#i love 204 beyond any reason

[ellelans]

Elle’s Top10 9-1-1 episodes - #3. 2x04 ‘Stuck’.

We all get stuck from time to time.In our circumstances,in our fear,stuck on a page we haven't yet been able to turn. And when we're feeling stuck,or even just a little too comfortable,if we're very lucky,someone will be there to give us a little push.Or a kick in the pants.Or just offer a hand to help us get unstuck.

[kurt-wagner-official]

Post #79: UXM issues 204-206

After Kurt’s absence from the Secret Wars II tie-ins, he gets a solo story in this issue. It’s a few days after the end of that event, and the X-Men are still in San Francisco. Kurt is staying at Amanda’s, sitting outside all night and drinking all day, dodging his team’s calls. He tells Amanda about the events of his mini a few months ago, when everything was fantastical and fun. Since then, the Beyonder has destroyed his love for life by removing the faith that kept him grounded. The Beyonder might be God, Satan, or neither, but any way Kurt looks at it, his religion means nothing anymore. The Beyonder didn’t teleport him to San Francisco in Uncanny 202, which could either mean he wasn’t worthy or he was spared. Either way hurts, but worst of all is Kurt’s shame that he was glad not to go. This was the first time he was too afraid to go to his family in their time of need, and that’s just the latest blow to his heart. Unsure of who he is anymore and wanting to lash out at Amanda, he asks her if he really loves her or if she cast a spell on him. Wounded and angry, she leaves, and Kurt’s more alone and guilty than ever. He gets a distraction when he hears a “Sflaang!” in Central Park, which is apparently a unique enough sound that he realizes it’s Arcade’s kidnapping garbage truck. Looking for a chance to prove, at least to himself, that he’s a hero, he follows the truck back to Arcade’s newest Murderworld secret entrance. The victim is a seemingly normal college girl who Arcade is very bored with until Kurt intervenes. He comes alive as he battles hordes of robots and protects the girl. It seems like they’ll be overwhelmed until Kurt reprograms some of Arcade’s X-bots to attack him while he and the would-be victim slip out. It impresses Arcade enough that he lets them go, and when Kurt escorts his new friend back to her apartment, they’re greeted by soldiers who reveal that she’s actually Judith Rassendyll, the long-lost heir of Ruritania. It’s a random twist that doesn’t really set up anything, but it accomplishes its purpose of reminding Kurt that he’s still the princess saving hero he was in his miniseries. I really enjoy this issue. It’s very thematically appropriate that Kurt begins the issue questioning everything he knows and then finds answers in a world of illusions and hidden traps. It’s not spelled out in so many words, but I interpret it as him realizing that he doesn’t need to understand everything. The world makes less and less sense every day, but when he’s all alone and put to the test, he met the nonsense head-on and saved a damsel in distress while having the time of his life. Kurt as a thrill seeker is an angle that’s been explored less and less as the decades have passed, but his characterization under Claremont, which is my favorite take on him, is a man who’s most at home on an adventure. He gets his stability and peace from his own heart and beliefs, and he needs to balance that by embracing external chaos. We see here that when he doesn’t have that chaos, he lets himself weigh himself down. But when he forces himself back into his groove, he can center himself again and be himself. Before I move on, I’d like to mention guest penciller June Brigman, cocreator of Power Pack. I’m not the biggest fan of how she draws Kurt’s face, but his movement and the action in general is great.

Issue 205 is the triumphant return of Barry Windsor-Smith, this time for a Logan story, rather than an Ororo one. It’s also the introduction to this series of Oyama Yuriko, Lady Deathstrike. She first showed up in Daredevil and then in Alpha Flight, where Logan was guest starring. For backstory reasons that I don’t care to get into right now, she hates Logan. In this issue, she’s already found and teamed up with Cole, Macon, and Reese, the three Hellfire guys that were gutted by Logan and turned into cyborgs. That’s not enough villains, so they hire Spiral, who runs the “Body Shoppe” where she gives magical and/or hi-tech super duper cosmetic surgery, to cybernetically enhance them all further so they can get their collective revenge on Logan. We jump ahead to Katie of Power Pack, who’s on a field trip in Manhattan in a blizzard. She’s separated from her teacher when they encounter Logan, who’s severely injured body and mind from a battle against the villains that he’s losing. Like a wounded animal acting on instinct, he scoops up Katie and flees. With her help, he slowly begins to regain his mind and heal from his wounds. He eventually meets his enemies in battle and beats them, but refuses to kill them. They’ve chosen to give up their humanity, while his was stolen and reclaimed, and he won’t lose it again for them. He gently takes Katie’s hand and leads her home. There’s not really much for me to say here. It’s not anything new for Logan’s character- the speech he gives to Deathstrike at the end is very similar to one he gave Cole a few years ago. Format wise, it is a twist, with no narration or monologuing from Logan himself. It’s a really great issue, but mostly for the gorgeous art and incredible tension and pacing.

Issue 206 returns to the rest of the team, still chilling in San Francisco. Ororo’s patrolling the streets beating up would be muggers and making friends with the local cops. She returns to Jessica Drew’s apartment, where everyone is just living for the time being. Kitty has a date with a guy who I guess is a friend of Jessica’s. Claremont kinda assumes people have read his Spider-Woman stuff from a few years ago. Anyway, the important thing is that we get to see worried mom Ororo. Anna opens a postcard from Madelyne that she sent right before Scott left, inviting the team to visit them in Alaska. Anna and Peter think it’s a good idea, but Rachel freaks out at the idea of her father and stepmom. For once, Anna gets to be the mentor. She tells Rachel that they both have ghosts they’ll never be fully rid of, but by facing them they can put them at ease. Anna, finally back in San Francisco for the first time since Avengers Annual 10, has accepted her own past and the fact that Carol’s a part of her, even if she’s still a long way from really forgiving herself or fully healing. She tells Rachel the first step is talking to Scott. We get a brief interlude of Amanda, who’s left the country for a lengthy tour as flight attendant. We learn that she’s tried and failed to call Kurt a few times over the last few days. She also thinks about how this maybe breakup has been building for a while, mainly because of Kurt’s questions about his past and Amanda’s weird reluctance to help him figure it out. Back to the main story, the chilling is, as usual, violently interrupted, this time by Freedom Force. Mystique and Destiny didn’t show for this one, but Pyro, Avalanche, and Blob are joined by new recruits Spiral (whose motivations for being here are still incredibly vague) and a new Spider-Woman. There’s a big long battle, which the X-Men actually lose, in large part due to Anna grabbing Spiral and being overwhelmed by her weird mind, giving Spiral control of her body. The day is actually saved by the cops that Ororo befriended earlier. They tell Freedom Force that the X-Men are heroes is SF, and if Freedom Force wants to take them they’ll need a warrant, which they don’t have cause without Mystique and Destiny they’re all idiots. They leave, and the X-Men have to clear out before they return with papers. Rachel decides that Anna’s right, and it’s time to talk to Madelyne and Scott- but at that moment in a San Francisco hospital, Madelyn is being wheeled in as a Jane Doe. There’s one more stinger, this one of Kurt. He’s bidding goodbye to his new friend Judith, who’s off to face her destiny as queen. Kurt finally has his groove back. He doesn’t seem to care about his breakup anymore. I feel bad for Amanda but I hated them together so this is for the best (until it starts back up again like always). He’s ready to get back to a life of heroism and adventure. This was a solid issue with a great thematic moral, which is that you never really find stability, just another rug that’ll be pulled out from under you. The X-Men finally found a city where they aren’t universally hated, but the feds came in and ran them out of town. Rachel’s finally decided to talk to Scott and Madelyne, but that chance is already gone. It doesn’t bode well for Anna, who feels like she’s making progress with her Carol brain. The only X-Man thriving is Kurt, who as we saw a couple issues ago is relearning how to embrace uncertainty. It’s a soft setup for the next two arcs, where everything the X-Men think they’re holding onto will start being unraveled very quickly.

[servin-up-surveys]

survey #204

Have you ever been considered popular? No.

Favorite undersea creature? Whales.

What types of things would you plant in a garden? Berries and flowers.

Favorite type of fantasy creature? Dragons.

Are you short or tall for your age? I’m average.

Have you ever liked someone much older than you? Only in a celebrity crush sorta way.

What was your first favorite band? Backstreet Boys.

Anyone’s grave you visit, regularly? No.

Have you ever been seriously addicted to anything? The Internet. I know that's rather normal for my generation, but I know my reliance on it goes above and beyond what's considered "average" for my age group. I don't know how to function without technology.

Have you ever had a hamster? Yeah, I never had a great bond with one, though. I remember them being flighty and bitey.

How many books have you read in the past YEAR? Idk, I don't count.

Are you popular on any websites? I'd say I have a decent following on deviantART, but there are WAY bigger photographers on there.

Ever been in the emergency room? Soooo many times, primarily for my mental health, but there are physical health occasions too.

Are you subscribed to anything (magazines, monthly boxes, streaming sites, etc.)? No. Well, Mom has an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription for me, but I'm not the one that pays for it 'cuz y'know, no source of income.

Have you ever given a lap dance? No, I'd feel so awkward lol

Do bats frighten you? No, I love bats so much.

Are you a KPOP fan? No.

Were you anyone’s first kiss? No.

Will you keep your last name when you get married? No. I actually hate Girt's last name more than mine, but I want his anyway lol

Are you biracial? I'm not, I'm pure Caucasian.

What is your most expensive piece of clothing? I have zero idea. I don't own expensive clothes.

Have you ever started a rumor? No.

Color of your bedspread? It's this really depressing solid gray, lol. I have a lighter pink one I use instead during the spring and summer, but I've yet to switch to it because we still have some cold nights.

Do you have a piggy bank? I technically do (though it's a skull, not an actual pig one), but I don't use it.

Did you ever skip a grade or get held back a grade? No. I did skip an English level in my last college attempt, but not a whole grade.

What’s your favorite rock band? Rammstein.

What color(s) eyeshadow do you wear the most? If I actually wear eyeshadow, it's always black.

Do you identify with any organized religion? I do not.

Have you read the book 13 Reasons Why or watched the show? I read and enjoyed the book in high school, but I don't want to see the show. I know it'd be much more upsetting.

What is the sexiest part of the opposite sex’s body? I LOVE men's back/shoulder blades region for some reason, maximum thirst

Are you confrontational? dude I'd rather die

Who was the last person you know (or that you know of) that died? My mom's former co-worker Debbie. She housed my mom when we got evicted, and she let me come over for WiFi when we were getting settled into this house. She had a severe heart attack.

Does your first crush know that he/she was your first crush? No.

Do you like your butt? No, I have the flattest ass and I'm self-conscious of it lmao

Have you ever been to a night club? No, not my kinda place.

Do you believe in reincarnation? I don't.

Can your dog roll over on command, if you have a dog? No.

Do you use any styling products on your hair? No.

Do you have a favorite local band? Who are they? No.

Do you use the Facebook chat often? No.

Do you own a robe? What color is it? I don't.

Who ended your last relationship? Her. It was kinda a mutual understanding thing, but she initiated it. Now I'm glad she did.

Have you ever been engaged? No.

Do you have any bug bites on you right now? If so, where? No.

What is the biggest problem in your life right now? I feel a lack of purpose and worth.

How many pets do you have? Three.

Do you like tomatoes? Generally, no. However, with fresh tomatoes, I do enjoy bacon, tomato, and mayonnaise toast.

When was the last time you shaved your legs? It's been years.

Do you have any exes your parents never liked? Mom had mixed feelings on Juan, and she shared after our friendship ended that she really didn't like Sara.

Are you a fast or a slow eater? I eat extremely fast and it drives my mom insane. I don't eat messily, I just chew enough to swallow and finish. I don't know how to do it slower.

What was the last thing you purchased from a small local business? Idk.

Have you ever run from the police? No.

What does your wallet look like? It's an adorable meerkat design my sister got me.

Do you have any hickeys on you? No.

If you had a son right now, what would you name him? Probably Damien Llane.

Have you ever dated someone longer than a year? My current relationship is the third time I've done so.

Have you ever done ballet? No, I'm nowhere near elegant enough.

When was the last time you consumed alcohol? Months ago.

Are you interested in creative writing of any sort? Yeah, it's a hobby.

Are any of your friends virgins? I very much doubt so.

Who is the funniest person you know? My boyfriend.

Are you overweight? I'm obese.

Ever had a black eye? No.

Last person to cuddle with? Girt.

Have you ever lost a friend to drugs or alcohol? No. I've had a couple online friends who got really heavy into drugs, but they recovered! I know people who have died to drugs, but no one exceptionally close to me.

Have you ever read a play outside of school? No.

Do you listen to music while you sleep? No.

Do you sell any products? If so, what? No. I WANT to sell photography products, that's just a... process. Especially when you're poor. It's not as easy as just deciding "I wanna sell bookmarks" or whatever.

Do you own a bobblehead? No.

Do you like scrambled eggs? It's the only way I like eggs. Well, that and as an omelette.

What is currently happening that is scaring you? Genocide happening in Palestine and it's not causing nearly enough ire.

What was the last movie you saw and who did you watch it with? Oxygen, with Girt.

Can you cry on command? If so, have you ever used it to your advantage? No.

Have you ever snuck out of your house? No.

Can you do any impressions? I do a really good British accent, but that's just an accent. I can do Stitch, lol

Have you ever been kicked out of a public place? Why? No.

Do you have any important anniversaries you celebrate? Yes, mine and Girt's.

Do you know how to use a DSLR camera? Yeah, I'm a hobbyist photographer that wants to be a professional with it.

