#fourth checkin

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

i don't know what order to start Dissecting, so i'll just start with:

it's absolutely fascinating how the dynamic Wally & Barnaby had - to my knowledge - before the update, and a dynamic i'd seen speculated elsewhere and generally accepted, has been completed turned on its head

see, given that Wally is the "main character" and Barnaby is classified as "his best friend", i got the feeling that Barnaby kind of... tags along on Wally's 'shenanigans'. that he's the sidekick, the best friend. especially since their dynamic has been previously & briefly described as "Barnaby is very polite to Wally." he's the Companion.

but the audios sorta paint a reverse picture. in the Interview, when Barnaby enters stage right, he completely bowls over Wally's introduction and dominates the interview. when the interviewer asks how the two of them are handling the fame, even outright asking Wally, Barnaby doesn't hesitate to answer the question himself, and only about himself. Wally doesn't get another word in edge-wise until the interviewer explicitly singles Wally out.

(now, an argument could be made that Barnaby knew that Wally was somewhat overwhelmed with all of the questions, and tried to take the reins to give him a reprieve. but, considering that the interview seems to be very early on the possible timeline - like, very soon after Welcome Home debuted - i don't think this is likely. i doubt Barnaby and Wally would've had the time to solidify their dynamic or really get to know each other that well yet)

and Barnaby continues to take point in pretty much all of their other conversations, too. like in the mystery Howdy/Barnaby/Wally audio, their interaction gives off the vibes that Wally is Barnaby's sidekick, his tag-along.

(on a related tangent, it's fascinating how the website described the episodes as "[beginning] with Wally introducing the focus or theme for the day before coming across other characters who would join him on his escapades until the end of the day." but from pretty much everything we've seen so far, it seems like He's the one who's just along for the ride, bouncing from neighbor shenanigan to neighbor shenanigan instead of having his own adventures.

of course, if the 14 audios are present time, which is honestly somewhat likely, this could be because the show isn't running. they aren't doing episodes - they're just existing, doing their things. no need for Wally to take point in any way shape or form. tangent over)

in the 14 audios with Barnaby, he doesn't even acknowledge Wally until the very end - which, of course, could be because that's how the scenes are set up. except that in some of them, the characters do directly acknowledge Wally's presence outside of the endings. Eddie in 5-14, Howdy and Poppy in 1-14, and Frank in 4-14 (technically, since he was infodumping to Wally at the very start before Barnaby interrupted). you'd think that a guy would try to include his best friend a little more!

maybe i'm reading into it too much. & given what we know about Wally as a character, it would make sense for Barnaby to be the go-getter Main Guy of the two. but it really seems like its Barnaby & Wally instead of Wally & Barnaby. he's just kinda... there. going along with whatever Barnaby is up to.

but also, on the other side of things - & it's occurring to me as i type this, it's interesting how in a lot of audios, Barnaby seems to seek Wally out. in "Just So", he shows up to fetch Wally. in 4-14, Barnaby interrupts Frank and Wally's gardening session, almost as if he's stopping by to check on his little buddy. in 7-14, Barnaby calls Julie's house (presumably) searching for Wally, or at least checking in once again. something to consider in all of this!

[cartodarko]

24 HOUR CHALLENGE IN BRUNO’S PIZZERIA YOU GUYS checkin out the fourth floor before peppino gets here 

why is this here again?

[moviesludge]

been a year since I saw my rheumatologist because I was doing so well with gout, but appt is soon so I had to go to labcorp. I went to make an appt but there were none available because I waited too long and the notes on my local location on their website said DRUG TEST APPT ONLY, which I took to mean that they are only doing drug testing there (the fact that they showed another labcorp location was being added to the building soon only made this seem more likely), so I was trying to psyche myself up to go to one of the only other labcorp locations near me which is in the big hospital where I stayed when I had a P.E. The parking is squirrely there and I always forget where to go, so I was a little nervous, but then the next day I realized DRUG TEST APPT ONLY means "if you're getting a drug test you have to make an appointment and not walk-in".

So I went down there yesterday. took the elevator to the fourth floor and checked in. Shortly after was told that labcorp lost the acct with my insurance co, so I had to go to Quest instead, which was on the first floor. Friendly women in the elevator both times. Went down and where there were like 5 ppl in spacious labcorp room, there were like 15 in cramped windowless quest room. labcorp has a counter with people you can talk to, but quest just has 2 checkin kiosks and a closed door. I check in and do not get a confirmation, so I dont want to wait and find out it didnt work. So i check in again and notice that there was a blurred confirmation screen behind the "please wait" text that had a countdown timer. So I waited about 20-30 mins and got in just under the wire.

The phlebotomist that helped me was a friendly Vietnamese lady who was typing my info in on the computer (at labcorp the front counter people do this while you're waiting). I noticed sounds that seemed like a baby monitor type of noise and I finally glanced over and noticed that she had some kind of live video on her cellphone. She noticed me look and was telling me that her husband had had two strokes and was being bathed today. I felt real bad for her because she was so nice and seemed like a very caring person, and also my uncle died recently after having a stroke a few years ago. I told her I hope her husband feels better and refreshed after his bath.

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

Hallmark Ratings - 2023

So here's a look at the ratings for most of Hallmark's 2023 programing. No info on what the numbers were for stuff aired on Hallmark Movies Now of course, and I don't have the numbers for what the Love Club movies did when aired on the Hallmark Channel.

1 - A Merry Scottish Christmas (CTC) - 3.33 2 - A Biltmore Christmas (CTC) - 3.12 3 -Christmas Island (CTC) - 2.62 4 - The Wedding Veil Expectations (NYNM) - 2.48  5- Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up (CTC) - 2.38 6 - The Wedding Veil Journey (NYNM) - 2.29  7 - The Wedding Veil Inspiration (NYNM) - 2.28 8 - Holiday Hotline (CTC) - 2.27 9 - 3 Bed, 2 Bath, 1 Ghost (FIL) - 2.25 10 - A Heidelberg Holiday (CTC) - 2.18 11 - Holiday Road (CTC) - 2.13 12 - Sealed With a List (CTC) - 2.10 13 - Sweeter Than Chocolate (Loveuary) - 2.06  14 - Catch Me If You Claus (CTC) - 2.05 15 - My Norwegian Holiday (CTC) - 2.03 15 - Christmas on Cherry Lane (CTC) - 2.03 16 - A Not So Royal Christmas (CTC) - 2.02 17 - Love in Glacier National: A National Park Romance (NYNM) - 1.98  17 - The Wedding Cottage (SIL) - 1.98  18 - Navigating Christmas (CTC) - 1.97 19 - Christmas in Notting Hill (CTC) - 1.92 19 - The Secret Gift of Giving (CTC) - 1.92 20 - Everything Christmas (CTC) - 1.90 21 - A Paris Proposal (Loveuary) - 1.88  22 - Welcome to Valentine (Loveuary) - 1.85  22 - Magic in Mistletoe (CTC) - 1.85 23 - Never Been Chris'd (CTC) - 1.80 24 - Where Are You, Christmas? (CTC) - 1.78 25 - Flipping for Christmas (CTC) - 1.77 26 - Joyeux Noel (CTC) - 1.74 26 - Our Christmas Mural (CTC) - 1.74 27 - A Picture of Her (SIL) - 1.73 28 - Mystic Christmas (CTC) - 1.72 29 - The Santa Summit (CTC) - 1.70 30 - The Dog Lover’s Guide to Dating (NYNM) - 1.68  31 - Checkin' It Twice (CTC) - 1.68 32 - Made for Each Other (Loveuary) - 1.62  33 - A Pinch of Portugal (SIL) - 1.59  34 - Fourth Down and Love (FIL) - 1.58 35 - Love’s Greek to Me (JW) - 1.57  35 - Christmas With a Kiss (CTC) (Mahogany) - 1.57 36 - A Royal Christmas Crush (CIJ) - 1.56 37 - Hearts in the Game - 1.54  37 - Round and Round (CTC) - 1.54 38 - Field Day (FIL) - 1.53 38 - Under the Christmas Sky (CTC) - 1.53 39 - Love in Zion National: A National Park Romance - 1.51  40 - A Safari Romance (SN) - 1.50  41 - Love in the Great Smoky Mountains: A National Park Romance  (FIL) - 1.49  41 - Notes of Autumn (FIL) - 1.49 41 - Letters to Santa (CTC) - 1.49 42 - Game of Love - 1.47  43 - Aloha Heart (SN) - 1.46  44 - Making Waves (SN) - 1.45  45 - Retreat to You (FIL) - 1.43 46 - The Professional Bridesmaid (SIL) - 1.40  46 - The Wedding Contract (JW) - 1.40  47 - Take Me Back for Christmas (CIJ) - 1.39 48 - A Winning Team - 1.38  48 - Love in the Maldives (SIL) - 1.38  48 - When Love Springs (SIL) - 1.38  49 - Never Too Late to Celebrate (SN) - 1.37  50 - Wedding Season (JW) - 1.34  51 - Christmas by Design (CTC) - 1.31 52 - Friends & Family Christmas (CTC) - 1.30 53 - Make Me a Match (JW) - 1.23  53 - A Very Venice Romance (FIL) - 1.23 54 - Dream Moms - 1.18  55 - Napa Ever After (SN) (Mahogany) - 1.09

