#my friends are all guessing it might be big lore time this Saturday

[funkii4-blog]

Surprised more ppl aren’t talking about the unexplained lack of episode today, like does it mean something within the story orrrr

Like think about it since the last crew episode Mario’s been missing entirely and next installment of the side series that always focuses on him just straight up didn’t happen. Is he missing from the Showgrounds in the main series too? Where is he bro

[miketownsends]

i found blaseball in season 3.

the very end of season 3, and i remember i only found it because one of the NITW creators tweeted something along the lines of “ok i’ll bite what’s blaseball” and i went “what IS blaseball?” and i Googled it and suddenly there i was

i picked the Garages because i always have been and always will be a Seattlite at heart - i remember briefly deliberating over the Tacos (who were just the LA Tacos at the time!) and a couple other teams, but the Seattle pull was too strong

i remember that i joined either very late on Saturday or very early on Sunday - it was post the s3 finals because i remember seeing the Tigers as the s3 champions, but it was pre-election because i remember casting my lone vote for Eat the Rich

but this was RIGHT before the first siesta, and i had no idea what the timeline of a season looked like, and i went “well i guess i’ll check back in later” and then basically completely forgot about it for the next couple weeks and might’ve forgotten forever if i hadn’t seen another tweet from someone when it came back.

i remember watching my very first game on the bus to work. i think i must’ve missed the first day of games, i think it must’ve been a Tuesday, because i caught the bus at like 7am and i remember seasons not starting until 8am on Mondays. i watched the Garages play the Crabs (Garages lost). i remember falling in love with Avila Guzman and Allison Abbott and Malik Destiny (pre-catboyification!) based on nothing but vibes because i didn’t know anything about blaseball lore, i didn’t even know blaseball HAD lore. i think i found the Discord later that day, and i remember the Avila-Farrell feedback happening right around the time i joined the Discord.

i got my best friend into it at the same time and it turned into a hyperfixation for both of us. i remember sitting in their living room watching the finals for s4 while our partners sat by slightly befuddled by this thing that had suddenly taken over our lives.

i moved a couple hours away for grad school at the beginning of Sept 2020 and it was possibly the most miserable time of my life. i was lucky enough to be with family at least, but i was away from my now-husband and because of COVID everything was online and i am NOT a person who does well with online courses - when i had applied in fall of 2019 i had obviously assumed everything would be in-person. i had multiple meltdowns the first few months and blaseball was often the only bright spot.

the Jaylen necromancy, oh man. i remember when i first started looking up our lore and went “i missed out on a player named Jaylen Hotdogfingers????” she loomed so large over the Garages those first few seasons. her death kind of set the tone for us, especially as we kept losing players - every team wanted to fight the gods, but it felt so viscerally PERSONAL. and then one day i opened the website and saw her on the idol board with the little flaming skull next to her name.

i cannot even begin to describe the chaos i walked into when i opened the Discord and went to the Garages channel. it was just something you had to be there for. i was IMMEDIATELY team necromancy, because what was blaseball all about if not slamming big red buttons? and i figured if we didn’t, someone else would, so it might as well be us. a lot of folks felt the same. some didn’t. my mom called me at one point and asked me why i was talking about necromancy on Twitter. the Garages, obviously, decided to go for it. we had to try.

and at the same time, the Garages, somehow, were finally becoming a decent team. we made the playoffs for the first time in season 6. Jaylen’s final words, as per lore, were “we’ve just gotta make it to the playoffs.” we swept the Pies and Tigers - both former 2 time champions - to get to the finals. Mike Townsend, he who lived always in Jaylen’s shadow, threw out the first pitch of the first game of the finals. the Crabs swept us but we didn’t care. we had made it to the playoffs. we could do ANYTHING. we could bring our star pitcher back. and we did.

god, i’m just telling stories now, but to be fair blaseball is nothing BUT stories. i remember i spent a lot of that weekend in bed sleeping and crying because i was so depressed, but i pulled myself out of it enough to watch the election results roll in. to see Jaylen come home. to see Mike truly relegated to Jaylen’s shadow.

on Ruby Tuesday i was busy trying to unpack my room with my mom’s help. i took a break to check in on blaseball. games weren’t running even though they should’ve been. i scrolled through the game feed until i hit the Tigers-Moist Talkers game and realized just what we’d done, what Jaylen’s debt truly meant.

i didn’t always remember to watch the playoffs if the Garages weren’t in them, but i was watching when the Shoe Thieves reverse-swept the Crabs and were launched into a boss battle. Jaylen pitching against the puppets of a God. (the results of the Snackrifice.)

i cried when Jaylen went back to the Hall, even though i was sure her story wasn’t done. (and it wasn’t.)

the s11 finals between the Beams and Garages was one of the most emotionally draining things i’ve ever been through. we KNEW the Beams had us beat but the Sun 2/Black Hole shenanigans kept us holding on. i cried when we finally lost. and then the Keepers opened up the eternal concert in the Discord, and for hours there were hundreds of us packed in there, listening to Garages songs that sounded like you were hearing them played at a dive bar down the street because the quality was so bad and “singing” along, and eventually Get Normal came up, and everyone had been waiting for it, and. i don’t know. god, i cried so much. something about that moment of connection. something about the closest to a concert i’d experienced in a year. something about knowing it was the literal end of an era.

i don’t even know where to start with expansion. yeah it was an exhausting mess. my hyperfixation fucking LOVED it. i may have to do an expansion era retrospective/ramble separately because this is already too damn long, and expansion was SO much. for now i’ll just say that i will carry the way the Garages handled the final season of expansion with me for the rest of my life. it was so… poignant. watching us cling to our philosophy of “the Garage is always open” even though we KNEW we were inviting our own potential destruction through the door. choosing containment because we refused to save ourselves at the expense of the league but we could at least make sure the damage started and ended with us. making a beeline for the Hall because at the end of it we just wanted to go see our friends one more time.

i’ve mentioned this before, but when we melted the Coin i was at a minor league baseball game. it was the first game i had been to in probably four or five years and it was the first time i can remember actively CARING about baseball as an adult. i work for that minor league team now and i absolutely would not be doing that if not for blaseball.

god. i’m so, so sad. i will miss blaseball for the rest of my life. what a weird little piece of the internet i was blessed to partake in.

[blackcherrykiss]

BLOOD BOUNDARIES - Enhypen OT7 Fanfic (ch.5)

[CH.1] [CH.2] [CH.3] [CH.4]  previous chapters

[CH.6] next chapter (now available!)

genre: vampire au, romance, drama, mystery, thriller

note: written inspired by enhypen's storyline, given-taken lyrics & teasers. please keep in mind all members are apart of this fanfic and the main theme is mystery/drama!

P.S Niki and Sunoo's roles become bigger in later chapters :) sorry I took 2 weeks to update. School + new enhypen teasers made me alter the story now jesus their lore is confusingly interesting. Didn't proofread half of this chapter LOL. Happy readings <3

"Well now that everyone is here, I'd like to announce we have a new student who just transferred here." Your eyes were immediately drawn to the student's platinum blonde hair. Despite his sharp and charismatic face, his eyes were delicate and innocent. He had an exceptionally small face and a sunkissed skin tone. The new student snapped himself around so that the entire classroom got a good look at him, "Hello, my name is Park Jongseong or Jay, call me whatever you feel." He bowed slightly, his voice having a cool ring that played over in your head.

"Everybody please welcome Jay to our astronomy class. Lend him any of our previous notes because midterms are coming up and I'd appreciate as a teacher if you guys helped him catch up before our long weekend coming up in two weeks." Your teacher gave a warm smile, nodding in such a way that made the rest of the class nod with her.

Without a student saying a word, everyone's eyes followed him as he took a seat at a desk a couple of rows in front of you.

You stared at him tirelessly, barely listening as your teacher rambled off-topic. You noticed Jay often stared out at the crying sky that occasionally flickered with lightning. His eyes focused intently on the woods. You were sure you weren't the only one who was interested in the new boy as you frequently caught other students glancing over at him every few seconds. Jay carried an attractive and dark aura that clearly contrasted from the crowd. Both girls and boys stared at him not because of his pretty face but because he was far different from the new students who had joined your school mid-semester.

The class flew by for you because of Jay until a simple but intriguing question was purposed by the teacher, "Bonus marks today if anyone can guess when the next full moon is." she lifted her eyes off the projector for a few moments, waiting for answers to come sailing.

"Saturday?" Somebody from the front called out, followed by numerous answers that ranged between the second week to the fourth week of the month.

"Come on now. Don't blurt out, give others chances to guess. Jay why don't you guess?" Your teacher questioned welcomingly, expecting no answer from him.

He leaned back in his chair, scraping the non-writing end of his ballpen on his thumb, "November 30." A gentle sound of thunder playing perfectly when he said the answer; like some sort of scene out of a comic.

"Ding ding ding!" Your teacher switched to a PowerPoint slide with the new unit name bolded, "I know this isn't part of the curriculum but I got it approved by the head of the school." She took a breath, giving students time to comprehend what was presented in front of them. "Our next unit will be looking deeper at the moon. More specifically, we'll be looking at both the sciency and non-sciency sides of this topic. And before anyone asks; no, you don't need to believe in astrology or superstitions to understand the non-sciency material. It's just very fascinating because it connects to many cultures." Your attention was now far away from Jay. You were enthusiastic about a topic for once in the class.

"And looks like we're running out of time." Your teacher's wrist clock blocking her eyes. "That's it for today's class everyone! I'll have your projects marked for next class, I promise! Have a good day." She said while shutting off the projector.

You slid all your handouts into your binder, not bothering to align the three-hole punches of the papers to their designated rings.

"Y/N before you go, do you mind helping out Jay? Today or tomorrow?" Your teacher stopped you on your way out.

"Like lend him my notes?"

"Yep! I just forgot to ask but he just left so you might be able to catch up to him. Maybe ask if he's got the notes yet."

