that nobody could die.

Ryan went on to see the Tenth Doctor light the flame at the 2012 Olympics, was briefly into that whole “mysterious black cubes” craze before they got banned for some reason, and while he was in high school the entire Earth was covered in dense forest overnight but that disappeared, and nobody ever mentioned it again. The Cybermen invaded again. Then, not long after Ryan left school, the entire world was taken over by a species of really gross looking mummified monks who claimed to have always been in charge, before they also disappeared overnight.

Not long after that, Ryan met the Doctor for the first time and was shocked, shocked, to discover that aliens exist.

Cracks in Time

Steven Moffat did give us one handy explanation for why nobody in Doctor Who remembers the Dalek invasion, or the giant steampunk Cyberman that invaded Victorian London, and probably much more. In ‘Victory of the Daleks’ the Doctor tries to persuade Winston Churchill that using his own force of Daleks to secure the country was a bad idea, and he turns to Amy, who would have seen that invasion, to back him up. She has no idea what’s he’s talking about.

Later it’s revealed this is because the TARDIS explodes, destroying the entire universe with it. The cracks in time left by that explosion erased all kinds of events from history, including, handily, anything that would cause the human view of the universe to deviate too far from the real-world status quo.

Of course, that does leave some problems. Adelaide Brooke, again, clearly remembers the Dalek invasion and it was a moment so formative and influential on her eventual Fixed Point In Time that even the Dalek she saw (who, I remind you, was working on a plot to destroy literally all existence) didn’t dare exterminate her because of its influence on the timeline. And since it’s not implied the crack in time could bring anyone back from the dead, it does make you wonder what history says happened to Harriet Jones (former Prime Minister) and all the many others killed by the Daleks.

But maybe you don’t need a giant retconning Crack in Time?

Because while the Doctor has often waxed lyrical about humanity being indomitable, creative, and curious, there is also a lesser innate human quality the Doctor sometimes mentions: our absent-mindedness.

The Forgetfulness of the Daleks

As well as the Dalek incursions in ‘The Stolen Earth’ and ‘The Army of Ghosts’, there was another Dalek visitation of Earth in the ironically named ‘Remembrance of the Daleks’, which was set in 1963. During this adventure then-companion Ace points out she doesn’t remember anything about Daleks invading in the 1960s. The Doctor replies, “Do you remember the Zygon gambit with the Loch Ness Monster? Or the Yeti in the Underground? Your species has an amazing capacity for self-deception.”

Likewise, nobody remembers dinosaurs invading London, or the other time shop window dummies came to life and started killing people, or when the Earth encountered its exact twin. Without any cracks in time hanging around, Doctor Who falls back on an old staple of fantasy and sci-fi- that humans just ignore anything that doesn’t fit into their worldview.

As we’ve already mentioned, this turns up a couple of times in the new series as well. In ‘In the Forest of the Night’, the entire planet is overnight covered in forest for reasons that we’re not going to go into too closely because that story’s a bit of an embarrassment to be honest. As the forest disappears at the end of the story the Doctor says it will be forgotten outside of fairy stories, because that’s “a human superpower”.

It can even work two-way. In ‘The Lie of the Land’, the entire Earth is taken over by the gross-looking and mysterious “monks”. Using a psychic link, the monks convince humanity that not only are they humanity’s generous benefactors, but also that the monks have always been here, guiding human evolution. This is of course a lie, as the monks are actually one of the very few aliens not to have guided human evolution at some point.

After the Doctor does his thing and the monks’ statues are torn down, someone passes by the ruins of one and wonders what it was. Already, people are forgetting.

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Which, if you think about it, is a Doctor Who story in itself. Imagine being an alien visiting Earth. Humanity must seem like the Silence, but in reverse- as soon as they stop looking at you they forget you exist. The Doctor really ought to take a look at that some time.

The post Doctor Who: Why Does Everyone Keep Forgetting the Daleks? appeared first on Den of Geek.

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Chicago Franchise Episodes Timeline FAQs

So by now I have been asked a lot of questions about my One Chicago Franchise Timeline, and my Photoshop blog have kinda been overrun by asks (but keep ‘em coming!) To ease navigation, here is a masterlist of all One Chicago asks I’ve been sent.

All of these are tagged in my blog under #one chicago ask.

Timeline / Continuity

Which episodes show/mention specific dates in time? We obviously know which years events are happening in, but I've just started rewatching Med and I can't figure out *when* events are actually happening.

I've recently been binging Med again [S01 to S03] and I noticed that they've given specific dates for events.

How does Chicago Justice fit into the timeline?

Why did you remove Chicago Justice from your list after the 1st season?

I have noticed quite a few inconsistencies in Fire S02-S03 and PD S01-S02, some episodes actually are two-parters. (fixed)

34. Chicago PD - S01E01 - Stepping Stone: In PD S01E01, Dawson appeared as a Medic even though she is on the Fire academy since Fire S02E011. (fixed)

40. Chicago PD - S01E03 - Chin Check: The previous episode, Fire S02E13, and this one have different weather. (cannot fix)

46. Law & Order: SVU - S15E15 - Comic Perversion: Is the SVU crossover with PD S01E06 episode 14 or 15?

62. Chicago Fire - S02E22 - Real Never Waits: Should this episode be listed after Chicago PD - S01E14 - The Docks? (fixed)

124. Chicago Med - S01E01 - Derailed: Do they ever mention the timeframe between when Chicago Med's ED is blown (Fire S03E20) and when the new ED opens in the first episode of Med?

147. Law & Order: SVU - S17E14 - Nationwide Manhunt: Is the SVU crossover with PD S03E14 episode 13 or 14?

172. Chicago Med - S01E18 - Timing: How does Jeff Clarke’s appearances in Fire S05 matches up with Med S01?

Watch Order

[IMPORTANT] The timelines listed on the blog and the spreadsheet are both very different. Which one should we go by?

I just watched an episode that ended with a cliffhanger. How can I find the name of the next episode to watch?

In what order do you watch the three episodes? (as of February 16, 2020)

Where to Watch

Where do you watch all of the episodes? I missed them all on TV. (as of January 11, 2021)

Where can I watch Law & Order? (as of July 7, 2020)

Where do you watch Med and Justice, because I am having a hard time finding them? I know PD and Fire are on IMDb and Prime Video. (as of June 8, 2020)

Typos

124. Chicago Med - S01E01 - Derailed: Also titled « The Green Branch » (ask 2)

167. Chicago Fire - S04E21 - Kind of a Crazy Idea: Missing S04E21 (ask 2)

386. Chicago Fire - S07E22 - I’m Not Leaving You: S07, not S04

426. Chicago PD - S07E13 - I Was Here: Number 426, not 424; air date was 2020-02-05 (ask 2)

442. FBI - S02E19 - Emotional Rescue: Missing episode (ask 2)

Updates

April 24, 2020:

Hey I was wondering if you ever finished the one Chicago in-universe timeline

April 15, 2020:

Will you have the rest of the episodes for 2019-2020?

I noticed the last update is 2020-03-03

When will you be updating the Chicago series list?

December 29, 2019:

Last update was October and just wondering if you have continued it

Do you have the update until E09?

April 8, 2019:

Hey, when will you be updating the Chicago franchise watch list?

November 18, 2018:

How come the Chicago series has not been updated since E04?

Other Timelines

CSI and Law & Order: Could you make timelines for the franchises? (RE:ask, ask 2)

FBI and FBI: Most Wanted: Could you make a timeline for the franchise? (ask 2, ask 3)

NCIS: Could you make a timeline for the franchise?

:)

You 'da BEST!

Thank you so much for your Chicago watch list.

Your Chicago Franchise spreadsheet is a life saver!

How has your day been today

Hey, thank you so much for your Chicago list!

Not a question but a thank you.

[segadores-y-soldados]

Reaper and Soldier: 76 Resources

I will write this once: there IS a “Read more” link.

This post is meant to be a collection of “in-universe” canon, “in-game” official, “out-of-game” official, and non-official discussion sources about Reaper (Gabriel Reyes), Soldier: 76 (Jack Morrison), and their relationship.  It is not specifically an analysis, discussion, or write-up, but at times it will include those.

This is going to include shipping topics or discussions, specifically the ones focused on a romantic relationship between Reaper and Soldier: 76.  

It will occasionally bring up additional characters - such as Ana Amari, Reinhardt Wilhelm, and Moira O’Deorain (to name a few) - in order to discuss how their relationships contrast with the one between Reaper and Soldier: 76.

The resources are organized as follows:

Canon story resources: resources that tell parts of the story events.

In-game details: official in-game details such as map details and interactions, and what they reference

Official statements made by Blizzard developers, specifically Michael Chu, Jeff Kaplan, and Geoff Goodman

Unofficial discussion posts on Reaper, Soldier: 76, Moira, Doomfist, and other characters (e.g. my essays, posts about map details, posts about interactions, etc).

Here we go:

Canonical Resources (“in-universe” story events):

In order of in-story timeline events:

SEP and the Omnic Crisis: Thirty years “in the future” (with 2016 being the year the game launched, rough projections are about 2046) and thirty years before the events of “Recall” (2076), the robot models built by the defunct and bankrupt Omnica Corporation launch a global attack on humanity.  The war rapidly escalates, with “human” problems - politics, mismanagement, and egos, for example - complicating humanity’s ability to counterattack.  The United States government begins a secret military program called “The Soldier Enhancement Program” which injects nanobiological genetic modifications into soldiers, “enhancing” their abilities.  In this program, Gabriel Reyes - given the id number of “Soldier: 24″ - meets Jack Morrison, a relatively new “recruit” with the id number of “Soldier: 76.”

At an unspecified point, both Gabriel and Jack agree to leave the U.S. military and Soldier Enhancement Program for a new, secret United Nations task force called “Overwatch.”  Overwatch was charged with developing a new, unconventional strategy to end the war, and recruited a few specialized paramilitary soldiers and engineers: an Egyptian sniper with a cybernetic eye, a German “Crusader” with a rocket powered armor set, and the Swedish engineer who designed the Omnics.

Under the command of Gabriel Reyes, the group of five (known) soldiers set out to save humanity...and change history.

---

The Golden Age of Overwatch: The above image occurs 10 years after the start of the Omnic Crisis, and 20 years before the events of “Recall.”  Michael Chu has said the following:

“You’ve got your prime, original generation characters: Gabriel, Ana, Jack, Reinhardt, and Torbjörn.  You have an 11-to-12 year old Pharah, you have McCree who’s just been recruited into Blackwatch, you have university-student Mercy who’s visiting the Overwatch base.”

Ages in the photo:

Gabriel: 38 years old (50 at “Retribution,” 58 at “Recall”) Jack: age unknown, approximately 28-35 years old Ana: 40 years old Reinhardt: 41 years old Torbjörn: 37 years old Fareeha: 11-12 years old McCree: 16-17 years old Angela: 16-17 years old

After the end of the Omnic Crisis, Overwatch transforms from a task force of approximately 5 people to a global peacekeeping organization.  Jack is promoted to Strike-Commander, and Gabriel becomes the commander of Overwatch’s covert ops division, Blackwatch.  The two men work together publically and privately to lead the two major halves of the organization, and while their personal lives are not fully detailed, Jeff Kaplan has stated that “they loved each other”.  He has also stated that “Gabriel Reyes was Jack Morrison’s partner.”  Both sources are linked below.

Despite all the issues the organization faces, the two men remain constant and lifelong companions, even though the next several events.

(A lot more under the cut.  I’m not kidding.  This is pretty much everything I have on Reaper and Soldier: 76 - canon, “official”, and unofficial.  It is not a lore analysis or discussion essay: it is, by and large, simply an archive of all the stuff I have.  It’s a summary of a summary, a reference of references.)

(You have been warned.)

---

Moira’s recruitment: Approximately 10 to 8 years before the events of “Recall.”  Roughly twenty to twenty-two years have passed since the events of the Omnic Crisis.  Something is beginning to occur in Gabriel, possibly as a side effect of the SEP “enhancements” he received during the war.  He recruits Moira O’Deorain, a geneticist described as “equal parts brilliant and controversial”.  Gabriel is interested in seeking her help for his condition, and begins participating in Moira’s experiments...

Though who knows if she is genuinely trying to help him find a cure, or if she has her own ambitions for Gabriel’s “true potential”...

Moira’s Origin video: Youtube link

Michael Chu’s statements on Gabriel’s condition:

Twitter conversation with a fan on Reaper’s condition: twitter link

> User: But does that mean Reyes has been Reaper before Overwatch fell? > Michael: I’ll let you draw your own conclusions but the wording on Reaper’s bio is intentional.

Twitter conversation with a fan on if Reaper ages: twitter link

> Michael: One more PSA for the day: Tracer does age. The characters some people assume are trapped in time (Tracer, Mercy, Widowmaker, Mei) all age. > User: You missed an important one there - What about Reaper? Can he even still be considered alive in his state? > Michael:  That's a good question. ;)

Moira Blizzcon 2017 Panel: transcript

> Quote:  “She was recruited by Gabriel Reyes to be a member of Blackwatch.  And uh, during that time she had relationships with the Blackwatch crew - McCree, Genji - they all have their own sort of likes and dislikes for each other.  Reyes wanted someone could help advise him on, uh, some matters of genetics that he was, uh, interested in, shall we say.” - Michael Chu

Though this will be discussed in the “in-game” section in more detail, the following can be found on Oasis, in the University level:

In Moira’s lab:

A folder labeled: “Soldier ID: 24 | Classified”

“Genetic Conditioning and Regenerative Properties of Applied Nanobiotics.” by Dr. Angela Zieglder, MD, Ph. D.

And in the Chemistry lab (NOT Moira’s):

“Repairing Degenerative Genetic Structures.”  Labeled with a “Draft” note, and the logo for Moira’s Genetics lab.

---

Retribution: The events of “Retribution” occur 8 years before Winston initiates “Recall.”  After an Overwatch facility is attacked in Oslo, Norway, Blackwatch agent Gérard Lacroix connects the attack to Antonio, a major Talon leader based in Venice.  He briefs Blackwatch Commander Gabriel Reyes and Blackwatch agent Jesse McCree on the situation at a new facility in Rome, Italy.  However, the facility is attacked, leaving Gérard in a critical condition (though he is expected to make a full recovery).  Gabriel turns to Overwatch Strike-Commander and his lifelong partner Jack Morrison to discuss Overwatch’s options in dealing with Talon and Antonio.

