#when was the last time we ever even heard Susan's name in the main series or even have this level of importance to the plot this is amazing

[furashuban]

HOW ARE WE FEELIN TONIGHT CLASSIC WHO ENJOYERS???

[heartfeltheart]

Alchemy: Tiny Steps

Chapters: 14/45 Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist/Harry Potter Rating: T Relationships: Edward/Winry, Lan Fan/Ling, and May/Alphonse. Primary Characters: Edward Elric, Severus Snape Additional Tags: Crossover, Teacher!Edward, BrOtp Edward/Severus. Sassy beyond measure. Pro!Snape Series: Part 2 of 9. Summary: Part two of the Alchemy Series.  Politics. Either you love it, hate it or you live it. For Alchemy Teacher Edward Elric, he lives it, hates it and loves it when he gets the upper hand. Here is to another year of hell… D/C: I do not own Harry Potter or Fullmetal Alchemist. Discord: La Red(Mesh Mash of… stuff.): https://discord.gg/KYjmVAb Alchemy Series: https://discord.gg/DejEYNJ

Clang.

Clank.

Clunk!

"Too slow."

"Not enough strength."

"To much power."

"Almost there."

Susan Bones panted heavily as she faced off against the indomitable Major General Olivier Armstrong, sword in hand. Five minutes haven't even passed, she already is out of breath and any moment the young girl looks like she is about to keel over. This is the most fun she had in the longest time. None of her previous teachers had ever gone against her in such manner and gave her helpful criticism.

Here's to hoping Susan can still feel her arms by the end of the practice.

Sitting in the corner of the training room is Susan's aunt and guardian, Madam Amelia Bones. She quietly poured herself a cup of tea, non-magically. Something about not wanting to dilute her tea with magic. She also poured another cup of hot tea for Major Miles, whom is sitting on the other side of the small table that sat in between them. They were invited to watch the practice and it amuses them both for different reasons. Bones for reminiscing on how much Susan reminds her so much of her late brother, even down to her footwork. For Miles, the only time the Major General had ever been around children is her own and that's all. It's a refreshing sight.

With one last, clank, Armstrong easily pushed young Susan down to the ground before she put away her sword. She looked down at the young girl with a stern expression, Susan looked heavily bruised, breathing harshly and one of the biggest smiles she'd seen. "Again!"

-.-

"So much…fear. So much… chaos." Edward chanted out into the empty room, his eyes blank and body nearly lifeless. Sitting at the other side of the room is Roy, who is just as traumatized, mumbling to himself quietly. It's only been three days since the last meeting with the Ministry Officials, and many of them are still healing from their wounds. It was agreed that all meetings will be postponed until the last week of August or until the official nomination of Minister is announced.

"I am rethinking if my plans of leading Amestris." Roy stated in a blank voice, he twisted his head just enough to looked over at Edward.

Edward snorted, his previous trance all gone. He now causally sat in the chair and faced Roy with a placid expression. "Now, now. Don't quit while you are already ahead, Mustang. The Major General took care of majority of the work. We just have to finish it…"

"Here's to hoping she doesn't kill us before we can finish whatever we are doing in the first place." Roy deadpanned.

Edward paused for a moment and promptly shivered out of fright. Oh yes… everything will be for not if he gets killed. "At least she took out our main opponent and caused this place to rethink their opinion about us."

"Ah… yes… Opinion." A new voice chimed in tiredly.

Edward and Roy turned to see Alphonse walking into the room looking completely worn out. He had dark circles around his eyes, hair disheveled and looking like he is about to fall over at any moment. In Alphonse's hands is a clipboard that is overflowing with papers, letters and other random items. "Everyone that Major General Armstrong confronted against in the meeting are at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Fudge just experienced a third mental breakdown, Umbridge is dealing with a broken skull, fractured femur and a couple of torn up ribs, and everyone else have similar outcomes as them."

"What about that reporter?"

"Er…" Alphonse looked through the documents and pulled out a rather thick envelope. "Both wrist broken and dealing with hair loss. Ms. Skeeter is planning on taking us on in court."

"…Can she do that?" Roy asked with an eyebrow raised.

"We'll… unfortunately for her, Madam Bones allowed what occurred in that room to slide under the table due to an old law. Plus, Skeeter wasn't even allowed in the meeting that day and was only permitted under Fudge's watch. She was his responsibility." Alphonse read the letter tiredly. "Bad news, she might continue to slander our names."

"Does she really want to risk the anger of the Ice Queen herself?" Edward deadpanned.

"Well… when she was saying all of this, apparently she was still under the weather. It's up to interpretation at this point."

"...I wonder what's Winry is doing right now?"

-.-

'Think of the honeymoon. Think of the honeymoon.' Winry thought repeatedly in her mind as she fought of another shiver. Half a year at Briggs and that dream vacation is hers…Hers and Edwards. Yeah…theirs…

-.-

Severus peeked his head through the doorway he knew Edward is currently located at. He is carrying a bottle of finely ages firewhiskey and a couple of glasses. Hopefully he'll manage to pry some information from him and break him from his trance. By the looks of it, Edward had snapped out of his comatose like state. Edward sat in a front of the fireplace with his rough draft of his book. "Edward?"

"Hm?" Edward hummed out, his attention still on his book. "Vat?"

"Care of a drink?"

"It petter pe fireviskey." Edward stated, his accent back in full blast. His eyes narrowed on the bottle Severus is waving around in front of himself. "Kood. I'm in need of it."

Severus snorted, he handed Edward a glass before he sat down in a chair next to the Golden Blonde. "That bad?"

"I haffe zeen many zings in mein life. Zeeing zee Ice Gueen in aczion once more, prings pack mein nightmares." Edward flinched at the first memory of meeting the eldest child of the Armstrong Family. He extended his arm out with the glass in hand for Severus to sever him his drink. "I vould face off mein demons any day zan to effer face her head on."

"What did she do?"

"Sche uzed her svord... zen uzed ein ben... after preaking zee ben... sche schtarded kicking... Oh truth..." Edward gulped down his drink in one gulp, he shook his head at feeling the drink prickle his throat as it went down. "Zen... it vas offer. Zey vere all fordunate sche did not kill any of zem."

"You make it sound like you expected death?"

"Ja." Edward answered with a snort. "Hoveffer... from vat I haffe peen told, killing vould rezort to haffing zomeone takeoffer her Briggs Bears."

Edward extended his arm out again, signaling for Severus to refill his glass. Severus rolled his eyes as he filled the Alchemy Teacher's glass once more. At least he got some information on what occurred in that meeting room. Major General Armstrong was insulted, she took personal action and the end result are many taken to get medical attention. Nothing new. Nothing old. "I am surprised none of you were ordered to leave the country or have your minds obliterated."

"...Madam Bones found ein old law..."

"…Of course, she did."

-.-

"Are we going to allow them stay here?"

"I don't know. They should be kicked out! Their minds completely gone."

"Now, now. Let's be rational here. We have to look at it at both sides here. The woman was insulted and acted as such. Perhaps this is normal for them in their country."

"Ugh… that's rather savage."

"From what I've heard, that Armstrong woman wanted to duel them but they declined. Apparently, there's an old rule about this somewhere. By law, none of them did anything wrong."

"…Thinking about it… I think I've read about that law. It had to do when previously no one could come up with an agreement and well… there was a reason bodyguard were allowed now to be in certain meetings."

"What good did for Fudge and everyone else in his entourage."

"…I still say they all should stay. When are we ever going to get someone to teach Alchemy to our children? My son was one of the few that visited Amestris, what he saw over there… Alchemy surpasses Magic in many ways. Did you know Alchemy is highly known over there?"

"What?"

"How!?"

"Public knowledge?"

"Yes. Same goes for Xing. From what he told me, both Alchemy and Magic are similar yet vastly different."

"How are they different?"

"Dunno. All he talks about now is how much he needs to study to continue taking the class."

[chickennoodlesoupfortae]

Backstage Love p3

A/n- Welcome to part three when it all goes down. This took me forever and I won’t be updating this series for at least the next week. Mentions of Jungkook. Who doesn’t love a love triangle? I hope you enjoy and someone please request something! Enjoy, like, and comment.

Summary- What have the past two weeks been like? Where to start, falling for someone you shouldn’t, working a job you shouldn’t have, and being away from your family well that’s a recipe for disaster. Just when you think your heart has had enough another man walks into the scene.

Word count- 2.1k

Warnings- Fluff and what that entails 

p1 p2 

The roar of the crowd consumed the understage you were hidden behind. 

“We can’t be doing this tae.” you sighed into his ear as his kisses found a home in your neck 

“We can though.” he looked into your eyes and began to kiss you again 

“(y/n) can you please come to grab us some coffee for the manager's suite. Thank you doll” your pager snapped you back to reality 

“Fuck not again,” you mutter to yourself as you push away the fantasy that had previously consumed your thoughts. You walk out of the break room and into the pantry. Grabbing a few travel cups you began to brew the coffee and turning on the kettle.

“Let me hold you (Y/N)” his soft voice whispered a beg into your ears

“I want you to hold me in your arms and call you mine” you replied as your mouth found his. Your hands travelled down his back pulling him into an embrace. The sound of the crowd overpowered the sweet nothings you both confessed in the moment. A beeping sound broke the silent atmosphere in a loud setting you both had created.

“What is that Tae?” you asked him looking away  

“Nothing baby let me kiss you more.” 

“But that sound what is it?”

“Shit there we go again,” you exclaimed pulled out of your daydream by the coffee machine. Your badge dangled from your neck as you poured out the black liquid into five cups adding milk and sugar to two and keeping the other three black. You grabbed an extra cup and filled it with the water you had put to boil and grabbed a tea bag. You walked out of the pantry with a cup holder and six cups of hot liquid. 

You had learned how to navigate most stadiums after working at three of them in the past two weeks. It was the day before the concert and the hall was empty except for staff and the performers. The white concrete walls outlined the entire stadium causing the halls to look creepy and slightly scary. It was ten pm and most of the lights were off. The air was humid and icky due to the hot temperature of the location. It was hard to keep a good outlook on your situation because it wasn’t like you choose or applied for it. You just had to do it. Missing the people in your life was the hardest part. You could rarely call home for two reasons. One, the workday was incredibly long. Two, every time you called your mother yelled at you or your friends ranted about how jealous they were or how they missed you. Making calls home an overall stressful experience. 

On the first night alone you had barely slept at all. You had gotten out of the hotel bed and walked around the halls. You tried your hardest not to think of that night because it was one where you wanted to go home so badly. Thinking about it made you want to sleep in your bed and hang out with your friends and… it was too much to think about. Once again you were lost in your head and unaware of your surroundings. 

“Why does this always happen.” you groaned looking at the darkened hallway. You kept on walking forward in hopes of finding a sign which could give you a clue to where you were. You began to get scared it was such a dark venue and there were so many hidden halls and you were all alone. Your paranoia was getting the best of you. That’s when you saw a tall shadow come up behind you. You tried not to scream and snuck a peek behind you seeing no one.

“Boo.” a familiar voice said

“Aghhhh,” you screamed almost dropping the burning liquid. “Taehyung you almost made me spill-” you started 

“How many times do I have to tell you to call me tae?” he asked you with his boxy smile.

“Sorry.” you looked down. “Do you know how I can get to the manager's office from here?” you asked him “Wait aren’t you supposed to be there now?” 

“Ugh, I forgot. Yes. Here let me help you with one of those trays.” he took the heavier one of your hands.

“Here this one is for you.” you pointed to the tea. 

“Oh, you remembered I don’t like coffee. I’m touched.” he did a dramatic fake cry

You looked down feeling yourself blush. 

“Just around the corner.” he walked in front of you. “And the managing suite.” he exclaimed opening the door for you.

That’s when you went into super assistant mode.

“I have two regular coffees for Ken and Janise.” you grabbed the coffees and handed them away. “I also have three black coffees for Megan, Susan, and you Ma’am.” you weren’t quite sure where the nickname had come from but your boss insisted on only going by ma’am. You grabbed the three other coffees off of Tae’s tray handing them away to their owner. “And last but not least one cup of green tea decaf with no sugar.” you took the cup out of the tray he was holding and then handed it to him taking the tray away. “That’s all would anyone like anything else.” you picked up the empty container you had placed on the table stacking the two of them together. The room remained quiet. “Well if you need anything please let me know.” You closed the door behind you. It had taken you a total of twenty-eight seconds to finish the distribution, a personal record. 

With that over you began to head back to the main area deciding to take your first break all day. The emptiness felt cosy now. Somehow, it was completely different than what you had felt only ten minutes prior. You felt yourself start to smile uncontrollably. “He opened the door for me.” you did a twirl in the empty hall. Then you realized what was happening and your twirl stopped midway. “No. This is- no.” you put on your best stern face and walked up the stairs leading out of the hall. 

This is how it had been for the past two weeks. Somehow you and him would find each other in the craziness of traveling and preforming and share moments together. It was only with him. You hadn’t spoken to any of the other members for more than three second let alone the make up artists. That made it more lonely since you knew no one and where the only person in your branch. But every time you shared moments with him it made it more bearable.  

‘What if I do feel like this. Why do I feel like this? Wow was that basic (y/n) falling for a boy band member. Eww, get a grip of yourself your not a thirteen-year-old girl.’ you scoffed out loud to your thoughts. You continued to the next staircase. ‘Even if I was- and that’s a big if -it’s not like it would ever work. So what I’m hearing is that we don’t like him. We don’t like’ you cringed at the thought of his name. You got onto the next flight of stairs. ‘He would never like me. Why would he ever like me? He did open that door and did you see that smile.’ your thoughts were going wild again. You got onto the next flight of stairs without thinking. ‘No he’s just being nice. He’s a nice guy.’ you felt a smile creep onto your face ‘he’s just so nice why is he so-’ you giggled. 

“Did I just giggle,” you asked yourself the realization snapping you out of thought. “Where am I? How do I get lost so easily? This must be a personal record.” you muttered. You walked through the enclosed space seeing no other stairs to take. You walked through the opening and were greeted by a big gust of wind. “Holy shit,” you screamed. You began walking down the stairs. “How did I get up so high?” you were in the nosebleeds of the stadium. The air was cold and the fall was huge. It’s not that you were scared of heights it’s just that it was almost eleven pm and you were all alone. “It’s like I’m asking to be killed.” you half-joked to yourself. 

“Yeah it’s not very safe to be here all alone,” someone responded

you screamed. Twice in one night you had been scared by an unknown person 

“Calm down. I’m not going to kill you.” a man's voice said in between laughs. 

You turned around to see Jungkook or how you referred to him as your seventh boss. “Oh I’m sorry to disturb you, sir, I thought I was alone.” you gave a fake laugh accompanied with an equally as fake smile.

“It’s no problem. I’m the bad one here. I heard a giggle and I followed the sound.” he scratched the back of his neck.

You were taken aback by his friendly tone. Similar to- no you didn’t even think that name. “Oh yeah that was me.” you laughed. “I just wanted to get a breath of fresh air and I think I wondered a little too far.” you turned your back to him and sat down at the front row. 

“Do you mind if I sit with you,” he asked walking down.

“Not at all.” you lied. This was your first conversation with another member in the two weeks you had been working with them. The whole situation gave you anxiety.

Both of you sat in silence. You looked below you onto the thousands of other seats. It made you dizzy thinking about how all of these would be filled. 

“So what do you do here?” he asked while looking at the badge you were wearing. “(y/n).” 

“I’m an intern/personal assistant to your assistant,” you replied 

“Oh, how come I haven’t seen you around then?” 

“I usually get the stuff for her and then she gives them to you or whoever needs them so I usually don’t come in contact with the recipients, in this case, you.” you didn’t look to your side but you felt him looking at you.

“That’s a shame,” he responded

‘Is he flirting?’ you wondered ‘No wait this isn’t a fantasy he’s just being nice.’  “Yeah I guess.” you looked over mustering the courage. His eyes were shiny and sweet, his hair was fluffy and slightly long. He was so gorgeous but for some reason, all you could think about was how much you wished Tae would look into your eyes for as long as you are now. 

“So how are you liking the touring life so far?” he broke eye contact and looked forward prompting you to do the same.

“It’s been nice kinda lonely though. How about you? If you don’t mind me asking.” 

“The same except it’s not so much as lonely but more isolated in the abundance of company.” you could sense the emotion in his words.

“I get that.” you both continued staring now in silence. You looked up at all the stars. The sky was surprisingly clear allowing for the view to be beautiful. “I bet all those stars feel the same.” you pointed up.

He didn’t look up “I’m sure they do.” 

The sound of your pager broke the haze you were both in. 

“Hi (y/n) come in. (y/n) come in.” you heard the static come again signalling for you to respond.

“Hi yes this is she,” you said pressing and then un-pressing the button.

“We need you on ground level with some papers I left in the office for the arrangement of some seats.” 

“On it boss,” you responded.

You stood up. “It was nice meeting you. Jungkook right?” you asked just realizing you never asked his name

“Yes. I hope I see you around some time (y/n)”  and with that you excuse yourself

You took the elevator down to the ground level with the papers in hand. 

The floor was surprisingly bustling with staff members this late in the night. You spotted your boss as she spotted you.

“Doll. Thank you so much. Please get me another round of coffee and then you can head to the hotel and rest.” she gave you a pleading smile.

“One round of coffee coming up.” you smiled 

With the coffee delivered and the papers given, you arrived at the hotels provided for staff in the outskirts of the town. You laid down in the crappy mattress with dust flying in and around you. You let out a big scream. 

“I don’t like him.” you didn’t even know who you were talking about anymore. 

[missblissy]

Title: Homeless at Home Fandom: Red Dead Redemption Genre: fanfiction, chapters, angst, reader insert, fluff, slow burn, friends-to-lovers, pre-game Characters: Young!Arthur Morgan, Dutch Van Der Linde, Hosea Mathews, Arthur Morgan/ Reader, Female reader, Arthur x Reader, Arthur Morgan x Reader, Arthur/ You, Young!reader Chapter: One || Two || Three || Four || Five || Six

Follow me on AO3!! Read it there too!

(( Here is chapter 6!! Enjoy the fluff and love while it lasts!! Nothing but pure angst is instore for the next few chapters!!))

Description:

He leaned down and picked up the dead rabbit and let out a high pitched whistle, “That’s the goal, ain’t it?” It was, but it felt wrong. Was this what it would feel like to kill? To take a life? What would it feel like to take a human life? Arthur’s spotted horse had trotted up to him and he tied the rabbit down to his saddle, “Come on,” He ushered you along.

But you stood there, looking at the pool of blood left behind, the way the light reflected off it and the dirt soaked it up, “Have you ever killed someone, Arthur?”

_________________________________________

“Arthur!”

“Yep?”

“Get those bags in that wagon for me, will ya?”

You looked up at Dutch as he pointed and barked order for Arthur to follow. Man, you’d hating being him. You had just got off the train, and made it to Dodge. According to the letter that Hosea sent back, he’d be about a mile out of town at a place called Fortunes Hollow. Which so happened to be a small shallow cave beside a lake. You were excited to finally call a new place home, and to meet this Hosea and Susan that Dutch talked so much about.