1 - Miracle in Bethlehem, PA (MOC) (DaySpring) - 1.91 2 - Heaven Down Here (MOC) - 1.38 3 - To All a Good Night (MOC) - 1.35 4 - Mystery on Mistletoe Lane (MOC) - 1.30 5 - A Season for Family (MOC) - 1.19 6 - Curious Caterer: Grilling Season - 1.18  7 - Time for Her to Come Home for Christmas (MOC) - 1.13 8 - My Christmas Guide (MOC) - 1.09 9 - A World Record Christmas (MOC) - 1.06 10 - Family History Mysteries: Buried Past - 1.01  10 - Ms. Christmas Comes to Town (MOC) - 1.01 11 - A Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery - 0.99 12 - The Dancing Detective: A Deadly Tango - 0.87 13 - Curious Caterer: Fatal Vows - 0.86 14 - The Cases of Mystery Lane - 0.82  15 - Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery - 0.79  15 - Haunted Harmony Mysteries: Murder in G Major - 0.79 16 - Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Something New - 0.74  17 - Unexpected Grace - 0.69  18 - The Blessing Bracelet (DaySpring) - 0.66  19 - The More Love Grows - 0.63 20 - Mystery Island - 0.59 21 - Come Fly With Me - 0.58 22 - The Jane Mysteries: Inheritance Lost - 0.57  23 - Guiding Emily - 0.56 24 - Big Sky River: The Bridal Path - 0.52  25 - A Lifelong Love - 0.43 26 - Spring Breakthrough (Mahogany) - 0.38  27 - A Nashville Legacy (Mahogany) - 0.31

--- Season One --- Episode 1 - Mothers and Daughters - 1.44  Episode 2 - Scar Tissue - 1.54  Episode 3 - I Don’t Want to Moss a Thing - 1.39  Episode 4 - What’s My Age Again? - 1.56  Episode 5 - Don’t Dream It’s Over - 1.31  Episode 6 - Building a Mystery - 1.52  Episode 7 - The End of the World as We Know It - 1.57  Episode 8 - Lovefool - 1.43   Episode 9 - The Day the Music Died - 1.61  Episode 10 - Not All Who Wander Are Lost - 1.74

--- Season One --- Episode 1 - Legend of the Fall - 1.31  Episode 2 - Rodeo and Juliet - 1.04  Episode 3 - The McMurray Curse - 0.94  Episode 4 - Estella - 1.16  Episode 5 - When It Rains… - 0.94   Episode 6 - Your Cheatin’ Heart - 1.19  Episode 7 - Ride of Die - 0.90  Episode 8 - Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace - 1.04    Episode 9 - Truths Laid Bare - 0.84  Episode 10 - Andalusians - 1.02

--- Season Ten --- Episode 1 - Carpe Diem - 1.93  Episode 2 - Hope Springs Eternal - 1.72   Episode 3 - Oh, Baby - 1.69  Episode 4 - Great Expectations - 1.88   Episode 5 - Life is But a Dream - 1.95 Episode 6 - The Heart of the Problem - 1.81   Episode 7 - Best Laid Plans - 1.76  Episode 8 - What Is and What Never Should Be - 1.84 Episode 9 - Deep Water - 1.97  Episode 10 - All Dressed Up - 1.96  Episode 11 - Long Time Running - 1.98  Episode 12 - Starry Nights - 2.29

[destiny-smasher]

NemoPen Week Day 5: School Dance

As Penny's graduation draws super close, she finally allows herself the experience of attending a school dance, now that she has Nemona to make her feel comfortable enough to do so.

Excerpt:

As the first song of the night ended, the crowd of partygoers cheered and clapped, catching their breath. Penny, who was still hanging at the sidelines, offered a few half-hearted claps, wondering where her date was. It wasn't like Nemona to be late, especially to an event like this... Even Scarlet had shown up already, and them arriving before Nemona was... just plain backwards. The familiar voice of Penny's friend echoed through the courtyard from the many speakers lined around the place. [ “Hey-hey-heyohhh, your buddy DJ Vice checkin' in on all you party people. We are just getting started here at the Naranja Spring Formal, so if you have requests or messages for the Applin of your eye, send 'em my way, and I will see what I can do. Comin' at you next, we've got some mellow beats to let ya'll catch your breath and mingle...” ] The volume of the next song was mixed up as he ended his speech, playing some lofi chill beats as those attending the dance were given the 'vibes' to cool off from all the excitement of that first number. A vibration startled Penny, who was already jumpy as it was. From out of a pocket sewn onto her dress, she produced her RotomPhone, which seemed to be more relaxed than usual, given the silky material it was getting to lounge in. Penny was garbed in a dress – a kind of fancy dress, at that. She'd initially wanted to go for a Sylveon-themed one, but... She didn't want to come across as too flashy, draw too much attention to herself... so she'd talked herself down into something black and gray, more subdued and simple, but also let Nemona have some sway in the decision-making, as she herself wasn't really that fussed. Part of her had wanted to wear a suit, honestly. But the other part of her had been waiting for a few years now to wear a fancy dress. And that part of her had won out, in the end. It was a dress that only really revealed a bit of her neck – room enough to wear a studded choker she'd received as a gift from her Team Star friends over the holidays – as well as her arms, which were pale in the outdoor lighting of that spring evening. Her hair, slightly grown out, was at an awkward length where she couldn't really style it too much, and so she'd let Mela fluff it out a bit with a combination of brushing, hair product, and heat. Beneath the black dress, she wore gray leggings, which slipped into goth platform shoes, which she'd gotten for herself for this exact occasion using her birthday money from her parents. This wasn't her first time wearing them – probably the third or fourth? She was still getting used to the added height they provided. Not a regular thing, but it still felt nice. She hoped this increase in height would make dancing with Nemona more interesting, if she didn't trip over herself first... Checking her phone, Penny read a text from Nemona. Rather than a series of shorter texts, it was sent as one single paragraph. ( Sorry I'm late! My hair took longer than expected and I had a wardrobe malfunction, but don't worry, I'm all set! On my way! Almost there! I am literally walking up the Mesagoza steps as I'm typing this! Wow, I hate this! My feet hurt! Remind me to never do this in dress shoes again! Woof...Gonna tire myself out before I even reach you at this rate...But I am literally so close! Sorry again! Just about there. ARC we've got to consider installing like a lift or something, this is...so totally not handicap friendly, right? These stairs, I mean. You'd better be ready to catch me when we dance because, oh wow, my legs are so tired already...Maybe you should get some punch or something ready for me? Please? Aw, man, some punch sounds really good right now. Seriously, why do we have the longest stairway ever at this place?! ) Penny had started smirking while reading it, and her face just continued to widen more and more as she read further into Nemona's off-the-cuff single text ramble. “What're you smilin' about?”

