#i think Sally has become my favorite out of the cast

[abyssforphantoms]

Some Halloween Welcome Home fan art I drew in my sketch book. ✨️

[cherubfae]

Alastor's Lament || Jack Skellington!Alastor x Sally!AFAB!Reader

What if all this power as an Overlord has grown tiring for Alastor? Sure, he likes it. But can he even hope to yearn for something different? Could helping the hotel be his missing piece? Could you?

tags: gn!afab!reader, half-ragdoll!sinner!reader, Jack Skellington!Alastor, hurt/comfort, loneliness, implied abuse, blood/gore, protective!Alastor, friends to lovers

a/n: Tim Burton still has some of my favorite films and I'm also going to be working on a Victoria/Victor Al x afab!reader, so please look forward to that! ^~^ Sally's Song belongs to Disney!

From his little corner of Hell, Alastor could see the pale white moon embedded in the red sea sky from his radio tower. On a rare night where the moon could be seen so clearly, it left a deep sense of melancholy within his chest; even his dead heart ached.

All of his years as an Overlord seemed to drain him. Bartering souls had been his greatest pleasure, and sure, he was rather powerful but now that he had all this power; what was it worth to keep gaining? He was already one of the most feared. He sought out a new career path, to become Hazbin's hotelier to rehabilitate demons! It gave him a spark of interest that had been lost in him for centuries. Everything came easy to Alastor. Everything except you.

What a simply fascinating creature you were! Able to unstitch your limbs and sew them back together good as new! He considered you one of his dearest friends, a lovely thought always lingering in the back of his mind. Yet time and time again you seemed to slip away into the night before he could say anything, or even thank you for the lovely vintage wine you'd gifted him. Like a whisper in the dark, you had disappeared.

Not even Rosie had seen you. Which was growing more and more worrisome with the more the hours ticked on by. Where could you have gone? Were you alright? It was an uncommonly chilly night in Hell, thanks to an ice demon casting a spell over the lands as of recent. It was certainly no weather to be out and about in if one could help it.

The Radio Demon was aware of the unsavory living conditions you kept living with your adopted father and self-appointed 'creator' (which was wholly untrue), Dr. Twisttike, having invited you to live at the Hazbin Hotel. Even Charlie, Princess of Hell, had cordially invited you but the two were unaware of just how tightly you were bound to an over- controlling demon. One who claimed that he made you, therefore you were his.

Shaking his head, Alastor fretted over his blueprints for a new radio tower design, yet that inescapable feeling of dread continued to gnaw at his bones like a starved dog. He runs his hand over his face, down the red pinstriped suit, stopping to adjust his black buck shaped bowtie. Its glimmering red eyes blinked. This will simply not do. He needed to find you.

Hidden away, locked inside of your 'room' once more by the demon who held your chain so tightly, you weep silently to yourself. "And will he see how much he means to me?"

"Will you stop that dreadful singing?" Dr. Twisttike hissed, grasping your glowing pale blue chain and yanking you harshly. You fall to your knees, scraping your hands against the dirty concrete. Red abrasions collected on your palms, threatening to break the surface of your skin. "Your lover boy, Alastor, won't be coming for you, dear. You think you can keep up with a demon such as him? Look at yourself. You can't even keep your stitches together. Next time I make a ragdoll, I'll make one out of proper cloth and not flesh like you. All you do is cry and bleed." Clicking his tongue, he leaves you crying on the cold ground.

With your knees tucked to your chest, you sigh. That brute of a man--demon, oftentimes left you more undone than anything else did. Constantly pulling apart your stitches and not letting you put yourself back together. He almost let you catch fire a few weeks ago. Sure, none of this could kill you. But that didn't mean that it doesn't hurt when it happens.

Standing to look out your window, you hum to yourself. You could see the peak of Alastor's radio tower from here, the full moon rising behind like a great beacon. An immense sense of longing filled your body, you hoped he was looking at the same moon and feeling the same way as you. With a gasp, you slip through the partially opened gap and allow yourself to fall to the cobblestone. More abrasions and bruises from, your blood coagulating from your missing limbs.

Plucking out a needle from behind your ear, you begin to sew yourself back together, hissing softly around a particular tender area. Standing on rather wobbly feet at first until you break out into a sprint before your Overlord can know you've left. Your other arm was left behind, but you couldn't be bothered with that now. You needed to get away, heading towards the highest hill of town, near Alastor's tower.

Alastor frantically searches around town. There's still no sign of you anywhere. Dread continues to eat away at him, until he finds himself standing outside the gates of your home. The dread boils away into anger. Your sweet scent lingers in the air mixed with the scent of blood and fear. You were hurt. Bleeding. He wills himself to calm down, his claws bending through metal gates as he pushes them open with brute force.

"Ah, Alastor! Welcome, welcome, come in my dear boy!" Dr. Twisttike's serpentine tail swishes behind him, allowing the tall redhead into the cramped and dingey house.

Even for Hell's standards, the old and decrepit house was absolutely deplorable. A sulfuric musty smell hung in the air, damp with black mold and cobwebs clinging to every viable rafter.

Tension wafted through the air, Alastor's scarlet eyes turning into radio dials. In an instant, he's turned into his full demon form, mouth sewn by green stitches. A glowing green chain wraps taught around Dr. Twisttike, sending him to the ground with a harsh thud.

"Where are they?" Alastor's neck cracks at an ungodly angle, the echo of screams surrounding him. When Twisttike fails to speak, Alastor yanks the chain harshly, his heeled shoe slamming down onto the demon's claw, snapping it clean off. Black inky blood oozes from the putrid wound. "I won't ask again, good man. Where are they?"

Dr. Twisttike rasps, "Upstairs! Their bedroom! Please, stop!" Alastor snaps his fingers, the demon's limbs and extremities are bound by glowing green rope.

Alastor thunders up the spiral staircase. "My dearest! Are you here?" His eyes are frantic, wild. His ears stand alert, waiting for any sign of your lovely voice calling out to him. The only answer he receives is a perplexing silence. He rounds the corner to enter your door lies and snarls. "A cell? You keep my darling in a goddamned cell?"

Blowing the door off the hinges, Alastor surveys the small, cramped room. There's a bare bed with a single flimsy blanket and ragged old pillow. Small splatters of bloodstains stain those sheets. A tiny dresser to the right of the bed holding a single analog clock that seems to have stopped working long ago. The walls are bare of any color and character, with peeling paint and black mold scuttled around the corners of the ceiling like soot sprites. Everything he knows that you love and adore does not reflect in your room. There was no personalization, there was no you. It's uncomfortably damp. It was nothing short of a miracle that you weren't sick.

"You pitiful creature, keeping my beloved in such conditions. Why I should--," Alastor's sentence does in the back of his throat, noticing something half-hanging out the window. A dismembered arm, the thread of your stitches caught on a rusty nail. Carefully expecting it, he gently traces the stitch marks. "Hmm, it appears I have no more use for you, Dr. Twisttike."

A sickening squelch echoes throughout the house as Dr. Twisttike's body splatters all across the walls. Alastor's slithering tentacle removes itself from the corpse, shaking off the blood before retreating into his back. There isn't much left of the poor fool other than the remains of his guts and brain matter. Alastor carefully dabs his cheek free of blood, holding your severed arm close to his chest. He exits, form swallowed by darkness and shadow. Behind him, the home ignites into hellish green flames.

It did not take long for Alastor to find you. You nearly took his breath away. Your gaze is so beautiful and forlorn, sitting on a hill with the clearest view of the large full moon. The silver light casts delicate shadows against your skin as you hum a soft song to yourself. What a true, ethereal beauty you are.

"My dearest friend," rumbles Alastor, his tone a delicate purr. You stand in surprise, which quickly melts into a delicate smile. "If you don't mind, I'd like to join you by your side. Where we can gaze into the stars," Alastor gently reattached your arm, green magic carefully sewing it back on you.

"And sit together."

"Now and forever."

|| I DON'T GIVE PERMISSION FOR MY WORKS TO BE REPOSTED, RESHARED, OR EDITED. TUMBLR IS MY ONLY ACCOUNT AND THE ONLY PLACE WHERE I POST MY WRITING. ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS, THE STORY BELONGS TO ME. || CHERUBFAE © 2024

"For it as plain as anyone could see, we're simply meant to be." With a gentle embrace, Alastor presses his lips to yours, tugging you into his arms and off the chilly ground.

[thelesbianluthor]

Saw people talk about the fact that the trio knows every single threat they have to face before they have to confront them in the show vs in the books they actually fall into traps and then have to find a way to escape it.

This is one of the main issues i have too honestly. I understand the choice of making annabeth pick up on the statues and the name of the place and obviously guess "oh that is medusa". It works bc medusa is important and connected to her mother and like the context clues are staggering.

But comparing that moment to the start of episode 7 (which i actually really enjoyed especially compared to ep6) makes the show lose most of the tension they could have.

Like why make it an immediate exposition dump on "oh you are this and you do that and we are here for this and that" i don't mind the change of making the shop the entrance of hell but why can't they just for once fall into a trap like? They are 12 years old trying to avoid a war and fix a situation way bigger than them, they are smart and quick witted but let them make mistakes and NOT KNOW some things.

I feel like a lot of the potential of the first scene went out of the window and it just became a "here's an exposition of a scene that happened in the book" and that way even if you cut it you don't lose anything really.

Changes are a GOOD thing and that is not my issue with the show at all! I have already said that I mostly enjoy the changes that were made and I am not expecting nor want a scene for scene copy but it does make it a lot less interesting imo if they go into EVERY SINGLE SITUATION knowing what they are up against for no real reason.

