hi yall! I recently got facemoji because its similar to an old custom keybord that I had that I liked well, but unfortunately lost when I got my new phone.
I love the new keyboard! however the AI bar above the keyboard is an annoyance to say the least, and Id like to remove it. ive looked everywhere and it says to go into the keyboard settings by hitting the leftmost button on the top of the keyboard and hitting the AI option to disable it, however I dont see the AI option! the only buttons are as follows:
Community, themes, Text Editing, Clipboard, Text storm, Cool Fonts, Translate, Languages, Emoji, Sticker popup, Number row, Height, Sounds and Vibration, Game move, Toolbar, Font Size, Search, More, And share
if someone could explain what im doing wrong or if Im just in the wrong section entirely Id greatly appreciate it

This is a scheduled post, I will update the end time and type schedule tomorrow if needed

This event lasts until May 20th, 20:59 JST. (countdown timer here)
In Cinderella Caravan, you are to grind any songs in hopes of getting Event Drops. In the Recollection version of this event, you will have two options: allow any event SR to drop as a live reward or select 2 past event cards as your 2 SRs that will have a chance of dropping for the event. You may change your 2 selected cards up to 3 times for the duration of the event. Event Drops consist of your two selected event idols, random R idols, and/or Medals.
There are four ways to increase your drop rate.

Have a centre with high Star Ranks
Play a high difficulty song
Get a high Score Rank
Play a certain type of songs

Subscribing to Premium Pass will yield a guaranteed Event Drop, on top of the original chances.
Going to the event page will yield a Stamina Drink 50 everyday, and it expires daily.
You can also receive Medals from playing Live Party as well as finishing event-only Business.

Type Schedule (JST):

May 14th - Cool
May 15th - Passion
May 16th - Cute
May 17th - Cool
May 18th - Passion
May 19th - Cute
May 20th - Every Song

Missions:

Missions	Reward	Duration
Collect 150 Caravan Medals	25 Jewels + 1 Candy	Resets Daily

Exchange List:

Rewards	1st Time Cost	Medal Cost	Max	Premium Pass Cost	Premium Pass Max
Suisei Gacha Ticket		300	5
50 Star Jewels	100	200	20	100	8
S.T. Master Trainer		2400	1
My Card Star Trainer		1000	1
Magic Timer		1000	1
Cute Tiara	500	1000	2
Cool Tiara	500	1000	2
Passion Tiara	500	1000	2
Memory Key	100	200	5
Magic Fabric	60	120	6
Magic Dress	60	120	3
Master+ Ticket		30	20
Cute Candy		30	5
Cool Candy		30	5
Passion Candy		30	5
Stamina Drink 10	20	40	10
10 000 Money		1000	∞
1 000 Money		100	∞
100 Money		10	∞
10 Money		1	∞
Past Event Selection Ticket		1000	10	500	2

Useful Links:

Basic Japanese Translations for Deresute by SnowGames
Deadline Countdown
Japanese Wiki Event Page

Credits:

DoctorNeko for creating the initial caravan skeleton

Except not nuxia or hito bc fuck them
(I was thinking of “natures wrath” in a cool font on the back of my calf but I could get 2 tattoos)

We're back in business! It's been a cool six months since our last but it's time to get cooking with a new RTD Challenge!
This challenge prompt, submitted by u/I_Hate_Monza_T1 , tasks you with removing a bad chicane from a race track. - Redesign a circuit that has a bad chicane so it no longer needs said chicane - Construct an entirely new section, not just skipping the chicane with a straight or replacing it with a turn in the same place - Should keep the track just as safe as it was with the chicane, or make it safer - Cannot be a layout that already exists (ex. the chicane at Fuji)
Submissions will be judged by u/I_Hate_Monza_T1 , who will select one best in show and one honorable mention.
Tracks must be submitted before the deadline and use the RTD Challenge Flair.
Good luck, have fun, and may the best designer win!
RTD Challenge #47 will end on May 26th, 2024 at midnight CDT. (Countdown)
Want to have a say in creating the next prompt? Submit one here!

A tarball for Linux would be nice because not everyone can run AppImages. For example, I'm currently running Void Linux and AppImages do not work because they require glibc in order to run and Void mainly uses musl.
UI changes. Seriously. More neon green, less rounding, smaller UI elements on desktop, navbars with more options, a font change. At its current state, eSound looks more like a Spotify clone than its own thing.
The ability to save tracks as normal MP3 files. Currently, when you save tracks, they can be played offline but only through the eSound app and they cannot be accessed by anything else. If you wanna transfer your downloaded music to other devices, or if you just wanna open them in another app, you're currently out of luck and I think that sucks.

I'm not a developer and I don't know how practical these would be to actually implement but I think they'd be cool to have.

For me what I miss the most out of the game is the cartoony graphics, live events, characters, ui, story, ltms and overall are the fun items and whacky cool fun updates and items we’d get along with map updates as well.
just so much more I can list… it hurts booting up the game now just to find a messed up locker, obvious greed, plain map, no events, dull colors, ugly font/ui generic items and seasons that get like 2 updates at most with hardly any changes and have nothing truly fun going on with them and how they just force creative maps in your face now as well…., the game just feels so fucking soulless/empty now like it’s all just corporate, it’s like the kiddish fun was just taken from us and the map and game in general is as dull now as a 9-5 office job.
And the forced metaverse garbage is another huge part.
TLDR; it hurts loading up the game so see how bland it is now compared to what it used to be like and how exciting it was. Think of a magical rainbow and a magical place then 3 years later it’s turned into a oil field for profit. That’s what I’m feeling now.

I tried all the searching. I checked the Assistant app. Checked the watch itself. Did all the things I can think of. Even did a factory reset. It all says Imperial/Fahrenheit. Checked the settings on the watch face. Everything. Watch still displays my temp as C° or km/h.

The only other thing I can think of is for some reason or another the Mobvoi or whatever app is missing a setting that is not reflected on the WearOS settings, or something.

Or I did install a font pack that overrides a language region, and the phone is polling from the units of said region, thus ignoring the settings on my watch. But I would imagine not, as my Fitbit that is going in for repair updated the temperature automatically. (It is going in due to very sick, Dead Space screen background artifacts on display, cool to look at, but not useful here. And, no, I didn't set it that way, just woke up one morning, and the damn thing looked like alien static randomly, loose cable, I bet.)

Possibly there is a limitation on WearOS here?

Thanks for any help.

Now I'm moving on to the 90s girl group TLC. I will be analyzing all of their songs from their debut in 1991 all the way to the last album that they recorded with Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes before her passing in 2002.
Neighties

Their albumless singles
- Word to the Badd!! w/ Jermaine Jackson - 1991 (late 80s/early 90s cusp); this is kind of a stretch but Left Eye was a co-writer of this song and T-Boz has vocals in this song
Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip album singles - largely a Neighties album
- Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg - 1991 (early 90s)
- Baby-Baby-Baby - 1992 (late 80s/early 90s cusp)
- What About Your Friends - 1992 (early 90s)

Not distinctly Neighties or Core 90s (a.k.a. "Live 91")

Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip album singles - largely a Neighties album
- Neighties leaning
  - Hat 2 da Back - 1992 (early 90s)
- Core 90s leaning
  - None
Poetic Justice (soundtrack) singles
- Neighties leaning
  - Get It Up - 1993 (early 90s)
- Core 90s leaning
  - None

Core 90s

CrazySexyCool album singles - a Core 90s album
- Creep - 1994 (early/mid 90s cusp)
- Red Light Special - 1994 (early/mid 90s cusp)
- Waterfalls - 1995 (mid 90s)
- Diggin' On You - 1995 (mid 90s)

Not distinctly Core 90s or Y2K (a.k.a. "Live 97")

3D album singles - a Y2K cusp album
- Core 90s leaning
  - None
- Y2K leaning
  - Damaged - 2003 (late 90s); sounds very outdated for '03

Y2K Era

FanMail album singles - a Y2K album leaning late 90s
- No Scrubs - 1999 (late 90s)
- Unpretty - 1999 (late 90s)
- Dear Lie - 1999 (Y2K cusp)
Their albumless singles
- What It Ain't (Ghetto Enuff) w/ Goodie Mob - 2000 (Y2K cusp)
3D album singles - a Y2K cusp album
- Hands Up - 2002 (Y2K cusp); the music video is also very Y2K

Not distinctly Y2K or McBling (a.k.a. "2K1")

3D album singles - a Y2K cusp album
- Y2K leaning
  - Girl Talk - 2002 (early 2000s)
- McBling leaning
  - None

TLC were arguably the most quintessential 90s girl group there was. Their sound was largely stuck in the 90s, with the exception of "Girl Talk", which sounded pretty early 2000s.