[thisaintascenereviews]

Thks Fr Th Mmrs: A Mid-year Checkin

The summer is a mark of many things, whether it’s being outside, longer nights, the Fourth of July, fireworks, hotdogs, beaches, summer break, and the middle of the year. We’re over a week into July by this point, and while new releases have slowed down for a moment (I’m writing this on the 7th, but it’ll be later when I post this), we still got a ton of great pieces of media within the last few months. Whether it’s TV shows that people can’t stop talking about, movies that win audiences over, or albums that we’re all sure to be spinning by the end of the year, we’ve been eating good when it comes to new media. There are plenty of things to talk about, especially new stuff that I didn’t talk about in the last checkin piece I made back in April. Just like last time, however, I’m not doing this alone! I’m bringing along my buddy Jake, so we can talk about all things fandom, whether it’s music, movies, or TV. Hell, even video games aren’t off the table, but if you’re looking for new stuff that you haven’t heard, seen, or played in the first half of the year, or want to see what we’re into, you’re in the right place! We also talked about stuff that wasn’t necessarily new, but it may be new to us, since you don’t have to spend the year getting into stuff from that year, you can consume whatever you want from whenever you want.

With that said, in case you missed our first piece back in April, we talked about TV shows and movies like Fallout, Invincible, X-Men ‘97, and the Mean Girls musical, as well as talking about video games like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Mafia III, and Fallout 4, and the new albums from bands like Cory Wells, Too Close Topic Touch, Bayside, Sum 41, The Ghost Inside, SeeYouSpaceCowboy, Neck Deep, Fluorescents, Dustin Kensrue, Lil Dicky, and Justin Timberlake, among others. We got plenty more to talk about today, however, so to welcome you aboard, let me first kick to you, Jake — how have the last few months been for you in terms of consuming media? Has there been a lot that you’ve been really into that’s come out since we last discussed our favorite things, or have you still been sinking into your teeth into some, if not all, of the same things we talked about back then?

It’s funny, because in terms of music, so much new and exciting stuff has come out in the last couple months, and I’ve been all over it, but in terms of other forms of media, I’ve been kind of stuck in a bit of a rut. For example, I’ve been sitting on the last couple chapters of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth for almost two months now after 160 hours, but it’s been a struggle to get myself to finish it, which in turn has made me hesitant to really start anything new. Same with TV shows; while I did watch the new Star Wars series The Acolyte and mostly enjoyed that, and I’m really loving this current season of the Criminal Minds revival, I haven’t really felt motivated or energized to start a new thing. That being said, I do wanna touch on both of those things at least briefly. The Acolyte was a super fascinating look into a new era of Star Wars removed from the Skywalker saga, and while I think it suffered from some pacing and format issues (mostly in that it felt like a movie cut up into 8 pieces), I loved the bold swings it took and hope we get to explore more of that in a potential second season. As for the Criminal Minds revival, the original series is a major comfort show of mine, so I was bummed when the original series ended in 2020, but also okay with that, because 15 years is a long time, and the show was past its prime. But, when it was revived just a couple years later for streaming as opposed to network TV, it was just the shot in the arm the series needed. Because it’s on streaming, the creative team isn’t beholden to the rigid network procedural format, and they’re able to tell darker stories and really dig deep into both the main BAU agents and the killers they’re chasing, and they’re also able to be way more serialized in their storytelling, versus the case-of-the-week format they did originally. The second season of the revival has been particularly awesome, because they’re really running with the new format to dig into the entire series’ history, and I’m super stoked to see how it wraps up with the finale that’s airing the week of writing this.

Throwing it over to you, Bradley, what have you been getting into since the last time we did this?

You know, I can sort of say the same thing, because aside from a few TV shows that just wrapped up recently, I’ve been diving headfirst into a lot of music. A lot of new music, mind you, but I’ve also been revisiting some stuff I used to be into around a decade ago, and it’s been a pretty cool experience. I’ll talk about that in a bit, however, but I’ve been mainly watching The Acolyte and fourth season of The Boys. I feel the same way about The Acolyte; I love this new era of Star Wars we’re exploring, and despite issues with pacing, it was an interesting show about a mystery that didn’t amount to a whole lot, and I had a lot of questions in the finale, but it left a lot open for another season. The Boys, however, has been ramping up with its penultimate season, because as far as we know, season five is the last one, but the characters are getting more unhinged and the political commentary is more on point than ever (even having its last episode mirror something that just happened while being written and shot months before). It’s getting good, so it’ll be interesting to see where the last season goes.

Aside from those two relevant shows that just wrapped, I’ve also been watching the 1998 anime Cowboy Bebop, because I’ve been getting more into anime, and it’s been a fun ride of watching one of the most influential and critically acclaimed anime series of all time. I’ve been a couple games, too, including the first Kingdom Hearts game, which is fitting with Final Fantasy, and that’s been a lot of fun, but I’ve recently taken a liking to playing online multiplayer on 2018’s Battlefront II, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s nothing special, just being either a clone, stormtrooper, rebel, or battle droid, and playing what amounts to capture the flag, but it doesn’t get old to me for whatever reason.

Now it’s time for the reason we’re all here — music. A lot of new music has come out in a last few months, and despite it being relatively slow the last couple of weeks, it’s still been a great summer for new and exciting music. Before we talk about that, however, are there are any albums from the first time that we did that you’re still really into, or have your thoughts changed on some? I’ve got a couple of albums that were in my top ten that I’ve changed my thoughts a bit on, not necessarily in a bad or dramatic way, but the more you listen to something, the more your thoughts can change one way or another.

I wouldn't necessarily say that there have been any albums that I've changed my mind on, but as more stuff has come out, albums that I thought were gonna be really high on my list may not be anymore, or may eb off my list entirely. I still really like all of those albums, but I think it's a testament to just how strong the last few months have been in terms of music. I will say this, though; while my number one album is still Bayside's There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive, pretty much the entire rest of my top 10 has shifted pretty dramatically, and I'm excited to talk more about that!

How has that been for you, though?

That’s actually what I was going to say, too, because while I’ve changed my thoughts on a few albums (mainly loving them when they first came out to not loving them as much now, but still enjoying them; the new JT album is a good example of that, actually), it’s more so that a bunch of new albums came out in the last few months to replace a lot of what I originally had in my top ten! I’ve got three ealbums from the last we time did this still in my top ten, and one of them is the new Bayside album as well! I’ll spoil it a bit early, but even that album isn’t my frontrunner anymore for AOTY, which shows how strong this year has been so far. With that said, a lot of my honorable mentions are albums that originally appeared on my list a few months back, but my overall list has changed dramatically. What are some albums from the last few months have crept their way into your overall favorites?

I have a feeling this one might end up on both our lists, so I'll start with the new Bimuri album, American Motor Sports. This thing almost has no business being as good as it is, and yet every time I listen to it, I just have the biggest smile on my face. It's really a perfect album for this time of year; you have infinitely catchy hooks, heartfelt lyrics, and a sound that on paper, perhaps isn't the most unique, but Johnny Franck pulls it off flawlessly. If you haven't, check out the album with all the visualizers/musicvideos, too; they're so ridiculous but they only add to the enjoyment for me. I also wanna give a big shout to The Home Team and their new album The Crucible of Life. I think you put it best in your review when you said that these guys are carrying the torch from Issues (RIP), their self-described heavy pop sound is fully refined here, and while I don't think it quite makes the upper half of my list, it's a damn great album that I've been going back to quite a bit. Finally, I'd like to at least briefly touch on the new Bring Me The Horizon album, Post-Human: Next Gen. This thing was all I listened to for the first two weeks after it came out, and I think a lot of that had to do with how the album felt both fresh but also very much like a loving throwback to that early and mid-2000's hard-rock/alt metal that I grew up with. It's absolutely a nostalgia thing for me, but I also think, a few nitpicks aside, BMTH really made something unique and memorable in a genre that so desperately needed it.