You can have them know some things and guess who they are up against but like if it happens every time the tension of the danger gets lost a lot and it becomes repetitive imo.

On the good side of things tho I think you can see in general that the trio has gotten a lot more comfortable in the characters and the improvement it's very visible. I already said how I really love the casting and I only expect them to get better at portraying the characters that is a no brainer.

The flash backs were probably my favorite part of the episode along with the way they decided to visually represent Hell.

I love that we get to see a peak of Sally and Poseidon's dynamic and how hard it was for Sally to raise Percy, not only bc of the risks his godly heritage brings but also bc she was a single mother and society in general tends to give up on people that don't fit the mold.

Small Percy thinking his mom wanted to get rid of him and saying "I would never do that to you" even tho she has spent every moment doing her best to protect him vs an older Percy having to choose to leave his mom behind so he can do the right thing even tho everything he has done has been fueled by the desire to save her. That was beautiful and tragic.

Casting in general is incredible bc even with the little we saw of Poseidon (I knew the actor from black sails so I knew he would be great) I think he really nailed it.

Hades is maybe a BIT too silly but I can live with it honestly. Like we'll have time to explore and make other characters deeper later on so i don't see this as an issue.

The decision to make them aware of Kronos and tell Hades is interesting and I do like that he offered to protect Percy if he believed to be at risk.

I understand that with how things are now you never know if a show will be renewed and if you'll get to actually finish your story so I don't mind them making certain stuff known sooner and sprinkling references to future events or call backs (MOA percabeth reference I am talking abt you).

Overall I think that the strongest suit of the show right now is the cast and the way they show characters dynamics and their potential.

Like I have said before my criticism stems from my love for the material and my wish for it to do well. I have opinions that maybe will not match with others and it's okay! Not everyone has to like something! I WANT the show to keep going and grow and evolve into a better adaptation with each step because I really love the basis they laid down, the story and the characters and I see the potential most of all. I can't wait for the last episode.

[starleska]

Hi yes hello there, I'm losing my mind. So I was just perusing the lovely artwork on the Welcome Home "Welcome Home!" page and I noticed something. There are only two pictures (that I've found) of Eddie's watch that actually show the face of the watch, now the weird thing about that is its coloring. Half of it is white, and the other is black. Now if we assume that the watch is placed like an actual clock (with 12 pointing up) this would mean that the hours 9 to 6 are black. When I saw this my first thought was that 9PM to 6AM were being covered. Adding more credit to those who find it odd that both Sally has some weird moon imagery (on her clothes and house) and the fact that the show always ended before it got dark. Theorizing that stuff goes down after dark, typically, in the US, the sun sets at 9 and rises at 6. Now that I've had time to think this through I've realized that the watch would also display 9AM and 6PM in the black bits. All this to say, I have solved nothing but if I kept this in I think I would explode. Sorry for such a big...ask? (I didn't ask anything) uh, what's your favorite color?

👀👀👀 now anon, you're absolutely onto something here, but i'm not sure how much i can say!! i highly recommend going and becoming a monthly supporter of Clown's Kofi, and having a look at the concept art for Eddie there - with the understanding that no one should repost art made available only to supporters, or be discussing what's available there without Clown's consent. because of this, i'm only going to talk about the art currently available on the Welcome Home website, which we know to be canon:

you're absolutely right...that is a curious design choice. i've had a scour of the website as well and agree with you that of the canon art we have, these appear to be the only ones which show the face of Eddie's watch...and it's such a severe design for a children's puppet show character. i'm trying to think of all of the Welcome Home characters' cast designs as through the mind of being designed for children, and that makes some choices feel very odd indeed;;; i want to point out that the hours which are shaded actually appear to be 9pm till 3am - 6 hours which can be indisputably be considered night-time in the US. if one of the numbers were 6, the other would have to be 12 to make a vertical slice across the watch face. i'm unsure if this is relevant, but here in the UK, 9pm is our watershed - the hours past which adult content is allowed to be broadcast on television, with the understanding that most children will be in bed then. one could argue that the design has been simplified to convey the concepts of night and day easily to a young audience, but the sharp black half - which doesn't appear to show individual hours like the light half does - gives the idea of those times being off-limits somehow. perhaps we're overthinking it, and it really is as simple as 'Eddie and the rest of the Welcome Home cast have bedtimes similar to that of the children who watch the show, and his watch is half-blacked out to show kids when night-time is.' on the other hand...i find this sharp blackness to have a similar jarring effect to the ooze creeping out from underneath Home's door, and the spiral void we can see on the Neighbourhood map on mobile. yes, Eddie's design and the other characters have small areas of blackness to balance out the overwhelming rainbow of their designs...but this is an interesting choice indeed 👀💖 [edit] oh!!! my favourite colour's green :3c

[makoami]

Since I November I have been trying to watch as many magical anime as a can from oldest to newest because I'm obsessed with evolution. That and I want to do an analysis on how magical anime went from Sally the Witch, to Sailor Moon, to Precure and so on. In addition I' also give my opinion on which ones I enjoyed the most or least. For this post though I'll just go over the 60s and 70s magical girls I've seen. Some elements I'm looking out for in the "magical girl formula" are: 1. Animal Sidekick, 2. Transformation sequence, 3. main romance subplot, 4 saving the day, 5. Special Attacks, 6. Becomes someone older, 7. Becomes an Idol, 8. Magical powers.

First is Sally the Witch - 1966

Sally the Witch fits into both 4 and 8. She has magical powers, she does end up using them to both pull pranks, make life easier, or save the day. As a show it's pretty good. It reminds me a lot of Bewitched and seemed to be a huge influence. There's a crow character who pretends to be her younger brother in human form but I'm not sure if he counts as an animal sidekick. The anime has a lot dated moments and some I wasn't a fan of. I alsp had a hard time getting used to some of the 60s designs of characters. Unfortunately, I was not able to watch all episodes in order so that was a bummer. Other than that, Sally was a pioneer for more magical girls to come.

I was not able to finds episodes of Himitsu no Akko-chan, Mako-chan or Majokko Tickle but if anyone knows how I could watch some episodes lmk.

Princess Knight - 1967

I really liked this one and I think this is my favorite 60s anime. The manga is from 1953 so this technically might be the first magical girl. It doesn't follow a whole lot of the magical girl formula but she does save the day. The main character, Sapphire, has a guardian angel name Tink who could sort count as the animal side kick and she has a horse that helps her out on her quest. Sadly I was not able to see the entire subbed series and I am considering just watching the dub to finish the series off. Overall though, this show was very girl boss for the 60s and was genuinely entertaining.

Marvelous Melmo - 1971

Marvelous Melmo is another show I really enjoyed and made me emotional at times. After Melmo's mom dies in a car accident, she gives her red and blue candy to tranform into someone younger or older. It also gives her the ability to transform into animal. And she does use said powers from the candy to save the day. The show itself was very educational on evolution and human development. I was several episodes in when I realized I was watching a version that was redubbed by a whole new cast of voice actors in Japan, back in 1998. I'm curious to see how the original 70s version was. Aside from that, I highly recommend this one.

Next is Cutie Honey 1973

Okay, I will be honest, I haven't seen Cutie Honey in a long time and need to re-watch it. If I find anymore elements to the magical girl formula for Cutie Honey, I'll make another post about it. What I do remember is that she does have a transformation sequence, she saves the day, and can also transform into someone older. I think their is an episode where she shape shifts into an old lady. In some ways, her heroic and fearless character reminds me of Princess Knight and I look forward to rewatching the series.

Majokko Meg-Chan - 1974

Majokko Meg-chan had a lot of similarities to Sally the Witch. Meg is a witch in training, she wants to get better at her magic. In terms of the magical girl formula, she has magical powers and does use them in scenarios to save the day or make life easier. In all honesty this was my least favorite and I couldn't finish the series. The show tries to teach Meg that family is important and that her family in the human world really loves her. But then Meg's younger siblings pull pranks on her...I don't want to go on a tangent because I'm sure there are people who really enjoyed it. It just wasn't for me. I did love the theme songthough, it's so damn catchy.

Hana no Lun Lun - 1979

Only 3 or 4 episodes were available for me to watch but I really wish I could finish the series. Lun Lun has two animal sidekicks, a talking cat and dog. Due to being the flower child, she is able to use flowers to change into different outfits. I can't remember many episodes where she saves the day but the show does follow the trope of Lun Lun having a kind heart forming friendships with the people she meets.

[thekimspoblog]

TERFs will act like trans women are forcing themselves on lesbians. But when you press the issue just a little further, it becomes clear that actually THEY are the ones who think women shouldn't be allowed in lesbian spaces unless they're sexually available.

Like okay let's think through this for 5 seconds. Jane and Sally are at a lesbian bar. Jane and Sally are quite flirtatious with eachother, but eventually Sally thinks now would be a good time to disclose that she is trans and does not have a vagina.

Should Jane:

A. Suck it up and force herself to do something she's not comfortable with in the name of appearing progressive,

B. Be honest with Sally. For whatever reason, Jane is only interested in intimacy with people who both present as female AND have a vagina. Therefore it's probably in everyone's best interest if they don't try to take this any further,

or

C. Fly into a rage, misgender Sally, and humiliate her in front of the rest of the bar?

B is the correct answer. Literally nobody is advocating for option A, and if you vote C congratulations on doing the same type of behavior that makes women afraid of men in the first place.