Basic desktop/terminal customization
These basic tips and tricks for new Linux users will feel natural coming from a windows enviroment as they use the GUI and have minimal terminal interaction (until you get to the section on figlet lolcat which I will then advice you to watch some short YouTube tutorials on (they are very easy to follow with many to choose from) I will leave out shortcut/hotkeys and focus on right clicking through most of this.
Terminal
To customize your terminal right click your desktop in a clear space (not ontop of folders or the taskbars) scroll down about halfway and choose "open terminal here"
Once you have opened the terminal do the same again and right click a blank area inside the terminal, then click "preferences" (should be at the bottom.)
Now click on Appearance at the top left (should already be present as default. You will see a long list of customization options, colour schemes, widget style, cursor shape etc.
Scroll down to the bottom and you will see the cool stuff, adjusting terminal transparency, app transparency, and background terminal images. (these work the same way as changing your wallpapers basically) You can adjust the mode here too (stretch/fit/zoom etc) You can also set your terminal preset here. Which saves you from doing it manually if you want a double split or quad split terminal, allowing you to work on multiple tasks. You can also just right click your terminal and click "split terminal hori/veri" each time individually if your preset is singular.
If you have issues with changing your widget style or fonts, it is likely due to a change needed to be made in "Settings>Settings Manager>Appearance>Fonts (different Linux distros might have slightly different names for these)Once you change the Font here or style it should stop reverting your changes in the terminal settings menu.
figlet & lolcat use these commands in your terminal to customize and spruce it up. You will find tons of guides on YouTube teaching you how to use these tools. Simply type "figlet lolcat" into youtube and you will bring up all the easy to follow guides, the guy who's guide I first followed was speaking Hindi and I don't even speak Hindi, that's how easy it is to follow.
Desktop
This really is just like the terminal section above, right click your desktop again, this time click "Desktop Settings" which will bring you to the background menu, you can see there is also a Munus and Icons tab if you want to play around with those.
Now you will see the folder selection (I just save my wallpapers to my standard Pictures folder) You simply left click any wallpaper you have saved and it will automatically apply the change. Simple as that.
If you want to have your wallpapers change automatically you can see the bottom "Change the background" with a checkbox, tick the check and it will allow you to change the 3 greyed out options. Now you can adjust the time and randomize it also.
So you can make seperate folders for different themes, example you have a favourite show or a hobby/theme in mind. I will use my real example I personally love Black Lagoon so I made a Black Lagoon theme to randomize about 20+ wallpapers, now they all change automatically, simple but cool.
I recommend Wallhaven.com as they have very crisp and clean wallpapers with lots to choose from.
Hope this helps people getting into Linux and allows you some easy to alter customizations with a click of a few buttons.

Basic desktop/terminal customization
These basic tips and tricks for new Linux users will feel natural coming from a windows enviroment as they use the GUI and have minimal terminal interaction (until you get to the section on figlet lolcat which I will then advice you to watch some short YouTube tutorials on (they are very easy to follow with many to choose from) I will leave out shortcut/hotkeys and focus on right clicking through most of this.
Terminal
To customize your terminal right click your desktop in a clear space (not ontop of folders or the taskbars) scroll down about halfway and choose "open terminal here"
Once you have opened the terminal do the same again and right click a blank area inside the terminal, then click "preferences" (should be at the bottom.)
Now click on Appearance at the top left (should already be present as default. You will see a long list of customization options, colour schemes, widget style, cursor shape etc.
Scroll down to the bottom and you will see the cool stuff, adjusting terminal transparency, app transparency, and background terminal images. (these work the same way as changing your wallpapers basically) You can adjust the mode here too (stretch/fit/zoom etc) You can also set your terminal preset here. Which saves you from doing it manually if you want a double split or quad split terminal, allowing you to work on multiple tasks. You can also just right click your terminal and click "split terminal hori/veri" each time individually if your preset is singular.
If you have issues with changing your widget style or fonts, it is likely due to a change needed to be made in "Settings>Settings Manager>Appearance>Fonts (different Linux distros might have slightly different names for these) Once you change the Font here or style it should stop reverting your changes in the terminal settings menu.
figlet & lolcat use these commands in your terminal to customize and spruce it up. You will find tons of guides on YouTube teaching you how to use these tools. Simply type "figlet lolcat" into youtube and you will bring up all the easy to follow guides, the guy who's guide I first followed was speaking Hindi and I don't even speak Hindi, that's how easy it is to follow.
Desktop
This really is just like the terminal section above, right click your desktop again, this time click "Desktop Settings" which will bring you to the background menu, you can see there is also a Munus and Icons tab if you want to play around with those.
Now you will see the folder selection (I just save my wallpapers to my standard Pictures folder) You simply left click any wallpaper you have saved and it will automatically apply the change. Simple as that.
If you want to have your wallpapers change automatically you can see the bottom "Change the background" with a checkbox, tick the check and it will allow you to change the 3 greyed out options. Now you can adjust the time and randomize it also.
So you can make seperate folders for different themes, example you have a favourite show or a hobby/theme in mind. I will use my real example I personally love Black Lagoon so I made a Black Lagoon theme to randomize about 20+ wallpapers, now they all change automatically, simple but cool.
I recommend Wallhaven.com as they have very crisp and clean wallpapers with many to choose from.
Hope this helps people getting into Linux and allows you some easy to alter customizations with a click of a few buttons.

J'ai bientôt 20 ans et je sais depuis 14 ans que je n'aurai jamais personne dû à mon physique, les filles m'ont toujours dit que j'étais moche, et ma meilleure amie m'a bien fait comprendre, que pour les filles, le physique est primordial, et que si il ne passe pas, c'est mort, tout en sachant que toute fille me trouve moche, je sais que c'est terminé pour moi.
Il y a 1 an (mai 2023), j'ai été forcé à changer par mes parents, par 2 événements, en premier, avoir dit des trucs alarmants à mes amis, en deuxième, la police qui débarque chez moi après que j'aie menacé de me s sur des forums en ligne. En soi, j'ai pris goût au changement, j'ai perdu 20kg en 4 mois, je me suis acheté un vélo et je me suis juré de plus sortir et "d'augmenter mon test de pureté (lol)", j'ai été également dans l'association de ma fac (apparemment, mon ami m'a dit que beaucoup me connaissaient maintenant et que j'ai ma petite réput), d'ailleurs il est possible que cette assos soit l'assos représentant le plus d'étudiants de ma région. J'ai également changé mon style et tout récemment je me suis mis à la musculation, et je vois déjà le résultat !
Mais le résultat des courses ? Que dalle. On m'a dit que j'avais l'air beaucoup mieux (heureux), je sais que je suis plus performant au sport et c'est tout. Mon cercle social n'a pas augmenté (et pourquoi sortir au bar quand les gens qui y sortent souvent sont des gens avec qui on ne s'entend pas). On m'a même fait comprendre que j'étais toujours moche, le bohneur. D'ailleurs il faut savoir que personnellement, je ne me suis que très rarement trouvé moche en me regardant dans le miroir, honnêtement je m'aime bien, mais il y a ce trou qui ne sera jamais comblé, de n'avoir jamais personne dans ma vie, je ne serai jamais aimé et je le sais. (et mon test de pureté a même baissé parce que j'ai fait du caritatif mdr). J'ai d'ailleurs assez d'amis a mon goût, et quand une personne que je connais pas me parle, je peux être tout à fait cool, mon plus gros problème c'est les groupes majoritairement d'inconnus.
Alors personnellement la conclusion que je tire de cette année, avec une volonté d'ascension incroyable tout au long du premier semestre, a été une incroyable douche froide, alors certes, je suis bien moins déprimé qu'avant, presque plus du tout, parce que je pense avoir enfin compris que malgré tous les efforts que je puisse faire, c'est terminé, je n'ai aucun avenir relationnel. Pourquoi ? J'en suis arrivé à la conclusion finale, mon physique était le problème, j'ai voulu le changer, il a changé. Mais qu'est-ce qui n'a pas changé ? Mon visage. Mon visage est sûrement la cause de tous mes maux qui font que toutes les filles me trouvent toujours moche (alors que même un gars m'a sorti une fois après que je me sois rasé "woaw t'es un chad en fait t'as la mâchoire carrée").
Aujourd'hui, je n'ai plus espoir, je ne le dis quasiment pas aux autres et je me cache, car je sais pertinemment que si les autres me donnent une once d'espoir, je peux très vite devenir très agressif et tout sauf amical, car j'ai viscéralement l'impression qu'ils me veulent du mal en me disant ça, j'ai perdu espoir, je ne suis plus vraiment malheureux, pourquoi je voudrais regagner espoir et redevenir malheureux, tout en sachant que ma situation ne s'améliorera jamais malgré tout ce que je puisse faire ?
J'ai toujours une extrême jalousie envers les couples, donc j'évite maintenant de sortir en lieu public pour éviter d'en voir, car j'ai accepté la finalité que sortir ne serre plus à rien pour moi.
Je ne serai jamais aimé par qui que ce soit, cela me rend triste mais j'évite d'y penser, et ça marche, j'évite tout ce qui me le rappelle, et ça m'aide. Donc autant vivre comme ça que dans le malheur que me procurerait la vie habituelle par l'espoir de ce que je n'aurai jamais.
En tout cas, je garde mes ami(e)s, je fais quand même des sorties avec eux, mais je me dois d'éviter ceux qui sont en couple (du moins, éviter de les voir en couple). C'est peut-être un peu triste mais je n'ai pas le choix.
Je trouve ma vie misérable, mais je n'ai pas choisi mon malheur, je me dois de faire avec ce manque d'amour absolu.
J'aimerais volontiers des avis sur la situation en la partageant.

ça fait plusieurs fois que dans la salle où je fais du badminton, je vois des jeunes pendant leur entrainement de basket. Et ça a l'air vraiment cool, vraiment physique, j'aimerais vraiment essayer. Mais j'ai jamais joué au basket de ma vie, jamais fait de sport co, j'ai l'impression que si je rentre dans un club maintenant, à mon âge, il ne va y avoir que des mecs qui en font depuis 20 ans, et que ça va me dégouter très vite tellement l'écart de niveau va être énorme et impossible à rattraper. Un avis sur la question ?

Hello! Here we are again, back for another ATLA commentary.
Before we get started I do want to point out that I’m numbering and labeling episodes according to how they appear on Netflix. Episode 12, as I understand it, is actually two episodes. However, since they’re presented as one thing here, that’s how I’m watching it.
Brief update on other projects: I thought I’d try watching the first Harry Potter movie, but realized it’s two and a half hours long. That’s, at the bare minimum, five hours of commentary writing. So… yeah, we’re gonna hold off on that lol I’m also considering watching a superhero/comic book show called The Boys, because I accidentally caught part of a trailer for it that my girlfriend was watching and it looks very interesting. I’ll be doing the new Game of Thrones commentary next, not sure when exactly.
Okay, let’s go!
Episode 12- The Secret of the Fire Nation

Well that’s a heck of a title! I hope we learn something juicy!