You waved your goodbyes and chased the new boy down, his uniquely blonde hair standing out from the hallway of heads. You picked up the pace to catch up with his swift steps when you caught him chatting with Sunghoon and Jaeyun. Your feet froze straight down in their place.

Were they new friends? Or perhaps they were old friends?

You weren't going to bother talking to Jay as you already knew what kind of funny business would come up if you did. You could only watch them swing and lean their arms against each other in a close and friendly way. The picture was becoming more and more clear to you as to what kind of association Jay had with Sunghoon and Jaeyun perhaps even Heeseung, Sunoo or Jungwon.

...

You throw yourself violently over your thick mattress after finishing a long study and homework session at your dorm. The session wasn't productive but the time you spent surrounded by your schoolwork made it feel that way. Your dorm was awfully quiet that afternoon as your dormmates had music rehearsals for their extracurriculars. Nana had told you to come by the music rooms around a quarter past five when their practice was over to go down to the dining hall and have dinner but you couldn't think of a way to kill your remaining hour alone.

Phones were forbidden in your school and you often felt uncontrollably alone and bored with your thoughts during your free time. You could only lay tangled in your bed with your half progressed work in the corner of your eye. You shift on one side to watch your wide-open binder until you got some burst of motivation to finish studying until an idea hits you.

After eyeing your handouts from your astronomy class, you decide to hit the library and do some reading to get a little advanced in the class. Sure you could study for your other class but the sudden idea was far more worth your time in your mind. You quickly twirl out of your room, clearing your desk while you're at it. Excitedly, you hop into your shoes and head straight for the library. You were put in a good mood as you skipped along the long journey to the bookhouse.

The library was moderately packed as you don't bother to recognize any faces there. You get deja vu as you trail the same path you did when Sunghoon and Kyungeun were around. Sliding between the thin space between the bookshelves once again, you search for the section related to the moon, feeling dizzy at the sight of books your school owned. You could've made your life easier by asking the librarian but you were confident you could find it on your own. You move up and down the aisles as you catch a glimpse of theoretical and astrology related books that sit next to a couple of history books.

Backing up, you awkwardly bend your knees forward to get a better look at the small selection of books under the genre. You peel a random book spine out from its tight spot as if it had never been taken out before. You dust off the book a bit, reading the wordless cover and open it to check if it was really related to any sort of astronomy as you find a much stranger subject being discussed.

"Finding everything alright?" The librarian comes by, pushing a kart from the other end of the shelves. "I-I'm looking for books related to the moon." You say, standing up and forgetting you still had the old book in hand.

"The scientific information is just on the other side of this shelf but the section you were just looking at has some interesting stuff that might be related." The librarian stuffed herself in between the shelves to get toward you.

"Yeah, I noticed... This book I just picked up was talking about vampires." You laugh a little as you hold it up.

"Ah, that book..." She paused, snatching the book out of your hands to examine it, "I read this before... It relates to astrology. I think there are some parts of the book that go into detail about the moon, you should give it a read."

"Is this book just theoretical research about vampires though?" You were unconvinced with the idea.

"Yeah, real or not, our school grounds and the neighbouring town are talked about in the book. Apparently many years ago this place used to be a hotspot for vampires."  She looked you dead in the eyes.

"Do you think the information is true?" You questioned with deep curiosity upon her answer.

"Some information in there is haunting. I think vampires did exist." She said with some sort of distress beginning to seep into her face.

Shivers ran down your spine, if she was just trying to sell you the book, it was working damn well on you.

"I'll leave you be, no need to sign out the book, nobody ever takes it out so I trust you'll return it." And with that said, she left you cold with mystery as the book between your fingers stared at you with big round eyes.

You shake back to reality, checking your wrist just to find out your time has vanished. You shift your priorities to getting to the music department, throwing the book into your bag without much thought.

...

The sun was already going down around the afternoon as the days got shorter with autumn blossoming. You're standing between rooms full of beautiful voices and instruments, peering through every window attached to a door in an attempt to find your roommates. The issue was the widows didn't give much of a view as to who was in the rooms. But your ears were drawn to a gentle piano that played a bittersweet melody beneath the louder sounds of people singing in a harmonious glee. As you move in the forward direction of the hallway, the piano gets clearer to your ears. It became clear that the sound was coming out of a room with its door wide open. Your back attached it to the wall in fear of being seen as slide yourself until you meet the spine of the door where you could see into the shadowy room.

Your eyes lit up when they see a familiar platinum blondie behind the keys. The melody was enchanting and was played in such a personal way as the sounds escaped into the noisy environment where it hoped to go unheard. Jay had reached the final notes of his song as he turned his head in your direction. It was as if he knew of your present from the moment you started watching him from the doorway.

[10moonymhrivertam]

Okay, um, this is a little darker than expected. I have a hurt/comfort chapter planned?

This is a sequel to @mediocrity-at-best ‘s post @roseof-alltrades3

Includes cursing. Message for other warnings (not including them here for suspense reasons)

<hr>

“Virgil, it’s 4 AM.” Patton’s voice was thick with sleep. Virgil peeked over the top of his laptop to see him rubbing his eyes.

“Sorry.”

“No, don’t gotta apologize...” Patton shuffled across the living room of the suite to the sink, grabbing a glass at random and filling it. “You okay, kiddo? Usually you’re in bed by two.”

Virgil smiled sheepishly as Patton chugged his water.. “I found a mythology blog for the school. Places people are convinced there are fairies or ghosts or demons.”

“Oh yeah?” Patton wandered over to the couch, laying down with his head just barely in Virgil’s personal space. Virgil allowed it, and Pat threw his arm over his eyes to shield them from the light of the computer, but turned his head so his ear was pointed up at Virgil.

“Yeah. Demon in the basement of the engineering building - that one’s probably fake; couple people absolutely convinced this guy in environmental science is a changeling - this list is hilarious, I guess they caught him eating acorns once; ghost in the theater: you know that one, she overdosed in the costume deck; stuff that might be the ghost of this guy that went missing with enough blood in his place to send him to the emergency room, but they never found him alive or dead; poltergeist down on Auburn Street in that one abandoned house. That one’s got some good stories.”

“Stories ‘bout Lisa are good,” Patton protest sleepily. Roman had already passed them a few stories of unexplained equipment movement in the theater. Virgil tried not to roll his eyes too badly.

“Yeah, but theater geeks are superstitious most of the time. There are some skeptics on here that have had encounters with the poltergeist.”

“What kind?”

“So there’s this one alum on here from, like, fifteen years ago,” Virgil began. “First story anyone can find. So twenty years ago someone did actually live in the house, and this sophomore always passed by the house between their apartment and the school, right? And one day in Spring semester, they realized the mail had been piling up, big time. So on their way back from school, they went and knocked - didn’t get an answer. But they didn’t know the guy well enough to be worried or anything, so they left. But they made a habit of knocking. And one day they told some friends about it, and they were like ‘well, if it’s empty, it’d be a great place for a party’, and he was like ‘but he looks like a get off my lawn type’ - on his post he said, “if Monster House had been out at the time I might even have thought of Nebbercracker, especially with what happened next”.”

“Well, what happened next?”

“His friends ignored him.”

“Of course.”

“So, they went to throw a party - made their way to the back door and broke in through there. All sorts of weird shit immediate started going down - basement door rattled, but none of them could get it open. Lights got wonky, TV turned itself on. Basically everything short of the house coming alive. They booked it out of there. But there are more stories, especially when it got clear the place was empty. People going there to smoke and getting mugs thrown across the room at them, people going to explore and not much happening to them unless they tried to find a way into the basement. People trying to throw parties - and the poltergeist really hates that one, it looks like. Hates it more the more people try it.”

Patton hummed a sleepy acknowledgement, and Virgil laughed and nudged him.

“Hey, if you fall asleep on me, I’ll just wake you up in half an hour when I get through these poltergeist stories. You go and sleep.”

“Mm...’kay. Please don’t stay up too late?”

“I won’t,” Virgil promised.

<hr>

Virgil burst from his room, leading with his camcorder. It was cheap, but better quality than a phone camera, and he had a tripod for it. Roman and Patton looked up from the breakfast table. They were still in their pajamas. Roman squawked and started to get up.

“And they’re going to help!”

“Help with what?” Roman half-snarled.

“My first investigative video for Parano-Virgil-ant.” Virgil kept the camera rolling, but mentally planned to cut it there, looking over the top of it instead of through the viewfinder.

“You’re going to investigate a cryptid instead of just compiling lore?” Roman crossed his arms.

“Mothman isn’t on the other side of campus.”

“Oh, are you still thinking about the poltergeist, Virge?”

“Yeah, Pat. I figure we stay quiet, we don’t touch too much...maybe we can communicate or something.”

“I thought poltergeists didn’t do communication.”

“Literally it differs between every ghost hunting show and horror movie. We’re gonna try it. And anyway, I’m just filming an intro. I won’t be able to do it ‘till Saturday night. You guys free then?”

“Yes.” Roman rolled his eyes and sighed heavily, stomping off to get dressed. Patton peered anxiously at him.

“What if it throws a mug at us or something?”

“Then we’ll leave, Pat, promise. I just wanna explore, really, see if it’s the kind of poltergeist that was a ghost or is just around to cause chaos.”

“...Alright. I’ll do it for you.” Patton smiled. Virgil smiled in return before disappearing back into his room.

<hr>

Virgil was leading with his camera again as they slipped carefully through an open section of chain-link fence. Once he’d wriggled through, he started the camera again, turning to watch Patton and Roman.

“Not yet.” The darkness of the night hid Roman’s blushing as he finished making his way through the fence.

“Relax, princey, I’m sure most of it’ll come out during editing.” Virgil swung the camera toward Patton. “How you feeling, Pops?”

“Bad,” Patton said, frowning over at the house.

“...You want to wait out here.”

“No. That’s worse. That’s how you die alone in horror movies. I’m coming.”