Follow up question. Statistically, Sally is most likely going to react by:

A. Assaulting Jane right then and there,

B. Going home and writing a letter to Jane's boss in the hopes of getting Jane fired for transphobia,

or

C. Frowning cus it sucks to get shot down... then just leaving to flirt with Theresa instead.

The answer is C. Me, I'm Theresa. And any sort of logic which dictates that neither I nor Sally belong in a lesbian bar leads you down some really twisted paths of thought. It says that bi women, pan women, really anyone who wants to fuck someone that you don't, is excluded from the label of "lesbian". It's not about creating a safe space for women to be themselves and find eachother anymore, it's about which forms of love you personally approve of.

I get that some TERFs have this paranoid fantasy that their favorite hang-outs are going to be overrun with belligerent, boorish men (or Persians). But I look around me and I just don't fucking see that happening! Lesbian bars and other spaces are under threat of disappearing, but that threat is coming from a bad economy and the wage gap; if anything, turning away women cus they're not your type is helping to sink the industry.

A more reasonable concern for the Janes of the world, is that it won't just be Sally; Jane will flirt with Anne and hit the same stumbling block, then she'll flirt with Hailey and it will be the third time in a row and Jane will just want to shout "DOES ANYONE IN THIS LESBIAN BAR HAVE A VAGINA???!!!" And like... yeah that's frustrating but also tough tomatoes. Your orientation comes with subcategories beyond what most lesbians consider attractive in a woman; it's not our problem that you want to treat your preferences as the default. When you try to find romance at a public venue like a bar, you follow the procedure of striking up a conversation with any random person you're superficially attracted to. Inevitably, at some point in the conversation, you're going to learn something about your date that is a turn-off, and that's the point at which you have to decide: do I like this person enough to work around the fact that they aren't perfect, or is this a deal-breaker for me sleeping with them? You want to catch a fish; you have to cast a wide net. It's not the job of the lesbian community writ-large to throw back all the fishdicks for you.

My deal-breakers are that I'm not interested in sleeping with anyone Catholic, ex-military, or interested in doing anal. But that doesn't mean I get to write a rule that Catholic lesbians aren't lesbians.

Sally and Jane were really hitting it off. And it's normal for Jane to be disappointed, annoyed that she has to start over with courting someone else. I'm sure Sally feels the same way. But if Jane gets angry, it's because Jane - not Sally! - has a patriarchal sense of entitlement to another person's vagina.

[moonlightreal]

Witch series books

Let’s read some witch series books!  The library only gave me one new series to add to the older series I had spread all over my floor last week, but it was a great one.

Ruth Chew witch books 1969

This isn’t really a series, though my library has them listed a “matter-of-fact-magic series.” they’re unconnected books with similar themes. Children encounter harmless magical items and have fantastic adventures. If you are a magical being who enjoys childrens’ books, these are a must. I think What the Witch Left was the first one I read.

Witch Saga 1975

Phyllis Reynold’s Naylor’s classic series about a girl’s battle with an evil witch. Lynn believes her neighbor Mrs. Tuggle is a witch, but she’s a kid and nobody believes her. So it’s up to Lynn and her friend Mouse to keep Lynn’s family safe. 

Spell Casters 1998

Eleven year old Sally is surprised when a mysterious girl arrives at her house. It turns out Lucinda is a witch who’d like to live as a normal girl, or at least live away from her strict grandmother! But Grandma doesn’t want to lose her powerful grandchild and sends Lucinda’s nasty cousin to bring her home. The two girls and their friends get into mildly fun witch-at-school escapades. This series isn’t brilliant but it’s a fun little series.

T*Witches 2001

Twins Cam and Alex were separated at birth, because together their magic is immense and the villainous Thantos wants to control them. They meet at age 14 and the fun begins!

My memory of these books is that they were good but a bit bogged down with teen issues and lots of characters-- the girls have the nonmagical friend posse, witchy friends, boys, their parents, and their magical guardians who all get screentime. The magic is rhyming spells and concentration, with no potion recipes or other witch”craft” that I remember. There’s also a whole witchy world with witches at different levels of education. And the girls are as angsty as anyone would be if they just found out they’re adopted witches under threat from a villain. I wanted to love these but found myself getting lost in the details.

There was also a movie. Or two, even.

Magical states of America 2001

John Peel is a wildly prolific author (he also did the Diadem series) but this silly little series is my favorite of his. It’s lighthearted fun.

The premise: there is an alternate America where it’s magic instead of science and everyone is the opposite gender from in this world. Chris in the magic world has become aware of an evil plot and who can he call on for help if not… himself? Chrissie is quite surprised to be pulled into a magic world but soon she’s got a familiar critter of her own and the alternate-universe twins and their friends are off to stop an evil sorceress!

Night Witches 2001

aka The Witch Trade and sequels. Abby is the last child in town after the other kids were kidnapped. A mysterious boy washes up and soon the two of them are swept up in an adventure to find the missing kids and help the Light Witches stop the evil Night Witches from stealing the Ice Dust that gives witches their magic. There are two more books, we get into time travel along with lots of sea travel and wacky characters. This series is “fine” in my book-- it’s not bad but it didn’t grab me. Instead you should pick up:

The Everyday Witch 2002

Beatrice is twelve, and ready to be judged as an Everyday Witch or a much awesome Classical Witch. But the testers can’t decide, so what should they do? Send Beatrice and her friends to break a curse cast by an evil sorcerer of course!

These books are crackerjack! They’re fun to read, funny without being childish, have friendship without friend drama, worldbuilding, goofiness without being too goofy… they are great.

Fortune Tellers Club 2002

Not exactly witches but published by the big witchy publisher Llewellyn, the one wiuth the lil moons on the spine. Most of Llewellyn’s attempts at kids and YA books fall flat in my opinion-- and theirs too, the website’s YA section currently lists 2 books-- but this series works. Juniper and her friends are fans of fortune telling and use different divination methods, some they invent themselves, to figure out their kid issues. Because this is fiction every fortune telling method works perfectly and the girls encounter other mystical events like a ghost and a pair of magic sunglasses. The series isn’t amazingly brilliant but it is a solid good read if you want to inspire yourself to try some divination. Or just, you know, enjoy some books.

Thirteen Witches 2021

Rosie lives a sad life, until she finds herself suddenly able to see the magical world! It turns out that she is the last of the witch hunters, heroes who try to fight the thirteen witches responsible for all the evil in the world. Soon Rosie has found her own good magic and she and her friend Germ set out to save Rosie’s mother and end up on an adventure to destroy all the witches with the help of a ghost, a few other witch hunters, and a tardis whale.

These are very well done. The witches are uniquely evil, the characters are great. I immediately grabbed the second book next time I was at the library.

[notcryingtoday]

not-so-quick rant about the percy jackson's adaptation by disney

● SLOW THE FUCK DOWN. the show was going wayyy too fast. first episode was rushed as hell. we barely saw the camp half-blood. we barely felt the fucking hell that the hermes's cabin is, or how lonely percy feels in his own. those are important elements if we want to explain why percy and we, as an audience, can understand luke.

● uuuugh i know they change the fact that the trio knows when they are in front of monsters because it would be realist for them to know since they're like, educated about this (especially annabeth) but really it ruins the fun. realism actually spoils the fun most of the time in stories (people believe it's important because they mix it up with plausible/consistency).

● i really like the actors for the main trio, they felt like the characters. i also might even like those designs more (i love fanarts) probably because the change of skin/hair colors adds contrasts.

● annabeth was written too badass and not enough angry. in the books she's very emotional and sometimes even petty. she's flawed, much more than in the show. she kinda went through a "hermione granger-ification" (hermione being a realist character in the books and then becoming very perfect later in the movies).

● however, it wasn't too bad here. she has different flaws. feels like the same character with a different font tbh.

● same for grover and percy. really they have the vibes... but they're definitely not the characters i've read about. i liked the changes in grover (OMG HIS CONVERSATION WITH ARES I WAS HOOKED) the most and for him, it was actually a huge plus.

● i hated sally. like. a lot. i don't know why but something was off about her.

● luke was a shitty character. because the story was moving too fast we didn't have the time to actually get to know him and to grow attached to him. it's a pity knowing he's one of the most important character in the whole series.

● when i first saw hephaestus i was like "what the hell did they do when the casted that fine men" and i'm gonna be honest, i really didn't like it. i get what they were doing later, by giving him a more scientist aspect which makes sense but it wasn't my cup of tea. turns out he's actually disabled (like hephaestus) and he's paralyzed in his left arm, hand and leg. so yeah. kinda cool from rick who actually really gave a shit with his casting

● i don't really like the casting for clarisse (kinda wished she was butch) but loved her acting.

● the episode where they split up (grover staying with ares, and annabeth/percy going to look for his stuff) was the best one. the BEST one.

● ares is my favorite character from the show. he was spot on. perfect. maybe even better than in the books from what i've remembered.

● so yeah, kinda cool show ?? i hope there will be a season 2 because i won't expect from this show to be as good as the book series when the books had five of them to make a place in my heart while it had only eight episodes.

● i hope there will be more episodes however. please, take your time. i think everyone will agree on this (or at least most people) : we'd rather have less scenes from the books but have more time to appreciate them. cut some stuff. they only did it for crusty and it worked just fine !

● let clarisse be dirty. yeah, she'll always look so fucking damn pretty (LOOK AT THE ACTRESS WTF) but let her be dirty.

● stop writing luke so bland. he's the villain. one of the most tragic ever. he's so important.

[digihindnews]

Barry Season 4: Release Date, Cast, Plot And Everything We Know So Far.