While Arthur was busy with the hard labor, Dutch looked down to you and smiled slightly, “We’ve got a few minutes to spare, why don’t we check out some stores, my little lady?”

You giggled and nodded your head, “Okay!” You rolled up the sleeves on your shirt and wiggled your hands at your belt, it was still a little odd to be in boy clothes all the time. But you far more enjoyed it than being in a dress, especially in the hot dusty town in the middle of a desert.

Dutch offered you his hand and you kindly took it, following him off the station steps and into the quiet cattle ranch town. The place smelled old and musty, and the waves of dust that the wind blew up didn’t help.

The town wasn’t much to look at, it had two main roads, then a bunch of cattle barns scattered around. While walking down the main drag, you saw a little shop window that read ‘Book Store.’ You tugged quickly on Dutch’s hand with joy bubbling up, “Look!” There was something you learned about Dutch over these last few weeks, you both shared a deep love of reading, “We can buy some books if we want!”

He seemed just as impressed. Not to often did you see a store that just sold books. He rubbed his chin then pulled at the corner of his mustache, “Want to take a look inside?” There had to be something good in there.

“Yes! Please!”

Dutch laughed at your giddiness and took you inside. The doorbell jingled and you’re eyes adjusted to the darkness within. It smelled so much nicer in there. The old smell of books greeted your nose and you took in a deep breath. Wow…

The shop wasn’t too big and it was cute enough to convince you that you just had to stay here a moment longer. While you went on over to the walls filled with books, eyeing them to see if any of them caught your interests, Dutch walked himself to the front counter. You listened to him speak to the woman standing there.

She was tall, about as tall as Dutch, and very busty. You glanced at the woman and she flashed you a simple smile. She was very pretty. Her deep dark red hair curled wildly like a fire in every direction. She didn’t even try to tame it. Her skin was pale and covered in a hundred million freckles. The woman most certainly caught Dutch’s interest.

You learned quickly that Dutch was a woman’s kind of man. Smooth, tall, handsome, and well worded. He loved women, and loved talking to them. You’ve already experienced many of his lovers over the course of this trip. His tactic was very simple. He approached them with a smile, he’d say something nice, he’d ask them some question then so sweetly ask for their name.

Just as expected, Dutch leaned on the front counter, casually resting on his arm, “Hello,” He smiled.

“Hello sir,” The woman smiled back. She was definitely interested. Gross. You looked away and walk further into the little shabby store, fingering through books that caught your interest. The woman spoke again, “How can I help you?”

Dutch let out a little low chuckle, “I was hoping I could help you?” Hook. Line. And?

She giggled behind her hand, “Oh my,” Sinker. She flashed her pretty little blue eyes at him, “What would I need help with?”

God, you wanted to barf. You just couldn’t understand what it was like to flirt with someone, or why adults did it so much.

“You tell me, miss,” Dutch leaned closer, “I can do anything you like.” Gross!!

This woman was smart, a lot smarter than Dutch’s usual choice of women. She chuckled quick then became rather serious, “You can buy something. I’d love to have your money in my hands.” You could tell she took Dutch by surprise.

He laughed, low and thunderous, he laughed for what felt like hours. He wiped away a tear and shook his head, “You’ve got a one-track mind, miss,” He then turned around, looking for you within the store, “(Y/N),” he called, “Pick out something nice,”

You already had a book in your hands that you wanted. It was another fairy tale, this one about a warrior queen who ruled over an island of women. It was called Jungle Hunt. You skipped over, happy to be able to leave with something. You were too short to even reach the top of the counter… You were already pretty short for a 12-year-old anyway. You slapped the little green book up on the counter, standing on your tippy toes watching the woman put your book in a bag and take the money from Dutch’s hand.

“Your daughter has a good taste in books,” She said. You wanted to correct her, tell her you were just an orphan girl, but Dutch laughed.

“Thank you, she gets it from me,” Goddammit, “What’s your name, miss?”

She slid the bag back towards you, and stubbornly and begrudgingly you took it. As you huffed and puffed, disliking being a pawn in the battle of the sexes, you heard the woman laugh and say, “My name is Annabelle, it’s so nice to meet you.”

_____________________________________________________________________

When you first got to Fortune’s Hollow, it truly was hollow. There was a series of rock pillars and indents in the cliff side. You found a little shallow cave back there, with a wide and flashy pond beside it. When Dutch pulled the wagon up, he called out for the two people you’ve heard so much about over the past few weeks.

Arthur was right. You immediately guessed who was who. Just as Arthur said, Hosea was a snooty rat looking man with hair so blonde, it almost looked white. He dressed as though he was some kind of state’s men. Classy, while still country. The other one must have been Susan. Again, Arthur was absolutely right, she looked like a raven that would sit perched on your window, staring at you with judgment. She was pretty though, plump and tall with her hair as black as night, twisted up and behind her head. While everyone was happy to see each other, sharing stories, you found yourself feeling alone and uncomfortable. You started to greatly miss your family. Sure, Hosea and

Susan was nice, they greeted you with smiles and shook your hand. They had a tent already pitched and waiting for you, they were so kind to a little stranger like you. The even invited you to sit down with them and eat. Sitting there by the fire on some logs made you feel small and alone. You couldn’t join there laughter or glee. You sat there quietly, trying your best to be invisible.

As the days went by, you opened up to them more. Arthur was the only one you could see your self confiding in. He woke you up every morning, throwing some sort of clothes at you while you laid on the little cot bed you had. Your tent wasn’t much, but it gave you some sense of privacy. He’d say something like, “Rise and shine, ass face, time to work,” or, “Get the hell up, monkey breath. We got chores to do.”

And chores you did. You’ve never had to do chores before, besides the regular days your mother would ask you to clean your room. But to your surprise, no one chastised you or was frustrated at your lack of knowledge on how to do some of the most basic things.

Your days started off with Susan. She’d teach you how to cook food. Mostly stews, and how to grill things over an open flame. She was a bit bossy but mostly harmless.

“How do you know to flip it over?” You were watching her cook some chunks of rabbit meat. She took a knife out, stabbed the juicy little steak and then flipped it over on the grill.

She hummed, “You don’t. Not really,” She flipped two other bits of meat, “It depends on what kind of meat it is, depends on how hot the fire burns,” Was cooking really that simple? “Mostly you just want to cook the blood away. Make the meat crispy on the outside, tender and pink on the inside,” “How do you know what it looks like on the inside?” You asked, thankful she didn’t get irritated by all the questions.

Susan glanced at you and flashed a little, kind smile, “You cut it open,” She took her knife and sliced the meat in half. Just like she said, it was slightly pink inside, just enough to see it's contrasted against the grey and brown of the cooked meat. You started to cook on your own after that, and cooking for others. You were actually very good for a kid.

Another one of your chores was doing laundry. You didn’t mind, Susan helped you with that too. Normally by the time it was noon, Hosea and Dutch would return from whatever escapades they were on. They’d always bring back some kind of money or valuables and chuck them away into a chest in Dutch’s tent. This was also around when you did the next chore of your day.

Hosea would take you and Arthur to go hunting. Not that you could really do that much, but Hosea was by far the most eager of all of them to teach you. He was a natural born teacher, he was kind and understanding, and encouraged you to face your fears. That first fear was holding a gun.

He put his hands on your shoulders, and squared them out, “Remember to breathe, okay?” You nodded your head as you lifted the gun, “And keep both your eyes open,” It was scary, to say the least. You held the weapon in your hand that took your parent's life. But Dutch had a point, he said you were old enough to learn how to defend yourself.

He reminded you that though this gang was your home, they wouldn’t always be there to save you. Sometimes you just had to save yourself.

Arthur was standing a few yards away, leaning on a large dusty tan rock with his arms crossed. You looked to him for encouragement, and he gave you that half little smile he always did and nodded his head.

“Okay,” You whispered to yourself, “You can do this,” The scary part was firing the god damn gun. Hosea stood behind you, hands firm on your shoulders as you pulled the trigger and felt the gun jump back at you. There were some bottles down the ways on a rock, you didn’t hit a single one. The second the smoke cleared you looked back at Hosea, “I didn’t hit anything,” You sounded ready to give up.

“That’s fine,” He smiled at you and ruffled up your hair with his hand, “Try again. You’ve got this, (Y/N). Don’t worry about being good, just learn your aim and you can improve from there.”

You shot the gun three more times before you finally blew a bottle to smithereens, “I did it! Oh my god! I hit it!! Hosea! I hit it!!” You started smiling wide and beaming up at the older man.

Just as elated as you, Hosea returned your smile with a cheeky grin all his own, “There you go, girl! I told you that you’d get it,” He ruffled your hair again, something that became a habit of his, and you both stared at Arthur, expecting him to chime in.

The young cowboy smirked and you felt yourself swell with pride, “One day maybe you’ll be as good as Dutch,”

“Maybe- I wish!”

Eventually, you started actually hunting with Hosea and Arthur. Took about several weeks, but you finally made your first kill. It was a rabbit you spotted and shot dead on sight. You definitely were getting better with your aim, just like Hosea said you would. You stood over top the dead rabbit, feeling sick to your stomach. You were so lost in thought that you didn’t hear Arthur approach.

“What’s wrong?”

You felt like crying. You killed that animal. It didn’t feel good. Even if you needed it for food, “I killed it…” Your voice was low and laced with a depression Arthur recognized.

He leaned down and picked up the dead rabbit and let out a high pitched whistle, “That’s the goal, ain’t it?” It was, but it felt wrong. Was this what it would feel like to kill? To take a life? What would it feel like to take a human life? Arthur’s spotted horse had trotted up to him and he tied the rabbit down to his saddle, “Come on,” He ushered you along.

But you stood there, looking at the pool of blood left behind, the way the light reflected off it and the dirt soaked it up, “Have you ever killed someone, Arthur?”

The question took him by surprise. He stopped halfway between getting on his saddle, put his foot back down to the ground and walked over to you. He put his large hand on your head and eased you to look up at him, “Sure” he didn’t hide the truth from you, “We have,” he spoke for the rest of the gang.

Your nose crinkled, your eyes were heavy, “Does it hurt? Killing someone?” You enjoyed the warmth of his hand on your head. You were a little sad when he took it away and stepped back.

“It did. At first,” He sounded like he was about to tell a story, but he went back to his horse. He saddled up then held out a hand for you. You didn’t know how to ride a horse yet, nor did you have one. When you sat tight and snug behind him, Arthur cleared his throat and kept talking, “In this world, (Y/N), you gotta be strong. You gotta be quick.

We live in times where it’s either you… or the guy trying to kill you. I’d rather it be him than you.”

“But he’s a person too.”

“He is,” Arthur spurred his horse to a quick trot, “He’s got a family, he’s got friends. He’s got feelings,” Arthur paused just long enough for you to but in.

“I don’t want to kill someone though… My mother always told me to be kind. She wanted to save people, heal them, make them better-” It was now Arthur’s turn to cut you off, but he did so in a way that wasn’t rude or belittling, “You have to close your heart to them, and to anyone that ain’t friendly. Sure… You can do all those things, but do it to your own, your people, your kind.”

“My kind?” You were confused and a little tired. Killing sure takes a lot of energy out of you. You snug close to Arthur, leaning on his back and resting your cheek between his shoulders. He didn’t seem at all to mind you, it was a regular thing for you to be clinging on the older teen, he’d gotten use to it at this point.

“Yeah, us. Dutch- Hosea and Susan. Maybe that-” Arthur paused to clear his throat and his voice had an irritated tone to it, “Maybe that Annabelle soon too- Anyways. I’m talking about the gang. We look out for our own, and others like us.”

“You mean like….? Other outlaws?”

Arthur internally flinched at the word. He hated being called an outlaw. He didn’t feel like one. But you were right to some extent, “Yeah, simple folk, mostly. I trust an outlaw more than I trust a rich man.”

You were getting very tired there, cuddling up to Arthur’s warm back. The sun was setting, and it got so damn cold in the desert at night, “My mother was a rich man’s daughter. My grandpa was a doctor and my mother wanted to be one too. He ran a hospital in New York City. My whole family was rich. My mother told me how much she hated that part of her family. But she still took their money. So… I was a rich person once. You trust me, don’t you?”

The low chuckle vibrated from his chest and to his back, you could feel him speak, “Yes. I do. But you ain’t rich no more.” No. No you were not.

“Would you still trust me if I was?”

Another little chuckle. What was so funny? Who honestly knew. Arthur steered his stallion across the land, he spotted Hosea up the ways, “Always.” His words made you smile, they made you feel a lot better too. Arthur had that way to him, and you were thankful he was so kind to you, and that he actually cared about you, just like the rest of them.

[thesffcorner]

Truthwitch

Truthwitch is the first book in the YA fantasy Witchland series written by Susan Dennard. We follow 4 perspectives: Safi, a domma of Cartorra who happens to be a Truthwtich, one of the rarest form of witchery in the land; Iseult, her Nomatsi best friend and a Threadwitch; Aeduin, a monk and Bloodwitch; and Prince Merik of Nubrevna, a Windwitch. These 4 characters are all brought together in a conspiracy threatening to destroy a truce between the different kingdoms, involving piracy, magic and kidnapping the Emperor's betrothed. 

This book took me so long to get into; I started reading it the summer of last year, and then put it down 40 pages in. Then I tried again last month, got about 80 pages in and put it down. I knew I would like the book if I just committed and actually gave myself time to read it, but I kept not wanting to pick it up, until I finally did and… finished it in 2 days. There is a reason why it took me so long to get into the book, and that’s the writing. Susan Dennard has a very specific style of writing that’s hard to explain. In her plotting she has the ‘everything, but the kitchen sink’ approach; she throws a lot of concepts and ideas at the reader all at once, and it’s mostly left to us to piece it all out. In just the first chapter we are expected to understand who the characters are, why they are being chased by a Bloodwitch, what a Bloodwitch even is, how this magic system works, and on top of all that we have to follow a tense action scene with knife-fighting, and explosions and diving off a cliff. I had no idea who anyone was, where this was taking place, who was related to who, who was royalty and who was an outsider, and to make matters more confusing, since we follow 4 different perspectives, as soon as I got used to one character, I was forced to meet and care about a different one. It was frustrating to orient myself, because especially at the start, not all the characters were immediately likable or immediately engaging. Merik was the strongest example of this; it took me chapters before I cared about anything he was up to, and he wasn’t irrelevant in the first 100 pages either. The other issue, was writing itself. Just to give you an example, here’s a couple of sentences from the opening: ”Thirty-two thrice damned guards, with thirty-two thrice damned crossbows” pg. 12 ”Wind kicked at Iseult’s dark hair, lifting the wispy bits that had fallen from her braid. A distant gull cried it’s obnoxious scree scr-scree scr-scree! Safi hated gulls; they always shit on her head.” pg. 13 It’s a style choice all right. Once you get used to the writing, it’s actually really fun and fast paced; I love how precise Dennard is with her language, going through the trouble of using proper names for everything from the types of swords to the types of fabrics and clothes the characters wear. The use of words like hyefor yes, or the specific sayings and sea shanties that the characters only in this universe have makes the world feel more authentic, and I like the mentions of different languages, accents characters have in those languages, etc. However, at the start, I was so confused, and it took me a while to get used to Dennard’s stylistic choices. I akin the reading experience of Truthwitch to that of Nevernight; as soon as you get through the first 100 pages, you are in for a ride. Which is exactly what this book is; a ride. It’s a non-stop action packed chase across seas, mountain passes and city streets, and even the quiet moments, are only quiet in that no one is getting stabbed. It’s such a fun book; it’s like a well executed pirate film, with all the sea-faring, boat-sinking, treatise-respecting elements. I’ve heard this book called Game of Thrones for kids, and I really don’t agree with that; the politics of this world is so simple and straightforward that it can’t in any way be compared to even the who version of Game of Thrones. Most of the court intrigue is set-dressing for the action, which for me went in the book’s favor. I liked the action, and the book was best when it focused on our small group of characters and their adventures. When it tried to expand to include the war and the politics, I found it wasn’t very deft at it, and I think Dennard knows that, because the focus of this first book was pretty narrow; fulfill the contract, get from A to B. The parts of the book that I enjoyed most, were the magic system and world-building. The magic system is very cool; it involves Origin Wells which are each connected to a type of elemental magic: air, earth, fire, water. The people who have these abilities range in both power and skill; they can be Earthwitches who specialize in botany, or iron or glass. We even get an example of this with Merik and his Threadbrother Kullen; Merik is a weak Windwitch, who can control only wind, but Kullen can control all kinds of air from winds, to storms, to people’s breaths. The background of the world with the dying wells, the prophecies about their reawakening, the Voidwitches were all really fun concepts that were set up here, and I can’t wait to learn more about; I think it was a good choice to only briefly set things up in this book, and focus on the magic more as the series progresses. Speaking of the plot, it was not perfect, but it kept me engaged. I wanted to know who were all the players involved in the mystery, I wanted to see what would happen when and if the girls make it to Lejna, and I was curious to learn who the Puppeteer is. We get some answers to these questions, and while I can’t be too angry at the book for not wrapping up well, since it is just book 1 in a series, I did want a more conclusive ending. As it stands, we are left with more questions than answers, and I’m not sure if some of the elements in this book will ever get resolved. The thing that I had some issue with too, were the decisions the characters made. I can’t possibly go over everyone; there are dozens of characters in this book, but we can talk about the main 4, starting with Aeduin. Aeduin was the characters we learn least about, and he has the least amount of PoV presence in the book. I found his powers really cool and well developed; he can smell people’s blood, control it, even in his own body to regulate bodily functions like fatigue or oxygen consumption during running. He also heals super fast, even from fatal injuries. His powers are similar to blood-bending in Avatar: The Last Airbender, which a really interesting concept. As a character, we get bits and pieces about Aeduin; he is impatient, he is conflicted about his loyalties, and he’s very good at what he does, which is essentially being a mercenary. There are hints of romance between him and Iseult, and if done right, it could be an interesting dynamic, but in this specific book, he was only set up as a future lead, rather than being a proper lead. Iseult is a Threadwitch, and like Aeduin I found her powers infinitely fascinating. She can see bonds between people, and the threads that tie them to everyone around them, including threads between some animals. Based on the threads, iseult can see emotions; she can also build and manipulate threads. All the threads are different; she and Safi are Threadsisters, meaning they owe each other a life-debt, and they have the closest bond of friendship. There are also Heartthreads which are romantic attachments. As a Threadwitch, Iseult has trouble understanding emotions and interpreting what she feels, because Threadwitches can’t see their own threads and are meant to be logical and impartial; they also can’t form Heartthreads. Iseult also faces a lot of bigotry, prejudice, and racism; she is a Nomatsi, a traveling tribe which I’m going to guess is based on the Romani. As such she is hated everywhere she goes; people yell slurs at her, they sometimes attack her, and she’s not even allowed to be present in specific parts of the city. The prejudice I think was done well, but what I found lackluster was how Iseult felt and dealt with it; namely she doesn’t. The book tries to present it as something she’s used to, since it follows her around everywhere she goes. While it’s believable that someone would be used to extreme and violent prejudice against them, if they’ve dealt with is for that long, Iseult would still have feelings on the matter. She would still feel hurt, or sad, or wronged, or angry, but the book doesn't give us anything to work with, other than once scene where she tries to get Safi to back down from attacking some bigoted soldiers, because Safi’s attack only makes the abuse stronger and harder for Iseult to deal with. I think this is a real missed opportunity on Dennard’s part, which I hope will be better explored in the latter books. There are a lot more things that are set up with Iseult’s character, but not much is truly explored with her. She also spends almost the entire second act incapacitated, so we don’t spend as much time with her as we do with Merik and Safi. The parts I enjoyed most was her friendship with Safi, but unfortunately, so much of the book sees her unconscious or the two of them apart, that I really wish we could’ve gotten more from them. We desperately lack strong female friendships or bromances in media, and this one has all the potential, but just not excellent execution. Merik was the character I struggled with the most; I found him pretty bland and boring at first, and later just incredibly annoying. His playing at being a Prince and Admiral was very childish and annoying, the way he treated Safi was incredibly disrespectful and grating, and he’s never called out on his behavior by anyone. Yelling at your subordinates that you are their Prince or their Captain doesn’t make you a good leader, or a leader in anything other than rank; I think Dennard missed a solid opportunity to explore what being a true leader really means with his character. The fact that he is a weak witch was something that I’ve already seen explored with Rhy Maresh in the Shades of Magicseries, and while I didn’t like what Schwab ultimately does with Rhy in that book either, I think she did a much better job of exploring Rhy’s internal conflict of being a Crown Prince with little to no magic. Here, like Iseult, Merik just kind of seems used to it, and it never really factors into the plot, except for the one scene where he explains why his sister has his father’s favor. His devotion to his Threadbrother Kullen was nice, but overall I found him to be a nuisance of a character. He improves slightly towards the latter half of the book, and I did like the chemistry he has with Safi. They have a good reason to be kept apart, and I found both of their conflicting emotions written well and justified. I also liked that the romance was present, but it always took a back seat to the main plot and the more pressing issues the two characters faced. However, I did have major problems with the way Merik treated Safya and the power imbalance in their relationship. Safya being his prisoner for most of the book, and him constantly demanding that she follows laws and orders she has no choice on or even has to since she is royalty herself was maddening. Dennard does try to show that even when she’s in chain Safya is still defiant and at least spiritually his equal, but that doesn’t change that fact that she is LITERARY his prisoner the whole time they are together. She was kidnapped by her uncle and then Merik, and though Merik claims that he would make sure Iseult survives, neither Safya nor the readers have any way of knowing he’s being genuine or could even make it happen, no matter how much he believes it. Safya was entirely justified in doing what she does to help Iseult, and what Merik does to Safya going completely unpunished and consequence free, not to mention being awarded with a make-out session by Safya was D&D level bad plotting (maybe that’s where the GoT comparisons come in). Safya was my favorite character, in spite of the make-out session. She made the book for me; I loved how spirited, impulsive, brash and brave her character was. She was a lady with training in the courts and in street smarts, she could fight, she had a mouth on her, and she never backed down, unless she had a good reason to. I loved that she dove headlong into conflict to protect the ones she loved, that her cons didn’t always work, and that she felt genuine guilt and remorse when she put people in danger. She has a lot of internal conflict, and internalized hatred because of everything she has been constantly told; that she’s weak, that she’s not cut out for leadership, and that she’s a pawn in people’s games. She was a very well rounded characters, and to top it off she too had cool powers. The way her Truthwitchery worked was interesting; she can detect lies in statements, whether hers or others, but not also what the truth is. She can also be fooled with the right phrasing of sentences or if the person really believes in the lie. Her power was as imperfect and faliabe as she was and I’m interested to see if she can train it to serve her better and what people would have use for with her power, or at least with how her power is presented to work. While I don’t like the decision she makes at the end of the book, I am curious to see how she navigates the new status quo. Her character, if we stick with the GoT comparisons, is a blend of Arya and Sansa, so it will be interesting to see how she navigates more courtly plotting. It’s rare for me to like the lead character as much as I liked her, and so I’m interested to see what she does next. Overall, this is a solid starter book to the series. Like a lot of first books, it sets a good foundation, but I can’t say that it stands very tall on its own. It sets up a lot of the world, and it is a fun, action packed ride, but I have a feeling once I get further into the series, it will be the weakest of the books.