Virgil turned and led the way up to the back door. He reached inside for the hook he’d read about - the latch-proper had been busted during that first break-in fifteen years ago, and had been replaced with just a hook-and-eye type latch that could be reached through the broken window next to the door. After a moment of fumbling, Virgil had it, and the door creaked inward. Goosebumps erupted across Virgil’s arms, but he was grinning toothily. He stepped carefully inside the kitchen. He heard Patton and Roman follow, and he panned around the kitchen, wondering if he should narrate now, or voice over later. It’d probably make Patton and Roman more comfortable if he talked.

“The back door of 133 Auburn Street leads into a kitchen,” Virgil said lowly. “According to the forums, there’s some activity in here, but it’s fairly limited. Thrown mugs...flickering lights...” Virgil’s panning found a couple doors. One opened easily when he tested it. The pantry. The other...the other was stuck fast. “And the mysterious basement door.” Virgil backed up from it and looked to Patton and Roman again.

“We’ll attempt communication after we’ve done some wandering. You two wanna go ahead?”

“Lead the way, Ryan Bergara.”

“Like you’re such a Shane, ‘Lisa made the lights spin once’.” Virgil rolled his eyes. “Pat?”

“I’d feel better if you’re in front.”

“Alright.” Virgil turned around again and stepped into the living room. The place seemed cold, and his goosebumps got worse, but he reminded himself firmly that he was probably just scaring himself and it was February in an abandoned house. As much as he did hope the forums weren’t all just liars and dupes, there were a lot of explanations for stuff besides ‘a ghost’.

“This is the living room,” he said for the camera’s benefit. “Recorded activity here includes the TV turning itself on, but only in reaction to parties. And a lot of the thrown mugs from the kitchen get thrown at people doing stupid stuff out here.” Virgil panned the room. The TV was old and clunky and might’ve been expensive at the time, but it might not have been. Virgil wasn’t good with that stuff. The TV stand and VHSs had taken some damage over the years. He panned past the front door and the foot of a staircase. “Watch your step, based on the forums there might be abandoned syringes.” Virgil grimaced. He desperately hoped that sound was not Patton whimpering. Virgil carefully stepped across the room and over to the staircase, eyeing it carefully and hoping none of these stairs were unsafe after twenty years without an occupant. He began to climb the stairs and heard Roman and Patton following behind him. The cold, watched feeling didn’t go away. At the top of the stairs, Virgil hesitated.

“Well, most of the people in the forums don’t get this far, except the explorers - the ones who aren’t trying to party or anything. Very little recorded activity up on this second floor, but we’re just going to tour and see what there is real quick.” Virgil moved into rooms, panned around them, and then backed out to go into other rooms, Roman and Patton lingering at doorways. Roman was rubbing Patton’s shoulder, and Virgil felt a little bad, but he’d given Patton two chances to back out. Once he had the upstairs recorded, Virgil descended again. He stood in the living room with Roman and Patton, and he looked to them.

“Thoughts?”

“...This would be an awful place to be all alone,” Patton whispered.

“We’re not going to leave you by yourself,” Roman promised.

“Not me. The poltergeist. He’s well-known enough that people don’t really...come here unless they’re ghost-hunting, right? That...that sounds so sad.” Tears welled in Patton’s eyes. Virgil was already prepared to avert the camera lens when there was a creak, too loud amidst their whispering. All three of them turned at once to the stairs, and Virgil fumbled for the light on the camera. Nothing. Not even an animal. A thrilling fear zinged up Virgil’s spine, and he turned the camera light off again, licking his lips. None of them dared to move for a moment.

“Alright,” Virgil whispered eventually. He took a step toward the kitchen. When nothing happened, he took a few more steps, and eventually stood in the middle of the kitchen. “...Okay, so, um - I know you don’t like when people do this...but I’m just -” Virgil set his camera down on the kitchen island. “Curiosity killed the cat, y’know.”

“Virgil? Virgil!” Roman hissed as he crossed to the basement door. He wrapped his hand around the knob. The lights came on and flickered. Virgil froze. There was another small, scared noise from Patton. The lights went out again.

“Virgil, let go!” Roman hissed. Virgil stubbornly tested the knob. Locked. Well. Not a problem. Virgil slipped his lock picking kit from his pocket and knelt.

“Gimme a light.”

“No!” Roman hissed.

“I’m not ready to give up yet,” Virgil insisted. He didn’t want to upset a poltergeist, but they’d only really been given the barest warning, anyway. Silence filled the kitchen, and then Roman cursed in a whisper-yell.

“If we die, I’m blaming you,” he snarled. Nonetheless, he stalked over with his phone and held the flashlight up. Patton was just behind him, holding onto his shoulders with a tight grip. Virgil couldn’t give that much attention, though, fiddling with the lock picks. He was almost surprised not to get a second warning. Then again, maybe the lights had just been something weird with the power. The place had been abandoned for twenty years, after all. Virgil felt carefully with his picks, waiting for that moment of give when he could unlock it. He smirked when he got what he wanted. He pulled back, which sent Roman and Patton scrambling out of his space. Then he turned it. He’d done it right. Something broke behind them. They all jumped and whipped around. Everything was still and silent. Nothing happened to the lights.

“Sounded like a glass,” Roman muttered. Virgil waved a shushing hand.

“Was that...was that our second warning?” He asked, shivering at his voice at full volume. Nothing. Not lights, not shattered glasses or turned taps. Virgil shivered. He didn’t know whether that meant ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Something more fear than thrill curled at the pit of his stomach, but he wasn’t going to be cowed now. Virgil moved to look at the hinge-side, glaring. It should open inward. Virgil put his weight behind his next attempt at the door, but it didn’t do anything. Roman let out a huffy sigh mostly through his nose. Virgil looked to him with a glare, and Roman rolled his eyes.

“You’re tiny, let me do it.”

Virgil glared at him for the comment, but stepped away to let Roman take a turn. Roman frowned after a few times.

“That feels weird. It doesn’t feel jammed, exactly.” Roman leaned in close. “I think it was at first - the paint and the wood and all - but...it’s not flush now, look. But it won’t give any more than that.”

“Really?” Virgil scooped up his camera to zoom in on what Roman was talking about. He was pretty sure it wouldn’t come across on film, but he had to try. Virgil pulled out his phone to shine its light through the crack. It was kind of chilling to see spots where the light was stopped sooner than expected.

“Is that - boarded up from the inside?” Virgil asked. The lights suddenly surged on again, staying steady for a moment before beginning to flicker, worse than before. This time they did not stop at Patton’s choked-back gasp.

“Did you do that?” Virgil accused. “Huh?”

“Don’t make him mad!” Patton pleaded with a thin voice, hanging onto Virgil’s arm.

“Well, who the hell else is going to board up the inside of a basement without getting stuck there themselves?” Virgil hissed. The lights didn’t stop, but the poltergeist didn’t up the game with smashed or thrown things, either. A stalemate.

“...Were there basement windows out there?” Roman asked.

“What?” Virgil snapped back.

“Windows. Or another door, or something, I don’t know.”

The way the lights flickered changed. Virgil couldn’t slap an adjective on it, not with fear grating on his nerves.

“I’m going to check.”

“Horror movies!” Patton cried, letting go of Virgil to go after Roman. And...well, Patton kind of had a point. Especially with the probability that he’d made the poltergeist mad. And the back door didn’t latch, so the poltergeist couldn’t shut them out. Virgil followed them, pointing the camera in Roman’s direction. Roman looked around the outside of the house and found basement windows, which almost all had rocks or boards jammed into place in such a way that they wouldn’t have opened from the inside. Virgil began to get an entirely different bad feeling. Feeling distant and a bit light-headed, he shoved passed Roman and moved one of the rocks himself. He pulled his jacket off and wrapped it around his hand and then slammed a fist into the window, sending glass shattering inward. Virgil kept punching until the frame was clear.

“Virgil, what are you doing?” Roman asked as he unwrapped his jacket from his hand and shook it out.

“I’m tiny,” he said softly, passing his jacket to Roman. “And I have a bad feeling.”

It wasn’t precisely easy going, but Virgil managed to squeeze himself through, hanging onto the sill until his feet hit a flat surface. He carefully let go and looked around.

“Here’s your camera,” Patton said. Virgil took it automatically and turned around to get his bearings, his skin crawling. If he was just being paranoid, he didn’t want to lose this footage. If he was right...well, he just hoped he wasn’t right. Virgil’s discomfort drove him to his phone and its flashlight rather than adjusted eyes and a night vision camera. Slowly, he panned both the flashlight and the camera. His stomach jerked with a threatening nausea when he saw a brown, streaked stain by the stairs. He followed it with his panning to a corner. He stilled at the sight that waited for him. When his flashlight landed on the corner, every bulb in the room turned on, and they all got brighter and brighter until they blew out, which only took about a moment. But it had not affected his phone. There was a flash, and darkness again. It did not take the skeleton from the beam of his flashlight.

“Oh, shit,” he whispered.

[mirika]

It’s been one of those weekends; I have been to Amsterdam Comic Con again.

Because my hair is still blue I went as Ladybug this whole weekend (Miraculous Ladybug). I figured that rocking Mimi’s pink dress with blue hair would be a bit odd, so there’s that. Perhaps I should get into wigs after all. Oh well!

Day one!

Saturday I went with two of my friends. I ended up spending more money on food than merchandise, but I kept a low budget for this con anyway as I am usually less amazed with the Comic Con events in Rotterdam and Amsterdam. I’ve had some delicious melon & lychee bubble tea though!

We strolled the event and as usual I took some photos with cosplay. I actually found a really tall dude dressing up as Spider-man in the homemade suit!

Oh yeah, also new: I have bangs now. Either way, he was the first one I wanted to take a photo with, and I took a photo with one other person on Saturday, namely a Chat Noir cosplay. As Ladybug I could never skip over those!