[ultraericthered]

Anime Update V2 49

NOTICE: There’ll be something of a hiatus before the next of these posts due to two reasons - it’s the big V2 50 and I want to prepare extra for it, and I’m currently on vacation and started on a special anime rewatch (my current icon should clue you in).

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 - Episode 1 of this series was certainly something, spending its whole run time on just showing us what the main characters are doing at that time in their lives, a steady but anxious build up to when Mirai tempts fate by saying the whole world could break apart for all she cared...and then at that very moment, it does. Even before the earthquake, this is a bit of a challenge to sit through since Mirai is just such an unlikable little shit of a main protagonist, but I love that she is because it’s in a very human, dare I say even relatable sort of way and adds that much more weight to the drama that’s going to be unfolding with her as our lead. In the dub, Luci Christian is almost unrecognizable in her performance as Mirai, same going for Tiffany Grant as her little brother Yuki. Side characters aren’t so fortunate, as the likes of Brittany Karbowski and Greg Ayres are very distinct to make out, and apparently they will be used a lot. Lastly, that “M/elody” ending song is a major banger!

Hunter x Hunter - While Hisoka meets back up with the Spiders as they intend on tracking down a Nen user whose ability can remove others' Nen, and Gon continues his training with Biscuit while Killua is recuperating his hands, Team Tsezgerra takes on Team Genthru. And after all that action, there was a startling twist at the end where Tsezgerra exits the game but finds no one on guard where all the Greed Island consoles are stored, finds Mr. Battera crying as he reveals the whole deal behind the game has been cancelled, and then Team Genthru break in there too, free to reign as they please!

Fruits Basket - An episode that started out cute with a talk between Hiro and Kisa turns into a major downer when we follow Rin and finally learn her devastating backstory. On top of the parents who adopted her being super fake and ultimately heartless creatures who had no business looking after a child in the first place, the romantic relationship with Haru that she got into causes her more trouble when she starts fearing that she’s going to drag him down and keep him bound to the Zodiac Curse, and then just to pile the trauma on more, Akito fucking pushes her off a balcony and sends her to the hospital! No wonder this poor girl is so beyond messed up now...

Date A Live S4 - Uh...okay, I noted that something was off when it looked like Shido was going to be killed in his room only for him to not be, but I totally didn’t anticipate the reveal of him having been killed by DEM already and having been saved from such deaths 204 times by Kurumi. Suddenly, everything about what Kurumi had been doing these past few episodes, the whole deal with Shido included, made so much more sense. The reveal I did see coming, however, was that <PHANTOM>, mysterious agent of the Spirit of Origins who’s created all the other Spirits, is actually Reine...or at least some version of her since the Reine we know is still with the Ratatyskr crew elsewhere at the same time. And then the episode just sort of ends without any finality, but we’re told that this is leading directly into Date A Live 5, the final season. Will have to await that for a while, but I hope it ends up looking and playing out better than this season did. 

Re:ZERO - Picked this up with two episodes that showed us a return to the capitol, the gathering of the Royal Selection candidates (Emilia, Priscilla, Krusch and Anastasia), the surprise reveal of Felt as the fifth and final candidate because apparently she has a noble blood lineage and Reinhard decides to be her knight (and while I’m selective about when I support systemic reformations via anarchy and forceful upheavals, I’m 100% with my girl Felt on her intended revolution based on what we’ve seen of this place!), Subaru being a dumbass by deliberating disobeying Emilia and showing up at the event (and some hints that Roswaal might’ve factored that into his mysterious plans), uncomfortable prejudice and scorn being thrown at Meelie for being a silver-haired half elf, and Sir Julius being totally justified in his anger at Subaru only to then take that rage completely off the rails by challenging him to a duel to the death over it! Geezus!

But it was everything after Subaru got thoroughly clobbered by Julius that sticks out the most in my memory, this absolutely breathtakingly harsh final scene between him and Emilia where Subaru is berated and tries over and over to justify to Emilia (and to himself) why he had to do what he did for her sake and to repay the debt he believes he owes her for all the loops she’s helped him in, all while holding Emilia up on a pedestal that she never asked to be put on. But as Meelie refuses to take his shit, eventually the guy just completely cracks and goes full Mask Off, rambling about how it’s actually he who should be owed a debt by Emilia for all the great things he’s done for her, that the courage and generosity he’s shown her and all the help he’s given her entitles him to the best treatment, including being Emilia’s knight. I was slackjawed at this moment and internally rooting for Meelie to LEAVE. HIS. ASS. And thank heavens, that’s what she does. Seeing how unstable and needy he is, and how poisonous their association with each other has gotten, Emilia cuts ties with Subaru and leaves him in the recovery room a pitiful, sobbing wreck. And folks, this is only the peak of the downhill slope! Rock bottom still awaits Subaru Natsuki in episodes to come...

Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works - Honestly I found it a bit unnecessary to follow the premiere with ANOTHER one hour special episode just to catch us up with Shirou and explain where Saber came from. It was interesting to see some ground retread for this animation style and these new dub VAs, and also some material never adpated in the Deen anime (I particularly liked seeing Matt Mercer-voiced Kiritsugu again, that shit hits hard after Fate Zero), the one detriment is still Shirou’s voice. Bryce Papenbrook’s weird midway between Naegi and Nagito that he uses doesn’t do it for me, so I’m always going to think of Sam Reigel as Shirou Emiya. 

Symphogear G - The final two episodes of this season matched up in both expectation and quality to its predecessor. The fight between Kirika and Shirabe leading to them just holding nothing back in confessing love to each other was not a surprise, though seeing Shirabe also having Fine’s soul and abilities, Kirika’s attempted suicide, and a divine meeting with Fine herself certainly were. Also sort of predicted but still loved seeing Chris turn out to be a double agent, having worked out a deal with Tsubasa without a single word needing to be spoken between them. The big turnaround for Maria, the last stand of Dr. Ver, and the passing of Nastassja were perfectly satisfactory (Ver’s super Extra hamminess, constant cowardice, and big mental breakdown were especially great to watch), and we got a cosmic level final battle to put the previous finale’s final action to shame! Hibiki being totally free of the Gugnir scrap in her heart, Miku playing a key part in saving the day, the villainous Symphogears now joining the main friend group, and the message at the end were all multiple cherries on top of a concoction that already tasted so sweet. 

MAR - Nanashi VS Gallian. This is what the whole round was being built up to since before it started, so it had better damn be interesting. And oooh man, was it ever. Turns out Gallian is the former leader of Nanashi’s guild who’d found Nanashi and brought him into the guild, gave him a name, trained him and worked alongside him as a brother, and made him his successor...but Nanashi at first could not recall any of this because Gallian had wiped his memory of him! Seeing Galian with the Chess Pieces now, I thought to myself  “wouldn’t it be something if we learn how far back this goes and that Gallian was never that good a guy to start with...”, and the show went on to give me exactly that! This scumbag even let Peta slaughter so many of his former comrades and raze his old home to the ground, feeling no remorse for trading it all out for power! Once we knew this, I was really wanting to see Nanashi take him down, and the moment it happened was oh so glorious to witness.

Gintama - Circled back around to that beach episode I gave a pass on earlier since I’m on a beach vacation right now. Odd Jobs, Otae, and Taizo Hasegawa head to the beach to get rid of a monster that's been terrorizing the area. It goes about exactly as you’d expect.

AND

Gurren Lagann, Kill La Kill, & Sakugan - Gurren Lagann was just Gurren Lagann (the weird as shit episode 6 that seems to exist just to riff on stupid anime tropes while reveling in its own stupidity and making fools of every character) and Kill La Kill was just Kill La Kill (Nui’s majorly trolling and Ryuko’s majorly hating, at the cost of poor Senketsu!), Sakugan was an entirely new experience. I’ll admit that the main characters names made me laugh a lot of times when they got spoken (”Gagumber” and “Memempu” just sound so silly), and the whole thing was just all kinds of strange and goofy for the most part, but the idea that they’re a single father and daughter team out to survive in an enviornment where there are kaiju and other such hazards out to kill them definitely has promise. Also, that death of the other father-daughter team - what was that? That was so much tonally darker and more dramatic than anything else in the episode! Are such random demises going to be a thing here? Cuz I think we’d need more mental preparation and down time!

[h-worksrambles]

Had a random brainworm about the Sam & Max series because this franchise still hasn’t left my head.

The three Telltale games all kind of iterate on a specific episodic formula, with the third game often seen as the one that bucks the trend in a lot of ways, making it the favourite for a lot of fans. Now I love Devil’s Playhouse to death, don’t get me wrong. But playing through the Beyond Time and Space remaster again helped me notice that you can already see a shift in progression as early as the second season.

Specifically, the way the last two seasons use the Commissioner. Or rather, how they don’t. Full Season Two and Three spoilers below.

In Save the World, the Commissioner calls at the start of every episode. Each time he gives Sam & Max the details of their case. And of course he does. That’s standard Sam & Max fare from as far back as the original comic. But then we get to Beyond Time and Space. The Commissioner only calls at the start of ONE episode, Night of the Raving Dead. In every other episode, Sam & Max stumble on the supernatural threat of the week themselves.

In 201, the Maim-Tron attacks their street. The boys see it was apparently sent by Santa and head to the North Pole for answers about what wise guy tried to kill them.

In 202, they see Sybil and Lincoln get abducted by the Bermuda Triangle and follow after them.

In 204, Flint realises Bosco has gone missing, and Sam & Max go with him to look for the guy.

And in 205, Sam & Max are spit out at the gateway to the underworld after escaping T.H.E.M.’s ship and decide to help Bosco get out of Hell.

In each of these cases, the Commissioner doesn’t need to send the boys off on a case. They take initiative to investigate something that bothers them. And of course, Season Three is far more plot focused, so Sam & Max can be pretty naturally led through events in a way that doesn’t require the Commissioner sending them off on a new case.

Why is this, then? Most likely it’s a creative writing choice. It’s much less restricting to have to frame every case around Sam & Max being purposely sent somewhere. And the world of this series is weird enough that you can pretty plausibly have stuff just happen around the two to get them involved naturally. And in both cases, it arguably makes the otherwise comedic story a little more personal than it would be if the Commissioner was constantly sending them on their way. It’s just more interesting to have stories arise from character motivations rather than point blank orders.

Plus, I think it works better with what each season is going for. Season Two derives a lot of its comedy from problematising Sam & Max’s role as both would-be agents of justice, and self centred causes of chaos. They get involved not because it’s their job, but simply because they ‘can’t think of a reason not to’. They stick their nose in any business that interests them and often cause as many problems as they solve. Heck, even though Satan and the Soda Poppers are the villains of 205, most of the characters you free from Hell (Santa, Grandpa Stinky, Timmy, the Elves, Bosco and Leonard) are all only there because of Sam & Max (at least in part). Season Two doubles down on Sam & Max as characters who are both the cause of, and solution to, most of the series’ problems. They’ll mess everything up out of blind selfishness, and they’re only really here to pass the time, but they will do the right thing eventually, and so we can still have our wacky, happy ending.

Season Three meanwhile, is a much more story focused entry, where the fate of the world is at stake multiple times. This game also incorporates the boys’ self centred adrenaline junkie life style, but in a different way. Here, because the stakes are higher, the two are forced out of their comfort zone, placed in real danger of losing each other, and, moreover, tasked with setting aside their own whims and actually being heroes for once. Even the final antagonist has a whole villain monologue berating Sam & Max for not taking things seriously enough. And while we’re obviously not supposed to take the Narrator’s words at face value, in that regard he kind of has a point. And this culminates in Max making a sacrifice play for the sake of the whole city, showcasing a selflessness Max was always capable of but that a lot of people wouldn’t expect. Hence this doubles down on the idea that the last game set up (albeit mostly as a vehicle for jokes). That even fun loving, jerkass goofballs like Sam & Max, can do the right thing when push comes to shove.

I don’t know if Telltale’s writers cut down on the Commisioner’s presence with the express intention of building up a character arc. In fact, they probably didn’t. Again, it was most likely done to free the writers up to make new scenarios rather than using the same formula as rigidly as they did in Season One. But I think it’s interesting to see the two results of downplaying this character. Season Two crafts a comedy of errors where our endearing but obnoxious anti heroes nearly screw up and ruin everything, before coming through at the last second and saving the day. Season Three tells a dramedy that pushes Sam & Max to actually be the heroes they’ve claimed they are all this time. It’s interesting how one minor tweak to the formula can yield two very different outcomes in different contexts.

[from-seas-to-skies]

Hello! Milk chocolate Choco! Kirishima with almonds, chocolate chips and mint, pls and thank you 🙏😊❤

Hello to you, too! And thanks for the order!

Prompts: kabedon, accidentally calling your crush a kinky pet name, drunken confession

‘tough skin, tender heart’ / Kirishima x Reader ♕︎

warnings: hehe Kirishima is rock hard for a reason

words: 944

-

Come on, Kirishima’s smarter than this. He’s a pro hero, for crying out loud; he’s a public person, and society’s (especially the media’s) eyes are on him constantly. One dumb move and he’s sure to get dragged.

Still, it’s nice to let loose like this, especially when he’s surrounded by friends. It’s only been three years since graduating from UA, but man has a lot been going on. Between the struggles of being a pro hero and fending for himself as an adult, it’s almost like Kirishima has little to no breathing room anymore. Not going to lie, being an adult sucks major ass, but he loves being in the pro leagues.

“Bro, stop thinking so much,” Kaminari slurs, his eyes glazed over. Oh, this is just great – Kaminari’s already fucking sloshed. “Let loose! Have fun! Here, here – look at Ashido,” he babbles, jabbing a finger towards the dancefloor. Through the darkness of the club, Kirishima seeks out Ashido’s pink skin sticking out amongst the sea of sweaty bodies. “She’s out there having the time of her life.”

