#which means its still jan 29th here

[murumokirby360]

Title: Another 90s Camera: Olympus Camedia C-2000 Z

DeviantART Version [CLICK ME!]

Hello, January! Sorry for the long delay, though. Because I have a lot of things that happened at the beginning of 2024. And GOOD NEWS, I've bought something that makes my PC bring back to LIFE, after 7 months of being inactive (since Jun 9th, 2023)! 🖥️🔧😀 Although I'm still working on the topic, maybe I'll submit it this Feb 2024! 😁

Right now, it's time for my 1st throwback item share of 2024, with this neat-old camera (as my improvise).🙂

• Here's another '90s camera, this is the Olympus Camedia C-2000 Z 📷 inherited from my late grandpa named Jim, who passed away on Jun 6th, 2020 owing to complications, as well as the victim of the COVID-19 virus. Once again, R.I.P, grandpa Jim. 😔⚱️🥀 Believe it or not, I used this '90s camera for submitting on dA, back in Jan 2010. 🙂📸🖼��

Here are my snapshots from the 2010s, so far using the 90s Olympus cam: ○ Jan. 4th, 2010 #1 - [CLICK ME!] ○ Jan. 4th, 2010 #2 - [CLICK ME!] ○ Jan. 19th, 2010 - [CLICK ME!]

BTW: #1: All these three we're stored to my dA private storage, but at least I've already posted on tumblr, couple of years ago.

(and) #2: Also, picturing & submitting these photos on whole "January" calendar was utterly coincidence. 😊📸

1st & 2nd Image(s) [took photos on Jan 19th, 2023]: ↑

• Anyways, the 90s Olympus cam possessed 2.1 megapixels of camera 📷✌️, which was pretty clear & and crisp at the time. However, as of 2024, it is considered a pretty low megapixel that no other modern high-quality companies make that, anymore. 🤷‍♀️ Except for cheap gadgets, of course. And when you compare to your (flagship/mid-range) smartphones 📱/digital cameras 📷 that possessed a whopping 150+ Megapixels, and sometimes 200+ megapixels for the Pro-DSLR camera brands 📷🖼️ speaks volumes to the consumers. It was simply an evolution of the camera lens. Today, like the brick phones from the 90s, the 90s cameras we're now a relic status of the past, meaning no one's using them, anymore due to outdated hardware. They now act as a throwback collection, which simply refuses to throw the trash 🚯, like this ancient 90s Olympus camera. 📷🫳 But hey, if your 90s camera still functions, then you're lucky to used it, but please be careful. 😉

• So, what about the "Olympus" 🇯🇵📷 brand? What happened? Are they still producing cameras? 🤔 Well, according to "quora.com", quote "Olympus has announced in June 2020 that it is selling its camera division to Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) and will exit the camera business altogether. The sale to JIP was completed in January 2021, and the new company created from the sale is called OM Digital Solutions." This means the Olympus camera brand is already off the camera wars; with Canon, Sony, and other Japanese camera brands still running the camera business. However, the Smartphone cameras became more advanced than the old-style digital cams. Here's hoping, that the digit cams will have the same treatment, or maybe still be around in case the smartphone's camera pixels weren't enough, in terms of the raw image.📷🤞

3rd & 4th Image(s) [Took photos on Jan 29th, 2024]: ↑

• Uh yeah, I forgot that the camera includes a soft case fitting for this model. And look, my paper dolls were delighted to see a throwback camera & they wanted a snapshot using it. 🙂📸 Yeah, but it's no longer working 📷❌, and I tried (using 4 Eneloop AA Batteries) 🔋🔋🔋🔋🤷‍♀️. So much so, that I decided to pretend to take snapshots with the old cam while taking photos with my actual camera from my current smartphone (Honor 8C). Was that a coincidence? 🤔 I'm not so sure 😅, but they're delighted. 😊

Well, that’s the end of my topic, more things to come this 2024. 😊

And if you want to see my Yearend Items Summary - 2023, then please → [CLICK ME!].

Tagged: @lordromulus90, @bryan360, @carmenramcat, @leapant, @paektu, @rafacaz4lisam2k4, @alexander1301

[palant1r]

(Sorry for sending so many asks I’ll just keep my live-blogging to this one for now..)

OH!! So it doesn’t have anything to do with lights death after all?!

oOHHHHHH MATSUDAS MENTAL HEALTH GETS A 10/10 FOR ITS DIVE!! Jesus Christ get this man some therapy!! Also does he hate eating because food reminds him of lights corpse?

And yesss, matsuda getting even more agency of his own and finally realizing he can’t just leave this to someone else wooooh!!!

Maybe it’s too much to expect a guy who chalked up years of living to just being a dream to be good at managing time in his head but it has DEFINITELY been more than 15 days. There’s no way he memorized and became so depressed in just 3 days. Also, we still haven’t seen the ‘matsuda writes lights name in the deathnote’ hypothesis, wonder when that’ll come up!

Ohhhh. Matsuda takes away lights agency in his crimes as a way to humanize him. As a way to absolve him. And, as a way to absolve himself for having sex with him. That’s so symbolically <3333

Matsuda trying to convince light to run away with him. I really wonder what lights endgame is here and why he’s being such a dick if he can remember the time loops. Is it really just about proving a point symbolically? Ide said that it would mean something if matsuda sided with light. Is that why lights doing this? To make matsuda side with him for some odd version of catharsis? (I guess we don’t really know how light factors into the time loop but I don’t think he’d be this composed if he didn’t have SOME level of control over it. Somehow.)

Matsuda being stuck in a timeloop really IS such a catch 22 situation. For his agency to matter, for anything to matter, he has to progress somehow. This strips him of his agency but in a way he has no control over, and it’s fun to see the difference between when it’s self imposed and when it’s imposed by some deity-or maybe just light. Probably not but perhaps.

Hhhh The differences between lights corpse and lights living stage, and yet the intertwining of them in matsudas head as a ‘walking corpse’. I’m reminded of your post about light Yagami separating his identity and that of Kira’s so that kira could be indestructible even when light Yagami gets hurt, but here we see how matsuda both plays into that and subverts it.

HHHHHHHHH. There we go, matsuda back at humanizing light. Which, I guess is a valid thing to do considering he’s fucking the guy but I can’t help but feel as though this is setting something up.

ALSO!! More of that catch 22 feel. Light will only settle down when kira is caught but that cannot occur for obvious reasons. Aughhhhh.

OHHHH WHAT THE FUCK IS HE GONNA DO?!

ALSO IF HE WAKES UP ON JAN 29TH TOMORROW THEN WHY?! WHAT DOES HE DO?! WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES FOR ACTIONS AUGHHHHHH IM SO EXCITED!!!!

hehe i will NEVER be upset about metempsychosis liveblogging, i love this so much!

[brilliantorinsane]

The Case of the Lady Beryl

As the name suggests, the closest canon analogue for this episode is The Case of the Beryl Cornet. As far as I can tell the similarities are pretty superficial, basically just consisting of the fact that both mysteries feature a suspect taking the fall for a crime they didn’t commit for the sake of a loved one. I didn’t notice anything particularly interesting in the episode’s use of the canon story, however, so I am going to set that aside and focus on Watson.

Introduction, Ep1 Pt1, Ep1 Pt2

This episode features Holmes at his best, but I was initially bothered by the fact that Watson spends the first half of the episode being rather stupider than normal. Now, characters needn’t be intelligent to be loved and lovable, and the fact that Holmes and Watson take their turns being played for fools is frankly one of the strengths of the series. But given the history of adaptations erasing Watson’s capabilities I get touchy when he is being underestimated, so when in the span of 10 minutes he has fallen for a transparent lie from Lestrade, mocked Holmes’s experiments, taken 24 seconds to process a perfectly straightforward sentence, and flat-out forgotten how bullets work, I start getting defensive.

Fortunately, fandom has taught me a great deal about the potential for audience interaction with texts to be transformative as well as analytical, so I’ve brought my stubbornness to bear and found an interpretation that (mostly) satisfies me. I do not know whether the reading I have to offer was in any way intended, but I do think it is consistent with what exists on the screen and adds depth to Watson’s characterization. That being said I don’t suppose I’ll ever entirely forgive them for implying that John Watson, a fricken doctor and soldier, is unable to differentiate between a bullet-wound and a bashed-in head.

The observation that prompted my re-evaluation of Watson’s behavior was realizing that in every instance his slowness is directly related to his following Lestrade’s lead or being more focused on Lestrade than Holmes. This is a curious thing, particularly since I think it would be far too simplistic to infer that Watson is simply looking for someone to follow and imitate. After all, even though Holmes has a deep effect on him, Watson frequently challenges Holmes’s conclusions and never adopts his manner. So of all people, why would Watson choose to imitate Lestrade, a man who is frequently the butt of the joke and at times seems to care about his own image more than the justice he has been given the authority and responsibility to protect?

My theory, counterintuitive though it may seem, is that Lestrade is the sort of man Watson believes he ought to be. I think there is evidence that this Watson, regardless of his actual personality and inclinations, thinks he ought to be a traditionally proper English gentleman. Throughout the show he continually protests Holmes’s eccentricities, and yet far from meaningfully attempting to abate or escape them, he not infrequently joins in wholeheartedly. To me, this seems indicative of a pattern: in this series Holmes and Watson are both eccentric madmen, but whereas Holmes is perfectly comfortable with the fact, Watson has put effort into appearing ‘normal’ and ‘correct’, and periodically struggles to maintain or reclaim that image—both in the eyes of others and himself.

And the funny thing about Lestrade is that, for all his buffoonery, in a very real way he represents the proper English gentleman. When Holmes isn’t busy destabilizing Lestrade’s self-image he is confident, assertive, and takes the lead. His manner (when he feels in control) is dignified and polite. He has the socially sanctioned “correct” opinions about gender and class and English superiority. And granted much of this is a facade which interferes with his accomplishing his job justly and well, but it has been sanctioned by the symbol of the police cap and the power of the Inspector. He has been chosen as the protector of a society whose cultural ideal he (superficially) embodies.

So, all things considered, Watson is very little like Lestrade, but Lestrade is very much like the sort of man Watson has been socially conditioned to aspire to.

(As a side note, part of the reason I enjoy this reading of Howard Watson is that it puts him in conversation with other Watson adaptations and the canon itself. Certainly it fits with my reading of the BBC Sherlock and Guy Ritchie Watsons. I haven’t decided the extent to which I read canon Watson in a similar manner, but the potential for such a reading is there in the way he paints himself as a deeply normal man while engaging in highly abnormal behavior. The Sign of Four, I suspect, provides especially good material for such an interpretation).

Perhaps the best part of this reading is that, if Lestrade leads Watson into performative normality, it is Holmes who releases him. Once Holmes is included in the investigation, a gradual shift occurs. At first Watson maintains his alliance with Lestrade, but for all that Lestrade has the advantage of social pressures pushing Watson towards him, this cannot last long once Holmes has re-entered the picture. By the time they are interviewing the primary suspect, he has returned to his usual intelligent and capable self.

Because that’s one of the many the beauties of their relationship: Holmes frees Watson from the endless task of conforming, and his genuine self is far better than any cheap imitation. And while I didn’t get into in this write-up, Watson returns the favor by loving Holmes as he is while curbing his more dangerous exterminates and keeping him grounded and present. Also in this episode he’s already 2-for-2 saving Holmes’s life and property and they’re just so good for each other and I love them.

  My Story:

I don’t have anything particular to add on this point aside from what I’ve already said, but here’s the link to chapter two of Hidden in the Moments:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12795147/chapters/29238576#workskin

  Highlights:

Although Watson’s behavior around Lestrade isn’t his finest, I quite enjoy the fact that in the second episode Watson has already wheedled his way into cases on his own merit. Then his first move is to convince Lestrade to involve Holmes, which is adorable.

Also when he suggests they bring in Holmes his eyes get all soft and he has this warm little smile, like he’s so pleased and excited at the prospect of seeing Holmes at work again (3.20).

It’s also worth noting that the first thing that gets Watson on Lestrade’s side is Lestrade ranting about how Holmes deserves more credit. I’m pretty sure it’s insincere deflection on Lestrade’s part, but Watson believes him and is so endeared to Lestrade for defending Holmes and it’s honestly quite sweet.

Wilkins!!! Have I mentioned yet that I really love Wilkins? He’s smart without being showy, plays everything straight but is actually rather snarky, doesn't dismiss Holmes���s experiments like most people do and is maybe the only character who always enjoys Holmes’s intelligence without ever feeling threatened by it. I just find him really endearing.

So Wilkins walks into Baker Street when Holmes is doing an experiment, and Holmes immediately drags him into his experiment while absentmindedly offering him tea twice. And I love this scene because this Holmes is actually pretty social, it’s just on his own terms. He’s probably not going to do small-talk most days, but when he’s in the right mood he will serve you endless cups of probably-not-poisoned tea and ramble about his current fixation, which I honestly feel is very true to canon. Also I think he just genuinely likes Wilkins.

When trying to hurry Holmes off to a crime scene Lestrade calls his experiments ‘nonsense.’ Poor Holmes looks absolutely stricken, then passionately lectures Lestrade on the importance of Science and Progress all the way to the crime scene. Holmes is a nerd and I love him.

As they rush off to the crime scene Watson pauses to turn off the burner under Holmes’s experiments, and by Holmes’s estimation very likely saved Baker Street. It’s a lovely little example of how Watson’s somewhat more grounded personality works in tandem with Holmes’s absentminded hyperfocusing.

I quite like Lady Beryl. Granted her performance and circumstances are a bit melodramatic, but she has a quiet and calculating strength that draws me to her.

There’s a scene at 16:15 when Holmes is (rather unnecessarily) ribbing Lestrade and Lestrade begins to get worked up and defensive. Matters could have escalated from there, but Watson quietly leans forward and relays some pertinent facts about the crime scene to Holmes. It’s just a little moment of unpretentious conflict-resolution born of what Watson has already come to understand about these two men, and I really appreciate it.