Barry Season 4: When your protagonist is a convicted killer, it's tough to keep up the narrative. That's the situation Bill Hader's HBO series Barry finds itself in after the tense conclusion of its third installment. Season 3's conclusion may have felt like the series finale, but the fourth season of TV's most critically acclaimed black comedy has been given the go-ahead. What can we anticipate from Barry's fourth season? Barry Berkman, the former hitman turned actor, was last seen being arrested after being lured into an ambush by acting coach Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler). This must be the end, right? Most hitmen won't hit a man who is locked up in a cell. Hader, speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, said that they are far from finished with this issue. Saying, "I've always thought of this as one big Vanity Fair article," he elaborated. This is the part where it says 'And then he got caught, and then this happened,' which is my favorite because I love true crime. It's not as simple as that. Forget the repercussions; we're right back here. The show's creator and star, Bill Hader, will direct all eight episodes of the upcoming fourth season. Hader previously directed 10 episodes over the first three seasons. But what will he be directing, and will he be wearing an orange jumpsuit?

Barry Season 4: Release Date

Season one premiered in March of 2018, and season two in March of 2019, but season three won't air until April 2022. Season four of Barry is expected to air in the spring of 2023, which makes sense given that Hader had already begun writing for it before the third season had even been filmed. As with previous seasons, the show will premiere on HBO Max in the United States and then air on Sky and NOW in the United Kingdom simultaneously with the American premiere.

Barry Season 4: Cast

There will be a full cast resumé in the fourth season of Barry, including everyone who played a significant role in seasons two and three. A few examples are Bill Hader, Sarah Goldberg, Henry Winkler, and Stephen Root.

Barry Season 4 Read on to find out everything that's left to know about Barry Season 4! - Bill Hader as Barry Berkman - Sarah Goldberg as Sally Reed - Henry Winkler as Gene Cousineau - Stephen Root as Monroe Fuches - Anthony Carrigan as NoHo Hank - Michael Irby as Cristobal Sifuentes - D’Arcy Carden as Natalie Greer - James Hiroyuki Liao as Albert Nguyen

Barry Season 4: Plotline

Even with Barry getting at least some justice for some of his crimes, Hader thinks there are plenty of stories to tell here. Barry season 4 could go in any number of directions, as the show's star isn't afraid to take it in unconventional or even bleak ones. The actor has remained tight-lipped about Season 4's plot details, but he did say he was "surprised" when rumors began to circulate that Season 3 would be the series finale. Concerns have been raised about Sally, as well as Cousineau and Hank. "We've just gotten deeper into them and what they're experiencing, and I want to see how they handle that," Hader told the Hollywood Reporter. Hader has made it clear that the epidemic of murder is spreading throughout the world of his show, which includes those other characters as well. During an interview with The Wrap, Hader referred to "Barry's disease," which afflicts not only Barry but also his sometimes-partner Sally (Sarah Goldberg) and NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan), a member of the Chechen mafia. Now they kill one another, and history shows that murderers are rarely happy people. Hader responded to the criticism that the show had become too dark and had lost all traces of the comedy for which it was initially marketed. Is it as bleak as the news makes it seem? he asked The Wrap. Actually, no. Could it possibly be a reaction to recent events? Yeah. Is it a representation of the way people have acted toward one another hopefully throughout history? Maybe. Not sure. Well, that's just how I feel.

Is season 4 of Barry going to be the last?

There has been no official word on the matter, but Henry Winkler seems to think it's a possibility. When pushed, "Bill and Alec never try to stretch ." When asked by Variety about the show's possible cancellation, Winkler said, "they don't want to push it." No need to freak out just yet, though; neither Hader nor Berg have commented. We have compiled a list of the top drama series if you're looking for some quality viewing. Please share this post with the people you care about, and encourage them to check out Digi Hind News so that they can stay up to date on everything that’s been happening recently. Read the full article

[lnkedmyheart]

Some random thoughts on all the spiderman movies.

My personal ranking based on MY enjoyment and overall appeal of the movies goes like this: spiderverse (Miles Morales is my favorite version of spidey) -> Raimi films (I'm a hoe for camp and Doc Ock) -> TASM (it has my heart for every single reason much of which is my deep love for every cast member, Zimmer and the visuals) -> mcu (I dunno I only like NWH because it was like a breath of fresh air after the decade long rinse repeat format)

Tobey was NOT the best Peter. He didn't even remotely feel like Peter from the comics. Nostalgia is the reason why people think his Peter was accurate. Andrew's Peter was accurate, Toby's was the version that overwrote the OG in public memory. Still an amazing performance.

I like the younger hotter version of aunt May, I love that we are showing older women in a sexy light. Yes, just because a woman isn't 20-30 doesn't mean she can't be attractive. Although my favorite is Sally Fields 110%.

Gwen/Peter is my peak ship and has always been my peak canon ship. However MJ (any version) was also cool. Sure I got irritated with her role in the Raimi verse but like, she was independent and knew her worth. And I'm sorry, but MJ screaming and falling wasn't overdone. YOU try dating a wall crawling spandex clad nerd who's enemies have a tendency to throw you off of tall buildings.

I legitimately shipped (and still ship) TASM Flash and Peter. Although that's not saying much because I also shipped Flash and Peter in some comics.

Peter in the comics is definitely bi with a lean towards women and Andrew Garfield bodied that vibe in NWH.

Tobey and Tom ARE attractive, just not generic (even Andrew isn't your stereotypically attractive guy). The difference is that while Tobey and Tom look like awkward nerds, Andrew had them beat in the physical and social awkwardness which is actually what is more likely to make you standout in a negative way than not being particularly attractive. Tom's awkwardness is endearing, Tobey is a dorky sweet guy but becomes legitimately cool once he gets his powers and becomes super chilled out. Peter is quite literally wildly gesticulating the entire time even after his powers and he wouldn't have gotten Gwen had she not already liked him. Seriously I love how much I cringed (in the best way I swear) whenever they interacted before dating in tasm.

Raimi's MJ did like Peter once he got his powers but it's not because she was shallow. It was because Peter never let people see him. He was a wallflower and always tried to blend into the background. It was only when he became confident did he put himself out there to be seen.

Zendaya is a great MJ but I still think Gwen Stacy is a far more active love interest.

Tasm has the best swings, and shot composition of the franchise. Andrew is honestly the most raw version of spidey with his agile spidery-ness. Raimi has the most iconic and swoon worthy swings and HOLY SHIT the fights, particularly the one with Doc Ock on the train!!!

Tasm is basically the Titanic of superhero films. It's primarily a love story with some superhero elements thrown in which saves the movies imo (fuck you studio execs who screwed over Garfield and Webb).

Doc Ock IS the best villain of all time but I also adore Electro.

The best leap of faith is the same as my movie ranking.

MCU needs to step up its game when it comes to shot composition and visual storytelling. They have a decade worth of experience and 5 visual masterpieces to rely on but still somehow dish out the most static and stiff looking spidey films. You've got Holland in the movie and you're somehow making HIM look stiff!! Sure Iron Man and Captain America etc can have stiff and rigid visuals because they are all about power, but Spiderman is about agility and speed, using the same style of camera work as the other stuff makes it look unpolished and clunky.

[thankskenpenders]

Enerjak Reborn: Epilogue

It’s time to answer the question on everybody’s mind. How did Ken respond to Ian killing off Locke, one of his pet characters?

Well, the answer, as you should expect, is: poorly

Now, it’s important to remind everyone that Ken has not actually read the arc. He never read any of Ian’s run, to my knowledge. But his fans were sure to tell him all about it and ask him how he felt

Eventually, in 2010, two years after this issue dropped, we got a response from Ken talking about how he felt about Ian’s run. (Again, even though he wasn’t actually reading it himself.) Said response is worth reading in full if you’re interested in all this drama and Ken’s mindset. You literally get to see the guy brag about how he actively ignored what Bollers was doing when the two were sharing writing duties, as if this is a good thing that makes him a better writer. He also criticizes Ian for using the previous writers’ characters instead of introducing even more characters to the bloated Archie cast in his first few years on the series. But the relevant part to the discussion of Enerjak reborn is here:

“I especially don’t consider anything either does with any of the echidna characters – especially Locke – to be canon as neither created the characters nor established them in stories as the viable fan favorites they’ve become. No matter what Ian writes, he can never alter the fact that in MY universe, the events of Locke’s passing as depicted in SONIC #143 is canon. Anything he writes can easily be counter-written by a better story with an alternative solution.”

Let’s just brush past the very funny part where he calls Locke a “viable fan favorite”

So yeah. Penders was VERY unhappy with the way Ian wrote Locke, and the way Locke’s death in Enerjak Reborn meant that the timeline depicted in Mobius: 25 Years Later wasn’t the one true future of the series. He’s also gone on record saying that he thinks Ian didn’t get the relationship between Locke and Knuckles. When asked about Ian’s work, this has always been one of the major things that’s bothered him

On a broader level, his ramblings here are reflective of how he views comic franchises in general. A particularly illustrative quote from him is provided in the comments section below the article I linked:

“The only work I consider significant to any character is the work done by the original creators. Anything done afterwards by anyone else pretty much doesn’t count. For example, I consider the original issues of FANTASTIC FOUR by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to be the only stories that matter in the entire run. Anything being done today is by writers and artists who are simply building off the work Stan and Jack originated. I apply this standard to just about every character I ever enjoyed over the years.”