It’s nice to see Aang and Katara bending for fun, thought I’m surprised Aang is so willing to encase himself in a block of ice. You’d think he’d have some trauma from that lol But also, I love Katara’s hair when she lets it down.
Yeah… I’m kind of surprised Aang is taking Appa’s loss as well as he is, considering how he reacted last episode. Since Sokka is talking about walking to Ba Sing Se, I take it they’re not going to be spending time looking for him? But then, didn’t the sandbenders say they sold him to a merchant from Ba Sing Se? Maybe he’s there, and Aang’s banking on that hope.

I know I keep applying real-world logic to a cartoon show, but wouldn’t Ba Sing Se get awfully crowded if they’re constantly taking in refugees from the rest of the Earth Kingdom? Iroh put the city under siege for almost two years. What if the Fire Nation does that again? More mouths to feed makes starvation quicker!

Iroh and Zuko are refugees. I still can’t get over that irony lol Hey, it’s Jet! My goodness, he’s onscreen for less than ten seconds and he’s already planning a robbery. He and Zuko are going to get along just fine, aren’t they?
The cabbage merchant! Always a delight to see him and his cabbages! Also hilarious that a bunch of people are impersonating Aang (thought it probably would be less hilarious if any of them met Azula). If passports are necessary, how did Zuko and Iroh get tickets? Also, good on Toph for taking advantage of her privilege lol
Hey! I think that’s Suki! Her eyes are drawn really distinctively and her voice sounds familiar! Two seconds after pressing play: it is Suki! Don’t you just love my long winning streak of figuring things out right before they let us know? Lol

Glad to see ATLA Suki appreciates Sokka’s muscles just as much as NATLA Suki lol

Someone took the pregnant family’s tickets and belongings. Is that how Zuko and Iroh got their tickets? Zuko’s robbed families before, so I wouldn’t put it past him.
Well damn, Suki got her armor and makeup on real quick, didn’t she? Hm… Sokka’s worried about her. I think Suki’s going to interpret that as him being sexist again but he’s probably traumatized from losing Yue. He’s been through way too much to still be sexist. If he still had a misogynistic bone in his body, Toph would have beaten it out of him by now.

Well the Serpent’s Pass looks terrifying. Also, this pregnant lady took one look at some scratched graffiti saying “Abandon Hope” and immediately started crying, saying “How can we abandon hope? It’s all we have!” Like… come on, lady lol Just because you see graffiti telling you to do something doesn’t mean you have to, otherwise I would have called quite a few people for a good time by now.

Hope is a distraction, huh? I guess I can see the logic of that from a practical application perspective. But it’s kind of a depressing philosophy for a monk to have.
Holy shit! Nope, I would not be walking along a cliff path that narrow! I will build a rowboat and paddle my way to Ba Sing Se.
Toph is really carrying the team (and some refugees too) this episode.

There’s a fine line between being protective and being smothering and Sokka has hopped, jumped, and skipped right over it.

Zuko’s not wearing his blue spirit mask. Not that he needs it, he and Jet work together like cogs in a machine. Ironic lol
Ow! Geez, that rejected hug hurt me lol Katara’s right though. Bottling up emotions just makes them worse in the long run. You have to allow yourself to feel bad sometimes. Granted, you can’t fly off the handle like he did last episode, but that’s a reaction. You can control your reactions, but you can’t control your feelings.
“It’s a beautiful moon.” “Yeah, it really is.” Okay, I know Sokka said last episode that Yue is the moon, but he was tripping on peyote. Does he actually believe that Yue is the moon now? Is Yue the moon now? I interpreted her death as he sacrificing herself to bring the moon spirit back to life, not to become the new moon spirit.
“Who is this guy? Is he taller than me?” Dude, we were having a moment. Damn it, just kiss her! Well actually, the moon’s right there so if Yue really did turn into the new moon spirit, it might be a tad awkward to kiss in front of her. But what’s he gonna do, only ever show intimacy during the day?

Um… I’m probably reading too much into this Smellerbee scene with Iroh and Longshot and I’m almost hesitant to say what I’m thinking because I can just imagine the backlash I could get for voicing it. And it’s not like ATLA has had great LGBTQ representation up to this point, so… Yeah, I’m probably just seeing things that aren’t there.

You know, I’ve never really cared a lot about Jet as a character (in fact, I’m kind of surprised to see him again. I figured he’d be a one-off character) but I am really enjoying his scenes with Zuko and Iroh. They have so much in common, which is probably the point of this whole juxtaposition. If he only knew who they really were lol
Of course Iroh believes in second chances. He’s the best. And also, he’s living proof that some people deserve a second chance.

Uh… Katara parting the sea while leading refugees to safety invokes a certain comparison, doesn’t it? But can I just say that I love how her solution to crossing the gap is to literally walk through the ocean instead of making a raft out of ice and floating across. She just never misses an opportunity to flex on everyone, does she? Lol

Momo continuing his pattern of trying to kill every small animal he sees is something I’ve come to treasure.
Is that the unagi?! I think that’s what it’s called/spelled but I haven’t seen that episode in a while. It would be fitting if Suki and the sea serpent both share the same episodes lol No that’s not the unagi. It’s a different color. Um… what exactly was Sokka planning to do if the sea serpent actually accepted his offer and ate Momo? Considering how he reacted to losing Appa, I don’t think Aang would be too happy with him.
Oh, now she’s making an ice bridge. Not as much of a flex as maintaining an air bubble so they plumb the depths but it is faster. Oh, Toph can’t see on ice. And she can’t swim? An earthbender not being able to swim feels like a stereotype for some reason, even though I have absolutely no reason to think that lol
“You can go ahead and let me drown now.” That’s gonna be a favorite joke of mine, I just know it lol And I’m pretty sure this is probably a jumping point for a Sokka/Toph ship. What does the community call that? Soph? Tokka? (How old is Toph, anyway? Probably Aang’s age, right? That’s… probably not an appropriate ship then)

Why does Ba Sing Se’s wall remind me of The Wall from Game of Thrones? Obviously not made of ice though lol

Okay, time for ATLA’s viewers to experience the miracle of childbirth!

Like I said earlier, ATLA isn’t heavy on the LGBTQ representation, but I swear I’m picking up on some tension and chemistry between Jet and Zuko (Juko? Jeko? Zet?). And now half of Jet’s little group is an LGBTQ allegory for me lol Even the dialogue between Jet and Zuko in this scene is slightly suggestive.

So… can Katara waterbend the baby out or…
Baby Hope, eh? Probably not a super common name in this world.
Oh? Was that Aang’s way of telling Katara he loves her without actually saying it? Aww. And hey, he’s heading off on his own to search for Appa. Which… honestly kind of feels like he should have been doing that this whole time lol
Yes! Get some, Sokka! Wait, nevermind. I fucking hate that line. Ugh No! I’m not gonna be a bitter old lady on this watch-through! They’re kissing and it’s very sweet and I love that for them!
Um… there’s a giant metal dildo on the way to penetrate Ba Sing Se! Lol but seriously, how technologically advanced is the Fire Nation? A giant mobile drill of that scale would be a marvel of engineering even by our modern standards.

Well hey, there’s the title card letting me know when the next episode starts.

Woah, the way the drill moves is so cool! I’m legitimately wondering if such a thing would actually be possible in our world with our physics. I don’t know why we would want to, but still. And of course Azula’s leading this attack. She gets all the best opportunities. And she’s smart too! The war minister guy is dismissive of the earthbenders, believing his drill to be impervious to earthbending attacks. You can practically smell the hubris. But Azula leaves nothing to chance and she sends her girls out to neutralize any potential threat.
And this is why we love Azula. She’s not just a scary villain, she’s a competent villain.

And the Earth Kingdom general shares the War Minister’s hubris. Why are the people in charge always the worst people to be in charge? Also, I love that Toph is the one to point out that Iroh broke through the wall.

So the Earth Kingdom’s elite Terra Team force were taken out by two teenage nonbenders from the Fire Nation in about twenty seconds. How have they lasted this long? Lol (I say two, but let’s be honest. Ty Lee’s doing the heavy lifting here)
Yes! I love that they acknowledge Sokka as the “Idea Guy”!
Iroh has got rizz for days lol I’m kind of surprised he only ever had one son. Jet wants to recruit Zuko. I’m totally down for that! They’re such an interesting pair!

I really love that Katara, whose probably the best waterbender in the world at this point, respects Ty Lee enough to recognize how dangerous she is. And Sokka had an idea! They’re going to take down the drill from the inside. Because how the hell else are they going to stop something that big?

Again with the underestimation! I swear Azula’s the only competent person in the entire Fire Nation military since Iroh retired.
Okay, engineer Sokka figured it out. It’s all a little too easy, isn’t it?

Ah shit, Jet just realized the truth, because Iroh used firebending to heat up his tea lol I think he’s getting a little too relaxed.

Okay, just the fact that they slice through metal with water at all is pretty impressive. And the drill has reached the wall, and Azula still doesn’t look impressed.
Oh yeah, I guess this is a pretty high stakes battle for them, huh? If they lose Ba Sing Se, they basically lose the entire Earth Kingdom, right? Omashu’s already fallen, the smaller villages and whatnot have no real defense. Ba Sing Se is the last big puzzle piece to world domination (aside from the water tribes, but they’re so isolated they’re not really a threat).
I love that Toph’s nickname for Aang is Twinkle Toes. Also I laughed at the War Minister’s face when he was side-eyeing Azula just then. +That’s the face of a man who’s about to be punished!

lol Sokka’s the only one with more rizz than Iroh! Maybe a legitimate battle strategy here would be to woo Ty Lee into switching sides? Aside from Azula she seems to be the most dangerous one. No offense to Mai, but she is kind of the odd woman out here.

Oh please let me get Aang and Azula 1v1! I really badly want to see how he fares against her without everyone else helping him. He’ll probably have to use the Avatar State to defeat her.
Ty Lee dives into the slurry after Katara and Sokka while Mai refuses. Yeah, Mai is the weak link here in Ozai’s Angels (I love that name, by the way).