24:27–24:32: “Brilliant Holmes, absolutely brilliant!”“Thank you Watson :)”

Watson again nabs the criminal efficiently and without posturing, while Holmes watches with all the attentiveness he offers a crime scene before offering one of his secret little smiles.

Holmes runs off in a panic upon realizing he left the burner on, and the episode ends before Watson can catch up and reassure him. And while I have my own (much longer) mental timeline of events, I must admit that what with our not being privy to it, the rush of gratitude and relief when Holmes realizes what Watson has done makes that unseen moment an excellent candidate for a first kiss.

@the-prince-of-professors @tremendousdetectivetheorist @devoursjohnlock@mafief @the-hopeless-existentialist@irishunic0rn @a-candle-for-sherlock@rfscommonplace @acdhw @artemisastarte

[focsle]

These journals lead me into taking so many obsessive little detours. Here's a 20 minute rabbit hole I went down instead of working on my comic.

[ID: Excerpt from an 1850s whaling journal kept by Albert Peck. Transcription follows.]

"We here spoke the ship Hibernia [Hibernia II] of N.B. She was commanded by one of those old sea tyrants who with their success in whaling have gained a wide spread fame for cruelty. This skippers name was Edwards, and his looks were a good index to his character. He had commanded a ship called the Geo.Washington some years before, and going into a South American port the crew set her on fire to get clear of her. This skipper like a great many others had been successful in his voyages and therefore was a saint, although it regularly took about half of his voyage to settle the lawsuits that were brought against him by the crew."

So then I go to the beloved whaleship database to find the George Washington. It's a popular ship name. But! We see that one was burned at Talcahuano, March 16th 1856

[ID: Image of a whaling database listing the above information. /end ID]

I wanna learn more about what happened, so it's time to peruse the whaleman's shipping list! The issue published on April 29th, 1856 is when the George Washington is most recently heard from. Its progress was reported via a letter the captain sent from Talcahuano on March 12th, 1856, stating that the ship was 'clean', meaning that it had taken no oil 5 months in.

[ID: Excerpt from the Whalemen's Shipping list with the above information.]

About a month later, the issue of the Whalemen's Shipping List published on May 20th contains an article about the George Washington's fate:

"A letter received in this city, from Capt. Munckley of ship Emerald, dated Talcahuano, March 19th, gives the following particulars of the loss of the ship George Washington, of this port:--

The G.W. arrived here some weeks since, and on Sunday last (16th), was set fire by some of the crew. The ship was immediately scuttled, and towed into shoal water, and every exertion made to extinguish the fire, but the ship did not fill before she grounded. Holes were cut in her deck, and water applied as long as it was considered any good. On Wednesday night following, the fire broke out anew, and soon the whole ship was enveloped in a blaze, and burnt to the water's edge.-- When I came on deck, this morning, at 5 1/2 o'clock, her foremast had fallen, and at 6 1/2 o'clock the main and mizzen masts went by the board. Nothing but the sails that were bent, were saved.

The article also goes on to state that she was valued at $60,000 and insured for only $11,000.

The July 8th issue says that Captain Edwards returned to New England via the ship President, which he was placed under command of for the return journey as the ship's former captain had abandoned it.

As for what became of the crew and the harshness that Albert alluded to, that's outlined in Dennis Wood's 1854-61 abstract of whaling voyages:

[ID: Excerpt from the abstract written in slanting script. Transcript follows. /end ID]

Ship Geo. Washington of New Bedford, J. Howland Jr. & Co, 609. "Pardon C Edwards Master sailed Oct 9th 1855 for South Pacific. Sld. from Fayal Nov. 4th Clean. At Pernambuco Jan 27th, 1856. Sailed on the 29th or 30th to cruise. A letter reports her at Talcahuano Mch 12. Clean. Reported to have been set on fire by some of the crew on the night of Mch. 16 in Talcahuano harbor and burnt to the water's edge. Nothing saved but her sails. A letter from Captain E stated that three men had been found guilty of setting fire to the ship and sentenced to 100 lashes and 30 years in the chain gang each. Burnt at Talcahuano on 1856."

Albert already shared all that information in his journal entry that sparked this and it wasn't at all necessary for me to plunge into it but STILL...I like putting together little history puzzles.

[kateis-cakeis]

Would Alivebur Join The Syndicate?

It’s been a question circling in my mind since Techno wrote out the manifesto. Because the Syndicate stands for something very important, not just promoting anarchy, but fighting tyranny.

In all its forms! Sic semper tyrannis. Thus always to tyrants!!

So, what does this mean for Alivebur? Well, his entire story is good to work this out. 

From the second he experienced tyranny when all he was doing was making drugs, to the moment he gave everything up, proclaiming that government was not the way to go... Alivebur was fighting against tyrants. That was always his role.

Firstly, I will examine what a 16th of Nov Alivebur would think, then, I will factor in an Alivebur with Ghostbur memoires. So, let’s begin!

To truly see what Alivebur would think, we need to dive into past quotes:

*Sapnap hands over some Blaze rods* “Oh yeah, you can't buy our peace from your tyranny.” - (Wilbur’s The Wall: 7:19, 29th July)

This is the first time tyranny is mentioned, and it’s in reference to Sapnap. After all, he was the one who arrested Tommy, he was the one who tried to stop them, who killed Tommy too. This is when we find out what angle Alivebur is going for - that what happened to him and Tommy was down to tyrants.

Here, Alivebur insinuates the only way to get peace is with revolution and independence. Not from tyrants buying him off.

“Look, Dream isn't our enemy, he's our neighbour. But, we are seceding from his tyrannical rule.” - (Wilbur’s The Wall: 57:34, 29th July)

This is the second time tyranny is mentioned, and the first time it’s directed towards Dream. Alivebur clearly had no beef with him, as he claimed he wasn’t an enemy, but he does claim that Dream is a tyrant. Which, considering what happened to Alivebur, makes sense. 

You can also see here that Alivebur didn’t want to fight, see:

“We don’t win wars with battles and with armour. We win wars with our words, Tommy. We’re starting a revolution, not a war.” - (Wilbur’s The Wall: 4:54, 29th July)

and,

“We don't wish for bloodshed, we don't wish for war, we don't wish to show our power in any way, we just want our freedom, we just want emancipation, independence.” - (Wilbur's The Revolution is Coming: 26:02, 2nd Aug)

Alivebur being all about peace is important. He never wanted to fight: 

“I’m not a fighter, I’m a writer.” - (Wilbur’s The Wall: 1:48:31, 29th July) 

But he was dedicated to fighting tyranny. He just, at first, wished to do it peacefully. And if he joined the Syndicate, he could push for that. Peace over violence.

“He's the one choosing to live with the enemy, with the people who conquered us for so long.” - (Wilbur’s The Wall: 1:29:57, 29th July)

This quote is in reference to Tommy choosing to keep his home, and being conflicted about having a permanent residence in L’Manberg. But it’s not that part I want to focus on, it’s what Alivebur believes. That Dream and co had conquered them ‘for so long’. 

You can see here that Alivebur had believed them to be tyranny for a long time, and that they had conquered them. This is important because it shows that Alivebur did indeed want freedom from them. To emancipate. 

The first Independence book is another important piece of evidence. Alivebur references tyranny a few times. Calling what the people of the Dream SMP lands did to them tyranny. Saying disregarding their independence is tyranny. Which further proves the fact Alivebur was fighting against that. 

But there’s a part of the Independence book that shows Alivebur could easily be open to anarchy, even back in the War:

It’s the second paragraph on page 5 that is important. The right of the people existing above the king, the government, and the economy. For this reason, it’s clear that even a Pre Independence War Alivebur would definitely be open to the Syndicate.

Moving on swiftly to the policies of the POG Party, tyranny is also mentioned there:

‘WE WILL NOT STAND FOR TYRANNY’. The fact that it’s in CAPS is an indicator that Alivebur was very set on this, and was always set on this. Even during the election. This was from an Alivebur scarred by the War and the Final Control Room. It shows he never backed down from fighting tyranny.

Which brings us onto the 16th of November...

“Techno, you've taught me a lot. You've taught me that government is not the way to go. And I agree with you. Everything you've said, I completely agree with you.” - (Wilbur's smithereens: 1:08:20, 16th Nov)

See... this was the first time that Alivebur directly stated that he agreed with Techno, and that governments were not the way to go. And this is possibly the most important quote here.

While it’s important to point out that Alivebur wanted to fight against tyranny from the start, from the revolution to his policies, him saying that he completely agreed with Techno is something else entirely.

What was it they called themselves... anarchy bros? :)

While Alivebur was focused on destroying L’Manberg because it ‘no longer existed’, he definitely was on Techno’s side. Saying that the both of them had won.

For this reason, Alivebur could not only join the Syndicate for its stance against tyranny, but also for its anarchy. After all, this is a guy who was a former President, a former leader of a revolution, the former head of a drug empire (for one day :P). He knows what it’s like to be on the other side, and in the end he chose no government. 

He’d be valuable for this knowledge too, but you can see why, in all his fails, it would be easy to draw Alivebur in with anarchy.

Nothing else worked for him, except that one time he truly won in his own eyes, on his own terms, when he turned to Techno’s anarchy.

So, the answer to the question is yes. 100% yes. For the anarchy he eventually agreed with. For fighting tyranny.

---

But

What about Ghostbur?

Now... an Alivebur with Ghostbur memories, that’s a different story entirely.

But is it?

Ghostbur, with his memories and his history books, knows things others have long forgotten. It’s his quotes from the 16th of December that are important to examine here, as it’s the only time he has specifically referenced ideals that Alivebur had.

Freedom. Being against tyranny.

It’s subtle in the way he does it. But it’s important, nonetheless:

“I’m going to go see this cage.” *starts singing the first verse of the anthem* - (Philza’s Just a regular day: 1:17:18, 16th Dec)

This is one of the very subtle quotes. He says he’s going to see the cage, that he said isn’t very conducive to a free environment:

Everyone’s free to do what they want, and live how they want. I don’t think cages are conducive to that environment.” - (Philza’s Just a regular day: 1:08:25, 16th Dec)

And then begins singing the first verse of the L’Manberg anthem. In which the lines include: ‘The brutality and the tyranny of their rulers.’ As if to imply that the cage was tyranny, suggesting that Ghostbur was still heavily against tyranny, but instead of fighting with violence, he was very surely using his words.

Ghostbur calling L’Manberg tyranny is further implied by the following quote:

“I just destroyed the cage, I destroyed the shackles of oppression, I have drained the bog- the mire of injustice, and I have found peace in a land of tyranny!” - (Philza’s Just a regular day: 1:19.47, 16th Dec)

Relating the cage to oppression, injustice, and tyranny, does indeed suggest that despite Ghostbur being notably different to Alivebur, the one thing that stayed constant was his hate for tyranny. 

The finding peace in a land of tyranny is interesting, as it suggests that was always c!Wilbur’s goal, peace from tyranny, as I referenced earlier. And my earlier point stands even more so with Ghostbur: If he joined the Syndicate, he could push for doing things peacefully.

However, if Alivebur gets Ghostbur’s memories, he may get an understanding about L’Manberg’s destruction he otherwise wouldn’t have, which could put him at odds with Techno and Phil.

But that also depends on if he remembers what Ghostbur may have forgotten. It is heavily implied he forgot his argument with Phil, but if he remembers it, then, this quote is important:

“I don’t want to hear what you have to say. I don’t want to have to hear what you have to say. I’ve read the history books, Phil. I’ve read the history books. You slayed the dragon, you slayed Alivebur. You are the St George of the Dream SMP. We understand, everyone understands that, Phil. But, look what you’ve done. How can you look at this and still see yourself as a hero. Sending a message, Phil. Sending a message?” - (Wilbur’s First Time Ghostbur Live: 17:58, 6th Jan) 

A long quote! I will admit! But it’s an important one. An Alivebur with Ghostbur memories, and this memory in particular, would remember the anguish, remember seeing Phil as a hero for his death, only to denounce him as that, because he was trying to send a message, something Ghostbur categorically disagreed with. 

Hell, even Alivebur didn’t do what he did to send a message.

And would an Alivebur with memories still be on Techno’s side?

“I gave Friend to Phil to look after. And Dream found me friend. And Technoblade, he said we were friends. See, people wouldn’t lie about that, would they?” - (Wilbur’s First Time Ghostbur Live: 9:36, 6th Jan)

Ghostbur was hurt. By Phil. By Techno. Even by Dream. And yet he asks that they wouldn’t lie, would they? So with this in mind, Ghostbur would not join the Syndicate.

But an Alivebur with Ghostbur memories? That is so much harder to determine.

With all the evidence, that Alivebur was dedicated to fighting tyranny, and was open to and sided with anarchy, that Ghostbur was still dedicated to being against tyranny, it seems very, very likely that regardless of what he remembers... a resurrected c!Wilbur would be up for joining the Syndicate.

However, an Alivebur with Ghostbur memories could very well choose another side that would fight against tyranny. If he felt too betrayed by Phil and Techno with his Ghostbur memories, he could turn away from them. But if he could move past that, if he talked about it with them, then with all he has said and done, he could still join.

So, for an Alivebur with Ghostbur memories... the answer to the question is... yes but no? It depends what he remembers, how he feels, where his loyalties truly lie. Hell, he could join Fundy instead.

All in all, with everything in mind, c!Wilbur as a whole, as unpredictable as he can be, is dedicated to fighting against tyranny. He agreed with Techno shortly before his death. And even in death, still believed that tyranny had to be challenged. That matters when it comes down to the Syndicate and makes him one day joining very likely.