This odd mindset explains a lot about Ken. It explains why he hates that Ian kept using his characters, and why he actively avoided building off of the work of his contemporary writers at Archie. I can see what he means on some level, of course. When another writer comes in and adds more novels to a series after the original author dies, I generally tend to ignore those. And I skipped a good chunk of Twin Peaks season 2 because it had less involvement from creators David Lynch and Mark Frost, making a lot of it feel like filler. But we’re talking about a licensed comic, one that had been a collaboration between multiple writers based on the work done for the games and cartoons from the very beginning. Ken was never the sole writer--he wasn’t even there for the first year--and he was writing stories centered around characters he hadn’t created like Sonic, Sally, and Knuckles. He doesn’t take credit for creating any of those characters, but the hypocrisy still seems to be lost on him

But of course, we’re not just talking about Ian’s handling of all of Archie Sonic here. We’re talking about Locke. And as Ken has said himself, Locke was based partially on his own father. And that’s really the kicker here

As I’ve said many times before, I try to avoid psychoanalyzing Penders and digging into his personal life. I don’t know the guy, and that’s his own business. But it’s hard not to when he literally says shit like THIS to fans

Locke is emotionally abusive towards his wife and son. Locke is also based on Ken’s dad. Ken refuses to see Locke as abusive, even though that’s exactly what he wrote, because that would mean acknowledging that his own father was abusive. So there’s always an excuse for why father knows best. It was a different era! They’re not humans! He could see the future! He might have hurt Knuckles, but it toughened him up, and he was always there for him in the end! The dad is never, ever at fault. The moms, on the other hands, are mere bystanders to the child rearing done by the dads. It’s just sad, really

I get why Ken would be bitter that Ian took this fictionalized version of his late dad, went “hey, this guy’s an asshole,” and then killed him off. I get why that would upset somebody. He wrote a very personal story there. But it’s not like Ian was pouring salt in a fresh wound--Ken lost his father all the way back in 1982. I know this because Ken literally dedicated the M25YL story about his version of Locke’s death to his dad. It had been nearly 30 years when he wrote this response to Ian’s work. That’s plenty of time to see a goddamn therapist instead of projecting all of your baggage onto Knuckles the Echidna and writing stories for kids about how you should never question your dad ever

The irony, though, is that Ian’s different take on Locke is arguably way more nuanced than Ken’s ever was. In his final moments, Ian’s Locke turns into this tragic figure who only realizes too late that the way of life the Brotherhood had raised him to believe was a mistake, that he had failed his son by passing those beliefs on to him. But he’s still held responsible for what he did. He’s a horrible dad, and the characters around him call him out for his failures, but you pity him for only now realizing what he had done

Ken, on the other hand, gestures at Locke doing horrible things, then tells you to forget about all that and stop questioning him. Knuckles pretends he has a totally normal Leave it to Beaver-ass father-son relationship as soon as they reunite in the Knuckles series. As an adult he thinks back on how great a job Locke did raising him, even though Locke literally took him from his mother, raised him to believe that his mother and the rest of his species were all dead, and then pretended he himself was dead for six years of his son’s childhood (among MANY other things)

M25YL gestures at those very same themes of not repeating your parents’ mistakes that Ian touched on in Locke’s final moments. Knuckles is raising Lara-Su very differently from how Locke raised him, and Locke admits that he wishes he had raised Knuckles differently on his deathbed. But his decision to suddenly admit wrongdoing in this flashback to his death feels unearned and arbitrary. Locke is never at fault. We cannot question Locke. Knuckles turned out fine, so don’t worry about it. Locke might regret the way Knuckles raised him, but Knuckles is not allowed to hold any ill will towards his father or question his methods whatsoever. We’re allowed to gesture at the idea that Knuckles doesn’t want to repeat the mistakes of the previous generations, but those vague mistakes aren’t allowed to be anyone’s fault. That’s just “how things were”

Ken would do a lot more than just complain about Ian’s handling of Locke on the internet, though. Because you see, the way Ian wrote Locke is commonly cited as one of the main reasons why Ken started copyrighting his work, right up there with Bioware basing the story of Sonic Chronicles partially off of the Knuckles comics without his blessing. And those copyrights, of course, were what started the legal battle that would kill off the original Archieverse

[viridianllamasinthesilentspace]

Sorting “Leagues and Legends”

Q: Sort the Leagues and Legends cast?

A: CONGRATS YOU’VE ASKED ME ABOUT ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

Jack Farris is a Burned Hufflepuff Primary—Whaaaaat? you say. But he’s made of sunshine and light and luck and friendship! Yes, my friend, you are correct. He is all those things and more! What Jack’s got, you see, is a loud, robust, shining Hufflepuff model. That’s the thing most visible when interacting with him, and it’s the thing he most often hangs his morality and identity hat on. But his life has  been such that his Hufflepuff system of care, attention, and sacrifice has had to become one he’s decided on; he’s lost the ability to intuitively believe in it.

He’s got a Gryffindor Secondary, which is why when he charges, other people follow him. Kid bleeds genuineness out of his pores, even when he’s lying. To Jack, every person is a person; every person is worth saving; and he does that by caring, charging, and with a bit of, well, luck. And when he can’t care, he acts like he does, anyway. Burned Hufflepuff/Gryffindor/Hufflepuff/Hufflepuff.

Laney Jones is a Slytherin/Slytherin with a Ravenclaw model and a Hufflepuff performance that’s...uhhh...not all it can be. Even before she lets down her guard, she’s pretty obviously got no real Puff in her. Laney is good at performing social scripts, but not that great at injecting warmth or even a brightness into her Puff performance. It’s rote and it shows. Laney is ambitious, loyal on an individualistic level, and doesn’t have Jack or Rupert’s (darling Puffs) grasp on intuitive morality or empathy. She plays situations to her advantage like any good Slytherin Secondary, and feels guiltless about misrepresenting herself, her goals, or her abilities.

Grey is a Ravenclaw Primary (shocker); he hasn’t quite figured out his system. Right now it’s mostly things like “don’t die” and “books are cool—and also safer than people.” He’s got a Slytherin Secondary that is quite possibly sharper and more effective than Laney’s, and a Ravenclaw model and performance to cover it all up. He lives in the outer levels of his personality and doesn’t really like thinking of the rest.

Rupert is a Ravenclaw Primary as well, but his system’s all built: it’s Hufflepuff’s "every person is a person" morality; and it’s set out in the language of the Gryffindor world he was raised in and that he thinks he should live up to. He’s a Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff with a Ravenclaw model (lists! preparation!) and a Gryffindor performance (because he thinks he owes it to the world). His Gryff performance even fooled the author for awhile—I thought he might be a Gryff Primary until I got to know him better.

Sez is a Slytherin/Gryffindor and Sally-Anne is a Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff; Leaf and Red are both Gryffindor Primaries, though Leaf’s got a Gryffindor Secondary where Red has a Ravenclaw Secondary’s thoughtful, deliberate organization. Bart is a Gryffindor/Hufflepuff who is very, very tired; he performs Gryff as well.

[candle-jill]

Where can I drop all my HBO Barry season 3 predictions so I can look back later and see if I have anything right? Spoilers for 1-2 for sure - Potential spoilers for season 3

FIRST OF ALL Season Two

- Barry pinning (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞ Janice's murder on the Chechens is my favorite joke of the series and more people need to talk about it. Season Three - Inverse of season two expectations of Hank being sent back home... Cristobal is sent home for the annihilation at the monastery (shirtless dudes partying is him ruminating on his time with Hank) - possibly not sent home but still gets demoted Edit 4/9/2022: - I think whoever comes to take over for Cristobal brings in an army to retaliate against Hank (the SWAT looking dudes)

- Batir never takes over because he thinks Hank's monastery revenge plan was a huge success

- Hank comes up with a plan to get Cristobal back to America or in charge again - probably involves Barry and probably gets a lot of Chechens/Batir/Bolivians and the new leader killed - the donut eating scene is Barry burying Gene's body (which we'll possibly see in the first episode) but there might be misdirection about how Gene dies (Barry killing him vs. Gene killing himself) *possible time jumps or slow reveals until midseason or season finale when the full cut of what actually happened is shown *might be a fake-out of Gene working with police but there will be something (failed audition? lost part? lost pilot opportunity?) which is the last straw when he decides to give his gun "one last kiss"

- Gene has a direct confrontation with Barry and maybe he changes his mind about killing himself (thinks about his family), but Barry has to do it anyway

- Also, it's possible that Barry kills Gene's son instead (or threatens to if Gene goes to the police) - might lead to him having to kill them both - either way I think there's a set up for Gene's son to have a larger role this or next season

- Barry hitting his head in the trailer is at an audition which he's given (and lands) for a drama he was referred to by they casting director at the Swim Instructor's audition (à la The Skeleton Twins) - Barry starts to become more famous by the end of the season

Edit 4/9/22: - Ok, now I think this scene is a table read and he's rehearsing. He's already landed the role. In the background it looks like headshots with the cast's scenes broken down and color coded - it looks like Barry on the far right with the most scenes. The table looks like there are more people around it, just not in frame or in the room

- I think Barry might land Gene a part in either the film or TV show he gets cast, in and maybe it's enough to keep Gene quite/satisfied for a while - or maybe there's tension between them

Possible Fantasy/Dream Sequences From the Trailer - Sally on the red carpet (if not - the moment before, she's miserable and upset and then we cut to her acting happy and perfect) - Gene with his son and grandson - possibly Barry thinking about the consequences of his actions and what Gene doesn't have anymore (if not - Gene visiting his family before planning to kill himself, or Gene thinking about them the moment he kills himself which prompts him to change his mind - maybe Barry shows up to talk him out of suicide [maybe he finds a note or something] but then Gene confesses he knows about Barry killing Janice)

General Comments I can't tell if Gene's death is going to be the overarching story for season 3 or if they're going to show the audience in the first episode what really happens. Then the rest of the season would be a new format (son trying to figure out what happened and Sally finding out) I can't tell if Bill has gained weight or if it's a little extra padding, but I'm in love with explaining the continuity differences with Barry's weight by having him eat a donut in the trailer (food might be a coping mechanism of Barry's for having to kill Gene?). I can't tell if the first Barry and Gene meeting post-monastery was filmed the same time as season 2, if they filmed it during the rest of 3 and they CG'd him thinner, or if they padded Bill during the other parts of the show to make it look like he's thinner for that meeting.