Attack on the Oslo Overwatch base: Blizzard official archives link

“Retribution” comic: Blizzard post; PDF link

Gabriel’s debriefing: “Retribution” game mode trailer; PlayOverwatch official audio

All Retribution interactions: Hammeh/Failcraft link; Overwatch Interactions link

McCree’s ending narration: Youtube link

---

Uprising: The events of “Uprising” take place approximately 1 year after “Retribution” and 7 years before Winston initiates “Recall.”  An Omnic leader named Tekhartha Mondatta arrives in King’s Row, London for a groundbreaking ceremony on a new Omnic housing project.  However, the hostile Omnic group named “Null Sector” attacks, taking him, the London mayor, and many others as hostages.  Null Sector takes over the city, and even though Overwatch offers to help, the United Kingdom denies the organization access to the country.  With the situation growing increasingly critical, pressure is placed on Jack to make a decision.  However, Gabriel has a few plans of his own, and sends McCree into King’s Row to investigate - I mean, for a “vacation.”

“Uprising” comic: Blizzard official; PDF link

Uprising teaser: Youtube link

Uprising Interactions: Hammeh/Failcraft link - while these are primarily between the four playable characters (Tracer, Reinhardt, Mercy, and Torbjörn), I’ve included the link just in case.

Uprising - Reyes and the team: Youtube link

---

Legacy: The events of “Legacy” occur sometime after “Uprising” but before the “fall” of Overwatch, approximately 6-7 years before Winston initiates “Recall.”  One of the Overwatch Strike Teams, led by Jack and Ana, conduct a mission to rescue some scientists who were taken hostage by Talon forces.  During the mission, a “new sniper” shows up and begins taking down Overwatch forces.  Ana starts engaging in a shoot-off with the sniper, and sends in her remote drones to blow up the sniper’s position.  During the explosion, Jack manages to get the rest of the team and the scientists to the dropship.  However, Ana refuses to regroup, and when Jack orders her to return, she defies his instructions and turns off her communication device.  Ana manages to get a shot off on the sniper, but when the sniper’s helmet is damaged, she is shocked to see that the sniper is Amélie Lacroix, who had been presumed dead.  Ana hesitates, allowing Widowmaker to get a critical shot on Ana’s rifle and her cybernetic eye.

“Legacy” comic: Blizzard official; PDF link 

Ana Origin video: Youtube link

This comic is included because it shows a major plot point - Ana’s “death” - which becomes something of an “issue” between Gabriel and Jack.  The comic also shows Jack and Ana’s relationship, in which Ana defies Jack’s orders to pursue a sniper battle with Widowmaker.

The video is included because it is later referenced by Michael Chu in his 2017 GDC talk.  Also important in the video is a group shot of the “early” Overwatch team, and includes an image of Reinhardt’s hand on Ana’s shoulders.

---

The fall: The “fall” of Overwatch takes place approximately 6 years before Winston initiates “Recall.”  Almost no in-universe sources exist that fully detail the events of the explosion of the Swiss Base.

Soldier: 76 Origin video: Youtube link

“Fading Glory: On the Trail of Jack Morrison”: Blizzard official

The article link is italicized because personally, I would not cite this as an accurate, in-universe source any more.  Close to 100% of the article’s details, quotes, and “news” have been retconned (e.g. Jack’s enlistment has changed completely), rewritten (e.g. Mercy’s age and the source of her quote), or proven unreliable (e.g. the “promotion” caused some sort of schism between Jack and Gabriel, which Retribution proves isn’t true).  In the real world Overwatch development timeline, the article is nearly three years old at the time of this post.  However, for the sake of completeness, I have included it here.

While the Soldier: 76 Origin video is just as old as the article, the details in it are “vague enough” that they remain semi-reliable.  Furthermore, the map in “Uprising” remains comparable to the map in the video.

---

Recall: Approximately six years after the explosion of the Swiss Base and the official disbandment of Overwatch by the Petras Act, Winston lives with the AI program Athena in the remains of Watchpoint: Gibraltar.  He is testing a new type of spherical shield, but his prototype fails.  Frustrated, Winston starts watching the news, but hears about the rising tolls of the Second Omnic Crisis in Russia.  He starts the process of initiating the recall of Overwatch agents, but is chided by Athena not to put himself or the others in danger.  However, Winston’s lab is suddenly attacked by a Talon squad, led by the mercenary “Reaper.”

Recall: Youtube link

“Recall” is included in this collection as the first time “Reaper” officially appears in the in-universe timeline.  While he likely worked on unknown events before this, this is our current “starting point” for him.

---

Hero: Shortly after “Recall” is initiated, Alejandra is sent by her mother to get more flour for their bakery.  Alejandra is annoyed with her mother because she keeps treating her “like a baby,” but Alejandra does not realize that her mother is worried her daughter will be forced to make a choice between standing up for what’s right, and doing what’s easy.  On the way to the store, Alejandra runs into members of Los Muertos, an arms-dealing gang that terrorize the streets of Dorado.  They attempt to pressure her into bullying an Omnic, but when Alejandra backs down, they take her coin purse and drive off with it.  Angry, Alejandra chases their truck down, but stumbles across a different sort of terrifying confrontation as the vigilante “Soldier: 76″ attacks the Los Muertos members...

Hero: Youtube link

Prior to “Hero”:

Soldier: 76 breaks into Watchpoint: Grand Mesa:  “Experimental Weapon Stolen from Watchpoint: Grand Mesa”; PlayOverwatch official teaser

Following “Hero”: “LumériCo Vision for Mexico Unveiled, but Threats to Safety Remain a Concern”

Like “Recall”, this is the “first official” appearance of “Soldier: 76″ in the in-universe story events.  Articles detail how he stole the new model of the Heavy Pulse Rifle from the now-Helix-run Watchpoint: Grand Mesa, and then eventually made his way into Mexico.  It is important to note that Soldier: 76 is almost an exact “mirror” to Retribution-era Gabriel, including everything from his more intense, renegade personality down to the way he dresses.  

Though it will be covered more in-depth in the “in-game” official section, Soldier: 76 is the only character besides Sombra to be interested in LumériCo’s activities.

---

Old Soldiers: Soldier: 76 has made his way to Giza, Egypt: he is looking for the bounty hunter known as “The Shrike.”  He finds out that Hakim - a Talon associate - is particularly frustrated by the Shrike’s actions and is looking to bring the bounty hunter down.  Soldier: 76 heads to Hakim’s compound, where he hears an exchange between Hakim and Reaper on the comms.  Soldier: 76 recognizes Reaper by voice alone, and (after defeating the guards) enters Hakim’s compound on his own.  Reaper shadow steps in behind him and shoots him in the back.  However, “the Shrike” comes to Soldier: 76′s rescue, shooting him with a healing dart, revitalizing him.  The Shrike removes their facemask to reveal Ana Amari, who is still alive.  Soldier: 76 and Reaper engage in a fistfight (where Ana recognizes who Reaper is even with his “costume”), and Ana takes several shots to hinder Reaper.  Reaper rushes up to her, discovers that Ana is alive, and engages in another fistfight with her.  As the two are falling, Ana unmasks Reaper is is horrified by what she sees:

Reaper then flees, leaving Soldier: 76 to reveal himself as Jack.  Jack asks Ana to join him in his “war.”  Ana accepts because even though she’s not interested in fighting for “his war”, she believes Jack needs someone to watch his back.

“Old Soldiers” comic: Blizzard official; PDF link

This comic was one of the first major “plot twists” released by Blizzard after Overwatch launched.  It revealed that Ana Amari was still alive, that Reaper had been “left to suffer” by Overwatch - and by Jack.

However, several major things stand out:

1. Ana Amari had not been left to die, meaning that part of Reaper’s explanation to her was either outright misguided or a lie.

2. Since the comic’s release, we now know that a combination of other factors “created” Gabriel’s current condition: the SEP experiments, Moira’s experiments, and the Swiss Base explosion.

3. At no point in the comic does Jack ever blame Gabriel for the explosion of the Swiss Base or the fall of Overwatch.

4. Since the comic’s release, we have seen additional comics that show that Gabriel and Jack had a significantly closer relationship than had previously been implied.  This includes Jack being semi-aware of or granting his personal approval to unsanctioned Blackwatch missions.

5. We now know that Gabriel’s driving motivation (at the time of “Retribution”) was actually protecting Jack and keeping him and other Overwatch members safe.

Followed by:

While we still know very little about the actual fall of Overwatch and the Swiss Base explosion, more recent story revelations have shown that a lot of the “plot points” of “Old Soldiers” are either invalidated, misguided (on Reaper’s part), or possibly intentionally misleading.

The last point is especially important for the next two events:

---

Infiltration: “Infiltration” occurs several “months” after “Hero” and sometime after the Sombra ARG concludes on Día de Muertos, 2076.  During the course of the half-in-universe, half-in-game Augmented Reality Game to “unlock” Sombra, it is revealed that LumériCo has direct and probably corrupt ties to the Vishkar Corporation and Volskaya Industries.  A small Talon squad composed of Reaper, Widowmaker, and Sombra go to assassinate Katya Volskaya, the CEO, on orders of the Talon leader, Vialli.  The mission is set up so that Widowmaker can snipe her from across her facilitity; however, before Widowmaker can take the shot, the alarm goes off.  Reaper “makes an attempt” to slip in and kill Katya, but is stopped from his “long-range” shotgun shot by the new Volskaya mech.  He instructs Sombra to recover the rest of the mission.  However, Sombra has her own plans...

Infiltration: Youtube link

Prior to “Infiltration”: the LumériCo website is updated for the Sombra ARG, showing an email from Sanjay Korpal of Vishkar.

“Infiltration” is the second official mission we have seen Reaper in - the first is “Recall”, and the second is the “Cinematic Trailer”, where Reaper and Widowmaker attempt to steal Doomfist’s Gauntlet from a museum, but are stopped by Winston and Tracer.

“Infiltration” is important because Sombra is finally introducted directly in the story.  “Infiltration” is also important because it is the first time we know 100% that Reaper deliberately undermined and “threw” a mission (based on his statements in “Masquerade”).  

This leads to the following questions: has Reaper “thrown” other missions in the past (the database collection from “Recall,” the museum heist from the “Cinematic Trailer,” his “trap” in “Old Soldiers”, etc)?

And if he has thrown other missions, why did he do it?

Reaper and Sombra received the following interactions upon her release:

Sombra: What are we doing today, Gabe?  You don't mind if I call you 'Gabe', do you?

Reaper: Stick to the mission.

Reaper: Try to stick to the plan, Sombra.

Sombra: Look, someone has to be ready when all your ‘careful planning’ doesn't pan out.

According to Michael Chu, these interactions can be confirmed as effectively canon.

(Source)

There are a few key takeaways here:

1. Widowmaker does not know who Reaper is.

2. The interactions between Reaper, Soldier: 76, and Ana can be treated as “canon or potentially canon.”  Therefore, they can be used as part of the discussion on what Soldier: 76 and Ana Amari know about Reaper.

3. Soldier: 76 and Ana Amari would and do recognize Reaper on sight and sound alone (confirming that those details in “Old Soldiers” were intentional).

4. McCree and Reinhardt canonically do not know what has happened to Gabriel, but would also recognize him as Reaper.  This implies that Gabriel’s “condition” existed in some form before the fall of Overwatch, and that some members of Overwatch and Blackwatch were aware of his powers.

Returning to Sombra, we can see that Sombra knows Jack’s personal and rather intimate nickname for Gabriel (“Gabe”), which Ana knows of but apparently does not use herself:

Reaper: Guess you're going back on my list, Ana.

Ana: What happened to you, Gabriel?

Reaper appears to “tolerate” Sombra using Jack’s nickname for him, and taken with their other interaction, implies an unusual level of trust between Reaper and Sombra.  Elsewhere, Michael Chu has said the following:

“[Sombra] gets on [Reaper’s] nerves a little bit, but I think that ultimately, Reaper knows that Sombra is effective.  And so he respects that, because he is a good eye for talent. …Look at that Blackwatch team - it’s amazing!”

(Source: Michael Chu, Anime Expo 2017)

“Infiltration” shows us that Sombra is up to something, with the “canon” interactions between her and Reaper implying that Reaper might be “in” on her plan.

This is further implied by:

---

Masquerade: After the events of “Reflection,” occurring shortingly before and during Venetian Carnevale in late February 2077, Akande Ogundimu - also known as “The Successor” Doomfist - breaks out of prison.  He is retrieved by Reaper in a dropship, who “debriefs” him on the current situation.  Akande then heads to Monaco, to secure the alliance (and wealth) of the Omnic Talon leader, Maximilien, at Maximilien’s casino.  While there, forces from the rival Talon leader, Vialli (Antonio’s successor), attempt to attack Akande and Widowmaker, but they are defeated.  After that, Akande, Widowmaker, Sombra, and Reaper dress up for the masquerade of Carnevale in Rialto, Venice.  While Widowmaker, Sombra, and Reaper destroy Vialli’s remaining forces, Vialli confronts Akande.  The two discuss the different “visions” for Talon, with Vialli saying that profit and power are good enough for the organization, while Akande argues that they must see themselves as something greater.  Akande then throws Vialli off the bridge or cliff (literally).  Reaper sees this action but does not recognize Vialli by appearance.  Akande and Reaper then head into the Talon headquarters to begin their meeting with some of the other Talon leaders.  Sanjay Korpal is shown in the background, and Moira is partially revealed for the first time.

“Masquerade” comic: Blizzard official; PDF link

“The Masque of the Red Death”: free text; PDF link

Unpacking the full impact and implications of this comic in a relatively short summary is a challenge in its own right.  

Perhaps the most important aspect of the comic is that it directly alludes to the Edgar Allan Poe short story “The Masque of the Red Death”: first, the setting of both stories take place during a masquerade.  The second is that the two major “characters” - in this case, Akande and Reaper - are dressed as a prince and the Red Death respectively.

The third is that - at the end of the Poe story - the Red Death kills everyone in the building.

In the original short story, the “Red Death” is both a plague and a personification of the same disease who “arrives” unannouced “like a thief in the night” at Prince Prospero’s masquerade party.  When the prince and his guests confront the ghastly visitor and “unmask” it, they discover that there is nothing beneath the costume - only Death itself, “untenanted by any tangible form.”

And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods expired. And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.

The original story is relatively short and rather precise in its pacing and development.  However, beneath the “layers” of the masquerade is the implication that hubris and arrogance on part of the Prince and his guests “invited” the Red Death into their castle - as if they could “hide” from Death itself by just locking themselves up.

The “revolutionary” tone of Poe’s story is that no one - not even the wealthy, or the brave, or the powerful - can “hide” from Death.

That Death is retributive in its deliverance.

Plot-wise, the point of the Blizzard “Masquerade” comic is two-fold: 1) it introduces Akande and shows how powerful he is...and how strong-willed he is, and 2) it heavily implies that Reaper - who is dressed as the Red Death - is playing a “masquerade” against Talon, and that when he is eventually “unmasked” by the Talon leaders, he will kill them.

Understanding and interpreting “Masquerade” through the lens of “The Masque of the Red Death” is, quite bluntly, one of the only major ways to make sense of Gabriel’s actions from Retribution to Masquerade.  It provides solid analysis and textual evidence for the idea that he is infiltrating Talon to enact retribution on the Talon leaders and destroy them, just as they destroyed Overwatch.