She was very kind actually, and apparently we were searching for each other. We had a Popeye cosplay keep telling me that a Chat Noir was looking for me, so I went on the lookout as well. It really did take a little while.

Cropping out my feet in every photo because I was not wearing the right shoes.

Other than that I visited the Q&A of Aimee Garcia. She plays Ella in Lucifer, which is my favourite female character in that show. She has shared some interesting information, and some emotional information. She was excited about her requests for next season though (I recall she wanted to dance next season and apparently make out with someone; didn’t matter if it were a male or female). I took multiple photos but my phone of course only saved one.

Worst of all is that in the one photo my phone managed to save, she has her eyes closed. Oh well, what matters is that I know I’ve seen her!

I’ve also seen some Game of Thrones actors, but I did not visit their Q&A. I am sure the actor of Joffrey is nice and all, but he wears the face of a brat. Poor dude. What was fun was seeing him randomly roam around on what we call a ‘step’ (google translate says it’s a scooter but it’s not electronical nor requires oil/gas so that’s kinda weird).

The saddest part was that I was afraid I was going to leave without any merchandise at all, but then I met this lovely lass who had several magnets and offered commissions; I commissioned her and could pick it up the next day. These were the magnets:

I’m not into actually owning Pokemon merchandise, but this Vulpix was too cute (I love foxes anyway). Those who know me should not be surprised I also went for a Spidey.

They were made by rizzlemonster, you can find her on Instagram! I’ve chatted her ears off already, haha. Oh, when I approached her stand there was actually a guy flirting with her and I thought it was just a super random guy that told her that if he’d roll a D20 high enough they’d go for a drink, but the next day she cleared up they had seen each other more often already. It was amusing though, and I couldn’t help but eavesdrop. I guess those are some life goals, having someone roll a D20 to see if they can grab a drink with you, haha.

That sums up the first day I think. At the Tardis I saw a couple of 13th Doctor cosplay but I was too anxious to approach them, which I fixed the next day anyway.

Oh gosh, no, I remember I pissed some people off even though I meant to joke. There was a stand with Overwatch buttons and I turned to my friend joking about how there was no Lucio and calling it Lucio-erasure, but I really meant it as a joke and not to offend them. My friends told me they seemed rather annoyed when I said it and now I feel bad I’ve hurt their feelings, but have no way of apologising to them. It still bothers me.

To end on a good note, I did have a fair amount of people tell me they liked my outfit and that made me feel rather happy! The way some people asked if it was ‘my version of Ladybug’ gave me the idea to start seeing it apart from Marinette and more of a separate incarnation of Ladybug overall (if you know the lore it makes sense). I’m probably going to make this into an OC.

Day two!

Sunday I went with another friend of mine whom I mostly know from con visiting, ha.

Before I found him at the con I wandered past a Captain Hook (Once Upon A Time) cosplay. I let him walk past me at first. I started to think and consider if I wanted to take a photo, and ran back to him and his group of friends to get one anyway. I must say I am rather glad I did!

So that was a great start of the day! But maybe I should not awkwardly run after people and call them by their cosplay name, haha. His friends noticed sooner than he did himself.

I also found several more homemade suit Spider-man cosplays, which was great! But the downside was that seeing how common that particular cosplay was, I got demotivated to get it myself (this was the cosplay I had planned next time but did not want to tell anyone yet; I just feel so demotivated to continue now I might as well reveal it). Don’t get me wrong, I loved seeing so many!!! I am just not sure if I want to myself anymore. They did say that they also struggled with finding the right colour hoodies etcetera, and one told me how he did the hat part.

At this point my friend (who took the photos) noticed I like Spider-man, haha. The one in the first pic showed me how he did the hat part, so if I do want to continue doing this cosplay, I can probably do it. I do already own a red ski mask, after all, and I do like the idea of a fully anonymous cosplay.

I also took a photo with a Chat Noir I’ve had a photo with before (I noticed this as I scrolled over my most recent DCC post), but hey, I don’t mind taking multiple pics with one person. My hair is different this time, which is a good excuse.

She told me there was a child dressed up as Ladybug somewhere, but I believe the both of us never found her. Too bad.

Lastly, there’s the big reveal of the 13th Doctor’s new companion!

Sorry, that’s the lame joke I told my friend at least. It was just perfect as we were at the Tardis. She said she had yet to werk on doing poses and all I could tell her was ‘same’ as I suck at poses as well. 

I also picked up the commission from rizzlemonster, but because it is not scanned I am not uploading it here (maybe at a later time). A photo of it did not do it justice.

Instead, here’s a pic of a child who was hardcore into a video game, and because of what they were wearing it looked absolutely hilarious and I had a freaking blast just looking at them (I asked their dad for permission of the photo).

I sincerely hope they have no idea what they’re wearing, haha. I just walked past this and saw a kid dressed up as It staring intensely at a video game mashing some buttons. What an inspiration. This was definitely a highlight.

I also tried out mead and decided I did not like it overall, though the blueberry taste is alright (I tried regular, melon and blueberry). All my friends are rather fond of mead and my friend wanted me to try it, so he was satisfied I did find a flavour I can get into.

I do think my weekend is summarized now, and I’m gonna get to gaming right away. I think that, because of the commission and all the food I had, I did spend as much as I usually do at Comic Con events anyway, except I came home with only two magnets. Oh well! I had a fun weekend regardless.

ACC 2018 - Ladybug (Miraculous Ladybug) DCC 2018 - Ladybug (Miraculous Ladybug) RCC 2018 - Mimi (Digimon) WDCC 2017 - Mimi (Digimon) ACC 2017 - Mimi (Digimon) DCC 2017 - Mimi (Digimon) RCC 2017 - Mimi (Digimon) ACC 2016 - Hook (Once Upon A Time) DCC 2016 - Ladybug (Miraculous Ladybug) DCC 2015 - Sunday - Hobbit (Lord of the Rings) DCC 2015 - Saturday - Ellie (The Last of Us)

I have been to Elfia in 2015, but I cannot find this post. I was Donna Noble and I actually had a really bad day, which is why I have never returned to Elfia.

[hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger]

When the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon’s designs were initially released many people alternately dismissed or mocked them as bad. This was profoundly unfair. Putting aside how different aesthetics of designs appeal to different people, the designs were intended to be animation friendly and to really move. Which they did.

 However at the same time those criticising people who shallowly insulted the Spec designs shouldn’t then be criticizing the 1994 cartoon designs. Again aesphetic appeal of designs are subjective.

 Even if some of the choices were bad let’s remember that...it was the mid-1990s. It wasn’t like fashion was in a wonderful place back then. But even so I feel some people get way to hung up on the designs to bash the show.

 Like Peter Parker was maybe too muscular and broadshouldered in season 1. Is it that big of a deal honestly?

 He spent most of the show as Spider-Man in which his body shape was perfectly correct for the character, especially if you look at Romita Senior and Bagley renditions of the character at the time. In fact McFarlane, Larsen and even Bagley renditions of Peter Parker in the 1990s draw him as fairly musclebound when in his civilian guise.

 Is that yellow cardigan ugly on Mary Jane. In my opinion yes it is but it really is the one and only thing wrong with her design. Everything else she wears including the boots is fine, the boots in fact are things that Mary jane has on and off worn throughout her history, including in her first appearance.

 It’s just...a pretty shallow thing to say the show rides or dies on. Especially when you consider most of the other character’s looks are mostly just replicating the comics.

 Really the show if you bother to put it in the context of it’s time is very strong where it really counts, that is to say the story and the characters.

 For all the loud criticisms about ‘But the Moussy?’ or ‘Hobgoblin came first!’ or ‘Mary Jane wasn’t like she was in the comics!’ or ‘It wasn’t as good as Batman the Animated Series’ the show did sooooooooooooooo much right and many of those criticisms don’t hold up to scrutiny.

 Let’s do some analysis.

 Was the show as good as Batman the Animated Series?

 No but apart from the Simpsons and Gargoyles what American Animated series from around most of Spider-Man TAS’ airing actually was?

 Not even the New Batman adventures or Superman the Animated Series hit anywhere close to BTAS’ quality.

 Those shows were a perfect storm of quality and caught lightning in a bottle.

 Saying a show is terrible for not reaching those heights is utterly unfair, it’s like saying a movie or a gangster movie is terrible because it’s dared not be as good as the Godfather. Or a fantasy movie is terrible for not being as good as Lord of the Rings.

 It’s stupid and ignorant.

 You grade things based upon the NORMS of the time.

 In the mid 1990s there were quite a few cartoons attempting to be more serious, trying to rise above cliché simplistic Saturday morning adventures and since that’s what virtually every cartoon for the previous three decades had been doing each show attempting to do that in context thus deserves major, major kudos.

 And that’s what Spider-Man the Animated Series did too.

 Does the censoring hurt it? Does it’s restricted budget (due to the pricier ventures of other shows, including BTAS) hurt it?

 Sure, but it’s like classic Doctor Who. You judge it based upon the limitations placed upon it not merely on the surface level of the final product. I know that is not the common wisdom for tv/flm criticism...but frankly that just means that common wisdom for TV/film criticism is really, really narrow minded and should instead be reformed. Doing otherwise is like grading a kid with dyslexia harshly when he literally has factors beyond his control holding him back despite him doing his best.

 So bearing that in mind no Spider-Man the Animated Series really isn’t a bad show at all, nor a bad Spider-Man show. Especially when you put it into context of the previous Spider-Man shows or even the ones since.

 In terms of it’s characters and handling of supporting cast and subplots it’s absolutely not just clear cut obvious that Spec Spidey is superior.

 Consider that the show was so well plotted that the grand finale in season 5was being seeded as early as seeded in season 3. That the show managed to hit the emotional truth of the Death of Gwen Stacy DESPITE not being able to kill anybody and then looped that back around into motivating the character for the grand finale and his ultimate emotional fulfilment. Consider the show is arguably the most soap opera-esque American animated series for children ever, with some episodes haveing love polygons let alone triangles. The latter being in fact something all too appropriate for Spider-Man.