Season Four

- probably the last season (maybe go until 5 but I'd bet that's the last)

- Sally finds out Barry is killing people at the end of season 3, possibly during the beginning of season 4

- Barry's fame level is doing.... something - he's more recognizable or there's something going on where he's pretty successful as an actor

- I have no idea if Barry will have to kill Sally, if Sally will get caught in the crossfire of Barry's life, or if she'll be the one who is responsible for Barry's demise

[newagesispage]

OCTOBER                           2021

 THE RIB PAGE

*****

We miss U Charlie Watts!!

*****

The Stones performed at a private party for Patriots owner Robert Kraft of all people. The test run looked like just that. Shark jumped. I am becoming disillusioned.

*****

SNL is back with Owen Wilson as first host of season 47. Kacey Musgraves is the musical guest. Episode 2 will have a ridic choice for host. Halsey will sing. I suppose $ is power with the Kardashians. I could think of about 10 million other people to host but more and more Lorne goes for the shiny object , what he THINKS people want instead of taking risk. Beck Bennett is out.

*****

Is everybody watching the Amber Ruffin Show?? I loved her before but now… I learn so much from her show. Sometimes it takes a comic to get to the real serious shit. For example: Have you heard of drowning towns? Towns like Oscarville, Kowaliga, York hill, Seneca Village, Prentiss and countless other black towns that were drowned out to make lakes for the local whites. Central Park was also made after a black community was erased from history. Development displacement? Alleyway dwelling authority? Even those rabid for history can find out new things everyday. Thanks Amber!!

*****

Bob Woodward and Robert Costa are finally giving us Peril !!!!!!  I’ve been waiting!!** I was in political nerd heaven on Sept. 24 when Yamiche hosted Robert, Bob and Weijia Jang on Washington Week. All of my favorite pundits all together at one table, my dream team!!

*****

Iman looked great at the Met Gala!! Other great looks belonged to AOC, Tessa Thompson, Maluma, Helen Lasichanb and Pharrell Williams. Gigi Hadid, Kiki Layne, Ashton Sanders, Hailee Steinfeld, Kehlani, Zoe Kravitz, Michaela Cole, Lili Reinhart, Kate Hudson and Shai Gilgeous- Alexander were great. Whoopi Goldberg seemed a bit off.

*****

Jason Isbell is back with his latest offering, Georgia Blue.

*****

I see a lot of Title Max type establishment are closing down. Are they a thing of the past? Let’s hope.

*****

Law and Order is coming back to NBC for season 21. Dick Wolf will own 2 entire nights of television. Some of the old cast is reported to be returning.

*****

Britney Spears Father was suspended as her conservator.

*****

Timothy Chalamet, Rowan Atkinson, Sally Hawkins and Olivia Coleman will star in Wonka.

*****

The 2022 Super Bowl halftime show will bring us Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar.

*****

People are doing test runs for school board positions to see if their political ideas will play well for the big leagues. If they don’t seem to work, at least they can sometimes change the rules in their own area.

*****

Joe Rogan got Covid.

*****

Lake Michigan beaches were closed down thanks to a US Steel plant chemical leak.

*****

Is this country the master of endless administrative work?  None of us should have been surprised at the red tape that the slowed down the end of the war in Afghanistan.** Uber donated 50k for rides and meals to the Afghans when they arrive.**And why do so many waste taxpayer $ on useless recounts and recalls when people need real help with food and healthcare? They must really hate humanity.

*****

R. Kelly was found guilty of 8 counts of sex trafficking and 1 count of racketeering.

*****

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. – Dwight D. Eisenhower

*****

Texas has put a law into effect to allow most Texans to carry open without permit or training.

*****

Texas has banned abortion at about 6 weeks. Uber and Lyft will pay drivers legal fees if sued under Texas abortion law. Lyft donated $1mil to Planned Parenthood. ** Look for the ruling in the Mississippi law over Roe V. Wade in June 2022.**Hear us roar!** BTW.. Go Jen Psaki!!!!!!!

*****

They seriously banned plastic straws and abortion before assault rifles? – Eden Dranger

*****

Please stop banning abortions, the last thing the world needs is more Americans. –Sarah Beattie

*****

Women don’t inseminate themselves. Vasectomies are reversible. Should every man have one until he’s deemed financially and emotionally fit to be a Father? – Bradley Whitford

*****

90 year old William Shatner will go to space for Blue Origin.

*****

The Q Anon Shaman pled guilty to a felony for obstructing the Electoral College proceedings. I say 20 years and a $250K fine.** 600 others have been indicted.

*****

Days Alert: The Beyond Salem thing was ridic but it was so great to see some old characters.  Days is so great at visiting old family. Who can resist Shane, Austin and Carrie, Billie and the old Kristen? I do wish that Peacock would get their kinks out!! Back to the real Days: Are we smelling an Emmy for Susan Seaforth Hayes and Bill?? ** Good to have Abigail back. It is always fun to wonder which actress and or personality it will be. ** Deidre Hall got her star on the walk of fame.**And just in time for Halloween, the Devil is making a comeback. The end of the year in Salem is always the best!! It is so brave to give the 96 year old man the old switcheroo into the Dark Lord.  It was fun to see the grandkids discover Grandma Marlena’s story. Delicious!! Hail Satan!!** It is past time for Tate and Teresa to come back to town. Brady needs to be put in his place. And thanks for the Philip and Chloe flashbacks!!

*****

The breakdown of the vaccinated: 90% of Atheists, 86% Hispanic Catholic, 84% Agnostic, 79% White Catholic, 73% White mainline protestant, 70% Black mainline protestant, 57% white evangelical. 1 in 500 Americans have died of Covid.

*****

So Mike Lindell and Jim Baker have teamed up to sell children’s Bible pillows.** Piers Morgan has returned to the Murdoch organization by joining Fox. That sounds about right.

*****

Please stop saying the vaccine does not have severe side effects, I took my shots and now I’m alive and have to keep working. –Mohand Eishieky

*****

In theatres Oct. 22: The French Dispatch.** October also brings us a new season of Curb your enthusiasm and Oct. 17 will catch us up on Succession. Whew!!!

*****

So people under conservatorship are not free to marry who they want? What?

*****

46% of Americans believe in ghosts.

*****

Simone Biles, Mckayla Maroney and Aly Rasiman testified at  the Senate judiciary hearing about the FBI’s handling of accusations against Larry Nassar and it was eye opening!

*****

We wanted a no -nonsense Dem who pushes on and does not puss out.  I am a bit surprised to see we have it. There are so many pressing issues that I hope Biden works a bit more on Haiti though.

*****

The National Police Act was passed to celebrate cops. Still no police reform.

*****

John Mulaney and Olivia Munn are going to have a baby.

*****

The Emmy’s were a little different this year with more of a Golden Globe look.  Cedric the Entertainer hosted with Reggie Watts as DJ. Lots of minority noms but barely a win. It was a white people night. Ted Lasso had a great night. Mare of Eastown took home a few with Evan Peters, Julianne Nicholson and Kate Winslet. Now, Kate is great but how did Anya Taylor- Joy not walk away with that? Queens Gambit did win a couple and gave the longest speech with the seemingly arrogant director Scott Frank who opened up 2 page acceptance. Categories were tough but I was routing for Renee Elise Goldberry and Bowen Yang but perhaps next year. The people in England who had their own party for all the statues that the Crown won seemed to be having more fun! Hacks won for writing and directing and Jean Smart!! It was nice to see the Norm Macdonald love which was barely mentioned by Lorne but celebrated by John Oliver. Colbert ‘s election night special won as did JB Smoove. Hamilton won and Debbie Allen got the big one. I do not understand why real singers and or musicians have to be there for the in Memoriam. It takes me out of it a bit and concentrates the focus on them. Do they think that people will pay attention more? Do they want to keep the home audience or live audience from the bathroom?  My best dressed were Anya Taylor-Joy, Michaela Cole who won for I may destroy you, Jean Smart, Josh O’Connor, Kathryn Hahn, Billy Porter, MJ Rodriguez, Keenan Thonpson, Leslie Odom Jr., Catherine O’Hara, Trevor Noah, Eugene Levy, Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys, Bowen Yang,  Anthony Anderson, Leslie Grossman, Amber Ruffin, Allyson Felix, Renee Elise Goldberry, Samira Wiley and Rege- Jean Page. My worst were Sarah Paulson, Gillian Anderson,  Beanie Feldstein, Elizabeth Olsen and Aidy Bryant. To me the best part of the show was the enthusiasm of Conan and the way he injected himself into much of the evening .He was the show.  Go Conan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*****

Next year there must be some Emmys for Sarah Paulson and Cobie Smulders in Impeachment!!!!!

*****

Oh Boy!! The Eyes of Tammy Faye!!

*****

Looking forward to the Electric Life of Louis Wain with Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy.

*****

Abba has a new album!!

*****

Shang Chi is the biggest Labor Day opening with a $71.4 mil opening.

*****

Sen. Amy Klobuchar has announced she has breast cancer.