goodreads

[mashitandsmashit]

America’s Got Talent: The Champions - Final Results

I’VE BEEN LIED TO!!!

Like I said, I heard the final results from some random Youtuber(s) commenting on various videos, and they said that the winner was Darci Lynne...They also said that Angelica Hale came in Fifth and Susan Boyle came in Fourth, which would have made sense since the former has become stupid popular for some reason and the latter is practically Got Talent royalty...While I would have been fine with those results (even if I disagreed with Angelica’s ranking), the actual Top 5 was more like it!

Preacher has always been more personality than laugh-out-loud jokes, but he’s easily one of the most (if not THE most) memorable comedians we’ve seen on this show, and I’m very happy that he made the Top 5 this time...As for Cristina, well, I think she speaks...or belts out at the top of her lungs...for herself...

Of course, the Top 3 was still Shin, Darci and Kseniya as I was told, and Kseniya still came in Third...But by the time Shin and Darci were the last two standing, I did start to put those other comments saying that Shin actually wins into consideration...And in the end, is it really any surprise that the pretty-boy magician fresh off of his victory from the previous season of the main series was crowned champion? (And I love how they built up whether he or Deadly Games would get the last spot in the Top 5, as if ANYONE thought it could go any differently!) Maybe Darci would have had a better chance if she wasn’t only the third act of the night last week, but still...

As I was gonna point out, when I “knew” Darci was gonna win, first of all it would have made her the first wildcard to win on this show...But I guess second place is still a record! Also, the main reason why she was at the top of my “rooting for” list prior to last week’s show was because “knowing” she was gonna win, I was REALLY hoping she’d do something special to earn that win...And I’d say she didn’t disappoint...

Nonetheless, Shin was my favorite last week for taking the mind-blowingness to a new level, and I’d say he very well earned his victory! Had he done that for his final performance last season, I’d have been less conflicted over him winning over Zurcaroh and Brian King Joseph...Hell, I might have been about ready to name him my favorite of that season, but against those two acts, it’s hard to say...

And Kseniya is the newest entry in a series of Third-Placers who were arguably the most unique and creative of the season...The only difference this time is that the two who beat her were indeed superior in my opinion...Nonetheless, like last season, the Top 3 were also MY Top 3...except this time they actually ranked how I would rank them! Hell, even #4 was pretty much my #4! And I like #5 enough to have no complaints...

Quite ironic that such a poorly-handled “season” had the most satisfying final results to date! Sure, I would have loved a winner who didn’t already win in the past, especially a recent AGT season (as I’ve been detecting bias towards acts from the last three seasons...when Simon was a judge...as well as BGT, where Simon is also a judge...) But again, said winners were the ones who rose above and beyond for the final round!

And despite all the singers in the finals who I would have traded for someone like Tape Face, Prince Poppycock or even Kenichi Ebina despite his recent limitations...Well...None of them made the Top 5! The only singers who made the Top 5 were the young ventriloquist and the rock opera diva, singers who have unique quirks that make them MEMORABLE!

This might be a sign that despite Simon’s constant pushing for homogenization with singers meant to inspire you...to take Prozac, voters are starting to push back and make it about who THEY came to see! Perhaps Cowellization (Copyright, frankensteindr, 2016) is finally starting to lose its power over America! But I guess I’ll just have to wait and see how things go next season before I jump to conclusions...

As for the performances, they were pretty much all great! Some people have picked apart The Clairvoyants’ trick, and when you get down to it, I guess it’s not THAT impressive...But they definitely had me going for a moment...That said, they’re no Shin Lim...

Speaking of whom, of course he performs his trick with a random celebrity, and since they couldn’t afford Andy Samberg, they got the next name down on Terry’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” connections...Like last week, it started off simple, but got pretty nuts by the end...Not his best trick, but overall pretty solid! Also, it looks like Shin’s finally gaining some confidence in speaking during performances...He’s no Jon Dorenbos in THAT department yet, but he’s getting somewhere...

Preacher’s video package of him trying to team up with the other acts was just great! Even putting him aside (and believe me, he DESERVES to have a TV show or something), it’s just great watching all the other acts (and Terry) take part in his little comedy video...They should do something like this more often!

Also, Brian Justin Crum needs to team up with Cristina Ramos more often, because that performance was beyond electrifying! Easily Brian’s best singing so far, and his harmonies with Cristina only boosted it! I guess it makes sense seeing that both of them sang Queen in the past...Oh yeah, and they tacked Deadly Games in there...Well, I’ll give them credit for speeding through all those stunts while two people were belting it out behind them; It must have been a LITTLE distracting...But it was all tricks we’ve seen them do before...For once, I was paying more attention to the singers than the danger act...

Speaking of awesome acts boosting less awesome acts...Or perhaps the other way around...I guess while Voices of Hope was not the act from last season I was hoping to see perform with Tokio Myers (I already named who two weeks ago, so I won’t bother), this really is what they were always meant for: Performing back-up! Overall, it was still all about Tokio, but I guess the choir is a nice touch...Much better than just them performing...

Glad to see they’re at least showing SOME appreciation for the impact Jackie Evancho has had on the show by bringing her back as a guest to promote her new album...And once again, a beautiful performance! I’m not gonna lie, when I first heard the line-up, I was actually kinda rooting for her to win Champions (because as a non-winner, she had a better chance than Susan Boyle, let’s be honest here...) At the very least, again, I would have loved to have her in the finals, instead of all these last-three-seasons acts who WISH they could have a FRACTION of the impact that Jackie has made...(The best of the best, my tailbone!)

Cirque du Soleil was awesome...In other news, the sky is blue...A MYSTIC BLUE!

And finally, since they used up both Terry Fator AND Jeff Dunham on the same night for Darci, that just left the Muppets...I guess Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie and the Electric Mayhem weren’t available, but I like Rowlf...Rowlf is cool...And he worked really well with Edna! Not much else to say: Darci Lynne plus even just ONE of the Muppets equals magic! Not Shin Lim magic, just...Never mind...

As for the OTHER half of the acts...(Cue crickets chirping.) I guess there’s only so many guests you can bring in during the winter to perform duets with most of these singers...But they didn’t even let Dorenbos perform with Shin!? The only thing we got with those two together was that segment of the Preacher video...They didn’t even do the obvious thing and match them up when one made the Top 5 and the other didn’t...Whatever, this show’s made far more questionable decisions in the past (many of them in this “season” alone), and if it means not slowing the night down with less interesting singing performances, I’m not complaining...

Anyway, good show, good results...But if they’re ever gonna do Champions again, they should make some adjustments to the format...But knowing AGT, they’ll instead introduce even more head-scratching decisions...Still much better than Season 4, even though at some points I was debating whether or not it’s even worse...But I guess seeing the actual performances made enough sense of everything...

So with this...complicated spin-off season behind us, it’s time to talk briefly about what to expect in Season 14 of the main show...First of all, Terry Crews will be staying as host since Tyra’s out...So far, he seems like a likable presence as host, but we haven’t seen a whole lot of his persona yet, so I’ll wait until the following season to decide what I think...But as both Nick and Tyra have shown, if he’s gonna be the host, he NEEDS to brush up on his wacky neon outfits!

I know next to nothing about the two ladies replacing Mel and Heidi, but I DO know that Julianne Hough is a professional dancer who has some experience in reality TV from “Dancing with the Stars”, and she sings as well, so that might give her some credibility to consider...And I’m sure Gabrielle Union is capable of being funny and likable...HOPEFULLY they do more than just look pretty and make useless comments, because if not, I’m gonna be more suspicious about this show than I already am...

And I can’t help but wonder if this is going to be like “The Voice”, where they keep switching out the black/female judges while the two white guys remain...I hope not, since I think Howie could use a replacement sooner or later, and don’t even get me started on Simon!

Right now, I’m still considering my previous ideas of doing Youtube streams as the omnipresent fifth judge, as well as going back to the beginning of the show and reviewing earlier episodes...But they’re still just ideas, and since I’m still working retail, it’s gonna be hard if not impossible to prepare them...

I’ll see what I can do...For now, I guess all that’s guaranteed is looking forward to Season 14...So with that said, I’ll see you all (or at least FrankDoc) in three months! Until then!

[thisdaynews]

POLITICO Playbook: Hurricane Trump at the G-7

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/politico-playbook-hurricane-trump-at-the-g-7/

POLITICO Playbook: Hurricane Trump at the G-7

SCOOP — ANDREW DESIDERIOandELIANA JOHNSON: “House Judiciary Committee to subpoena ex-White House aide Rob Porter”:“The House Judiciary Committee will subpoena former White House staff secretary Rob Porter, a key witness in former special counsel Robert Mueller’s obstruction of justice investigation into President Donald Trump, as the panel weighs whether to recommend articles of impeachment.

“Porter, who resigned his post last yearamid allegations that he abused his two ex-wives, was at the president’s side during several episodes of potential obstruction chronicled in Mueller’s 448-page report on Russian interference in the 2016 election and Trump’s attempted to thwart the probe.

“The White House is likely to block Porter from complyingwith the committee’s subpoena, which seeks public testimony.” POLITICO

G-7 WRAP-UP…

— THE LATEST ON CHINA: “Trump says serious trade negotiations with China to begin,”by AP’s Zeke Miller and Darlene Superville in Biarritz, France: “President Donald Trump, under pressure to scale back a U.S.-China trade war partly blamed for a global economic slowdown, said Monday that the two sides will begin serious negotiations soon. Trump said his trade negotiators had received two ‘very good calls’ from China. He did not say when the calls were made and he declined to say whether he is in direct contact with President Xi Jinping.

“Trump said the conversations were a sign that Chinais serious about making a deal following the latest tit-for-tat tariffs between them. ‘I think we’re going to have a deal, because now we’re dealing on proper terms. They understand and we understand,’ Trump said as he met with Egypt’s president on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in France. ‘This is the first time I’ve seen them where they really want to make a deal. And I think that’s a very positive step,’ Trump said.” AP

BUT, BUT, BUT — BLOOMBERG’S MELISSA CHEOK (@mkcheok):“JUST IN: China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang says has no info on phone calls to U.S. cited by Trump, adding later ‘I can tell you clearly that I haven’t heard of such a thing’ * Says China will protect itself on trade if U.S. persists with current approach.”

— STATE OF PLAY: “G-7 summit set to end with little consensus amid Trump’s mixed messaging on the trade war,”by WaPo’s Toluse Olorunnipa, Michael Birnbaum and Damien Paletta in Biarritz: “[A]s the summit entered its final day, there was little sign that Trump and other world leaders had reached anything nearing a consensus on thorny issues including trade, climate change, and how to deal with Iran, North Korea and Russia.

“Illustrating the growing divide between world leaders,the French all-but-abandoned efforts to craft a joint statement at the end of the summit, cognizant of how the United States is drifting further away from other nations on a growing number of issues.” WaPo

— NOT ON THE PRESIDENT’S PRIORITY LIST: L.A. TIMES’ @EliStokols:“Trump attended a G7 working session on Syria security issues but missed the one about climate, biodiversity and oceans. Other leaders attended both.”

— FROM 30,000 FEET: NYT’S PETER BAKERin Biarritz:“Rule 1 at the G7 Meeting? Don’t Get You-Know-Who Mad”:“For a day, at least, everyone was on their best behavior when the cameras were on, eager to present a show of bonhomie after so many previous meetings ended in discord. But behind the scenes at the annual gathering of some of the world’s leading powers, President Trump still found himself at odds with his counterparts on Sunday over issues like trade, climate change, North Korea, Russia and Iran.

“Ever so gingerly, as if determinednot to rouse the American’s well-known temper, the other Group of 7 leaders sought to nudge him toward their views on the pressing issues of the day, or at least register their differences — while making sure to wrap them in a French crepe of flattery, as they know he prefers.

“It was far from clear the messages were received,or in any case at least welcome. Like other presidents, and perhaps even more so, Mr. Trump tends to hear what he wants to hear at settings like this, either tuning out contrary voices or disregarding them. Through hard experience, other leaders have concluded that direct confrontation can backfire, so they have taken to soft-pedaling disagreements.” NYT

— POLITICO EUROPE’S DAVID HERSZENHORNandRYM MOMTAZ: “Macron’s G7 descends into summit of spin”

MARKET WATCH — “Global Stocks Fall as Trade Tensions Escalate,”by WSJ’s Shen Hong and Steven Russolillo: “Global stocks and government bond yields fell on Monday as a fresh escalation in the U.S. trade war with China, followed by conciliatory moves over the weekend, cast fresh doubt on growth prospects. China’s Shanghai Composite Index shed 1.1%. …

“On Monday, investors’ concerns about the impact on global tradeplayed out in the markets. U.S. futures tied to the S&P, which were briefly negative on Monday, turned positive after Mr. Trump said China had called U.S. trade officials and asked to ‘get back to the table’ for talks. Investors are losing faith in how both sides are approaching the trade war and whether a resolution could be reached soon, according to Peter Atwater, a research analyst and adjunct lecturer at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.” WSJ

TRUMP’S TAKE — @realDonaldTrumpat 7:30 p.m.: “In France we are all laughing at how knowingly inaccurate the U.S. reporting of events and conversations at the G-7 is. These Leaders, and many others, are getting a major case study of Fake News at it’s finest! They’ve got it all wrong, from Iran, to China Tariffs, to Boris!” … “My Stock Market gains must be judged from the day after the Election, November 9, 2016, where the Market went up big after the win, and because of the win. Had my opponent won, CRASH!”

Good Monday morning.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK —STEVE BULLOCKis announcing a slew of staff and senior policy advisers later today, including Maura Matthews as national finance director and Mark Spengler as senior adviser and chief of staff for finance. Bailey Mohr is coming on board as digital director. James Wise will be policy director, and Marc Heinrich will be deputy policy director.

Bullock is also announcing more than a dozen policy advisers,including Chris Lu, Anne Slaughter Andrew, Andrew Shapiro, Frank Rose and Tracy Stone Manning.

WHAT THE … AXIOS’ JONATHAN SWANandMARGARET TALEV:“President Trump has suggested multiple times to senior Homeland Security and national security officials that they explore using nuclear bombs to stop hurricanes from hitting the United States, according to sources who have heard the president’s private remarks and been briefed on a National Security Council memorandum that recorded those comments.” Axios

— JUST SAYING … AP:“Forecasters say the fourth tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season is maintaining its strength as it moves toward the Windward Islands. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Sunday that Tropical Storm Dorian could intensify to near hurricane strength over the eastern Caribbean Sea by Tuesday.”