The use of literary and other cultural references for Gabriel/Reaper’s behavior is important, as it is clearly part of both his in-universe characterization, and his in-game/non-canon characterization.

For example, “Reaper” also has not one, not two, but three skins that refer to literary references:

Respectively, they are: “Nevermore”, “Pumpkin”, and “Dracula” and they refer to the following pieces:

The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, by William Irving

“Dracula”, by Bram Stoker

While Nevermore and Dracula are not “canon” to the plot of Overwatch, “Pumpkin” actually is:

Interestingly, the Headless Horseman character in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is also attempting to trick other characters, specifically Ichabod Crane.

The next morning the old horse was found without his saddle, and with the bridle under his feet, soberly cropping the grass at his master’s gate. Ichabod did not make his appearance at breakfast; dinner-hour came, but no Ichabod. The boys assembled at the schoolhouse, and strolled idly about the banks of the brook; but no schoolmaster. Hans Van Ripper now began to feel some uneasiness about the fate of poor Ichabod, and his saddle. An inquiry was set on foot, and after diligent investigation they came upon his traces. In one part of the road leading to the church was found the saddle trampled in the dirt; the tracks of horses’ hoofs deeply dented in the road, and evidently at furious speed, were traced to the bridge, beyond which, on the bank of a broad part of the brook, where the water ran deep and black, was found the hat of the unfortunate Ichabod, and close beside it a shattered pumpkin.

[...] Brom Bones, too, who, shortly after his rival’s disappearance conducted the blooming Katrina in triumph to the altar, was observed to look exceedingly knowing whenever the story of Ichabod was related, and always burst into a hearty laugh at the mention of the pumpkin; which led some to suspect that he knew more about the matter than he chose to tell.

And of course, we have the very telling interactions from Retribution:

Moira: Pity we’ll miss the masquerade - I have the perfect costume. Reyes: Didn’t think that would be your scene. Moira: There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me…

---

Moira: Pity we’ll miss the masquerade - I have the perfect costume. Reyes: Didn’t think that would be your scene. Moira: You’re not the only one who likes to dress up.

---

Gabriel: It’s not exactly Carnevale McCree: You serious? Gabriel: I was looking forward to the masquerade! McCree: Fair enough.

Which now brings me to:

In-game official resources:

As a reminder, here is what Michael Chu has had to say about the interactions:

(Source)

(Source 2)

Because of these, the interactions between Reaper and Soldier: 76 can be deemed as “canon or potentially canon”:

Soldier: 76: Aren't you supposed to be dead?

Reaper: Didn't take.

Soldier: 76: One of these days someone is gonna to put an end to you.

Reaper: I invite them to try.

Soldier: 76: Well, you sure take to this “bad guy” thing easily, don't ya?

Reaper: And you sure know how to play “boy scout”.

Important here is that Soldier: 76 never accuses Reaper of being the cause of the fall of Overwatch or the cause of the Swiss Base explosion.  This is in direct contrast with Soldier: 76′s new interaction with Moira:

Soldier: 76: You were a disgrace to Overwatch. If I had known what Reyes had been planning, I would never have allowed it.

Moira: It seems to me that it was convenient for you not to look too closely into Gabriel’s business.

(Audio clip)

While Soldier: 76′s interaction with Moira is not specifically canon, we can conclude that this is what he would say if he met her in the present day of Overwatch.  Unlike his interactions with Reaper, he specifically calls Moira a “disgrace to Overwatch,” and implies that if he could have stopped her and/or Gabriel’s “plan”, he would have.

However, note that he also never directly describes “what Reyes had been planning”.  This leaves the interaction very open to interpretation, and leaves just enough room to create a “plot twist” where Jack actually knows or and/or approves of Gabriel’s infiltration of Talon, while still allowing him enough room to be angry with Moira for her role in bringing Overwatch down.

Related to this, the interactions between Reaper and Ana (which also fall in the “canon or potentially canon” category) have a decidedly different tone than his interactions with Soldier: 76:

Reaper: Guess you're going back on my list, Ana.

Ana: What happened to you, Gabriel?

Reaper: I shouldn't be surprised you took his side.

Ana: You never gave me much choice.

Reaper: Just like old times.

Ana: Right. Except for the part where you became a homicidal maniac.

It appears that Ana might not be “aware” of whatever Gabriel is planning in Talon.

This also calls into question the “explanation” Gabriel gave Ana in “Old Soldiers.”  Since we know that like, all of it is wrong, we need to ask why it is wrong: is it that Gabriel actually believes Jack and Overwatch left him behind “to suffer”, or is it that Gabriel is attempting to put on a “masquerade”, both for Ana and Hakim (who may be listening to him or watching him)?

It’s interesting that Reaper tells Hakim that:

Reaper: Once you set a trap...you never know what will fall into it.

Though we are told Reaper and Hakim “set the trap” to catch The Shrike, the juxtaposition of Soldier: 76, the cameras, the comms, and the wording can imply that Reaper and Soldier: 76 are the ones setting “the real trap”, to lure “the Shrike” out of hiding while still tricking both Ana and Hakim into their “trap”.

This goes along with the following in-game details:

Sombra’s apartment

I personally find it interesting that no one ever asks how Jack knew to search for the Shrike.

In-game details on maps are canonical in the sense that they provide us environmental story-telling details: while they do not “speak” parts of the story, they give us important clues about characters, their connections, and the overall plot.

Sombra’s apartment is a treasure trove of all these details, pointing to how important she is in the overall story.

Sombra knows: 1) who Soldier: 76, the Shrike, and Jesse McCree are, 2) how they interact with each other, and 3) possibly how to contact them.

She also, very obviously, knows Gabriel’s “biggest emotional secret”:

Sombra: What’s the plan today, Gabe?  You don’t mind if I call you ‘Gabe,’ do you? Reaper: Stick to the mission.

No other characters have been shown to use this nickname for Gabriel.

Just Jack and, as a “joke”, Sombra.

Remember that names are important to Jack - arguably, more important to him than to Gabriel given Jack’s role as Strike-Commander.  Jack’s usage of “Gabe”, “Gabriel”, “Commander Reyes”, and “Reyes” is almost entirely dictated by the people he is talking to or his immediate situation, not by his emotional state of being: “Gabe” is used twice, in personal and intimate moments, “Gabriel” is used during Gabriel’s debriefing (when McCree and Gérard are present), “Commander Reyes” is used when he talks to Lena Oxton for the first time, and “Reyes” is used in other “public” situations (e.g. Route 66, the Moira interaction).  This appears to be part of Jack’s “soldier identity”: he has been the Strike-Commander and a soldier for so long that “code-switching” his names for Gabriel is automatic for him.

Gabriel, on the other hand, is more casual: he permits pretty much every character to call him “Gabriel” or “Reyes”, with Sombra and McCree (and interestingly, Jack as well) also calling him “boss.”  At all points in his life, Gabriel is much less interested in maintaining military decorum than Jack is.

However, there’s obviously one particular nickname which only 1-2 people are “allowed” to use.

Sombra using “Gabe” carries significantly more emotional weight than initial appearances imply.  Ana, Moira, McCree, and Pharah calling Gabriel “Gabriel” does not carry the same connotation - nor emotional power - as Sombra calling him “Gabe,” even as a joke.

On the flipside of this, Jack literally wearing the number “76″ on his back is a huge “reverse tell”: 

Because Gabriel/Reaper is arguably the only person to fully understand what the name of “Soldier: 76″ represents:

Jack using a “title” that “Reaper” can easily identify is suspicious for many reasons: why does Jack want to draw attention to that?  Why is he falling back on an identity that only Gabriel really truly understands?  Is it a warning to “Reaper”, or is it an olive branch?

(And speaking of names, isn’t it interesting that Sombra’s real name is “Olivia”?)

Necropolis

Necropolis is the current hideout of Soldier: 76 and Ana - and one very blatant and obvious fact should stick out:

Not only do they sleep in separate beds, they literally sleep in separate “rooms”.

In fact, as part of the “canon or potentially canon” interactions between Soldier: 76 and Ana, there’s a semi-broken or unused one that can maybe be triggered on Necropolis:

Ana: Jack, we’re adults!  You don’t have to sleep outside! Soldier: 76: I’m...fine where I am.

(Source)

Living in a separate building in the Necropolis is Jack’s choice.

The second obvious thing that sticks out:

The “Reaper sightings” map.

The locations are:

Los Angeles, California - Gabriel’s home city (which he visits in “Reflections”)

Watchpoint: Gibraltar - “Recall”

Numbani, Nigeria - “Masquerade”

St. Petersburg, Russia - “Infiltration”

Oasis, Iraq - no specific known event yet

The Oasis one is very important because so far, only “two people” are confirmed to know Reaper has been there.  One is, obviously, Moira, who lives and works there as the Minister of Genetics -

And who appears to be working on a “cure” for Reaper’s condition.

The second is:

Sombra: So what are we doing here, boss?

Reaper: I need to pay a visit to a friend.

Sombra.

It is heavily implied that Sombra is “leaking” Reaper’s locations to Soldier: 76 and Ana.

Now, it is not known if she is doing this with or without his permission.  At the moment, I am personally leaning towards the former: Sombra and Reaper are shown to have a tentative trust with each other, and Sombra not only knows who he is, but what is Gabriel’s driving goal:

There’s also this image which is all over Necropolis:

(source)

The imagery and iconography of it is basically summarized as Ana, Jack, and Gabriel, in that order.  Both men wear crowns, though the crown on the “pharaoh” is not colored, and the crown on the last man is actually the “double-feathers” crown, symbolizing Amun and Amun-Ra, “king of the gods.”

While the implication of the image isn’t exactly clear, all the details on Necropolis, Sombra’s apartment in Castillo, and in-game interactions point to an ambiguous relationship between Reaper and Soldier: 76.  Not only are there clearer demonstrations of genuinely bitter or angry interactions (for Reaper, see Ana and McCree, and for Soldier, see Moira), but everything about them - including their implied shared ties to Sombra as their information “go-between” - is extremely open-ended for two men who supposedly “hate” each other.

There is only one instance of one of them - Reaper - “blaming” the other for his condition, but not only are Reaper’s statements genuinely incorrect or wrong, the circumstances under which he says them (when Hakim is watching and listening) and the vague implication that Soldier: 76 helped him “set the trap” for Ana makes the entire series of statements skeptical and effectively unreliable in a literal sense:

I won’t discount the idea that Reaper is genuinely, truly angry and upset here, but I’m reaching the point where too many details add up and make it difficult to argue.  Reaper is “putting on a masquerade” in a least two to three other plot events (Retribution, Infiltration, and Masquerade), so this “explanation” seems more and more like it’s part of that persona.

Other than that, no other remarks are made by Reaper, Soldier: 76, Ana, Sombra, or any other character that either Reaper or Soldier: 76 are responsible for the “fall” of Overwatch.  The only article which alludes to the idea that Gabriel blew up the Swiss Base is incredibly unreliable as a source, even by in-universe standards.

Instead, an increasing amount of details and evidence points to Jack either being aware of Gabriel’s infiltration plan from the start, or becoming aware of it later.  He may or may not directly approve of the plan, but he does not “reveal” Gabriel’s intentions to other people either.

Oasis

As someone who has watched the majority of these story developments get revealed “in real time”, it’s tricky to find a spot to describe Moira, her role in the story, how she influenced Gabriel and his relationship with Jack, and the contents in Oasis.  The contents in Oasis are canon story details that tie the past to the present, and give an indication of how complicated Gabriel’s position with Moira and Talon has become.

In the present day, after “Recall” and throughout “Old Soldiers”, “Reflections”, and “Masquerade”, Moira is the Minister of Genetics in Oasis, Iraq.  Oasis is a city specifically made for - and designed for - free and unrestricted scientific and technological advancement and experimentation.  Like Necropolis, Oasis includes a handful of “semi-mythological references”, including a reference to the Tower of Babel and everything that implies.

Oasis Travel Tips: Blizzard official

For the University level, the two spawn points are two laboratories.  One is the Genetics lab, which is run by Moira.

In this lab, you can find the following items:

Gabriel’s “Soldier 24″ folder, which implies that his “condition” was partially or mostly caused by the Soldier Enhancement Program:

And Mercy’s research, which implies that Moira is...rather liberally taking a few “inspirations” from Angela’s work:

(Or rather, it implies that Moira’s Healing Biotic Grasp uses Mercy’s technology.)

However, the opposite spawn room is the Chemistry lab.

And it is here where you will find Moira’s research on Gabriel’s condition and how to cure it.

This leads to a very interesting question:

Is Moira “sharing” her research?

Or did the Minister of Chemistry - currently unknown - take it, just like how Moira has “taken” Mercy’s research?

Moira’s paper on curing Gabriel’s condition, and the fact that it is currently in jeopardy, indicates a few things:

1. This plus Michael’s statements about Gabriel’s condition and his “interests” in genetics indicates that Gabriel recruited Moira to help cure his pre-fall “Reaper” condition.

2. It is highly probable that Gabriel has claimed that the cure for his condition is the main reason he is working for Moira and Talon, even though his actual motivations for joining Talon are probably significantly different (basically, that he wants to enact retribution upon them).

3. It makes his statements to Ana in “Old Soldiers” very suspicious, as we know SEP, Moira, and the Swiss Base explosion are the biggest factors in his current “Reaper condition.”

4. There is the potential for Gabriel and Jack to have genuinely disagreed on “curing” Gabriel’s condition, as well as his plan for infiltrating Talon.  In an archetypal “undercover” trope fashion, they may have disagreed out of love for each other rather than anger over differences in methods.

5. There is also the potential for Gabriel and Jack to currently (as in, post-Recall) be working together to “cover” each other.  With Sombra acting as their go-between, Gabriel might be delaying his retribution plan until he knows Moira can cure him, or he gets ahold of the cure or paper himself.

Based on the Necropolis map, Reaper’s “visit” to Oasis is currently canon, and both Soldier: 76 and Ana know about it.

“Out-of-game” Official Resources: Statements by Jeff Kaplan and Michael Chu

In chronological order:

1. Michael Chu’s Spring 2017 GDC talk titled “Thinking Globally: Building the Optimistic Future of Overwatch”

Full quote (bold and italics are for emphasis and do not reflect speaking tone):

“And then I’d like to talk about one of my favorite relationships in the Overwatch universe, which is the one between Gabriel Reyes - now Reaper, Jack Morrison - now Soldier: 76, and Ana Amari.  Cause it’s a story about power, friendship, and how a changing world can bring people together and split them apart.  It’s a relationship that defines the story of Overwatch, and how Overwatch grew as an organization, and even now today, what they’re all up to is important to driving forward the current story of the game.  And what I really like about it is that it is a deep, complex relationship that’s not necessarily only driven by romance, and it highlights how different people can see and experience different events.  