[missjanjie]

These Words are My Own (From My Heart) | Crygi

Title: These Words are My Own (From My Heart) Summary:   Gigi brings a journal with her to the Drag Race set, intending to keep it as a way to express her thoughts during the competition and quell her anxiety. Instead, it becomes the narration of a love story that unfolded behind the scenes. Word Count: 2415 Relationship(s): Crygi (Crystal Methyd/Gigi Goode) Rating: M Notes: This is a diary/journal-style fic, so it’s written from Gigi’s POV throughout

read on ao3

July 22nd 2019

I don’t know what I expected from the first day of filming, but it was… a lot. The two group thing puts on that extra level of pressure, and I can already feel a little sliver of anxiety trying to wiggle its way in. Not that I’d ever let it show, of course. It’s way too early to worry.

As far as the other girls… I actually like them all, which, let’s be honest, is the biggest shock of them all. I almost kind of wanted an enemy. But I think I might have found the opposite. Crystal.

Crystal is weird. She’s so fucking weird, but she’s funny and kind and smells really nice and is super cute out of drag. I don’t know where I’m going with this. We just had an instant connection, and I think it’ll be a nice thing to have in a situation like this.

July 25th 2019

Holy shit. The first episode is done. I’m so fucking tired. And I fucking crushed it, oh my god. I didn’t expect anything less, of course. This is a sign for how the competition’s gonna be for me, I just know it.

But anyways.

Crystal told a joke during dinner that made me shoot water out of my nose. Nicky called me a sprinkler for the rest of the night, so fuck her. Besides, Crystal said it was cute. I know, I’m sounding like I have a crush on her, but I don’t. I just appreciate being around her, we get along well. So let me reiterate: I do not have a crush on Crystal.

July 26th 2019

I have a crush on Crystal.

They’re filming the other premiere today and we had some time to sneak away. I don’t know who she got weed from, but I owe them my life. We shared a joint and whenever she had it I just… stared at her. I don’t know how to explain it – she looked all glowy in the sunlight. Her hair – that fucking mullet – looked so soft and shiny, she looked like art.

I hate her. I want to hold her dumb hand and kiss her stupid face.

July 29th 2019

Crystal has a boyfriend. Of course she has a fucking boyfriend. Why wouldn’t she? There’s probably like, six other gay guys in Springfield and I bet they all want her. This is why I don’t do crushes. Crushes are bullshit. This is bullshit.

But… she held my hand in the van today. That was nice.

Fuck.

July 30th 2019

I kinda avoided Crystal on set today. I felt bad but it just made me sad and that’s not something I’m gonna deal with. I think Jackie suspects something’s up though. Her mama bear senses are tingling, I just know it. I thought it’d be annoying, but it’s nice having someone older and wiser keeping an eye on me.

Oh my god, Jackie’s my babysitter. Maybe I should talk to her about Crystal. I feel like she’d listen. She’ll probably try too hard to help, like it’s a puzzle that she needs to solve, but if I have to tell someone, it’d be her. And maybe it’ll make me miss Crystal a little less.

July 31st 2019

I was wrong, Jackie’s not my babysitter, she’s my mom. Not in a bad way, because obviously my mom’s the best, but in that she got very invested in the Crystal situation in the same way my mom always likes to hear about whatever guy I’m dating.

The good news is that Crystal’s relationship is open. I mean, that is good news, right? It feels like it should be, and my heart wants to latch onto the fact that I could have her in some capacity. Having her in any capacity almost feels like it’d be enough, at least for now.

She asked me if something was wrong, said I seemed ‘distant’. What was I supposed to do, tell her the truth? That’s ridiculous. I just apologized and said I was dealing with migraines. She offered to smoke me out next time she gets her hands on anything. And I know I’m not gonna be able to say no to her, there’s no point in even trying.

August 5th 2019

I think Crystal knows I like her. The energy between us has shifted and it… feels kinda good. She’s more touchy, more giggly. I think she even flirted with me today. I don’t know if she figured it out on her own, or if Jackie told her, but she’s onto me.

The thing is, I don’t know what to do about it. Yes, she’s in an open relationship, so it’s ‘technically’ okay, but it’s not the same. I don’t have anything against it, but… I don’t know, maybe I’m just selfish and want Crystal all to myself.

I feel guilty, then I feel stupid for feeling guilty, because I know I don’t need to be. Make it make sense.

August 6th 2019

If Jackie tells me one more time that I ‘need to talk to Crystal about my feelings’, I’m gonna blow up her spot about all those not-so-platonic gazes she keeps directing at a certain singing queen. She thinks I haven’t noticed, but she’s not subtle either. I wouldn’t do it on camera, though. That’d get too messy.

Besides, I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to explaining how I feel anyway. I don’t like explaining myself and I don’t like all that ‘bare your soul’ type of emotional intimacy. All I know is that I want Crystal in every way you can want someone. But that doesn’t seem like enough to say. Like, if I’m gonna spill my guts, I’d have to go all out. And I don’t want to do that. So. I’m gonna stay quiet and wait for this to blow over, like a normal person.

August 9th 2019

Crystal kissed me.

We were in the back of the van. I was talking about… I don’t even remember what I was talking about, but out of nowhere, she just kisses me, like it was normal, like it was the easiest thing in the world. It was soft, gentle, but with this little hint of desire that still has me hot under the collar.

And I didn’t know what to say. What the fuck was I supposed to say? I asked, “what was that for?” And she just smiled and said “you look really pretty and I wanted to.”

I wish I could’ve said something smart and funny, or flirt and bat my lashes. But no, that’s Gigi’s confidence and attitude. This was all Sam, an idiot whose brain short-circuited after one kiss. “Oh, thanks,” was all I said and I’m gonna be kicking myself for it until I’m dead. And right now, I’m hoping that’s soon.

August 12th 2019

I kissed Crystal this time. I needed to gain some semblance of control here. She seemed surprised, but also kind of relieved. Had she been worried I was mad or freaked out? Funny enough, her being relieved made me feel relieved too. I think we’re on the same page now. I don’t know what this means for us now, but I feel like it means something.

August 13th 2019

The good news is I’ve got Jackie off my back for now. The bad news is it’s because her girlfriend is probably planning my murder. I mean, at the end of the day, a win is a win. But the bruise I had on my ass for a week is a poignant reminder that Jan was a jock who could snap me in half if she wanted to.

Which is also weirdly hot? I can see why Jackie’s ‘secretly’ pining for her and shit. Or maybe I’m getting too lonely and need to get Crystal’s mouth on me again. Not even in a dirty way, though that mental image sure is nice…

August 14th 2019

Maybe I thought about that mental image too much, because I had a sex dream about Crystal last night, like, a hot one.

We were in the werkroom, the only ones in there, and Crystal’s sitting up on one of the tables, I’m standing in between his legs and we’re making out. Then it’s kinda blurry, but next, we’re both naked and I have him bent over the table. And I can remember pulling his hair and listening to him moan while I fuck him. It felt real, and I haven’t had a wet dream since high school.

I just hope it doesn’t affect me when I get on set, I can’t afford to lose focus because I’m too busy thinking about jumping Crystal’s bones.

August 19th 2019

So… I guess in a way, I manifested more physical intimacy between Crystal and I. I was telling him how I was all stressed and wound up after not doing well in the last challenge, and that I don’t think I did well with this one, and he’s quiet for a moment, then goes “let me help you feel better.”

And I’m just like, okay? I didn’t know what to expect, but then he takes his jacket off and puts it over my lap and… I’m perplexed. I’m intrigued. I’m aroused. Even when he’s undoing my jeans, I’m thinking, ‘there’s no way he’s actually gonna do this, right?’ But the only person that keeps an eye on us in the van is Jackie, and he’s got his own problems to worry about.

Long story short, Crystal jerked me off in the back of the van. It was hotter than I thought it’d be – I guess having to stay quiet because four other queens and a PA could’ve caught us adds an extra thrill. Of course, I would’ve returned the favor if we’d had time. Next time, though. Next time.

August 21st 2019

‘Next time’ did happen, and it came back to bite me on the ass. I didn’t think people really had Freudian slips until the way I said “we’re fucking in the top six” in Untucked. It didn’t help that Crystal had this smirky grin. Ugh, I could’ve died.

I feel like everyone knows, honestly. That they’re just not saying anything to be polite. I’m sure once this is all over, I’ll never hear the end of it, though.

August 24th 2019

I think I’m in love with Crystal. I knew I loved her, admired her, but… it’s more than that. And I think I’ve known for a while, but I haven’t been able to articulate it. Because it feels so different from anything I’ve ever felt before. Crystal is so different from anyone I’ve ever met before.

I don’t know what this means for us when this is all over. It’s not like I expect her to leave her boyfriend and move in with me here in LA. But I wouldn’t say no to that either, you know? Right now I feel selfish, that I just want her all to myself. But maybe I’m just sad that come Monday, it’ll be the last chunk of time we’ll have together for a while.

It’s barely been over a month and I already can’t picture my world without her. And… yeah, I’m in love with her.

August 29th 2019

Crystal and I had one day together before he had to go back home, and we made the most of it. We did the cute shit like go out to eat and take a walk, but I also got to take him back to my apartment and fuck him like I wanted to since day one.

I don’t know what this means for us, now. He’s back in Missouri, getting ready for the next Get Dusted show. I’m here, still in full drag after a photoshoot. I guess this is ‘back to normal’, but I don’t know how anything is ever going to feel normal again.

October 18th 2019

Filming Drag Race feels worlds away now, it’s weird being too busy to write most of the time. But by the same hand, it’s nice to always be occupied, lord knows I need it.

I still talk to Crystal every day, either through text or calls or FaceTime. It’s nice to be reassured he thinks of me as much as I think of him. When I’m alone, I start to worry that maybe this was one-sided. But I don’t need to say that to him, he can tell when I feel weird and talks me down without even trying.

The thing is, I’ve always felt the most beautiful when I am Gigi, like it’s the best representation of who I am. But Crystal makes me feel beautiful even when I just woke up and he’s listening to me complain about greasy skin. I didn’t really think about something like that, about letting someone else make me feel the way I thought I could only do for myself.

Crystal is just that special.

November 2nd 2019

Crystal told me he’s in love with me for the first time. I knew, I think I knew, but I didn’t realize how much it would mean to finally hear it. I cried, and I couldn’t even be embarrassed about it.

What was funny to me was when Crystal apologized. He said he’d known for so long, and felt guilty that he kept waiting to say it. He told me he didn’t think he could give me what he wanted because he wants to stay in Missouri. I told him I don’t care how far apart we are, or who he was with.

We have something special. I don’t care what it is, we’ll make it work. And besides, the promo shoot is just two months away.

January 4th 2020

I can’t even begin to explain how good it feels to be back with the cast. Obviously I’m thrilled to see Crystal, but all of us together just makes me feel whole. Jackie asked me how things with Crystal are, I said they couldn’t be better. I asked how things with Jan are, she said there are ‘a lot of question marks’.

Compared to them, my relationship with Crystal really isn’t that complicated. We love each other, we don’t need to put a label on that. I don’t know what’s going to happen when the show airs, but I know I’ll have Crystal. Even when we’re sixteen hundred miles apart.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

July 29, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

The ripples of the explosive testimony of the four police officers Tuesday before the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol continue to spread. Committee members are meeting this week to decide how they will proceed. Congress goes on recess during August, but committee chair Bennie Thompson (D-MS) suggested the committee would, in fact, continue to meet during that break.

Committee members are considering subpoenas to compel the testimony of certain lawmakers, especially since the Department of Justice on Tuesday announced that it would not assert executive privilege to stop members of the Trump administration from testifying to Congress about Trump’s role in the January 6 insurrection. This is a change from the Trump years, when the Department of Justice refused to acknowledge Congress’s authority to investigate the executive branch. This new directive reasserts the traditional boundaries between the two branches, saying that Congress can require testimony and administration officials can give it.

Further, the Department of Justice yesterday rejected the idea that it should defend Congress members involved in the January 6 insurrection. Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) sued Alabama Representative Mo Brooks, as well as the former president and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, for lying about the election, inciting a mob, and inflicting pain and distress.

Famously, Brooks participated in the rally before the insurrection, telling the audience: “[W]e are not going to let the Socialists rip the heart out of our country. We are not going to let them continue to corrupt our elections, and steal from us our God-given right to control our nation’s destiny.” “Today,” he said, “Republican Senators and Congressmen will either vote to turn America into a godless, amoral, dictatorial, oppressed, and socialist nation on the decline or they will join us and they will fight and vote against voter fraud and election theft, and vote for keeping America great.”

“[T]oday is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass!” he said. He asked them if they were willing to give their lives to preserve “an America that is the greatest nation in world history.” “Will you fight for America?” he asked.

To evade the lawsuit, Brooks gave an affidavit in which he and his lawyers insisted that this language was solely a campaign speech, urging voters to support Republican lawmakers in 2022 and 2024. But he also argued that the Department of Justice had to represent him in the lawsuit because he was acting in his role as a congress member that day, representing his constituents.

Yesterday, the Department of Justice declined to take over the case, pointing out that campaign and electioneering activities fall outside the scope of official employment. It goes on to undercut the idea of protecting any lawmaker who participated in the insurrection, saying that “alleged action to attack Congress and disrupt its official functions is not conduct a Member of Congress is employed to perform.” This means Brooks is on his own to defend himself from the Swalwell lawsuit. It also means that lawmakers intending to fight subpoenas are going to be paying for their own legal representation.

If the committee does, in fact, start demanding that lawmakers talk, Brooks is likely on the list of those from whom they will want to hear. Trying to bolster the new Republican talking point that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) should have been better prepared for the insurrection (this is a diversion: she has no say over the Capitol Police, and she did, in fact, call for law enforcement on January 6), Brooks told Slate political reporter Jim Newell that he, Brooks, knew something was up. He had been warned “on Monday that there might be risks associated with the next few days,” he said. “And as a consequence of those warnings, I did not go to my condo. Instead, I slept on the floor of my office. And when I gave my speech at the Ellipse, I was wearing body armor.” “That’s why I was wearing that nice little windbreaker,” he told Newell. “To cover up the body armor.”