Did Aang seriously think the general was going to hear him from that high up? Lol Toph’s helping Katara bend the slurry (how convenient that it’s both water and earth!). Ty Lee’s still trapped in it and the drill is about to blow. If I hadn’t learned my lesson on the last post, I’d probably be worried she might die in the explosion. But this is a kid’s show, she’ll be fine.

Here we go! Aang vs Azula! Her fighting style is so elegant. Every move she makes feels on purpose, if that makes sense. Like, whenever Aang fought Zuko, Zhao, or NPC firebenders their style is a little more chaotic and fearsome and rawr, you know? But Azula’s totally calm. Everything she’s doing feels calculated, and it’s working! If she hadn’t had to dodge that boulder after blasting Aang back she might have been able to deliver a finishing blow!
She beat him! He’s unconscious! Okay, well not anymore lol See… that right there was hubris (actually, it was kid’s show writing but whatever)! He was out for like fifteen seconds. She should have roasted him where he lay instead of picking him up and gloating.
Another fight with Azula ends in a draw with neither one beating the other! I’m starting to get a little peeved with all this edging lol but that was great! Azula is an absolute beast!

Okay, the way Aang hammered that rock spike into the drill was pretty epic. Mai’s “We lost” (and thank you for your contribution to the fight, Mai lol) is interesting. It’s true, they did lose. Not in the combat sense, Aang couldn’t beat Azula, but he didn’t have to. He just had to hold her off. Maybe that’s kind of a metaphor for the Fire Nation military in general. It’s very powerful, but it’s also marred by incompetence and weaknesses. Many of its generals are prideful and blind to their own weaknesses, or just outright incompetent. Look at this fight: even Mai just kind of gave up halfway through. If Ty Lee wasn’t trapped in the slurry, she might very well have been able to beat Katara, Sokka, and Toph, especially since they don’t Appa this time to bail them out. And if Mai had been with her, she might have been to break Katara’s concentration with a thrown weapon, thus freeing Ty Lee from the slurry.

I wondered how the Earth Kingdom lasted so long and maybe that’s just it. They can’t beat the Fire Nation, but they don’t have to. They just have to hold them off and the Fire Nation’s own shortcomings will end up beating themselves. It’s a hundred year stalemate.

Looks like Jet’s going to be causing a problem for Iroh and Zuko. I wonder if his relationship with them is what’s going to finally let him realize that not all Fire Nation people are inherently evil?

Hey, that’s Baby Hope! And Iroh gets to fawn over her too and I love that for him. You know, if Aang defeats the Fire Nation in a timely manner, Hope might actually get to grow up in a world at peace. Well, kind of. I’m sure there’s going to be massive issues with racism from generations of propaganda painting the other side as inhuman, huge demands for reparations, not to mention the territories the Fire Nation currently occupies. It’s been so long that there must be at least two generations of Fire Nation citizens who were born in and grew up in the Earth Kingdom, and I’m sure there’s been interbreeding with the Earth Kingdom people, because that’s what always happens with colonizers. Once they become established, genocide is pretty much the only way to get rid of them, and I doubt the Avatar is going to allow that.
So Hope’s probably going to grow up in pretty interesting times!
Um… is Ba Sing Se a city or is it a little walled country? Cuz all I see are farms and plains!
Katara, I love you, but you’re wrong. Team Avatar is going to catch on because it’s awesome, and that’s that.
Episode 13- City of Walls and Secrets

Oh, there’s an inner wall. So Ba Sing Se is kind of like the country in Attack on Titan! Oh yeah, in all of the excitement I almost forgot about Appa. Seriously, how many episodes has he been missing now? Damn, now that’s a city!

Yeah… something’s up with Joo Dee.
Walls inside that help maintain order? You mean walls that protect the rich and elite from the dirty poors? Lol Oh, Katara just confirmed it. They pen up all the poor people into a walled ghetto.

lol when Iroh’s talking about someone bringing home a lady friend, does he mean himself? Or Zuko? It is really interesting how their views of Ba Sing Se differ though. Iroh’s talking about getting a home, socializing, building a life, and he’s even found them jobs! Zuko sees the same situation as a prison.

Well, I’m glad Jet’s turning over a new leaf by letting the authorities handle things. Too bad I don’t trust the authorities to be any better.
Toph knows what’s up. Joo Dee is purposefully brushing Sokka off and distracting the group. I’m not sure why at the moment, but something is clearly up.

Of course they’re going to work in a tea shop! Lol Zuko’s right btw, all tea is hot leaf juice. Well, except for the teas that are hot root juice.

The cultural authority of Ba Sing Se, who guard their traditions and are called the Dai Li. Yeah… maybe it’s my conservative religious upbringing but when I hear about people “guarding their traditions” I immediately think of abuse, propaganda, and oppression. Generally people who are obsessed with traditions tend to be conservatives, who by their very nature cannot allow progress or improvement.
Someone important is trying to keep them under constant surveillance and prevent them from seeing the Earth King. In NATLA, there were spies in Omashu. Since Ba Sing Se is much bigger and more important, I imagine it’s riddled with Fire Nation spies as well, and somebody high ranking might be a traitor.

Joo Dee is kind of scary lol and clearly the citizens are terrified of her. But what’s interesting to me is that she’s preventing them from giving information about Appa, which suggests that whoever is stopping them from seeing the Earth King also has Appa. But why? What would be the point of keeping Aang away from Appa? Is it to restrict his mobility and make him easier to capture?

So people aren’t allowed to talk about the war, and the Dai Li seem to be responsible. But why? If everyone knows there’s a war going on anyway, why keep people from talking about it?
It’s lucky that Iroh borrowed his neighbor’s spark rocks, but why would he refrain from firebending in what he assumes is privacy? Unless he knows he’s being watched.

Huh, is the king’s pet bear the first normal animal on the show? Lol I am digging this undercover plan though.

I love that this show lets its characters try on different looks from time to time, even if they are mostly the same outfits. Katara and Toph’s high society get-ups are gorgeous!
The lost boys- I mean, freedom fighters are turning on Peter Pa- I mean, Jet. The weird thing is… he’s right! They are firebenders! But his behavior still isn’t healthy!

Okay, let’s go! Jet’s hurling accusations and attacking them in public! And now Zuko’s fighting back with swords. It’s the duel of the dual-wielders! Honestly, this is probably good for Zuko. He needs to blow off some steam after everything he’s been through.

Well how about that? Security at the palace is actually competent and Toph can’t bluff her way in.
This Long Feng guy is cultural minister to the king, which means he’s probably the bad guy! And also we haven’t met any other high ranking government officials with names, so he’s currently the only option lol

Geez, Zuko straight up intended to decapitate Jet right there. If Jet were a little slower, he would have! Man, I hope they do this fight scene in NATLA.

Uh-oh, scary lady Joo Dee is the scared one now. But can I just say how much I like her facial expressions?
Yeah… can’t blame them for arresting Jet. He did look like a crazy person.
The Dai Li’s specific brand of earthbending is very cool! It almost doesn’t seem like bending at all, if that makes sense. The stones they use are like a part of their own body. And of course Long Feng is their leader.
Okay I get the king is just a puppet and Long Feng is the real rule of the country, but I still don’t understand why he doesn’t allow mention of the war in the city. I mean, it’s common knowledge! A significant portion of their population are literally refugees fleeing war! Who doesn’t know
Oh… is it the king? Does the king just not know there’s a war happening and Long Feng keeps it from him so he can stay in charge? I mean, that’s still a stretch but it would explain why he doesn’t want Team Avatar talking to the king.

Jet is being hypnotized. Also, I do want to point out that I have seen “There is no (whatever) in Ba Sing Se” many times in the wild lol it’s nice to see where it comes from!

Ah… Long Feng is holding Appa as leverage over Aang.
I didn’t think Joo Dee could be any scarier but here we are! This episode almost has horror movie vibes.
Concluding thoughts: This was a fantastic couple/throuple of episodes! I loved seeing Suki again, and I really enjoyed how the refugee subplot ties so perfectly in with Iroh and Zuko. The whole drill sequence was probably the best “action” the show has had thus far and that’s saying something. It’s also nice to have my suspicions that the Earth Kingdom has its own corruption problems and bad guys confirmed.
I have a new theory to replace my “Iroh’s going to die theory”. They’ve been showing us all season how Zuko isn’t really cut out for life on the run, whereas Iroh embraces it. I think they’re driving to a separation between Zuko and Iroh. He may not have died, but narratively speaking Zuko and Iroh have to part ways permanently or semi-permanently for his character to grow. Iroh has been propping him up and supporting him this whole time, now it’s time for Zuko to leave the nest and become his own person.
My new theory is that Iroh will enjoy his new life in Ba Sing Se so much that he elects to stay there permanently, whereas Zuko is too restless to do so. He can’t go back to the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom will not accept him, so his only choice is to join Team Avatar, where he will likely end up teaching Aang firebending.
And to expand further on a previous theory of mine, which was: Azula will kill or depose Ozai. I’ve accepted at this point that death is off the table. Kid’s show and all that. But I noticed something… lots of people were quick to say that Azula would never kill Ozai. But not one person has said she wouldn’t depose him in those refutations (unless I’m misremembering but I don’t think I am). Since you all know not to hint at things or spoil them, I think your eagerness to point out that she won’t kill Ozai is an attempt to mislead me into thinking the whole theory is wrong so I’ll be surprised when she ends up deposing (not killing) him. I mean, I could be wrong but I have a strong feeling that the final villain is going to be Fire Lord Azula, with Ozai in exile somewhere (that would be fitting! The man who banishes his own son ends up being banished himself!).
Maybe that will even be the conclusion of Zuko’s arc! While Aang goes off to save the world from Azula, Zuko splits up to confront Ozai himself! Where we are in the show right now, it really does feel like Azula is Aang’s primary antagonist whereas Ozai is Zuko’s primary antagonist.
By the way, from here on out, no confirming or denying my theories either way, okay? Let it unfold naturally, and let me figure things out on my own. I mean, where’s the fun in just giving me the answers?
And also, some of you could be a little nicer with your criticisms. I had to block someone last time I posted and I don’t want to do that anymore. It’s fine to disagree with me, it’s fine to explain why you disagree with me. Hell, most of you do! I don’t mind that, I like that we all have different views of things even if I don’t agree. It makes things interesting! But don’t talk down to me, don’t use belittling language, don’t be disrespectful. Whenever I don’t like something about ATLA (or like something about NATLA) some of you seem to take it as a personal insult or something.
Just be polite, that’s all I ask.
Okay, I’ll see you same time next week probably!