BURGESS EVERETTin Old Town, Maine:“Inside Susan Collins’ reelection fight in the age of Trump”:“Shortly after Barack Obama won and Susan Collins was reelected in 2008, the president invited her to the White House to pitch the economic stimulus. It was not particularly subtle. ‘He said: “You know Susan, they really like me in Maine. And I did really well in the last election,”’ Collins recounted over sandwiches at the Governor’s Restaurant in Eastern Maine. ‘I practically had to bite my tongue in two to avoid saying: “They do like you Mr. President, but they liked me better.”’

“For Collins to win a fifth term, she needs Mainers to again like hermore than the current White House occupant. A whole lot more. The 66-year-old political giant is facing the race of her life despite her universal name recognition and bipartisan reputation. President Donald Trump is targeting Maine as a battleground while his divisive politics has cleaved the state in two, and Collins has to share the ticket with him. …

“Projected to be the most expensive in Maine’s history,the race is of imperative importance for party leaders and the Senate institution itself. With scarce opportunities elsewhere, Senate Democrats essentially need [Sara] Gideon to win to gain a minimum of three seats and the majority. In the Senate, a Collins loss would be a potentially fatal blow to the reeling center of the chamber.” POLITICO

2020 WATCH …

— MARC CAPUTOin Seattle:“‘The rock star’ vs. ‘The rock’: Warren and Biden hurtle toward collision”:“Elizabeth Warren has the crowds. Joe Biden has the lead. The split-screen story of one of the most intriguing match-ups of the Democratic presidential primary is unfolding in a glaring contrast of style and substance.

“On Sunday, Warren stood on the biggest stageof her presidential campaign for a rally here that drew an estimated 15,000 people — eclipsing an estimated 12,000-person event she held in Minnesota earlier in the week, according to her campaign. Across the country in New Hampshire, Biden presided over a series of intimate, subdued events in New Hampshire and Iowa, hosting crowds that numbered in the low hundreds.

“Warren roused her supporters with calls for ‘big, structural change,’and the crowd roared with chants of ‘Two cents! Two cents’ while waving two fingers in the air as Warren discussed her 2 percent ‘wealth tax.’ Biden pounded away at President Donald Trump, his campaign subtly and overtly reminding voters that polls consistently show him as the party’s best general election candidate and the primary’s frontrunner.

“The parallel displays by two of the threeleading Democratic candidates offered a possible preview of the collision course looming if Biden and Warren maintain their current trajectory. It would be a clash of opposites: the progressive firebrand against the establishment favorite; the cerebral candidate of big, bold plans vs. the elder statesman offering himself as a safe haven for people who simply want a return to pre-Trump normalcy.” POLITICO

— “When they go low? Dems navigating nasty race against Trump,”by AP’s Steve Peoples

— “How Bernie and Cardi B became 2020’s oddest alliance,”by Holly Otterbein

TRUMP’S MONDAY —The president will meet with Indian PM Narendra Modi this morning. He will participate in a G-7 working lunch on digital transformation followed by a closed session of the G-7. Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron will hold a joint press conference at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time before Trump and first lady Melania Trump depart for Washington.

FOR YOUR RADAR — “Attacks blamed on Israel across three Middle East countries ratchet up tensions,”by WaPo’s Liz Sly and James McAuley in Beirut: “Attacks against Iranian-allied forces in three countries, all blamed on Israel, escalated tensions across the Middle East on Sunday, drawing threats of retaliation and intensifying fears that a bigger conflict could erupt.

“The attacks Saturday and Sunday targeted Iranian forcesand their proxies in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, in what appeared to be a significant escalation of Israeli efforts to contain the expansion of Iranian influence in the region that could jeopardize the continued presence of U.S. troops in Iraq and draw Lebanon into a new war.” WaPo

SOUNDS LIKE A SWEET DEAL … REUTERS/KABUL:“As U.S. and Taliban negotiators push to wrap up talks aimed at securing the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan, Taliban sources say a pact will not mean an end to fighting with the U.S.-backed Afghan government. … ‘We will continue our fight against the Afghan government and seize power by force,’ said the Taliban commander on condition of anonymity.” Reuters

MEDIAWATCH — “Trump Allies Target Journalists Over Coverage Deemed Hostile to White House,”by NYT’s Ken Vogel and Jeremy Peters: “A loose network of conservative operatives allied with the White House is pursuing what they say will be an aggressive operation to discredit news organizations deemed hostile to President Trump by publicizing damaging information about journalists. …

“Four people familiar with the operation described how it works,asserting that it has compiled dossiers of potentially embarrassing social media posts and other public statements by hundreds of people who work at some of the country’s most prominent news organizations.

“The group has already released information about journalistsat CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times — three outlets that have aggressively investigated Mr. Trump — in response to reporting or commentary that the White House’s allies consider unfair to Mr. Trump and his team or harmful to his re-election prospects.” NYT

—Canadian reporterCarolyn Dunnsays she was blocked from entering the United States …@carolyndunncbc:“Guys, I’ve been refused entry into US. Sections 212 (a) (7) (A) (i) (I). Me going to DC is ‘entry into the labor’ market and I’d be ‘imported labor.’ I’ve never been pulled aside at a US border let alone refused entry.”

—MSNBC’sKasie Huntis going on maternity leave, she announced on her show Sunday night. Ayman Mohyeldin will be filling in while she’s out.Video

Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com.

TRANSITION — Yagmur Cosaris now comms director at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Corporate Citizenship Center. She previously was a VP at Burson Cohn & Wolfe.

ENGAGED — Tyler Q. Houlton,senior adviser at the State Department and former DHS spokesman, proposed toAlli Papa,RNC Midwest finance director, on Saturday at Ladies Beach in Nantucket. The couple met at the NRCC in 2013.Pic…Another pic

WEEKEND WEDDING — SoRelle Wyckoff,a University of Maryland PhD student and John Cornyn and House GOP Conference alum, andMichael Gaynor,a staff writer and editor at the Brookings Institution, got married Saturday at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church. They celebrated at the Meridian House and with a karaoke after-party at Colony Club.Pic

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Ilyse Hogue,president of NARAL Pro-Choice America.A trend that she thinks doesn’t get enough attention:“Right now? The fires in the Amazon. More broadly, the international movements toward gender equity by removing restrictions on abortion — from Ireland to Poland to Argentina — and how the United States is moving in the opposite direction.”Playbook Plus Q&A

BIRTHDAYS:USA Today White House correspondent David Jackson is 6-0 (h/t John Fritze) …Robert Barnett … Oracle’s Josh Pitcock (h/t Matt) … Tom Ridge, chairman of Ridge Global, is 74 … Eric Fehrnstrom … Joe Weisenthal, co-host of “What’d You Miss?” and editor at Bloomberg … Savannah Sellers,co-host of “Stay Tuned” and NBC/MSNBC correspondent … Eddie Vale, partner at New Paradigm Strategy … Messina Group partner Sean Sweeney … Navin Nayak, executive director of the CAP Action Fund … Amanda Wood … Robert Flock … Jenn Sherman, director of public affairs for the surgeon general … Devan Cayea, operations director for Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) … Jim Harris … Satyam Khanna … Evan Zimmerman … POLITICO’s Quint Forgey is 24 …

… Justin Dillon,partner at KaiserDillon, is 45 …BuzzFeed’s Miriam Elder (h/t Ben Chang) … Patrick Dorton, partner at Rational 360, is 51 … Brielle Appelbaum … Morra Aarons-Mele … Don Sweitzer (h/ts Jon Haber) … Katie Sienicki (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) … Ammar Akkash … Kiran Chetry … Julian Epstein … Myles Miller … Keith T. Tomatore … Ari Ratner, founder and CEO of Inside Revolution … Kirk Anderson … Kimberly Overbeek … Andrew Ross … Lee Ann Calaway … Drew Halunen … Thomas Rice … Tiffany Cox … Corey Cooke … Jamal Halaby … Jason Goings … Jackie Smith … Don Preston … Arthur MacMillan … Bill Whitaker … Rebekah Jorgensen Hoshiko … Grace Segers, political reporter at CBS … Stephen Dubner, co-author of the “Freakonomics” series … Marissa Currie

Anna Palmer @apalmerdc

Jake Sherman @JakeSherman

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"Tentacles of Doom" | Father Ted | Series 2 Episode 3 | Dead Parrot

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/tentacles-of-doom-father-ted-series-2-episode-3-dead-parrot-5/

"Tentacles of Doom" | Father Ted | Series 2 Episode 3 | Dead Parrot

God i’m no longer studying that book anymore it is very frightening all collectively Ted Ted yes what did you ever see a ghost when doogal i’m going to tell you something happened to me once it was once years ago I staying with my first-class-aunt at her condo in Connemara she’s significant condo miles from at any place it sounds as if for the period of the nice Famine a merciless landlord and his attractive daughter used to live there story is that he forbade a dog from hiring a young soldier broke her heart and in her despair she hung herself in her bed room the room that I was once standing remembers I see Nick by season 10 and strictly off season all of a sudden I heard a unusual creaking noise from the fireplace some of the ghosts no so no I’ve on no account noticeable a ghost I noticed one relatively yeah it was once a man all dressed in black and that i came down one night for a tumbler of milk and he was just sitting there in entrance of the tv just there right it used to be bizarre and you understand you are the unusual kind of grey hair even though he wasn’t very ancient Gilbert Dubin could this had been neon rice that is a door that’s working k damaged once more probably best works from my head is in it okay we will have to name the plumber no no I concept to get them concerned and the other be too embarrassed to tell them how I broke it within the first position looking to give it an additional tough flush well slender Ted I have got to say it was pleasant for me it was a excellent robust ground residence I was thinking extra about chat you are aware of it’s like when he is worried you want to get that stuff away as fast this factor would be for us to flush it right here and have it pop up somewhere in Sierra Leone correct there head aha aha I proposal jacket stash some thing in right here ok let’s are trying it now turn bloody hell excellent information head very very dangerous news the holy stone of city record they’ll upgrade it to a class 2 relic no it can be now not high-quality it method to be sending over a couple of bitches to do a ceremony and you already know what they’re like we will need to be on our high-quality conduct I taught them whatever up with the holy stone very well wasn’t any individual cured there no any individual was lured there honey quick after which those fellas began to beat him with the sticks and all that with it yeah the holy stone looks even holier than we concept Clapton something to do with that fella from England final 12 months he touched her and he grew a beard bizarre that’ll be almost ample to improve us here classification 1 or category will probably be very infrequent do women that will be bringing folks again to lifestyles time-travel cloning dinosaurs what essentially the most thousands of relics in every single place the sector how do they comprehend which of them to do well there’s all these matters they ought to consider concerning the history of the Renick how many miracles may also be attributed to us all types of considerations go right into a resolution like that what in regards to the holy stone of carmakers I never come on Tate Europe it should not ever occur well it’s happening they’re absolutely coming all correct Jeff so who cares anyway I imply they come in strip down the wallpaper the fumigate the position and so they’re long past what’s so dangerous about that doodles their bishops all correct yeah what is this confusion you may have about bishops do you really fully grasp what they sincerely do watching to do a fumigating residence there something like that at all have you obtained – Tommy in any case head let’s play a sport get your mind off it Chester buckaroos virtually i would not mind a recreation of the historic Chester day me sir particularly oh no most effective joking Ted provided that you’re ready for a excellent thrashing Dougal you’ll not ever honestly beat me ever all right jack nonetheless a poker ooh the sport of kings I proposal the won’t be so bad the industry we’ll have a appear around and spot there have been massive everyday perish and go away nothing to worry about at house some ceremony’s on Thursday and so they’re arriving the next day to come now doogal that is principal hearken to me okay o.K. Head these bishops are very predominant I keep round you at all times just in case so you don’t say whatever to them that you are no longer supposed to say to them oh like what like what he mentioned to bishop Lindsey when he requested me the place I was once when Kennedy was once shot oh yeah I imply you overreacted relatively there he wasn’t accusing me of anything all correct so did have you learnt any of the bishops who are long-established I imply what are the like bishop fax is an efficient historical buddy of pop Larry DOS i’ll try to attain Larry on his cellular he is obtained a new one with one more loud bleep God Almighty why does he have a cell if he on no account picks it up and then we’ve got the concern with Jack couldn’t we simply hide him for a couple of days no they’d hear me shouting Gary might be we might educate Jack to claim anything apart from drink influence our women likes like it’s a job in that life or two years ago Duggal father Jack is also dangerous but he is now not a canine right here he’s now he ordinarily wishes to head out wait maybe we might train him to assert one or two matters nothing too detailed a couple of all right sentences like that would be an ecumenical topic yes I cannot think of any religious query that cannot be answered by using that what I consistently say when persons question me questions it can be a fine thing about Catholicism it’s so vague and nobody rather knows what it’s all about I suppose it could work Google’s I realize it’ll work it’ll work it is not going to work when its head do not know so we have to try proper father now we will have just a little elocution classes drink father you can not be announcing that always when the bishops come right here thank you continually completely happy that either it Geron the daddy just just return to a drink for the second pleasant right now i need you to have a seem at this have a go with the first one right here – correct no no – drink now come on father awareness that vent the strings the strings the unusual bass bass bass bass bass bass bass now come on Oh father i know you can do the veena – drinking it so that you can do it drink sure I promise now come on are attempting once more that proper no no Paul the practically had it that is high-quality bring it bother to keep it going here and the next come again would ya toys that you left the cooker on o.K. Father i will be there proper father the whole thing’s equipped there’s a massive school steaming away and i have arranged a Ferrero Rocher in a convention which Isis taking up three bishops cannot wait proper you know father I believe that is going to be the finest second of my career it is practically as if my whole lifetime of main off two exclusive ladies’s going pass over is done i am over right here so you might be father that is doing excellent have you ever got your contacts in no a dog ran off with them I suggestion I get away with that I consider i’ll need to put on the glasses they don’t like carrying them father I feel they make me look like a frustrated ancient egg all I can’t suppose that I imagine they look absolutely good no no no it is only a frightening movie I was once thinking out there nice really greenish whele that is a lot better and i just go and assess on the tv so father hmm father i have certainly no proposal the place the door is so fail to remember head and Google at Google they may be here sorry about that fishbone Elia you had been announcing yes very simple ceremony we simply want just a little incense or incense I do not know if we do the you realize if we have any incense there used to be a spider in the bathtub last night time no Judy incense incense all right sure and no i do not believe so that you remember when we ran out of incense and we use the wind aletan good man i’m sure we are able to to find some so are you doing a lot upgrading around nation last month we accelerated a mushroom area in Cavan touch last three races our work takes us all over the place the nation it gives us a danger to get in touch with the normal clergy or the ground troops as I name them sure we’re looking to organize a big assembly at the end of the 12 months where all the ranks of the clergy can discuss their views with representatives of the lay group what do you suppose are the key here sorry what do making use of the whole relationship with the lay neighborhood on this special topic is desirable or must a exact distance be maintained yes a excellent query and good I believe we should contain to put group to keep them at a distance how so much of a distance couple of miles here we are actually he for all people oh are you o.K. Your grid sure I yeah yeah I I had a minor heart attack last yr I need to take it handy axe bought somewhat of a fee day proper he is no longer a drawback in case you could just give us a little of a warning when you are going to do something quality I simply remembered the aliens is on after the news Susan for god sake i’m sorry Victor Jordan did you not hear what he’s saying about his coronary heart you are aware of it’s just immediate directors cost come on all people let’s all have a significant lads night in a coronary heart attack that’s infrequent sufficient this present day there have been without doubt plenty of prayers set for essentially we cannot look at the aliens google obvious neither speakme however that love attack no they would not Bishop loti satisfactory go girl we aren’t observing alien anyway again to religion he’ll insist now not our first priority but converse up fight back towards a satirical bias of the media yes Ferrero Rocher father Ted with these Russia you’re quite spoiling mrs.Doyle all correct Bishop i am sorry you had been pronouncing oh sure I was once saying we must combat back in opposition to the media however we have to make our voice heard the place is farther hatchets mrs. Doyle would you get father Hackett for us now undoubtedly father I ought to say mrs. Doyle they keep you for your ft my housekeeper isn’t the great i’m afraid usually I suppose that it is me that should be basically G for sorry about that here father hackett now he is been looking ahead to your seek advice from haven’t you father yes Bishop O’Neill talk it oh yes this is Bishop fax yes that is Bishop Jordan sure they are watching at then you father that is 1 billion yes I was just announcing father how i am watching ahead to discussing the social results of one of the vital church’s pondering as related to disorders of personal morality nuts 1 billion – Emmanuel motto sure I let’s for Jews would good point father yes that’s what we’d like a confident angle like sake what quiet race i will see father Hackett making a priceless contribution over the following couple of days oh yes Heavenly Father hear our prayer we pray that this rock be upgraded to a category-2 relic by way of the grace of God convey therapy to all who cross within a radius of two and a half of to three ft of this at your discretion and may all who are healed in this type of method supply glory to you our Lord through your earthly form of this class to relic amen Evan i’m sorry for the painting your father will meet up with the others within the white yes I saw it to your positive perspective other so many people are cynical about such things that you can hardly ever to open the newspaper this present day without studying some latest and satirical articles written by using some bearded lifting sure apparently early will go down the arena of good I simply would be an Oh me get us a real enemy bb/d mercy predatory pleasure yes Asian ecumenical yes i’m going to write you up so father do you ever have any doubts about the devout lifestyles as your religion ever verified hear listen involved about any doubts you will have been having about any aspects of belief some thing like that well in all of the manner God made us all correct and he’s looking down at us from heaven and the whole lot huh huh after which his son came down and saved every body and all that yes and once we die we’re all going to move to heaven yes what about just a little of hindrance with the heat laughs assault while you come face-to-face with loss of life it makes you consider about matters I saw that film lately Apollo 14 jogged my memory of my own brush with loss of life have you learnt what I imply you imply you had been in house whilst you had your heart assault no how might I be in space sorry no I suppose not no I Ament i do know what it is like to be just about demise sure gracefully i’ll use the historic ok so i’ll do that I see all Cheers assess the air so if God has existed eternally you know what did he do in his spare time like before he made the earth and everything you recognize well all of us must what about while you wear too low the meat on Fridays how come that is all proper now but it wasn’t back then I imply that the folks who ate meat on Fridays back then they’d all go to hell or what I imply it is man she’s no longer bothering you with it no no it can be just magic oh there you’re i am hoping you had a fine gesture oh it was once best I consider I learn some very fascinating conclusions Oh about what precisely good it’s nonsense Ignis faith so feel about this little or no evidence blind religion that’s all we ought to go on and not using a shred of proof anywhere nothing aliens now there is whatever that might simply be feasible everlasting life large demons sticking purple-hot pokers up your ass for all eternity i don’t suppose so the whole religion factor I simply don’t buy it i’ve been struggling with my moral sense for some time now however father McGuire was the primary man to spell it out me in black and white Oh Dougal what have you ever been as much as this man this man treasure him father clearly he has wisdom a ways past his year thanks very a lot speedy it’s Bishop Jordan I suppose he is useless there Oh Lord yeah that’s a dustbin hear this is your fax media that’s the main matters do it Duggal oh you are welcome bishop no no Eddie are you sure you want and consider a selection no anyway it can be too late i am off to India for two months with just a few neighbors ah there they’re see you again then your grace the holy stone will it nonetheless be a class-2 after they m god bless when clear La tache