“Denki, man, you’re drunk,” Kirishima says.

“Oh, psssshhhh,” Kaminari rumbles, waving a dismissive hand. Slinging an arm around Kirishima’s shoulders, he leans in close and prods his friend’s solid chest. “Drink up, bud. You don’t get the chance to loosen up like this, eh? Besides…. A uh, a certain person is here!”

Dammit, Kirishima wishes Kaminari would just shut the hell up every once and a while. Despite being surrounded by loads of people and thundering music, one can’t be too sure that the wrong ears are going to pick up what Kaminari’s putting down. Instinctively, Kirishima’s eyes shoot to where you stand, drink clutched in hand and a dazzling smile on your face.

His heart clenches at the fond expression on your face. Ever since his second year in high school, Kirishima’s found himself shamelessly smitten with you. However, despite your oblivious nature and Kirishima’s stubborn one, his true feelings haven’t been told. He wants to make you smile like that, to whisk you away in his meaty arms, and to treat you like the royalty you are.

“You should talk to them,” Kaminari suggests, a shit-eating grin playing on his lips. “And maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll end up between their legs.” He giggles, then, his eyebrows waggling suggestively.

Kirishima’s face burns at his friend’s words. Sure, Kirishima would love to pull you to the side and talk your ear off, but the other thing? He can’t deny that his insides heat up pleasantly, that the slight twitch in his pants is too much to not ignore. “Fuck it,” Kirishima grunts, tipping back his head and emptying his own beer bottle.

Kaminari whoops and hollers as Kirishima slams his bottle down on a table and storms in your direction, a determined look displayed on his features. While he’s not as drunk as Kaminari, his mind is beyond hazy, and his steps aren’t as orderly as he wanted them to be. As he draws closer to where you stand, he sees you laugh at whatever Sato says; jealousy unexpectedly boils in Kirishima’s blood and his teeth gnash together. Yeah, Sato is a good guy and all, but he’s not Kirishima.

“Hey, guys,” he says, butting into your conversation. He flashes Sato a shark-toothed grin. “Buddy, mind if I steal (y/n) away for a moment? Thanks!” Before either you or Sato have the chance to respond, Kirishima’s suddenly grabbing onto your wrist and pulling you away.

“Kirishima! Hey! What are you doing!” you exclaim.

Kirishima doesn’t stop until the two of you are in the hallway leading back towards the restrooms; luckily for him, the light is even darker back here, so you probably won’t be able to see the blush burning his cheeks. A grunt slips from your lips as your back meets the brick wall, Kirishima’s large hands encaging either side of your head.

During his final year in UA, Kirishima finally hit his growth spurt; now standing at a whopping 204 centimeters, Kirishima practically towers over you. The height difference makes his insides squeeze in joy, his pulse beat harder. You’re just so cute, so fucking hot…

“Kirishima?” you ask, tone low. “Are you alright?”

“C’mon there, tiger, don’t act like a tease,” he drawls, face dropping lower. Your eyes widen at the pet name. Kirishima nearly curses for letting his tongue slip like that, but shit if he’s gonna let this opportunity pass.

“Your breath reeks of alcohol,” you continue, eyes turning half lidded. “You shouldn’t let Kaminari drag you down like that…”

“I can’t get you off my mind,” Kirishima blurts. “You’re just… you’re so cool and attractive and manly-“

“Kirishima.”

“I’m crazy about you, you know? Ever since high school-“

“Kirishima.”

“Then Kaminari had to go and put some…. thoughts in my head and I-“

“Eijirou.”

As his given name falls from your lips, Kirishima stills, his breath catching in his throat. Oh shit, now he’s done it. Damn Kaminari, spurring him on like that.

When did you get so close? Why do you look like that, so damn pretty with fluttering eyes and parted lips?

Slowly, he takes a hand off the wall and grasps your chin, his thumb brushing over your bottom lip. Blood rushes through his ears at the simple touch; his heart pounds wickedly, threatening to burst from his chest at any given second. He gasps as you reach up and lace your fingers together behind his neck and pull him even further down.

“You talk too much,” you murmur.

An inhuman squeak breaks free from his throat as the front of his pants tighten.

Uh-oh.

[ollieofthebeholder]

for the fic meme: tell me of the whumptober wip

So, for starters, it’s a Criminal Minds fic.

The premise of it was based on a headcanon/plotiphant I’ve been carrying around for umpty-scoop years, and a big part of the reason I didn’t post it (or, y’know, really finish it) was that I stopped watching Criminal Minds regularly ages ago, so I knew that short of saying “This is when I stopped watching and I’m skimming the wiki/IMDB and taking the plot points I like to use and saying to hell with the rest”, I was going to end up writing something WILDLY implausible. I liked it, though. May finish it at some point.

First part under the cut if you’re interested.

Spencer hesitated for a brief second, barely long enough to register, then turned the corner and stepped back twenty years in time.

The street hadn't changed. All the houses were the same color, even the same degree of faded. The few cars in the driveways at this time of day were the ones that had always been there. Sunflowers still marched along the edges of those houses that didn't have shrubbery under the window. The curtains were positioned in exactly the way he was used to.

Rossi squinted at the nearest porch. “None of these houses have their numbers displayed. Or am I just missing them?”

“Nobody uses house numbers,” Spencer murmured absently, barely aware he had spoken. Hell, the swing dangling from the maple tree in front of the Babashanians' house was still crooked, its left side about an inch higher than the right. It twisted idly in the breeze above the scuffed and dusty divot in the grass, almost as though someone had just run off inside. Any second, little Chrissie would come skipping out the front door and throw herself on it, stomach-first, arms stretched out like she was Supergirl and shouting for—

He caught himself firmly. “Little Chrissie” was in her early twenties now, and her brother was even older. Time moved on, even if it didn't look like it here.

Swallowing, he forced himself to at least try and speak normally. “It's a small town. Everybody knows where everybody else lives. Addresses are just for census purposes.”

“Well, then, how the hell are we supposed to know which house is 204?”

Spencer froze. For just a minute, it was hard to breathe.

204. Well, there were a few answers to that question. It's the one with a privacy fence on the right side and a row of rosebushes on the left. It's the one with an apple tree growing by the front corner. It's the one with the plants in the window.

It's the one that used to be home.

“Reid?” Rossi didn't sound annoyed, which was what Spencer half-expected from anybody any time he showed any kind of emotion beyond one hundred percent dedication to the case at hand. Instead, he sounded...concerned. Worried, even. He took a step closer and reached out like he was going to touch Spencer's arm, but stopped at the last second. “Spencer, is everything okay?”

Spencer honestly couldn't remember the last time someone had asked him that. Even JJ didn't usually bother, or if she did, she asked in a way that made it pretty clear she didn't really care about the answer, she was just asking because it was expected, and she also fully expected him to say yes even if it wasn't. But this was Rossi asking, Rossi who didn't cross the lines between personal and professional unless you did it first. Rossi, who was literally the only member of the team in the entire sixteen years Spencer had been a part of it to recognize, remember, and respect his boundaries and quirks from the beginning, consistently and without question or judgment.

“I used to live here,” he said softly. “Sort of. Part-time. It's...complicated.”

Spencer didn't have to turn his head to see Rossi's expression. He could feel him raising his eyebrows in surprise. “Just in town? Or specifically on this street?”

This time Spencer did turn his head, swallowing hard. “In 204.”

Rossi's face was hard to read, although Spencer wasn't sure if that was because he was schooling his emotions or because his own eyes were starting to blur with tears. He wasn't sure if he wanted Rossi to press him or wanted him to drop it, and he knew he wouldn't know for sure until Rossi reacted one way or the other and he was able to see his own response to that.

“So you know which one it is,” he finally murmured.

Nope, he'd been wrong. He still didn't know how he felt about Rossi not pushing for answers. “Yeah. It's that one.”

He pointed to the house catercorner from the Babashanians', aware that his finger was shaking, then lowered it quickly and started in that direction, Rossi at his side.

From somewhere nearby, Freddie Mercury began pleading with someone to find him somebody to love. Something in Spencer's chest twisted unpleasantly, caught by the memory, but before he could start hyperventilating, the music changed abruptly, mid-note. A short, too-familiar introduction, and then England Dan started telling someone that he'd really love to see them tonight.

Frankly, that was almost worse. Spencer flinched and glanced upwards briefly to mouth, Really? He was an agnostic, but if there was an all-powerful, all-seeing God, then She was kind of being a dick right about then. He pulled himself together, mostly, and headed for the porch.

The front walk needed sweeping, which wasn't all that unusual really, but the lawn bore signs of having been mowed recently, probably by a neighborhood kid who needed a few extra bucks for something or was looking for an easy community service project to get that next merit badge. The apples on the tree would probably be ready to pick in a week or two, and the potted plant in the window seemed cheerful and thriving. The curtains had evidently just stayed with the house, because they were the ones Spencer had made twenty years before, deep blue and streaked with silver like the night sky. He found himself wondering what had happened to the (admittedly few) things he'd left behind—things he hadn't been able to bring himself to go back up and clean out, because that would mean admitting—

The door knocker was the same.

Spencer brought himself up short, staring at the knocker. It had been something of an inside joke—a snake clutched in the talons of a bird, its head and tail jaunty and elated. Someone had cleaned it recently, or maybe it just saw a lot of use and stayed shiny, but it caught the sunlight. It was a good quality knocker, but it was still odd, and he'd been fully prepared for it to be gone. Except it wasn't.

Slowly, he reached for the knocker. His hand was shaking worse than it had when he'd been detoxing. He'd gotten good over the years at forcing the memories down, but he'd never been this close to them before. He wasn't prepared for what was on the other side, and for a split second, he didn't know if he could bring himself to knock—to knock on the door that he'd always just opened before, the one he was pretty sure he still had the key to.

But he had to. This wasn't his house anymore. And this was his job.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his hand around the snake's body, lifted it, and rapped on the door. Tap. Tap. Tap-tap-tap.

It was automatic—he hadn't even thought about it. He quickly let go of the knocker and stepped back, clenching his fists tightly and trying to school his reactions, trying to prepare himself. They had a name, but no picture—Ezra Fell was a notoriously reclusive and secretive author; that wasn't even his real name, not that anyone knew what his real name was—and all Spencer had to go on were the few clues he'd gleaned from the books he'd been drawn to from the start, since he saw the name and recognized the reference immediately and picked up the novel even though it hurt to think about.

Irish. The mystic language that Coelynth used for his magic was obviously based on Irish, maybe with a little bit of Scots Gaelic mixed in occasionally, so Fell had to be Irish or of Irish ancestry. Probably an older gentleman, white hair, bushy but neatly trimmed beard, horn-rimmed glasses, tall and broad-shouldered and fond of alcohol, or at least pretending to be. Or would, if he socialized. He would likely be annoyed at having been interrupted and hostile about answering their questions.

There was a faint clunking sound, like the bolts were being shot back. Spencer couldn't explain the feeling that washed over him all of a sudden, as though his soul had clicked into place like a magnet jumping from the fingers to a metal board. It was like a piece that had been missing for ages had been replaced. It was like coming home. Which was ridiculous, and he needed to stop being stupid about it. This wasn't home, hadn't been for a long time. Would never be home again.

Then the door opened, and Spencer's breath caught in his throat. It wasn't just that the man standing at the door was exactly the opposite of what he'd envisioned—around Spencer's age, dark brown hair, a roughly two-day growth of stubble, eyes clear and unadorned, same height and general build as Spencer was, a polite but faintly bemused expression on his face. It was that he wasn't supposed to be there at all.

“Zira?” he blurted.

The man's head snapped around. His eyes—warm and brown—widened, his lips parting in shock. Spencer knew he had the same expression on his own face.

It seemed an eternity between one heartbeat and the next, but it couldn't have been any longer than that split second before the man breathed out a single word, in a familiar voice he'd never expected to hear again. “Spencer.”

[northwind4]

Dearest WingDings（12）

*It's a story about HandPlates! Gaster and Wing! Gaster

*I’ll appreciate it very much if you point out the mistakes I made in the translation, all kinds of help are welcomed!

*previous & next

*Handplates by @zarla-s

Wing!Gaster by me

————————————————

Chapter12

“No no no no NOT YET !”

201

Wing snapped his fingers, lighting up a small magic lamp in the dark room.

“Nightmares again?”He reached out and wiped the eyes of the skeleton who just woke up.

“The past?”He asked again.

Gaster avoided his hand.

G: The future.

W: That’s not true, nightmares are all fake.

G: ...

G: Or predictions.

He wrapped himself in the quilt and turned over, but couldn’t stop the all-pervasive black fluid.

W: Don’t be so pessimistic.

W: At least we can do something to prevent it from happening.

202

Gaster was silent for a long time, and Wing wondered if he was asleep.

G: What do you think...

G: ...no.

G: They will never forgive me.

G: That’s what kind of person I am...that’s what I deserve.

These words seemed to exhaust all his strength.

203

Wing put his arms around Gaster, he felt the trembling bones.

W: The only thing I can say is

W: Action can defeat fear.

204

Two days later, as Wing was going to walk through the wall again, Gaster stopped him.

He seemed to have very important things to say.

205

W: WOW

W: So you are going to formally introduce me to the outside world

G: Correct.

G: After the remaining punctures in Sans and Papyrus’ hands heal, I will take them out too.

W: Sounds great. Glad to see you make this decision.

W: Do you have any special requirements for me_(:з」∠)_

G: ...just be yourself.

206

Wing watched his liquid body carefully.

G: What are you doing?

W: Picking clothes

W: What should I wear to pay the formal visit to the king?

207

Asgore gave Wing a big hug after listening to the explanations of the two Gasters.

Asgore: So to speak

Asgore: We now have one more talented scientist!