Hello! Here we are again, back for another ATLA commentary.
Before we get started I do want to point out that I’m numbering and labeling episodes according to how they appear on Netflix. Episode 12, as I understand it, is actually two episodes. However, since they’re presented as one thing here, that’s how I’m watching it.
Brief update on other projects: I thought I’d try watching the first Harry Potter movie, but realized it’s two and a half hours long. That’s, at the bare minimum, five hours of commentary writing. So… yeah, we’re gonna hold off on that lol I’m also considering watching a superhero/comic book show called The Boys, because I accidentally caught part of a trailer for it that my girlfriend was watching and it looks very interesting. I’ll be doing the new Game of Thrones commentary next, not sure when exactly.
Okay, let’s go!
Episode 12- The Secret of the Fire Nation

Well that’s a heck of a title! I hope we learn something juicy!

It’s nice to see Aang and Katara bending for fun, thought I’m surprised Aang is so willing to encase himself in a block of ice. You’d think he’d have some trauma from that lol But also, I love Katara’s hair when she lets it down.
Yeah… I’m kind of surprised Aang is taking Appa’s loss as well as he is, considering how he reacted last episode. Since Sokka is talking about walking to Ba Sing Se, I take it they’re not going to be spending time looking for him? But then, didn’t the sandbenders say they sold him to a merchant from Ba Sing Se? Maybe he’s there, and Aang’s banking on that hope.

I know I keep applying real-world logic to a cartoon show, but wouldn’t Ba Sing Se get awfully crowded if they’re constantly taking in refugees from the rest of the Earth Kingdom? Iroh put the city under siege for almost two years. What if the Fire Nation does that again? More mouths to feed makes starvation quicker!

Iroh and Zuko are refugees. I still can’t get over that irony lol Hey, it’s Jet! My goodness, he’s onscreen for less than ten seconds and he’s already planning a robbery. He and Zuko are going to get along just fine, aren’t they?
The cabbage merchant! Always a delight to see him and his cabbages! Also hilarious that a bunch of people are impersonating Aang (thought it probably would be less hilarious if any of them met Azula). If passports are necessary, how did Zuko and Iroh get tickets? Also, good on Toph for taking advantage of her privilege lol
Hey! I think that’s Suki! Her eyes are drawn really distinctively and her voice sounds familiar! Two seconds after pressing play: it is Suki! Don’t you just love my long winning streak of figuring things out right before they let us know? Lol

Glad to see ATLA Suki appreciates Sokka’s muscles just as much as NATLA Suki lol

Someone took the pregnant family’s tickets and belongings. Is that how Zuko and Iroh got their tickets? Zuko’s robbed families before, so I wouldn’t put it past him.
Well damn, Suki got her armor and makeup on real quick, didn’t she? Hm… Sokka’s worried about her. I think Suki’s going to interpret that as him being sexist again but he’s probably traumatized from losing Yue. He’s been through way too much to still be sexist. If he still had a misogynistic bone in his body, Toph would have beaten it out of him by now.

Well the Serpent’s Pass looks terrifying. Also, this pregnant lady took one look at some scratched graffiti saying “Abandon Hope” and immediately started crying, saying “How can we abandon hope? It’s all we have!” Like… come on, lady lol Just because you see graffiti telling you to do something doesn’t mean you have to, otherwise I would have called quite a few people for a good time by now.

Hope is a distraction, huh? I guess I can see the logic of that from a practical application perspective. But it’s kind of a depressing philosophy for a monk to have.
Holy shit! Nope, I would not be walking along a cliff path that narrow! I will build a rowboat and paddle my way to Ba Sing Se.
Toph is really carrying the team (and some refugees too) this episode.

There’s a fine line between being protective and being smothering and Sokka has hopped, jumped, and skipped right over it.

Zuko’s not wearing his blue spirit mask. Not that he needs it, he and Jet work together like cogs in a machine. Ironic lol
Ow! Geez, that rejected hug hurt me lol Katara’s right though. Bottling up emotions just makes them worse in the long run. You have to allow yourself to feel bad sometimes. Granted, you can’t fly off the handle like he did last episode, but that’s a reaction. You can control your reactions, but you can’t control your feelings.
“It’s a beautiful moon.” “Yeah, it really is.” Okay, I know Sokka said last episode that Yue is the moon, but he was tripping on peyote. Does he actually believe that Yue is the moon now? Is Yue the moon now? I interpreted her death as he sacrificing herself to bring the moon spirit back to life, not to become the new moon spirit.
“Who is this guy? Is he taller than me?” Dude, we were having a moment. Damn it, just kiss her! Well actually, the moon’s right there so if Yue really did turn into the new moon spirit, it might be a tad awkward to kiss in front of her. But what’s he gonna do, only ever show intimacy during the day?

Um… I’m probably reading too much into this Smellerbee scene with Iroh and Longshot and I’m almost hesitant to say what I’m thinking because I can just imagine the backlash I could get for voicing it. And it’s not like ATLA has had great LGBTQ representation up to this point, so… Yeah, I’m probably just seeing things that aren’t there.

You know, I’ve never really cared a lot about Jet as a character (in fact, I’m kind of surprised to see him again. I figured he’d be a one-off character) but I am really enjoying his scenes with Zuko and Iroh. They have so much in common, which is probably the point of this whole juxtaposition. If he only knew who they really were lol
Of course Iroh believes in second chances. He’s the best. And also, he’s living proof that some people deserve a second chance.

Uh… Katara parting the sea while leading refugees to safety invokes a certain comparison, doesn’t it? But can I just say that I love how her solution to crossing the gap is to literally walk through the ocean instead of making a raft out of ice and floating across. She just never misses an opportunity to flex on everyone, does she? Lol

Momo continuing his pattern of trying to kill every small animal he sees is something I’ve come to treasure.
Is that the unagi?! I think that’s what it’s called/spelled but I haven’t seen that episode in a while. It would be fitting if Suki and the sea serpent both share the same episodes lol No that’s not the unagi. It’s a different color. Um… what exactly was Sokka planning to do if the sea serpent actually accepted his offer and ate Momo? Considering how he reacted to losing Appa, I don’t think Aang would be too happy with him.
Oh, now she’s making an ice bridge. Not as much of a flex as maintaining an air bubble so they plumb the depths but it is faster. Oh, Toph can’t see on ice. And she can’t swim? An earthbender not being able to swim feels like a stereotype for some reason, even though I have absolutely no reason to think that lol
“You can go ahead and let me drown now.” That’s gonna be a favorite joke of mine, I just know it lol And I’m pretty sure this is probably a jumping point for a Sokka/Toph ship. What does the community call that? Soph? Tokka? (How old is Toph, anyway? Probably Aang’s age, right? That’s… probably not an appropriate ship then)

Why does Ba Sing Se’s wall remind me of The Wall from Game of Thrones? Obviously not made of ice though lol

Okay, time for ATLA’s viewers to experience the miracle of childbirth!

Like I said earlier, ATLA isn’t heavy on the LGBTQ representation, but I swear I’m picking up on some tension and chemistry between Jet and Zuko (Juko? Jeko? Zet?). And now half of Jet’s little group is an LGBTQ allegory for me lol Even the dialogue between Jet and Zuko in this scene is slightly suggestive.

So… can Katara waterbend the baby out or…
Baby Hope, eh? Probably not a super common name in this world.
Oh? Was that Aang’s way of telling Katara he loves her without actually saying it? Aww. And hey, he’s heading off on his own to search for Appa. Which… honestly kind of feels like he should have been doing that this whole time lol
Yes! Get some, Sokka! Wait, nevermind. I fucking hate that line. Ugh No! I’m not gonna be a bitter old lady on this watch-through! They’re kissing and it’s very sweet and I love that for them!
Um… there’s a giant metal dildo on the way to penetrate Ba Sing Se! Lol but seriously, how technologically advanced is the Fire Nation? A giant mobile drill of that scale would be a marvel of engineering even by our modern standards.

Well hey, there’s the title card letting me know when the next episode starts.

Woah, the way the drill moves is so cool! I’m legitimately wondering if such a thing would actually be possible in our world with our physics. I don’t know why we would want to, but still. And of course Azula’s leading this attack. She gets all the best opportunities. And she’s smart too! The war minister guy is dismissive of the earthbenders, believing his drill to be impervious to earthbending attacks. You can practically smell the hubris. But Azula leaves nothing to chance and she sends her girls out to neutralize any potential threat.
And this is why we love Azula. She’s not just a scary villain, she’s a competent villain.

And the Earth Kingdom general shares the War Minister’s hubris. Why are the people in charge always the worst people to be in charge? Also, I love that Toph is the one to point out that Iroh broke through the wall.

So the Earth Kingdom’s elite Terra Team force were taken out by two teenage nonbenders from the Fire Nation in about twenty seconds. How have they lasted this long? Lol (I say two, but let’s be honest. Ty Lee’s doing the heavy lifting here)
Yes! I love that they acknowledge Sokka as the “Idea Guy”!
Iroh has got rizz for days lol I’m kind of surprised he only ever had one son. Jet wants to recruit Zuko. I’m totally down for that! They’re such an interesting pair!

I really love that Katara, whose probably the best waterbender in the world at this point, respects Ty Lee enough to recognize how dangerous she is. And Sokka had an idea! They’re going to take down the drill from the inside. Because how the hell else are they going to stop something that big?