[airoasis]

"Tentacles of Doom" | Father Ted | Series 2 Episode 3 | Dead Parrot

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/tentacles-of-doom-father-ted-series-2-episode-3-dead-parrot-5/

"Tentacles of Doom" | Father Ted | Series 2 Episode 3 | Dead Parrot

God i’m no longer studying that book anymore it is very frightening all collectively Ted Ted yes what did you ever see a ghost when doogal i’m going to tell you something happened to me once it was once years ago I staying with my first-class-aunt at her condo in Connemara she’s significant condo miles from at any place it sounds as if for the period of the nice Famine a merciless landlord and his attractive daughter used to live there story is that he forbade a dog from hiring a young soldier broke her heart and in her despair she hung herself in her bed room the room that I was once standing remembers I see Nick by season 10 and strictly off season all of a sudden I heard a unusual creaking noise from the fireplace some of the ghosts no so no I’ve on no account noticeable a ghost I noticed one relatively yeah it was once a man all dressed in black and that i came down one night for a tumbler of milk and he was just sitting there in entrance of the tv just there right it used to be bizarre and you understand you are the unusual kind of grey hair even though he wasn’t very ancient Gilbert Dubin could this had been neon rice that is a door that’s working k damaged once more probably best works from my head is in it okay we will have to name the plumber no no I concept to get them concerned and the other be too embarrassed to tell them how I broke it within the first position looking to give it an additional tough flush well slender Ted I have got to say it was pleasant for me it was a excellent robust ground residence I was thinking extra about chat you are aware of it’s like when he is worried you want to get that stuff away as fast this factor would be for us to flush it right here and have it pop up somewhere in Sierra Leone correct there head aha aha I proposal jacket stash some thing in right here ok let’s are trying it now turn bloody hell excellent information head very very dangerous news the holy stone of city record they’ll upgrade it to a class 2 relic no it can be now not high-quality it method to be sending over a couple of bitches to do a ceremony and you already know what they’re like we will need to be on our high-quality conduct I taught them whatever up with the holy stone very well wasn’t any individual cured there no any individual was lured there honey quick after which those fellas began to beat him with the sticks and all that with it yeah the holy stone looks even holier than we concept Clapton something to do with that fella from England final 12 months he touched her and he grew a beard bizarre that’ll be almost ample to improve us here classification 1 or category will probably be very infrequent do women that will be bringing folks again to lifestyles time-travel cloning dinosaurs what essentially the most thousands of relics in every single place the sector how do they comprehend which of them to do well there’s all these matters they ought to consider concerning the history of the Renick how many miracles may also be attributed to us all types of considerations go right into a resolution like that what in regards to the holy stone of carmakers I never come on Tate Europe it should not ever occur well it’s happening they’re absolutely coming all correct Jeff so who cares anyway I imply they come in strip down the wallpaper the fumigate the position and so they’re long past what’s so dangerous about that doodles their bishops all correct yeah what is this confusion you may have about bishops do you really fully grasp what they sincerely do watching to do a fumigating residence there something like that at all have you obtained – Tommy in any case head let’s play a sport get your mind off it Chester buckaroos virtually i would not mind a recreation of the historic Chester day me sir particularly oh no most effective joking Ted provided that you’re ready for a excellent thrashing Dougal you’ll not ever honestly beat me ever all right jack nonetheless a poker ooh the sport of kings I proposal the won’t be so bad the industry we’ll have a appear around and spot there have been massive everyday perish and go away nothing to worry about at house some ceremony’s on Thursday and so they’re arriving the next day to come now doogal that is principal hearken to me okay o.K. Head these bishops are very predominant I keep round you at all times just in case so you don’t say whatever to them that you are no longer supposed to say to them oh like what like what he mentioned to bishop Lindsey when he requested me the place I was once when Kennedy was once shot oh yeah I imply you overreacted relatively there he wasn’t accusing me of anything all correct so did have you learnt any of the bishops who are long-established I imply what are the like bishop fax is an efficient historical buddy of pop Larry DOS i’ll try to attain Larry on his cellular he is obtained a new one with one more loud bleep God Almighty why does he have a cell if he on no account picks it up and then we’ve got the concern with Jack couldn’t we simply hide him for a couple of days no they’d hear me shouting Gary might be we might educate Jack to claim anything apart from drink influence our women likes like it’s a job in that life or two years ago Duggal father Jack is also dangerous but he is now not a canine right here he’s now he ordinarily wishes to head out wait maybe we might train him to assert one or two matters nothing too detailed a couple of all right sentences like that would be an ecumenical topic yes I cannot think of any religious query that cannot be answered by using that what I consistently say when persons question me questions it can be a fine thing about Catholicism it’s so vague and nobody rather knows what it’s all about I suppose it could work Google’s I realize it’ll work it’ll work it is not going to work when its head do not know so we have to try proper father now we will have just a little elocution classes drink father you can not be announcing that always when the bishops come right here thank you continually completely happy that either it Geron the daddy just just return to a drink for the second pleasant right now i need you to have a seem at this have a go with the first one right here – correct no no – drink now come on father awareness that vent the strings the strings the unusual bass bass bass bass bass bass bass now come on Oh father i know you can do the veena – drinking it so that you can do it drink sure I promise now come on are attempting once more that proper no no Paul the practically had it that is high-quality bring it bother to keep it going here and the next come again would ya toys that you left the cooker on o.K. Father i will be there proper father the whole thing’s equipped there’s a massive school steaming away and i have arranged a Ferrero Rocher in a convention which Isis taking up three bishops cannot wait proper you know father I believe that is going to be the finest second of my career it is practically as if my whole lifetime of main off two exclusive ladies’s going pass over is done i am over right here so you might be father that is doing excellent have you ever got your contacts in no a dog ran off with them I suggestion I get away with that I consider i’ll need to put on the glasses they don’t like carrying them father I feel they make me look like a frustrated ancient egg all I can’t suppose that I imagine they look absolutely good no no no it is only a frightening movie I was once thinking out there nice really greenish whele that is a lot better and i just go and assess on the tv so father hmm father i have certainly no proposal the place the door is so fail to remember head and Google at Google they may be here sorry about that fishbone Elia you had been announcing yes very simple ceremony we simply want just a little incense or incense I do not know if we do the you realize if we have any incense there used to be a spider in the bathtub last night time no Judy incense incense all right sure and no i do not believe so that you remember when we ran out of incense and we use the wind aletan good man i’m sure we are able to to find some so are you doing a lot upgrading around nation last month we accelerated a mushroom area in Cavan touch last three races our work takes us all over the place the nation it gives us a danger to get in touch with the normal clergy or the ground troops as I name them sure we’re looking to organize a big assembly at the end of the 12 months where all the ranks of the clergy can discuss their views with representatives of the lay group what do you suppose are the key here sorry what do making use of the whole relationship with the lay neighborhood on this special topic is desirable or must a exact distance be maintained yes a excellent query and good I believe we should contain to put group to keep them at a distance how so much of a distance couple of miles here we are actually he for all people oh are you o.K. Your grid sure I yeah yeah I I had a minor heart attack last yr I need to take it handy axe bought somewhat of a fee day proper he is no longer a drawback in case you could just give us a little of a warning when you are going to do something quality I simply remembered the aliens is on after the news Susan for god sake i’m sorry Victor Jordan did you not hear what he’s saying about his coronary heart you are aware of it’s just immediate directors cost come on all people let’s all have a significant lads night in a coronary heart attack that’s infrequent sufficient this present day there have been without doubt plenty of prayers set for essentially we cannot look at the aliens google obvious neither speakme however that love attack no they would not Bishop loti satisfactory go girl we aren’t observing alien anyway again to religion he’ll insist now not our first priority but converse up fight back towards a satirical bias of the media yes Ferrero Rocher father Ted with these Russia you’re quite spoiling mrs.Doyle all correct Bishop i am sorry you had been pronouncing oh sure I was once saying we must combat back in opposition to the media however we have to make our voice heard the place is farther hatchets mrs. Doyle would you get father Hackett for us now undoubtedly father I ought to say mrs. Doyle they keep you for your ft my housekeeper isn’t the great i’m afraid usually I suppose that it is me that should be basically G for sorry about that here father hackett now he is been looking ahead to your seek advice from haven’t you father yes Bishop O’Neill talk it oh yes this is Bishop fax yes that is Bishop Jordan sure they are watching at then you father that is 1 billion yes I was just announcing father how i am watching ahead to discussing the social results of one of the vital church’s pondering as related to disorders of personal morality nuts 1 billion – Emmanuel motto sure I let’s for Jews would good point father yes that’s what we’d like a confident angle like sake what quiet race i will see father Hackett making a priceless contribution over the following couple of days oh yes Heavenly Father hear our prayer we pray that this rock be upgraded to a category-2 relic by way of the grace of God convey therapy to all who cross within a radius of two and a half of to three ft of this at your discretion and may all who are healed in this type of method supply glory to you our Lord through your earthly form of this class to relic amen Evan i’m sorry for the painting your father will meet up with the others within the white yes I saw it to your positive perspective other so many people are cynical about such things that you can hardly ever to open the newspaper this present day without studying some latest and satirical articles written by using some bearded lifting sure apparently early will go down the arena of good I simply would be an Oh me get us a real enemy bb/d mercy predatory pleasure yes Asian ecumenical yes i’m going to write you up so father do you ever have any doubts about the devout lifestyles as your religion ever verified hear listen involved about any doubts you will have been having about any aspects of belief some thing like that well in all of the manner God made us all correct and he’s looking down at us from heaven and the whole lot huh huh after which his son came down and saved every body and all that yes and once we die we’re all going to move to heaven yes what about just a little of hindrance with the heat laughs assault while you come face-to-face with loss of life it makes you consider about matters I saw that film lately Apollo 14 jogged my memory of my own brush with loss of life have you learnt what I imply you imply you had been in house whilst you had your heart assault no how might I be in space sorry no I suppose not no I Ament i do know what it is like to be just about demise sure gracefully i’ll use the historic ok so i’ll do that I see all Cheers assess the air so if God has existed eternally you know what did he do in his spare time like before he made the earth and everything you recognize well all of us must what about while you wear too low the meat on Fridays how come that is all proper now but it wasn’t back then I imply that the folks who ate meat on Fridays back then they’d all go to hell or what I imply it is man she’s no longer bothering you with it no no it can be just magic oh there you’re i am hoping you had a fine gesture oh it was once best I consider I learn some very fascinating conclusions Oh about what precisely good it’s nonsense Ignis faith so feel about this little or no evidence blind religion that’s all we ought to go on and not using a shred of proof anywhere nothing aliens now there is whatever that might simply be feasible everlasting life large demons sticking purple-hot pokers up your ass for all eternity i don’t suppose so the whole religion factor I simply don’t buy it i’ve been struggling with my moral sense for some time now however father McGuire was the primary man to spell it out me in black and white Oh Dougal what have you ever been as much as this man this man treasure him father clearly he has wisdom a ways past his year thanks very a lot speedy it’s Bishop Jordan I suppose he is useless there Oh Lord yeah that’s a dustbin hear this is your fax media that’s the main matters do it Duggal oh you are welcome bishop no no Eddie are you sure you want and consider a selection no anyway it can be too late i am off to India for two months with just a few neighbors ah there they’re see you again then your grace the holy stone will it nonetheless be a class-2 after they m god bless when clear La tache

[grumpyandgorgeous]

Today’s the day: it’s Emmy longlist day.

If you have followed me for awhile, you know I always do this; this year I thought I’d link back to my previous write-ups and realized there were eight previous posts for me to link back to. Eight! This is my ninth time doing this. I am just as surprised as you are. Here they all are, if you are interested. And here we go!

We start this year with Voice-Over Performance in animation, and Bojack Horseman breaks in with its first ever nomination, for Kristen Schaal as Sarah Lynn. I would be pleased if she took this--I just like Kristen Schaal--but honestly, this category is an enigma. Some years it seems to be about a celebrity guesting on the Simpsons, sometimes its about a nuanced performance in a long-running animated series, and sometimes it about the breadth instead of the depth by nominating a performance who just does a lot of characters on one show. There's some of all of that this year (if we're counting Kevin Kline's nomination for Bob's Burgers, which we so are). I don't know who will win this.

Likewise, I am not sure of what to root for in Animated Program, as the episode of Archer is just the premiere (which is fine, but not great) and the Bob's Burgers and Simpsons episodes are pretty week. Kind of nice to see Elena of Avalor get a nomination though, right?

I tend to not focus heavily on the casting categories when I haven't seen a majority of the nominees, but the Casting for Limited Series has to go to Big Little Lies, right? Even the children are excellent, just amazing. I'll be offended if this doesn't win. I understand how Fargo could win it... but it shouldn't.

A nice surprise in Choreography--Mandy Moore (not that Mandy Moore) gets nominated twice, but once for Dancing With the Stars, and once for So You Think You Can Dance. I don't think I've seen that before!

Heading back to Big Little Lies, I don't know how much of a chance it has in a lot of the technical categories, but I would be pleased if it saw wins for Cinematography, Contemporary Costumes, Single-Camera Picture Editing... the list goes on. (I think Handmaid's Tale probably has Period/Fantasy Costumes sewn up, ha.) I forget how much I liked the show until I think back on these aspects of it and remember, Oh wait, it was really very good. I would love for this to carry over to Directing too, but I am surprised as how strong The Night Of has come on in the technical categories, not because I doubt its merit, but because it wasn't really the buzziest thing on HBO this year. There must have been some heavy HBO campaigning, because I saw it turn up on a number of critics' lists to expect nominations, but I am still a little surprised.

In lieu of any Queen Sugar nominations, I would be pleased to see Ava DuVernay win a directing award for 13th.

Main Title Design! I was so excited for this and to be honest, the nominees are a little disappointing. The opening for Feud: Bette and Joan was in my mind the frontrunner heading in, and that hasn't changed in the slightest. The problem here is that three of these are the exact same set of titles. I actually quite liked the American Gods theme when I first started watching it, but then I saw the Crown... they're the same title design. So is Stranger Things, but at least it has the benefit of the image that it it focuses on in very tiny amounts on a black background being typography. Honestly, go watch them. These are all the same titles. It's amazing. Westworld's theme is nice, but Bette and Joan's is something special. I hope it wins. (This is possibly the one place I want it to win.)

Did you know Lifetime had mad a movie version of Suite Francaise? I did not either, but it got a nomination for Original Dramatic Score for a limited series or movie.

Original Music and Lyrics is weird. I don't really get the Mickey Mouse short nomination (although you should totally go watch it because there's a real Ren and Stimpy vibe to it which I never would have expected), and I'm not into the Lemonade homage from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, so that leaves us with the songs from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, SNL, and 13th, all of which I think have a reasonable shot. The Crazy Ex-Girlfriend song grows on you as it goes along, but "Last Christmas" and "Letter to the Free" both feel a lot more relevant and political. I could see this one going either way. SNL might win on a wave of SNL wins, but there are a surprising number of technical nominations for 13th that lead me to believe there's some real industry support for the doc and this could win from that. It's an interesting category.

I'm not so good at discussing the intracacies of music, so the Original Main Title Theme Music is a difficult category for me to assess. However, in my opinion anyway, I would rule out the themes to Victoria and The Good Fight right off the bat, and i would through Genius in there too were it not composed by Hans Zimmer, and so for that reason we can't rule it out. Stranger Things I think is the leader here, because it manages to be iconic and retro all at once. The Feud music is also nice, but I am actually very fond of the Westworld music, even if in the key changes it kind of reminds me of the Carnivale theme. (Miss you always, Carnivale.) Still, I think Stranger Things is almost a lock on this one.

Finally, the acting categories.

Lead Actor in a Comedy is basically all the same faces, plus Donald Glover.  It's the only one of these shows I watch, and he is wonderful in it, but I  feel its more likely he'll be taking awards for his work behind the camera. Jeffrey Tambor could take this again, but with Transparent not taking a series nom for the first time, it might be on its way out. Anthony Anderson then? I thought he would have won this already, to be perfectly honest. Who knows how this will go.

Lead Actor in a Drama is equally mystifying. Several of the actors in this category are overdue--Matthew Rhys, Bob Odenkirk--and some shouldn't be here at all--Liev Schreiber, Kevin Spacey, Milo Ventimiglia--and then we have Anthony Hopkins, who is legendary but maybe not for Westworld, and Sterling K. Brown. This Is Us broke a lot of ground this year, so I would not be shocked by Sterling K. Brown winning, but network dramas are always going to have a hard time going up against the prestige nominees on cable. This is one to watch.

Every time I think Sherlock is the worst its ever been, it wins awards in America, so I think Benedict Cumberbatch is a solid choice to win Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. Should this go to Ewan McGregor for going all Tatiana Maslany? Probably. But honestly i have no stakes in this race. Just not Cumberbatch.

So both the leads of Grace and Frankie got nominations for Lead Actress in a Comedy, which I think means they will cancel each other out. There are a couple familiar names here (I keep waiting for Tracee Ellis Ross' moment but I fear it's not coming), and a new face in Pamela Adlon, which between that and her TCA achievement lead me to think she's a frontrunner here. But... Allison Janney has moved herself up to Lead from Supporting, and it is very hard to place bets against a prior winner, even if it wasn't for this specifically. So who knows? Here's a fun fact though: if Janney wins this category, she will have Emmys for Supporting Actress in a Drama, Lead Actress in a Drama, Guest Actress in a Drama, Supporting Actress in a Comedy, and Lead Actress in a Comedy. All she'll have left is a Guest Comedy Actress and the Limited Series awards! I don't know if this will be some kind of a record for sheer breadth of acting categories, but it would be fun for someone to find out.

But hey, can we talk about how for yet another year, there's nothing for Catherine O'Hara killing it on Schitt's Creek? Seriously, she is just straight-up nailing it on a weekly basis. David and Alexis are the heart of the show--and a good amount of the humor, yes--but Moira is just an eccentric actress delight. Robbed yet again. And if not Catherine O'Hara, why not her SCTV co-star Andrea Martin, so much fun all decked out in Chico's looks on Great News? She's the best part of the show, and I'd much rather see them here than Grace and Frankie.

Lead Actress in a Drama--I've heard zero buzz for How to Get Away With Murder this year, but she was a previous winner, and there is some recenty history of repeat winners in this category. I thought the Americans was going to win some acting trophies last year, but nothing came of it... and I wouldn't put it past the Television Academy to give an award to a show just as the critics have said it had a weaker season. So who knows, if the episode really sells Keri Russell, or Matthew Rhys back in Lead Actor, I could see it. The same goes for the perennially-nominated Robin Wright. My heart wants to give this to Elisabeth Moss though. This is Hulu's breakthrough year so this could be the winner.