 Consider that whilst the show might have altered some characters in a detrimental way, others they made more interesting. Yet others they changed but the altered characters were not uninteresting characters unto themselves despite being different. The Felicia Hardy of this show is a very different beast to the Felicia of the comics, but she is also more reltable and has a more significant arc. She is also not an uninteresting love interest.

 Look I do think it’s a shame that the alterations made to some characters were drastic and detrimental. But taking them in isolation, unlike the crappy USM show, again they weren’t unlikable characters unto themselves. Plus as the first legitimate attempt to properly adapt Spider-Man teething problems were bound to occur. USM being made so long after Spider-Man was a pop cultural icon doesn’t have that same excuse.

 Hell for all people’s griping about Mary Jane in this show, honestly there isn’t much wrong with her as a character unto herself. She just isn’t Mary Jane from the comics, but still has elements of her nevertheless. Her backstory with her father is tweaked but not uninteresting. She can still be resourceful when needed. She could still be supportive and brave and all that. Just watch the Hydro Man episode to see her character in action.

 And for all the griping about character changes...Spider-Man himself is basically perfect.

 Whilst not as whining or neurotic as the comic books (and thereby less aggravating) frankly this version of Peter Parker is how Peter should be written. That is to say not word for word like an exaggerated 1960s Stan Lee comic book character nor as later renditions of the character were which flanderized some of those traits.

 This Spider-Man could feel guilt but wasn’t at times seeming like he was mentally ill.

 He was funny, confident, sometimes selfish, sometimes angry, but ultimately altruistic and heroic.

 Yeah every so often like in the Dr Strange episode the writers goofed up, but on the whole Spider-Man in this show was the first time in any adaptation you got to see the character properly represented which is...well kind of the most important thing.

 More poignantly this show did the spirit of Spider-Man correctly. Despite changes to the characters and lore, the sequence of events and so on this was the first time we got the ‘feel’ of the original Spider-Man comic books.

 Spider-Man was a down to Earth regular guy albeit a smarter and more altruistic one, who dealt with regular life events alongside fantastical superhero stuff. His fortunes vacillated often in relation to his activates as Spider-Man.

 He had a friends and family and acquaintances of people who could exist in real life, a ost of colourful adversaries with their own plot lines weaving in and out of Peter’s own.

 There was a continuity to the show wherein the events of one episode could have an impact down the line, characters had arcs.

 And the series ended with an adoring love letter to the character by highlighting what makes the character who he is. The last few episodes of the show Spider-Man meets a version of himself who’s lost everything and gone to the darkside and contrasts that to another version of himself where he had everything and appreciates the fact that he isn’t either of these people but rather himself. He then saves all of reality  and proceeds to tell his God, his creator, Stan Lee himself that he is his own man beyond what Stan intended for him and goes off into the sunset to be happy.

 But I guess all of that is worthless because of Mary Jane’s cardigan...

[doctorwhonews]