Brooks is not the only one in danger of receiving a subpoena. Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) admitted on the Fox News Channel that he spoke to the former president on January 6, although he claimed not to remember whether it was before, during, or after the insurrection. He tried to suggest that chatting with Trump on January 6 was no different than chatting with him at any other time, but that is unlikely to fly. Jordan also repeatedly referred to Trump as “the president,” rather than the former president, a dog whistle to those who continue to insist that Trump did not, in fact, lose the 2020 election.

Meanwhile, it looks more and more like Republicans, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), are eager to change the subject. McCarthy today tried to walk back his previous blaming of Trump for the events of January 6, trying instead to tie Pelosi to the riot. He told reporters that when he said on January 6 that “[t]he President bears responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on Congress by mob rioters” and that Trump “should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding,” he made the comment without “the information we have today.” Then he tried to blame Pelosi for the Capitol Police response.

McCarthy seems unable to figure out how to handle the changing political dynamic and is continuing to shove the octopus of his different caucus interests into the string bag he’s holding only by promising that the Republicans will win in 2022. To that end, he is essentially walking away from governance and focusing only on the culture wars.

In addition to pulling the Trump Republicans off the select committee on the insurrection, he also pulled all six of the Republicans off a key committee on the economy, the Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth. At a time when voters in all parties are concerned with the huge divergence in income and wealth in this country, a divergence that rivals that of the 1850s, 1890s, and 1920s, members of this committee could make names for themselves.

Ohio Republican Warren Davidson was one of those removed from the committee; he told Cleveland media he had been “looking forward” to participating and would “gladly rejoin” the committee if McCarthy relented, but it was Ohio Democrat Marcy Kaptur, still on the committee, who got the headline and the approving story.

Instead of this productive sort of headline, Representatives Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Louie Gohmert (R-TX) staged an event in which they tried to visit the accused January 6 rioters at a Washington, D.C., jail. Refused entry, Gohmert told the press: “We’re in totalitarian, Marxist territory here. This is the way third-world people get treated.”

McCarthy and fellow Trump supporters are trying to get their own headlines by opposing new mask mandates as the Delta variant of coronavirus is gathering momentum across the country. On Tuesday, the attending physician for the United States Congress, Dr. Brian Monahan, reinstated the use of masks in the House of Representatives and recommended it in the smaller Senate. On Wednesday, Pelosi required the use of masks in the House, and reminded members that they would be fined for refusing to wear them. All of the Democrats in the House are vaccinated; it appears that only about half of House Republicans are.

Today, House Republicans launched a revolt against mask use. They are trying to adjourn the House rather than gather with masks. Chip Roy (R-TX), said "This institution is a sham. And we should adjourn and shut this place down.” Representatives Greene, Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and Andy Biggs (R-AZ), all maskless, gave Roy a standing ovation. Today, a group of House Republicans without masks posed for cameras as they tried to gain entrance to the Senate.

Consolidating around Trump after his November loss was always a gamble, but increasingly it looks like a precarious one. Just this week, the former president tried to sabotage the infrastructure deal, and 17 senators ignored him. In Texas, on Tuesday, Trump’s ability to swing races was tested and failed when the candidate he backed—even pumping a last-minute $100,000 into the race—lost.

McCarthy has promised to win in 2022 with culture wars rather than governing, and that looks like an increasingly weak bet. But make no mistake: the ace in his vest remains the voter suppression laws currently being enacted across the country.

—

Notes:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2021/07/29/mccarthy-walks-back-saying-trump-bears-responsibility-for-capitol-riot/

Chris Cioffi @ReporterCioffiNOW: large maskless group of House GOP members has just crossed onto the Senate side and asked to enter the Senate Chamber. 1,507 Retweets3,942 Likes

July 29th 2021

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/jan-select-committee-meet-steps-move-subpoenas/story

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/prime/where-things-stand-july-28-2021-jim-jordan-confirms-talked-trump-jan-6

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jul/27/trump-officials-testify-us-capitol-attack-house-doj

https://www.npr.org/2021/07/26/1020786560/a-lawsuit-against-jan-6-rally-speakers-forces-doj-to-consider-whos-legally-immun

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.228356/gov.uscourts.dcd.228356.20.0_7.pdf

https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/21018141/7-27-21-us-response-mo-brooks.pdf

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/07/republican-mo-brooks-insurrection-lawsuit-doj.html

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/07/mo-brooks-body-armor-jan-6-rally.html

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/27/politics/republicans-withdraw-economic-disparity-and-fairness-in-growth-committee/index.html

https://www.cleveland.com/open/2021/07/new-select-committee-on-economic-disparities-is-shunned-by-republicans-but-not-by-toledo-democratic-rep-marcy-kaptur.html

https://www.rollcall.com/2021/07/28/mask-mandates-return-to-the-capitol-white-house/

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/28/politics/republican-reaction-covid-mask-congress/index.html

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2021/07/24/donald-trumps-pac-makes-last-minute-ad-buy-for-susan-wright-in-district-6-congressional-race/

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2021/07/27/jake-ellzey-leading-trump-backed-susan-wright-in-race-to-replace-the-late-ron-wright-in-congress/?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true&s=03

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/565562-gop-reps-gaetz-green-and-gohmert-turned-away-from-jail-to-visit-jan-

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[artificialqueens]

These Words are My Own (From My Heart) (Crygi) - Joley

ao3 link

July 22nd 2019

I don’t know what I expected from the first day of filming, but it was… a lot. The two group thing puts on that extra level of pressure, and I can already feel a little sliver of anxiety trying to wiggle its way in. Not that I’d ever let it show, of course. It’s way too early to worry.

As far as the other girls… I actually like them all, which, let’s be honest, is the biggest shock of them all. I almost kind of wanted an enemy. But I think I might have found the opposite. Crystal.

Crystal is weird. She’s so fucking weird, but she’s funny and kind and smells really nice and is super cute out of drag. I don’t know where I’m going with this. We just had an instant connection, and I think it’ll be a nice thing to have in a situation like this.

July 25th 2019

Holy shit. The first episode is done. I’m so fucking tired. And I fucking crushed it, oh my god. I didn’t expect anything less, of course. This is a sign for how the competition’s gonna be for me, I just know it.

But anyways.

Crystal told a joke during dinner that made me shoot water out of my nose. Nicky called me a sprinkler for the rest of the night, so fuck her. Besides, Crystal said it was cute. I know, I’m sounding like I have a crush on her, but I don’t. I just appreciate being around her, we get along well. So let me reiterate: I do not have a crush on Crystal.

July 26th 2019

I have a crush on Crystal.

They’re filming the other premiere today and we had some time to sneak away. I don’t know who she got weed from, but I owe them my life. We shared a joint and whenever she had it I just… stared at her. I don’t know how to explain it – she looked all glowy in the sunlight. Her hair – that fucking mullet – looked so soft and shiny, she looked like art.

I hate her. I want to hold her dumb hand and kiss her stupid face.

July 29th 2019

Crystal has a boyfriend. Of course she has a fucking boyfriend. Why wouldn’t she? There’s probably like, six other gay guys in Springfield and I bet they all want her. This is why I don’t do crushes. Crushes are bullshit. This is bullshit.

But… she held my hand in the van today. That was nice.

Fuck.

July 30th 2019

I kinda avoided Crystal on set today. I felt bad but it just made me sad and that’s not something I’m gonna deal with. I think Jackie suspects something’s up though. Her mama bear senses are tingling, I just know it. I thought it’d be annoying, but it’s nice having someone older and wiser keeping an eye on me.

Oh my god, Jackie’s my babysitter. Maybe I should talk to her about Crystal. I feel like she’d listen. She’ll probably try too hard to help, like it’s a puzzle that she needs to solve, but if I have to tell someone, it’d be her. And maybe it’ll make me miss Crystal a little less.

July 31st 2019

I was wrong, Jackie’s not my babysitter, she’s my mom. Not in a bad way, because obviously my mom’s the best, but in that she got very invested in the Crystal situation in the same way my mom always likes to hear about whatever guy I’m dating.

The good news is that Crystal’s relationship is open. I mean, that is good news, right? It feels like it should be, and my heart wants to latch onto the fact that I could have her in some capacity. Having her in any capacity almost feels like it’d be enough, at least for now.

She asked me if something was wrong, said I seemed ‘distant’. What was I supposed to do, tell her the truth? That’s ridiculous. I just apologized and said I was dealing with migraines. She offered to smoke me out next time she gets her hands on anything. And I know I’m not gonna be able to say no to her, there’s no point in even trying.

August 5th 2019

I think Crystal knows I like her. The energy between us has shifted and it… feels kinda good. She’s more touchy, more giggly. I think she even flirted with me today. I don’t know if she figured it out on her own, or if Jackie told her, but she’s onto me.

The thing is, I don’t know what to do about it. Yes, she’s in an open relationship, so it’s ‘technically’ okay, but it’s not the same. I don’t have anything against it, but… I don’t know, maybe I’m just selfish and want Crystal all to myself.

I feel guilty, then I feel stupid for feeling guilty, because I know I don’t need to be. Make it make sense.

August 6th 2019

If Jackie tells me one more time that I ‘need to talk to Crystal about my feelings’, I’m gonna blow up her spot about all those not-so-platonic gazes she keeps directing at a certain singing queen. She thinks I haven’t noticed, but she’s not subtle either. I wouldn’t do it on camera, though. That’d get too messy.

Besides, I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to explaining how I feel anyway. I don’t like explaining myself and I don’t like all that ‘bare your soul’ type of emotional intimacy. All I know is that I want Crystal in every way you can want someone. But that doesn’t seem like enough to say. Like, if I’m gonna spill my guts, I’d have to go all out. And I don’t want to do that. So. I’m gonna stay quiet and wait for this to blow over, like a normal person.

August 9th 2019

Crystal kissed me.

We were in the back of the van. I was talking about… I don’t even remember what I was talking about, but out of nowhere, she just kisses me, like it was normal, like it was the easiest thing in the world. It was soft, gentle, but with this little hint of desire that still has me hot under the collar.

And I didn’t know what to say. What the fuck was I supposed to say? I asked, “what was that for?” And she just smiled and said “you look really pretty and I wanted to.”

I wish I could’ve said something smart and funny, or flirt and bat my lashes. But no, that’s Gigi’s confidence and attitude. This was all Sam, an idiot whose brain short-circuited after one kiss. “Oh, thanks,” was all I said and I’m gonna be kicking myself for it until I’m dead. And right now, I’m hoping that’s soon.

August 12th 2019

I kissed Crystal this time. I needed to gain some semblance of control here. She seemed surprised, but also kind of relieved. Had she been worried I was mad or freaked out? Funny enough, her being relieved made me feel relieved too. I think we’re on the same page now. I don’t know what this means for us now, but I feel like it means something.

August 13th 2019

The good news is I’ve got Jackie off my back for now. The bad news is it’s because her girlfriend is probably planning my murder. I mean, at the end of the day, a win is a win. But the bruise I had on my ass for a week is a poignant reminder that Jan was a jock who could snap me in half if she wanted to.

Which is also weirdly hot? I can see why Jackie’s ‘secretly’ pining for her and shit. Or maybe I’m getting too lonely and need to get Crystal’s mouth on me again. Not even in a dirty way, though that mental image sure is nice…

August 14th 2019

Maybe I thought about that mental image too much, because I had a sex dream about Crystal last night, like, a hot one.

We were in the werkroom, the only ones in there, and Crystal’s sitting up on one of the tables, I’m standing in between his legs and we’re making out. Then it’s kinda blurry, but next, we’re both naked and I have him bent over the table. And I can remember pulling his hair and listening to him moan while I fuck him. It felt real, and I haven’t had a wet dream since high school.

I just hope it doesn’t affect me when I get on set, I can’t afford to lose focus because I’m too busy thinking about jumping Crystal’s bones.

August 19th 2019

So… I guess in a way, I manifested more physical intimacy between Crystal and I. I was telling him how I was all stressed and wound up after not doing well in the last challenge, and that I don’t think I did well with this one, and he’s quiet for a moment, then goes “let me help you feel better.”

And I’m just like, okay? I didn’t know what to expect, but then he takes his jacket off and puts it over my lap and… I’m perplexed. I’m intrigued. I’m aroused. Even when he’s undoing my jeans, I’m thinking, ‘there’s no way he’s actually gonna do this, right?’ But the only person that keeps an eye on us in the van is Jackie, and he’s got his own problems to worry about.

Long story short, Crystal jerked me off in the back of the van. It was hotter than I thought it’d be – I guess having to stay quiet because four other queens and a PA could’ve caught us adds an extra thrill. Of course, I would’ve returned the favor if we’d had time. Next time, though. Next time.

August 21st 2019

‘Next time’ did happen, and it came back to bite me on the ass. I didn’t think people really had Freudian slips until the way I said “we’re fucking in the top six” in Untucked. It didn’t help that Crystal had this smirky grin. Ugh, I could’ve died.

I feel like everyone knows, honestly. That they’re just not saying anything to be polite. I’m sure once this is all over, I’ll never hear the end of it, though.

August 24th 2019

I think I’m in love with Crystal. I knew I loved her, admired her, but… it’s more than that. And I think I’ve known for a while, but I haven’t been able to articulate it. Because it feels so different from anything I’ve ever felt before. Crystal is so different from anyone I’ve ever met before.

I don’t know what this means for us when this is all over. It’s not like I expect her to leave her boyfriend and move in with me here in LA. But I wouldn’t say no to that either, you know? Right now I feel selfish, that I just want her all to myself. But maybe I’m just sad that come Monday, it’ll be the last chunk of time we’ll have together for a while.