“Which brings me…to ‘Perspective.’  One of the things we really like doing with Overwatch is playing with perspective.  We utilize perspective when we analyze or when we tell stories about characters, what they’re thinking, what their goals are.  And we have a lot of unreliable narrators.  We want people to pay careful attention to what characters think about in particular situations.  We want them to use their judgment and their knowledge of a character’s thoughts to come up with their own ideas about the universe.  You know, I’m asked often - with characters like Sombra or Soldier: 76, you know, ‘Are they anti-heroes?  Are they villains?’  And I think, you know, you look at someone like Sombra, and it’s all about looking at, ‘What does she want?  What is she willing to do to get it?’

“And you have to remember that when she’s telling you something, she’s serving her own ends too.  So you know, you have to kinda make the decision for yourself. And I think you can take a character like Soldier: 76 - like obviously, he has this mission that he is on that he believes is good, he seems to be sometimes willing to do things which are… maybe not super heroic, and so it makes him complicated.  We always have a lot of fun, uh - every once and awhile we’ll try and plot all the characters on like the traditional D’n’D alignment scale, and I think, you know, it’s fun exercise, but at the end of the day, I think what’s interesting about characters is that those alignments change depending on what situation you put them in, what’s important to them, and what decisions they have to make.

“[…] The world needs heroes, but it also needs villains.  And we have a number of villainous characters in Overwatch.  And what’s important to us is that their internal motivations are not purely rooted in ‘being evil,’ despite how they might seem on the surface.  You know, as we reveal more about these characters, we want people to be able to empathize and understand their beliefs.  Because sometimes what makes a villain a villain is the extent to which they’re willing to go to reach their goals.  And one thing that we find most important when we’re talking about our villain characters is that there is nothing to say that a villain cannot be as charismatic - or more charismatic - or as likeable as a hero character.  Because like the old saying goes, ‘Every villain is the hero of their own story.’”

---

As described above, there is relatively little evidence to support the idea that Michael’s line about romance was focused solely on Ana and one of the other masculine characters.  Instead, since this talk, more and more details have shown that Ana - though absolutely an important part of the Overwatch leadership and an important friend to both Gabriel and Jack - is not a romantic interest of either character.  Outside of the actual story and the “in-game” canon elements, Ana has other “suitors”, in particular Fareeha’s biological father Sam, and Reinhardt Wilhelm, who makes a number of admiring and flirtatious comments about Ana in Junkenstein’s Revenge.

Furthermore, Michael makes a good deal of effort to compare Sombra with Soldier: 76.  As a reminder, both characters occupy a sort of “elevated status” with Gabriel and have permission (perhaps reluctantly, in Sombra’s case) to call him “Gabe.”

Lastly, Michael ends this part of the conversation by talking about how Overwatch writes and perceives its “villain” characters.  Since that time, we have seen the release of Doomfist and the “Masquerade” comic, Moira and her Origin video, and the “Retribution” event, all of which give us more multifaceted sides to Gabriel, portraying him as far more empathetic and emotionally-vulnerable than previous story elements.

---------

2. Michael Chu and Geoff Goodman on Reaper and Moira’s working relationship, Moira reveal panel, Blizzcon November 2017: transcript

Geoff Goodman: “It [Her Fade ability] has some similarities to Reaper’s wraith form…uh which is…it’s funny how that works out.” Michael Chu: “You know, we obviously - there’s a…there’s a close relationship between Moira and Reyes-slash-Reaper, and I think one of the fun things we were able to do is to sort of hint at some of those things in her, uh, abilities.” Geoff Goodman: “She’s helping Reaper out and is like, ‘You know, I think I could make this better, I have an idea.’” Michael Chu: “Professional relationship.” Geoff Goodman: “Ahaha, yes…good call.” Michael Chu: “You know what I’m talking about.” [Whole panel laughs] 

---

This comment is included to show the level of effort Michael Chu made to immediately deflect questions about a romantic relationship between Gabriel and Moira.  Like, within minutes of Moira being revealed publically, the lead writer of Overwatch made a deliberate and intentional effort to preemptively diffuse discussions on if they were romantic.  While the transcript downplays the little back-and-forth on the panel, both Michael and Geoff’s tone make it apparent that Gabriel and Moira are purely platonic associates, and that their relationship, while “close” in the sense that they share abilities (or rather, that Moira modified Gabriel’s abilities for her own use), is one that is strictly professional.

---------

3. Jeff Kaplan’s November 8, 2017 lecture: transcript and audio

Text: At one point, Reyes was in charge of Overwatch when it formed, and when ti becaome more of a thing after they defeated the Omnic Crisis, Morrison was actually given the top position of power and Reyes was overlooked because he was too rogue, he was too maverick in his leadership style - he ruffled too many feathers.  And a lot of our fans have assumed, “Oh, that’s why Reyes and Morrison hate each other,” and the story that we’re developing is actually like, “No, these guys loved each other.”  Like, they’re like, best war buddies.  And in a lot of ways, Reyes was relieved that Morrison had to have the more political role, and like, he was like kind of - it’s always easier being the Number 2 guy because you’re not ultimately accountable for all that.

---

“Best war buddies” lol

Regardless of what happens or where the story goes, the fact that the lead game developer for a triple-A game title with over 40 million players stated that two military men genuinely loved each other is honestly very poignant and moving.  As a reminder, “that depth of relationship” spanned almost 25 years before the “fall” of Overwatch, and currently stands at about 30 years when Recall is included.

Again, no matter where the plot goes or why, the fact remains that Gabriel and Jack did, at one point, love each other, and that currently, they very suspiciously “refuse” to actually fight or even really hurt each other.  Reaper had the chance to do serious damage to Soldier: 76 (and then Ana) and basically “threw” his chances - a recurring “issue” for him, it seems.  Not only is he incapable of killing Soldier: 76 or Ana, he does not manage to actually kill or do serious harm to Winston or Tracer either.

---------

4. Jeff Kaplan’s interview podcast with AIAS, May 2018: audio and transcript

Segment:

Ted Price: Who’s the oldest character?  Or what’s the age of the oldest character?

Jeff Kaplan: I think, um…I think it’s Gabriel Reyes, who is Reaper.  But it’s kinda not a fair answer, because technically Reaper is dead?  But I think that’s a little bit questionable.  So Gabriel Reyes was, like, Jack Morrison’s partner - they were Soldier: 76 - and he was in Overwatch, and then he kinda goes bad and there’s a horrific thing that happens and he becomes Reaper.

---

So like I’ve said elsewhere:

Once is an accident.  Twice is a coincidence.  Three times is a pattern.

As part of the “context” of this line, Jeff had specifically been talking about how Overwatch integrates diversity into its story: that it doesn’t want to do a “checklist” of representation, but rather make the characters feel real and emotional and substantial.  That, as part of that effort, they’ve included stories about two Japanese brothers having a falling out, or an Egyptian sniper and her heroic daughter - 

Or the story of a brave, determined fighter pilot-turned-adventurer who loves her girlfriend.

The fact of the matter is:

You can now write “Gabriel and Jack loved each other.  Gabriel was Jack’s partner.” and these lines are 100% accurate to actual statements made by the lead developer of the game himself.  You can write that their relationship was and is “a deep, complex relationship that’s not necessarily only driven by romance” and it is 100% accurate to statements made by the lead writer of the game.

You can write things like “so far, only Jack Morrison was allowed to call Gabriel Reyes ‘Gabe’ (until Sombra decided to tease him about it)” and that’s 100% accurate to everything that’s been represented in the story of Overwatch itself.

You can write that “protecting Jack Morrison was Gabriel Reyes’ guiding and decision-making motivation” and that is 100% accurate to the comic of “Retribution.”

You can write that “Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes represented two halves of a single whole” and that is 100% accurate to all that they are:

And the lead writer of Overwatch himself has said the following:

We want people to pay careful attention to what characters think about in particular situations.  We want them to use their judgment and their knowledge of a character’s thoughts to come up with their own ideas about the universe.

That he wants you to pay attention, look at the details, analyze them, and develop your own interpretation.

In light of the relatively recent revelations about Lúcio’s father, or the newest addition to the playable roster (Brigitte, at the time of this writing), it is true that Overwatch isn’t done telling stories about relationships, interconnectivity, families, friendships, and companionship.  So yes, I realize that there could be additional “plot twists” along the way, and that these could concern Gabriel and Jack.

But as a counterpoint, the recent burst of new interactions (that came with the 2nd Anniversary update) remains...suspiciously “light” in terms of Reaper and Soldier: 76.  

Compare and contrast:

Lúcio and Pharah get new interactions focusing on their parents: Lúcio gets two abotu his father, and Pharah gets one with Ana about her biological father Sam, and one with Sombra about her mother, Ana (who prevented her daughter from being accepted into Overwatch).  Torbjörn, Bastion, and Brigitte get a handful of new interactions talking about Torbjörn “adopting” Bastion, and Zenyatta gets one with Torbjörn where he patiently (and a bit mischievously) observes that Torbjörn “has taken in an Omnic”.  Orisa tells Reinhardt how she is analyzing his combat abilities, and Genji gets a new interaction with Zenyatta about Hanzo.

Moira gets a lot of new interactions: one with Mercy, two with Winston, one with Pharah, one with McCree, one with Mei - 

And one with Reaper...and then one with Soldier: 76.

The interconnectivity of relationships in Overwatch is important.  In fact, it is arguably what makes the characters and world so compelling, even if the story has fluctuated in retaining a strong audience at times.  With the recent interactions update, that interconnectivity increased almost exponentially, and Overwatch did not shy away from interactions about familial relationships.

It even introduced a new one - Lúcio and his father, and returned to one that it had previously only implied in “Reflections” - the relationship between Ana, Fareeha, and Sam.

In contrast, Gabriel got a huge story moment in “Retribution”: his personality, his motivations, his methods, and his focus were all explored with a relatively emotional depth.

And what we saw is that - when asked to consider what will help “keep the world safe”:

Gabriel Reyes did not think of “a family” - unknown and distant.  He did not think of “home” - like Los Angeles or the Swiss Base.  He did not think of his life’s work with Overwatch, nor his “power” in Blackwatch.  He did not think of his “Reaper” condition, nor enacting revenge on Antonio.

He did not even think of Talon, and how he wanted to destroy them, eye for an eye.

When asked to think about keeping “the world” safe:

Gabriel thought of Jack.

And while there are numerous ways to interpret and discuss their current relationship as “Reaper” and “Soldier: 76″, it is clear that Gabriel is still very much on the forefront of Jack’s mind:

Soldier: 76: You were a disgrace to Overwatch. If I had known what Reyes had been planning, I would never have allowed it.

Moira: It seems to me that it was convenient for you not to look too closely into Gabriel’s business.

(Audio clip)

The details in the comics and shorts matter.  The details in the game matter.  The details in the interactions matter.  The details in the developer and writer comments matter.

And that is why I am compiling this.

This is a story with so much potential.  But it is important to realize that even what is present here, now, two years after the game launched, has come a long ways.  Sometimes it feels like it’s not enough.

And sometimes, we get a glimpse into the true “depth” of that relationship.

Which brings me to the final part.

Unofficial discussions, write-ups, posts, and interpretations

Like the official developer and writer comments section, this one will go in real-world chronological order.  I prefer this method so that both the readers and myself can see the analytical and interpretative changes that my personal thoughts and ideas have gone through over the last 18 months.

Again, not all of these are true: many of these ideas have been proven incorrect, many only “half correct”, etc.  The vast majority are still waiting “to be confirmed” or denied.

If you read or reference these, please keep in mind my two main “purposes” in writing them:

1. I write them for myself and my closest friends.  Pretty much all of these posts are written from my own ideas and conversations I have with a handful of other Overwatch fans.  I have always written these down to basically document my ideas, conversations, and theories.  Many are extremely informal in tone, and are written specifically for tumblr’s kinda insane blog format.

I write them because I enjoy the exploration of the characters and world of Overwatch.  I write them because I enjoy analyzing and discussing story details, character development, and changing plot points.  I write them because I enjoy reflexively engaging with the stories and media I consume.

Therefore, the structures of the posts vary wildly, based mainly on my mindset and mood at the time of the post, and the ideas and analysis I was trying to explore then.  The best examples of these are “Quick Reasons Not to Trust Moira in Retribution” and “Long Reasons Not to Trust Moira in Retribution.”  I wrote “Quick” at 2 am, on my phone, less than 24 hours (2 am, April 11) after Retribution had become globally playable.  In contrast, I wrote “Long” two days later (April 13), after I had more time to collect more pieces of the story, build a case, cite my sources, and use better formatting (and also get more sleep, lol).

2. The secondary “objective” of the posts is always subsumed by Point 1: I am glad, happy, grateful, and humbled that people enjoy the posts.  I really am.  But again, it is not about being “right or wrong, correct or incorrect, confirmed or denied.”

If the posts generate discussions, or they get other people to think and engage with Overwatch in a critical, analytical manner, then to me, that is what makes them important.  I do not particularly care if you don’t believe Moira was the double-agent in Retribution - but if it made you stop and think about Moira’s goals, her ambitions, her methods, and her character development, then that is what I’m happy for.

“An Eye for An Eye” (17) is a good, more recent example of the “second objective” of these posts: it’s not about settling on one particular interpretation (though I do that with stuff like “Death Becomes You” and “Long Reasons Not to Trust Moira in Retribution”).  Sometimes, many times, these posts are just about analyzing what some evidence shows and discussing how it can fit into different interpretations and then into different story narratives that Blizzard could use.

---

1. a post about the “Reaper sightings” map in the then-new Necropolis map on the PTR.  Date: May 23, 2017.  Discusses canon locations Reaper had visited between Recall and “Reflections.”  Includes a small discussion Oasis, and why Reaper would go there (well before Moira was revealed).

2. “Talon: Clawing to the Top.”  Date: July 06, 2017.  Written after Doomfist was revealed (July 06, 2017) but before the “Masquerade” comic was released (July 16, 2017).  Is not totally correct (e.g. on the Volskaya part) but more discusses the changing world of Overwatch and why Doomfist is so focused on conflict as a source of growth.  First essay to discuss the implication that Reaper is working with Sombra to bring down Talon.

3. a post about the significance of Reaper wearing the Red Death disguise at a literal masquerade, and how it compares to Edgar Allan Poe’s short story.  Date: July 16, 2017.

4. “Death Becomes You”.  Date: July 16, 2017.  Analyzed the “Masquerade” comic from the lens of “The Masque of the Red Death.”  Discussed how Doomfist and Reaper compare to the principal characters of the story - Prince Prospero and the Red Death.  Argues that the “main character” who is “masquerading” in Talon is Reaper.

5. a post about the imagery of Necropolis, and how it appears to symbolize the relationships between Reaper, Soldier: 76, and Ana.  Date: August 01, 2017.  Taken with Number 1, Necropolis seems to hint that there is “more going on” between the three old soldiers, that it’s possible Soldier: 76 and Ana are either trying to help Reaper or are actively working with him, and that Sombra may act as a point of contact between them all.