How about you? I think I know what a few of them are, but I'm curious if there might be some unexpected ones on your list.

Oh, man, you know the new Bilmuri album is on there! American Motor Sports is a fantastic album, and like you said, it’s not a super unique album, but the songwriting is top notch. I need to check out some of the music videos, too, because if there is one thing I know about his music, it’s that he loves memes and ridiculousness. The Home Team’s new one is good, too, but what kept it from my top ten is how some of the songs fade into the background, despite being so good. The new BMTH album is the same, actually, but both of those are some great picks, and a couple of highlights in a crowded year.

As for me, most of my list is composed of new albums from the last time we sat down and did this! For starters, the new Knocked Loose album, You Won’t Go Until You’re Supposed To, is a big one; they came back with a super heavy album, as well as a really short one, but it’s a blast. Rapper turned country artist Shaboozey dropped a cool album a couple months back with Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going, but a lot of the new stuff on my list are all rap albums.

I didn’t listen to much in that vein last year, but what I’ve heard this year is great. For starters, Childish Gambino dropped two albums this year, and while I enjoy his latest (and final) album, Bando Stone, I enjoyed the finished version of his 2020 album, now entitled Atavista, a lot more. Denzel Curry’s recently released King Of The Mischievous South, Vol 2, and that’s easily in my top three of the year, and because of that, I listened to That Mexican OT’s newest album from in the beginning of the year, because he’s featured on there. My (current) favorite this year, however, has become the new Lupe Fiasco album, Samurai. I’ve always been a fan of his stuff, but this is such a short and sweet album, it’s easily listenable and you can listen to it whenever and wherever.

Man, even if it's not totally my thing, that new Knocked Loose album goes hard, you really can't deny that. Same with the new Lupe Fiasco album; it's a genre I'm not super entrenched in, but I really don't see how you listen to that and not at the very least respect the hell out of it.

Before we close this thing off, is there anything coming up that you're looking foward to? The main one for me is probably the upcoming Four Year Strong album. I've had a blast with the singles I've heard, and they always bring the goods, so I'm pretty confident about that one. I'm also really looking forward to the new Siamese album. They're a very solid and criminally underrated band, and I've really enjoyed what they do in the heavier rock scene.

Honestly, the new Four Year Strong album comes to mind, as I’ve been a huge fan of them for years, so it’s crazy that they’re still putting stuff out, but I saw that Siamese announced a new album! That could be good, especially since I enjoyed their debut quite a lot back in the day. I’m not looking forward to anything else in particular, and I think part of the fun is just seeing what comes out every week, and being surprised. As I write this, rapper Yung Gravy dropped a country album today, and for the record, it’s pretty fun, but I had no idea that was even coming out today. I know there are some albums I’m looking forward to, but they’re albums coming out in the next few months, versus August.

I think you raise a pretty good point there, actually; it has been a ton of fun just kinda browsing the new releases and seeing if anything sticks out. It's not quite the same, but it reminds me a lot of going to FYE back in the day and just picking up a random CD that'd grab my attention, especially on release weeks when not a lot came out that was on my radar.

In any case, though, it was a blast getting back together to do this, man! I'm excited to do it again in the fall, and finally at the end of the year for our big year-end celebration.

Man, you and me both. I loved going to stores and just browsing to see if anything caught my eye, especially when a lot of those stores had more CDs. Nowadays, most of these stores don’t have anything at all, or the couple of bigger new releases, and that’s so depressing. It’s still exciting to see new stuff, nonetheless, especially when you’re not anticipating anything, kinda like this week, actually. Anyhow, it was certainly a blast getting back together to do this, for sure! I’m always pumped for these pieces, because there’s nothing like nerding out and fanboying over the stuff we’ve been loving throughout the year.

[askagamedev]

Given the lost productivity of build times how are game dev companies trying to speed them up? Is it just a matter of shoving as much RAM and CPU cores into the workstations as possible or do things like cloud synching issues put a hard cap on how much throwing money at the problem helps?

The larger the team gets, the more effort and resources the studio spends on reducing build times. This is because it's a multiplicative effect - reducing build times can save many developers time on the daily. There are several different approaches I've seen studios take to optimize build time. Here are a few of them:

Modular Builds

Instead of having everybody build everything, we separate assets into buckets that don't always need to be built - common assets in one bucket, specific level assets in another, character assets in a third, weapons in a fourth, and so on. This way, a character artist might need to build the character bucket but is fine with slightly out-of-date level or audio assets. A level designer might be building their assigned level all the time, but doesn't need to build all of the other stuff. And so on. If the build is modular, I only have to build the assets I need to rather than all of them.

Automated Builds

Getting more computer hardware is relatively cheap, especially if there are a lot of people on the team. Build engineers set up and maintain workstations whose only job is to grab the latest data from the depot, build the assets, then serve the finished files to developers who ask for them over the network. Automated builds also run automated tests on those builds to ensure they work. If the build is broken for some reason, the build machines are set up to look at all of the checkins between the current (broken) build and the last good build so they can warn the team that the build is broken, and identify and notify the culprits responsible for checking in broken files. Automated builds typically run 24/7, meaning that freshly built files are often only minutes or hours old at most, and that broken builds get caught more quickly so fewer devs get stuck.

Distributed Builds

Our development workstations are not always running at 100% capacity at all times. While I'm thinking, reading code, writing documentation, or generally not putting my PC through the paces, its CPU is mostly just idling and maybe playing some music for me. There are software suites that will allow these idle workstations to help out during a teammate's build process by doing some of the processing concurrently. Available idle workstations can get pulled in to help speed up a teammate's build. This also often works with the automated build principle - hardware is fairly cheap relative to developer time, so it's worth spending a few thousand for build machines to save collective days, weeks, months of wasted developer time.

Full Time Build Engineers

In order to make these things work, we hire engineers who work full time on making builds go faster. It is their job to set up and automate the build process for the rest of us. They might not work on game code or assets directly, but their work is invaluable to keeping the entire team productive. They set up the automated build process, they maintain the build machines, they create the automated tests, they handle the integrations between depots, and they are the first line of defense against bad checkins.

These are the most common ways I've seen of speeding build times up and keeping us productive. Optimizing builds is a never-ending battle where the victories can save thousands of collective hours, and the defeats can cost thousands of collective hours. It's an enormous problem that grows multiplicatively with the size of the team, because every additional team member is more time lost to building.

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[goldenrotations]

Halftime Checkin!

Atlas dragged me out to join Splatfest with him. He said if I just sat there I’d “Explode like a Steelhead Bomb”. Rude.

Though, I am glad he did drag me out, seeing Off The Hook perform is always a pick me up! (They are my favorite group after all!)

And boy do I love the new FIZZYBANGS!!!!

They’re little firework bombs!!! I love bombarding the enemy with them!

Anyway, here’s some pics, see you all in Tricolor!!

First picture: Two jellies standing on top of two Inkfish, I thought this was adorable!!

Second picture: A cool shot of the Great Zapfish I got, I always loved how its whiskers light up during the night.

Third picture: That’s me posing with Off The Hook in the background! Look at them! They’re so cool!!!

Fourth picture: Me posing in front of Grizzco in my Splatfest fit! I think I look snazzy!