It’s barely been over a month and I already can’t picture my world without her. And… yeah, I’m in love with her.

August 29th 2019

Crystal and I had one day together before he had to go back home, and we made the most of it. We did the cute shit like go out to eat and take a walk, but I also got to take him back to my apartment and fuck him like I wanted to since day one.

I don’t know what this means for us, now. He’s back in Missouri, getting ready for the next Get Dusted show. I’m here, still in full drag after a photoshoot. I guess this is ‘back to normal’, but I don’t know how anything is ever going to feel normal again.

October 18th 2019

Filming Drag Race feels worlds away now, it’s weird being too busy to write most of the time. But by the same hand, it’s nice to always be occupied, lord knows I need it.

I still talk to Crystal every day, either through text or calls or FaceTime. It’s nice to be reassured he thinks of me as much as I think of him. When I’m alone, I start to worry that maybe this was one-sided. But I don’t need to say that to him, he can tell when I feel weird and talks me down without even trying.

The thing is, I’ve always felt the most beautiful when I am Gigi, like it’s the best representation of who I am. But Crystal makes me feel beautiful even when I just woke up and he’s listening to me complain about greasy skin. I didn’t really think about something like that, about letting someone else make me feel the way I thought I could only do for myself.

Crystal is just that special.

November 2nd 2019

Crystal told me he’s in love with me for the first time. I knew, I think I knew, but I didn’t realize how much it would mean to finally hear it. I cried, and I couldn’t even be embarrassed about it.

What was funny to me was when Crystal apologized. He said he’d known for so long, and felt guilty that he kept waiting to say it. He told me he didn’t think he could give me what he wanted because he wants to stay in Missouri. I told him I don’t care how far apart we are, or who he was with.

We have something special. I don’t care what it is, we’ll make it work. And besides, the promo shoot is just two months away.

January 4th 2020

I can’t even begin to explain how good it feels to be back with the cast. Obviously I’m thrilled to see Crystal, but all of us together just makes me feel whole. Jackie asked me how things with Crystal are, I said they couldn’t be better. I asked how things with Jan are, she said there are ‘a lot of question marks’.

Compared to them, my relationship with Crystal really isn’t that complicated. We love each other, we don’t need to put a label on that. I don’t know what’s going to happen when the show airs, but I know I’ll have Crystal. Even when we’re sixteen hundred miles apart.

[imsarahcate]

Going to bed is a struggle tonight. I am completely exhausted, once I lie down odds are for once, I'll probably fall asleep pretty quickly. But lying down on a bed with no Zena, and now no Joxer....

.

I am struggling in a way I haven't for a really long time. Ever since jan. 1st it's just been crisis in crisis on crisis. Mostly for people I love, but for me as well.

.

At first it felt like... I was sitting in the shrapnel of the explosions of my loved ones lives. KW's continuing stupid brother stuff, Abby having struggles and issues, kris' job stuff and panic prepping for them to potentially move almost immediately (not a bad thing per se, just not at all the way we'd planned it!), country dad's stroke, city dad moving to Portland, leaving me both furniture, and cats... Then on the 29th...losing Zena cat. And then... Last night... To lose Joxer.

.

And I am just, so tired and I can feel some depression creeping in the corners. For me, that means that I've been ignore increasing anxiety for a while, which... I know. So, tomorrow I'll go back on anxiety meds for a while. It's been a minute since I needed them. In fact, I think the last time was during cancer. So, what's that now, 8 years almost?

.

But I also know myself. And if I don't take steps now to stop this in its tracks, I'll hit a point of the spiral where I CAN'T stop it. And I deserve better than that, and frankly, so do all the people who love me.

.

For now, I'm in my bed, pulling up covers and trying not to notice the 2 fluffy lumps that are missing, and focus on the ones who are still here, purring and cuddling and bonking my head. Wishing, in part that KW still lived here, in another part that Kris HAD needed to move sooner, in another part that just... That I just still had my first 2 fur babies with me.

.

This too shall pass. I know that. And all will be the way its supposed to be. But for now, I'm trying to be grateful that these feelings aren't my constant - the way they were for me once in darker days. And tomorrow, self care will be admitting I need some help, getting that help, and then following through. And in time, things will eventually even out again. And so will I.

.

Because all those years ago, when I got serious about my mental health I swore I wouldn't go back to the spiral. I intend to keep that promise to myself. So tomorrow I get back on track. And tonight, I let myself grieve for my missing fluffs.

[doomedandstoned]

Elder Druid, Barbarian Hermit, Satlan, and Slowbro Play Coventry

~By Reek of STOOM~

Photos by Luke Orchard

Friday, November 29th, at The Phoenix in Coventry, England

On the coldest night of the year so far, we ventured into the frost and made our way to the well-renowned Phoenix venue in the heart of Coventry to witness a four-band spectacle organised by Heathen Mirth Promotions out of London, UK. The venue itself is impressive and inviting: traditional pub downstairs with the live area above and an expansive beer garden.

SLOWBRO

Split (With Those Amongst Us Are Wolves) by Slowbro

First up on the bill were SLOWBRO, a three-piece local band who I hadn't encountered before and who surprised us with their dexterity and musicianship: A Stoner/Doom/Progressive crossover with heaps of energy and enthusiasm that won over the small but rapidly-filling room. After their set, I caught up with the members, James, Sam and Zeke for a quick chat.

Hi guys, you're new to the Doomed & Stoned radar, please tell us a little about yourselves.

Sam (guitars): "Well, James & I knew each other from the area and we both had guitars gathering dust in our rooms, so we decided to do something with them. We met up in a practice room once every two months or so, found a slot on a gig, came up with a name and just took it from there."

James (guitars) pipes in: "People started asking us to come back. We kept telling them no, but..." and laughs.

So why have you kept such a low profile on social media?

Zeke (drums) replied: "These guys just like to go abroad for three years or so" and laughs. "We're not trying to be the next big thing, just going about it and seeing what happens".

You had a split release out last year. Are there any other releases?

Sam: "Yes we had a full album out in 2018 called 'Nothings,' recorded locally and released on a small local label Creature Lab Records."

Are you signed to a label now?

James: "We're not tied to anyone long-term yet, we're just hoping to make our next album and see if it gets any interest."

Looking ahead to 2020, what plans do you have?

Zeke: "To play outside Coventry."

James: "We want to get our next album recorded - just get back into the studio and put down all the new stuff we've been working on."

You really impressed me with your style, Who are your influences?

Sam: "Sleep, Kyuss, Electric Wizard, first 2 Black Sabbath albums.." James interjects; "Christina Aguilera" and the three of them collapse, laughing. "Old School riffing, classic stuff, you know?"

What's your long-term ambition?

James: "Just to give people something good to listen to and get them to come out and see us."

Final question: What was the last piece of equipment you had to kick to get working again?

Sam creases: "The amp we borrow from Steven Bennett for every gig. We DO take care of it, honest!"

James: "We want to thank you and Doomed and Stoned for all your support. It means a lot."

No problem guys, thanks for talking to me and good luck for next year.

SATLAN

Next up on the bill were SATLAN, a four-piece outfit based in London and fronted by erstwhile Dead Witches vocalist Soozi Chameleone. The band are seriously tight and their drummer is a superstar. Soozi herself was having an off night, but still delivered a powerful performance despite not feeling at her best. Musically, a combination of Dead Witches and Alunah in style, but Satlan have a distinct Sabbath-esque motif generated by guitarist Roy Nadel. I caught up with Roy and bassist Alex after the set.

Firstly, the name Satlan, where did that come from?

Roy: "It's actually Hebrew slang for 'Stoner', someone who is too lazy - it fits our style."

Are you originally an Israeli band?

Alex: "No, we're from all over the place. Roy is Israeli, I'm Russian and Jake (drums) is Malaysian. We all got together in London and just started jamming, so we're an International mix. Roy and I have known each other since we were 16, playing in various bands together in Israel's Punk scene - Roy was actually a drummer in one of our bands! Our current drummer, Jake we found playing in thrash metal band THE BLEEDING and we knew straight away we wanted to work with him. I remember saying I wanna work with this guy!"

Do you have any recordings planned in the near future?

Roy: "We've just recorded an album. it's in the mixing stage right now and it'll be ready sometime in the next couple of months. We also have a gig with Church of the Cosmic Skull coming up in February and we're planning a UK tour, including a few dates in Scotland around April."

Final question: what was the last thing you kicked to get working?

Alex: "My cat." They both laugh.

Roy: "No animals were harmed really - we both have cats and we love them."

BARBARIAN HERMIT

Solitude And Savagery by Barbarian Hermit

BARBARIAN HERMIT are no strangers to us, having been included on our recent England compilation. Manchester's finest took to the stage around 10pm and proceeded to blast the eardrums out of the room with their signature Stoner/Sludge crossover. Compelling frontman Ed Campbell is a madman on stage and the most heroic poser since Bruce Dickinson! The dual guitar assaults from Mike 'Big Daddy Reeg' Reagan and Rob 'Spadge Fafner' Sutcliffe are ferocious and tighter than drainpipe jeans. After a blinding set, I caught up with the lads in the pub's pool room.

Thanks for attending the interview, tell me - how did you hear about the job?

Ed: "Well we had an email from a guy saying he was gonna pay us from a Somali bank account if we played. He said he wasn't a pirate. Seriously though, Heathen Mirth Promotions got us onto this and we've really enjoyed sharing a stage with everybody."

Since the Doomed and Stoned in England appearance, what's been happening?

Mike: "We opened for Bloodstock during the summer, that was a great laugh and we had a mini-tour in Edinburgh, Carlisle and the north with Widows and Drudge in October, then joined up with this lot for the dates we're doing now."

You guys have a new release coming out soon and a new tour next year. In hindsight, is there anything you'd have changed about the process?

Rob: "Phew, fair question that. Working on the details, in a studio when you've got a deadline in the studio and label commitments like "How's it sounding?" and y'know, general pressure to get it finished; it's all in those final little details."

Ed: "At the same time we did some of our greatest work under pressure. My personal favourite on the album is the one we put together right at the last minute, well, not the LAST minute but near."

It's normally always the way. When the pressure's on, some bands do their best stuff.

Mike: "We find that even though been playing these songs for about a year, you pick up little things and think, “Wish I'd done it like that instead,” but it's been great to get people in like Ten Foot Wizard and Boss Keloid to help us out."

ELDER DRUID

Golgotha by Elder Druid

At just after 11pm the monstrous apparition called ELDER DRUID took to the stage and detonated. Massive waves of Doom flood out from the barely-intact cabs as frontman Greg conjures spooky sounds from the Theremin, ghosting over a sea of intense riffing. Mass worship ensued as the congregation got down and dirty at the Druid's altar, the dual guitar assault of Jake and Mikey crushing everything in its wake.

Devastatingly heavy, Elder Druid came to preach The Old Religion and the flock lapped it up like manna from the heavens...pure class! I caught up with them before their set:

Good evening gentlemen. First question: what brought you to Coventry on a freezing cold night?

Greg: "Soozi from Heathen Mirth contacted us and got us onto the bill. We played a different venue last time we were in Coventry, but we heard that The Phoenix was the #1 place so we just had to be here."

Moving on to the new album. You're in the finishing stages now and it's due for release on 17th January. How have you found the recording?

Jake: "Yeah it's been great. Last time we had an engineer record and mix us but this time we've done it entirely by ourselves so it's good to have that freedom so we can get everything organised properly before we went in to record. you get to do it on your own timescale. Then it's good having the time to get all the details together, tinkering as it were."

There's a danger of "over-tinkering," though. Did you fall foul of it?

Mikey: "100% yeah, there is risk of being too critical, but I think we got it right this time. There's a few surprises on the album, Electric Piano and the Theremin to name a couple."

Is there anything you would have changed given the chance?

Greg: "The whole band" and laughs.

Dale (bass): "Better equipment would be nice. When you have the best gear etc it makes a big difference to the sound and inevitably it would be nicer to work with, but what's come out the other end we're really happy with it."

You can always ask Slomatics if you could borrow some of theirs?

Mikey: "Yeah, like can we borrow a riff off you please?" they all crack up.

What's the plan for 2020?

Brien (drums): "The launch day gig will be @ Voodoo in Belfast on the 17th Jan and the day after @ Fibber McGee's in Dublin then we're playing a festival in May over in Antrim, then we're heading over to play at Stonebaked Festival in Leeds, (Formerly BOOM fest) which we're really up for."

What was the last piece of equipment you had to kick to get working?

Mikey: "Greg."

Jake: "Funny you should say that...one of the amps blew up last night, but I managed to sell it on eBay." (laughs)

Any message for the fans?

Brien: "We don't have fans."

Greg:" Anyone out there who likes what we do, thank you!"

Thanks guys, it's been a pleasure!

Jake: "Thank you and thanks to Billy and Doomed and Stoned for looking after us."

[junker-town]

A recent history of the Bears’ kicking debacle

Their kicking situation has been unBEARable. Ha! Get it?

Kicking success and the Chicago Bears just don’t go together.

The Bears haven’t been able to find any consistency at the position since they cut longtime kicker Robbie Gould before the 2016 season. After 11 years with Gould, the Bears shuffled through Connor Barth, Cairo Santos, and Mike Nugent over the next two seasons. None of them were able to fill the void, and the Bears plummeted from 18th in field goal percentage in 2015 to 27th and 29th.

To solve the kicking issues that plagued them, they threw a four-year, $15 million contract to Cody Parkey during the 2018 offseason. At the time, that looked like a solid move. Parkey was 26 when he signed the deal and was an 86.4 percent field goal kicker before his time in Chicago.

For some reason — perhaps the wind — that past success didn’t translate for Parkey. He hit 76.7 percent of his field goals in 2018, just one year removed from a 91.3 percent mark in Miami. Parkey’s struggles kicking the ball during the regular season were frustrating for the Bears, but that wasn’t even the worst of it.