*****

Is it the 70’s? A streaker ran past the studio of the Today show.

*****

Rascal Flatts Joe Don Rooney was arrested for DUI.** Nicholas Cage was thrown out of a prime rib pace in Vegas after being drunk and disorderly.

*****

Jennifer Eckhart has filed a lawsuit against former Fox news anchor Ed Henry for rape and retaliation after allegedly being handcuffed and beaten.

*****

Scarlett Johansson has settled her Disney lawsuit.

*****

Pete Buttigieg and Chasten had twins they named Penelope Rose and Joseph August.

*****

I noticed a commercial for Dancing with the Stars. Are we onto the E list because I have heard of hardly any of these people. ‘Stars’is really stretching it. And as I post this I see there are some covid issues there as well.

*****

Virgin River was renewed for 2 more seasons.

*****

Trevor Noah is right? Why do they stop giving lollipops to adults at the doctor?

*****

Jon Stewart is back on Apple tv with ‘The problem with Jon Stewart.

*****

Brooklyn 99 had about the best finale (other than Newhart) that I can recall. I had my fingers crossed that Chelsea would be back. Will they honor us like they did in the show and come back for a special about once a year? That would be fucking awesome!!

*****

Don’t expect compliments from an insecure person.- Mr. Pickles

*****

Thousands and thousands of people are in need. Haitian refugees and other immigrants have seen nothing like this what with assassination, a hurricane and earthquake. The Southern border is a mess.** Why does Fox news keep telling refugees the border is open as they sit back and laugh at Biden’s predicament.  Spreading false info to intentionally hurt poor, distressed people has no end for them.

*****

Do companies know how fucked up their employment websites are? It is true that some people do not want to work. It is true that people schedule interviews and don’t show up. It is also true that companies have made it so hard to apply that many can’t. I suppose it is easier for them but the poor who may really want to work have a hard time. Paper applications are almost completely gone. The old fashioned way of walking into low paying job sites and finding a connection with a manager rarely exist. Some places only accept texts or have long ridiculous psych tests that a working Mother may not have time for. A Father working many hours already, may not be able to go to the library to get online if they cannot afford a computer. Many websites tell you that there no positions available in your area while there is a huge sign in front of the establishment. Can’t find people to work.. Gee I wonder why?? And treat people with respect once you find them, how about that?

*****

Keep your head up in failure, and your head down in success. –Jerry Seinfeld

*****

Hey.. There was a van air B’n B biz going that got busted. Hey.. The poor need vaca’s too. It is wrong but If they are willing to sleep in a van, why not. I truly think that many do not understand how much people are struggling.

*****

Free coffee day came and went but only a few places really gave you free coffee without rules to govern the promo. Some places wanted to sell you something else and some made you belong to their club. Starbucks held that customers had to come inside for the free cup of Joe, handicapped or not.

*****

One would think the Republicans would run out of $ for recounts but they have deep pockets. Just think how much good they could do for the huddled masses with that scratch.

*****

Sad to lose Mick Brigden, protégé of Bill Graham who managed The Stones and worked with Frampton, Dylan and Santana.** And the comics were very vocal about the loss of Norm Macdonald. He was one of a kind and he will be missed!

*****

R.I.P. Ruth Marx, Lee Scratch Perry, Willard Scott, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Isadore Bleckman, George Wein, Michael K. William,George Holliday, Anthony Johnson,  Basil Hoffman, Al Harrington,Willie Garson, Mick Brigden, Tommy Kirk and Norm Macdonald.

[lazyliars]

If you're still doing character breakdowns- Wilbur and/or Ghostbur? :)

How I feel about this character

c!Wilbur is my og favorite. The drug van stream was the first one I watched on the SMP, from Sapnap’s perspective, and was also my first introduction to Wilbur as a cc - needless to say, he won my heart IMMEDIATELY.

So. Wilbur is one of the most tragically misremembered characters in the entire cast. It’s honestly kind of a beautiful genius how skewed the narrative about him has become, considering how his story was entwined with a certain musical; he is literally now the “villain in their history.”

But early Wilbur wasn’t Burr - he was the Washington to Tommy’s Hamilton, the calming presence in a sea of uncertainty, and the voice of change in a status quo that didn’t favor him and his people.

Wilbur’s early values centered around Peace. While his first endeavors were an attempt at creating a drug empire, the speed at which things changed when Sapnap and Tubbo played cops and threatened him and Tommy was blinding - the character he played switched from a semi-corrupt drug dealer to a noble-minded leader in barely an hour, but progression was clear - the catalyst for change, for L’manberg, was a desire to make things fair for himself, and for Tommy.

He wasn’t a flawless leader even back then, not by any standards, but his men followed him because they believed in him, and they believed in what they were all creating together.

And the idea that they, a group of underdogs, could possibly challenge the ruling powers of the time? That they could challenge tyrants?

That was what Wilbur fostered. That was one of the founding principles of L’manberg.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Sally the Salmon. Next question.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

I think that Wilbur and Eret’s relationship is criminally underrated. It’s hard to remember now, but pre-betrayal? Eret and Wilbur were friends. Eret was someone who Wilbur trusted to be responsible when he couldn’t trust the same the other, more immature members of L’manberg.

And listen, for the people who started watching later down the line, I’m sure that Eret is someone you probably know as being defined by his title as ‘traitor,’ but I cannot convey just how unbelievable it was at the time. Literally no one, NO ONE suspected Eret, it took everyone by surprise, cc and audience alike. Eret was L’manberg’s rock, one of it’s workhorses along with Tubbo, it’s cool, chilled out emotional support, one of it’s founders!

And Eret’s betrayal hit no one harder than it did Wilbur. The blame for allowing it to happen, the inability to fully trust another person with his burdens?

I truly believe that the betrayal dealt an early blow to the foundations of Wilbur’s mental health that he never truly recovered from, and which would ultimately be the flaw in the structure that caused everything to come falling down around him when the weight of the elections and exile was placed on him.

If Wilbur’s ability to trust had remained intact, I don’t think the Pogtopia arc would have played out in the dark way that it did. The clearest example of this is the button room, and Wilbur’s last(ish) words, echoing Eret’s: ��It was never meant to be.”

(and none of this is fully on Eret’s shoulders, either. cc!Eret described their character as “one of the earliest victims of Dream’s manipulations” and beyond that, c!Wilbur is still ultimately the one responsible for his own actions, regardless of how he was hurt. But I do think that the way that Eret’s betrayal fractured Wilbur is an under appreciated moment for the both of them, as it is the core of Wilbur’s final arc and it fuels Eret’s desire for redemption, as they want to make up for the way that they damaged things.)

My unpopular opinion about this character

Ghostbur was a weak character up until his involvement in Doomsday.

There, I said it! I’m sorry!!!!

...This opinion comes mostly from my own wish at the time for Alivebur/Deadbur/whatever to, like, face up to his mistakes and failings, and how Ghostbur just was not there to do that. He was fundamentally not a continuation of the character I was invested in, and even as an individual character on his own I think that a lot of his additions to the story weren’t played out as strongly as they could’ve been.

I think a good portion of this is for meta reasons, as cc!Wilbur just wasn’t active on the SMP as much at that point, and had said as much was going to happen, I just personally wish he had done things differently/only gotten on the server to chill with people non-canonically.

And then that aaaaaaaall changed in the aftermath of Doomsday, my abhorred. Ghostbur is one of the highlights of that event, he pulls some of the most disparate narrative conflicts back together to create something coherent and utilizes his role as a very minor character to drastic advantage by displaying the cost of the “ends justify the means” mentality that was a “focal point” of the conflict, focal being used loosely here because the narrative was so all over the place that it’s difficult to pick out singular parts to focus on.

Since then Ghostbur has been a more platable character for me, as it gave him what I as a viewer personally consider necessary to fully enjoy and be drawn in by a character: a character motivation. Ghostbur wanted to be resurrected.

He’s fallen off again in terms of activety, and that goal has changed a little, but ultimately the character revelations that Doomsday gave us still make him a “good character” to me.

^^^The criticism here is all on a very subjective level, and I hope it goes without saying that it is truly just my opinion... my, unpopular opinion.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I will be real, I am such a fan of the Eldritch Wilbur theory/interpretation/whatever. Essentially, the idea that Wilbur will be revived and become a worldwide, existential threat due to having stewed in the vast emptiness of the afterlife.

Now, my initial reaction was very skeptical, as I am very interested in a Wilbur who comes back and regrets what he’s done, rebukes his own “villain arc” so to speak.

However, I am also enamored with the idea that the Afterlife changes you. That the time you spend there can warp you into a facsimile of yourself - if you stare into the void long enough, it will stare back.

I also think that there is a thematic draw to the idea of facing Wilbur as an antagonist again, especially for the OG L’manbergians. He is, in a lot of ways, their greatest failure.

I think what that means is different to each of them; To Tommy, he failed to save Wilbur from himself, to prove to him that it really wasn’t too late to take it back; To Tubbo, he failed to be Wilbur, to be president, to fit those shoes and make him proud. To Fundy, he failed to get what he wanted from his relationship with Wilbur, to find a time where the affection and love was going both ways; To Eret, well, It’s obvious.

So if Wilbur is coming back as an antagonist, I want those four to be the ones to fight him. I want them to prove him wrong. I want them to be better than him. I want them to reach out. I want them to tell him what he always needed to hear, and I need it to be true: “It was always meant to be.”

I want them to prove to Wilbur wrong, that he is right for this server; I need them to succeed this time, and save him.