Fifth picture: That’s my brother and I!! He tries to act all cool and aloof, but I know the truth, and that’s that he’s a HUGE DORK!! ( @antifreelancer )

[propertyofkylar]

Apathy versus polls. And the winner is... POLLS! It's the fourth day of the poll and there's 465 votes. Poor Black Wolf was the only love interest who didn't get any votes from the last checkin to this one. Alex is still beating Avery. Robin and Great Hawk have maintained their difference in votes. Eden remains in fourth. Kylar and Whitney were tied but after some jockeying for position, Kylar has passed Whitney. Now Whitney is in third, Kylar in second, and Sydney in first. I was going to joke about Kylar and Sydney joining forces to make Sydlar to beat Whitney, but they are already both beating Whitney. (Now Robin and Whitney could become Robney or Whitbin and take the lead, but that's less funny.)

i forgor to answer this several hours ago and now it is not entirely relevant. sorry gang it was a crazy day at work

[imraespace]

HELLOHLELHLHOEHLLOO DAILF CHECKIN I HATE MONDAYS

i will actually just go and get into bluelock jsut so that i dont have to do school bc why are these boys able to just skip school and play soccer for a living like WHAT THIS IS NOT FAIIIRRRR

my chem teacher sucks my second and fourth period suck except third period bc i was sautéing onions 😈 i cried while chopping them but its okay we still have all 10 fingers

ill do another ask when i get home (in like.. 4 hours 💔) bc my mind is blanking

DAILT QUESTION IS UMM another rin related one bc i love rin

if would rin rather have an editor s/o or a more art pen and paper s/o (for me id have to pick editor bc… well its the obvious i edit and me x rin is real /j HELP THIS IS SO CRINge)

- 🐙

HAIAHAIQHQIAJAHII man who even loves mondays🙄🙄 monday doesn't even like itself fr

IKRR LIKE NO WAY THEY SKIO CLASSES TO PLAY FOOTBALK WHILE IM IN HERE WORKING MY LIFR AWAY WHILW THEY CAN GO EARN A LIVING BY KICKING BALLS watch me kick balls too..

I say kick some balls at your chem teachers hejeheh🤫🤫 OMG COOKING CLASS SOUNDS SO FUN my backwards ahh school DONT HAVE IT or home ec.. idk what's home ec even is abt

I hate chopping onions but I like chopping stuff bc I get to run around with the knife if I so feel to (this is a joke.. kinda)

LMAO ILL SAY EDITOR S/O AS WELL

ITS OKAY TO BE CRINGE I'm cringe as well I tell myself I've been dating nagi for 5 months🤫🤫😂‼️⁉️this is also a joke. (nagi x me fr tho!!!)

[parkerbombshell]

Rules Free Radio Nov 29

Tuesdays 2pm - 5pm  EST Rules Free Radio With Steve  Caplan bombshellradio.com On the next Rules Free Radio with Steve Caplan, we’ll check out new music from The Penetrators, Jim Basnight, Uni Boys, Field School, and a just-released live album from 1969 by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The band Archers of Loaf have a new album for the first time in more than 20 years. Boston’s Karate has a new collection of some of their 90s music, singer-songwriter Karoleena, guitarist Hedvig Mollestad, new Jazz and Funk from Jazz Is Dead, Nils Landgren Funk Unit, and New Freedom Sound. We’ll hear orchestral performances from the soundtrack to the new David Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream and one by composer Steve Reich. In the not-so-new category, we’ll hear Frank Zappa, Material Issue, Queen, Deerhunter, In Deed, and the Midnight Callers. We’ll start by paying tribute to someone we just lost. His name is Wilko Johnson, and if the name isn’t familiar, I can pretty much guarantee that you know music by artists he influenced. He’s perhaps most associated with a British pub rock group from the 70s, Dr. Feelgood. They did a lot of covers of American Blues and R&B, kind of like groups like The Stones and The Pretty Things did about a decade before. Wilko Johnson played with folks like Ian Dury and had he had a prolific solo career. Guitarists were inspired and admired his unique style and showmanship. So if he’s new to you, he was a great rocker! All this and more on Tuesday afternoon starting at 2 on Bombshellradio.com! Wilko Johnson - Barbed Wire Blues Wilko Johnson & Roger Daltrey - Ice On The Motorway The Solid Senders - All Aboard Dr. Feelgood - Going Back Home - Stupidity (1976) Dr. Feelgood - Checkin' Up On My Baby Dr. Feelgood - All My Love Wilko Johnson - Slamming Wilko Johnson - Marijuana Roy Loney and the Longshots - Move It, Baby Toiling Midgets - She's Fun Material Issue - Diane Field School - Jennifer Valentine Jim Basnight - Leave The Past Behind The Penetrators - Time is Mine Tape Toy - The One Who Got Away Archers of Loaf - In the Surface Noise The Midnight Callers - State Of Me In Deed - Don't Need, Don't Care Uni Boys - Long Time No See - Atomic Tide - Phonebox Queen - Now I'm Here Creem Circus - Automatic Style Marc Bolan & T. Rex - Get It On Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention - Hungry Freaks, Daddy Deerhunter - Basement Scene Craig Leon - The Respondent In Dispute Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen and Trondheim Jazz Orchestra - All Flights Cancelled Jimi Hendrix Experience - I Don't Live Today Nils Landgren Funk Unit - Don't Stop (live) New Freedom Sound - Fourth Freedom Damian O'Neill - La Tengo Karate - Small Fires Karolina - All Rivers Black Tape for a Blue Girl - Fortune Presents Gifts Not According to the Book Weyes Blood - It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra - The Light Garrett Saracho, Adrian Younge, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad - The Gardens Steve Reich/Los Angeles Philharmonic - I. Sixteenths Read the full article

[more-mitaori]

Chapter 5

Alice was idly poking at her half-eaten salad, plastic fork lightly tapping along the side of the bowl in a strange, uneven rhythm. She was staring down at the table, her expression was sullen and her eyes a little dull. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she pulled out her phone for the seventh time since she arrived at the cafe with Yui. "She's still not answering..."

"Mm. Sorry, babe." Yui's plate, which at one point contained a sandwich, was practically picked clean. Three empty glasses which once contained iced tea were beside it, and she was awaiting a fourth. "I uh... I don't think there's anything I can tell ya that'd be of any comfort."

Alice shook her head, pocketing her phone again. "It's fine. I just... I've never gone this long without Esther around, you know?"

"Can't really relate. I was an only child, after all. Sure, Mom always talked about havin' another, but, well, that's the downside of livin' on the edge of your family's side of the tracks in the middle of a turf war."

Looking up, Alice blinked as she stared at Yui. "I thought you were joking about being born into a yakuza family." Yui joked about a lot of things. Her impeccable poker face and quick responses to everything made it hard to tell if she was being serious or not at any given time.

"Oh. No, I wasn't kidding. Kinda surprised that Pops didn't give it away whenever you were around." Yui's fourth glass of tea arrived, the server giving a polite and silent bow before hurrying away. "Not even sure 'Arashi' is their original name. But yeah. My folks, Yuma and Kaito Arashi. Mom died like a month or two after I was born, and Dad went a couple years after that."

"I'm sorry, Yui."

Taking a drink from her glass, Yui quickly shook her head. "Don't be. I'm not. Never knew 'em, so no reason to get torn up about 'em, y'know? Anyway, not like I got a lot of stories to tell. Pops didn't really ever say much. He might, given the mood he's been in, if I asked. But I kinda don't care. Your mom's been more than enough of one for me to avoid prison." Yui laughed quietly.

"Shouldn't that be your grandfather's job?" Alice knew the answer, but poking this side of Yui, looking for any cracks in her armor was a pasttime for Alice. She never found any, but it didn't stop her from trying.

"Heh. Nah. Pops did his time bein' a proper parent with my dad. Crappy job at it, though. But hey, he's keepin' a roof over my head, makin' sure I don't go down that road myself, and past that, he's livin' life how he sees fit."