With one miss on Jan. 6, Parkey made an impact on the Bears’ organization that would never be forgotten — and made sure that the team’s offseason would be centered around its kicking situation.

The Double Doink that kicked off Chicago’s offseason

Jan. 6 — Cody Parkey misses a 43-yard field goal in the Wild Card Round

Chicago was down, 16-15, to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round. In the final seconds of the game, Parkey came on to attempt what would’ve been a game-winning 43-yard field goal.

Then Parkey’s kick was grazed by an Eagles defender before “double doinking” off the uprights, ending the Bears’ season.

Upright. Crossbar. Out. pic.twitter.com/nWtpr4LyGB

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) January 7, 2019

If Parkey had made the kick, it would’ve given the Bears their first playoff win in eight seasons. Instead, the Bears, their fans, and especially Parkey, went home sad.

Jan. 11 — Cody Parkey goes on the Today show

Days after missing the kick that would have sent the Bears to the Divisional Round, Parkey made an appearance on Today. Parkey owned up to his failure on national television and left a positive message about himself and his career.

Parkey proclaimed that neither the play nor his profession define him. He said, “football is what I do. It’s not who I am.”

Jan. 12 — 103 Bears fans try to hit a 43-yard field goal

To help deal with their playoff grief, Bears fans tried to hit a 43-yard field goal — the same distance of the kick that Parkey missed. Goose Island Beer Company put the challenge together, which is fitting considering alcohol is the best way to numb the pain of losing in that manner.

103 people attempted the kick, and all 103 people missed.

Jan. 14 — Matt Nagy is clearly upset at Cody Parkey’s Today show appearance

In a press conference a few days after Parkey’s miss, Bears head coach Matt Nagy was asked about Parkey’s television appearance — something he was obviously thrilled to be talking about.

Nagy’s cliche game was on point, saying that Parkey going on television “wasn't too much of a ‘we’ thing.”

Parkey’s decision to go on Today was met with a mixed bag of reactions by fans and it ultimately was his last major act as a member of the Chicago Bears.

Feb. 22 — Bears cut Cody Parkey

Less than a year after signing Parkey to a four-year deal, the Bears cut him a few weeks before the new league year.

That decision didn’t come without penalty to the Bears. Even though he’s not on the roster, Chicago still owes Parkey $3.5 million for the 2019 season and has to carry a little over $5 million worth of dead cap.

Oof.

A glimmer of hope with Robbie Gould

April 23 — Robbie Gould asks to be traded from 49ers

Months after the Parkey saga ended, Bears fans were met with a potential resolution to their kicker woes when Gould, now with the 49ers, demanded a trade.

San Francisco hit Gould with the franchise tag this offseason, but the kicker decided he would not sign it or negotiate a longterm deal with the 49ers.

Gould was the Bears’ kicker from 2005-15. During his time in Chicago, he hit 85.4 percent of his field goals. In the past three years away from Chicago, Gould has upped that number to 96.5 percent. Considering Gould still has a house in Illinois, a reunion seemed like an attractive option to Bears fans.

April 25 — Robbie Gould not expected to be traded

49ers general manager John Lynch squashed any hope of Gould heading back to Chicago, stating that the kicker won’t be traded.

Moving on from Cody Parkey and the idea of Robbie Gould

May 3 — Bears host the Cody Parkey Kick Challenge at rookie camp

With Parkey gone and the Gould dream dead, Chicago had to move on and attempt to find a new kicker. That journey started at the Bears’ rookie camp, where they had eight kickers trying out for the team.

They had those kickers try to hit a — you guessed it — 43-yard field goal at camp and, let’s just say, it did not go as planned. Only two of the eight kickers, John Baron II and Spencer Evans, put it through the uprights.

That’s bad, just in case you were wondering.

May 3 — Bears hire a kicking consultant

On the same day the Bears had their kicking challenge, they also brought on a kicking consultant for the 2019 season. They hired Jamie Kohl of Kohl’s Professional Camps to help train their kickers, punters, and long snappers.

Kohl runs special teams camps that help send high school specialists to Division I teams. Perhaps his expertise will pay off for the Bears as well.

May 5 — Bears clean out their rookie camp kickers

At the end of Chicago’s rookie camp, they only decided to keep two of the eight kickers who took part in the Cody Parkey Kick Challenge — Chris Blewitt (there’s tremendous joke potential here if he makes the team) and Elliott Fry.

The Bears didn’t keep either kicker who actually made the 43-yard field goal. We’ll see if that comes back to bite them in the butt next postseason.

May 7 — Bears trade for Eddy Pineiro from Oakland

The latest development in the Bears’ quest for kicking stability was to trade for one. They sent a 2021 conditional seventh-round pick — the draft pick equivalent of a ham sandwich — to the Raiders for Eddy Pineiro.

Pineiro, Blewitt, and Fry will duke it out to see which one of them gets the chance to make Bears fans angry throughout the 2019 season.

June 12 — Bears waive Chris Blewitt

One kicking candidate is gone. The Bears waived Chris Blewitt, leaving Pineiro and Fry to fight for the job.

#Bears roster update: We have waived kicker Chris Blewitt.

— Chicago Bears (@BearsPR) June 12, 2019

Aug. 8 — A little bit of kicking issues versus Carolina

The Bears’ kickers had an up-and-down performance in their preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. Funny enough, Elliott Fry hit a 43-yard field goal to close out the first half. Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, who spent his entire playing career with the Bears, called a timeout before the kick because he wanted to help them.

After the half, Eddy Pineiro came in the game and missed one of his of two field goal attempts. Fry looks to have a slight lead in a tightly contested battle.

The Bears settle on a new kicker ... for now

Aug. 16 — Eddy Pineiro beats out Elliott Fry for the kicking job

In their second preseason, Pineiro was a perfect 2-for-2 on his field goal tries, while Fy missed his one attempt. After that, the Bears decided to release Fry, leaving Pineiro as the only kicker on the roster.

That doesn’t mean it was an easy decision for Matt Nagy, who still didn’t sound SUPER committed to Pineiro.

“We’re rolling forward with that and now he has two games here to show us what he can do,” Nagy said.

So while the Bears’ kicking competition is over for the time being, it’s probably best to stay tuned.

Sept. 15 — Vindication!

Everybody breathed a collective sigh of relief when Pineiro connected on his first field goal in Week 1, but the real test came against the Broncos in Week 2. Denver took the lead with under a minute to go and the Bears were looking at an 0-2 start.

A couple quick plays later and suddenly the Bears were in field goal range with one second on the clock. Pineiro was set up with a 53-yard attempt, 10 yards further than Parkey’s double doink. Could you imagine more regular season pressure for a kicker, after everything that’s happened?

He drilled it, though, and the Bears got a 16-14 victory. We’ll keep an eye on the Bears’ kicking situation going forward but for now, Pineiro is the most popular man in Chicago.

This is one of the few times a Super Bowl contender has their offseason dominated by a single play — a special teams play at that. The biggest discussion surrounding a team with Khalil Mack and the reigning Coach of the Year is finding a kicker.

Losing defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, replacing Jordan Howard, and needing to improve their offense without a first- or second-round pick has somehow taken a backseat to the kicker position. For the sake of the Bears and their fans, they better hope that situation is better in 2019.

[fleamarketloveletters]

February 23, 1942.

“Deep in the heart of Carolina”

R.R. 2/23/42

Dear “Betty”,

Say you are some letter essayist. I received your one of the nineteenth and also an old one of Jan 29th.

We had our first shower last night since we’ve been out on the range. I think I’m now twenty pounds lighter. (Darn this southern air. It makes the fountain pens act funny. So please my dear, forgive the different shades of ink.)

That letter of Jan. the 29th was one of the longest I have received yet. It was darn cute. (Everything you ever do is cute anyway, you “sweet little beauty”). I also like the length of the latest one too.

So you think my “mad house letters” are “nice” and a little bit romantic, well could be. But they seem darn broken and thoughtless when I read them over. I’m like you. I have so much to tell you I can’t write as fast as I’m thinking.

Tell Arnold that we are told that our rifles are our “best friend”. They make anybody who drops theirs, sleep with it tied to them. But we are so much with them they are personally, (a pain in the neck).

Say “Betty Petty” you are still making those “wide open” little remarks, huh? Will you look out for what you write as now that I’m a marine we have a great deal of super privileges. (What have I said! I mean we will have once we are full fledged after next week.)

Darling you don’t have to say ( “I better hurry up and explain this”) I’ve got you up a tree, haven’t I?

ALso my “Super Beauty” what do you refer to in your letter you said you laughed and laughed at my 14 page letter? What was so funny?

Hey, tell me also what picture was that mother made an enlargement of?

Mother sent a letter the twenty-ninth of Jan which I finally received today. In it she mentioned about my picture being in the Register. If it was nobody ever sent me the clipping or picture. Did you see it kid? I doubt that she put it in. Will you send it on to me if you have it. I will send it back. Please my dear.

What kind of candy or “porky bait” did Mister McLaughlin present to you? Grrrrr. I’m getting jeaulous/jealous. (See I’m so  mad I can’t see straight!) Ha Joke. O.K. proceed------

Listen “Cuteness” I can’t see for the life of me how you could come out of the camera looking like a Marine. Yes, we are famous for our chest expanding but we can’t even start to compared with a a a  you!! (Oh, oh I ducked that hair brush just in time!!!) I see what you mean when you saw that in some ways I have changed. I know that. I would never of had that awful nerve to make a remark like that. (Go on now, you know darn well you love it. I can see you grinning from ear to ear, you little monkey you.)

Did you enjoy the party you went to? I hope you kept sober and know you I guess you did. But if the cork was off you would perhaps have gotten “tipsy” from the smell.

You needn’t get so impudent about sealing your letters with your super lipstick. I can fix you proper if you give me any back talk like you did in this letter. Perhaps I’m glad to hear about you not wearing it at night. Then I know that so far I have no one to worry about or be mad at. I love your little “freshness” don’t you forget it. Everything about is just “super dooper”.

Here are a few lines to the family (the lucky people having such a beautiful dream for a daughter) --

To Mom --

No I didn’t need the p.p as I so far have been a good little boy and have avoided K.P.

To Pop -- Our rifles are so accurate we are so well trained that we can shoot the “whites of their eyes” out at 500 yds easily. We could hit them anyplace at 2700 yds. But the Japs are so yellow -- even the whites of their eyes are also.

To Arnold -- Well all I can say is that you might have known it was an Irishman, Doyle.

To Sparky --

Listen little fellow, I wish that I could be spanked by such a beautiful girl as your mistress. I would purposely be a “bad boy” every minute. Keep up your good work “old timer” and when I see you I will bring you a bone. How about a bark; saying “thank you Clarkie”?

I’m just counting off each minute till I get your lovely picture. I sit on the edge of my bunk like a player “warming up” for his chance to run. Hurry, hurry.

I got an old letter from mom, as I have perhaps told you before. In it she praises you to the highest darling. She thinks that I should be the prouder fellow in the world to be able to have such a perfectly wonderful girl to be engaged to. And sweet don’t you think for one split second that I’m not. Boy, I’m the luckiest guy in the world. The only trouble is that maybe you are the one who is getting the “bad boy” in the situation. I feel so awfully inferior to you darling that sometimes I don’t think that I’m even near you for being so grand. “But you love me and I love you, no knife could ever cut our love in two”. (How’s that?)

Gee only five more days and we will be out of this “_ _ _ _ Hole”. I can’t wait. I wonder what knew adventures lie a ahead. Remember that U.S. M.C. poster in front of the Waterburg P.O? It said “Do you want action? Then join the Marines”. They aren’t kidding. Sometimes I can’t wait and then again I wish it could be delayed a little while longer. Gee it’s a funny feeling. I just want to be able to write you and see you as much as I can before the real time comes. Then I could go away much more relieved and easier.

Can you really pictures us being together and all? I just can’t seem to get the idea out of my head that maybe this war will cause me to lose you, by me being sent some place and not knowing I will get back. It wouldn’t be heard on because I would never know about it. But you dearest would be the poor kid back home. Don’t think I’m always gloomy about this war but I do want to settle down and be married to you and have all the things that both of us want to make us happy. I’ll tell you what you just tell me that you know we will be happy in the future and I’ll guarantee you I won’t let that “gloomy cloud” ever enter my mind.

You must look comical looking into your drawer at my homely “mug”. Do the other members of the force think your nuts? I bet that you just get mad every time you look at me.

It’s beginning to rain in torrents again. It comes down to our tin roof sounding like thunder. I suppose we will be playing mud turtles again together. Two good days I guess was too much. Anyway we don’t get snow like you poor creatures up north are getting.

Today the mail came right after noon show and the order came to “fall in”. So I threw all the other mail on the bunk and put yours in my blouse pocket when we marched off to the firing line. Well I opened it and read it on the ground out there. I had a grin on my face when a Sgt. came along and stood above me. I didn’t see him because I was deep in heaven reading it. I was the fourth relay to fire so being stretched nonchalantly on the ground I didn’t look up any further than his shoe, but when he didn’t move for a while I glanced up and when I saw who it was I flew up to attention. He was swell tho. (its unusual). He said he thought have must have been a letter from someone “very sweet and close” by the contented looking foolish grin I had on. I told him that no letter in the Marine Corp ever meant so much to a fellow as what my girls’ mean to me.

Goodnight my dearest and always remember I love you more than anybody in the world.

Forever and always,

Love,

Jack

XXOO

P.S. AH, Ha!! I see your stamps also are inverted. Tis well!!

[metavanaj]

What the hey, AJ? | First Assault [Volume: January 2019]

YES, THE TITLE IS COMPLICATED.