Ooooooooooooof, the category that has been the heaviest now for two straight years. I have seen a LOT of awards prognosticators say this is Jessica Lange's, which shocked me, because I would have absolutely said it is Nicole Kidman's, because she was breathtaking, and Feud was only OK. But the problem here is that Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon could split the Feud vote, and Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon could split the Big Little Lies vote, and then where are we? Felicity Huffman for American Crime, or Carrie Coon for Fargo. I wouldn't mind either of these, necessarily--all the women nominated here are very talented--but this is a Big Little Lies award if there is any justice in this world. And Nicole Kidman, unlike Julia Roberts when she got that Normal Heart nom a few years ago, is not so snobby as to talk down about the Emmys while she's at the damn Emmys, so she's definitely a winner that TV could get behind even though she's primarily a film actress. I mean god, she went to the Stanley Cup playoffs and wore a jersey and everything. SHE'S OF THE PEOPLE NOW. Give this to Nicole, please.

Also, many apologies to Lauren Graham, totally shut out for the Gilmore Girls revival. One day you'll get something, Lorelei.

Supporting Actor in a Comedy is so many repeat nominees and winners, but if Alec Baldwin doesn't win this, it will be an actual honest to goodness upset. Who else has a chance? It doesn't matter if you don't like the Trump impression (which I don't, for the record). It was the buzziest comedy performance of the year. The president got angry about all of it. He's gonna win.

I don't know anything about Supporting Actor in a Drama except that I have been rooting for Jonathan Banks for like, many years now, on two different shows, so I would be very happy to see him win.

Supporting Actor in a Limited Series... I haven't seen The Night Of. I kind of figure it's going to go to The Night Of. But Alexander Skarsgard is very good at being very awful and having two faces? It feels almost cruel to reward him for being a good abusive husband but he's a very good abusive husband. I also enjoyed Alfred Molina's performance in Feud, so who knows where this is going.

As much as it pains me to say it, I think Anna Chlumsky has fallen out of her possible winning window for Veep, so I don't think it is ever going to happen at this point. But there rest of the faces for Supporting Actress in a Comedy are good ones. I think you have to give it to Kate McKinnon for just wearing so many hats this year, but I love Kathryn Hahn in absolutely everything she does, and Leslie Jones feels just as deserving as any cast member of SNL. And while I am not a huge Vanessa Bayer fan, I'd be happy for her to win just for that damn Totino's ad. No bad wins here.

Uzo Aduba hasn't won for Supporting Actress since Orange is the New Black switched to drama, right? I don't know if any women of the Handmaid's Tale are going to break through this one when they don't have quite the role recognition here as the other nominees. Millie Bobby Brown could win, as crazy as that sounds, considering that the cast won the SAG. Chrissy Metz is the name I am seeing from a lot of prognosticators. And Thandie Newton--well, how can you root against Thandie Newton. I'm going to give this to Millie Bobby Brown for now, but I am keeping my eyes on Chrissy Metz.

Regina King has now won the Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Limited Series for two years running, and I am not about to root against her for a third trophy, even if this year was the least buzzed about season of American Crime, and it was subsequently canceled. She's going to have strong competition--watch out for Laura Dern, I think--but she's had strong competition before. I liked Jackie Hoffman a lot in Feud, but i don't really think either of the Feud roles really hold a candle to the rest of the nominees here. Could be interesting on Emmy night but, once again, I am rooting for Regina King.

There is something a little insulting about the only nominees for a show called Girls being random male guest stars, right? A little bit? No offense to Riz Ahmed or anything. I don't love Girls by any measure, but it's a little weird. I would give this one to Tom Hanks because of David S Pumpkins but hey, who knows how these things work anymore. I certainly don't. Guest Actor in a Comedy--some host of SNL, a guy on Girls, or Hugh Laurie on Veep. I think Dave Chappelle killed his chances when he said to give Trump a chance, but it was a big deal for him to be on SNL, so I wouldn't necessarily discount that. If I had to nominate an SNL host here though, it really should have been Chris Pine. Boy was totally ignored.

I think Carrie Fisher has the sentimental vote for Guest Actress in a Comedy, but Melissa McCarthy honestly was much better as Sean Spicer than Alec Baldwin ever was as Trump. The thing working against her is she submitted her own episode, and it was arguably her weakest appearance.

Honestly, the best thing for the guest categories is Nightcap, the underseen heir to 30 Rock on Pop!, the channel that replaced the TV Guide Channel. Ali Wentworth knows a lot of people and they all seem game to come on and skewer their image in the most embarrassing way possible. There were a number of standouts in season one, but Gwyneth Paltrow as a kleptomaniac who doesn't eat "that goop shit" and who apparently goes around negotiating guys down to handjobs from blowjobs was my personal favorite, but really so many celebs were great. Debra Messing also should be really gunning for a nomination for this for next year with the episode that just aired this week. idk, I'm a fan.

I'm all in for Alexis Bledel for Handmaid's Tale as I frequently hear that she's a person's favorite part, but I don't know if that's likely. Ann Dowd is here after being a nominee in supporting actressi in a limited series, so maybe she has a real shot at one of them. And you can't rule out Barb, because the academy is just as dumb as the rest of America for nominating an extremely minor character who barely appears for an Emmy.

I know Ben Schwartz already has an Emmy that he shares with Dan Harmon for writing that "Recession Oscars" opening theme where Hugh Jackman said he hadn't seen the Reader , but if he can win outright for the Earliest Show, I am fine with that. Same for Lauren Lapkus, easily the highlight of Pete Holmes' Crashing, which is pretty weak overall.

I can't be the only one rooting for Martha and Snoop for reality hosts for their dinner party show, right?

Outstanding Comedy Series: the same old names, plus Atlanta. I'll root for Atlanta or black-ish. Veep had a very weak year and Silicon Valley was dreadful. This category needs some refreshment.

Outstanding Drama Series went the opposite direction: two repeat nominees in Better Call Saul and House of Cards, but five new faces in first season shows The Crown, Handmaid's Tale, Stranger Things, This is Us, and Westworld. Again, the SAG for best cast went to Stranger Things, so I would not be surprised at it coming through here too, even though it is not at all the type of drama the Emmys typically go for. I would think it comes down to Stranger Things or This Is Us, both of which got heavily nominated all over, but especially in acting.

Fargo did better in nominations than I think anyone expected it to, so it can't be entirely ruled out for Outstanding Limited Series. I want this to be for Big Little Lies, but female-centric domestic series don't have a good history here--I think this show was excellent in all facets, but its recognition really came down to the fact it has movie stars in it and a high-profile team behind it. I don't know if that's going to carry over to a win here, even if it absolutely should. The Night Of has done very well in nominations, and the subject matter is far more up the Television Academy's alley. Also, this category tends to be a good one for Ryan Murphy, so a Feud win isn't out of the quetion either. I am hoping level-headedness prevails and we get a Big Little Lies win. But I also know exactly why that won't happen.

Outstanding Television Movie will probably go to Sherlock because it wins at its worst, but I think it's very promising that Black Mirror got nominated here for San Junipero, the one episode everyone loved this year. The lack of nominations overall for The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, despite the attachment to Oprah's name, does not bode well for it. The Wizard of Lies has a healthy little group of nominations and this is Weighty Serious Stuff which the voters tend to go for, so that's my dark horse here.

A number of the nominees in Variety Talk had kind of breakthrough moments in the era of Trump. John Oliver won this last year and were it not for all these Trump-reactions, I'd give him an easy repeat. And that could still happen! He could be the new Daily Show. The voters are notoriously lazy--after all, we saw Modern Family get nominated again this year for Best Comedy and it is 2017. If I had to tip it away from him though, I would say this is Stephen Colbert's or Jimmy Kimmel's to lose. Jimmy got nominated elsewhere and made headlines for the stuff with his son; Colbert really turned it around and put Jimmy Fallon out of contention in both nominations and the ratings and that could be rewarded. I'll be interested to see where this goes.

Best Friends Whenever, also known as My Beloved Show About the Gay Teens, was never going to get a kid's programming nomination, but why did Girl Meets World get one for its worst season? Ughhhhhhhhhhhh.

I said several years ago we need a teen category for the MTV shows and Degrassi, and I still believe that. Several years ago they consolidated the informational children's into the scripted kid's stuff and that was a mistake--we should have like three or four kids categories, not one. If I ever get to be on the board, I will be address this, you better believe me. There are children who can vote, I am sure, and I want their opinions.

Very happy Leah Remini's Scientology show got a nomination for Outstanding Informational Series or Special. Good for Leah Remini.

BIG DEAL ALERT: in this year of Chip and Joanna Gaines being EVERYWHERE, will Fixer Upper win the Emmy for Structured Reality? I think they might. This would be huge for HGTV. And yet another puzzle piece in the Gaines world domination plan. I wouldn't necessarily mind that, but I don't want to live in Texas, and I don't want my furniture to have chipped paint on it, so maybe I do mind actually.

I think Born This Way is likely the lock for Unstructured Reality, but I wasn't even aware Gaycation had aired a second season to make it eligible and... I should give it another chance, probably. But why is this getting nominated when States of Undress is also on Viceland and it is fantastic? I know, I should shut up about States of Undress, but it's just so goddamn thoughtful. Even if Hailey Gates doesn't always get it quite right in her ending narration, I think there is something about her that makes the show so much more compelling than Gaycation. I think it goes to more interesting places--not on the map, but just with what it chooses to explore. I'm always enchanted by it, I always learn something. I just want it to have a million seasons forever.

oh my god am I almost finished please

Writing in a Comedy! This is a definite toss-up between "B.A.N." and "Streets on Lock" from Atlanta. I could see "B.A.N." winning just because of the sheer variety of what composes the episode, and because Donald Glover wrote it and the Emmys like to reward the mastermind of the series here. But I think "Streets on Lock" is actually the stronger episode, so Stephen Glover could get a win here. I don't think Silicon Valley or Veep have a shot, and Aziz won last year, and this category (unless you're a 30 Rock who stays around forever) likes to inject fresh blood. So this is an Atlanta win, but the episode has yet to be determined.

(Though if Veep DOES win the comedy writing, it'll have to be for Georgia, which is the most heartbreakingly painful episode of the season, and also the best one.)

I genuinely don't know where Drama Writing is headed. Stranger Things? Let's guess Strangers Things.

I can't believe I'm rooting for David E Kelley but--Big Little Lies for Limited Series writing, please! Please. Charlie Brooker has a nom here for San Junipero again, and that would be a pleasing result as well. And I even like the Oscars episode of Feud, but I think that would be a better win for direction than writing (was it even nominated for direction? I'm not going back to look now). Fargo, again. The Night Of, again. This could be a really good night for The Night Of, I'm thinking.

Seth Meyers gets his first Emmy nomination for Late Night in Variety Series Writing. (Sidenote: Vox wrote a thing about snubs and said he got no noms, which I tweeted them about, and then got a "we'll make it more clear." Which they then changed from "Seth Meyers--HOW DID IT GET ZERO, it needs to be recognized, it's so good, blah blah blah, why hasn't it made a breakthrough" to "SETH MEYERS--ONLY ONE?" which is not making it clearer, it's re-writing it, it changes your original point even when you don't change the text. I know people make mistakes but if you are a tv critic, and it's Emmy nominations day... read the longlist! Please! This is like when, oof what was it, Vanity Fair? I forget. But I think Vanity Fair--no, it was Harpers Bazaar--did an Emmys write-up and totally made up history by saying "oh, remember when Fargo controversially beat True Detective for best miniseries a few years ago" when THEY WEREN'T EVEN IN THE SAME CATEGORY. OK, these aren't the same, but I just get annoyed by things that can be very easily cleared up.) I think this is going to Colbert, Oliver, or SNL though. Probably SNL unless we're just staying in the John Oliver lane, or rewarding Colbert for overcoming Jimmy Fallon. (I realize I talk about Jimmy Fallon like he's a dragon, but I really don't like him.)

Now Variety Special Writing--here's where Samantha Bee has a very good chance with her Not the White House Correspondents Dinner.

And that's it! I did it! Like four hours... but I did it. And we'll be back next year, guys! My tenth edition then! But before that, we'll have Emmy night. :) Thanks for reading!

[swearronchanel]

Who let me watch 5.06?

I should be doing an assignment that’s due tomorrow but ya know due tomorrow means do tomorrow. Lol I know I should be ashamed to be a procrastinator but university has ruined me anyway. I’m tired from literally going to one lecture haha, but in any event I’ve been rewatching mad men for the who knows what time but I thought I’d take a break from all that and watch an episode of CtM & @flyingnonny inspired me to do a reaction post so why not? I decided on 5.06 since last Sunday’s episode reminded us of that camping trip 😂😂  here goes nothing.. 

*skips intro bc I’m impatient*

Cute community moment ☺️

TRIXIE😍 slaying my life

Shelagh looks so good too 😍 and Angela melting my heart!

Why is shelagh forever wearing cardigans? I like cardigans every now and then but all the time, really?

Everyone is sitting outside, Trixie is in a sleeveless dress, as is Barbara, so it has to be warm?? take it off Shelagh

She’s still my bby though even if I don’t always agree with her fashion choices

what gross vejo pinching Trixie’s ass? That’s not ok

And Babs too lmao, creepy old man, die

Shelagh saying “hello dear” aw

But this is like the only interaction between Shelagh and Trixie & that does not suffice !!

ALL I WANT IS FOR THEM TO HAVE AN ACTUAL FRIENDSHIP IDC HOW MANY TIMES IVE SAID IT I REALLY Want it😭😭💕💕 my two fav bbys

I HAVE EVEN GIVEN REASONS WHY & I CAN GIVE THEM AGAIN ***        1) Why not?? Shelagh has like no real friends besides her husband and sort of Sister Julienne?                                                 

 2) just please, because I’m asking nicely                                                     3) When Shelagh was Sister Bernadette she was often friendly/ in the gossip and conversation with the nurses & remember that one time Trixie grabbed her to come listen to Jenny’s phone conversation?               

4) Trixie was the only one besides Sister Julienne to visit her in the sanatorium. That has to count for something!                                             5) They’ve both been on the show since day 1 & have known each other the longest (besides the nuns) why wouldn’t they be friends or least actually speak to each other?

Aye this is the lady who’s fake pregnant

Shelagh wearing earrings though >> here for it

Sorry there will be a lot of gushing over Shelagh and Trixie

And also I WANT TRIXIE’S HOOP EARRINGS SO BAD, where can I find them??

And how do I get her clothes and figure and her everything lol?

PHYLLIS ! My champion

“Would it have killed you to sit down for five minutes and eat the whole thing!” I LOVE HER, SHE IS A GEM, A HERO, A BADASS & IM NOT READY FOR SUNDAY. IM GOING TO BAWL WITH AND FOR HER

she deserves the best

I think this is the only time I’ve ever heard Trixie address Shelagh by her first name?? a prob.

They need to interact more 😭💔💕😍 I will stop saying it when I’m dead even then I’ll prob say it

Actually when I think of it no one ever calls Shelagh by her first name besides obviously Patrick? And Sister Julienne

#MoreShelaghAndTheOtherNursesInteracting2k17aka1962

And I need at least two seconds of them dotting on pregnant Shelagh

Helen looks so good like goals

“I threatened to put one man over my knee but that only encouraged him” HA IM DEAD NO KINK SHAME

I think there’s been a similar joke before but fuck it it’s still funny to me

But seriously everyone loves Trixie lol how could you not though?

Hey Pats, it’s been a while

Lol omg Tim in that uniform.. Not the best costume 😂😂

Never seen Whistle Down the Wind

But you see, Tom and Babs making out as usual, I’m not knocking it lol but this is why Sister J told her to chill when they went to South Africa😂

also lowkey jealous bc Jack Ashton is handsome af and that could’ve been me but it’s all good. He and Helen are adorable together and I’m here for it x10000

Omg I forgot this lady got assaulted

Oh shit I just remembered this is the episode where sister MC is attacked FUCK WHY DID I WATCH THIS

she can’t report it bc she’d get arrested for soliciting wtf

But remember Shelagh wore the headbands in like series 3 (so glad she stopped I was not here for it)? They must’ve gave them to Babs lol

I forgot Trixie didn’t tell the nurses about AA yet

But she looks gorgeous as ever, even with her mascara running

Lowkey nauseas looking at all that fish ugh. Funny becuase they put a grocery store that has a fish market on the block up from where I live in NYC and I hate it  

I forgot about Peter lol and he was in an episode this series whoops

LIKE WHERE’S YOUR WIFE LOL, *I know, too busy for this, I don’t think she’d fit in the series anymore anyway*

Sister Mary Cynthia 😰❣️

Lol she doesn’t sing loud enough ??

Sister Julienne is so cute when she smiles but don’t forget she’s a badass

REMEMBER THE AGGRESSIVE JACKET FLAP BC OF THE IRRITATING SISTER URSULA

How did this girl hide her pregnancy though?

And did her brothers just not realize she was pregnant and the mother wasn’t?

Oh jeez my cousin was a colic-y baby and my parents kept him like 3 days a week when I was in high school & it was a nightmare. I didn’t sleep for so long

Dont get me wrong I love babies. But when they scream when I’m trying to sleep, nope. Return to sender.

Shelagh is so excited about camping it’s the purest and most adorable thing 😭😭And I like her shirt  

Shelagh made Tim copy the napkin folding from a magazine, SHE IS A GEM

“We never have serviettes on a weeknight” wtf did they just not use napkins every day? I’m confused Lmaoo. What am I missing here 😂omg that reminds me of one of the times my family and I went on a cruise (2006, hella long time ago already wow?? 11 yrs yikes) and my brother & cousin were late to dinner and lied to my mom & aunt saying they were at a “napkin folding class” & my family deadass believed it up until 2 years ago😂

Shelagh’s accent is so cute. I’ve said that many times but it’s so sweet. But again why do we just have to accept she’s Scottish with no context as to how/why she came to England? Like I’m sure there were convents in Scotland. I dont even care that much I just will forever be curious as to why it seems she had no life before she got married lol? Like they don’t ever bring up the fact she was a nun, but ok maybe she feels awkward talking about it but what about before? 

They’re so excited it’s so precious, protect this family 😂😭💕💕

Sister MJ is fasting lol I should try it😂

Omg another dumb story, I didn’t realize today is Ash Wednesday and was hella confused seeing some people with ash on their forehead 😂😂 I should give up something for lent but idk what, we shall see. My mom gave up carbs last year & I died bc I lived at home and ate what she cooked and almost all my fav foods are carbs😂

Shelagh referred to Patsy as Patsy, I’ve only ever heard her say Nurse Mount??

lol Tim you’re what 14? you know damn well those arent* bullet holes

at least he has some of his innocence still. I didn’t @ 14

Sometimes I forget I’m gonna be 19 this year wtf. I’ve accidentally told people I’m 16 before and had to correct myself 😂😂

Patrick is excited about this holiday, boy you don’t know what’s coming 😂

HE’S GONNA ATTACK THE LADY WITH A BABY I FORGOT THAT TOO WTF

I wanna fight him

Diane’s anemic ? Or her mum is just assuming

SHELAGH IN HER CAMPING OUTFIT!! The hair scarf and trousers !! I’m so here for it 😍😭

I want to see her in another pair!! yes lets get it 1962. Probably not likely this series but hopefully next series!! Ah can’t wait

Shit this series is almost over 💔💔 but omg 1963 gonna be lit as well?!