6. “Devil in the Details.” Date: August 20, 2017.  An essay analyzing the map of active Overwatch investigations, and how one key location (Switzerland) is highly suspicious.  Also discusses if Gabriel and Jack are currently working together in the Recall area.

7. “Moira: A Fate Fulfilled.”  Date: November 05, 2017.  Compares a timeline of fan ideas (e.g. “Evil Mercy,” “Mercy failed to resurrect Reyes,” and “we need a Talon support character”) with Moira’s design, her backstory, and her abilities.  Discusses how Moira seemsto fill a “void” that was missing in the plot for a long time, as well as her research on Reaper.

8. “Everything You Want to Know About Reaper and Soldier: 76.” Date: November 09, 2017.  Reviews and analyzes the then-available information about Reaper and Soldier: 76, particularly in light of Jeff Kaplan’s lecture.  Discusses speculation on the Venice Mission before we fully knew what it would be.  Importantly, it also discusses how Jack Morrison was probably aware of Blackwatch missions, which was later confirmed by “Retribution”.

9. “Quick Reasons Not to Trust Moira in Retribution.” Date: April 11, 2018.   10. “Long Reasons Not to Trust Moira in Retribution.” Date: April 13, 2018.  Please.  Please read this.  Especially if you have questions at the end of “Quick Reasons.”  For the love of everything, I can guarantee you that if you have a question about Gabriel/Reaper and Moira, I have probably answered it in this essay.  If you ask me “Why would Moira want more funding from Talon if she works for Blackwatch?” I will literally just send you a link to this essay.  

11. things I found interesting about the Blackwatch Venice memos. Date: April 24, 2018.  Basically summarizes “Long Reasons” but in a lot less detail.  Goes over the “declassified” memos about the Venice Mission.

12. An important detail people are missing.  Date: April 24, 2018.  Reviews both Retribution and “Devil in the Details” but with more current information.

13. “A Clash of Kings”. Date: April 28, 2018.  Discusses if Akande knows who Reaper is.  Describes my method for interpreting unreliable narrators and perspectives in Overwatch (e.g. in the shorts and comics).  Also talks about Moira’s role as a sort of mediator between Akande and Reaper, and “whose side” she would take if she was forced to choose.

14. “The Immortal Soldier?”. Date: May 4, 2018.  Hypothesizes on if Jack Morrison has achieved a sort of “pre-fall Reaper state of existence” (e.g. that he can get hurt, feel pain, and accumulate scars, but that he might be unintentionally self-healing/self-sustaining).

15. A reply to “A Clash of Kings” where I talk about the “canon” or “in-game” evidence for Reaper76 and Anahardt.  Date: May 7, 2018.

16. “Retribution and Reapercussions”. Date: May 13, 2018.  An extremely long write-up on the consequences of the Blackwatch Venice mission in the immediate aftermath.  Talks about Gabriel’s debriefing, and how he might have “negotiated” with Moira to buy her silence.  Also explores how the mission may have emotionally wounded both Gabriel and Jack on a very personal level, and while the mission didn’t specifically tear them apart, it certainly cut very deep.

17. “An Eye for An Eye”. Date: May 25, 2018.  A write-up on the Soldier: 76-Moira interaction, and how the wording of Soldier’s lines is just vague enough to imply a few different interpretations.  Explores if Jack: 1) knew or did not know about Gabriel’s infiltration plans for Talon and 2) approved or disapproved of them.  Also talks about how Jack’s personality has become almost a mirror of pre-fall Gabriel’s.

18. A reply to an ask about Jack’s use of different names for Gabriel. Date: May 25, 2018.  Personally, I think that - more than any other character “pair” in the game - Jack’s use of different names for Gabriel (Gabe, Gabriel, Reyes, Commander Reyes, boss, bad guy, etc) are almost 100% contextual/situational, which shows a considerable depth between both of them.  Jack’s use of different names is not necessarily correlated with emotion or “emotional distance”, but with his sense of military protocol and situational contexts (e.g. “private personal discussions” vs “public, formal ones”).

19. Michael Chu’s interview where he confirms that none of the characters have gone in “completely different directions” (aka major retcons) since the game started, but he also confirms that the way they’ve been releasing and telling the stories has had an impact on what they can show and represent about characters, specifically Reaper.  Date: May 30, 2018.

20. “Those Who Rise Up”. Date: June 1, 2018.  Part 2 of the exploration on the consequences of Retribution, this time from Talon’s end.  Discusses Akande and the “Doomfist legacy”, the creation of Widowmaker and her parallels to Reaper, and if Tracer’s Slipstream flight was an accident or sabotage.

21. Three “quick pieces” on newer interpretations on the “Old Soldiers” and “Legacy” comics, using more knowledge from Uprising, Retribution, and other sources: (Post where Soldier’s actions are suspicious), (Post about how Reaper’s explanation to Ana about his condition is incorrect), (Post about how Gabriel was actually probably empathetic with Jack after Ana’s “death”). Date: June 5, 2018.

---------

All in all, I hope these resources are useful.  Again, even with this actual “collection of resources” post, I’m really basically writing this for myself (because I’m getting tired of search through my own blog for this stuff, lol). but please feel free to use any and all resources for your own stuff.  Save them, like them, reblog them, link them - that is precisely what this post is for.

[samdukewieland]

Stuck Inside Media Diary Week 7

I realized that I didn’t include my watching of the Parks And Rec special thing that was on. By no means was it perfect, though I imagine that it was the best case scenario for something like that (in terms of being an original story, as opposed to a table/script read that the Community cast put together that’s coming out...ur, at some point). Is it necessary as a piece of media? It raised a lot of money for Feeding America and did its best in trying to shine some optimism in really unsettling times. Kinda nice.

Sunday, May 3

Filmworker, Zierra 2017 [as of now this is available on Netflix]

Interesting take on a documentary about, but not about Stanley Kubrick. It would be unusual for any Kubrick dude to not know or have some kind of inkling that he was a complicated figure (an asshole), especially when it came to making movies, so the point of the movie isn’t really to inform that aspect of of it (though it probably confirmed suspicions, should you have any). It’s more a case example of how toxic relationships like these work and how dangerous it is to deify people, especially your own heroes. Of course, should any of us be given the opportunity to work or be near someone we look up to, how’re do we know what our breaking point is for them before we reach it (unfortunately for Leon Vitali, it wasn’t until Kubrick passed away that he could see just how far deep he was). This is also a pretty good example of how companies and corporations will treat you like garbage just to advance their credibility and how sometimes it feels like a documentary’ll show you that but not really do anything change that (as far as I know).

Mad Men, [season 4 premier] “Public Relations”, “Christmas Comes But Once A Year”, “The Good News”, “The Rejected”

So I definitely haven’t watched Season 4 as a more grown person than I was back in high school when this first aired. So I’ve known Don’s life is a nightmare, but never really processed why or thought about why; I was not the most keen observer (probably because I was thinking about not turning in homework). Now with all that said, jeeeeeeez Don’s life is a super depressing nightmare oooof. Now Season 4 feels like it needs some more runway to catch up with itself and its momentum it revved up to at the end of season 3, so the first couple of weeks feel a little wobbly (though wobbly Mad Men is leagues better than some other dramas at their best). However, the Don and Lane friendship does gets established in this slew of episodes, two men who couldn’t be more different, but can’t help but be bonded by a miserable moment in time. 

Three Busy Debras, “Barbra”

Holy shit this episode is so genius. So many shades of Stangers With Candy in this one.

Rick And Morty, “Never Ricking Morty”

Believe me, I don’t want you to know that I watched this either.

The Last Dance, Parts 5 & 6

These were probably my favorite parts of the doc so far, probably because its the most enjoyable stuff you can watch (hold for destroying any chance Charles Barkley had at winning a championship). Jordan as a brand, both figuratively and literally-the concept of celebrity through a Michael Jordan lens; I could lap that up for hours. It makes me mad that there’s only two hours left (now), because there’s clearly so much more that could be covered, but will leave unturned (more on this next week).

Monty Python: Almost The Truth (Lawyers Cut), “The Not-So-Interesting Beginnings”

Good example of the subjects not getting in the way of the subject matter. Probably the thing that leaves to be desired is seeing the remaining members (this was made in 2009, so Chapman was the only deceased member at the time) together and interacting with one another. You get a little bit of Michael Palin and Terry Jones together, but not in an interviewed capacity, which faintly scratches that itch. If I had to guess, I’d say that they all don’t love being together without Palin there as a buffer, just based on what I know about Monty Python. Lotta strong and brilliantly smart personalities with no real acknowledgement on who’s the best, because they all think they’re the best (maybe not Palin or Jones). Also, this is a surprisingly self-aware interview with Idle, which really shattered any preconceived notions I have for him-might have to do some self-evaluation.

Monday, May 4

Escape From New York, Carpenter 1981 [as of now this is available on Prime]

I’ve definitely lied to people about having seen all of Escape From New York before. Why? Because it made me appear better than I actually was. It and Die Hard With A Vengeance (another great New York movie, though for the record, I’ve still never seen all of it) seemed to be two movies that I kept catching just enough glimpses of throughout the years without having actually seeing all of it. For instance, I had no idea that Harry Dean Stanton was in Escape From New York, which instantly elevates movies for guys like me from being “pretty good li’l B movie” to “this is actually advanced and high art” (this isn’t always the case on the HDS matrix, but it is consistent, see Repo Man). 

Mad Men, “The Chrysanthemum And The Sword”, “Waldorf Stories”

Real fool me once with your racism shame on you you, Roger Sterling. Fool me twice, shame on me (re: “The Chrysanthemum And The Sword”). “Waldorf Stories” is really the first episode put in gear this season, maybe it’s because we’re getting Ken Cosgrove back (hell yeh) or maybe it just feels that way because “The Suitcase” is next and I know it; it’s an incredible build-up, what with hindsight and all that. 

Tuesday, May 5

Mel Brooks: Unwrapped, Yentob 2018 [as of now this is available on HBO]

Listen, this isn’t very good. I think some of it has to do with Brooks, who kind of gets in the way of it all, which is a very hard thing to admit. It’s got some moments, when it actually tells you something about Mel Brooks, but for the most part its just a British guy not taking command of his own documentary and subject and that’s just like barely interesting. Mel Brooks is still a king, though.

Mad Men, “The Suitcase”

This is regarded as the best episode of Mad Men and one of the best episodes of television in the 2010s. I don’t know how it stands up by itself, like I don’t know if it resonates well with someone who’s never watched Mad Men outside of the vacuum. Usually going into one of these episodes that almost transcends its own show I tend to be weary, be it brand new (like when I watched “Pine Barrens” for the first time when I watched The Sopranos) or on a re-watch like this. I trick myself into thinking “well I bet its not that good” because you’re told to the contrarian take is the most interesting take, but I didn’t with this one. I remember the first time I watched it and I don’t think I’ve gone back and watched it in years, so I had forgotten almost all of the context around the episode, except for the argument. This episode is really special, hands down. Don’t love the ghost, but pobody’s nerfect. This podcast talks about it way better than I ever could, listen to that instead of reading this (I just want yer clicks, suckers!)

Wednesday, May 6

Heartburn, Nichols 1986 [as of now this is available on Prime]

I say this as someone who doesn’t travel in Mike Nichols circles (though this is the fourth movie of his that I’ve watched during all this, so maybe I do and I just don’t know it), but why isn’t this trotted out more as one of his best movies? My Nora Ephron bias might be showing a lot here, someone I didn’t really appreciate until I watched Everything Is Copy about a year ago (it’s an HBO doc-meaning it’s available on that platform if you want nice documentary to watch sometime), but this movie’s great! And it has two of the most famous movie stars to ever live as the two lead roles and Jeff Daniels as a bit player. And yet its legacy only feels relevant to those who seek out Mike Nichols or Nora Ephron movies, which feels odd, considering one half of that creative team is best known for The Graduate and the other for When Harry Met Sally (or Sleepless In Seattle or You’ve Got Mail).

Thursday, May 7 

Kingdom Of Heaven (Director’s Cut), Scott 2005

I’ll be honest, I wanted to watch Return Of The King, but that just wasn’t an option. This movie’s technically good, like more Ridley Scott movies are than they aren’t, but really lacks any kind of new message besides “Religion’s pretty fucked up how it made people do that, huh?” Which to a lot of people is super appealing, but when you make a movie that only exists because of Lord Of The Rings’ success, you’d hope for something more (though isn’t this always the case with these kinds of movies?) Like make the movie about David Thewlis or Jeremy Irons. Obviously the battle/fight sequences are really cool to watch and look at, and that’s not an at all terrible critique to give it either. It’s fine that there’s dumb-guy Lord Of The Rings (which is semi-controversial considering a lot of the book nerds already consider Lord Of The Rings [movie] is dumb-guy Lord Of The Rings).

Mad Men, “The Summer Man”

Ah yes, the Don journals and goes swimming episode. It’s good considering it has to follow up “The Suitcase.” I can’t think of any from this particular episode, but (and I think it checks out, cultural timeline wise too) this is the season where it almost feels like the writers/directors figures out that their show was ripe for meme-dom and .gifs-sometimes when that happens it goes real south for the sake of quality, but luckily not Mad Men. 

Friday, May 8

Jiro Dreams Of Sushi, Gelb 2011 [as of now this is available on Netflix]

I bet David Fincher loves this movie. I’m not a huge sushi lover (it’s fine, but way too expensive) so I guess I’ve figured that’d be a huge barrier for me to jump over to enjoy this doc. This thing’s got a weird, but great energy to it, where it feels like four twenty-minute segments sewn together; right when you think “well this should’ve just been a quick package on Frontline” it adds another wrinkle. Would probably be constructed more differently now, considering how food docs/series’ work now, but its strengths lie in its simplicity.

Top Chef, Season 17 episode 8

Great Restaurant Wars this season. Very compelling stuff and almost athletic. Andy Greenwald said it best.

Mad Men, “The Beautiful Girls”, “Hands And Knees”, “Chinese Wall”

“Beautiful Girls” is another entry into the best Mad Men episodes (though like “The Suitcase” I don’t think it would necessarily resonate out of context). Iconic closing shot and a great Sally Draper episode, who I’ve feared I might’ve been overrating for the last couple of years. Nah, Sally Draper is underrated even. Big spiral moves for Don as well in here, though hopefully he can course correct after tasting Sally’s rum-cooked French Toast (it won’t!)

Saturday, May 9

Basic Instinct, Verhoeven 1992

I can’t imagine what it must feel like to be completely neutral about this movie; your life must be so care-free, so calming, so unconcerned with trying to figure out how exactly to start calling your close friends either “cowboy” or “hoss” as if you’ve been doing it your whole life. Also, listen, I get it about that one shot and it being the thing people kept talking about and the thing most associated with this movie, but nothing and no one prepared me for seeing Gus in a cowboy hat in that bar/club before the Nick/Roxie chase. That and all the ice-pick stabbings. And the opening crime scene. And a whole lot of other stuff that takes place in this movie.