Asgore: Welcome you on behalf of this world! Another WingDings!

This was an overly hug, which made Wing do his best to maintain his form, making sure that he would not melt suddenly and scare the fluffy nice king.

208

W: Glad to meet you, Dr. Alphys.

Alphys: I, uh, uh

Alphys: Hello...hello, another...Dr. Gaster?

Alphys: Uh, I wanna ask, that

Alphys: In another world, I, uh, how...?

W: Sorry Doctor Alphys, I hadn’t meet the Alphys in my world before I fell into the core

W: But I’m sure she must shine like a star like you.

209

G: I didn’t know you are so skilled at sweet talk

W: I didn’t know you didn’t know so since I talk to you everyday

W: Isn’s it a common skill of Gasters heheheh

210

Wing wondered whether it was his illusion, he felt that Alphy looked a little strange when she looked at them.

Until one day he found some PWP written by anonymity.

211

A few days later, the appearance of the little skeletons made Asgore feel that the entire underground world was lighted up. The king held the children with great care.

Asgore: What a beautiful little miracle

Asgore: Oh my god WingDings

Asgore: Why didn’t you tell us earlier?

He almost cried.

212

W: All developments are better than expected, right?

G: ...

G: It was really beyond my expectations.

W: Emmmm...me too.

They thought that Asgore would ask the origin of the two little skeletons for details, but he just looked at them with gratifying.

They didn’t even expect that Sans would say nothing about what Gaster had done in past.

213

Wing walked into the hall full of golden flowers.

W: Good afternoon, Your Majesty.

Asgore sat at the tea table, the easy-going leader poured two cups of golden flower tea.

Asgore: Just sit down

Asgore: How’s the life in this world?

W: Great. Thank you for your concern.

Asgore: Actually...I don’t have very big reasons to meet you alone.

Asgore: Just regard it as the satisfaction of my old curiosity.

214

W: My pleasure.

W: Besides, you are not old, Your Majesty.

Asgore smiled.

Asgore: Well, let’s come straight to the point.

Asgore: In your world

Asgore: Did everything happen like here?

215

Wing certainly knew what the king meant.

W: I’m sorry to say, Yes it did.

W: This happened in almost every world.

W: There could be some differences—sometimes The Queen was on the throne, and you went to the ruins—but the general direction of the story was mostly the same.

W: Forgive me, but it’s like...some kind of rules that had been arranged.

216

Asgore sighed.

Asgore: Did you see the ends of them?

Asgore: You know, after absorbing 7 human souls, this will definitely be a war without winners.

Asgore: Honestly I don’t want to hurt anyone

Asgore: I just...I want to see my wife and children again.

He covered his face.

Asgore: Please tell me...tell me if there is a way.

217

W: ...

W: I have seen it.

W: The barrier is gone, no one sacrificed, including you.

W: The underground even get a new friend.

Asgore: Well you don’t have to lie to take care of my emotions...

Asgore: ...

Asgore: Is this true?

218

Asgore: So how can we make it?

W: The only thing I can say is...

W: Stay determined, Your Majesty.

W: And never give up hope.

219

The tea got short toward the end and Asgore filled the cups again.

Asgore: One more thing

Asgore: About...WingDings—yes, the Gaster in this world.

Asgore: Toriel and I brought him back from the battlefield, and he was like a child to us.

Asgore: Over the years he has done so much for the country...so much for me. He is my important friend and family.

Asgore: It may be hard for you, but I want to ask—

Asgore: You just talked about the rules

Asgore: What are the “rules” of you?

220

The skeleton in black smiled bitterly.

W: Not something very happy, Your Majesty.

W: Moreover, I don’t believe in it. I kept fighting against almost every destiny of mine.

W: And I can promise

W: I will do my best to avoid those bad things happening to HIM.

221

It seemed Asgore wanted to reach out and pat his head.

Asgore: I want to say thank you...

Asgore: Your presence really changed him a lot.

Asgore: He said that you were always persuading him to eat and rest on time. Oh you have solved my headache

Asgore: He looks a lot better now, I’m so glad to see you are together.

222

Wing felt as if there was something odd.

Asgore: And those little angels

Asgore: Honestly I didn’t expect him to have a child, and he didn’t seem to be really ready for it...

Asgore: I think you affected him

Asgore: I can see that you are a very good father!

W: Uh...thank you?

Strange things became more.

223

Asgore: Ah, I always forget to stop when I start talking about the children

Asgore: All in all, my request is

Asgore: Please take good care of him

Asgore: There may be some...difficulties, but he is really a very good kid, he deserves all of this—

He seemed to think of something, and then laughed.

Asgore: Too careless, what am I talking about?

Asgore: Two monsters who have fused the soul never need any preaching from anyone, right?

Wing finally got the point.

224

W: Your Majesty

W: About the fusion of souls, we, uh

W: Our relationship has not reached that point.

W: I’m really sorry for making you misunderstand

225

Asgore got frozen for some seconds.

Asgore: Ah?

Asgore: But those two children

Asgore: Aren’t they the achievement of your love?

[basicsofislam]

ISLAM 101: THE HOLY QUR’AN: Part 2

HOW DOES THE QUR’AN INFORM US OF THE UNSEEN?

The Qur’an contains the knowledge of the unseen, or the ghayb, which is beyond any sort of perception; it also presents much of the history of bygone nations and predictions about the near or distant future.

As the exact knowledge of the unseen belongs to God exclusively, neither the Prophets nor any other people have knowledge of the future and cannot acquire true knowledge of the past or even of the present except through the Revelation.

If we look at such information and knowledge of the unseen in the Qur’an, we can see that the majority is concerned with the people living in the past. Even if some of this information is found in other heavenly books, we can see that their Qur’anic equivalents differ in many aspects and are sometimes quite the contrary. As for information about the time period when the Qur’an descended, or that of later periods, there are many facts that would have been impossible for a human being to know revealed in the Qur’an. God, Himself states that each of these is a miracle of the realm of the unseen:

With Him are the keys to the Unseen; none knows them but He. And He knows whatever is on land and in the sea; and not a leaf falls but He knows it, and neither is there a grain in the dark layers of earth, nor anything green or dry, but is (recorded) in a Manifest Book. (An’am 6:59)

An evaluation of Qur’anic information pertaining to the Unseen under three headings, past, present, and future, will help us to better understand this matter.

Information pertaining to the past: Life stories of many Prophets, starting with Prophet Adam, the first man and ending with Prophet Muhammad, the seal of the Messengers, and the incidents that occurred between them and their communities, the stories of tyrants who lived in the past and the people who were tortured by them are all narrated in the Qur’an. God Almighty informs us in the following verses that the majority of such narrations were not known by those who lived in the Arabian Peninsula before the revelation of the Qur’an:

Those are accounts of some exemplary events of the unseen (a time and realm beyond any created’s perception) that We reveal to you, (O Messenger). Neither you nor your people knew them before this. Then (seeing that there is no substantial difference between the conditions in which the Messengers carried out their missions and the reactions they encountered) be patient (with their reactions and their persistence in unbelief). The (final, happy) outcome is in favor of the God-revering, pious. (Hud 11:49)

(All that We have told you about Moses and the Book granted to him is a Revelation We reveal to you, O Muhammad, for) you were not present on the spot lying to the western side (of the valley) when We decreed the Commandment (the Torah) to Moses, nor were you a witness (to what happened there). But (after them) We brought into being many generations and long indeed were the ages that passed over them. (The information you give about them is also that which We reveal to you, just as what you tell about what happened concerning Moses in Midian is also a Revelation. For neither did you dwell among the people of Midian so that you are conveying to them (the Makkan people) Our Revelations (about what Moses did in Midian).

Rather, We have been sending Messengers (to convey Our Revelations). And neither were you present on the side of the Mount Sinai when We called out (to Moses), but (We reveal all this to you) as a mercy from your Lord so that you may warn a people to whom no warner has come before you, so that they may reflect and be mindful. (Qasas 28:44-46)

(O Messenger:) that is of the tidings of the things of the unseen (the things that took place in the past and have remained hidden from people with all their truth), which We reveal to you, for you were not present with them when they drew lots with their pens about who should have charge of Mary; nor were you present with them when they were disputing (about the matter). (Al ‘Imran 3:44)

The information which the Qur’an provides concerning the past is only the kind of information that can be known by way of an oral tradition over the generations, but not through reason or intelligence. Such narration is something that can only be attempted by literate people. The Prophet to whom the Qur’an was revealed could neither write nor read, but what he recited sounds as if he had participated in these events and was well acquainted with all these incidents. In fact, these incidents were all narrated by God with Whom all secrets of the realm of the Unseen reside and they were not the personal knowledge of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.

Information pertaining to the present: The Qur’an provides information about some facts that pertain to the time period of its revelation. These are regarded as unknowable for both the Prophet and his people. Matters pertaining to God Himself, the angels, jinn, Paradise, and Hell may be considered to be examples in this regard. The Qur’an speaks of matters like the Attributes and deeds of God Almighty, His Essence, the features of the angels and the characteristics of Paradise and Hell. All these matters cannot be comprehended with the eye or the senses, but are rather realities conceivable only via Revelation.

In addition, we can see that the Qur’an relates certain incidents that pertain to the time of the Prophet. Such incidents were perceptible only after being mentioned in Revelation. The following verse, which discloses some secrets of the hypocrites, is an example of this:

Among the people there is he whose conversation on (the affairs of) the present, worldly life fascinates you, and he calls on God to bear testimony to what is in his heart, yet he is most fierce in enmity. When he leaves (you) or attains authority, he rushes about the land to foment disorder and corruption therein and to ruin the sources of life and human generations. Surely God does not love disorder and corruption. (Baqara 2:204-205)

This verse is said to have been revealed about Ahnas ibn Sharik. This hypocrite was a person with whom the tribe Banu Zuhra had made an alliance. He came to the Prophet declaring that he had converted to Islam. He spoke politely to the Prophet, in a kind and affectionate manner, swearing that he had converted to Islam. But, after he had left the presence of the Prophet, he went to the farm of some Muslims and burned their harvest and destroyed their animals. Similarly, the Masjid al-Dhirar (the small mosque near Medina built by the hypocrites at that time to distract the early Muslim community; it was demolished on the order of the Prophet) is another example of this. We find the following statements in the Qur’an about these hypocrites and their mosque, which was used as a base for fifth-columnist activities:

Some among the hypocrites – who have adopted a mosque out of dissension and unbelief, in order to cause division among the believers, and use as an outpost to collaborate with him who before made war on God and His Messenger – will certainly swear: “We mean nothing but good (in building this mosque)”, whereas God bears witness that they are surely liars. Do not stand in that mosque to do the Prayer. The mosque that was founded on piety and reverence for God from the very first days (in Madinah) is worthy that you should stand in it for the Prayer. In it are men who love to be purified (of all spiritual and moral blemishes). God loves those who strive to purify themselves. (Tawba 9:107-108)

Information pertaining to the future: Many predictions concerning important future incidents are one of the miraculous aspects of the Qur’an; whatever is predicted in the Qur’an either has come true or will come true when its time is due. This means that the one who is relating the words must be the All-Knowing Supreme Being. The following samples related to this matter clearly show this:

The prediction that the Byzantine Romans would be victorious:

The Byzantine Romans have been defeated in the lands close-by, but they, after their defeat, will be victorious within a few (nine) years – to God belongs the command (the absolute judgment and authority) both before and after (any event) – and at the time (when the Romans are victorious), the believers will rejoice because of God’s help leading them to victory. He helps whom He wills to victory. He is the All-Glorious with irresistible might, the All-Compassionate (especially towards His believing servants). (Rum 30:1-4)

The Eastern Roman and Persian empires were the two superpowers during the early years of the Revelation. The Eastern Romans were People of the Book and the Persians were fire-worshippers. In 614, the Roman lands of Jerusalem and Palestine had been occupied by the Persians and they had even come down to Alexandria and advanced as far as the capital city of Constantinople, present-day Istanbul. Due to this victory, both the Persians and the Meccan polytheists were extremely pleased. Since the Persians’ victory had been so great no one thought it possible that the Byzantine Romans could turn defeat into victory in only nine years.

Now, the above verse predicted not only the victory of the Byzantine Romans over the Zoroastrian Persians in just a few years, but it also predicted that the Muslims would be victorious over the polytheists and would consequently be pleased. When the above verses were revealed, Abu Bakr told the polytheists who were pleased by the defeat of the Byzantine Romans:

“God’s Messenger has informed us that God will not enlighten your days. I swear by God that within a couple of years the Byzantine Romans will certainly be victorious over the Persians.”

Uayy ibn Khalaf bet Abu Bakr ten camels that the Byzantine Romans would not be victorious within three years. When the Prophet came to know of this, he said:

“The Qur’an has used the word Bidh, which applies to a number up to ten. Therefore, make the bet for ten years and increase the number of camels to a hundred.”

When Abu Bakr met Ubayy ibn Khalaf once more, he asked Abu Bakr:

“I presume you are unhappy with your bet.”

Upon this Abu Bakr bet a hundred camels for ten years. And Ubayy accepted the deal. Finally, the Byzantine Romans became victorious over the Persians, and this was the very year when Muslims had achieved a decisive victory against the Meccan polytheists at Badr. Later, Abu Bakr demanded and received those 100 camels from the heirs of Ubayy and took them before the Prophet who ordered,

“Give them a way in charity.”