Alice sighed quite heavily. "I wouldn't call amateur cage fighting in some shady underground den a happy life..."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing neither of us know what went on around the time I was born, then, huh? 'Cause I get the feeling that Pops wasn't exactly any better back then. Nah, this is definitely tame by comparison. Or he's pulling my leg, who the hell knows? I don't care enough to dig that deep."

Trying to ignore Yui's carefree tone, Alice finally managed another bite from her salad. "Still... I can't imagine living without either of your parents."

"Bet you're doin' just fine with only one of 'em now." Yui's tone was no longer joking, and her expression darkened a bit. "That son of a bitch..."

Alice closed her eyes, as if trying to force her breathing to stay under control. "...It's gotten easier. Just like you said. Just like mom said. Just like the doctors said. But it doesn't feel better."

"Lemme tell ya somethin', babe. I had a tooth pulled after a fight last year with some dumbass upper classman. My tongue kept goin' over the spot it used to be in, as if somehow, it missed the damn thing. But it didn't hurt anymore once it came out. I was better off without it, but I kept checkin' the spot, to see if it was still there."

"Yui... are you comparing my father to a broken tooth?"

"Damn right I am! An' I damn well wish I was the one to break it off. Son of a bitch, thinkin' he was on top of everything. Treatin' you all like that..."

Alice was silent. It was uncomfortable, of course, to confront the abuse that her sister Esther, her mother Marian, and even she herself had suffered at the hands of her father. The details were becoming more and more hazy as time went on. Sometimes, Alice had thought that maybe, just maybe it was all a bad dream, and that she would awaken to a normal, if not distant family unit someday.

But Yui often brought her back to reality. It was that unrelenting bluntness, that complete absence of fear of saying the wrong thing that made most people around them dislike Yui. It was also one of only two tethers Alice had to her reality. And unpleasant as it was, Alice wouldn't give it up for anything. The alternative frightened her to her very soul. Without both, Alice feared she would lose her mind.

"Ah well. Might not have been me, but the bastard's rottin' in jail. I wanna make the biggest bowl of popcorn when he gets to trial. If even one of those charges manages to stick—"

"S-Stop. Yui, stop... that's enough now."

Yui relaxed a bit, releasing the grip she accidentally had on the glass. Thankfully, no cracks had formed. "A'ight." Yui never apologized for any of this, and she never had before, either. Yui was aware, vividly so, of what these talks did for Alice. But Yui also knew when to back off.

Alice would take a moment regain her breathing, doing various exercises to bring herself back under control. Muttering quiet, almost inaudible instructions to herself, various little phrases and chants, and after a minute or two, she looked back up at Yui. Her friend was calm, yet nearly expressionless, just sipping at her fourth glass of tea and staring at the waitress on the other side of the cafe. Alice decided to brave another bite of her salad, followed by a sip of water.

How long had they been here, anyway? Twenty minutes? Thirty? Forty-five? Alice couldn't really tell at this point. Braving herself to shift the conversation back into comparably more pleasant territory, she looked back away from Yui. "...So what really happened to Koharu the other day?"

"Witch's Kiss." Yui's answer, as expected, was immediate and to the point. "I got to the Witch a little late. Hanako was already kickin' that thing's ass, but she was also slippin' up. I had to step in. She got all..." Yui made a weird swirling motion with her wrist. "She got kinda competitive, I think. Wanted the kill for herself. I get it, given I messed up her first hunt. Problem with that, though, is that this Witch got away."

"And it went towards the high school? Instead of the college dorms, or even the campus itself? Class had to have still been in session..."

"I thought the same thing, but no. If I had to guess, I'd say there was some attachment to the student body. But instinct's gonna instinct, so..." Yui took another drink, then continued. "Anyway, we chased it back to the school. Koharu was there, and Hanako was losin' her mind with worry. So I decided to just step back, keep Koharu safe, and let Hanako just... let it all out. I knew she'd be fine, she almost beat it 'fore I even got there."

"But she only made her wish this last week, right? Er, not even a week ago... how can someone already have that level of control over her powers?" Alice was tapping the dimmed screen of her locked phone in her pocket, looking puzzled.

As usual, Yui had an answer. "It's her wish. She told me on the way over to the school. She has depression, like... really bad depression. Worse than you do now, and without any trauma, from what I understand. Shinju's told me a lot. Anyway, like, she's had a parade of doctors and mixed bag of every medication under the sun, and this thing didn't even budge. So she wished for the strength to fight it. That kinda resolve, to live with her problems instead of getting rid of them? I think it made her really powerful."

"Does Hanako even know that that's how that works?"

"Not a chance. She's still figurin' it all out. Hell, I might not even be right, either." Yui's affinity toward her 'sixth sense' led her to be right more often than not, but even this wasn't infallible, and both Alice and Yui knew better than to rely on it wholeheartedly.

"Well, Hanako finished off the Witch in less than five minutes. Koharu'd tried to jump out the window. She's a quick little kid, man. Slipped right out of my arms the second she faked giving up, and bam. Good thing I'm quick. Hanako wouldn't have gotten her in time, that's for sure. Maybe later on, when she's lived this life awhile, but..."

Alice visibly shuddered as the thought crossed her mind. "...Anyway, Koharu is safe and sound now. Midori's finally starting to relax, if her text messages are anything to go by."

"Yeah... I wouldn't be able to live with myself if my cockiness caused something serious to happen to that kid. That family's already got it rough. But Koharu's a fighter, too. She didn't roll over with the hand she was dealt, she decided to fight like hell in spite of her condition. Ah, any word from Midori? They went to that journalism thingy this weekend, right?"

Alice shook her head. "Midori wouldn't let her go after that injury. Koharu threw a fit over it, of course, and I can't blame her."

"Tch. First time a chance to let Koharu just... exist as a person without any labels, and Midori goes all worrywart on her. God damn it."

"Hey," Alice interjected, "I can't blame her. You saw that cut, Yui. Besides, would you want to take your autistic child to a group of reporters while she's recovering from a head wound? There would be child abuse accusations all over the news that night, Yui."

"...I guess it wouldn't be any better than throwin' her into the sharks directly. God knows who'd make what phone calls, or have ties to the government or something. Yeah, I guess I get it. But man, it still sucks, y'know? That kid deserves a break."

Alice was quiet for awhile longer before she spoke again, returning to a hushed tone. "Do you... think that Koharu will try and wish it away, or something similar to what Hanako did?"

Yui shook her head. "Nah. Those two, they don't know about that side of the world just yet. An' if I had my way, they never would. Sometimes, people should just be people." Yui idly swirled what was left of her iced tea. "It was pretty close, though. I thought Koharu was gonna jump out of her skin when she came back, an' I was holdin' onto her. I'm just glad I changed back before she could see it."

Alice hesitated before speaking again, more quietly than before. "...And then you left a rock in the room, to set up the story that it was vandalism. All without anyone else realizing."

Yui closed her eyes. For once, she didn't have an immediate comeback. It would be a few silent seconds before she spoke again. "...I didn't think they'd actually pin it on someone to save face." The rare hint of guilt was obvious in Yui's voice. "I figured, y'know, 'oops, some kid got mad and broke a window, oh well', y'know? Made sense at the time, when the alternative would be Koharu bein' blamed for the damage."

"I get why you did it, Yui." Alice's voice was calm, yet still quiet. "But in doing that, I think you accidentally made a bigger mess out of things. And I don't know how you could even begin to clean it up."

Yui shook her head. "I protected Koharu, and the big secret about magic. It's definitely better this way. But you're right. I gotta figure out how to get the school to let this all go, somehow."

Alice scoffed a bit. "Too bad you don't have your wish anymore, huh?"

"Hey hey hey, I don't regret mine for a second. Sure, it's weird now, seein' how quiet things are at home, but I know in my soul I did the right thing." Yui finished her tea, setting the fourth empty glass down beside the others.