Mad Men, “Blowing Smoke”, “Tomorrowland” [season 4 finale], “A Little Kiss Part 1 & 2″ [season 5 premier]

The letter! Disneyland! Marriage again! A lot of things happen in these four episodes that are the end and beginning of seasons. But when I realized that I was going to get “Zou Bisou Bisou” in this block of episodes, it was game over. I’ve had it stuck in my head every day for a prolonged amount of time since Saturday and the only thing that makes it not terrible is knowing how pissed off Don was that it happened to him. Don’t marry a 25-year-old. Season 4′s a weird one for Betty as the show tried to navigate how to keep her involved with the show even though she and Don aren’t married anymore and it’s not....great. Probably because they keep making her “true” emotional foil children (specifically Glen and to a greater level Sally, but the tribulations that come between a mother and almost teenage daughter shouldn’t be the same as a mother and some weird kid down the block who just happens to be the son of the show’s creator).

[homing-pigeon-dna]

the entire concept of the darkest timeline exists because abed ran the scenario of ‘Troy Leaves for Five Minutes’ and goes worst-case right off the bat. you could also consider that the other non-prime timelines are being acted out in the dreamatorium by troy and abed since in each one its only two people interacting at a time. so, yes, troy and abed Have kissed in the dreamatorium as a jeff and annie simulation, and have probably done it for other simulations. in season five abed apologizes to his girlfriend for trying to force her to move in with him and annie, he tells her he thought if annie was around he would be less likely to screw up. put this in the context of when he asks annie to move in with him and troy the First Time she visits their apartment. also in that episode, annies brother points out that troy leaving has left a vacuum in their life. annie tries to fill it with a family member, however abed tries to fill it with a significant other. the community writers think theyre slick but troy and abed were in love. thank you for coming to my ted talk

[kalimaruquin]

Since it crossed my mind...

Things in Endgame that I was okay with:

-Falcon getting the shield

-Carol Danvers repeatedly living up to the hype as she kicks the shit out of Thanos over and over

-Steve using Mjolnir

-Tony reacting to Steve like they’re ex-boyfriends while Tony somehow looks more like Jeff Goldblum in a Marvel movie than Jeff Goldblum looks like Jeff Goldblum in a Marvel movie. 

-That’s America’s Ass. / That Really Is America’s Ass.

-Tony meeting his dad in the past

-On Your Left

-New Asgard basically being ten feet to the left of where Odin said it could be

-Valkyrie, Korg, and Meek

Things I was not okay with in Endgame (in no particular order):

-She’s Got Help, because if you’re going to push one character super hard and do a super women group shot, don’t fucking yank the chain on it right when they’re about to accomplish the goal. Remember Infinity War? Remember how you managed to push all of the women into the same ditch for no reason? As fucked up as that scene was in terms of gender segregation, at least it ended with the goal being met. (The goal being ‘kill the woman here who matters the least to the marketing team’.) She’s Got Help just ended with all of the involved characters collectively failing to cut a straight line through enemy forces despite the fact that half of them could fly.

-Having the first openly gay character in a Marvel movie be some nameless, useless yabbo who brings it up during some fucked up survivors guilt sharing circle, and suddenly I feel like I’m watching the AIDs circle scenes from Rent as Steve ‘America’s Ass’ Rogers makes it about him waking up in the ice for the fiftieth time. 

“We have to move on”, he says, as I sit here knowing that this is a three hour long franchise movie set after they merced half of all life and ninety percent of the cast. 

And that most of them would be coming back.

-A rat in the impound is the thing that brought Antman back. Never mind that out of every piece of useless clutter in the movie, the only thing to get impounded is the minivan with a minimizer in it, but that a rat has to be there to confirm that out of four shrinker heroes with degrees, not one of them thought of a timed return feature.

-Actually, the fact that the van alone got impounded by anybody after half of all life got dusted is really bugging me now. Did the municipality of that town specifically just get avoided in the snap all together? That street? Was the guard for the impound a hoarder who stole it? He must be, because why would you pay someone to guard an impound for five years after the streets have become so abandoned that people don’t even bother removing bicycles anymore? 

-Who did the census poll of people who got dusted? How long did that poll take? How did Scott find the memorial park? Is there only one memorial park? Are there memorials in every city? Why did Scott go to a memorial park when he could/would have just gone home first? Nothing is explained by the first prolonged scene with Scott, and it is so slap-dashed together that things that should not be questions are popping up. 

-The fact that Natasha is now such a disaster that she makes a pb&j sandwich while in the middle of a hologram conference call while everyone else, including the talking space raccoon, has the wherewithal to stay standing and look presentable. Also, she is so far gone that she doesn’t know how to handle something like an underwater earthquake. You’re an Avenger, not a Rescue Ranger. Natural environmental hazards are not your problem.

Captain Ass then walks in again, talking about how ‘we’ don’t move on. Is this about SHIELD? Are you talking about SHIELD? Because if I remember correctly, that one was pretty explicitly your past coming back from the grave to bite your *American* ass. You didn’t bring it back with all your moping about WW2 pussy, it came for you with red lights on. Also, stop moping about WW2 pussy. You watched her punch a dude once, that is not grounds for a century long obsession with one woman who ended up not doing her job right because she ended up letting Super Nazis into SHIELD. If this isn’t about SHIELD, then stop going to weird ‘we don’t know how to stop putting ‘depressed masturbating’ on our resumes’ meet groups.

-Actually five years is a ludicrously long time for people to still not be picking up after themselves. It’s like the writers wanted everyone to be super depressed about the disaster, but they ignored the fact that the population explodes after shitty stuff happens. Touch of realism? Scott should have been wading through streets filled with toddlers and pregnant women. The kid on the bike? Should have had a baby seat on the back with the unfortunate implication that it was his kid. You want to make it funny as a man frantically searches for his daughter’s name in a strangely normally populated cemetery(which is clearly what they were going for with his line delivery)? Have him trying to do a superbowl shuffle through roaming packs of three-to-five year olds.

(Actually, would the snap have taken pregnant women? Snap, no baby, five years later, snap, back to being pregnant? Snap, no mom?! There’s got to be at least one chosen toddler out there with the doom world prophecy on her that since she was born from the ashes of her mother’s corpse, she is now destined to Flay The Bones of The Corpse Lord, Lord of Corpses, but her mom came back, so now it’s time for a Capri-Sun and a nap.)

-Tony’s whole... Look, it’s really hard to believe that Tony ‘Box of Scraps in a Cave’ Stark had multiple crashed spaceships, the ruins of a technologically advanced planet, an alien cyborg/gynoid woman with spacecraft engineering knowledge, and a nanotech Iron Man suit on his person and couldn’t manage to somehow become a planet-hopping rad dude living the space punk dream with his ‘robo-sister’. Honestly, Tony should have met Carol when he accidentally bumped into her at a party after they’d both just saved each half of the planet that they were partying on. Tony should have been wearing sunglasses that he’d made himself from two different colored pieces of space crystal, and Carol should have pointed out that he looked like he needed a burger. He asks where they could find such a thing (after doing that thing he does where he repeats the topic of conversation multiple times because he’s excited and trying to process what his brain is coming up with), and he flies his zero-G party barge after her and steps out to find his wife after five long painful lonely years on the road. Then he tearfully tells Carol that he’s going to have to cancel on that burger, and she’s like ‘no problem, Major Tom’, which is somehow the most dated thing Tony or Steve has ever heard.

I must emphasize though, Hetero-Chromatic Space Crystal Sunglasses. With a Stardust Iron Man suit.

-The fact that I’m supposed to believe that the Infinity Stones would allow themselves to be destroyed, and that Ant Man came back not so that he can find out that they were only shrunk to molecular size, but so that we can get some nonsense time travel plot instead. Seriously, Ant Man could have come back because the Space Stone slapped him in the dick and resized him and he didn’t know what it was. 

-The fact that time travel in Endgame works (pretty explicitly) on DBZ rules and not a more cinematically satisfying set of rules. (i.e. hey, there’s now a world timeline where the Avengers initiative failed spectacularly after the Battle of New York because Tony had a heart attack, Loki got away, the Tesseract and the Staff went missing at the same time, and Steve was found ass up after falling down about ten floors worth of glass and stairs after giving away that he was a Hydra agent(?!) but hey at least all of these stones are accounted for.)

-Steve creeping on Peggy. Just... Steve creeping on Peggy. Eugh.

-The fact that Nebula apparently has intergalactic/universal wifi coming out of her at all times, with an automatically updating memory bank that uploads all memories she has to a cloud storage that can then be accessed by anybody that plugs into her. Just have the time traveling version of her get found by scanners and get recalled the old(ish) fashion way. All you have to do is have Squidward-Frieza at the keyboard going “Oh my, it appears some naughty little monkey has stolen one of our computer units. Shall I have it brought back, my lord?” and then he sends a stall signal to Nebula’s systems and they just track her down. As it is, she could have just left if she hadn’t been sitting there watching her memories get rooted through. Hell, have that be the turn around, where she leaves, everything goes as planned, and suddenly Thanos and his BS is waiting for them when they go to put everything back.

-All of Thor. Just... all of Thor. The petty killing Thanos at the beginning, the ‘haha look he’s fat now’, the bullying kids on Fortnite, the utter bullshit of giving up on leading his people because ‘he has to be who he is and not who he’s trying to be’ like he didn’t explicitly save the Asgardians because he made do with what he was given during Ragnarok, the fact that he didn’t say one word to any of the Lokis in the movie but was a blubbering idiot over his mother. (Also, there is no good god damn way that Frigga saw fat busted old Thor and went “Yeah, I’m okay with dying and letting that happen.” So there’s a new timeline there.)

-The entire exchange between Clint and Natasha over the Soul Stone. Like, the whole thing is supposed to be a deep and meaningful conflict, but the problem with that is that the story of the movie hasn’t placed either of them in very high regard. Natasha’s a washed out wreck, apparently spending the last five years sitting in the Avengers compound and making crappy looking sandwiches while Clint went out and became an international murder spree. This isn’t them in their prime arguing over who’s taking the fall, it’s two people that we as the audience have had maybe an hour and a half to get to know. And less than half that time to like them. Hell, it’s pointed out in this movie that Natasha needs to grow a little since she can’t let go of the past and that she needs to be able to move forward through tragedy. Having to watch Clint sacrifice himself so that she might have a chance to save his family would have fit that arc. But no, we’re doing She’s Got Help later, so take the second longest running female character in the franchise and end her mid-movie so that we can re-enact the Soul Stone Man Pain scene.

(You guys,,,,have no idea,,,what it’s like,,,to be a grungey murder crime boy,,,,,and watch,,,,,as the hot girl dies,,,,,,because the writers are fucking hacks,,,,,,and are too busy reusing and recreating scenes from old movies to actually keep track of the characters in this one,,,) :,(

(I actually like Clint as a character in the movies, but the fact that he ends up being a parallel to T ‘MURDER MY OWN DAUGHTER FOR A ROCK’ HANOS is gut twisting.)

-The Bruce/Hulk offscreen nonsense. Could have made it that Hulk died in the snap and Banner got the body, could have made it that Bruce died and Hulk got the brains. Could have them become Joe Fixit, or the Professor, or Doc Green. Nope, just Bruce Banner as a giant green mascot character.

-The fact that the writers had no good idea on how to handle Tony if he was settled and happy, so they killed him off after kicking him in the teeth a few times

-The fact that the writers don’t have any idea who Captain America is beyond ‘man, he sure was in love with Peggy I guess’ and basically refused to do anything else with him.

Like, we could have had a movie where Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanov didn’t let go of the past, but didn’t let it kill them either. Steve and Natasha could have restarted SHIELD. We could have had a parting shot of America’s Ass standing perk and just above center frame on the bridge of a brand new Stark Industries made heli-carrier as Natasha gives the orders for take off.

[aion-rsa]

Marvel’s What If…? Reactions Pour In

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This article contains spoilers for Marvel’s Loki.

Are you ready to ponder What If…? Some lucky people have already done so by getting early access to the first few episodes of Marvel’s upcoming animated series, and they’ve now taken to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the show before it debuts. Reactions for the latest Disney+ project are a little bit more mixed than the streamer’s live-action fare to date, but it looks like we’re in for a wile ride nonetheless.

What If…? springboards off the season finale of the Tom Hiddleston-led series Loki, which opened up a can of multiverse worms for both new and established characters of the MCU. Following the recreation of the Marvel multiverse, What If…? will go on to explore various branching timelines that are no longer being pruned by the TVA to halt the arrival of infinite Kangs, and we’ll get to see some major moments from past Marvel Cinematic Universe films happening quite differently.

Jeffrey Wright leads the huge voice cast as Uatu, a member of the alien Watcher race who observes the multiverse. Other MCU actors have also returned to add a new sprinkle of weirdness to Phase 4, including Andy Serkis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benicio Del Toro, Chris Hemsworth, Clark Gregg, Jeff Goldblum, Jeremy Renner, Kurt Russell, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Douglas, Jon Favreau, Josh Brolin , Karen Gillan, Kat Dennings, Paul Bettany, Paul Rudd, Sebastian Stan, Seth Green (as Howard the Duck!), Taika Waititi, Tilda Swinton and Natalie Portman among a host of others. And, yes, Hiddleston too.

What If…? also features a last performance from late Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman in an episode where T’Challa becomes Star Lord.

“It was amazing being able to work with him,” said What If…? director Bryan Andrews “We only got a small moment because our episodes are so short. I think he was one of the first actors to sign on. He wanted to read scene descriptions in between and built it out like a play. None of us knew what he was going through at the time He was excited to play this particular version of T’Challa because it was different. Because it was a version of him playing the King, but the King without the mantel, the royalty and everything else that goes along with it. He could lighten it up and get more jokey with it. He was excited to bring back that flavor to T’Challa.”