The Doctor Falls

Latest Review: Written by Steven Moffat Directed by Rachel Talalay Starring Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie and Matt Lucas with Michelle Gomez, John Simm, Briana Shann, Rosie Boore, Samantha Spiro, Simon Coombs, Nicholas Briggs, Stephanie Hyam, and David Bradley Produced by Peter Bennett Executive Producers: Steven Moffat, Brian Minchin A BBC Studios Cymru Wales Production for BBC ONE First broadcast 6.30pm, Saturday 1 July 2017   This review contains spoilers and is based on an advance preview copy of the episode.   Last week Matt Hills described World Enough and Time as ‘the bleakest and darkest that Doctor Who has been for quite some time’. The Doctor Falls, befitting the second part of World Enough and Time’s story, maintains if not deepens this atmosphere. Nothing that is done in World Enough and Time is reversed. At times many of the lead characters seem to be competing to find which of them has the most profound death wish. The plan the Doctor comes up with can only obtain a minor respite for the embattled humans on floor 507. Indeed, when the Doctor argues that the emergence of Cybermen is inevitable in any human society, and where he also points out that in this closed and time-dilated environment their advantage is overwhelming, what point can there be to fighting on? It’s this question which The Doctor Falls seeks to explore, and in doing so say more than we have heard for some time, if ever, about both Steven Moffat’s and Peter Capaldi’s understanding of who the Doctor is. The result is oddly uplifting. My first reaction, as messaged to one of the editors of this page, was ‘Shining, brilliant, beautiful’; but I added that I think I needed more words to do the story justice. So: The shift of setting between the first and second half of a two-part story is an established Steven Moffat device. As The Big Bang moved from the underhenge of the climax of The Pandorica Opens to the museum, so The Doctor Falls uses its pre-credit sequence to establish the society on floor 507. The Big Bang was itself a cornerstone for the edifice of mythology which Steven Moffat had (with characteristic use of paradox) already begun to build before the stone was set. The Doctor Falls finds Moffat readying and detonating the explosion which will bring down his own version of Doctor Who. The destruction is even more careful than that wrought by the Doctor within the episode, but the visuals suggest what happens: though so much is reduced to ash, burning the old growth might allow for the cultivation of the new. Floor 507 displays a placeless but vaguely mid-Atlantic rusticity, neatly juxtaposed with the gas-choked dystopia over five hundred floors below. It’s an agricultural community where children are central and guarded against the predations of the topknots by a thin line of defenders. It recalls Russell T Davies's idea from his 2003/4 pitch document, that outer space stories should feature human pioneers so the audience have points of identification, perhaps unconsciously also recalling the western. In contrast to the masculine universalism of the Cybermen – both male in that there are no Cyberwomen, but genderless in that the Master insists Bill is now an it – the community has a matriarchal bent, with Hazran as its leader. The chief cook and chief executive are the same person, unproblematic and brought to the screen with authoritative warmth and human fear by Samantha Spiro. The character reminded me a little of Lucy Cohu's Deborah Goren in Ripper Street. There are at least nods to the New England orphanage of The Cider House Rules, and to the pioneer communities of Little House on the Prairie, but theirs are not the stories being told. Introducing a child viewpoint character is an old familiar Moffatism, here used self-consciously. Briana Shann’s Alit recalls Caitlin Blackwood’s Amelia Pond; apparently parentless, independent, willing to confront her fears, and bearing enough of a resemblance to Pearl Mackie’s Bill (exaggerated by the hairstyling) to make one wonder if there is a direct connection between the characters. Perhaps this is Moffat once more embodying the child audience and acknowledging its link with the companion. Alit is the first person Bill sees when she arrives on floor 507, and the first person to make an empathic connection with her when she wakes up from the ‘sleep’ induced by the Doctor. Alit perhaps embodies the audience’s hopes that Bill can be restored to humanity, as well as the wish of her community and the Doctor for a non-cybernetic future. In reminding long-term viewers of lost friends, and present lookers-in on the current predicament, Alit helps to highlight the optimism underlying what could otherwise be read for much of its length as an overwhelmingly pessimistic episode. The Doctor Falls follows the non-linear structure of World Enough and Time in its first act, containing flashbacks within flashbacks. However, opening the main narrative with a scene where the Doctor is undergoing torture and ritual humiliation is a good choice. There’s something Christ-like about suffering enabling the Doctor to restate his values, though I’d be cautious about following this parallel too far. The scene and the Doctor’s speeches also help divorce the episode from the detail of the setting: there will, the Doctor says, always be Cybermen, wherever there are human beings. The origin of the Cybermen is a tale Doctor Who has told elsewhere in other media, and it’s a legend which this episode supposes will be told again and again in different ways. Hence the nod to Doctor Who Magazine's The World Shapers with the mention of Marinus, and why it is perfectly acceptable in this context for the Cybermen to blast death rays from their headlamps in a way which they never managed before on television, but did on the back cover of  the first paperback edition of Doctor Who and the Tenth Planet. Cybermen created by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis; but with embellishments by Chris Achilleos, Grant Morrison and many others. Moffat, like Russell T Davies, has never been reluctant to draw from non-television Doctor Who where it helps develop a concept. Likewise his attitude to the programme’s lore: the importance is not in the detail of where the Cybermen come from, but that the Cybermen’s conviction that turning people into Cybermen is a dead end for all the natural and moral sciences. As someone once said, they must be fought. Bill is herself a battlefield. The Master likes to remind everybody (but particularly the Doctor) that she is a Cyberman, the result of a conversion process which stripped away anything deemed useless to Operation Exodus. From his point of view, Bill is dead. The programme shows the Master to be wrong, or at least that it disagrees with his view of the individual as nothing more than an organism. As long as Bill recognizes and believes in herself, she exists, even if the programming of a Cyberman rages like a hurricane in her head. The continuing presence of Pearl Mackie in the credits and her voiceover in the trailer tantalized exactly what role she would play, and doubtless many hoped or expected a speedy and conventional resolution. The Master’s brutal taunting is a reminder that we can obtain neither. The device of allowing the viewer to see, most of the time, Bill as she understands herself, not only avoids practical problems surrounding the uniformity and inflexibility of the Cyberman costumes, but allows Pearl Mackie’s talents to be displayed in a way they haven’t been so far. Mackie's physical awareness makes her fill the space of a Cyberman while remaining visibly Bill to us. We often see Bill as a Cyberman only when she is reminded that a Cyberman is what others see – such as when she walks in on Hazran and Nardole unannounced and Hazran blasts away with her shotgun. It’s a jarring, heartbreaking moment. Also breaking hearts is Missy. Those hoping for an hour of multi-Master malevolence will be disappointed, but I think this episode does better with the scenario it presents than it would with the one some seem to have hoped for. Michelle Gomez plays Missy in the manner of an addict who keeps slipping from the wagon, deliberating giddily between new and old hits and guessing at some kind of peace beyond the spectre of withdrawal. It’s an irony that the Doctor never knows for certain that Missy was luring her former self into a trap which would have made her feel free to help the Doctor. In the meantime Missy and the Master flirt like bad fairy nobles making sport in the woods. Shakespeare scholars will know better, but their bickering seemed to me a sort of self-obsessed fusion of elements of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Much Ado About Nothing. Gomez and John Simm are very good at this, especially as there’s a genuinely disturbing undercurrent to their bantering. Simm in particular, with his beard, is a poisoned Pan, a violator whose lust for his next self reminds one of the brutality with which the Master treated his wife Lucy. Despite his very real and effective threat (and history) of violence, John Simm’s Master is a hollow malevolence, harmful, damaging, self-consumed, but overall an evil with no point to it. I’ve been looking at academic Doctor Who books for another project, and remembered that in an interview with the writers of Doctor Who: The Unfolding Text, Douglas Adams complained that the Master’s plans had no meaning. The Doctor theorizes the path of the Master’s career on the ship in a way which assumes the emptiness and self-defeat in the pursuit and exercise of absolute power for its own sake. In return, later, the Master critiques the Doctor’s course of action on his way to floor 1056, arguing that if the Doctor hadn’t given his lecture on time dilation he would have arrived early enough to save Bill. This line of reasoning is possibly flawed in story terms, but anticipates (or echoes, depending on where one stands) the criticisms made by several reviewers of World Enough and Time. It’s an old fan observation that the Master often seems like a character who realizes that he is in a television series and behaves accordingly, but here his criticisms flag up his own powerlessness; he’s not willing to act in a way that helps anybody or contributes to the main narrative, so stands on the sidelines and plays critic until he can escape. It's tempting to think of this aspect of him as a departing showrunner who knows his successor is already in the office. The Doctor Falls is a good episode for Nardole, a character whom we never really got to know and who has probably suffered from never having been the focus of an episode. A friend explained him to her enquiring mother as the Doctor’s butler, and perhaps that’s why he remained semi-visible, his full properties a secret. Here, though, Hazran makes her discovery of him one of her missions and Matt Lucas’s depiction of Nardole’s awkwardness must resound with everybody who has felt unworthy of another person’s esteem. It’s natural and credible and also very much part of Moffat’s observational writing of male self-effacement and overconfidence as a mask for doubt. How one greets it will depend on one’s patience with Moffat’s themes, but for me, here, it works unobtrusively, the Doctor and Nardole competing over their relative usefulness, or lack of it. Nardole’s departure doesn’t give him a chance to say a long goodbye; he leaves as part of an operation in much the way he might have done if he’d expected to see the Doctor again, but as he never had a conventional introduction this is appropriate. As a title, The Doctor Falls intrigued me more after World Enough and Time because in one sense the Doctor had already fallen; he’d hubristically reduced his way of living to a formula by which he thought he could test Missy, and where stock phrases had replaced psychological insight. Instead we have a heroic fall which (like much else, as Matt Hills noted last week) calls back to the series trailer. The Doctor says he is a man of peace, but walks in war, and here he accepts the fate of the warrior, picking off more Cybermen than logic would perhaps expect with his absurdly versatile screwdriver until a Cyberman blasts him down through the chest, a wound which is one of at least two ways in which Bill’s fate has anticipated his own. The devastated landscape which the Doctor’s bomb leaves behind is as much a design achievement as anything Michael Pickwoad has hitherto accomplished – a landscape we’ve got to know has become a devastation of a kind previously associated in his time on the series with Skaro or Trenzalore, and this time the Doctor is the immediate cause. Redemption and the chance of new beginnings come in part because the Doctor was wrong. There was hope and there was a witness, perhaps even a reward. I’m sure that in earlier seasons we’d have had glimpses of Heather now and then, as the series piled arc upon arc. None of Steven Moffat’s companions have been allowed to return to anything approximating their old lives; travelling with the Doctor means incorporation into the mythic substrata of the universe, and so it proves with Bill, reunited with a Heather whose personality has now re-emerged and seems dominant in the watery spaceship. It's good to see Stephanie Hyam once more; there's still a note of wondering in her performance but the dislocation has become the confidence of the explorer. As all the interaction between Bill and Heather is seen from Bill’s narrative point of view once Bill has been remade as a Heather-like creature, perhaps what we see is all a translation convention. Whatever, the choice to become human again is open; it’s intriguing that the door is not closed entirely on Pearl Mackie’s return. However, if this is a farewell, it’s a good one. There's irony in the Doctor’s regeneration being sparked by a tear (a rearranging of the meaning of grief expressed for the third Doctor in The Monster of Peladon and Planet of the Spiders, of course) from a protected friend who has now turned twice into a creature he has previously fought against. It recalls Russell T Davies’s theme of the Doctor as agent of liberation rather than reinforcer of parental authority. However, this year the Doctor has forgotten that lesson and become guardian and tutor to both Bill and Missy, with Nardole as an unteachable voice by the wings. The Doctor's efforts to protect people have not succeeded in the way he sought. As the first Doctor realized at the conclusion of The Dalek Invasion of Earth, beneficial change can come from taking the risk of being brave enough to let go. That was the real lesson of Susan's portrait seen on the Doctor's desk in The Pilot, and he had forgotten. The problem, of course, is that the Doctor doesn’t want to let go. Bill, as a Cyberman, wanted to die if she couldn’t be herself any more. The Doctor wants to die too. Peter Capaldi’s performance of a fragmented Doctor, repeating the words of his earlier selves while holding on to his current physical form, was dizzying, helped by a camera which located him at once from several angles and levels in the TARDIS interior. Perhaps this Doctor’s changes of persona across series reflect an ongoing uncertainty about who he is which stretches beyond the ‘Am I a good man?’ interrogations of series eight. Back in 2010 Frank Collins wrote (in a review of The End of Time) of the tenth Doctor’s life as a Bildungsroman; the Doctor’s reward for personal development and the achievement of self-knowledge, was however to be returned to adolescence to begin the process again. Perhaps this older Doctor is about to change without having reached the point his two immediate predecessors did, and worse, can’t see any prospect of doing so. What, then, can be made of the first Doctor’s emergence from what presumed convergence of narrative (over fifty-one years) leads us to believe is an Antarctic blizzard? I’d thought earlier this series that Steven Moffat’s valedictory notes weren’t only for the period he’s been showrunner, but for the entire period he’s been involved, from the time Doctor Who returned in 2005. The Logopolis homage of companions suggests this too in content, as well as calling further back in form. If nothing else, the montage will open up arguments about who counts as a companion again, which will keep a lot of people happy and angry at the same time. The first Doctor said, if only in the script of The Tenth Planet, that he would not go through with the change to his next self, and the meeting of the two Doctors benefits from that level of fan knowledge while I hope still working as a confounding moment – a ‘suspended enigma’, it was once called – for those who don’t know. In the brief time we see him, David Bradley gives a performance which is very much the first Doctor as opposed to his William Hartnell or his Hartnell as the first Doctor from An Adventure in Space and Time, which augurs well. I’m always conscious that I tend to emphasize what works for me in these reviews, and they are often moments which leap out rather than broader themes or more thorough analysis. This article is based on one viewing of the episode and I’m still not sure why I found it so positive an experience. Throughout I imagined that the director, rather than the Doctor, must have the hidden arms of a Venusian Aikido practitioner; Rachel Talalay conducting with at least three batons like a hexapod, but with many more eyes than Alpha Centauri. The open vistas of floor 507 come to mind; the fatally wounded Doctor’s monologue about stars, too, was uplifting despite its note of disappointment, perhaps because it acknowledged that the Doctor’s belief and perhaps hope that this was the end for him was false. Heather’s return was a reminder that hope, even if apparently lost, can never be written off. Yet throughout there are sacrifices unappreciated and only postponed, with the sense that the inevitable is only being delayed. Perhaps the episode can be read as a musing on mortality, especially given that Cybermen, Time Lords, unconverted humans and indeed puddle-spaceship-creatures are all seeking to delay the inevitable, unless they are the Master, which is in a sense to be nothing at all because he can’t adequately empathize with others’ conditions. If so, it’s also the second part of three. The twelfth Doctor’s finale is begun, but it is not over, and we have to wait almost six months to conclude our verdicts on the whole. http://reviews.doctorwhonews.net/2017/07/the_doctor_falls.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

[metropolisraine]