Hi - if you’re reading this, you know the drill. My name’s MetaVanAJ, insert quirky catchphrase and/or ‘your mum’ joke here. Welcome to the first volume of ‘What the hey is AJ play...ing?’ Yeah, the title isn't the greatest but hey it rhymes...mostly. I just thought I’d use this as quick way of communicating what I’m playing (or going to play) at the moment, & hopefully give some quick recommendations, to pique your interests in some really good stuff. As much as I would love to do a video version of this, I feel I would lose the spontaneity behind the idea; once I get my shit together I’ll do one of these in video form, someday. The only reason I’m writing this now is because January 2019 is so jammed packed with excellent NEW titles (despite most of this article being about ports & remakes), that I literally won’t be able to keep up. And I can’t even keep up in an off-season so this is just exponentially worse. So, ‘what the hey is AJ playing’ in January 2019?

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes

(Platform(s): Switch | Release Date: Jan 18th)

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes is taking another core title hostage so please buy this game. Joke aside, I am still looking forward to this title. Like everyone else, I’m a bit iffy and uncertain about how the gameplay is shaping up but I’ll be picking this up day one. Why? For one reason only, of course: Suda51. You see Goicha Suda is a brand - he is a different, ‘special snowflake’ and he makes different ‘special snowflake’ games. His name has been slapped on various works the past decade, and then some, but he actually hasn’t directed a game since 2007’s No More Heroes, on the Nintendo Wii. Travis Strikes Again marks his return to the directorial seat, albeit an odd-way to do so. But hey, this means pure unadulterated Suda-vision, the same vision that gave us Killer7 and No More Heroes; meaning narrative-wise we’re up for, what the kids call, some wacky shit. That and being able to blast through this with a bud, in co-op, will ease any of the pain, if the gameplay isn’t to mechanically engaging. Pain divided...is worse - why would you subject your friend to that?

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition

(Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC | Release Date: Jan 11th)

I saw someone call the ‘Tale of’ series the McDonalds of JRPGS - I don’t think that’s an accurate metaphor but hey it’s an interesting way to open up a paragraph, no? Tales games tend to be a bit ‘same-y’ but it’s a bloody excellent formula and the fact they’ve released so many of these over the years just goes to show the formula works. Don’t like the characters, story & setting of one Tales game? Play the next one - gameplay remains the same, fundamentally. I won’t dive into the gameplay deep here but let's just say the ‘action’ is pretty decent in this ‘action-RPG’. Personally, you can’t go wrong with any Tales after Tales of the Abyss (Symphonia didn’t click with me, my bad). Apparently, Vesperia is one of the best in the series, so if it’s half as good as Abyss, and what I’ve seen of Xillia, then this is definitely worth a buy - especially on Switch, so you can take this bad boy on the go. Don’t worry, high-frame lovers: it was 60fps on the 360 in 2008, it’ll a good time, trust me. And this is one also has a dog with an eye patch in it...and a pirate midget. The definitive edition also adds all the extra goodies from the japan exclusive PS3 port, which is all the more reason to pick up a copy now. LIKE RIGHT NOW.

New Super Mario Brothers U Deluxe

(Platform: Switch | Out now!)

Eh, I’m not super excited about this game in particular but moreso the idea of the game itself. Shocking fact: New Super Mario Bros. games have been decent this entire time. The games have no spunk, in terms of story and presentation, but boy is the level design tight & fun. If you’re looking for a good 2D platformer on Switch, get Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, or hey even Shantae ½ Genie Hero. The other big 4-player party-style offerings however, have been kinda meagre offerings. Super Mario Party looks boring and soulless, Kirby: Star Allies is patronisingly easy to a point of being ‘unfun’ (and that’s for a Kirby game), and I forgot how to casually play Smash without crushing people’s dreams. Super Mario Bros. U is a great platformer and even greater with a few buddies but I’m not clamouring to get it at full price. I still strongly recommend it though if you’re just looking for some 4-player platform ‘em up fun. Comes with Luigi U too, that’s nice - surprised they didn’t charge us for it, all over again. That’d be almost as bad as charging a full 80 Australian dollars for it...oh wait.

Resident Evil 2 [2019 remake]

(Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC | Release Date: 25th Jan)

Legitimately thought, I don’t need to sell you this one. You saw the trailer, you’re probably already hyped that Resi is ‘returning to its roots’; whatever that means. Personally, I haven’t touched Resident Evil up until recently, as I am a big baby when it comes to jump-scares. I know their coming but I still go through the physical shock of getting scared by set jumps. The titles I have been delving into (and loving) of late, have been Resi 4, 5 & 6...all at once - and I wonder why I can’t tame the backlog? Anywho, that’s why I am excited for the Resi 2 remake. Why should YOU be excited? The Resi 2 remake takes from all the best components of the series, and smooshs them together to create something extraordinarily beautiful -  the actual horror elements and sense of claustrophobia through environmental design from the first three classic games, the tight gameplay formula from the modern Resi formula (4, 5, 6) and the beautiful new engine from Resi 7. Resident Evil 2 (2019_ is like a best hits album of everything the series has achieved so far. Play it, yeah - you owe it to yourself.

Kingdom Hearts freaking III

(Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One | Release Date: 29th Jan)

At this point, you are either on the Kingdom Hearts hype train, or you live in beautiful bliss of the Kingdom Hearts hype train. I got in an abusive relationship where whenever I thought about Kingdom Hearts 3, I would angrily playthrough the entirety of Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix again. I’m better now - I spend my days now complaining about Dream Drop Distance like a good boy now. That being said: I’m a fan like everyone, I’m getting this Day 1, and I payed an extra 20 Australian dollars, on top of full price, for the deluxe edition. If you’re wondering why you should buy Kingdom Hearts 3, all I’m going to say is it’s going to be epic. It’ll have a rippling behemoth impact on anyone who’s touched a game from the Eastern shores, like Final Fantasy XV did, at its release. If you’re a newcomer, obviously start with Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2, as they are the finest action-RPGs I’ve ever played, in my short time on this earth. But if you’re even remotely invested in the series, you’re already drooling - that fabled release of KH3 is so close I can practically taste it. It tastes so good. I SWEAR TO GOD THOUGH IF I SEE ‘FLOATY COMBAT’, I DON’T KNOW WHAT I’ll DO. I’ll see you at the end of it all...

Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal

(Platform(s): PS4, PC | Release Date: 18th Jan)

Woah, that last one got a little emotional there. Anyways, this one’s an easy sell: BOOBS, BUTTS, ANIME BABES, & BODACIOUS BLADES. Senran Kagura Estival Versus was a interesting musou that showcased some promising gameplay elements; I actually had to activate more than two brain cells at once, during my playthrough. Shocking, I know. Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal is a remake of a 3DS game (Senran Kagura Burst), which consists of gameplay more akin to a 3D-Beat-’em-up. It simply looks like a bit of a meatier Estival Versus so I’m keen to check it out & see how deep the game mechanics well is. If you’re looking for a fun light action romp too, you should as well. The presentation, which I won’t delve into here, is often what is a bit of a turn off for newcomers - I personally have never been swayed by it either way it. Sure, it’s a bit saucy but it doesn’t detract from the fact that whatever the Senran Kagura series tries its hand at, is often a pretty fun & polished experience, albeit a slightly shallow one. This one isn’t necessarily a ‘must get’ but they’re not charging full price so it is definitely worth an investigative playthrough, if you can get past the ‘fan-service-y’ presentation.

Well, that’s it for the first volume of ‘What the hey, AJ?’ Next time, I hope to adapt this into video form & hopefully spin in a few funnies, as well as just tighten up the structure. Next time, probably won’t be all new releases either - I’ll probably end up doing another just if I find that everything I’m playing, at any given time, is amazing. I have, and always will be, MetaVanAJ - stay cool, fools. Actually, that was mean calling my audience fools. Stay cool, individuals.

[noiseartists]

SICAYDA (CANADA): THE SHOEGAZING BUTTERFLIES OF TORONTO

Sicayda is a band from Toronto, which sound mixes the energy of Post-Punk and the Sound Palette of Shoegaze. You may detect in their music some hints of early Teenage Fanclub and other excellent influences.

The Four-Imaginary-Bugs are:

Kevin Tipan: Guitar & Vocals

Marcos Villar: Guitar & Synths

Ian Fragomeni: Drums

Zachary Clarke: Bass

SICAYDA’S MUSIC

Sicayda’s music work to date was released in 2019 and includes one EP (Sown) and 3 singles (Caught in the rain, It changes and Go on)

A lot of our music comes from our life experiences and our feelings towards a lot of issues we face being POC and just being musicians and people that lived in impoverished and lower class families in general.

With that in mind we tend to write lyrics more cryptically and try to keep it as "universal" as possible so our fans can not only understand what we're saying but since everyone has different experiences, relate to the songs, make them personal.

An example is our most popular song "Two's" which is a song about Kevin (singer/guitarist) meeting his girlfriend of seven years. The song doesn’t sound specific but specific at the same time. Their is a story being told and a person being talked to but it also sounds like any person with flaws talking about their feelings for someone and there’s a sense of real love which anyone can represent in their own way. Another very personal song is "Only Worried" which is essentially a song about having to work everyday, being tired, depressed when you know that's not where you want to be in life. There's also a bit of self-reflection in the chorus "Only you can tell, only you can say, don't worry" which is a mantra to yourself that you can get through the situation with your own will, the "you" means yourself - at the same time the "you" can be someone else that motivates you and makes you feel driven, that makes you feel that you don't have to worry, that is the "universal" idea that we usually try our best to convey in our music.

SICAYDA’S HISTORY AND INTERVIEW

Sicayda was formed by Kevin Tipan and Marcos Villar in July of 2017. They recruited Zachary Clarke (bass) and Ian fragomeni(drums) around the same time to fill out the rythm section.

Kevin and Marcos have been friends and collaborators for over a decade, playing together in other bands and duo groups writing and growing their sound. The main sound and sonic vision was crafted by the duo over many years and many influences helping create something unique in the "gaze" world. When they formed what would become Sicayda they had ads out looking for a drummer and a bassist. Ian was recruited through Facebook, he sent a message to Marcos about trying out for the band, a short time later he showed up and we asked him to play anything and he blew us away with his playing making our crummy cheap drum set left by and old member sound amazing. Zach messaged us through kajiji asking if he could record us because he was starting his engineering business. He ultimately decided why not try out and see if he likes the vibe and he did and we were surprised with how quickly he learned the songs we were rehearsing and that’s how we became Sicayda

How did you come up with the name?

Sicayda comes from a few things. One is our Hispanic background Marcos, Kevin and Ian have latino parents or parent and we wanted to some way reflect that heritage in our music so we were thinking of names in Spanish. I (Kevin) liked the idea of "We fall" turning into a phrase "if you fall" or in Spanish "Si tu caida", which is incorrect Spanish but it would be "si te cais" but it gave us an idea by looking at it. "SITUCAIDA" It reminded us about the bug Cicada and previously we'd been named humbug in another band and liked the bug theme so Sicayda stuck and we really enjoy explaining our backgrounds and the origin of the name.

What are your goals?

Our goal really is to be able to play, write and tour our music comfortably without worrying about being broke when we get back to our families. We want to create a new art and push shoegaze and alternative rock in a different direction. We want to be able to make a living through our music at the basic level. Kevin and Marcos being the main components of the band were never well off and lived just above poverty a lot of their lives and know how it is to watch your family struggle through financial problems. They want to be able to be comfortable and provide for their families if fame comes then that's a major plus and we hope that is possible in our future.

Why do you think you make this music?

Kevin and Marcos created this music through their life experiences through their hardship and struggle and need to be creative. It is environment and it inside of us. We realized shortly after high school that we were talented and very badly needed to be creative to be happy and since we are hard working we wanted to push ourselves to achieve it.

What do you do to make your music, do you experiment etc…?

We have a lot of influences stemming from the mid 80's synth, alternative, goth to today very much all in the alternative rock scene. Where we started to really change our music is when we found shoegaze. Shoegaze is an amazing genre but we felt it stagnated into more of a mood then a genre and it stubbornly didn’t want to progress. We didn’t do it inherently but we just added different elements to our writing and realized a lot of the sonics were shoegaze influenced but nothing like shoegaze. Now a days we have a very good idea of what we're trying to do especially with an LP in the works already.

Your pallet of sound?

I would say we are a few major things Alternative rock, shoegaze, noise-pop, metal, ambient, and more so now a days hardcore and punk influenced.

If you could guest on an album with who and what would you play?

Kevin - Id love to play on a Sonic youth record as a guitarist and singer because i feel most of my need to be creative and try different things comes from sonic youths tendency to push boundaries and sounds and an My Bloody Valentine’s record as the same.

What musical skills would you like to acquire or get better at?

Kevin: I’d still love to improve my guitar playing and singing to have a bigger pallet of experience. And id love to learn the drums cause I’ve always loved that idea

Marcos: get better at piano, enhance my singing and improve my guitar playing even further

Is there a band that if they didn’t exist you wouldn’t be making the music you are?

For sure, if we never found the cure, sonic youth, Radiohead or MBV we would never be playing the music we are now.

You are from Canada what are the advantages and inconveniences?

A big advantage to being in Toronto Canada is, its a major music hub so our love for music has always been quenched by a lively scene, that we are around a lot of resources and accepting and helping people and of course everything that comes from being in a prosperous western country.

The inconveniences are how small that music hub is. There are a lot of people in Toronto but the music scene is very tight lipped and exclusive, its very difficult to get any traction especially for those not able to be socially active at such a high level.

The music here favors the rich and the socially active which is a shame cause there have been a lot of good bands that break up because of disillusionment.

What are some places around the world that you want to play at?

Definitely Greece at the acropolis. Travel all across Europe really

When the next project coming out?

Our single will be out on jan 29th and our 2nd EP is set for july or august of this year

Which artist do you recommend?

Listen to Senegal Astroturf, Fourthway, Losers, Bathouse, Hesitate, Daze, Koza, Eddyevvy, Roach,

Anything else you want your fans to know?