"I guess we're both in cursed families after all," Alice muttered. "I wish I could find out what caused all this in the first place—"

Yui quickly cut her off, looking around rapidly. "Careful, babe. Y'never know when that damned cat could be sneaking around, waiting for that exact choice of words."

Alice jumped a bit, looking around herself now. "R... Right. Sorry..."

After a moment, Yui relaxed in her seat again. "Eh... I don't sense it around. S'probably safe..." Yui paused, one eye open and scanning the rest of the cafe. "Damn thing's determined. Not a doubt in my mind that the little cat's got its paws in your family's business. Wouldn't surprise me if it was the reason that you got that cursed blood in the first place."

"Maybe. Do you think it's responsible for your lot, too?" Alice was trying to find any silver lining to cling to. As expected, Yui shut it right down.

"Nah. My family was just messed up from the start. I come from organic evil, babe. Yours was storebought. Well, I guess it doesn't matter s'long as I can keep the genie cat away from you. And as long as you never get so desperate as to want something so bad that you'd sell your soul."

Alice pulled out her phone again, as if responding directly to Yui's words, scrolling through messages and social media feeds. "...I wonder. Is that what's keeping Esther away for so long?"

"What, y'think that Esther's off diggin' for some secret, hidden chapter in your family history?"

Alice looked up at Yui, a bit of resolve showing in her eyes. "It makes sense, doesn't it? She's never been away this long before, not even close. But why now of all times? Dad's in jail, we can finally relax for awhile... and then she just vanishes for a week."

"Has it really been a week already?" Yui's voice was inquisitive, but Alice knew Yui's mindset well enough to know what her intentions were. "Seems like a big deal. She must've gotten a tip or something, or some kinda hunch. Maybe I oughtta..." Alice braced for the words she had feared upon broaching this subject with Yui, but her actual response caught her off guard. "...Maybe I oughtta just let it be. You keep tellin' me to stay out of Esther's business. 'Sides, I'm not in the mood to get my ass kicked again, what with Hanako growin' the way she is an' all, I can't afford too many strong rivals anymore."

Alice sighed in audible relief. The calmness ended in a flash, however, as Alice's phone vibrated, the screen coming to life in a bright flash. Unlocking it as fast as she could, she stared at the message as if clinging to a life preserver in the middle of the ocean.

["On my way home. See you soon. ~E"]

Yui gave a little smile, and Alice knew she had been read like a book. There was no sense hiding it anyway, and she was struggling to get her breathing under control. "Heh. For once, I'm not eatin' crow. I can make the right call sometimes."

Alice was too busy trying to calm her breathing to reply. For Alice, her sister was really all she had in her life, for as long as she could remember. Her parents were often away at work, odd hours, long into the night, weekends, days, nights... it seemed like they were hardly ever around.

And when they were around, it wasn't any happier. Marian was often tired from work. Esther took care of the house more or less on her own, though she never seemed burdened by it. The way Alice saw it, Esther wanted to provide their mother with any fleeting comfort she could. It was the least she could do to soften the burden that Marian faced under her husband's presence. Alice never really knew the depths of her father's abuse towards her sister or mother, and almost everyone that knew her agreed that it was for the best. Someone just entering high school didn't need the burden of learning about the minute details, after all.

The day Tomokazu Rinju was dragged out of his home in handcuffs was the most emotionally turbulent day of Alice's life up to that point. Marian had spent the day crying, covering bruises in an effort to keep the peace, to lessen his punishment, or perhaps simply out of fear. Esther had locked herself in her bedroom, only coming out hours after the police had left. Alice hadn't even registered the questions she had been asked, let alone able to give any coherent replies.

After that, there was a lot of silent meals, awkward conversations in passing, and an overall stillness in the Rinju house, making the air itself heavy with tension. Days passed, and the silence would gradually show cracks in its foundation. Esther would leave her room more often, and Marian would show fewer tears as her wounds healed. In all of this, Alice couldn't understand it all. But everyone reassured her that it was better this way.

"Yo, Alice!" Yui was waving her hand in front of Alice's face to get her attention. "You uh... you alright, babe?"

And through it all, Alice had Yui. A loud, disruptive anchor that kept Alice grounded at all times. The band activities helped as well. Midori was quickly proving herself to be a trustworthy confidant, and the newcomer, Shinju, had proven herself a constant source of positive morale. Even Yui was more at ease when Shinju had joined the band, and made no secret of it.

"Y-Yeah, sorry." Alice only briefly glanced up at Yui from her phone, giving a weak, yet reassuring smile before turning her gaze squarely back down. "Um... I guess I don't have to worry about it anymore. Not right now, anyway."

Yui gave a warm smile in return. "Heh. Told ya so. Now, anyway, I have no idea what I'm gonna do about this whole broken window..." Yui's voice would slowly fade into a sea of white noise as Alice drifted back into her mind, finally able to relax a bit.

* * *

["On my way home. See you soon. ~E"]

An older looking girl, about eighteen years old, wearing a simple, sleeveless white dress, skirt neatly straightened down to her knees stuffed her phone into her pearlescent purse. Her light blonde hair was held back in a tight ponytail, resting perfectly in the middle of her shoulders, pressed against her back.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes, leaning against the inside of the bus shelter she was standing under, listening to the rain falling against the wooden roof. "At least you're not lying to her this time..." She was muttering to herself in a somewhat frustrated tone.

Esther's search hadn't proven fruitful at all. The lead had been promising, but all she found was yet another dead end and cryptic puzzles. For all she knew, this little village had nothing to do with her family at all. She was putting her academic future in jeopardy coming here, and it was all for nothing.

Almost nothing, she would remind herself. She felt the plain, unmarked envelope stuffed into her purse beside her phone. Esther didn't remember finding it, but as she prepared to return to Mitakihara, she had found herself with it, as if someone had snuck it into her possession.

She dared not open it. Not yet. Not here. Not now. But somehow, she knew more than anything that she couldn't let Alice find this envelope, either. Somehow, she had a feeling of dread, that everything she had done since making her contract with Kyubey would come undone if Alice knew what was in this envelope.

Even if Esther herself didn't know the contents yet.

<= Chapter 4 ~ * ~ * ~ Chapter 6 =>

[munsonthemisfit]

hey babes! just checkin to see if you're doing alright :)

it's 4th of july here so im gonna be hearing fireworks every night for the week in my neighborhood 😅😅

Hey! :) I’m doing good - how’re you?

I hope you have a safe Fourth of July :(

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

Hallmark - 2023 Year in Review

Hallmark Movies and Original Series - 2023 Year in Review 

As the year is coming to a close here is a complete list the movies and original series that aired on the Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and Hallmark Movies Now.