Like the space race started/orbiting the earth, Kennedy’s assassination .. wait never mind lol I’m thinking of American History moments. but still a lot of it was crazy world news so maybe it’s mentioned?? first bond film came out in'63, petition for Tim to go take Susan whatever from around the corner to see it since we know he liked the novels

Lots of famous films came out in ‘63 so there’s gotta be some reference.

Fun fact: I love pop culture references in period drama bc I’m lame jk I’m majoring in education (to teach history)

Old news but still relevant: Phyllis’s turn on: Rolodex systems 📇

“CRANE, as in the wading bird or industry lifting equipment, whichever you prefer” LOVE U PHYLLIS, YOU CORRECT HIM

PHYLLIS’S FACE WHEN GODFREY SUGGESTS SHE CAME OUT OF RETIREMENT, IM DEAD

“I shall consider retirement when I’m at the appropriate age”  IM LAUGHING SO HARD, FUCK YEA PHYLLIS. I LOVE HER SO MUCH, LINDA BASSET IS ON THE LIST WITH LAURA AND HELEN OF PEOPLE WHO COULD PUCH ME IN THE FACE AND I’D THANK

LOL SHELAGH JUST STANDING AWKWARDLY LISTENING TO THIS CONVERSATION

“Buenos vacaciones”  I NEED MORE PHYLLIS WORKING ON HER SPANISH I LOVE IT, Ella es oro.

lol the roof rack, bet it was Phyllis’s they borrowed when they moved

PHYLLIS’S FACE OF DISGUST WHEN DR GODFREY SMILES AT HER IS ME ALWAYS

LOL THE THE NURSES & SISTER WINIFRED DYING OVER PATRICK’S SHORTS (EVen though sister W “swears she’s not looking”)

I THINK THE SOCKS AND WHITE DAD SANDALS ARE MORE AMUSING 😂😂

Poor Judith💔

It’s a vicious attack Sister J! But you don’t know it yet so I get u

Here comes summer..😂

SETTING UP IN THE POURING RAIN LOL

Shelagh and Angela being adorable !!

Tim and Patrick proud that  they set the tents up & boom it falls 😂 which is symbolic for me taking exams, I think I did well or at least decent on them and then I find out I failed by like 5 points

Nonnatus table scenes <3 😭

”I’ve seen more dangerous marshmallow bunnies“ lmao Pats this is a serious moment I shouldn’t laugh

Shelagh took off her glasses 😉😏 but fr how is Laura Main so perfect

Patrick put scotch in its lit, pass it over😏

Lol Shelagh drinking is a strange thought but I’m so here for it. Nuns can’t drink right? Idk. Imagine her drinking alcohol for the first time and just getting drunk 😂 we know Patrick and Tim are lightweights getting drunk off one beer so I assume shelagh would too😂

Damn it Patrick, you spilled your cup. Furthermore proving you’re a disaster 😭

LMAO SHELAGH’s “WTF” FACE WHEN SHE ASKS PATRICK WHAT HE’S THINKING ABOUT AND HE SAID THE ULCER CLINIC

LIKE C'MON PATRICK YOU KNOW WHERE SHELAGH WAS TRYNA GO WITH THAT😂

“And if you don’t mind my saying so, you’re not exactly Cliff Richards yourself” SHELAGH 😂😂 another great line of hers, love it

I love their playful banter lol we need more of that 😂 but lets be real series 6 has had some of the greatest Shelagh and Patrick moments so I can’t complain 😭😍

Peter and Barbara is such a unusual dynamic haha

“How is chummy?” Wait does Babs even know Chummy? I don’t even remember if they met tbh

But for real Shelagh did you really think Patrick would just forget about work completely ??

Lol Angela crying because she is petrified of squirrels😂😂and Shelagh running to her is so cute.

Why didn’t she just get rid of the *creepy* squirrel nutkin book? it seemed like they still had it in series 6 haha

rice pudding is I think the same as aroz con leche, lol it’s gross sorry

Diane’s water broke oh shit

the Turners all in the tent playing I spy bc it’s raining haha

I went camping for the first and last time this past summer w/ my sister in laws & her friends, it was awful 😂😂 I got like 100 mosquito bites that became welts, i literally slept in the car the second night & it was mid July fairly south of east coast aka it was humid and sticky af , there were wild horses that walked around..Thank God they brought alcohol cause it was a nightmare I don’t wanna remember 😂😂

ANGELA IS SO CUTE UGH & ANOTHER GREAT SHELAGH FACE😂

lol yes go to a hotel, should’ve done that from the get

So what exactly does Fred run? some civil defense thing?

She’s in labor and can’t even scream omg, I’m screaming

“They are often incorrect in their opinion” Sister MJ is a gem. I want someone to look at me the way Sister MJ looks at cake and the television

Phyllis yelling at Dr Godfrey😂

PATS’S FACE OF DISGUST IS ALSO ME

HOW DO THESE WOMEN GIVE BIRTH STANDING/SITTING UP?? AHHHH

There you are Beatrix, it’s been a while

Patsy being suspicious with the card game line lol. but when is Trixie going to find out about Patsy and Delia?

SHE RIPPED OUT HER WOMB?! WTF OMG IM SCREAMING

THIS HURTS TO WATCH AHH

Trixie and Sister MC to the rescue but omg this is wild I forgot

Fred wtf you can’t be sneaking up like that

DONT LEAVE SISTER MC ALONE TRIXIE

NOO, IM NOT PREPARED FOR THIS

“There are flowers on the table, and feathers in these pillows, that’s all the nature I need to get back to” I feel you Patrick lol, I like nature but not camping

Lol remember Shelagh’s old nightgown? ah I don’t miss it. The bri nylon is such a look™ & obviously has magically powers i.e this miraculous conception.

“..or they’ve been mulled to death by squirrels” IM DEAD HAHA THAT WAS A GOOD DAD JOKE, NICE ONE PATRICK

aw the baby is so precious

Why is the operating room/being in surgery called theatre in the U.K.?? and why is the doctor’s office/practice called the surgery? so many questions from a confused American..

Sister MC by the docks😭💔 she was just chillin with God and THIS HORRIBLE MAN RUINS EVERYTHING WTF UGH

Oh no

SISTER MC JUST UNCONSCIOUS ON THE DOCKS WTF IM CRYING WHY WOULD HURT HER

Patrick even if you were there she wouldn’t have called you, don’t blame urself

it’s not your arrogance sister MC!!

“don’t you even say the word fault, do you hear me, I won’t allow it” 😭💔 it’s NOT your fault sister MC 😰

I forgot how upset/hurt this episode makes me

“The worst thing is that I actually stopped to pray…” my heart hurts

You can’t even blame her for being angry😪

Judith you’re not a bad mother!! This isn’t your fault either

Sister MJ IN THE BATHROOM WITH HER😢😢💔💔 I’m c r y i n

I SAID PROTECT THEM AT ALL COSTS WHY DID THEY HURT ME LIKE THIS

Everyone so quiet at the table..

ILL FOREVER BE PROUD OF HOW BRAVE SISTER MC IS FOR SPEAKING UP FOR HER AND THE OTHER VICTIMS💖😭💔

Russian prison tats??

“I thought at first it was a test of faith, but it was a test of strength. I can bear more than I ever though I could and I can bear it for others because my strength is a gift, from him..” brb sobbing

I feel so bad for Mrs Hills bc I understand she thought she was doing the right thing and was trying to protect her daughter from the stigma & judgment from having a baby born outta wedlock 😭

But damn she almost killed her & now she can’t have any more kids

“I’m a mum, mum” Aw

lol I want children (obviously not anytime soon) but if I do Ima be shook for the rest of my life. Like my kids will  be like grown & I’ll still wake up like wtf I had them?  Lmaoo

SHELAGH’S GREY DRESS >>😍

Patrick jumping on the bed was cute lol

The Turners being cute and an unrealistically perfect family together as usual

Trixie 😍off to her AA💕

“I think it’s about time I came clean..”

Im so proud of her omg. She’s come so far in 6 series 😭💖💖😭

And Patsy and Delia are supportive yess👏🏼

“New truths were being spoken at Nonnatus house, but some remained concealed. While one voice rose, striving to erase its agony in song.”

Thanks Vanessa,, The End 😭

[mothfishing]

Wait, what's wrong with Narnia? I heard it was on the level of Lord of the Rings in terms of literature.

the first and only time i ever deliberately destroyed a book in my entire life was when i read The Horse and His Boy, the fifth published book in the narnia series, as maybe an 7 or 8 year old. i soaked it in water, then ripped up the soggy pages and threw it in the garbage. it had been a gift, and i did feel about it later, but i was just so upset. now that it’s been like 10 years i can look back and go, “Yeah, little me, you were in the right.”

in the narnia universe, there’s three main countries: narnia itself is the northernmost, archenland is a small one in the middle, and calormen is the sourthernmost.

all the humans in narnia and archenland are white, while the calormen people always described as dark. y’know what else they’re described as? evil lmao! humans from archenland and narnia get to be complex people, but calormen humans are always, always evil.

they’re also coded as muslim, and calormen is really obviously based on the ottoman empire. when calormenes say their king’s name, they always add “May he live forever” as a suffix. that is clearly, obviously based on how muslims say “Peace be upon him” after saying the names of prophets, notably for muhammd PBUH (see?). as muslims we are constantly wishing each other peace; we greet each other with peace when we say “assalmu walaykum”, peace be with you. we wish peace upon prophets so they may wish peace back. and yet this bitch decides to take this and make it into “May he live forever”, a complete mockery of us.

their god is portrayed as lesser to jesus lion aslan, and is basically the devil. the only good calormenes are the ones who fucking embrace aslan and reject the calormene religion in a pathetically thinly veiled metaphor for conversion. im not even joking. 

the book i destroyed was particularly disgusting, as most of it took place is calormen. the horse and his boy is literally about a whitey living in calormen as a slave, and everyone knows that, because he’s white, he’s soooooo much better, and meant for better things than here. he’s a good person! we know because he’s constantly called fairskinned while everyone else, who are evil, are described with dark skin. im not even joking. it turns out he was from archenland all along, and literally the only good calormene in the story is a girl who later on does that whole “converting” thing when she rejects basically all of fcuking calormene and runs off to marry the white boy and live in the painfully white archenland

in the last book, basically the ending is everyone fucking dies as the world ends, and all the white people go to heaven or something.* BUT there’s this group of calormene soldiers there, and they basically have the illusion that they’re stuck in a dark hut. they can’t understand when people say there’s no such hut, they’re just sitting around a fire. aslan says it’s because they’re ignorant and won’t accept him. basically muslims are STILL portrayed as evil and stupid because they’re 1) brown & black 2) evil and ignorant

*except for susan, the second pevensie child. she didn’t go back to narnia because she was “too busy with nylons and lipstick”. so i guess existing and wanting to have fun as a girl is punishable with also not going to heaven i guess. people have written essays and essays about susan but why have so few people pointed out the blatant racism honestly

[internetbasic9]

Business Trump Unleashes on Kavanaugh Accuser as Key Republican Wavers

Business Trump Unleashes on Kavanaugh Accuser as Key Republican Wavers Business Trump Unleashes on Kavanaugh Accuser as Key Republican Wavers https://ift.tt/2Dx9PTa

Business ImageSenator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, is a potential swing vote in the nomination of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh.CreditCreditErin Schaff for The New York TimesWASHINGTON — President Trump assailed the latest woman to accuse Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, saying on Tuesday that she “has nothing” because she was “messed up” at the time, even as a key Republican senator urged colleagues to take the accusations seriously.With pressure rising in advance of a make-or-break hearing on Thursday, Mr. Trump lashed out in a more vociferous way than he has since his nominee came under fire for allegations of sexual assault, blaming Democrats for orchestrating a “con game” and targeting one of Judge Kavanaugh’s accusers in scathing, personal terms.“The second accuser has nothing,” Mr. Trump said. “She thinks maybe it could have been him, maybe not. She admits that she was drunk. She admits time lapses. There were time lapses. This is a person, and this is a series of statements, that’s going to take one of the most talented and one of the greatest intellects from a judicial standpoint in our country, going to keep him off the United States Supreme Court?”The president was referring to Deborah Ramirez, who said in an interview with The New Yorker published this week that Judge Kavanaugh exposed himself to her during a drinking party while they were students at Yale. She was initially reluctant to characterize the judge’s role, but said that after six days of assessing memories, she was confident that he was the one who took down his pants.As Mr. Trump and Republican leaders insisted that they will install Judge Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court despite the accusations, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a crucial Republican swing vote, offered a blunt warning of her own: Do not prejudge sexual assault allegations against the nominee.“We are now in a place where it’s not about whether or not Judge Kavanaugh is qualified,” Ms. Murkowski said in an extended interview on Monday night in the Capitol. “It is about whether or not a woman who has been a victim at some point in her life is to be believed.”With a 51-to-49 majority, Senate Republicans can afford to lose only one vote. If Ms. Murkowski votes no, she could swing Senator Susan Collins of Maine, the other abortion-rights Republican in the Senate. But Republican leaders were confident enough on Tuesday that they scheduled a committee vote for Friday, just a day after the hearing, a move that drew rebukes from Democrats who said the majority was not taking the allegations seriously.Senate Judiciary Committee staff members interviewed Judge Kavanaugh by telephone on Tuesday about Ms. Ramirez and he denied her account, according to people familiar with the interview. The committee plans a hearing for Thursday to hear another woman, Christine Blasey Ford, who has said that Judge Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school, but it was not clear whether Ms. Ramirez would be called as well.The committee’s Republican leadership said on Tuesday that it had retained an outside counsel — Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, called her a “female assistant” — to aid in Thursday’s hearing, but declined to identify the lawyer, citing safety concerns. Dr. Blasey, who also goes by her married name, Ford, had sought to have senators question her rather than a lawyer.VideoSenator Mitch McConnell said that being male didn’t preclude making a fair decision but that “a female assistant” was hired to question Christine Blasey Ford before the Senate Judiciary Committee.Published OnSept. 25, 2018CreditCreditImage by Erin Schaff for The New York TimesBut mindful of the backlash after sharp questioning of Anita F. Hill during confirmation hearings for Justice Clarence Thomas in 1991, the all-male group of Republicans on the committee preferred to pass off the task to a professional and a woman.Mr. Trump’s aggressive comments on Tuesday came after privately expressing concern that Judge Kavanaugh had been too weak during an interview on Monday night on Fox News. The judge denied the allegations against him in a calm way, growing a little emotional at the end, but the president and some of his advisers worried that he was not forceful or indignant enough. Judge Kavanaugh repeated some of the same scripted lines repeatedly, to the point that some of his allies believed it came across as robotic.Image“I had not made a decision, and obviously the hearing Thursday is an important one,” Senator Susan Collins of Maine told reporters on Tuesday.CreditErin Schaff for The New York TimesThe president hinted at his private disappointment in his public comments to reporters on Tuesday. “He was so truthful,” he said of the judge. “You’re also not seeing him on his footing. This isn’t his footing. He’s never been here before. He’s never had any charges like this, I mean charges come up from 36 years ago that are totally unsubstantiated.”But Ms. Murkowski’s expressions of concern undercut Republican efforts to paint the accusations as a grand Democratic plot. She was always expected to be a critical vote in Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation process. But she is making clear that, beyond matters of abortion, she is deeply troubled by Dr. Blasey’s story.In the interview, Ms. Murkowski emphasized how invested she was in assessing Dr. Blasey’s story. Her view that an “arbitrary timeline” should not scuttle a potential hearing helped nudge Republicans toward reaching an agreement with the accuser’s lawyers last weekend. She canceled a meeting of the Senate committee she leads on Thursday to ensure her schedule was clear. And although she is not on the Senate Judiciary Committee, she will be watching.“All you can try to do is be as fair as possible to ensure that at the end of the day justice is delivered,” Ms. Murkowski said.As senators prepare to face contradictory testimony from Judge Kavanaugh and Dr. Blasey, with little hope of independent corroboration, Ms. Murkowski is emerging as an important voice, along with Ms. Collins, Senator Jeff Flake, Republican of Arizona, and, possibly, Senator Dean Heller of Nevada, the only Republican up for re-election in November in a state won by Hillary Clinton.As new accusations surface, their ultimate decisions are looking ever more difficult. Late Monday night, a freshman roommate of Judge Kavanaugh’s at Yale, James Roche, released a statement in support of Ms. Ramirez.“Although Brett was normally reserved, he was a notably heavy drinker, even by the standards of the time,” he wrote, adding, “he became aggressive and belligerent when he was very drunk.”Another Yale schoolmate, Steve Kantrowitz, took to Twitter on Tuesday to contradict the assertion Judge Kavanaugh made on Fox News on Monday night that he was a virgin in high school and “for many years thereafter.”“Perhaps Brett Kavanaugh was a virgin for many years after high school,” he wrote. “But he claimed otherwise in a conversation with me during our freshman year in Lawrence Hall at Yale, in the living room of my suite.”In lashing out on Tuesday, Mr. Trump dispensed with the restraint that advisers have urged him to exercise and adopted the attack mode he prefers. He portrayed the allegations against Judge Kavanaugh as character assassination, and he went further than before in directly challenging the credibility of Ms. Ramirez.“She said she was totally inebriated and she was all messed up and she doesn’t know it was him but it might have been him,” Mr. Trump said while in New York for the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly. Then, speaking sarcastically, he added, “Oh, gee, let’s not make him a Supreme Court judge because of that.”As the president of Colombia looked on, Mr. Trump accused the Democrats of smearing Judge Kavanaugh. “I think it’s horrible what the Democrats have done. It’s a con game they’re playing; they’re really con artists,” he said. “They’re playing a con game,” he continued, “and they play it very well. They play it actually much better than the Republicans.”ImageThe chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Charles E. Grassley, hired an outside lawyer to question Christine Blasey Ford on behalf of Republicans.CreditErin Schaff for The New York TimesHe went on to call it a con game several more times, even at one point spelling it out, “C-O-N.”Democrats argued that Mr. Trump and other Republicans were casting a verdict without actually hearing from any accusers. “Senate Republicans promised that ‘anyone who comes forward as Dr. Ford has deserves to be heard,’” Senate Democrats said in a statement. “Unfortunately, it appears that Republican leaders have prejudged the outcome of Thursday’s hearing.”For many Republicans, the charges and countercharges have only cemented their view that Judge Kavanaugh is being smeared by a coordinated campaign of Democrats and liberal activists.Senator Bob Corker, Republican of Tennessee, said he was not persuaded by Ms. Ramirez’s story. “I read The New Yorker article. It’s pretty thin. No one else remembered any of it,” he said. “This is really getting kind of carried away, it’s feeling more like a circus. But again, I did feel like this first accuser should be heard.”Projecting optimism, Mr. McConnell signaled that Republicans would be ready to move forward quickly after Thursday’s hearing.“We’re going to be moving forward; I’m confident we’re going to win,” he told reporters.In the interview, Ms. Murkowski was not so dismissive of the accusations. “We are at just a difficult place because the conversation is not rational on either side,” she said. She added: “Just look at some of the hateful things that are being said out there. How do you dial that back?”“We need to be able to listen,” she said, pledging to take Dr. Blasey seriously. “We have to listen to what she will say on the record, under oath, and what Judge Kavanaugh will say on the record, under oath.”When Dr. Blasey, a research psychologist in Northern California, came forward in an interview this month with The Washington Post, Ms. Murkowski and Ms. Collins had largely completed exhaustive reviews of Judge Kavanaugh’s career and legal writing, including follow-up calls with the nominee just two days before. Both senators were particularly interested in Judge Kavanaugh’s views on Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that established a constitutional right to abortion, but privately, fellow Republicans believed the judge had probably won their support — and with it a ticket onto the court.Those views will still influence their decisions, both senators have said. Ms. Murkowski said on Monday that Judge Kavanaugh had laid out for her a powerful case about the importance of precedent and the “reliance of interest” it creates.“How he articulated how it had been reinforced in so many different steps, I certainly have greater confidence with the way that he portrayed to me how he views Roe,” she said.Ms. Collins, an institutional-minded centrist who carefully reviews judicial nominees, has expressed similar views on Judge Kavanaugh and Roe and indicated that she will watch on Thursday with equal vigor.“I had not made a decision, and obviously the hearing Thursday is an important one,” Ms. Collins told reporters on Tuesday. She expressed concern about Ms. Ramirez’s accusation and suggested that the Judiciary Committee question her under oath as well as Dr. Blasey.Given the explosive nature of the allegations, the decision by Republicans on the Judiciary Committee to hire an outside lawyer to question Dr. Blasey was cast by some as a way to preserve some sense of decorum. “We have done it because we want to depoliticize the whole process, like the Democrats politicized the Anita Hill thing,” said Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa and the chairman of the committee.A version of this article appears in print on of the New York edition with the headline: Trump Takes Aim At New Accuser: She ‘Has Nothing’. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe Read More | https://ift.tt/2NDmKaB |