All that we love all our fans and really appreciate all the support we have and a big thank you to anyone who streamed, bought our merch or music online, we really do appreciate everything we get and hope you all continue to support us and we have big plans this year with a lot of great music coming soon.

WHERE TO FIND THE BAND AND THEIR MUSIC

Bandcamp (you can download their music free of charge but please leave a euro/dollar of two. Every little bit helps)

Facebook

Band’s web site (with merch, tour dates, …) YouTube channel (with very good 2 live videos)

[truesportsfan]

Our Guide To The NFL’s Conference Championships

The dust is still clearing from a divisional-round weekend that gave us mostly chalk but also one massive upset. The Baltimore Ravens had been our favorite to win the Super Bowl — and pretty heavy ones at that — but Derrick Henry and Tennessee had different plans. Now, the Titans face our new favorites, the Kansas City Chiefs, in the AFC title game, while the San Francisco 49ers host the Green Bay Packers on the NFC side. Looking ahead, we’ve broken down the matchups using our Elo ratings — which track each team’s form, with adjustments for each starting quarterback — and also identified the phases of the game in which each team was best (and worst) according to ESPN’s expected points added (EPA) during the regular season. This week’s spreads aren’t sizable enough to generate any historic upsets, but the upside is that we should see a more balanced set of matchups here on the cusp of the Super Bowl.

Tale of the tape: Kansas City vs. Tennessee

3:05 p.m. ET Sunday

Kansas City Category Tennessee 13-4 Record 11-7 5th Schedule strength 2nd 1723 Elo rating 1661 2nd League rank 4th Patrick Mahomes Starting QB Ryan Tannehill 2nd QB Elo rank 12th 4th QB’s supporting cast 2nd 5th Avg. QB Elo defense 16th Pass offense Biggest EPA strength Run offense Run defense Biggest EPA weakness Special teams 69.4% 538 forecast 30.6%

Source: ESPN Stats & Information Group

After a pair of stunning upsets over the defending champs (New England) and the AFC’s No. 1 seed (Baltimore), what does Tennessee have in store next? Certainly the Titans are underdogs again, on the road at Arrowhead Stadium against the Chiefs. But Elo has also learned its lesson about them — to a degree — and has boosted Tennessee’s rating by a whopping 81 points since the start of the playoffs. Still, the Titans have their work cut out for them against a vastly superior (on paper) passing attack directed by reigning league MVP Patrick Mahomes. In leading Kansas City on a furious comeback from down 24-0 against the Texans, Mahomes posted a sky-high 97.9 Total QB Rating from the second quarter onward, so he may not prove as easy for Tennessee’s defense to stymie as Lamar Jackson was. The good news for the Titans, however, is that their offensive strength — the mighty power running of Henry and Co. — ranks fourth in schedule-adjusted EPA per game this season, corresponding well to Kansas City’s weakness in defending the run (29th in rushing defense). The ingredients are there for Henry to have another big day, perhaps similar to the 188 yards he produced against K.C. in a Week 10 Tennessee victory. The only question is whether it will be enough to match the Chiefs’ own firepower again — an unlikely proposition, though not that unlikely. Elo’s spread: Kansas City -5½

Tale of the tape: San Francisco vs. Green Bay

6:40 p.m. ET Sunday

San Francisco Category Green Bay 14-3 Record 14-3 11th Schedule strength 18th 1655 Elo rating 1635 5th League rank 6th Jimmy Garoppolo Starting QB Aaron Rodgers 22nd QB Elo rank 13th 1st QB’s supporting cast 3rd 6th Avg. QB Elo defense 4th Pass defense Biggest EPA strength Run offense Special teams Biggest EPA weakness Run defense 63.9% 538 forecast 36.1%

Source: ESPN Stats & Information Group

The most iconic playoff battle between these two teams happened back in 1999, when San Francisco’s Steve Young hit Terrell Owens for a 25-yard, game-winning TD to defeat Brett Favre and the Packers. The QBs in this year’s edition — SF’s Jimmy Garropolo (-18 QB Elo vs. average) and GB’s Aaron Rodgers (+12) — aren’t quite at the top of their games the way Young (+122) and Favre (+61) were back then, but they are assisted by two of the best supporting casts in the league, including a pair of strong pass defenses. In theory, that makes these teams pretty evenly matched: Even the biggest disparities on one side of the ball (such as Green Bay’s superior running game) are matched on the other side (e.g., San Francisco’s run defense is better). One thing the 49ers can point to is their 37-8 demolition of the Packers at home in Week 12, when Garropolo outplayed Rodgers and San Francisco outgained Green Bay 339 to 198. But even in that department, there’s some evidence that the team that was blown out in the regular season gains more information for the rematch than the team that dominated. Will that — and plain old regression to the mean — be enough to keep Green Bay more competitive this time around? Probably, though the 49ers are still clear favorites here. Elo’s spread: San Francisco -4

FiveThirtyEight vs. the Readers

As a weekly tradition here at FiveThirtyEight, we look at how our Elo model did against everybody who made picks in our forecasting game. (If you entered, you can find yourself on our leaderboard here.) These are the games in which Elo made its best — and worst — predictions against the field last week:

Elo’s dumbest (and smartest) picks of the divisional round

Average difference between points won by readers and by Elo in Week 19 matchups in FiveThirtyEight’s NFL prediction game

OUR PREDICTION (ELO) READERS’ PREDICTION PICK WIN PROB. PICK WIN PROB. Result READERS’ NET PTS BAL 87% BAL 84% TEN 28, BAL 12 +5.8

–

SF 67 SF 68 SF 27, MIN 10 -6.5

–

KC 83 KC 80 KC 51, HOU 31 -8.3

–

GB 74 GB 57 GB 28, SEA 23 -34.5

–

Home teams are in bold.

The scoring system is nonlinear, so readers’ average points don’t necessarily match the number of points that would be given to the average reader prediction.

A week ago, Elo made a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad pick when it took the Eagles over the Seahawks with 69 percent confidence. This time around, the model whiffed on the Ravens, giving them an 87 percent win probability … but so did basically everyone else. Elo lost only 5.8 points to the field on that pick, which it made up for by gaining 49.3 points over the average reader in the other three games — including a massive 34.5-point gain for picking Green Bay over Seattle. (Elo had been suspicious of the Seahawks for a long time.) As a result, Elo was back to its winning ways for the week, beating the field by 43.5 points on average.

Despite that, some readers did well. Congratulations to Andrew Lindstrom, who leads all (identified) readers in the postseason with 200.0 points, and Jan Hájek, who pulled into first place in the full-season contest with 1,061.3 points. Thanks to everyone who played — and if you haven’t, be sure to get in on the action! You can make picks now and try your luck against Elo in the playoffs, even if you missed Week 19.

Check out our latest NFL predictions.

source https://truesportsfan.com/football/our-guide-to-the-nfls-conference-championships/

[megamikethomson]

15 pleasant matters to shop for on boxing day (the day after christmas)

This article at first regarded on gobankingrates. Com: 15 nice matters to buy on boxing day (the day after christmas)

the holiday buying season starts offevolved on thanksgiving and builds to a crescendo that ends on christmas. A number of the satisfactory offers and sales, but, start day after today on dec. 26 — known as boxing day in lots of the world. A good day-after-christmas sale can provide shoppers large-time reductions as stores try to make room for a new yr of stock — however you need to recognise what to buy. Here are some of the excellent gadgets you can get for less after christmas. Gym memberships

if you’re making a brand new 12 months’s decision, it’s probable that it has to do with getting into form — and shops are aware of it. In instruction in your resolution, you’ll possibly need to get again to the gymnasium — which many gyms and health centers discount in anticipation. Ultimate 12 months, planet fitness supplied a unique advertising, slashing membership expenses to just $1 for the month of january. On boxing day, use it as a chance to reach out to your nearby workout warm spots and scope out which one will paintings exceptional for your way of life — and your pockets.

“fitness center memberships can be favorably priced all through the month of january,” said sara skirboll, shopping and tendencies expert at retailmenot. “closing yr we noticed sports activities and health offers from foot locker, champs and kohl’s.” eggnog

vacation-themed liquids — specially eggnog — are hard to transport after christmas, according to steve thomas, chief advertising and marketing officer at windsor advertising and marketing institution. Like christmas-themed apparel, the creamy drink is one in all the products outlets bet on for holiday reputation and therefore provide at a reduction throughout boxing day sales. Windsor said. “no retailer desires eggnog or unsightly christmas sweaters on their cabinets on jan. Nine.” christmas cards

alongside the identical strains, christmas playing cards are of little use to stores after the holiday has exceeded. Meaning you can keep massive with the aid of stocking up for the destiny. Anticipate boxing day deals as much as 50 percent, in step with roger ma, certified monetary planner and founder of lifelaidout. Com.

“as long as you don’t get vacation playing cards that say the precise yr on them, they’re normally accurate to use for decades,” ma said. Tape

products doesn’t ought to be in particular christmas-themed a good way to earn discount repute after the holiday. Household tape, for instance, isn’t specifically christmas-y, but consumers stock up on it earlier than christmas to wrap affords. Which means shops inventory up on it before christmas, which means that they’re stuck with it after christmas. Ultimately, maximum present-wrapping tape is on sale after the vacations skip. Toys

after santa can pay a go to, many desirable little boys and women need to wait a piece earlier than they get showered with toys and presents once more. That leaves outlets with a completely unique trouble — surplus toys. So one can make room on the cabinets, many stores will cut price excursion toys as deeply as 70 percent to push them. Head to the shops on boxing day and stock up in your youngsters’ birthdays — and buy a few spares for nieces, nephews and college pals’ birthday parties. Want your kid to earn a brand new toy? 9 chores each baby can do to earn allowance carpeting and floors

it’s not unusual for stores to inventory up on flooring and carpeting earlier than the annual rush, which happens just earlier than the vacations. When they bypass, in line with trae bodge, smart purchasing professional for splender. Com, retailers must lower charges to offload unsold merchandise.

“look for offers from web sites like construct. Com, simple floors and overstock. Com,” she stated. Plus, iciness is a exquisite time for diy tasks that can save you money. Furnishings

without delay after christmas, shoppers can anticipate financial savings of 50 percentage in comparison to the average for the opposite months, in line with bodge.

“the furnishings class sees its highest mentioned savings in january due to the shipment of recent fashions in february,” she stated. Maximize your own home storage: why buying a garage unit is continually a terrible idea gift sets

many fundamental outlets get equipped for the holiday season by using developing vacation-one-of-a-kind gift units in the whole thing from espresso to fragrance, lunchmeat to deodorant. Those sets frequently characteristic festive takes on normal necessities and are generally paired with other matching merchandise. Although it has a vacation scent, that deodorant will nevertheless do the equal task as a frequently priced stick — and it would come with a discounted shampoo and conditioner, too. Tale continues cloth cabinet staples

some of the first-rate clothing and apparel deals of the year take area all through after-christmas income, in step with dealnews. Look for steep reductions from nike, gap manufacturing facility, brooks brothers, tory burch and nautica, amongst others. Old navy is already advertising and marketing offers of 50 off or more for the store’s after-christmas sale. Don't forget these in usher in rectangular: 10 great and worst deals at macy’s shoes

footwear pass hand-in-hand with garb on the subject of dominance in after-christmas sales. Last year, dealnews noticed steep savings on choose items at nordstrom, bloomingdale’s and tory burch. Sorrel and puma are among the manufacturers with reductions listed for after christmas on gives. Com, as properly. Video games

in the weeks after christmas, ’tis the season for large video games sales, in line with dealnews. For computer game enthusiasts, steam holds  major income each year: one in winter and one in summer. The steam winter sale starts just before christmas and runs all of the manner via the start of the brand new 12 months. And in case you’re greater into console games, gamestop holds a purchase-two-get-one-free sale for used video games simply earlier than new year’s day. Take into account it training — in case you’re a terrific sufficient gamer, you can make millions. Home items and decor

although offers on domestic items are regularly associated with black friday, the day after christmas is also an amazing time to shop for. Closing year, dealnews pronounced major reductions at stores like anthropologie and nordstrom. New automobiles december is the great month of the 12 months to shop for new vehicles, in step with cnn. That’s the time of year that dealers are maximum keen to clean out the preceding year’s stock to make manner for the brand new yr’s fashions. The discounts decrease in january, but as december marches on, sellers grow to be even more inclined to reduce a deal, which makes the very end of the month the excellent time to buy. Way to year-give up clearance offers, u. S. News and international document referred to as new yr’s eve “the maximum probable target to get a fantastic deal on a new car,” mentioning common savings of up to 8. Three percentage off new motors on december 31st. The 29th and thirtieth aren't any slouches, both, with respective discounts clocking in at about 7. Eight and 7. Nine percent. Repackaged clearance gadgets

each shop has a dedicated clearance aisle — if you’re a good deal hunter, you probable realize exactly where your preferred store maintains the deep discounts. After christmas, many stores are handling an onslaught of returns — lots of which come with opened packaging, after the christmas morning chaos. As long as it still works the equal, a person else’s frenzied excitement may imply cash again to your wallet — frequently instances, outlets provide repackaged or previously opened gadgets for as a good deal as 80 percent off. Cameras

despite the fact that you can expect to keep on a selection of electronics, human beings shopping for cameras are possibly to enjoy some of the biggest reductions, in keeping with enterprise insider. Steep discounts are commonplace for the whole thing from inexpensive refurbished cameras to high-quit models. Although the vacation purchasing season builds as much as christmas, some of the first-class offers and specials are clearly held inside the days and weeks that follow. The trick is understanding what to buy. For those looking forward to only a little more iciness shopping, they can look ahead to extended specials on dec. 26. Up subsequent: don’t buy these 15 matters on boxing day (the day after christmas)

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