Again with the underestimation! I swear Azula’s the only competent person in the entire Fire Nation military since Iroh retired.
Okay, engineer Sokka figured it out. It’s all a little too easy, isn’t it?

Ah shit, Jet just realized the truth, because Iroh used firebending to heat up his tea lol I think he’s getting a little too relaxed.

Okay, just the fact that they slice through metal with water at all is pretty impressive. And the drill has reached the wall, and Azula still doesn’t look impressed.
Oh yeah, I guess this is a pretty high stakes battle for them, huh? If they lose Ba Sing Se, they basically lose the entire Earth Kingdom, right? Omashu’s already fallen, the smaller villages and whatnot have no real defense. Ba Sing Se is the last big puzzle piece to world domination (aside from the water tribes, but they’re so isolated they’re not really a threat).
I love that Toph’s nickname for Aang is Twinkle Toes. Also I laughed at the War Minister’s face when he was side-eyeing Azula just then. +That’s the face of a man who’s about to be punished!

lol Sokka’s the only one with more rizz than Iroh! Maybe a legitimate battle strategy here would be to woo Ty Lee into switching sides? Aside from Azula she seems to be the most dangerous one. No offense to Mai, but she is kind of the odd woman out here.

Oh please let me get Aang and Azula 1v1! I really badly want to see how he fares against her without everyone else helping him. He’ll probably have to use the Avatar State to defeat her.
Ty Lee dives into the slurry after Katara and Sokka while Mai refuses. Yeah, Mai is the weak link here in Ozai’s Angels (I love that name, by the way).

Did Aang seriously think the general was going to hear him from that high up? Lol Toph’s helping Katara bend the slurry (how convenient that it’s both water and earth!). Ty Lee’s still trapped in it and the drill is about to blow. If I hadn’t learned my lesson on the last post, I’d probably be worried she might die in the explosion. But this is a kid’s show, she’ll be fine.

Here we go! Aang vs Azula! Her fighting style is so elegant. Every move she makes feels on purpose, if that makes sense. Like, whenever Aang fought Zuko, Zhao, or NPC firebenders their style is a little more chaotic and fearsome and rawr, you know? But Azula’s totally calm. Everything she’s doing feels calculated, and it’s working! If she hadn’t had to dodge that boulder after blasting Aang back she might have been able to deliver a finishing blow!
She beat him! He’s unconscious! Okay, well not anymore lol See… that right there was hubris (actually, it was kid’s show writing but whatever)! He was out for like fifteen seconds. She should have roasted him where he lay instead of picking him up and gloating.
Another fight with Azula ends in a draw with neither one beating the other! I’m starting to get a little peeved with all this edging lol but that was great! Azula is an absolute beast!

Okay, the way Aang hammered that rock spike into the drill was pretty epic. Mai’s “We lost” (and thank you for your contribution to the fight, Mai lol) is interesting. It’s true, they did lose. Not in the combat sense, Aang couldn’t beat Azula, but he didn’t have to. He just had to hold her off. Maybe that’s kind of a metaphor for the Fire Nation military in general. It’s very powerful, but it’s also marred by incompetence and weaknesses. Many of its generals are prideful and blind to their own weaknesses, or just outright incompetent. Look at this fight: even Mai just kind of gave up halfway through. If Ty Lee wasn’t trapped in the slurry, she might very well have been able to beat Katara, Sokka, and Toph, especially since they don’t Appa this time to bail them out. And if Mai had been with her, she might have been to break Katara’s concentration with a thrown weapon, thus freeing Ty Lee from the slurry.

I wondered how the Earth Kingdom lasted so long and maybe that’s just it. They can’t beat the Fire Nation, but they don’t have to. They just have to hold them off and the Fire Nation’s own shortcomings will end up beating themselves. It’s a hundred year stalemate.

Looks like Jet’s going to be causing a problem for Iroh and Zuko. I wonder if his relationship with them is what’s going to finally let him realize that not all Fire Nation people are inherently evil?

Hey, that’s Baby Hope! And Iroh gets to fawn over her too and I love that for him. You know, if Aang defeats the Fire Nation in a timely manner, Hope might actually get to grow up in a world at peace. Well, kind of. I’m sure there’s going to be massive issues with racism from generations of propaganda painting the other side as inhuman, huge demands for reparations, not to mention the territories the Fire Nation currently occupies. It’s been so long that there must be at least two generations of Fire Nation citizens who were born in and grew up in the Earth Kingdom, and I’m sure there’s been interbreeding with the Earth Kingdom people, because that’s what always happens with colonizers. Once they become established, genocide is pretty much the only way to get rid of them, and I doubt the Avatar is going to allow that.
So Hope’s probably going to grow up in pretty interesting times!
Um… is Ba Sing Se a city or is it a little walled country? Cuz all I see are farms and plains!
Katara, I love you, but you’re wrong. Team Avatar is going to catch on because it’s awesome, and that’s that.
Episode 13- City of Walls and Secrets

Oh, there’s an inner wall. So Ba Sing Se is kind of like the country in Attack on Titan! Oh yeah, in all of the excitement I almost forgot about Appa. Seriously, how many episodes has he been missing now? Damn, now that’s a city!

Yeah… something’s up with Joo Dee.
Walls inside that help maintain order? You mean walls that protect the rich and elite from the dirty poors? Lol Oh, Katara just confirmed it. They pen up all the poor people into a walled ghetto.

lol when Iroh’s talking about someone bringing home a lady friend, does he mean himself? Or Zuko? It is really interesting how their views of Ba Sing Se differ though. Iroh’s talking about getting a home, socializing, building a life, and he’s even found them jobs! Zuko sees the same situation as a prison.

Well, I’m glad Jet’s turning over a new leaf by letting the authorities handle things. Too bad I don’t trust the authorities to be any better.
Toph knows what’s up. Joo Dee is purposefully brushing Sokka off and distracting the group. I’m not sure why at the moment, but something is clearly up.

Of course they’re going to work in a tea shop! Lol Zuko’s right btw, all tea is hot leaf juice. Well, except for the teas that are hot root juice.

The cultural authority of Ba Sing Se, who guard their traditions and are called the Dai Li. Yeah… maybe it’s my conservative religious upbringing but when I hear about people “guarding their traditions” I immediately think of abuse, propaganda, and oppression. Generally people who are obsessed with traditions tend to be conservatives, who by their very nature cannot allow progress or improvement.
Someone important is trying to keep them under constant surveillance and prevent them from seeing the Earth King. In NATLA, there were spies in Omashu. Since Ba Sing Se is much bigger and more important, I imagine it’s riddled with Fire Nation spies as well, and somebody high ranking might be a traitor.

Joo Dee is kind of scary lol and clearly the citizens are terrified of her. But what’s interesting to me is that she’s preventing them from giving information about Appa, which suggests that whoever is stopping them from seeing the Earth King also has Appa. But why? What would be the point of keeping Aang away from Appa? Is it to restrict his mobility and make him easier to capture?

So people aren’t allowed to talk about the war, and the Dai Li seem to be responsible. But why? If everyone knows there’s a war going on anyway, why keep people from talking about it?
It’s lucky that Iroh borrowed his neighbor’s spark rocks, but why would he refrain from firebending in what he assumes is privacy? Unless he knows he’s being watched.

Huh, is the king’s pet bear the first normal animal on the show? Lol I am digging this undercover plan though.

I love that this show lets its characters try on different looks from time to time, even if they are mostly the same outfits. Katara and Toph’s high society get-ups are gorgeous!
The lost boys- I mean, freedom fighters are turning on Peter Pa- I mean, Jet. The weird thing is… he’s right! They are firebenders! But his behavior still isn’t healthy!

Okay, let’s go! Jet’s hurling accusations and attacking them in public! And now Zuko’s fighting back with swords. It’s the duel of the dual-wielders! Honestly, this is probably good for Zuko. He needs to blow off some steam after everything he’s been through.

Well how about that? Security at the palace is actually competent and Toph can’t bluff her way in.
This Long Feng guy is cultural minister to the king, which means he’s probably the bad guy! And also we haven’t met any other high ranking government officials with names, so he’s currently the only option lol

Geez, Zuko straight up intended to decapitate Jet right there. If Jet were a little slower, he would have! Man, I hope they do this fight scene in NATLA.

Uh-oh, scary lady Joo Dee is the scared one now. But can I just say how much I like her facial expressions?
Yeah… can’t blame them for arresting Jet. He did look like a crazy person.
The Dai Li’s specific brand of earthbending is very cool! It almost doesn’t seem like bending at all, if that makes sense. The stones they use are like a part of their own body. And of course Long Feng is their leader.
Okay I get the king is just a puppet and Long Feng is the real rule of the country, but I still don’t understand why he doesn’t allow mention of the war in the city. I mean, it’s common knowledge! A significant portion of their population are literally refugees fleeing war! Who doesn’t know
Oh… is it the king? Does the king just not know there’s a war happening and Long Feng keeps it from him so he can stay in charge? I mean, that’s still a stretch but it would explain why he doesn’t want Team Avatar talking to the king.

Jet is being hypnotized. Also, I do want to point out that I have seen “There is no (whatever) in Ba Sing Se” many times in the wild lol it’s nice to see where it comes from!