March 17/18th, 2017

Sorry for not posting yesterday. By the time I wanted to post, it was pretty late and I have curfew and stuff. Anyways, Friday: School was pretty usual I guess. A lot of teachers gave out announcements for Orchestra and Band trip people. Unfortunately (or fortunately I guess because I don’t have to make up work), for me, I’m not in either so I don’t get to go anywhere special or anything. After school, I went to the library for Chess Club and renewed my library books before I get fined (LOL). Chess Club was pretty fun. I played against a friend and almost won. It ended up being my queen, a bishop, and 3 pawns against his king and 3 pawns, so it would have been stalemate anyways, but we had to end early since the library closed. At home, I did some stats homework, and then I realized I didn’t check the conditions (more to come about this later in this post) and just gave up working on my homework until Saturday. I sent some Snapchat messages to one of my friends and talked to some people on Facebook. To be perfectly honest though, I spend most of my free time on Youtube and watch a ton of videos about video games and some educational videos. Saturday: Today, I started off my morning pretty well. I ate the Shanghai equivalent of breadsticks (油条 in Chinese, if you wanted to know). After that, I restarted doing my stats homework again, checking conditions this time. After I finished two EXTREMELY lengthy four step process questions, I realized that I had been doing the wrong question numbers anyways this whole time (RIP my sanity). So, for the third and final time, I started and finished the right questions for my stats homework. After finishing my stats homework, I spent a lot of my time playing the Civilization 6 demo, and asides from that, watching YouTube on my laptop. We ate at Taco Bell for dinner, and my mom wanted to go to Kohl’s. I, however, walked over to the Target to see if they had the Nintendo Switch in stock. Unfortunately, they did not, so I walked over to the GameStop nearby to check, just in case. They didn’t have it either, but I met some people and we talked about the Switch and Nintendo games in general, and it was a good time. I still have mixed feelings about the Nintendo Switch though. It’s a great console and I love the central concept of it being both a home and portable console whenever you need it, but I’m still hesitant to get it. The two biggest contributing factors to my hesitance are the amount of games available right now, and the price. Price is an easy one to explain. I’m a broke teenager, and my dad stopped funding my console purchases ever since I had a job. $300 is the standard console launch price, but it’s still a lot for me. $200 definitely would have made the console an instabuy for me. As for the lack of games, I know some people might argue that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild should make the console a no frills purchase since it is critically acclaimed and has even been called the best Zelda game ever, I don’t feel like it would be my kind of game, and also that I have never really played a Zelda game before,and I would not understand that much about the lore. Obviously, there is one thing that I am deliberately ignoring, and that is availability. It has been 2, almost 3 weeks since the console has been launched, and there is still not a lot of availability in the US, online, or in local stores. This situation leads to “scalpers”, or what people call individuals who buy consoles at launch and raise prices in order to turn profit on something that is in high demand and low supply. While some people argue that Nintendo intentionally cut supply in order to garner mainstream media attention, I don’t believe it because Nintendo has come out and said that they would double production for this year, and also, just the fact that Nintendo doesn’t enough manufacturing power to match demand at launch. I know this was supposed to be a blog describing my life, and you might be like, hey this is all about Nintendo and the Switch. You’re right. But video games and consoles are a big part of my life, and I feel that you guys should share in this experience with me.

[kevinthescoutblogger]

Kevin V. Hunt

Scouting Historian, Author and Speaker, Scouting Veteran, Camp Director

For almost fifty years I have heard of the lore of the great Philmont Scout Ranch.    I have known of the Philmont Tradition and have had a lifetime dream to go there.  I have yearned and hoped that through some miracle I might someday attend a training course there but have never had the opportunity to do so.   I guess I be truthful and say that I have actually had many opportunities to attend training courses at Philmont but never had the money or resources to do so.  With a large family, it just wasn’t possible for me.  And so, that dream has been looming out there forever.  I have said on many occasions that I have done almost everything in Scouting but the illusive Philmont has been one thing that I have never – and probably would not ever get to do.  I had given up on the dream becoming a reality.

Then I received a call from my brother, Darcy – who lives in Pueblo, Colorado.  My brother knew of my Philmont dream and so he decided to make it possible for me.  What a great brother!  Amazing!  Pueblo is within the geographic area of the Rocky Mountain Council, BSA – which covers southern Colorado and even down to the area around Philmont in New Mexico.  And I guess for fifty five years or so, the Council has had a tradition of having a Philmont weekend experience.  This seemed to be a great tradition and activity.  So, we were pleased to join their “Philmont Fellowship 2016 – Creating Connections”.

It was April 30th in 2016.  Again my journal records many of the details of that great day. The day began normally for me – at my usual 4:10 AM – as I arose to get ready to drive a school bus all day.  I drove my kids to their schools in the morning but took off through the afternoon so that I could go to Colorado and New Mexico.

Later that afternoon, a daughter came over and took Lou, my wife, and me to the home of another daughter.  Our son-in-law, Michael then took us to the Phoenix airport for our flight to Denver.  We checked in for the flight.  We will fly home on Allegiant and they will only allow us to take a backpack sized bag – without paying big bucks.  So, even though we flew Southwest Airlines today – and they don’t charge for bags, we had to be compliant with the Allegiant guidelines.  I could not get the internet to work at the airport so I just sat and visited with Lou as we waited.  She probably welcomed the technical breakdown.

We boarded the plane and headed off to Denver.  Darcy drove the almost three hours north from his Pueblo, Colorado home to get us at the Denver Airport.  He willingly made this trek – even with the threat of very bad weather.   We got our luggage and then he was there to greet us.  We then took the train to the terminal parking.

We drove south in Interstate 25.  We drove past Darcy’s home town and continued south toward New Mexico.  It was cold – only about 32 degrees – so literally freezing.  Though snowing, the roads remained clear.  This came as a major answer to Lou’s prayers.  We had a good visit with Darcy along the way.

We stopped at one rest area.  There was a lot of snow on the ground.  We turned off I-25 and headed onto another highway toward Cimarron, New Mexico.  We arrived at Philmont about 2:00 AM.  Laura and Ali had already set up tents for us – so this was wonderful.  In the summers, there are giant tent cities all over Philmont and literally thousands of Scouts pass through the place.  They come all days of the week.  They come in on one day and spend that night in the spacious wall tents (two people to a tent) and then head off on their trek adventure.  They stay out on the trail for ten days or so and then return to base for a final night.

In addition to the trek groups, Philmont is also home to the National BSA Training Center.  And in this training capacity, it offers a multitude of interesting and wonderful training sessions to Scouting volunteers who come from all over the country.  For almost fifty years I have always wanted to attend a training course here but have never had the opportunity.   I should say that I have actually had many opportunities to attend training courses at Philmont but never had the money or resources to do so.  With a large family, it just wasn’t possible for me.  And so, that dream has been looming out there forever.  I have said on many occasions that I have done almost everything in Scouting but the illusive Philmont has been one thing that I have never – and probably would not get to do.  I had given up on the dream becoming a reality.  So, with that in mind, it was so exciting to actually be on my way there.  (My brother knew of my Philmont dream and so he decided to make it possible for me.  What a great brother!  Amazing!)

Just a bit of History of Philmont from the official website:

“Once inhabited by Jicarilla Apache and Moache Ute Indians, Philmont Scout Ranch was later the site of one of the first pioneer settlements in northeastern New Mexico. The present Ranch is part of the original Beaubien and Miranda Land Grant that the Mexican government granted to Carlos Beaubien and Guadalupe Miranda in 1841.  One of those interested in the New Mexico tracts was an Oklahoma oilman, Waite Phillips, who had become interested in developing a ranch out of the old land grant in 1922. He eventually amassed more than 300,000 acres of mountains and plains in a ranch he named Philmont (derived from his name and the Spanish word for mountain, “monte”).

“The Philmont Ranch became a showplace. Immense herds of Hereford cows and Corriedale sheep grazed its pastures. Phillips built a large Spanish Mediterranean home for his family at the headquarters and named it the Villa Philmonte. He developed horse and hiking trails throughout the scenic backcountry, along with elaborate fishing and hunting cabins for his family and friends.

“Waite Phillips believed in sharing his wealth with people outside his family. In this spirit, he offered 35,857 acres of his ranch to the Boy Scouts of America in 1938 to serve as a national wilderness camping area. The area was named Philturn Rockymountain Scoutcamp (after Phillips’ name and the Scout slogan “Do a Good Turn Daily”). Fees for the first summer were set at $1 per week per camper, and 189 Scouts from Texas, Kansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma arrived for the first experience at a national backcountry Scout camp.

“After observing the enthusiastic response of the first Scout campers, Phillips augmented his original gift in 1941 with an addition that included his best camping land, the Villa Philmonte and the headquarters of the farming and ranching operation. The second gift was made so that “many, rather than few” could enjoy his rich and beautiful land. Phillips was quoted in the Tulsa Daily World saying: “That ranch represents an ideal of my youth … and has meant a lot to my son and his pals. Now I want to make it available to other boys. … I’d be selfish to hold it for my individual use.” The property, now totaling 127,395 acres, was renamed Philmont Scout Ranch.

“Phillips realized that the cost for maintaining and developing the property could not and should not be derived entirely from camper fees. As an endowment he included in the gift his 23-story Philtower Building in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

“The first season of Philmont Scout Ranch in 1942 welcomed only 275 Scouts, and attendance remained low during the war years. However, in 1946, Scouts from all 12 regions of the country attended Philmont Scout Ranch. Programs and backcountry camps were continually being developed and, in 1949, workers began rebuilding Kit Carson’s adobe home at Rayado – a project that Phillips had urged the Boy Scouts of America to undertake.

“By 1950, Scouts were attending Philmont from almost every BSA Council; attendance was more than 1,700. However, in 1951, it jumped to more than 5,200 and passed 7,000 in 1954. During the 1950s, adult and family attendance increased, with the establishment of the Philmont Training Center.

“In 1963, through the generosity of Norton Clapp, vice president of the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America, another piece of the Maxwell Land Grant was purchased and added to Philmont. This area was the Baldy Mountain mining region that consisted of 10,098 acres. Today, the ranch’s total area is approximately 214 square miles!”

Anyway, back to my own narrative:

Tonight upon our arrival at Philmont, we found no snow at the tents but it was VERY COLD and wet.  Our own tent was set up atop of the large wooden platform.  It was interesting that each tent platform also has a “current bush” with it.  Lou was quick to plug in her phone!  We “camped” on tent platform #62.  Darcy provided sleeping bags for us and I slept in one that was supposed to keep one warm down to 0 degrees.  In the bag, I felt like the pea in “The Princess and the Pea”!   I was quite worn out by this time – having got up at 4:10 AM back in Mesa to do my bus run.  So, I was anxious to get into my own bag.

APRIL 20TH – SATURDAY

I awoke this morning at the national BSA Philmont Scout Ranch.  It has been my life-long goal to get to Philmont and so a dream at least partially came true today.  It was clear skies when we went to bed but we awoke this morning to clouds and weather that was a bit warmer.  We greeted Laura and Ali – who were asleep upon our arrival last night.

Darcy and Ali Hunt at Philmont

I went in and took a nice warm shower in one of the many individual indoor restrooms.  These rooms had a toilet, a sink and a shower –and were very nice.  (A bit beyond the usual outdoor two-holers that are found at almost all Scout camps – or at least the ones where I have been.)