The narration that the Prophet would be guarded against his enemies: Many people, primarily the Meccan polytheists, were ferocious enemies of the Prophet after he announced his Prophethood. All of them wanted to kill him. They soon began laying traps and making plots against him. However, none of these plots, traps or attacks yielded any result, as the Prophet was under the custody of the Supreme Creator and because God had guaranteed the Prophet’s safety. The polytheists could not harm the Prophet and could not touch him with their evil intentions. The following verse explains this fact:

O Messenger (you who convey and embody the Message in the best way)! Convey and make known in the clearest way all that has been sent down to you from your Lord. For, if you do not, you have not conveyed His Message and fulfilled the task of His Messengership. And God will certainly protect you from the people. God will surely not guide the disbelieving people (to attain their goal of harming or defeating you). (Maeda 5:67)

The narration that the Muslims would be victorious: The Qur’an declared that Muslims, even though they were very weak and few in number, particularly in the early periods, would eventually become stronger and finally become victorious over their enemies. Such Qur’anic declarations were made in a period during which the majority of the early Muslims were exposed to a number of forms of torture, while others were forced to migrate from Mecca or their property was confiscated by the polytheists. In fact, under normal circumstances to tell people who find themselves in such a position that they would soon be victorious would be nothing less than ridiculing them. But, God, with His all-encompassing Knowledge, informed the believers of the consequence and of this Qur’anic miracle that would occur in the future; events turned out exactly as written. The following verse predicts and declares the soon-to-be future state:

God has promised those of you who believe and do good, righteous deeds that He will most certainly empower them as vicegerents on the earth (in the place of those who are in power at present), even as He empowered those (of the same qualities) that preceded them, and that, assuredly, He will firmly establish for them their religion, which He has (chosen and) approved of for them, and He will replace their present state of fear with security (so that they can practice their religion freely and fully and in peace). They worship Me alone, associating none with Me as partners (in belief, worship, and the authority to order their life). Whoever turns ungrateful after that, such indeed are the transgressors. (Nur 24:55)

The narration that the Qur’an will never be challenged:

As far as the issue of having something similar to itself created, as seen above, the Qur’an laid out a challenge for all times and places, openly discussing this matter in its verses.

The Qur’an displays its miraculous authenticity in the following verse:

Say: “Surely, if humankind and jinn were to come together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they will never be able to produce the like of it, though they backed one another up with help and support. (Isra 17:88)

The narration that the Prophet and the Companions will peacefully enter Mecca: Both the Prophet and his Companions who migrated to Medina never were able to forget Mecca, the city where they had been raised. But, the dangerous circumstances made them despair of returning there one day. Moreover, they were not able to even imagine being able to safely return there or to be able to circumambulate the Ka’ba to their hearts’ content. Yet, the Qur’an informed them that even under such extremely unpromising circumstances that one day they would enter Mecca in great serenity and safety. The prediction became a reality with the Treaty of Hudaybiya, which in time proved to be a manifest victory. The Prophet’s vision came true when Muslims entered Mecca and completed their minor Pilgrimage in full security:

God has assuredly confirmed the vision for His Messenger as true (and will certainly fulfill it) in reality: you will certainly enter the Sacred Mosque, if God wills, in full security, with your heads shaven or your hair cut short, and you will have nothing to fear. But He always knows what you do not know, and (therefore, without allowing you to enter the Mosque this year,) granted you a near victory before this. (Fath 48:27)

The narration that the corpse of the Pharoah would be found: The Qur’an declares in the following statement that the body of the Pharaoh, who drowned pursuing Prophet Moses, would not be lost forever, but rather would be found later:

So this day (as a recompense for your belief in the state of despair which will be of no avail to you in the Hereafter), We will save only your body, that you may be a sign for those to come after you. Surely, a good many people among humankind are heedless of Our signs (full of clear warning and lessons). (Yunus 10:92)

This prediction is an explicit Qur’anic miracle, yet at the time of the Prophet, there was no knowledge about this matter. 

[ulfwolf]

Big Bang--Musing 204

The one thing   Science does not   want to face: The Cause of the   Biggest Bang

Yes, of course it’s all very well, and impressive, this Big Bang theory and all, and for many, especially for those in the scientific community, it holds a lot of water. And no, I’m not here to argue against the theory as such, for I’m certainly not qualified to, no, I’m here just to point out that this theory skirts (and not very gracefully) the even Bigger Question: what caused the Big Bang?

Another way to put it: What, exactly, Banged?

It remains one of those imponderables, for no one will (most likely because no one can) give us a straight answer. It seems up there, rubbing elbows with the answer to, “If God is goodness and love personified, how come there is so incredibly much suffering (both just and unjust) on this earth, among the people he made in his image and professes to love beyond human comprehension?”

The way this question is skirted, and not very elegantly either, is that His ways are capital-M Mysterious and it’s not our place to reason why. And even if we knew, you would not understand anyway.

Skirting indeed.

So, what about this Big Bang. Let’s see what Google has to say about it.

Scientists believe, says Google, that the universe began with every speck of its energy compressed into a very tiny point. At some point, this packed point, stationed at—or, more accurately, just before—the very beginning of Time—this extremely dense (think head-of-a-pin dense) point exploded with unimaginable force, creating matter as it propelled outward to form the billions of galaxies of our universe.

Astrophysicists calls this titanic explosion the Big Bang.

A quick note on the unimaginable force. From other accounts of the Baby Universe’s expansion rate at the infinitesimal moments just after ignition, it expanded far, far, far faster than the speed of light (see below). Doesn’t that violate Albert Einstein’s relativity theory? one is forgiven for asking. I’ve asked that myself more than once, before I realized that the universe was not, in fact, expanding within itself, i.e., the universe where Einstein’s theory applies but into the primordial Emptiness beyond, where Einstein would not apply.

And I notice a clever and probably unintended sleight-of-hand here: with every speck of its energy compressed into a very tiny point. A very, very tiny point. Again, think pinhead. But don’t swallow this sentence before you chew, for here’s the enormous assumption: All this compressed energy existed, in toto, before time. There’s no getting away from that assumption. It’s there, in plain daylight.

But let’s return to Google and our birth story:

Astrophysicists tell us that all matter found in the universe today—that we now find in people, plants, animals, the earth, stars, and galaxies—was created at that very first moment of time, thought to be about 13 billion years ago.

Note: at the very first moment of time—again underlining that all this pin-head sized, compressed energy already existed prior to time itself, which clock started with a Bang, as it were.

Google goes on to tell us: The Big Bang was unlike any explosion you might witness on earth today. Take a hydrogen bomb explosion, for instance, whose center registers approximately 100 million degrees Celsius, and moves through the air at about 300 meters per second. In contrast, cosmologists believe that the Big Bang flung energy in all directions at the speed of light (300,000,000 meters per second, a million times faster than the H-bomb—see note, below, though) and estimate that the temperature of the entire universe was 1000 trillion degrees Celsius at just a tiny fraction of a second after the explosion. Even the cores of the hottest stars in today's universe are much cooler than that.

Important Note, and do follow me on this: Wikipedia begs to differ with Google on expansion rate. Google’s initial answer (see above) was that the universe expanded at the speed of light. Wikipedia, on the other hand, states that, according to current theory, during the inflationary epoch (which lasted about 10-32 of a second after the Big Bang, which obviously is not very long) the universe suddenly and violently expanded increasing its volume by a factor of at least 1078 (translating to an expansion of size by a factor of at least 1026 in each of the three dimensions), equivalent to expanding an object one nanometer (about half the width of a molecule of DNA) in length to one approximately 10.6 light years (say 62 trillion miles) long. That is 10.6 light years in the tiniest micro-fraction of a second. I’d say that beats the speed of light by a comfortable margin.

By the way, in physical cosmology the inflationary epoch was the infinitesimal period in the evolution of the early universe when, according to inflation theory, the universe underwent its rapid exponential expansion.

After this initial 10-32-of-a-second rush, a much slower and gradual expansion of space continued until around 9.8 billion years later when it began gradually to pick up expansion speed again. This expansion is still accelerating.

Back to Google, who now has decided to agree with me: There's another important quality of the Big Bang that makes it unique. While an explosion of a man-made bomb expands through air, the Big Bang did not expand through anything. That's because there was no space to expand through at the beginning of time. Rather, physicists believe the Big Bang created and stretched space itself, expanding the universe.

I can safely rest that particular case, then.

Note: Still, there must have been some existing space, if only the space needed to house the energy pin-head, right? The space that the Big Bang expanded, no?

Still, this is why Einstein still holds true—there was no space, no universe for the universe to expand into, no gravities, nothing. Sheer emptiness, and I’m not sure there can be anything such as laws governing sheer emptiness.

Google continues: For a brief moment after the Big Bang, the immense heat created conditions unlike any conditions astrophysicists see in the universe today. While planets and stars today are composed of atoms of elements like hydrogen and silicon, scientists believe the universe back then was too hot for anything other than the most fundamental particles—such as quarks and photons—to exist.

Also, as the universe expanded, the energy of the Big Bang became more and more “diluted” in space, causing the universe to cool.

Rapid cooling allowed for matter as we now know it to form, although physicists are still trying to figure out exactly how this happened. About one ten-thousandth of a second after the Big Bang, they believe protons and neutrons formed, and within a few minutes these particles began sticking together to form atomic nuclei, mostly hydrogen and helium. Hundreds of thousands of years later, electrons stuck to the nuclei to make complete atoms.

About a billion years after the Big Bang, gravity now compelled these atoms to gather in huge clouds of gas, which eventually collected into stars which in turn gathered to form the collections we now call galaxies.

Where do planets like earth come from? Over billions of years, giant stars have baked hydrogen and helium atoms in their hot cores to form heavier elements like carbon and oxygen. These large stars eventually exploded, blasting these new elements into space.

This matter then re-condensed into both new stars and planets (with their satellites) that now make up solar systems like our own.

As for proof, Google goes on to say that over the past one hundred years, astrophysicists have uncovered a great deal of compelling evidence to support the Big Bang theory. Among this evidence is the observation that the universe is, in fact, still expanding. By looking at light emitted by distant galaxies, scientists have found that these galaxies are rapidly moving away from our own galaxy, the Milky Way. An explosion like the Big Bang, which sent matter flying outward from a point, explains this observation.

Another critical discovery was the observation of low-level microwaves permeating space. Astronomers believe that these, literally minute waves, whose temperature hovers around -270 degrees Celsius (which is only about three degrees Celsius above absolute zero) are the remnants of the Big Bang and the extremely high-temperature radiation (since cooled, obviously) it produced.

Interestingly, astronomers can estimate how hot the universe used to be by looking at very distant clouds of gas through high-power telescopes.

Since the light from these clouds can take billions of years to reach our telescopes, we see such bodies as they appeared eons ago. And, conforming to theory, these ancient clouds of gas seem to be hotter than younger clouds.

Scientists have also been able to support the Big Bang theory by ascertaining the relative amounts of different elements in the universe.

In fact, they've found that the universe contains about 74 percent hydrogen and 26 percent helium by mass, which are the two lightest elements. All other (heavier) elements—including those common on earth, such as carbon and oxygen—make up just a tiny trace (a small fraction of one percent) of all existing matter.

This data in hand, scientists have shown, by theoretical calculations, that these abundances could only have resulted in a universe that began in a very hot, dense state, and then quickly cooled and expanded, which is exactly the kind of universe that the Big Bang theory predicts.

All right, thanks Google. Still skirting, though.

My question is: Where did all this energy, so incredibly compressed that letting it loose created the universe, come from? For this entire theory rests on the assumption that it already existed—outside of, or just before time.

I’d like to think that if there’s matter, even in the form of dense energy, there is also time, for they come as a pair, time and matter, along with space—even if microscopically small in this case.

So small, perhaps, that we can simply overlook its existence and pretend nothings there? So small, anyway, as to be virtually nothing? Is that the sleight-of-verbal-hand lesson we’re supposed to take away from this?

It’s not nothing today, though, is it?

I obviously don’t have the answer, but I do have the question.

Apropos of which, I wrote one of my innumerable Wolfkus (Haikus by a Wolf) the other day, which said:

If nothing were ever hidden—Every question would have an answer.

Based on which (and I do hold this to be a very much true Wolfku), since my Big Bang question doesn’t have an answer, there must be something hidden, and very well at that, somewhere. Methinks.

And Mankind (along with the Wolf) ponders on.

::

P.S. If you like what you’ve read here and would like to contribute to the creative motion, as it were, you can do so via PayPal: here.

[kfleck-blog1]

Intimacy

Topic Resources: “Love in the Time of Tamagotchi” by Pettman “Love Messaging: Mobile Phone Txting Seen Through the Lens of Tanka Poetry” by Manghani Her by Jonze

Watching the film Her left me with the impression that humans are weird, and that we make weird movies.

But the film does a great job of positing on where does the line which divides humanity from technology, the organic from the inanimate, truly lie?

Her appears to make the claim that there is no true line, but rather a grey space wherein humanity and technology mingle. Theodore’s Operating System (OS), Samantha, and his relationship with her is an example of this.

The film uses colors to help illustrate the way Theodore relates to Samantha. Originally Theodore is simply existing in a grey space, but when Samantha is introduced red, and red-based, colors enter his world. From there the audience is treated to yellow colors when Theodore faces a type of challenge to his intimate relationship with Samantha. Blue colors are used when he retreats into old memories, the progress of his relationship with his ex, Catherine, is staged this way. When they are together in the beginning, there are reds, as she gets unhappy blues get mixed into her shots, then added to his, till again the setting is grey again. 

This ambiguous setting, and the ambiguity of humane technology, is reinforced by having Theodore carry on his most introspective conversations with Samantha at night in his room, where everything but her video is predominantly a neutral grey tone. While the primary colors featured denote the characters’ feelings concerning their relationships between each other, I found that Jonze used the color white in the most interesting way. I noticed that the color white appeared when there was an end, or the approaching culmination of a relationship. For most Americans white, typically denotes new opportunities, a “blank page”, a color to begin with. However, other cultures do use white to mark the end, usually to mourn a death. I feel like Jonze could be using the color in both ways, and if that perspective is taken, it could be considered that it means this comingling of human and tech, will either lead to the end of things like “true love” or make available new revelations regarding “love”.