Here’s what early viewers are saying about Marvel’s What If…? so far:

I got to see the first three episodes of #WhatIf. This is probably the most "made for TV" concept of the #Marvel #DisneyPlus shows so far. The animation is pretty good, but it's a style that takes a minute to settle into. Nice, brisk, 30 minute episodes. pic.twitter.com/FUTxBhvEyB

— K⁤­ａ​‌‌i​‍­ｔ​‍­l‍⁡y​⁠⁠n​‌‌ ​‍⁣Βоｏｔｈ🎆🏖🎇☀️ (@katiesmovies) August 1, 2021

.@Marvel's #WhatIf is a fascinating and incredibly satisfying look at what might have been. When I did my show with @StanLee, he once told me that he loved thinking about other ways stories could have gone. It made me think of him. That's the best compliment I can ever give. pic.twitter.com/gmpuext3g5

— Jenna Busch (@JennaBusch) August 1, 2021

Watched the first three episodes of #WhatIf this week. Impressed with what’s basically Marvel’s version of the Twilight Zone, they make some bold, out there decisions that I don’t think you’d get away with in live action and I’m looking forward to seeing things Get strange (1/2)

— Tom Percival (@twpercival1) August 1, 2021

I’ve watched the first three episodes of Marvel’s #WhatIf and I’m hooked. Each episode is better than the last w/ the third being my favorite. Love how they take a story we know by heart & twist it in all kinds of ways. It’s like the MCU’s Twilight Zone – weird, wild, good fun pic.twitter.com/PQ9deD1Yyl

— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) August 1, 2021

#WhatIf is a colorful and fun new twist on your favorite MCU stories. The animation makes everything sighing the frame feel like a comic book in motion. And @jfreewright is the perfect storyteller to guide fans on a journey of what if’s & hypotheticals. pic.twitter.com/LHbat3NQ9W

— Michael Lee (@IamMichaelJLee) August 1, 2021

After 3 episodes, Marvel’s What If…? has potential to be their best D+ show yet. Yes, it’s funny and exciting but the way each twist snowballs in hugely surprising ways kept me guessing and engaged too. Ep 2 in particular (with T’Challa) is one of my fave Marvel things in years. pic.twitter.com/KC66EnIQty

— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) August 1, 2021

Saw first 3 episodes of #whatif . Loved the comic so I’m obviously primed to enjoy the series and it delivers. 2nd episode is T’Challa as Star-Lord and it’s a great episode that features @chadwickboseman’s voice and cool surprises. 3rd episode is a better mystery than some movies pic.twitter.com/l0SX2xEY86

— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) August 1, 2021

Marvel’s #WhatIf is a whip-smart and refreshing twist on the narratives we know and it commits. Each deftly crafted episode manages to be the perfect length but leaves you wanting more. The look, feel, and tone are all spot on. Great for adults, kids, die-hard and casual fans. pic.twitter.com/9AOKAdB7HA

— Simon Thompson (@ShowbizSimon) August 1, 2021

I've seen the first three episodes of #WhatIf and cannot say enough good things about this show. @MarvelStudios definitely hasn't disappointed with its first foray into animation (it looks amazing), and the premise works brilliantly…you WILL love #CaptainCarter. @whatifofficial pic.twitter.com/TNI39bZicx

— Josh Wilding – ComicBookMovie.com (@Josh_Wilding) August 1, 2021

#WhatIf is… fine? Has tons of fun ideas on what these familiar stories could be. Has crazy easter eggs that will send fans into a frenzy. Animation feels stiff at times but really comes to life when the action ramps up. What really makes me scratch my head is the voice work.. pic.twitter.com/elAvKywU1O

— Charles Villanueva (@cfsvillanueva) August 1, 2021

Marvel's #WhatIf offers compelling twists on the #MCU along with stylish animation and outstanding action. However, the abridged storytelling creates a disjointed feeling, and lacks the Marvel magic and heart of the movies. Plus, many MCU stars are not great voice actors.

— Ethan Anderton (@Ethan_Anderton) August 1, 2021

Maybe it’ll get better as it goes along, but I was not particularly inspired by the episodes of Marvel’s WHAT IF…? sent to critics. Leans too heavily on the “Isn’t this crazy?” factor, never telling particularly compelling stories. Voice acting feels literally phoned in.

— Jacob Hall (@JacobSHall) August 1, 2021

Marvel’s What If…? will be streaming on Disney+ from August 11. The 10-episode Phase 4 series will wrap in October before Hawkeye arrives in November, but a second series is already reportedly in development.

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The post Marvel’s What If…? Reactions Pour In appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3xkcOoG

[bethgreenesgf-archive]

SEMINARS IN PERSONAL PHILOSOPHIES OF EVIL by ONEOFTHEMUSES

It’s based on a Ficcy Friday prompt by rashaka, “The first time Evil Annie and Evil Jeff get together.” I got it in my head to create some kind of bridge between Abed’s darkest timeline and Jeff’s version.

ELEMENTARY PSYCHOLOGY FOR DIMENSIONAL DOPPELGANGERS by ONEOFTHEMUSES

Evil Jeff and Evil Annie cross over to the Prime Timeline and then shit goes down. So does Evil Annie, actually.

IMPERFECT by ANONYMOUS

It was hard to blame Annie, really. She was sweet, and naive, and ever since the incident, completely and utterly insane. She’d been released from the mental facility a few weeks earlier, and Jeff had allowed her to stay on his couch knowing she had nowhere else to go… but it was hard, and it was getting harder.

(THERE’S NO) ANTIDOTE by PEPPERF

Taste. That’s what clued him in. The sour aftertaste to his scotch.

EXPERIENCE by AVARITIA-90

“Looks like the princess woke up, and I didn’t even have to kiss her.” The mirror version moves forward, fingers dancing across her bonded ankles and up her legs to her knee. Annie’s skin jumps in response, breaking out into goosebumps. The touch isn’t cold, but it’s an odd sensation never the less, to be so intimately touch by her own hands that she isn’t controlling. The very idea leaves her spinning.

WHERE WILD HORSES RUN by ZELDALOOKSLONELY

In which Annie and Britta are roommates, and Jeff prefers to play games he knows he can lose.

WHEN YOU CAN’T CRAWL by SINECURE

Annie’s out of the mental institution in the Darkest Timeline. Life isn’t easy for any of them to adjust back into.

DARKEST TIMELINE FIC COLLECTION by PEPPERF

These were written for the J/A Appreciation Week 2016, but they also fit in with my other Darkest Timeline fics.

INTRO TO KNOTS: POST-CLASS DEBRIEF by ONEOFTHEMUSES

That’s how you dig yourself into a whole. THIS is how you dig yourself out.

LESSONS IN PERMEABLE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN UNIVERSES by ONEOFTHEMUSES

Based on the prompt by imbettygrable: 1. Annie runs into Starburns’ lawyer….who happens to be evil!Jeff.

PROSTHETICS AND WINDOWS by OFFICE_BLUTH

He visits her every Friday afternoon.

RETURN TO THE DARKEST TIMELINE by WOLFY_WRITING

Jeff had thought several times about how he’d feel waking up next to naked Annie. He’d never thought he’d scream in terror.

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK — some darkest timeline fics feature dark themes such as drug abuse, dub-con, suicidal thoughts, etc. — USE YOUR OWN JUDGEMENT

[thrashermaxey]

20 Fantasy Hockey Thoughts

Every Sunday, we'll share 20 Fantasy Thoughts from our writers at DobberHockey. These thoughts are curated from the past week's ‘Daily Ramblings’.

Writers: Michael Clifford, Ian Gooding, Cam Robinson, and Dobber

  1. Where have all the Shayne Gostisbehere points gone? After going pointless in his last five games, he's on pace for just 31 this year. The 25-year-old led all blueliners in power-play points a season ago with 33. This year, he has eight through 45 contests. Ghost has just one power-play point (an assist on January 3) in the last 25 games. This, despite averaging over three minutes of power-play ice each night.

It boggles the mind. At this point, any hopes of a second-half turnaround are likely built on just hope. He’s proven to be an elite producer in two of his four season-long career. Here’s hoping he wakes up soon. (jan9)

  2. Marc-Andre Fleury has been the low-key fantasy pick of the year. The 33-year-old is running away with the wins and shutouts lead and he does it all with a smile on his face. He's an easy guy to root for. (jan9)

Flower leads all goalies with 41 games played (all starts), which would put him on pace for 70 this season. With Vegas likely making the playoffs again, wouldn’t it be wise to rest Fleury more during the second half? Malcolm Subban has played in just eight games this season.

The driving force for goalies managing starts is the team’s starter being fresh for a long playoff run. The last starting goalie to win a Stanley Cup and play over 60 games in the regular season was in fact Fleury, when he led the Penguins to a Stanley Cup in 2008-09 – a full decade ago. So, it’s worth it for teams with Stanley Cup aspirations to manage their starter’s minutes.

Just as we’ve adjusted (lowered) our GAA and SV% expectations for the increase in scoring, we might need to do the same for games played among goalies. In other words, 60 is the new 70. But it could even get to the point where 55 is the new 60. If goaltending starts are spread out more evenly among the starter and backup, then that could decrease the draft-day value of goalies relative to skaters. In other words, no more drafting Martin Brodeur in the first round because he’s a virtual lock for 70 games and 40 wins. (jan12)

  3. Mat Barzal has 19 points in his last 15 games, leaving him just shy of a point-per-game pace on the season. Even with the Islanders’ focus on defense this year, Barzal is shining. He’s already one of the outstanding young stars in the game. It won’t be long until he’s mentioned in the same breath as all the stars in the game, period. (jan11)

  4. Conor Garland has posted 10 points in his last 10 games. Because he’s not on a deep team like Nashville, Conor Garland he has a shot at expediting his production curve. His AHL curve was a slow one, not really showing signs of ‘pop’ until this season, but he’s translating his sudden AHL numbers into decent NHL production.

Garland is no longer the tiny guy that he was as a teenager, as he’s now up to 5-10, so maybe that is contributing to the faster timeline. He’ll always be a little guy in my heart, though. Anyway, Garland is seeing power play time and is playing on a line with Alex Galchenyuk. (jan7)

  5. What a weekend on the west coast for Jake Guentzel. After posting a hat trick on Friday, Guentzel scored another two goals on Saturday, giving him five over back-to-back games. As I mentioned yesterday, Guentzel’s playoff success is now translating to the regular season. His value might take a bit of a hit when Patric Hornqvist returns from his latest concussion but Guentzel looks like he’ll be just fine. (jan13)

  6. Almost no one will confuse Marcus Pettersson with the rookie with the same last name in Vancouver, but at least he’s receiving second-unit power-play time in Pittsburgh (good for something?), while providing the Pens with much-needed help on the defense.

Packaged with vet Tanner Pearson, the young blueliner was the lesser-known player (at least to fantasy owners) in the Penguins’ trade a few weeks ago that sent Daniel Sprong to Anaheim. He has six points in seven games with a plus-8 over that span. (jan12)

  7. Micheal Ferland had a cold November and December (six points in 19 games) after a hot October (11 points in 12 games), but he is starting to heat up again in January (six points in six games). He’s back on the Sebastian Aho–Teuvo Teravainen line, so now would be a great time to add him if someone has dropped him in your league. (jan12)

  8. Rick Nash announced his retirement from the NHL after 15 seasons due to concussion symptoms. Nash was a must-own in all fantasy leagues for a good decade, reaching the 30-goal mark eight times and the 40-goal mark three times. Over his career from 2002-03 until last season, only Alex Ovechkin, Jarome Iginla, and Patrick Marleau had scored more goals than Nash (437). As well, only Ovechkin has taken more shots than Nash (3,624) over that span.

  9. It’s unfortunate that Nash’s name has been added to the growing list of players whose careers have been cut short due to concussion symptoms. There is a lot more awareness of the long-term health effects of concussions than there were when Nash started his career, but I believe that the NHL still has a long way to go in how headshots are addressed. Hopefully this isn’t something that takes a major toll on Nash’s quality of life. (jan12)

  10. Alexandar Georgiev and Henrik Lundqvist have basically been splitting starts (with Lundqvist being pulled twice during that span). I’m not high on Rangers’ goaltending as a whole but Georgiev could be worth a flier if you need goaltending help. Lundqvist, meanwhile, has struggled mightily since the New Year, with a 6.43 GAA and .786 SV% over those three starts. The veteran goalie should be firmly parked on your bench right now. (jan13)

Don’t forget to purchase and immediately download your copy of the 2019 DobberHockey Fantasy Midseason Fantasy Guide while it’s still hot off the presses! Rest of season projections, tips, call-ups, and a whole bunch more to get you through the stretch run of your fantasy campaign. Check out the Dobber Shop today.

11. Just as a small aside, I find it kind of odd we (fans, writers, media) often talk about Toronto’s impending cap crunch, but not Tampa Bay’s. This is a team with over $73-million in commitments for 2019-20, leaving them with less than $10-million in cap space with Brayden Point to sign. They will also have three regular defensemen coming off the books in need of replacing (a couple will come internally, I’m sure), and new contracts needed for Cedric Paquette and Adam Erne.

Someone needs to go but there are very few players on that team with significant money committed and no form of movement protection, be it full or partial NTC or NMC. It’s basically J.T. Miller, Yanni Gourde, and Nikita Kucherov. Considering Gourde’s new contract hasn’t even started and there’s no way they’d trade Kucherov, it seems Miller is the most likely bet to be traded. But will there be suitors, and will the team have to sweeten the deal? We’ll see. (jan11)

  12. The question, then, is if everything breaks right for Ondrej Kase, what is his upside?

We’re kind of seeing that already this year with 20 points in 27 games — just four power-play points. I wouldn’t expect Kase to spend much time on the top power play unit, especially with Rickard Rakell back in the lineup, and definitely when Corey Perry eventually returns.

As for his upside, under the assumption he’s not seeing prime PP minutes anytime soon, I would look to Jason Zucker’s 2017-18 season. The latter finished the campaign with 33 goals and 31 assists, with just 16 of those points coming on the PP. He was playing a little bit more per game than Kase is right now by about a minute, but I think it’s an apt comparison.

A very talented scoring winger (though Kase is good defensively, as well) that can land a lot of shots on goal, leading to 25, 30 goals or more. (jan10)

  13. Captain Sidney Crosby has been on quite the roll of late. He has 23 points in his last 15 games and is on pace for his best season since the concussion-shortened 2012-13 campaign, where he recorded 56 points in 36 games. 31-year-old Sid is feeling it. (jan9)

  14. Nikita Kucherov is up to 75 points in 45 games. I don't even know where to begin.

We haven't seen a player click along at this pace since Jaromir Jagr posted 70 in 38 outings back in 1999-00. If the talented Russian maintains his pace, he'll finish the season with 137 points. We haven't had a player break 130 since the mid-90s when Mario Lemieux and Jagr were running roughshod.     

Kuch is right there with Connor McDavid as the best fantasy asset in the world. (jan9)

  15. I’m still bullish on Robby Fabbri’s future; we’ve seen him be very good in long stretches before. But it seems like the plug can be pulled on his 2018-19 fantasy relevance. Maybe he needs a full year to really get his legs back under him after all the injuries. (jan8)

  16. Hello, Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter. Nice to see you again. The two goals that Kopitar scored on Saturday represented his first multi-point game in over a month. However, Kopitar has been remarkably consistent recently, scoring nine points over his past 10 games. He shouldn’t have been expected to repeat his 90-plus points from last season, but you should be able to acquire him for a fraction of his usual cost.