[bobbyshaddoe80]

Liberated Audio Reviews

Blake's 7 - The Liberator Chronicles Vol. 6

RELEASED OCTOBER 2013

Recorded on: 2, 10 and 30 October and 13 December 2012

Recorded at: Moat Studios

Review By Robert L. Torres

Incentive by Peter Anghelides

'The Liberator crew are recovering from a Galactic War and searching for their lost members Blake and Jenna. But it’s a search that leads them into terrible danger…'

Because this story marks the return of Steven Pacey to the role of Del Tarrant, I think it is best that I get my views on the character out of my system before getting to the rest of the review.

Honestly.... Out of the main characters that have come and gone on the show during its four season run, there are two that I do not count as my favorites.

The first is Soolin, largely due to how bland and one note the character was compared to the character she was brought on to replace in Series D... Cally.

The other character is Del Tarrant, and I shall endeavor to explain why I dislike him despite Steven Pacey's fine performance.

From the first moment he appeared on the show, there was something about him that just rubbed me the wrong way. For years I knew it was the character himself that seemed like the problem... But I could never work out why.

This story finally brought to light why I disliked Tarrant's character. He was a young, cocky, hot shot with loyalties only to himself... Basically a less charming and less endearing version of Star Lord. He was impatient, brash, and only seemed to be throwing in his lot with the resistance for no other reason than for fame and glory.

In addition, Tarrant seemed to go out of his way to get under everyone's skin (or rather just Avon's), and always bristled under Avon's command.

I understand that with Gareth Thomas having left the series, they needed to create a new character to go up against Avon on the decision making, much in the same way Avon used to butt heads with Blake. Except the dynamic between Avon and Tarrant, from what I remember, was different and far more antagonistic than it was between Blake and Avon. Avon was an Alpha dog, but Tarrant was also an Alpha dog. This is probably why most of their disagreements, from what I remember, tended to come across like dick wagging contests.

It has been a while since I saw the series proper, but there are only two things of any significance regarding Tarrant that I remember. The first was the Series C episode 'Death Watch', which I think involved his twin brother Deeta. The other was the episode 'Sand' from Series D, which involved him and Servalan being trapped on a planet together... Having conjugal relations.

While the character of Del Tarrant isn't my favorite, Anghelides does a pretty good job of at least attempting to shed a bit of light on his character. This is accomplished by focusing on his desperate desire to stand out from the crowd and make a name for himself on par with the legendary Blake and Jenna.

The story begins not long after Tarrant and Dayna have officially joined the crew. During their latest attempt to locate Blake and Jenna, Tarrant and Avon are captured and interrogated while strapped to an electro-shock lie detector. This dual focused narrative split is in itself a pretty interesting dig at unreliable narratives, especially given that both Tarrant and Avon receive electro shocks whenever they aren't being completely truthful in their recollections.

By the way, kudos to Adrian Lukis for his exquisite portrayal of Interrogator Bracheeni. The scenes that featured him interacting with Tarrant and Avon were actually some of the best parts of the story. The revelation of who and what Bracheeni is added a great deal to the narrative, especially in providing an explanation as to why the Liberator crew had to abandon the search for Blake and Jenna.

All things considered, it is nice to get an actual in-universe explanation as opposed to what actually happened: the plot thread being dropped without explanation, forcing viewers to accept the fact that Blake and Jenna weren't coming back... Ever.

While there are some interesting ideas and set ups featured in the story, the narrated recollections are not really that engaging. In addition, my problem with this story is the same problem I had with Volume Three's 'Armageddon Storm'. Its a narrated story that should have been done as a full cast audio.

Final Score: 6 out of 10 Plasma Bolts

As it stands, this story does its job of filling an hour and retroactively provides answers to lingering questions, thus making it essential. However, this is marred by being an uneven story that is only half engaging.

Jenna's Story by Steve Lyons

'Jenna's story is finally told - from her escape from the Liberator during the Galactic War, to her determination to continue the fight against the Federation alone… with the odds stacked against her.'

When Big Finish Productions obtained the rights to produce new stories set within Series A through C of Blake's 7, this not only opened up story avenues to provide greater focus stories for many of its characters, but also an opportunity to fill in a couple of gaps in the narrative.

While 'Incentive' was an uneven story, it still managed to do what the show itself was unable or unwilling to do at the time: explain why the Liberator crew abandoned their search for Blake and Jenna.

Answering lingering questions seems to be this boxset's central theme as the next two stories are focused on what happened to the characters that literally jumped ship at the end of Series B, Jenna and Blake.

According to dialogue spoken by Cally in early Series C, it was always assumed that Jenna was with Blake when they abandoned ship during the Galactic War. It was also naturally assumed that Jenna had been with Blake the whole time during Series C and D.

Turns out that wasn't the case at all... Which actually works to the benefit of this story and the next.

Here, Jenna recounts how she spent her time surviving and fighting during the events of Series C and leading into Series D. It provides Sally Knyvette with great material and also serves as a reminder of what made me, personally, fall out of love with the series during Series D... Particularly with the way the series ended.

Let me be clear, as much I personally didn't like not having Blake and Jenna around on the show anymore, Steve Lyons managed to craft an exceptional Jenna-centric story that absolutely had to be told. This story, as well as the next one, managed to do a much better job implementing the central themes of what was meant to be on display during Series C and particularly during Series D: how the crusade that Blake started with hope and optimism slowly but surely devolved into cynicism, suspicion, self-interest and ultimately self-destruction.

This is highlighted well during Jenna's dealings with Correll, played by John Banks, and his disrespectfully dismissive attitude towards people with 'noble causes', his derogatory disbelief in 'heroes', as well as his overriding, self-serving self-interest.

Kudos to Banks for portraying someone that's basically an unlikeable, selfish jerk without becoming despicable.

The crux and climax of the story is based on a line of dialogue Blake tells Tarrant during the series finale regarding Jenna's ultimate fate. While the moment itself is thrilling and well executed, I had hoped that it was a lie as part of Blake's test or something. Still, what was crafted here is suitably tragic as it showcases the depths of Jenna's devotion, and even her love, for Blake.

The ultimate tragedy being that, in the end, she never did get to tell Blake how she felt about him... and how much he meant to her.

Final Score: 10 out of 10 Plasma Bolts

A superbly satisfying sendoff and sublime swansong for Sally's Stannis!

Blake's Story by Mark Wright and Cavan Scott

'Blake's story is finally told - from his escape from the Liberator during the Galactic War, to his new life as a troubled, scarred man on a distant rebel world…'

Before getting into the review, I have to state that while I understand the reasons why Gareth Thomas and Sally Knyvette left the show at the end of Series B, it is my opinion that the show lost quite a bit of its inherent identity once Blake and Jenna were gone.

While many contend that promoting the late Paul Darrow to lead actor was the creative booster shot the show needed, there is a reason the show was still called Blake's 7 and not Avon's 7.

No matter who is given the spotlight and focus, Blake's presence is still very embedded within the show's DNA. Despite his absence, Blake's influence is still keenly felt by those that inhabit this fictional universe... Both directly and indirectly.

While the storytelling avenues may have opened up for the rest of the cast, the audience would still inevitably wonder, 'Where the hell is Blake? When is he coming back?' Largely because the audience was still interested in seeing Blake's story continue.

Both Gareth Thomas and Chris Boucher no doubt understood this to be absolutely true. As long as the Roj Blake character remained alive, but missing from a show that bared his character's name, then Gareth Thomas would not have been able to truly move forward in his career.

Which is why its no surprise that the most memorable moment in the entire series came about at Thomas' insistence.

But this isn't about how Blake's story ends... Its about the circumstances Blake experienced during Series C and D that led to his ultimate fate on Gauda Prime. And I am pleased to say that Wright and Scott do an excellent job filling in the blanks of Blake's journey.

From landing on the planet Epheron in his escape pod, to attempting to reunite with the Liberator (which includes Blake visiting the planet Shorlan post-Armageddon Storm), to being captured, tortured and accused of treachery by the Resistance (thus explaining the scar over his eye he displayed in the series finale), its all presented here brilliantly. I also appreciate how engaging these moments are, and aren't treated as plot points to check off.

The late Gareth Thomas really did a great job with this material, displaying the same charisma and intensity he had shown throughout his tenure on the show, which is doubly unfortunate that he had opted out after Series B.

The framing device utilized for Blake recounting events is brilliant, and the twist reveal is actually rather clever... If a little unsurprising. However, it serves the narrative well as it goes to the heart of the tragic and ironic inevitability that lies ahead for Blake, particularly in his connection to Avon.

Despite their disagreements and opposing ideals... And no matter how often Avon secretly wished to be rid of Blake... They still needed each other.

It often reminds me of why the Doctor chooses to travel with companions, the companions keep the Doctor grounded and keep the Doctor from going too far for the sake of selfish self interest and so on.

While neither one would ever admit it, Blake and Avon had the ability to keep each other in check. And even though Blake said at the end of 'Star One' and even near the end of this story that he always trusted Avon... Its only with the benefit of hindsight do we question whether or not that trust was warranted.

Final Score: 10 out of 10 Plasma Bolts

A truly satisfying sendoff for the original star of the show.

Final score for Volume 6 of the Liberator Chronicles, in its entirety, is 8 out of 10 Plasma Bolts.

This is an essential set of stories for longtime fans. Even though there are six more boxsets of stories left in the range, if the Liberator Chronicles audio range ended here, it would have ended on a major high note.

As an aside, while the next six boxsets have produced some outstanding stories, I personally feel that both 'Jenna's Story' and 'Blake's Story' should have been the stories utilized as the finale for the Liberator Chronicles range overall.

-----------------------------------------------------

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