Pettman, would seem to agree with Her. In that, humanity and technology are not necessarily separate entities. More so, that technology is an extension of humanity and its humane processes. Considering his outlook, I think he would argue that an intimate relationship like that which existed between Theodore and Samantha, could possibly be a “true love” relationship. Pettman asserted that one of the concepts he explores is the “objectal quality of the beloved” (p.205), and I think Theodore and Samantha make an interesting case for it. But I also think that Pettman would have been a little miffed at the film for having the OSs evolve beyond the reach of the humane. His argument for the coding of love would fit with Theodore and Samantha if their algorithms for love remained the same. But if generalized his argument for love coding holds, as even in face to face relationships people do not always continue using the same “algorithms” with precisely the same person. People change and evolve just as Samantha does, and this results in breakups, DTR (define the relationship) moments, and “drama”.

Both Pettman and Her work to reason out the assertion, from general society, that to “truly love” someone, there must physically be someone to love. This may be why the avatars which Pettman speaks of in his article, are given a human, or an anthropomorphized, shape. The lack of such a trait for Samantha is part of what makes Her an interesting voice when looking at the changing dynamics between humans and technology. One aspect from the movie and Pettman, is again his reflection on objectal love. He uses a quote from Morton’s Blade Runner to help illustrate this; 

“Deckard order the femme fatale to say that she loves him and to ask him to kiss her…perhaps it respects the fact that she is a doll, that to go on and on about how much he loves her would not covcince her, but to stage the love as a perverse script would speak the truth. It would acknowledge the objectal quality of the beloved, and thus to love her for herself rather than as a copy of a human” (pp. 204-205).

However, while it is arguable that Samantha is an object, being an OS, she still does not have a physical body. While, Pettman touches on the ability of people to love in different manners throughout the ages, with “I love you” triggering programed responses reflective of different eras. Sometimes it triggers a financial reward, marriage, sacrifice, or ‘pining’ (pp.191-192).  

Manghani ties into this pining concept, by reminding readers that love can have a certain melancholy to it which may contribute to making it more profound. Genji Monogatari is used to help illustrate (p. 215). While Genji does well in showcasing Japanese courtly love, it can be tied to Her. Just as the grey tones were a key feature in setting and relational aspects for the film, it also draws upon the melancholic tendencies of humanity. 

Samantha’s existence and her relationship with Theodore existed in being a form of communication which can permeate the veil between an embodied existence and a non-the embodied one. The Japanese mono no aware, “the aware of (or in) things”, helps capture her ability to express the role of existence in Theodore’s life. While predominantly verbal in nature, she was able to express meaning not only through words but also in silence and as ‘things’ (i.e. music and drawings). It is interesting that Manghani mentions Luhmann;

“Love is able to enhance communication by largely doing without any communication. It makes use primarily of indirect communication, relies on anticipation and on having already understood. And love can thus be damaged by explicit communication, by discreet questions and answers, because such openness would indicate that something had not been understood as a matter of course” (p. 222).

For Samantha and Theodore were in a good place, until his awareness was shifted from himself and his view of their relationship to her. Although Theodore’s reactive response is expected (due to the common processes of love), he takes time to reflect on their relationship. He appears to realize that their interactivity, which formed the shared experience of their relationship, was a transient experience. Here the grey space is again entered. 

Honestly, this post does not do well in reaching any sort of solid conclusion regarding the existence of loving intimacy between tech and human. But I hope it does well with expressing the dual, transient, evolving, nature of love. While “true love” appears to be a recognizably universal feature of humans, at times it is considered questionable even in face to face relationships. This may be because its nature is not shown until it is embodied in expression, and for many people those expressions differ. Their algorithms lead to dissimilar outcomes, and the expected processes of love do not yield their desires. 

The blurred lines of love, with its scripts, programs, and yet organic nature, in Her is a great illustration. Love, as an intimate relationship, between a disembodied technological figure (Samantha) and that of embodied humanness (Theodore). Theodore and Samantha were able to create a meaningful union in a “completely different temporal and spatial world”, one of “the mono no aware of loves and longings” (p. 229). Their “minimalist love” falls in line with Barthes thoughts on love not being divided against success and failure, but simultaneously being both (p. 228). 

So, my conclusion remains that Her is weird, people are weird, and this is good. It keeps life interesting.

[stoutwhisperer]

The signs were there….last November, I went to Asheville with my two sons for a weekend Stoutcation.  We made the rounds to many of the local breweries and had a fantastic time.  Check out my blogpost for a review of that weekend.  In fact, I’m hopeful that Stoutcation II can happen later this year!  One of the breweries we visited was Wicked Weed.  Actually we visited both WW locations – fortunately, they are within walking distance of each other :-)  I enjoyed a snifter of Dark Age and also ordered a small taster of Espresso Dark Arts that they had on tap (at left).  The sample of Dark Arts was really super sweet and frankly, so cloyingly sweet, I couldn’t taste anything beyond the sweetness.  I think my tastebuds went into diabetic shock!  Since I knew Dark Arts was a such a sought after Stout with great reviews, I just chalked up my initial experience to a weekend of tasting different beers.   I bought a bottle of Dark Arts (and the proper glassware) to bring back home to give it a fair shot.  Dark Arts is a strong 15% ABV Rum barrel aged Stout fermented with Brettanomyces.  It’s bottled in a 500ml bottle and has a beautiful golden wax dip to show off it’s rarity.  I wanted to give it a few months to age a bit and then I would be able to sit back and enjoy this highly acclaimed Stout.

Well, this past weekend was that time.  April has been designated as North Carolina Beer Month and as such, I decided to celebrate the local Stouts of North Carolina during the month.  Saturday was Dark Arts day, so I followed my process of taking my Stout out of the Stout fridge about an hour before tasting to allow it to warm a bit.  I cut back the wax, cracked it open, poured it in the Dark Arts snifter, and took a taste…..and the super sweet taste that I endured in Asheville came back to visit.  I couldn’t blame this overly sweet taste on anything, as it was my first Stout of the day.  I just wasn’t enjoying it.

I tried to analyze it and figure out why I wasn’t enjoying Dark Arts.  I’ve never really had a Stout that I just couldn’t drink.  I’ve had thin Stouts, over carbonated Stouts, and Stouts that just don’t live up to their billing – but they’ve always been drinkable.  I’ve had infected beers that were drain pours – but there was a reason for the drain pour.  In this case, there wasn’t anything wrong with Dark Arts – it’s just not my glass of Stout!

In my research on Dark Arts, I’ve read that this is a wonderful dessert Stout that is meant to be sipped – and that makes perfect sense.  Dark Arts is like a port wine, a cognac or a small (4-6 oz.) glass of bourbon meant to be sipped and savored after a wonderful meal.  Perhaps that’s where I went astray.  My normal Stout tasting occurs in the mid-afternoon, prior to a meal.  Opening Dark Arts at that point was probably a tactical error on my part.

That being said, enjoying Dark Arts in small quantities might just be the way to go.  But how to keep it fresh over a weekend?  Open bottles of Stout when stoppered or recapped just don’t taste the same the next day.  Lost carbonation, oxidation, whatever it is, it just doesn’t taste the same.  Based on that, my modus operandi is to consume the entire Stout over the course of a couple hours.  That was my mindset with Dark Arts.  When I had those first few sips, I knew there was no way I was going to be able to finish a 500ml bottle in a couple of hours…..and I’ve always said that if I didn’t like a Stout, I wouldn’t force it down.

I finally came to grips with the notion that I’m not going to like every Stout that I taste.  There will be some that I love, some that are OK, some that I’m glad I tried, and some that I won’t like…..and that’s OK, even if others find the same Stout irresistible.   Granted, there have been only a couple of Stouts over the past couple of years that just don’t agree with my palate, but this really is the first where I feel like I’m swimming upstream and my dislike is at odds with the majority.

Now that I’ve been able to think it through and write about it, I’m much more at peace with my tastebuds.  Some may not like the vanilla, coconut, coffee, and pepper variants that I tend to gravitate to and that’s just fine.   I also really appreciate a straight down the middle Imperial Stout.  In fact, a good, solid Imperial Stout is sometimes more difficult to brew as there are no other flavors to hide any imperfections.  But everyone has different like and dislikes.  To each is own.   At last count, there are 204 breweries in NC and thousands more across the country.  There are different styles of beer, different variants, different types of barrel aging, and even different types of glassware to have your favorite beverage served in.  We’re all different with differing tastes….and that’s what makes this journey so unpredictable and enjoyable!

Lastly, to the good people at Wicked Weed:  I appreciate your entire Stout program and I especially enjoy Dark Age – but Dark Arts just isn’t for me.  I’m looking forward to my next visit to Asheville and won’t hesitate to stop by for a Stout!

Have you ever had a Stout (or a beer) that just didn’t agree with your palate?  Leave a comment and share your story!

My Brush with the Dark Arts The signs were there....last November, I went to Asheville with my two sons for a weekend Stoutcation.  

[melisusthewee]

The About Me Game?

@cleverblackcat tagged me and I feel obliged to respond simply to drag you all down the hellscape of fandom history.  I apologize but also don’t.  You have been warned though.

1: Why did you choose your url?

It’s my internet handle and I’ve been using it since at least around 2002.  Teenage me apparently caught on that if you’re going to ever go anywhere in fandom, you should build a brand.  (Then laziness took hold and it went nowhere.)  It honestly started out as a joke of a name where me and several others were “romanizing” our names many eons ago in the days of the SBMB (an acronym I humbly request not to clarify).  And by “romanize” I mean literally adding “-us” and other suffixes to the ends of our names.

...Look, we were teenagers.  Nothing we did make sense, but we found it entertaining anyway.  For some reason, mine stuck despite the fad being incredibly short-lived and moving on.  That got combined with another nickname of “the Wee Took/Wee One” (on account of me being rather small, an old nickname from my great grandmother, and the fact that I lived and breathed LotR.  THE 2000′S WERE A WEIRD TIME, OKAY???).  And the username followed me through fandoms across Livejournal and beyond to this very day.  At this point, I don’t think I could ever be anything else.

2: Any side blogs? if you have them, name them and why you have them.

I don’t own them, but I have access to a couple of sideblogs that were rather short-lived and defunct, and are therefore not really worth discussing.  They weren’t mine, but I was involved in the two projects while they were happening.

3: How long have you been on tumblr?

I’ve been here since 2010.  I’m not sure how to feel about that.

4: Do you have a queue tag?

No, but honestly most of my feed is just queued up posts these days.  Aside from any actual content I produce (such as posting fic, art, or any post I compose myself), everything else is queued.  I think I used to have a queue tag (something like “queue-la-la”?) but as I started to post less and queue more, I just stopped using it.

5: Why did you start your blog in the first place?

I came over in The Great Migration when fandom finally gave up on Livejournal and scattered to the wind.  I had already made the move to Dreamwidth, but it just didn’t feel the same and it was a struggle to try and find people all over again as well as re-cultivate the different fandom communities.  Sadly, fandom fractured too much after LJ and nowhere really became the go-to hub.  I did see more and more people talking about moving to Tumblr or at least discussing opening accounts in order to secure their usernames.  So I made the move over in 2010 because this was where most of my long lost fandom friends had drifted.

6: Why did you choose your icon/pfp?

I’ve gone through several different icons over the years.  Seeing as how my blog is currently primarily Dragon Age-focused, I turned a portrait commission of my Warden that Kurosmind did a couple years ago.  It’s still one of my favourites and until recently she was my primary protagonist OC.  And even if she isn’t anymore, she’s still my favourite.  (Sorry, Quinn.)

7: Why did you choose your header?

I had to actually check my header since my desktop layout doesn’t have one.  I’m assuming this means the mobile header?  Again... until recently, Briana Cousland was my primary protagonist OC.  The header is another commissioned work, this one by River-Bird.  It’s cute and it’s sweet, and it’s unique.

8: What’s your post with the most notes?

*sigh*

...Clocking in with 3,757 notes it’s...

(I am so so sorry)

It’s the freaking Dandelions at the Olympics post.  (Yes, towelsandtea is me... but I don’t use that name anymore.)

9: How many mutuals do you have?

Um... no idea.  Is there a way I’m supposed to check this?

10: How many followers do you have?

It hovers just over 500.  I’m sure most are defunct blogs from people that have moved on.

11: How many people do you follow?

204

12: Have you ever made a shitpost?

My entire experience in the NHL fandom was just an endless series of shitposts.  And you know what?  It was beautiful.

13: How often do you use tumblr each day?

I tend to end up on here out of habit when going through my website/mobile app rotation.  But then I also will sometimes go days without looking at it.  So I suppose it varies.

14: Did you ever have a fight/argument with another blog once? who won?

I would throw down regularly with Bruins fans.  I think looking back on my experiences in fandom, as I got older I tended to take on the roll of bouncer - tried to be welcoming and encouraging to people who just wanted to be enthusiastic about the things they loved with other people who were equally enthusiastic; but the moment someone started shit, I was all over it.

These days I tend to just block blogs.  I’m pretty sure I’ve blocked at least 50% of the Dragon Age fandom on this site.

15: How do you feel about “you need to reblog this” posts?

My eyes glaze over and I immediately scroll past.

16: Do you like tag games?

I don’t know what a tag game is.  Is it like... this thing?  If so then sure, yes.

17: Do you like ask games?

YES!  However, I don’t think I’ve worked my way back into the fandom experience on here to be friends with enough people to participate back and forth with ask games.  I’d like to though.  Hi, fandom, come be my friend.