Carter, meanwhile, scored a goal and added two assists, but you probably can’t be blamed for missing out. Carter entered this game with just six points in his last 19 games. Carter’s season shooting percentage of 8.1 percent is well down from his 12 percent career average, so he could also be due for a market correction in the second half. (jan13)

  17. Patrick Kane is on pace for over 100 points. That’s an incredible individual season. (jan8)

  18. Erik Gustafsson now has 22 points in his last 23 games. I still have some fears that he could eventually lose his plum PP spot to one of the incredible kids who are on the way, though (i.e. Henrik Jokiharju, but there are a couple of others such as Adam Boqvist, Ian Mitchell, Chad Krys). (jan7)

  19. Rocco Grimaldi is not in the NHL for good, no way I would put a single cent on that…but I like the small, skilled guys and I always preach that they take longer than regular players. He’s still not playing with anyone decent and he’s still getting zero for PP time. But for the first time in three years, he has caught my attention. (jan7)

  20. Senators’ highly-touted prospect goaltender Filip Gustavsson is trying to get things figured out at the AHL level, and with Marcus Hogberg up in the NHL, he’s getting in plenty of game action. I still believe in Gustavsson but the wait is going to be a couple of years longer than I had originally thought. (jan7)

  Have a good week, folks!!

  from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/20-fantasy-hockey-thoughts/20-fantasy-hockey-thoughts-58/

[reallifemag]

The Constant Consumer

Image: New Necessities by David Delruelle. Courtesy the artist.

Every day, the imperative to perceive oneself as a customer grows across a range of experiences and institutions: in the shopping centers and business improvement districts that have replaced public squares and parks; in the schools and hospitals, where offerings are tailored not to general social welfare but to individual consumer choice and what each can afford; and in the gym, where exercise, nutrition, and other forms of wellness have been redefined as personal lifestyle choices.

If the customer is always right, then you’re never wrong when you’re consuming. No contemporary company has offered that Faustian bargain more broadly and aggressively than Amazon. In a previous era, being at home meant you probably weren’t shopping. The mall was, as Ian Bogost noted in an essay for the Atlantic, where “consumerism roared and swelled but, inevitably, remained contained.” Freeing consumerism from that containment was one of the internet’s earliest applications, streamlining the process of shopping at home, and later, on phones.

Recent technologies have enabled the role of customer to be fused with the newer role of user, who inhabits an entire system rather than a specific transaction. Exploring that transition, writer Kevin Slavin describes how the experience of app-based food delivery narrows one’s perspective: “For users, this is what it means to be at the center: to be unaware of anything outside it.” Those apps’ minimal interfaces, requiring little more than the push of a button to order food, conceal the labor and logistical sophistication that make it possible. Users don’t need to understand the messy complexity that supports their simplified solipsism. In Slavin’s example, that insight wouldn’t help them order more food, so the user experience excludes it.

Amazon similarly merges the customer and the user within its own optimized environments, letting these subjects exist at the center of an ever-expanding system. Imagine an avid Amazon customer’s typical day living with a near future iteration of the platform: He wakes up and speaks his first words of the morning to his Amazon Echo in the kitchen, asking Alexa to order toothpaste after noticing he was running low. Upon checking his email, he gives Alexa a few more instructions, adding social engagements and reminders to his calendar, checking the weather, and finally opening the garage door once he’s ready to leave for work. At the office throughout the day, idle shopping fills his distracted moments. He browses books, clothing, and even furniture, placing orders within seconds, many of which automatically appear in his shopping cart based on patterns from his activity history (he even knows that some of what he buys will be waiting at home tonight). During the evening commute another Alexa-enabled device in his car prompts him to send his sister a birthday card, an action he asks Alexa to do for him. He stops by Whole Foods to pick up groceries — as an Amazon Prime member, it’s always the most cost-effective option in his neighborhood. He arrives home to find a variety of Amazon packages stacked neatly on the living room coffee table, delivered throughout the day by part-time contractors who let themselves into the house via the smart lock on the front door. The soundtrack to his entire day is provided by Amazon Music, in which his Prime membership has automatically enrolled him for a small monthly fee. Few parts of this hypothetical day, which is already within the realm of possibility, remain untouched by Amazon’s user experience.

Amazon, as much as any single company, is transforming the environments in which we live and embedding itself within the fabric of daily existence. Beyond individual experience, those changes also manifest themselves in the physical environment. Many physical retail stores have been rendered obsolete as Amazon and other online retailers started undercutting them on price and offering a wider selection. (Bookstores experienced this first but it eventually spread to almost every form of retail.) Sidewalks and building lobbies have become staging areas for packages, with delivery vehicles exacerbating traffic and obstructing bike lanes as piles of brown Amazon boxes increasingly take up space. As Amazon and food delivery apps eliminate some of the most common reasons to leave one’s house one wonders what sort of neighborhood life will be sustainable in affluent urban areas.

In light of Amazon’s all-encompassing ambitions, the strategy behind several of the company’s most important product initiatives — Alexa, Amazon Prime, physical retail stores (including Amazon Go and Whole Foods), and Amazon Key — becomes clearer. These products seek to redefine what being a customer means by immersing us more completely within the Amazon universe. Formerly, being a customer was a role one assumed upon physically entering a store or ordering something from a company. Amazon promises to create a newer type of environment, a hybrid of the digital and the physical, that lets us permanently inhabit that role: the world as Everything Store, which we’re always inside.

Amazon represents its efforts to erase the remaining bulwarks against consumerism as its “customer obsession.” Throughout Amazon’s existence, the company has claimed that traditional corporate priorities, from high-profile retail partnerships to short-term profitability to the company’s stock price, have always ranked below customer satisfaction. Early in the company’s history, CEO Jeff Bezos sometimes insisted on keeping one seat open at the conference room table during meetings “for the customer,” and he still scans customer feedback himself, escalating problems to relevant departments with emails that consist of a single question mark.

Bezos’s letter to Amazon’s shareholders on April 18, 2018, praised the company’s customers for being “divinely discontent,” unfailingly raising their expectations beyond whatever standard a company sets for them. In the letter, Bezos likens this force to nothing less than evolution — “We didn’t ascend from our hunter-gatherer days by being satisfied” — and goes on to describe the “customer empowerment phenomenon” that informs Amazon’s approach: Consumers’ access to product reviews, price comparisons, and shipping timelines has created a space where they and not retailers call the shots. To succeed in this landscape, Bezos suggests, companies must respond to their customers’ ever-increasing power by treating them like the linchpins that they are; whoever does this best will rightfully dominate its market.

Amazon’s obsession with customers appears to have endeared them, again and again, to a public that should know better: Earlier this year, Amazon announced that Prime memberships had surpassed 100 million globally, with more new members joining in 2017 than in any previous year. The company’s second-quarter sales in 2018 grew 39 percent versus the previous year. Many have started welcoming Amazon’s physical presence into their homes, with Alexa-enabled devices ranking among the company’s best-selling items. “Customer obsession” is a happier narrative for this dominance than one of aggressive market capture, anti-competitive tactics, and ruthless labor exploitation. Like “support the troops,” or “what about the children,” caring about the customer seems like an impregnable position to take. It’s a more specific iteration of Google’s “Don’t Be Evil”: How could a consumer-focused company be evil, when we are all consumers? What could be wrong with the company being focused on our needs?

But that is the fundamental problem: Amazon’s constant praise of the customer implies we are all already customers and nothing more — that we should understand “consumer” as our core identity. The company’s endless praise for the consumer role is part of its intent to disarm us, to invite us to enter its universe of deals and recommendations and to internalize the status of permanent customer — and specifically, Amazon’s customer. Overall, Amazon’s most important product is how it creates and refines a world in which the Everything Store converges with just plain everything and, being ubiquitous, becomes invisible.

We dream of being creators, friends, neighbors, or citizens, but rarely of being customers. The customer role used to be temporary and specific — buying something from a seller — and not an aspirational identity. What happened?

In the 19th century, industrialization and mass production yielded an unprecedented flood of goods. Commerce was suddenly no longer constrained by supply but demand. Stimulating consumption became crucial; making customer a primary and perpetual identity was a key solution. To achieve this, retailers worked to make feelings of agency and significance available to people, but only on condition of being a customer. This approach is articulated by a slogan often attributed to department store magnate Henry Gordon Selfridge in 1909: “The customer is always right.”

Part of being “right” was being offered choices to be right about. Whereas Henry Ford once famously joked that customers could buy a car in any color they wanted, as long as it was black, such narrow standardization proved a less viable course as mass markets became saturated. Rather then sell products on their basic utility, advertising began to orient itself toward identity, selling the idea that individuals could reveal their unique selves through purchases. Edward Bernays, a nephew of Sigmund Freud, pioneered this approach in the 1920s, purporting to link goods to individuals’ inner desires. By the logic of identity-driven advertising, wanting more things corresponded to greater personal depth. Being a customer gave one access to not only a cornucopia of goods but also the rich recesses of one’s psyche.

These processes have only become more sophisticated over the decades. At the individual level, unrestrained identification with the customer role has foreclosed other identities we might imagine for ourselves, such as political activism, resource stewardship, and community participation. David Harvey, in A Brief History of Neoliberalism (2005), diagnoses a late 20th century shift toward “a market-based populist culture of differentiated consumerism and individual libertarianism.” In this culture, at the structural level, businesses must cater to the customer identity to survive. In lieu of tolerating moderate inconvenience, higher prices, and some potentially awkward human interactions in order to support local businesses, the logic of efficient and limitless customer service offers fast food chains and big-box stores, which offer cheaper goods and routinized retail interactions. These, in turn, are now in the process of being supplanted by Amazon.

Consumerist approaches aren’t the best solutions to many problems, but at present they’re often the easiest to imagine and most realistic to implement, if only because they have the support of the corporate powers that benefit from them. The transition toward consumerism across so many domains exemplifies a phenomenon that writer Sarah Perry calls a tiling structure, a system that “tiles the world with copies of itself.” Tiling structures flourish because they solve certain problems well enough that they become more or less mandatory, and block alternate solutions. Perry cites billboards, strip malls, and big-box retail stores as particularly visible examples of tiling structures. By minimizing their costs relative to the revenue they generate while externalizing negative impacts such as poor pedestrian access and unpleasant aesthetics, they spread throughout suburbia in the 20th century, entrenching sprawl as the default format of American retail. Even identity-oriented marketing itself is a tiling structure: It has worked well enough for those with something to sell that it has gradually pervaded the commercial landscape, leaving its detrimental social and personal effects for someone else to fix.

Tiling structures have introduced customer-service logic to cultural spaces that were once sheltered from markets. Communities based on common interests, shared identity, or physical proximity, from neighborhoods to political groups to religious institutions, must now respond to their constituents’ increased mobility and access to information by treating them like the empowered customers that Bezos described to his shareholders — customers who will leave if they find something better elsewhere. Individualized, personal-identity-based appeals replace collective orientations. As a tiling structure, this shift occurs because it works for the group implementing it, not because it’s best for everyone.

The best example of this transition may be the neighborhood itself. Living in a city, for many, resembles a pure customer experience, in which buying or renting an apartment or home determines one’s relationship with a place more than membership in any kind of community. Residents commonly don’t know their neighbors and oppose local developments that serve a greater good at their own expense. Real estate agents even appeal to individual identity to brand various locations and increase their appeal. Higher education, similarly, has recategorized students as customers, emphasizing efficiency and consumer choice over education’s role as a socially useful endeavor to participate in.

Our lives are increasingly oriented toward a global system of consumerism mediated by massive, scale-seeking platforms rather than smaller, more localized groupings. Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone, published in 2000, documented declining participation in labor unions, fraternal organizations, and religious groups, partially attributing that decline to socially atomizing technologies like television and the internet (which was relatively young at the time) — both key facilitators of consumer culture. Many of the fading forms of social engagement Putnam describes have their own shortcomings, like restrictiveness and discrimination, but their benefits are undeniable, ranging from personal happiness to civic involvement.

As globalized platform consumerism erases more of what preceded it, replacing intricate social arrangements with individual links to large impersonal systems, it’s harder to remember what we’ve lost. Less and less equipped to imagine ourselves as anything but customers or users within those systems, we adopt the desires that companies like Amazon can best satisfy: convenience, choice, and frictionless consumption. These developments may be replacing another consumer system that wasn’t necessarily worth preserving itself, but beyond those visible changes, we face a new risk: becoming users offline, in the physical world. The more Amazon can control our experience of that environment, the less we’ll care what’s outside the system it creates.

Amazon’s true objective, it seems, is a full infiltration of the world rather than ongoing refinement of a walled garden confined to the internet. Instead of scaring its customers with its totalizing ambition, the company has successfully marketed this arrangement as  desirable. To permanent customers, further gains in convenience, choice, price, and delivery speed are pure benefits. If life is meant to be a series of consumer experiences, they might as well happen as seamlessly as possible.

Years ago, Amazon’s “1-click” purchasing option seemed to remove all remaining friction from online shopping, but there was still a long way to go. The company’s more recent initiatives respond to deeper psychological friction that might prevent us from purchasing a product using Amazon’s platform. In a reprise of what happened a century ago, manufacturing and distribution have again progressed to a point where the customer is the greatest constraint on commerce. A single-click purchase still requires opening Amazon’s website or app, but people spend plenty of time away from their device screens. The Amazon Echo and other Alexa-enabled devices, placed throughout our homes like furniture, connect more directly to our supposedly subconscious impulses by letting us simply speak our desires and translating those words into Amazon orders. We might change our minds by the time we get around to opening an app, after all.

Amazon Prime complements this arrangement, letting us become formal members of the Amazon ecosystem and feel like we’re always already inside the Everything Store. The company’s physical retail stores — Amazon Go, Amazon Books, and now Whole Foods — extend that territory to the urban space that Amazon had previously bypassed. And home technologies like Amazon Key reopen the home at the conclusion of the order, inviting the company’s delivery workers to let themselves in and drop off our merchandise.

Writer Matthew Stewart, describing the urbanist vision revealed through Amazon’s patent filings, characterized its strategy as “a colonization of everyday experience; a concerted effort to control an all encompassing infrastructure of home, office and retail automation, one in which the city becomes a giant fulfillment center, and humans mere inventory pickers.” More than removing friction from its user experience, Amazon wants to be our environment.

In realizing such a totalizing vision, Amazon faces an obstacle: If being a customer feels so great, as the past century has trained us, what happens when the consumer experience encompasses us so completely that we forget we’re customers at all? The minor friction of 1-click ordering pleasantly reminds us how easy it is to be one of Amazon’s empowered customers, the object of the company’s obsession. Will we remember that feeling if “smart” devices can effectively read our minds and our desires subtly manifest themselves in our homes?

This quandary returns us to the definition of user. A user isn’t just an evolved customer but a qualitative transformation of that role: one who occupies a system and creates value for the system’s owner by merely being there, just as Google and Facebook’s users generate valuable data by partaking of their services. Those platforms, for all their seeming omnipresence, haven’t figured out how to expand beyond their digital containers. This is Amazon’s ambitious vision: The world is its platform, and instead of being customers, we will just become users whether we are looking at screens or not.