Business Trump Unleashes on Kavanaugh Accuser as Key Republican Wavers, in 2018-09-26 01:45:38

[blogparadiseisland]

Business Trump Unleashes on Kavanaugh Accuser as Key Republican Wavers

Business Trump Unleashes on Kavanaugh Accuser as Key Republican Wavers Business Trump Unleashes on Kavanaugh Accuser as Key Republican Wavers http://www.nature-business.com/business-trump-unleashes-on-kavanaugh-accuser-as-key-republican-wavers/

Business ImageSenator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, is a potential swing vote in the nomination of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh.CreditCreditErin Schaff for The New York TimesWASHINGTON — President Trump assailed the latest woman to accuse Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, saying on Tuesday that she “has nothing” because she was “messed up” at the time, even as a key Republican senator urged colleagues to take the accusations seriously.With pressure rising in advance of a make-or-break hearing on Thursday, Mr. Trump lashed out in a more vociferous way than he has since his nominee came under fire for allegations of sexual assault, blaming Democrats for orchestrating a “con game” and targeting one of Judge Kavanaugh’s accusers in scathing, personal terms.“The second accuser has nothing,” Mr. Trump said. “She thinks maybe it could have been him, maybe not. She admits that she was drunk. She admits time lapses. There were time lapses. This is a person, and this is a series of statements, that’s going to take one of the most talented and one of the greatest intellects from a judicial standpoint in our country, going to keep him off the United States Supreme Court?”The president was referring to Deborah Ramirez, who said in an interview with The New Yorker published this week that Judge Kavanaugh exposed himself to her during a drinking party while they were students at Yale. She was initially reluctant to characterize the judge’s role, but said that after six days of assessing memories, she was confident that he was the one who took down his pants.As Mr. Trump and Republican leaders insisted that they will install Judge Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court despite the accusations, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a crucial Republican swing vote, offered a blunt warning of her own: Do not prejudge sexual assault allegations against the nominee.“We are now in a place where it’s not about whether or not Judge Kavanaugh is qualified,” Ms. Murkowski said in an extended interview on Monday night in the Capitol. “It is about whether or not a woman who has been a victim at some point in her life is to be believed.”With a 51-to-49 majority, Senate Republicans can afford to lose only one vote. If Ms. Murkowski votes no, she could swing Senator Susan Collins of Maine, the other abortion-rights Republican in the Senate. But Republican leaders were confident enough on Tuesday that they scheduled a committee vote for Friday, just a day after the hearing, a move that drew rebukes from Democrats who said the majority was not taking the allegations seriously.Senate Judiciary Committee staff members interviewed Judge Kavanaugh by telephone on Tuesday about Ms. Ramirez and he denied her account, according to people familiar with the interview. The committee plans a hearing for Thursday to hear another woman, Christine Blasey Ford, who has said that Judge Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school, but it was not clear whether Ms. Ramirez would be called as well.The committee’s Republican leadership said on Tuesday that it had retained an outside counsel — Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, called her a “female assistant” — to aid in Thursday’s hearing, but declined to identify the lawyer, citing safety concerns. Dr. Blasey, who also goes by her married name, Ford, had sought to have senators question her rather than a lawyer.VideoSenator Mitch McConnell said that being male didn’t preclude making a fair decision but that “a female assistant” was hired to question Christine Blasey Ford before the Senate Judiciary Committee.Published OnSept. 25, 2018CreditCreditImage by Erin Schaff for The New York TimesBut mindful of the backlash after sharp questioning of Anita F. Hill during confirmation hearings for Justice Clarence Thomas in 1991, the all-male group of Republicans on the committee preferred to pass off the task to a professional and a woman.Mr. Trump’s aggressive comments on Tuesday came after privately expressing concern that Judge Kavanaugh had been too weak during an interview on Monday night on Fox News. The judge denied the allegations against him in a calm way, growing a little emotional at the end, but the president and some of his advisers worried that he was not forceful or indignant enough. Judge Kavanaugh repeated some of the same scripted lines repeatedly, to the point that some of his allies believed it came across as robotic.Image“I had not made a decision, and obviously the hearing Thursday is an important one,” Senator Susan Collins of Maine told reporters on Tuesday.CreditErin Schaff for The New York TimesThe president hinted at his private disappointment in his public comments to reporters on Tuesday. “He was so truthful,” he said of the judge. “You’re also not seeing him on his footing. This isn’t his footing. He’s never been here before. He’s never had any charges like this, I mean charges come up from 36 years ago that are totally unsubstantiated.”But Ms. Murkowski’s expressions of concern undercut Republican efforts to paint the accusations as a grand Democratic plot. She was always expected to be a critical vote in Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation process. But she is making clear that, beyond matters of abortion, she is deeply troubled by Dr. Blasey’s story.In the interview, Ms. Murkowski emphasized how invested she was in assessing Dr. Blasey’s story. Her view that an “arbitrary timeline” should not scuttle a potential hearing helped nudge Republicans toward reaching an agreement with the accuser’s lawyers last weekend. She canceled a meeting of the Senate committee she leads on Thursday to ensure her schedule was clear. And although she is not on the Senate Judiciary Committee, she will be watching.“All you can try to do is be as fair as possible to ensure that at the end of the day justice is delivered,” Ms. Murkowski said.As senators prepare to face contradictory testimony from Judge Kavanaugh and Dr. Blasey, with little hope of independent corroboration, Ms. Murkowski is emerging as an important voice, along with Ms. Collins, Senator Jeff Flake, Republican of Arizona, and, possibly, Senator Dean Heller of Nevada, the only Republican up for re-election in November in a state won by Hillary Clinton.As new accusations surface, their ultimate decisions are looking ever more difficult. Late Monday night, a freshman roommate of Judge Kavanaugh’s at Yale, James Roche, released a statement in support of Ms. Ramirez.“Although Brett was normally reserved, he was a notably heavy drinker, even by the standards of the time,” he wrote, adding, “he became aggressive and belligerent when he was very drunk.”Another Yale schoolmate, Steve Kantrowitz, took to Twitter on Tuesday to contradict the assertion Judge Kavanaugh made on Fox News on Monday night that he was a virgin in high school and “for many years thereafter.”“Perhaps Brett Kavanaugh was a virgin for many years after high school,” he wrote. “But he claimed otherwise in a conversation with me during our freshman year in Lawrence Hall at Yale, in the living room of my suite.”In lashing out on Tuesday, Mr. Trump dispensed with the restraint that advisers have urged him to exercise and adopted the attack mode he prefers. He portrayed the allegations against Judge Kavanaugh as character assassination, and he went further than before in directly challenging the credibility of Ms. Ramirez.“She said she was totally inebriated and she was all messed up and she doesn’t know it was him but it might have been him,” Mr. Trump said while in New York for the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly. Then, speaking sarcastically, he added, “Oh, gee, let’s not make him a Supreme Court judge because of that.”As the president of Colombia looked on, Mr. Trump accused the Democrats of smearing Judge Kavanaugh. “I think it’s horrible what the Democrats have done. It’s a con game they’re playing; they’re really con artists,” he said. “They’re playing a con game,” he continued, “and they play it very well. They play it actually much better than the Republicans.”ImageThe chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Charles E. Grassley, hired an outside lawyer to question Christine Blasey Ford on behalf of Republicans.CreditErin Schaff for The New York TimesHe went on to call it a con game several more times, even at one point spelling it out, “C-O-N.”Democrats argued that Mr. Trump and other Republicans were casting a verdict without actually hearing from any accusers. “Senate Republicans promised that ‘anyone who comes forward as Dr. Ford has deserves to be heard,’” Senate Democrats said in a statement. “Unfortunately, it appears that Republican leaders have prejudged the outcome of Thursday’s hearing.”For many Republicans, the charges and countercharges have only cemented their view that Judge Kavanaugh is being smeared by a coordinated campaign of Democrats and liberal activists.Senator Bob Corker, Republican of Tennessee, said he was not persuaded by Ms. Ramirez’s story. “I read The New Yorker article. It’s pretty thin. No one else remembered any of it,” he said. “This is really getting kind of carried away, it’s feeling more like a circus. But again, I did feel like this first accuser should be heard.”Projecting optimism, Mr. McConnell signaled that Republicans would be ready to move forward quickly after Thursday’s hearing.“We’re going to be moving forward; I’m confident we’re going to win,” he told reporters.In the interview, Ms. Murkowski was not so dismissive of the accusations. “We are at just a difficult place because the conversation is not rational on either side,” she said. She added: “Just look at some of the hateful things that are being said out there. How do you dial that back?”“We need to be able to listen,” she said, pledging to take Dr. Blasey seriously. “We have to listen to what she will say on the record, under oath, and what Judge Kavanaugh will say on the record, under oath.”When Dr. Blasey, a research psychologist in Northern California, came forward in an interview this month with The Washington Post, Ms. Murkowski and Ms. Collins had largely completed exhaustive reviews of Judge Kavanaugh’s career and legal writing, including follow-up calls with the nominee just two days before. Both senators were particularly interested in Judge Kavanaugh’s views on Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that established a constitutional right to abortion, but privately, fellow Republicans believed the judge had probably won their support — and with it a ticket onto the court.Those views will still influence their decisions, both senators have said. Ms. Murkowski said on Monday that Judge Kavanaugh had laid out for her a powerful case about the importance of precedent and the “reliance of interest” it creates.“How he articulated how it had been reinforced in so many different steps, I certainly have greater confidence with the way that he portrayed to me how he views Roe,” she said.Ms. Collins, an institutional-minded centrist who carefully reviews judicial nominees, has expressed similar views on Judge Kavanaugh and Roe and indicated that she will watch on Thursday with equal vigor.“I had not made a decision, and obviously the hearing Thursday is an important one,” Ms. Collins told reporters on Tuesday. She expressed concern about Ms. Ramirez’s accusation and suggested that the Judiciary Committee question her under oath as well as Dr. Blasey.Given the explosive nature of the allegations, the decision by Republicans on the Judiciary Committee to hire an outside lawyer to question Dr. Blasey was cast by some as a way to preserve some sense of decorum. “We have done it because we want to depoliticize the whole process, like the Democrats politicized the Anita Hill thing,” said Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa and the chairman of the committee.A version of this article appears in print on of the New York edition with the headline: Trump Takes Aim At New Accuser: She ‘Has Nothing’. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe Read More | https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/25/us/politics/lisa-murkowski-brett-kavanaugh.html |

Business Trump Unleashes on Kavanaugh Accuser as Key Republican Wavers, in 2018-09-26 01:45:38

[bloodfromtherock-blog]

COWBOY ROY vs.  THE DESPERADO DEMOCRATS

Daniel Hutchens December 13, 2017

Heard your plea in the courthouse Jury box began to rock and rise Forty-nine sister states all had Alabama in their eyes

Alabama getaway Alabama getaway -Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter ************************************************************** Yesterday’s victory by Doug Jones in the Alabama race for US Senate was important and hard fought. The special election had been called to replace Jeff Sessions, who has been named Attorney General in the Trump administration. In the deep red Republican stronghold Alabama has long been, Jones is the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in 25 years.

The main attraction, and what caught the whole country’s attention in dramatic fashion, was whether Jones would be able to defeat the beyond-conservative and toxically bigoted Roy Moore. 

Moore, who has amassed cultish support among the evangelically fevered, was suspended from the bench twice for ethics violations during his tenure as Chief Justice of the Alabama supreme court. In the first instance he refused to remove a huge Ten Commandments monument from the Alabama Judicial Building, after secretly having it installed at night. In the second instance he instructed Alabama probate judges not to issue licenses for gay marriage, in direct defiance of the US Supreme Court’s ruling.

He has described homosexuality as “an inherent evil, and an act so heinous that it defies one’s ability to describe it,” and  says outright that being gay should be illegal. He openly refers to Asians and Native Americans as “yellows” and “reds.” He claims that 9/11 happened because God was punishing us for “sodomy and abortions,” and he believes Muslims should not be allowed to hold political office in America.  But Moore’s blurring of the line between legality and his disturbingly angry version of religion is just the beginning. Moore’s campaign for US Senate was beset by numerous allegations of sexual misconduct, including women who were teenagers or legally underage at the time of the incidents. Leigh Corfman accuses Moore of molesting her when she was 14, and Beverly Young Nelson claims Moore bruised her during a sexual assault when she was 16. A series of stories told by locals seems to confirm that Moore was often seen lurking at a mall in Gadsden, pursuing the numerous teen age girls who socialized there. According to New Yorker reporter Charles Bethea: “More than a dozen people—including a major political figure in the state…told me that they had heard, over the years, that Moore had been banned from the mall because he repeatedly badgered teen-age girls. These people include five members of the local legal community, two cops who worked in the town, several people who hung out at the mall in the early eighties, and a number of former mall employees…Teresa Jones, a deputy district attorney for Etowah County in the early eighties, told CNN last week that ‘it was common knowledge that Roy dated high school girls.’ “

Moore was in his 30s when these mall incidents allegedly happened. The reports from a wide range of sources seem to confirm the stories have validity, and that basically, yeah…Roy Moore was that guy. Lurking around the local shopping mall. The weirdo you’d warn your kids about. ********************************************************** The more mainstream members of the Republican party were put in an uncomfortable position by this election: they were forced to choose between crossing party lines, denouncing Moore, and likely getting a Democrat elected…or openly supporting a sleaze with a taste for unapologetic discrimination and purty little pistols, which he liked to display while prancing around onstage in a hackneyed quasi-cowboy outfit. Hearing interviews with some of Alabama’s more right-wing citizens was bizarre in its own right. Their tortured attempts to justify Moore’s behaviors included plenty of references to Jesus, and observations that Jesus’ mother was a teenager when pregnant, while her husband Joseph was an adult carpenter (this one is a little zany, because there’s that whole Virgin Birth thing involved, but we’ll skate by that one for now)…

You get the picture. Basically, these hard liners have forfeited every claim they ever made to valuing the character of their candidates. Which not so long ago, was a very big talking point for the Republican party. But after giving a shyster like Trump the keys to the Oval Office­­­­­­­­, into which he dragged the awkward baggage of Trump University, ‘70s housing discrimination, pussy grabbin’ and Russia­­—yeah, after all that and then enabling Moore to crawl up from the sewer for a run at the Senate—the Republicans can’t expect to be taken seriously about Morality or Character anytime soon. Plenty of prominent Republicans adamantly refused to offer their endorsement of Moore. Mitt Romney, Richard Shelby, John Kasich, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Bob Corker, etc. …all declined to support or else called on Moore to step down. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell said that if Moore were elected, he would face the Senate Ethics Committee.

But Donald Trump, despite initially supporting an alternative candidate, finally came around to offering Moore his full support  just a week before the election. The Republican National Committee followed suit, restoring its full funding for a candidate for national office who was plagued by accusations of harassment and assault and plain old Craziness. It was one for the history books. The Republicans, despite obvious discomfort, had officially signaled to the American people that Anyone, anywhere and anytime, is preferable to a Democrat.

Anyone. Even a predator of children. Even a wingnut loon with a cruel Jesus complex. Even a pintsized would-be dictator who describes many law-abiding American citizens in the most offensive terms, unjustifiably portraying some of them as criminals. Even a candidate whose wife deflects notions of bigotry by saying, “One of our lawyers is a Jew.” Even Roy Moore.

***********************************************************

It’s a funhouse mirror America we have on our  hands, this era of the Trump regime. We casually accept news items today that would have shocked us senseless a few short years ago. Like a recognized sexual predator making a legitimate run at the Senate. Or Trump’s simplistic dismissal of every negative story about him as “fake news.” Or the gutting of the EPA and the public school system, or the demonization of science and all rational thought. Or Russia’s interference in our system of free elections being shrugged off as irrelevant by Trump supporters. Roy Moore’s behavior during his campaign was strange and sinister, replete with plenty of nods and winks to white supremacists and homophobes. He acted like a drunken fool at times, and topped it off by riding a horse clumsily to the polling place on election day, stiff and absurd in the saddle, the horse plainly wanting nothing to do with its rider…much like many of us feel these days, enduring the daily onslaught of trash-thought piled on us by team Trump. Our reins yanked in wild, nonsensical directions. But at least we caught a little breath of fresh air last night when Roy was dismissed. His little pony show didn’t quite cut it this time around. There are still patches of our old, beloved American landscape out there, and some clear heads with common sense and sharp vision. And it’s plain to see, Roy ain’t no cowboy.