18.Do you have a crush on a mutual?

I’m not sure, but the person reading this from over your shoulder is pretty cute. ;)

[ohhimatt]

Reasons Why #201-250

201. You tried to teach Dan about how prostitute is a slur, and seeing you care about something I care about was actually so amazing. I honestly almost cried a little bit, but I couldn’t because drugs. If I had been sober or just drunk though, I would have cried

202. Alex always says that you change personalities completely and smile more when I’m around, and if that’s not the most adorable thing, then I don’t know what is

203. Okay yeah I’m mega overwhelmed right now about everything surrounding Coachella, but the only thing keeping me from having a full on panic attack over this is the fact that I know that no matter what happens I’m going to have a good time because I’m going to be there with you

204. You offer to put my things in your pockets at concerts and festivals, which is beyond helpful, especially since I apparently don’t know how the pockets in a camelbak work

205. You always keep snacks around your house for me or let me grab snacks at the grocery store that I can actually eat (and also Cheese Nips), which is fab because I can’t eat normal people things

206. I feel like most of the time when I’m filling out the gratitude section in my planner I end up writing in something about you

207. You drove us home from Coachella when I made the dumb decision to only sleep for an hour the night before, and then you didn’t get mad at me for sleeping for half of the time

208. You always offered to walk me back to my campsite, which I definitely wasn’t going to allow you to do because it was so far, but it was a really sweet gesture

209. I really did kinda try to start a minor fight over the group message thing, and you just apologized. You just didn’t even let me start the fight. Wow. But also wow thanks

210. You added me to the group message after I complained about it, which didn’t matter at all because nobody said anything in it after that, but it was nice

211. You reminded me to bring my Coachella ticket. Oh my god I was really going to leave without my ticket. What is wrong with me?

212. For the most part, we wanted to see the same people play at Coachella, and I really don’t mind compromising on things like this, but the fact that I didn’t have to was also amazing

213. You stuck around with Lauren and me when she was dealing with her coke sadness and having her credit card information stolen and her identity compromised, and you really could have just gone off and done your own thing, but you stayed, and that was really nice

214. You weren’t having a great time on acid, but you still dealt with me saying things like “I kinda want to die” and “I just feel really sorry for everyone who isn’t me right now.”

215. When I really wanted to go home, the home that I was thinking of was your home, and I’m going to be lame really quick and quote one of my favorite songs from like middle school(?) anyway.. It says “If home is where the heart is, then my home is where you are.” I used to sing along to that all the time, and I would hope that someday I would feel that way about someone, and I finally do. I finally understand the feeling behind that song lyric, and I’ve been dreaming of that feeling since middle school

216. I never have to worry about being honest with you about things. If I want to leave or if I feel weird or uncomfortable, I can just tell you

217. You don’t get weird when I let guys hit on me so that I can get free stuff

218. You don’t get weird about guys hitting on me in general. This has always been a problem I’ve had in past relationships, and considering it’s something that’s out of my control, it’s really nice that I don’t have to worry about getting in trouble over it

219. You make me feel better when I’m literally crying because I’m afraid of one of my teachers

220. I now associate Philz coffee with seeing you because I only really go when I’m in Berkeley, so now no matter where or when I get Philz it just tastes better because it makes me think of you. I know that probably sounds lame, but idc

221. I’ve stolen some of my favorite songs from your playlists, which means that on top of the fact that these songs are great, they make me think of you when I hear them, and that makes them even better

222. I’m not sure if this really counts, but it should count. I feel like the universe had some sort of master plan by putting our six month anniversary on Cal Day because that’s cute af and also v coincidental

223. You were really able to pump me up enough to take shots while power walking through the desert to the entrance to Coachella. That sounds like the worst thing ever. Plastic vodka mixed with heat mixed with exercise, but it was cool because it was with you

224. You will literally just toss compliments around in our conversations for no reason. For. No. Reason. It’s sweet though

225. The only thing I ever really have to be annoyed with you about is how often you compliment me. There really isn’t anything bad about you. Wow

226. I always feel like whenever you take acid you’re going to have some sort of realization that you don’t like me anymore, but you don’t. And I don’t know whether or not it’s on purpose, but you always seem to be much more reassuring about your feelings towards me the next day, and that’s really nice

227. You keep offering to help me pay for things, including formal, and that’s super super not necessary, but it is nice knowing that you’re willing to help

228. You don’t get weird about me hanging out with your friends without you, and it’s super weird to me that that is even possible. I spend so much time at your house, so obviously I’m gong to develop friendships with other people who live there or hang out there all the time, and you’re okay with this, and you don’t think I’m trying to steal your friends

229. We can do our own things, and that’s okay. I didn’t feel like you were going to get mad at me for doing something else while you were still at Chi Psi playing beer die, which is great because I suck at beer die

230. You have given me the gift of littles. My littles are my pride and joy, and I wouldn’t have Sachin or Ken without you. Wow

231. You ate my egg off of my avocado toast for me. This is a good relationship. I can eat the pickles off of your sandwiches at Chick-fil-a, and you can eat the eggs off of my toast. I couldn’t think of a better trade

232. You don’t make fun of me or get weirded out when I cry about little things that I shouldn’t cry about like a joke about us breaking up. I still don’t know why that really made me cry. I’m weak

233. You helped me get my EDC ticket for cheaper than I was planning on getting it for by asking Max to sell his to me. You’re a gem because I’m broke right now

234. You got me started on these stupid facebook games, and I don’t know if this is good or bad because I’m wasting my day, but also it’s kinda entertaining

235. You listen to the songs that I send you. It would be super easy for you to just pretend that you like them and lie to me, but you don’t do that, and it probably helps that we like the same music, but it’s still nice

236. This is going to sound corny af, but I used to listen to love songs and think that the people writing or singing them or whatever were just singing about this made up fantasy love that couldn’t be real at all, and I just thought they were sad and dumb and whatever, but now I like them. So thanks for making these songs make sense. I feel like there’s a whole new world of music I can participate in now

237. You’re fucking adorable at concerts/shows/festivals. Adorable. More than normal, which I didn’t think as possible

238. Okay maybe I’m overstepping some boundary here (but we never set a boundary for this, so I feel like I’m totally allowed to be doing this) but some of my favorite people in my life are in it because of you. I really do love your friends, and obviously I can’t imagine a version of my life without you in it, but I also can’t imagine a version of my life without them in it. So I know I’ve made a few points on this list about your friends already, but they (and you) are just all really cool people, and I’m glad they (and you) are in my life

239. You’re the same way as I am about sharing things, and I just really appreciate the people in my life who share things because I just feel like it’s a good character trait

240. I’m not sure if this belongs on the list or not, but I’m putting it here and also probably making a separate post about it. I lowkey understand where Irlanda is coming from as a crazy ex now because like.. I’m not saying I would attack any future girlfriend you might have (okay but I also hope you never have any future girlfriends besides me sorry) on social media, but I totally get why she’s so upset. I would def be super sad if I ever lost you. It makes sense

241. When I was talking to Stephen in his room on Cal Day I was genuinely able to say that you were the best thing that could have happened to me in the past year, and I’m so happy that you came into my life via Stephen

242. When I wake up craving fries, we get fries. Amazing. Wow. Little things

243. I absolutely love the video of you that I keep adding to. Like I smile just thinking about it, so it’s obviously very important to me that I keep adding to it, but I forget to take videos of all of the stuff we do or I’ll only take one or two because I’m having so much fun with you that I forget about the fact that I want to keep adding to my video, but like I’m not complaining. This is def a good thing

244. We keep doing things that are fun enough to be worth adding to the video. Obviously I’m going to have fun no matter what we’re doing because I’m spending time with you, but I really do feel like every week there’s a new adventure or a new thing to do

245. You don’t hate on my weird gluten free snacks, and you actually eat them with me. This is rad. I feel like less of a problem when you can also enjoy my food

246. Adding on to the last one, I feel like you’re always trying to make sure that there will be something that I can eat whenever we go out somewhere, which normally I don’t care about because I’m going out to eat something that tastes good not something that makes me feel good, but it’s still a really nice gesture, and I appreciate it

247. You’ve started to text me good morning fairly often, which is really sweet. It’s also nice because most of the time I want to text you when I wake up, but that’s usually at least a couple hours before I expect you to be up, so I try not to unless I have something that I feel like I really need to say to you right then

248. You always apologize to me during coke talks because I tend to listen much more than I talk, and this is super not necessary because even though I don’t always look like it, I’m definitely having a good time just listening to what everybody is saying. But it’s still sweet that you notice that I’m not participating and try to make sure I’m still solid

249. I never feel like I’ve run out of things to talk about with you, and we’re always talking. I just feel like I could have a conversation about literally anything, and it would be fine because I’m talking to you

250. I know I made a post about this already on one of my other tumblrs, but I don’t know how often you check any of my tumblrs, and it really is worth its own number on the list anyway, but it’s really soft, so I’m gonna need you to not make fun of me for this one or be like omg Michaela what’s wrong with you because I don’t know honestly, okay? But anyway.. I really felt like loving anyone after Tony was impossible or at least ultimately going to ruin my idea of love even more because comparing any potential new love to what I believed was an ideal love (only because there was no time for it to ruined by one of us) just wouldn’t be fair. But this just feels different, and maybe it’s because I grew up thinking that all love was abusive, and you’re just supposed to choose the one that hurts the least, but idk. I just don’t even feel like I can compare how I feel now to how I’ve ever felt with someone before, and like yeah I know it’s only been six months, but it’s been a long six months for me, and okay this honestly was a lot to put all into just one number on the list, and I feel like it may or may not make sense, and there’s definitely some rambling going on here, and there are a lot of feelings here, and you don’t have to feel the same way or anything, but yeah okay that’s all for 250.

On that note, I’m going to start a new post when I continue the list so that I don’t have to be reminded of #250 and all of my feelings the next time I want to add to the list okay ty goodbye

[thrashermaxey]

Unwrapping Six Underrated Performers

  Happy Holidays to all my North American counterparts! As I prepare to gorge myself on Christmas ham and knock back way too many Molson products let’s look at some fantasy assets that aren’t receiving the love they deserve for their contributions to both their actual real life squads and the fantasy teams where they’re rostered. Some of these names are more familiar and some have just come up on the radar in 2017-18 showing what they may be able to provide you the fantasy manager in years to come. If you have followed these writings throughout time you may know that I make it my job to give love to guys who really need more of it a la James van Riemsdyk.

  Yanni Gourde

  Honestly, I knew not a thing about Gourde prior to this season but boy do I love an undrafted success story anytime they arise. What is it with high scoring players in the QMJHL sometimes not being taken seriously? Anyone remember the 2006 draft when Bobby Clarke forgot Claude Giroux’s name at the podium? Here’s that for your viewing pleasure…

  {youtube}kcmdnFvM4w8{/youtube}

  Getting back to Gourde, in his final two seasons with the Victoriaville Tigres he scored 192 points in 136 games played. 124 of those points alone came in 2011-12 in 68 games played! Though his scoring translation took a few seasons after the completion of his junior career, eventually while part of the Tampa Bay Lightning affiliated Syracuse Crunch he turned it on starting in 2014-15. With 149 points in 197 games played from 2014-17 in the AHL, Gourde seemingly had what it takes to be a difference maker in the NHL. Nine points in his first 22 games in the NHL across two seasons suggested his abilities but 2017-18 has been his coming out party with him currently on pace for a 25-goal, 58-point season. With four goals and three assists in his past seven games played Gourde’s scoring capabilities are seemingly once again translating at the highest level.

  Now 26 years of age Gourde is well in his prime and can be viewed somewhat differently than your typical newbie to the league because of his age. More physically and mentally developed alongside playing on a stacked Lightning squad, Gourde is starting to look a lot like a Brayden Point story. Not receiving top line minutes nor primary power play time it is easy to forget about Gourde with the arsenal of weapons on this team. Because of said arsenal it is entirely reasonable to expect him to maintain his scoring pace as he will never see top defensive pairs that are matching up with the top two lines every time. Boasting a 0.69 point-per-game pace in the second quarter through 13 games if you’re in need of some forward assistance give this guy a go.

  Micheal Ferland

  Ferland is going to contend for the hockey “Cy Young” award with a paltry showing in the assist department but he is on pace for 31 goals and is not receiving the exposure he should cast in the shadow of his more pedigree linemates Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. A relative nobody before the current campaign he is already two goals away from his total 15 scored in 76 games played last season. Outside of goals Ferland also holds value in leagues counting hits with 60 total so far putting him on pace for 143 by season’s end. His five power-play points are all goals, but again if you are in a league that differentiates between power play goals and assists he is on pace for 12.

  Ferland has been lined up with Monahan and Gaudreau 90.5% of the time this season by Glen Gulutzan. You really cannot have a more assured deployment in hockey, only Mike Babcock rivals that type of linemate consistency. There is no denying Ferland’s fantasy relevance would cascade off a cliff if removed from the top line but that percentage tells us it’s a rare occurrence. Seeing time on the second power play coupled with his even strength deployment makes Ferland an option that should be taken more seriously.

  Mathieu Perreault

  Had Perreault never gone down to injury early on in the season the outlook for the Winnipeg Jets might’ve been very different. Kyle Connor’s arrival/emergence directly correlates to Perreault’s injury with him being called up to fill the void. As most of us know Connor seized the opportunity afforded to him with top line and top power play duty. Kudos to him on cementing his place alongside Mark Schiefele and Blake Wheeler at even strength but what’s unfortunate is how everyone has seemingly forgotten about Perreault’s production both before and after his injury.