Ah… Long Feng is holding Appa as leverage over Aang.
I didn’t think Joo Dee could be any scarier but here we are! This episode almost has horror movie vibes.
Concluding thoughts: This was a fantastic couple/throuple of episodes! I loved seeing Suki again, and I really enjoyed how the refugee subplot ties so perfectly in with Iroh and Zuko. The whole drill sequence was probably the best “action” the show has had thus far and that’s saying something. It’s also nice to have my suspicions that the Earth Kingdom has its own corruption problems and bad guys confirmed.
I have a new theory to replace my “Iroh’s going to die theory”. They’ve been showing us all season how Zuko isn’t really cut out for life on the run, whereas Iroh embraces it. I think they’re driving to a separation between Zuko and Iroh. He may not have died, but narratively speaking Zuko and Iroh have to part ways permanently or semi-permanently for his character to grow. Iroh has been propping him up and supporting him this whole time, now it’s time for Zuko to leave the nest and become his own person.
My new theory is that Iroh will enjoy his new life in Ba Sing Se so much that he elects to stay there permanently, whereas Zuko is too restless to do so. He can’t go back to the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom will not accept him, so his only choice is to join Team Avatar, where he will likely end up teaching Aang firebending.
And to expand further on a previous theory of mine, which was: Azula will kill or depose Ozai. I’ve accepted at this point that death is off the table. Kid’s show and all that. But I noticed something… lots of people were quick to say that Azula would never kill Ozai. But not one person has said she wouldn’t depose him in those refutations (unless I’m misremembering but I don’t think I am). Since you all know not to hint at things or spoil them, I think your eagerness to point out that she won’t kill Ozai is an attempt to mislead me into thinking the whole theory is wrong so I’ll be surprised when she ends up deposing (not killing) him. I mean, I could be wrong but I have a strong feeling that the final villain is going to be Fire Lord Azula, with Ozai in exile somewhere (that would be fitting! The man who banishes his own son ends up being banished himself!).
Maybe that will even be the conclusion of Zuko’s arc! While Aang goes off to save the world from Azula, Zuko splits up to confront Ozai himself! Where we are in the show right now, it really does feel like Azula is Aang’s primary antagonist whereas Ozai is Zuko’s primary antagonist.
By the way, from here on out, no confirming or denying my theories either way, okay? Let it unfold naturally, and let me figure things out on my own. I mean, where’s the fun in just giving me the answers?
And also, some of you could be a little nicer with your criticisms. I had to block someone last time I posted and I don’t want to do that anymore. It’s fine to disagree with me, it’s fine to explain why you disagree with me. Hell, most of you do! I don’t mind that, I like that we all have different views of things even if I don’t agree. It makes things interesting! But don’t talk down to me, don’t use belittling language, don’t be disrespectful. Whenever I don’t like something about ATLA (or like something about NATLA) some of you seem to take it as a personal insult or something.
Just be polite, that’s all I ask.
Okay, I’ll see you same time next week probably!

Okay so I have this literature assignment and the only limitations is that it’s a short story that has an underlying theme something to do with cultural assumptions and can be a maximum of 2000 words. I’m only in the beginning stages of actually writing the story but it will take place in space on a cargo ship and an alien will come and pick of members of the crew (basically the plot of alien) but the alien has come from a “perfect” civilisation and is judging and killing the crew members based on what the alien thinks what the crew and as an extent humanity is doing wrong. I’m formatting it as if it was a diary entry on retro futuristic computer (think fall out 3 computers) and every day there will be a new diary entry and the perspective will be from the captain of the ship. I’m planning on having it go for about a week depending on how much I write each day. The current end of the story will reveal the space ship is heading for earth with the alien on board and the rest of the crew dead. Some advice or some ideas of how to subtly introduce the alien and it’s origin alongside some ideas on how and why he would be killing the crew mates would be especially helpful and any advice on how to effectively write horror in the story how really help out. I only want to reveal the alien towards the end of the story creating like a mystery ish type story but all the crew members will be proven innocent leading them all to believe something else is onboard committing these acts. Also I’m toying around with the idea that the narrator (diary writer) presents himself as the perfect leader but begins to crack under pressure.I’m very new to this and any help would be great
Here is what I have written so far:
AUTHORISED PERSONEL ACCESS AND OPERATION ONLY
[TERMINAL BOOT SEQUENCE INITIATED]
STATUS: CONFIDENTIAL ENTRY CODE: ********
[WELCOME: CREW MEMBER #43221 TO ARTEMIS CARGO SHIP MAINFRAME]
STARDATE-2245.7 – CARGO SHIP ARTIMIS – EN ROUTE TO COLONY 79
DAY-46
The limitlessness of space is only punctuated by the inconsistent spread of stars dotting the infinite emptiness of the cosmos. The subtle hum of the Artimis is a comfortable reminder of human ingenuity. The crew have finally established a routine and have become accustomed to the daily procedures of life upon the Artimis. The specimens procured from colony 118 have shown promising results, we do not have much supply left of from the specimens and due to how it was obtained it has proven difficult to acquire more. I ascertained that Provisions, hydration and energy resources are in abundance allowing us to facilitate the completion of our journey. Laughter echoes through the halls, a testament to the camaraderie onboard. Yet as I retire to my personal quarter I cannot dispel the weight of isolation I feel travelling on this vessel.
(Imagine if it was in a cool font i have no clue on how to do it on reddit)

Lifetime - Staked: 892.4u, Profit/Loss: +12.04u, ROI: 1.35%, Parlay Suggestions: 171-67 Dog of the Week: 13-16
2024 - Staked: 245.3u, Profit/Loss: -21.32u
As always, scroll down for UFC Vegas 92 Breakdowns. The following is just a recap of last event’s results.
~UFC St. Louis (PREVIOUS CARD)~
Staked: 15.75u
Profit/Loss: -15.75u
Parlay Suggestions: 3-3
I’m not really sure how to write a review of a card where you go 0-11 in bets and lose 15.75u. All I know is I’m currently going through an awful year and results have been shocking, and mentally it’s becoming quite taxing. The records are cool and all, but I’m obviously losing money here also and suffering that much of a loss just doesn’t sit well. Mentally I’ve taken a bit of a hit, I can’t lie. Thankfully I’d done most of my research for this upcoming card before UFC STL took place so it shouldn’t cloud my decision making too much. Grateful we’ve got a break week coming up, I need some time to lick my wounds after this one.
I’ll save characters and just direct you to last week’s post if you’d like to see the disasterpiece that was my betting slate for that card.

~UFC Vegas 92~
Bang average card, and even worse from a betting perspective from the looks of these money lines! Honestly I don’t even know why anyone would read this from someone who just took as many consecutive Ls as I just did, but thanks for sticking around if you did. It probably won’t be a massive slate for me here anyway.
(also all breakdowns were written before UFC STL so the self-loathing stops here)

~Edson Barboza v Lerone Murphy~
Full disclosure, all my betting life I have been very keen to fade British fighters, despite being from the UK myself. The talent pool is just objectively smaller, the lack of combat sports in our school curriculum means fighters have less overall experience and years in competition, as well as the media’s and the UFC’s infatuation with hyping up any fighter from this country overall means that fading has been a net positive investment over the years. When it comes to betting lines, the oddsmakers in this country always hang the UK fighters out at slightly shorter prices too, because obviously that’s where the money is almost always going to go. I know I always did that.
Whilst we’re talking about betting, I’ll take the opportunity to get in a quick victory lap about Edson Barboza, who I confidently bet as an underdog to Sodiq Yusuff. The reads I made in for that fight almost looked like I’d seen it before, and it was probably my best bet of 2023 from a pure analytical perspective. Good times.
Edson Barboza has managed to turn incredibly underrated in recent years, mostly due to the fact he’s old and has been mauled a few performances lately. The blueprint to beat him is very clear - you either to go balls to the wall, crowd/pressure him and finish him early, or you cardio-wrestle him for 15/25 minutes.
It sounds quite simple, but both of those lanes require quite specific skillsets. They are obviously skillsets that Khabib, Tony Ferguson, Bryce Mitchell, Kevin Lee and Gaethje possess naturally, which explains 5 of his eight losses in recent years. The losses to Dan Ige and Paul Felder were scored terribly and should have been wins for Edson…and the remaining loss was to Giga Chikadze, which is the only time I think he’s been outclassed in what could be called an “even” fight on paper. Another key thing to note is that Edson is so explosive and dangerous that he has also managed to still score wins against fighters that do fit the stylistic blueprint to be able to make life difficult for him. People like Benny Dariush, Shane Burgos and Billy Quarantillo. But he finished all three of them. Another thing to note is that the calibre of every single name mentioned is very high.
So how does Lerone Murphy measure up against these blueprints? Well right off the bat his record shows he’s capable of a KO win, but it’s not a super reliable method and isn’t particularly process driven (IE it doesn’t come from him smothering his opponent with suffocating pressure early). In fact, his finish of Ricardo Ramos came from some surprisingly effective ground and pound, and the knee against Amirkhani was a fortuitous impact, in a fight where he was expected to find the finish against a guy with the ‘1 round of resilience’ curse.
So how about the wrestling/top control route? Well as previously mentioned Murphy showed some dangerousness in the way he finished Ramos in a grappling position, and his performance against Josh Culibao also shows that it’s his best chance of beating Edson. I have been impressed with his grappling ability in the UFC so far. He’s not a pure takedown artist though, and has averaged just 1.29 takedowns per 15 minutes inside the UFC. In that Culibao fight he was keen to clinch up, but took advantage of Culibao turning his back in the second. The third round was dominant for Murphy in regards to the grappling, but it all stemmed from him landing a body shot that pretty much compromised Culibao and turned him into a ragdoll for more than three minutes in the round. If all you do is look at UFCStats for that fight, then Murphy looks like Khabib…but the tape shows a very different story. He also probably should have gotten the finish there if we’re being critical!
I understand that Lerone Murphy is undefeated (although if you ask me he lost that Tukhugov debut, not that it matters), and has shown good moments from top position, but does doing that against a compromised Josh Culibao and Ricardo Ramos really justify you being the favourite against Edson Barboza? Edson’s fought the cream of the crop in the UFC since day one – his three most underwhelming results were losses to Jamie Varner, Donald Cerrone and Michael Johnson…that’s how ELITE the competition he’s faced has been. And even though he’s a bit long in the tooth he’s showing that he can still hang with guys at this level, like he did with Sodiq. Personally I think Yusuff is a more dangerous fighter for him than Lerone, who doesn’t appear to have that kind of imposing and dangerous striking style.
I think this betting line is putting so much unwarranted faith in Lerone Murphy. Yes, he could turn out to be a great prospect that enters the top 5 of the division one day, but we have not seen him show anywhere near the level of competence to be expected to beat Barboza more times than not. Stylistically, he doesn’t have anything that gives an immediate advantage against Barboza (at least nothing I could trust him to lean on for 25 minutes), the only angle there is age. Yes Barboza is getting a bit old and shopworn, but he’s still beating younger guys consistently. Also, whilst we’re talking about intangibles, Barboza is very experienced in five round fights, and the extra two rounds allow him back into the fight should his weakness towards early pressure show itself.
I’d say Edson should be around -150 here. The line available feels unsubstantiated and purely based on the age dynamic, as I have not seen anything from tape that implies Lerone Murphy is up to the task. He barely got past Gabriel Santos last year.
I had a great time betting Barboza as a dog last time, so I’m doing it again. 1u on Edson Barboza to Win at +125 or better. The line looks to be moving in Lerone’s favour at the moment so I will wait to bet this.
How I line this fight: Edson Barboza -150 (60%), Lerone Murphy +150 (40%)
Bet or pass: 1u Edson Barboza to Win (+XXX)
Prop leans: None