104 movies aired across three Hallmark networks 

3 original series aired on the Hallmark Channel

2 original series aired their first seasons 

1 original series canceled

69 movies aired on the Hallmark Channel (not including the Love Club movies that aired on HMN first)

29 movies aired on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries 

6 movies aired on Hallmark Movies Now

June Weddings movie block returned

5 New Year New Movies films 

4 Loveuary films 

7 Spring Into Love films 

4 June Weddings films

2 Christmas in July films

5 Summer Nights films 

7 Fall Into Love films 

31 Countdown to Christmas films 

4 films aired outside themed movie blocks on the Hallmark Channel 

11 mystery films aired on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries  

9 non mystery movies aired on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries

9 Miracles of Christmas films  

4 Mahogany films aired across 2 networks

2 DaySpring films aired

3 National Park movies aired

1 actor, Cameron Mathison, jumped ship & signed a contract with Great American Family

3 royal movies

1 reboot (Aurora Teagarden)

2 extended Christmas in Countdown movies (2022) aired on Hallmark Movies Now

Hallmark Channel Movies

The Dog Lover's Guide to Dating - January 1 (New Year New Movies)

The Wedding Veil Expectations - January 7 (New Year New Movies)

The Wedding Veil Inspiration - January 14 (New Year New Movies)

The Wedding Veil Journey - January 21 (New Year New Movies)

Love in Glacier National: A National Park Romance - January 28 (New Year New Movies)

Sweeter Than Chocolate - February 4 (Loveuary)

A Paris Proposal - February 11 (Loveuary)

Welcome to Valentine - February 18 (Loveuary)

Made for Each Other - February 25 (Loveuary)

Game of Love - March 11

A Winning Team - March 18

A Picture of Her - March 25 (Spring Into Love)

Love in the Maldives - April 1 (Spring Into Love)

The Professional Bridesmaid - April 8 (Spring Into Love)

The Wedding Cottage - April 15 (Spring Into Love)

A Pinch of Portugal - April 22 (Spring Into Love)

Hearts in the Game - April 29 (Spring Into Love)

When Love Springs - May 6 (Spring Into Love)

Dream Moms - May 13

Love in Zion National: A National Park Romance - May 20

Wedding Season - June 3 (June Weddings)

Love's Greek to Me - June 10 (June Weddings)

The Wedding Contract - June 17 (June Weddings)

Make Me a Match - June 24 (June Weddings)

A Royal Christmas Crush - July 8 (Christmas in July)

Take Me Back for Christmas - July 15 (Christmas in July)

Aloha Heart - July 29 (Summer Nights)

Making Waves - August 5 (Summer Nights)

A Safari Romance - August 12 (Summer Nights)

Never Too Late to Celebrate - August 19 (Summer Nights)

Napa Ever After - August 26 - (Summer Nights) (Mahogany Films)

Love in the Great Smoky Mountains: A National Park Romance - September 2 (Fall Into Love)

Fourth Down and Love - September 9 (Fall Into Love)

Notes of Autumn - September 16 (Fall Into Love)

Retreat to You - September 23 (Fall Into Love)

A Very Venice Romance - September 30 (Fall Into Love)

3 Bed, 2 Bath, 1 Ghost - October 7 (Fall Into You)

Field Day - October 14 (Fall Into You)

Checkin' It Twice - October 20 (Countdown to Christmas)

Where Are You, Christmas? - October 21 (Countdown to Christmas)

Under the Christmas Sky - October 22 (Countdown to Christmas)

Christmas by Design - October 27 (Countdown to Christmas)

Mystic Christmas - October 28 (Countdown to Christmas)

Joyeux Noel - October 29 (Countdown to Christmas)

Flipping for Christmas - November 3 (Countdown to Christmas)

Never Been Chris'd - November 4 (Countdown to Christmas)

The Santa Summit - November 5 (Countdown to Christmas)

Everything Christmas - November 10 (Countdown to Christmas)

Christmas Island - November 11 (Countdown to Christmas)

A Heidelberg Holiday - November 12 (Countdown to Christmas)

Navigating Christmas - November 17 (Countdown to Christmas)

A Merry Scottish Christmas - November 18 (Countdown to Christmas)

Holiday Hotline - November 19 (Countdown to Christmas)

Catch Me If You Claus - November 23 (Countdown to Christmas) (A Merry Thanksgiving Weekend)

Letters to Santa - November 24 (Countdown to Christmas) (A Merry Thanksgiving Weekend)

Holiday Road - November 24 (Countdown to Christmas) (A Merry Thanksgiving Weekend)

Christmas in Notting Hill - November 25 (Countdown to Christmas) (A Merry Thanksgiving Weekend)

Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up - November 25 (Countdown to Christmas) (A Merry Thanksgiving Weekend)

Our Christmas Mural - November 26 (Countdown to Christmas) (A Merry Thanksgiving Weekend)

A Biltmore Christmas - November 26 (Countdown to Christmas) (A Merry Thanksgiving Weekend)

My Norwegian Holiday - December 1 (Countdown to Christmas)

A Not So Royal Christmas - December 2 (Countdown to Christmas)

Christmas With a Kiss - December 3 (Countdown to Christmas) (Mahogany Films)

Magic in Mistletoe - December 8 (Countdown to Christmas)

Christmas on Cherry Lane - December 9 (Countdown to Christmas)

Round and Round - December 10 (Countdown to Christmas)

The Secret Gift of Christmas - December 15 (Countdown to Christmas)

Sealed with a List - December 16 (Countdown to Christmas)

Friends & Family Christmas - December 17 (Countdown to Christmas)

Hallmark Channel Original Series

The Way Home - January 1 thru March 26 (season 1, 10 episodes)

Ride - March 26 thru May 29 (season 1, 10 episodes)

When Calls the Heart - July 30 thru October 15 (season 10, 12 episodes)

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries

Family History Mysteries: Buried Part - January 8

Curious Caterer: Grilling Season - February 5

A Nashville Legacy - February 26 (Mahogany Films)

Unexpected Grace - March 12

The Cases of Mystery Lane - March 19

The Blessing Bracelet - April 9 (DaySpring Films)

Spring Breakthrough - April 30 (Mahogany Films)

The Jane Mysteries: Inheritance Lost - May 12

Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery - May 19

The Dancing Detective: A Deadly Tango - June 2

Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Something New - June 9

A Lifelong Love - July 21

Big Sky River: The Bridal Path - August 11

The More Love Grows - August 18

Guiding Emily - September 8

Come Fly with Me - September 15

Haunted Harmony Mysteries: Murder in G Major - September 22

Mystery Island - September 29

A Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery - October 6

Curious Caterer: Fatal Vows - October 13

Ms Christmas Comes to Town - October 26 (Miracles of Christmas)

My Christmas Guide - November 2 (Miracles of Christmas)

Mystery on Mistletoe Lane - November 9 (Miracles of Christmas)

A World Record Christmas - November 16 (Miracles of Christmas)

A Season for Family - November 22 (Miracles of Christmas)

Time for Her to Cone Home for Christmas - November 30 (Miracles of Christmas)

To All a Good Night - December 7 (Miracles of Christmas)

Heaven Down Here - December 14 (Miracles of Christmas)

Miracle in Bethlehem, PA - December 21 (Miracles of Christmas) (DaySpring Films)

Hallmark Movies Now

The Love Club: Nicole's Pen Pal - February 2 (March 4 on HC)

The Love Club: Sydney's Journey - February 9 (May 27 on HC)

The Love Club: Lauren's Journey - February 16 (May 29 on HC)

The Love Club: Tara's Tune - February 23 (May 29 on HC)

Rescuing Christmas - December 7

An Ice Palace Romance - December 14

[musuniverse]

+

[philza-updates]

Phil gave the offline chats (except his own ueueue) a Poooound!

[Image ID:

2 cropped screenshots of 15 twitch chat messages by Philza.

The first (in Tommy's chat) reads “Poooound”.

The second (in Tubbo's chat) reads “Poooound”.

The third (in Ranboo's chat) reads “Poooound”.

The fourth (in Fundy's chat) reads “Poooound”.

The fifth (in Tommy's chat) reads “im kain a list, im checkin it twice”.

The sixth (in Tommy's chat) reads “how did i mispell that what is my brain doing”.

The seventh (in Tommy's chat) reads “im like santa but not a puss”.

The eighth (in Tommy's chat) reads “🆗”.

The ninth (in Tommy's chat) reads “🌝”.

The tenth (in Tommy's chat) reads “🌜 🌝 🌛”.

The eleventh (in Tommy's chat) reads “mans is sick it made sense”.

The twelfth (in Tommy's chat) reads “anyway bye o/”.

The thirteenth (in his chat) reads “ 🆒 ”.

The fourteenth (in his chat) reads “🏄”.

The fifteenth (in his chat) reads “🏄 wicked ”.

The sixteenth (in his chat) reads “sleep 🌝”.

End ID]