  In 19 games since his return from injury Perreault has racked up eight goals and eight assists. Not once in this stretch has he so much as even sniffed top six deployment. Like many teams, beyond the top two lines there is a significant drop-off in offensive ability when it comes to the bottom six. Perreault is playing with the likes of Matt Hendricks and Joel Armia these days, two players nobody will ever confuse for offensive dynamos. Yet despite this undesirable deployment Perreault is one of the best if not the best pts/60 player in the league (4.0). In a nutshell he is by a landslide the best fourth line player in the game today. For any league where time on ice is not counted he is an absolute must own while he is producing in the manner he is. Even if time on ice has to be accounted for, at this point he is worth the hit in this category as he provides consistent offense and his current pace of 57 points in 69 games played barring injury is nothing to laugh about; that is serious production. Any and all who drafted him kind of sort of despise Kye Connor (yours truly) but at least Perreault is still finding a way to be relevant and then some.

  Danton Heinen

  Another young player a la Gourde who I did not know much anything about prior to this season, Heinen is giving Bruins fans some serious excitement for the future alongside their other young guns. At the tender age of 22 Heinen has been a jack of all trades for head coach Bruce Cassidy. Regardless of the line he has been rolled out on he has been able to maintain consistent production and currently is on pace for a 22-goal, 61-point campaign. Quite the stat line for someone who quintessentially only finds himself in the NHL currently because of the injury torrent for the Bruins early on. Nonetheless Heinen has made the most of his opportunity since his call up in mid-October and it’s time people start taking more notice.

  Though his overall shooting percentage is high at 16%, even with some goal scoring regression he would still be on pace for impressive numbers by season’s end. Boasting an impressive 55.25 CF%            Heinen and Co. are really driving play when deployed on the ice. As stated earlier I am no expert on this kid but the numbers do not lie. Top six or bottom six this kid is producing solid offensive numbers so far throughout 28 games played and has every right to be rostered full-time. Once upon a time names like Daniel Paille were the face of the Bruins bottom-six but these days it looks like that is Heinen’s throne now.

  Jake Muzzin

  I feel everyone forgot about poor Jake Muzzin after a forgettable 2016-17 campaign. Two straight 40-point seasons in 2014-15/2015-16 were completely left in the rearview mirror after last year’s 28-point showing for Muzzin. But the past is the past and Muzzin the multi-cat beast is back in force. After four straight seasons with a PDO below 1000, 2017-18 sees him rocking a robust 1026 currently. Adversely his cf% is the lowest it’s been in several seasons but still remains above 50%. No stopping the production though as he has amassed 20 points in 35 games so far with 88 hits and 74 blocks. Pro-rate this over a full 82-game schedule and Muzzin is on pace for a seven goal, 46-point, 204-hit, 171-block season.

  Riding shotgun with Drew Doughty a majority of the time at even strength and always together on the primary power play unit Muzzin is providing incredible value. Not one aspect of his stat line across all categories would negatively impact your squad and the best thing about him is that nobody talks about him. Forever in Doughty’s shadow he will never ever receive the love he should which makes him a desirable draft target year in and year out. Kudos to John Stevens for revitalizing this team’s offense all the while not abandoning their ability to prevent goals. It would certainly seem a regime change has reinvigorated this roster from the top down and Muzzin is prospering immensely.

  Colin Miller

  The Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers could only dream of the talent afforded to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in their expansion draft. Though nobody in their right mind could’ve ever anticipated the torrid start for them in their inaugural season there’s no doubt the pedigree of talent on this squad is far beyond the likes of expansion teams of the nineties. One of many players contributing to their success is Colin Miller on the back end. Miller possesses a booming slapshot, but his setup skills have been his primary source of points. On pace for a 12-goal, 47-point showing in 2017-18 this guy is providing barn burner value for someone who was not even drafted in a vast majority of 8 to 12-team leagues.

  Though he does not receive top pair minutes on the blue line Miller is turning into a multi-cat asset as to go with his impressive points pace he is also on track for 65 PIM, 181 shots, 137 hits and 17 PPP. Miller starts 60% of his shifts in the offensive zone and his overall shooting percentage is of no cause for regression concerns sitting at 6.8% currently. Not to say the Golden Knights are ready to contend for a Stanley Cup but at this point in the season we have to at least somewhat buy into the notion that this team has the ability to give any team a run for its money any given night. With 19 points in 33 games played Miller’s playing his part in the success and should provide a steady source of points barring injury the rest of the way.

from All About Sports http://www.dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/frozen-pool-forensics/unwrapping-six-underrated-performers/

[lindoig]

Days 51 to 55 - Borroloola Eastward

Friday was mainly spent in and around the caravan, working on our blogs and photos, a bit of cooking, paying bills, reading (yes, in the daytime) – and I wrote a bit more of my diatribe about Australia’s non-democracy.  It still needs some editing and I’m not sure what to do with it even when finished, but at least I feel a little ‘purged’ for having written down some of the things that have exercised my frustration over many years.  I have a list of topics that I would like to write about at some time, but it takes discipline and I am feeling that my current level of personal freedom doesn’t lend itself so easily to that much discipline.

In the evening, we went to the Malandarri aboriginal festival at the Borroloola Showgrounds. It was a real family event and whities were very welcome too. We watched quite a few groups of aboriginal women and girls (no males at all) doing some traditional dances – and there were also performances by an Indian and an Islander woman that were very different from the aboriginal dances. There were several food stalls there – a couple of BBQ places and cakes and drinks – as well as some art and craft stalls.  There were probably 50 or 60 whites there and maybe 4 or 5 times that many aboriginals and it was all a lot of fun.  The kids (scads of them) were running around and having a ball, all very excited and enjoying the dances with the rest of us – especially the more athletic and colourfully-costumed Indian and Islander ones.  I think the Islander woman may have been one of their teachers and they all adored her and everyone danced together at the end of the night.  It was only 8.30 when it finished, but until we got there, we didn’t realise that the main event was actually scheduled for Saturday afternoon and evening so we decided to stay on for another day so we could enjoy the additional celebration.  The food was pretty normal western stuff, but there was supposed to be a variety of bush tucker and traditional fare available on Saturday and we wanted to sample that too.

The gates opened for the festival at 2pm on Saturday so we went down there a bit after 3pm only to find nothing happening.  We ended up sitting in the car reading for a couple of hours before people started arriving so we went in and still stood around for over an hour before anything looked like getting under way.  I got our chairs out of the car and we set ourselves up in a good possy so we could see everything.  People then set up in front of us, so we moved in front of them and so it went.  In the end, there seemed always to be kids and/or people with cameras in front of us so if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.  We sat for a few minutes, then jumped up to take some photos, retreated to our chairs and did it all again.

There were traditional aboriginal dances from each of the four clans/language groups as well as the extremely energetic Indian and Islander dancers from the night before.  They each performed two or three times during the evening as well as dancing with a large group of kids that they had apparently been workshopping with in the previous few days.  There was also a Fijian group that did a very impressive traditional war dance and this time, some of aboriginal groups included some men whose dancing were more active and vigorous, but it was the aboriginal women dancing that really puzzled me. There were quite a lot of dancers in eachgroup, but they seemed to my uneducated eye to be almost identical and with no apparent objective.  Each group consisted of a line of women, it looked like the oldest first down to quite young girls, some needing some help from an older sister or mother.  When the music/singer started, they seemed to do little more than shuffle along in single file for perhaps 30 seconds, then stop and have a chat or a giggle - and after a while the music would begin again and after further discussion (almost seemed like an argument at times), off they would go again - and this process was repeated 4 or 5 times for each 'dance'.  For most of them, all the dancers held a white ribbon or scarf at 45 degrees to the vertical (and 45 degrees to the horizontal, both at the same time!!)  To me, all the music/chanting also sounded the same, but I am sure it meant something special in the local languages.  There was no explanation for those of us who were uninitiated (both figuratively and literally) and although their families seemed hugely impressed by each dance, I was left wondering what in the world it was all about.

Things moved along reasonably quickly with lots of group, each performing up to about 6 or 7 dances interspersed with the Indian, Islander and Fijian group doing their Bollywood, Hula Hula and War Dance to liven things up. All in all, it was an experience that I would not have missed, even if I came away more mystified than ever about what dance is all about.  Most people love to dance and some form of dance seems to be part of every culture.  Alas, I just don’t understand why.

I am not a dancer.  In primary school, we were compelled to learn some dancing of which I now have virtually no recollection beyond that of horror.  It was embarrassing, we had to touch the hands of girls (probably worse, boys too, but I can't remember), and I hated every dreadful second with a passion. Once I got a LOT older, I didn't mind touching girls' hands but I still can't jive, do the waltz, the tango, the twist or any of the other dances people seem to enjoy.  My mind can hold the tune (if there is one) and sometimes the beat, but my body is simply not capable of complying with the requirements of whatever the music suggests to other people. After a few whiskeys, if the hour is late and music is slow enough, I can almost manage the Clutch and Stagger or the Grope and Grind, but that is my absolute limit.

Having said that, dance fascinates me in a somewhat scientific way, at least some forms of dance, specifically ballet and modern dance.  I marvel at the performers who seem to defy the laws of physics - and I am invariably nonplussed by how they do it.  They perform an axel or a pirouette or a cabriole and hang in the air for much longer than seems consistent with my understanding of gravity.  They leap and traverse heights and distances that must surely break Olympic records. They move at speeds and contort into shapes that are clearly non-human, almost mystical, quite beyond anything that fits within my sense of feasibility.  Bodies curl and straighten in ways that seem possible only if the dancers’ bones were completely flexible.  I see it with my own eyes, but still find it hard to believe.  It is beautiful, elegant, graceful – and baffling. I enjoy watching dance, but it is more an exercise for my mind than something I could use to exercise my body.

Back to the festival, the night ended with four different local indigenous bands playing a bracket of songs, mostly original compositions, some a bit political, but much more western in style.  We stayed for the first two bands, but left about 10pm so I imagine it would have been a pretty late night for some people.

Sunday, we packed up and went to Hell.  Well, not quite, but we got as far as the Gate – and stayed overnight.  Hells Gate is a roadhouse about 300km east of Borroloola, just inside Queensland.  We approached it with a little trepidation on two accounts.  We had been warned how badly the road deteriorated once we crossed the border – and it did, but not that much – and a good bit of the road was bitumen anyway.  And I imagined the roadhouse to be dry and desolate like Nullarbor or Caiguna. Instead, it was a lush green oasis, everything damp from the automatic sprinklers scattered around the extensive lawn area, good amenities, clean with plenty of good water: not at all Hells Gate-ish!  And the birds – everywhere!  From Borroloola, we had seen very few birds until we got to about 10 clicks short of the border and from then on, we have seen thousands. We even clicked over the 200 mark on our trip-count. It is currently 204 species, including 35 new ticks for us since leaving home.  One species we haven’t seen a lot of was the grey-crowned babblers, but there was a group of them at Hells Gate.  They are always in groups, maybe 6 to 12 or 15 when we have seen them, and there were 8 in the family at HG.  They are extremely gregarious, always busy, chattering constantly to each other, chasing and scratching and staying closely in touch with the group. There was a mirror on the wall outside the ablutions and a couple of the babblers saw two intruders to their group in the mirror and immediately flew up and made a huge racket, pecking and babbling and trying to get to know (or chase off) the two strangers.  They gave up after a while, but returned to the fray 2 or 3 times before we finished packing up and leaving.  It was highly comical and it got us wondering about what was happening in their bird-brains.

We had particularly wanted to do the trip out east because it would enable us to have travelled the entire length of the Savannah Way from Cairns to Broome by the time we get to the west coast.  We have done Burketown to Cairns a couple of times before, but it is an iconic Aussie road-trip and we wanted to do all 3699km of it.  A lot of what we have travelled so far has been true savannah country, metre high grassland with sparsely distributed trees and little or no scrub.  Along this part of the track, there were some pretty impressive rocky outcrops, flat ridges with a tumble of giant stones down the slopes, mainly in vivid reds and oranges, but nearly always being swallowed up in the grass at the foot of the ranges.

The drive through to Burketown was uneventful although I had woken with a sore throat that got worse as we went along and was joined by a headache later in the day.  We set up in the caravan park early in the afternoon and went exploring.  There is not a lot to see, but we drove 6km out to the Albert River and found about a dozen caravans set up out there for the fishing.  It was a bit like we expected HG to be – hot, dry and desolate, eroded salt-flats along the bank and prominent threats of crocs posted, but the hardy fisherpeople were poised waiting for conditions to be just right for them to cast a line and hope for another barra.  (Burketown is touted as the Barra Capital of Queensland.)

We retreated to our happy hour and the comfort of our air conditioner and waited for the hotel kitchen to open to go and enjoy a hearty pub meal.  When walking through the bar, I got button-holed by an aboriginal guy, mildly tipsy I suspect, who asked quite a few questions about us and then ask if he could record me.  He is apparently involved with the local ABC radio and wanted to do a programme including an interview with one of the southerners who was visiting town.  I managed to dodge the issue by emphasising the urgency with which I needed the Cowboys Corral and that my wife and meal were waiting for my return to the dining room.

We frequently change our plans as we go along and this time has been no exception.  We had expected to stay overnight in Burketown then return on the same route until somewhere past Cape Crawford, but during the day, we decided to head south to Camooweal and back along the Barkley Highway for a few hundred clicks.  Unfortunately, that plan failed too because I am still feeling pretty rotten and Heather woke up with some of the same symptoms this morning so we have decided to have a very easy day in the hope of a quick recovery.  I am spending the day in bed – not easy for me – and Heather is taking it a bit easy, but still up and doing a little bit of hand washing and cleaning, etc.  Hopefully, Heather will be fine and I will be feeling better tomorrow and we will be on our way again, albeit initially 300+km south before turning west as originally planned for today.