Our first item on the schedule of the day was a flag ceremony.  We gathered out in the parking lot with about 50 folks – which included adult Scouters and their families.   Everyone was bundled up tight in their winter gear for the cold morning.  The gathering was rather informal.  Two teen Scouts were invited to raise the colors for the group.

As I looked around I noted that there were deer everywhere.  They were grazing like cows in the meadows around the Philmont ranch houses.

We all headed to one of the dining halls associated with the Training Center.  En route, we marveled at the fabulous buildings of the Philmont ranch.  In typical Spanish architecture, each with red tile on the roof.  The whole place was landscaped beautifully – and even in the winter – when there was no green, it was obvious that this was a very beautiful place.

Philmont Scout Ranch

As we made this trek to the dining hall, my wife began to have memories come back to her.   The Villa and a giant gazebo seemed to spark those memories.  She had made a trek to Philmont when she was just age 12 or so.  Her father was in an LDS Stake Presidency and he came to Philmont to receive training for his position.  And as is the Philmont custom and opportunity, he was able to bring his whole family with him.  All of the children who were at home were able to make the trip with the folks.  They took the train to Cimarron from Salt Lake City.  I am not sure how they got from the train depot on to Philmont.  Anyway, she has always told me that this was the greatest vacation that her family had ever taken.  She has talked with fondness of the Philmont experience through these many years.  Philmont and the Philmont Spirit left a lasting impression upon her mind and spirit.

We meandered through the gardens to the chow hall.  Upon entry, we were struck with the large wall murals which depicted the ranch and the many wild and domestic animals that inhabit it with the Scouts.  The murals gave a great aura to the place.  And as I entered the dining hall, I felt at home.  It was much like any other Scout Camp dining hall operation – and I had seen a few of those in my years of Scouting (20 summers, in eight camps and six states).

Laura and Darcy Hunt – in Philmont Dining Hall 1 – with murals in background

We held on to our coats for a few minutes – until our bodies caught up with the warmth of the place.  We laid claim to a dining table and got in line for food.   We soon found that we had a lot of options for food.  There was something for everyone.  I thanked each of the workers who had worked hard to make this meal for us.  It appeared that many of the workers were local folks from Cimarron and other nearby communities and that was great.  With a tray of food, we headed back to our seats.  It was then that I had time to take a look around at the Rocky Mountain Scouters and camp workers who had gathered there.  It was a pleasure to meet the Philmont Camp Director, Mark Anderson.

After breakfast I checked out the rest of the dining hall building – and particularly the large training room.  There were program options that we could do but Lou and I opted to take the tour of the historic ranch Villa – The Villa Phillmonte and museum.  Of course we took a lot of photos throughout the tour experience.  The tour – and our guide – were fabulous.  It was obvious that our guide had been at Philmont for many years – and she had genuine and a very enthusiastic love for the place.  She knew well the ranch history, of the Waite family, and many other interesting details.  In a word, she was Fabulous!

We normally could have gone on one or more day hikes in the nearby mountains but on this day, most of those options were cancelled because of the rain, snow and cold.  The trails were too wet to trek on.   My wife decided that she wanted a nap.   I used the morning to go visit the Camp trading post and so took a walk over there.  There was a threat of bad weather but it held off and let me make my walk.   I enjoyed watching the Rocky Mountain council’s Camp Isabel’s camp director – also a Kevin – as he did “branding” – putting the famous Philmont brand on belts, mugs, etc.

Camp San Isabel Camp Director – Kevin O’Keefe doing Philmont branding

With my wife and Darcy and family, we took our own little tour around the training center and took many photos.  And through all of this, I wished that I was at Philmont during the summer or for a training course – so that I could have really felt the Philmont Spirit and basked in it.  But, there was evidence of those great gatherings – and I took these all in.

After lunch we – Lou and I and Darcy, Laura and Ali – all went to check out an old adobe fort located a couple of miles east of Philmont.  This place was closed and was undergoing major remodeling so we didn’t get to go in.  We then went to the Historic St. James Hotel.

We talked to the hostess and spent quite a bit of time checking out all of the interesting photos and information around  on all the walls of the halls.  I loved the gorgeous wood work throughout the place.  We learned that many famous people had slept – or died there. There were also a multitude of shoot-outs – evidenced even today with the bullet holes – from all of that activity – still visible in the walls.  Wow! What a place.  I loved it!

After all of the above excitement it now began to rain quite hard.  I resorted to my tent and took my own nap for an hour and a half! Wow!  I never do such a thing!

With the rain, the evening flag ceremony was cancelled.  We just went on into the dining hall for dinner.  It was great to be in there once again.  I loved the spirit of the place.  And there was plenty of food – and I took advantage of that – and ate a whole lot more than I needed.

After dinner, the Council group all gathered into the large training room auditorium.

We there held a great indoor campfire program.  This proved to be a lot of fun – and held in the best of the grand campfire tradition of any Scout Camp.   The program was directed by Council Executive – Phillip Eborn.  I have known Phillip and his legendary professional Scouting brothers in other associations and have found them to be great men.  It was fun to visit with him at the program and before.  I had my laptop computer with me in camp – and pulled up some journal records of former days.  I told Philip about the entry which I wrote for May 19, 2012 when I attended a National Camp School that he was conducting:

May 19th – 2012

“I today went up to Camp Geronimo (near Payson, Arizona) to participate in a full week of National Camp School.  I will attend this school to learn to be a Camp Commissioner.  This school is held several times a year and the location rotates around the region.  This year the camp school is conveniently held at Camp Geronimo.  So, this worked out well for me.  I will attend the Commissioner section of the Camp School.  At the dining hall, I met Phillip Eborn, the director of the Camp School.  He seems like a really great guy – and I later learned that he is also a former director of Camp Bartlett where I also was the director several years ago.”

So, this evening I was excited when this Phillip led the group in one of my old camp favorite songs – “Fleas, Flies, and Mosquitoes”.  He did it with great energy befitting a Camp Director.

As we were gathering for indoor campfire program, folks had given us a paper on which we were asked to write “something unique about ourselves”.  Then through the evening they read several of these papers on some of the program participants.  Then as a person’s unique statement was read, the person was invited to stand to tell more about themselves or their uniqueness.   I wrote about my daily journal writing habit of over forty years – and later got called upon to talk about it.  I mentioned the journal entry that I had found earlier which mentioned their Executive, Phillip.

Many of the Scouters who were there were given opportunity to do a campfire skit.  So, we signed up for our combined “Hunt Bunch” to perform.   We performed a mostly impromptu rendition of an original song about Wade Phillips and Philmont.   This was to the tune of “The Yellow Rose of Texas”.  Actually, we had known all day about the assignment and we had worked on it together through our local meanderings.  We had fun performing together.

I enjoyed hearing of one the oldest of “red-coat Scouters” in the group as he talked of how he first came to Philmont with his hometown troop – clear back in 1968 l- and he said that he has been coming back ever since.  What a great Philmont legacy radiated from this long-time Scouter.

Camp Director, Kevin O’Keefe, led his favorite camp song.  And he was fabulous – a credit to the camp and council with his energy and enthusiasm.

One highlight of the program came at the end as we all gathered in a circle and sang together the Philmont Hymn – which I realized is the ranch’s official song  and later learned was written by John Benton Westfall (1928-May 9, 2009) in 1947 when he was 19.).  Anyway, we formed our circle and sang together:

Silver on the sage, Starlit skys above, Aspen-covered hills, Country that I love. Philmont, here’s to thee, Scouting paradise, Out in God’s country, Tonight. Wind in whispering pines, Eagle soaring high, Purple mountains rise, Against an azure sky. Philmont, here’s to thee, Scouting paradise, Out in God’s country, Tonight.

That was my first time to sing the Philmont Hymn but it quickly became a “tear-jerker” for me.  I felt a little bit of why Philmont has been such a special place to so many Scouters through the past century.  Wow!  It was amazing and hit me hard in my heart and spirit.  Philmont, here’s to thee!

We joined the group for one of the best cracker barrels ever.  Phillip really took care of us.

We had planned to remain at Philmont until Sunday morning but as the program ended Saturday night we looked out the giant windows to the south and noted with some horror the heavy snow that was then falling.  We talked of the situation and the mountain passes that we would have to ascend on the route back to Pueblo, Colorado.  We decided that the road would only get worse as snow and ice accumulated.  So, we made the decision to head home right away.  We packed all of our stuff in a hurry – in a momentary break in the snowy weather and took off.

We encountered good roads most of the way home and got ice and snow on the road only on one mountain pass.  So, we were protected through our travels – and we were grateful for that blessing.  So, in all, it was a very fun day.  And I greatly enjoyed my fun trip to Philmont – and was so happy that I got to make that trek.  And having been there once, I still have two more Philmont dreams that I would still like to accomplish sometime.  One would be to attend a training course there – and the other would be to be on staff at a training course – to help train and motivate others.  Maybe someday I’ll still get to do those!  I hope so! Sometimes dreams do come true …

We arrived back in Pueblo right at midnight – grateful for our safe return trip.  And I was grateful for the chance that I had to be at Philmont – even if for only under twenty four hours.  I felt enough of the Philmont Spirit to make me want to go there again.

Best wishes along your Scouting Trails …  Kevin

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Blogging articles have excerpts taken from Kevin’s many personal journals and Scouting Trails books including “MR. Scoutmaster!”, “Keys to Scouting Leadership,” “Gnubie to Eagle Scout”,  and others at his Scoutingtrails website.  Connect with Kevin and read his articles on Scouting blogsites such as The Boy Scout, The Scouting Trail and the Voice of Scouting.  Feel free to comment on anything you read! Find Kevin on Facebook at: Scouting Trails Books and Blogs

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  The Philmont Tradition and my Lifetime Dream to go There Kevin V. Hunt Scouting Historian, Author and Speaker, Scouting Veteran, Camp Director For almost fifty years I have heard of the lore of the great Philmont Scout Ranch.