Khaos Williams v Carlston Harris
Pretty awful Co-Main Event. It’s a fun fight but neither man is really considered one-to-watch and they’ve barely fought once each in the last year. You telling me they couldn’t have found a better fight to go on the poster for this one?
Anyway, both men are a little bit wild on the feet, but Harris is clearly the less technical and defensively sound of the two.
Williams kind of forged his path in the UFC with KO victories, but when forced to be technical across 15 minutes he gives a decent enough account of himself (I’ve tried to fade him twice in that type of bout, against Randy Brown and Matt Semelsberger). He’s clearly going to look much better when he can find finishes, but I think I still expect him to be the more eye-catching fighter if this one is a 15 minute kickboxing affair.
But that’s the problem here…Carlston Harris’ grappling game is the strongest skillset that either man possesses, and it’s whether or not he can get it going that will likely determine who wins this one. Unfortunately, we have only seen Williams taken down twice in the UFC, both times by Michel Pereira (who isn’t even much of a wrestlegrappler himself). To make matters worse, they both came in the 14^th and 15^th minutes of the fight and we barely got to see anything, so they really are low quality examples.
I’ve been watching MMA long enough to know that a guy like Khaos Williams probably isn’t a particularly amazing grappler, but of course that’s still a huge assumption to make. With no knowledge of how Khaos is going to fare working off his back, I really do not think this fight is one that you can have any degree of confidence in. The books had initially lined it around a pick’em, which could well imply that they feel the exact same way. It’s unfortunately a pass from me, because a Williams with great TDD and process on bottom could end up being -300…but white belt Williams could look +300.
How I line this fight: Impossible to line with any confidence, so a pick’em is fine.
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: None

~Angela Hill v Luana Pinheiro~
After chasing it for quite some time, MMA bettors finally managed to catch the fade on Luana Pinheiro. When she entered the UFC she was discredited for her exclusively R1 finishes, with people predicting her cardio would not be up to scratch. Things got worse when she took the coward’s way to a win against Jessica Penne – seemingly blowing her gas and then milking the extent of the damage done from an illegal strike and winning by KO. As we know from the MMA community, doing stuff like that will make you one of the most hated fighters on the roster. She then moved to 2-0 with a split decision win as a favourite against Michelle Waterson…which many people think she lost. Basically, not a very impressive stint in the UFC so far.
Finally she went up against Amanda Ribas, who went on to expose that dodgy cardio of Pinheiro, melting her in the third round with a beautiful wheel kick when Pinheiro was death gassed. Now we know it’s possible, the third round of Pinheiro’s fight against Waterson-Gomez makes a bit more sense, seeing as Waterson took over and clearly won it.
Nothing kills a hype train quicker than realising that a fighter has bad cardio, and it’s safe to say that whatever hype there was on Luana (minimal) is dead…because she’s a +125 underdog to Angela Hill here.
In my opinion, Angela Hill has been an incredibly underrated fighter for such a long time and absolutely deserves her flowers as one of WMMA’s most respected journeywomen. She’s had 24 UFC fights, and she’s still showing up better than fighters much younger than her and doesn’t appear to even be slowing down.
The blueprint on Hill has been pretty clear for some time – if you want to beat her relatively easily, you take her down. Otherwise, you’re going up against technically impressive striker that has the durability, a sneaky bit of power and seemingly limitless cardio to keep you honest. Really, if you manage to have success against Angela Hill on the feet, the best thing you can really hope for is about 55% of dominance (typically where two judges score one way, and another goes the opposite).
As I often say, statistics for MMA are best used when comparing WMMA strikers, and the figures here are quite eye-opening. Hill’s strike differential is vastly superior, and their defensive rates are very close. In short, if they stay on the feet for 15 minutes I think Hill should be expected to out-volume her opponent. When you factor in Pinheiro’s cardio deficiencies, that’s even more likely.
Therefore, Pinheiro has two routes to success here in my opinion – her typical R1 finish, or by going the grappling route. Firstly, Hill has never been finished via (T)KO in 29 professional fights (most of which have come at a high level), so I think it’s fair to say she deserves trust in being able to stay safe. She’s also quite an intelligent fighter, so I assume she’s going to be aware that her success will come in the latter half of the fight.
In terms of the grappling, Pinheiro landed five takedowns in the opening round against Markos, and that’s what forced her to gas out…so I don’t really think she’s going to be comfortable enough to lean on that skillset for 15 minutes straight. Hill is defensively quite sound on the mat as well, so as long as she can avoid getting stuck in a position I think she’ll be fine.
So in short, the only skillset I think Luana Pinheiro deserves credit for at this level is her R1 explosiveness, and Angela Hill is one of the worst opponents to pit that style against. Hill’s last victory proves that, as she survived the early barrage of another R1 finisher and took over in R2/3. I think the exact same mission statement applies here, and I think Angela Hill should definitely be trusted to do that. I’d personally line Hill somewhere like -175 to -200 here, so the -137 available at the time of writing was an easy bet to make. Let’s go Angie! 2u Angela Hill to Win at -137.
How I line this fight: Angela Hill -188 (65%), Luana Pinheiro +188 (35%)
Bet or pass: 2u Angela Hill to Win (-137), 0.25u Angela Hill to Win by Decision (+125 or better)
Prop leans: Hill couldn’t finish her dinner, so the decision prop will be one to look out for.
Live Betting Leans: If Pinheiro wins R1 and goes a bit crazy in trying to find a finish, betting Hill on the stool before R2 is a good move as the cardio fall-off could be live.

~Adrian Yanez vs Vinicius Salvador~
This feels like a weird mismatch and I don’t know why it’s happening.
Adrian Yanez is a classy and technical striker that I feel has become a bit overrated. The fans love him and put him on a pedestal as some sort of elite fighter’s fighter – I get that he’s fun to watch and a good boxer, but I’d argue he’s had more underwhelming performances than good in the UFC. He got styled on by Font and Martinez, was competitive against Davey Grant and lost more minutes than he won against Randy Costa. There’s not much shame in that and I’m not trying to say Yanez is bad, but I don’t think those performances warrant him being regarded as one of the most popular unranked fighters on the roster.
He faces Vinicius Salvador, who looked like an exciting fighter from his DWCS victory, but there was always a suspicion that he would have very little to offer outside of barn burners and very early KOs. The UFC pissed away the chance for a fan-friendly prelim guy by putting him up against two of the scrappiest and most durable guys at Flyweight – Victor Altamirano and CJ Vergara. The path to victory for both men was very clear there, and they grinded out long-distance victories after Salvador had nothing to offer after five minutes.
The UFC should have instantly viewed Salvador the same as they do Trevor Peek. Someone who is hilariously flawed but scrappy and entertaining to watch nonetheless. His striking style is unorthodox and weird, which looks great when he’s the hammer but awful when he’s the nail. Against a fighter as scrappy and technical sound a boxer as Yanez, this obviously seems like a tall order.
But ironically, whilst this is the toughest opponent Salvador has faced so far in his career, it’s probably his most winnable fight too. Yanez will oblige him in providing a war for the fans, which will give Salvador his chance to land that early KO. Yanez also been pieced up twice in a row so durability could also be a bit more questionable. Yes there is a massive gap in technique and overall skill…but one clean right hand can trump all of that, and Yanez can be hit by one.
Yanez is a -350 favourite here, which is a very easy way to put that final nail in the coffin of considering betting him. Whilst I do think he probably deserves to be close to that number in terms of his overall winning probability, it really won’t take much for the tables to turn massively here, so risking -350 seems like a terrible idea.
A bet on Salvador on the return is too ugly to stomach though, because he could also get absolutely styled on. It’s an easy pass all round.
How I line this fight: Adrian Yanez -250 (71%), Vinicius Salvador +250 (29%)
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: FDGTD very likely but doubt the price is at all playable.

~Oumar Sy v Antonio Trocoli~
We’re all jealous of Antonio Trocoli, AKA Mr Mackenzie Dern. I’ve probably got more to say about her than I do about this fight.
I’m obviously not going to do any tape for this fight, so the only thing of note from their records is that Trocoli has regional loses to Dhiego Lima (pre-UFC) and Jacob ‘Christmas’ Volkmann (post-UFC), both of which are pretty concerning losses. He also popped for steroids on DWCS, so who knows how good he actually is when he’s clean.
Sy is a terrifying specimen of a man, with a 9-0 record by KO/SUB/DEC. I suppose this is a good time to remind you that William Knight also looked like a god.
Why would you bet this fight? Just pass and take the info we get here into their next appearances.
How I line this fight: I’d have more confidence in my ability to hook up with Mackenzie Dern than my ability to accurate cap this fight.
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: Over 1.5 Mackenzie Dern sightings (-200)

~Emily Ducote v Vanessa Demopoulos~
Two very middle-of-the-road WMMA fighters that I am quite familiar with.
Demopoulos got to the dance via her grappling and submission ability, but has spent time honing her skills on the feet that she actually seems to have abandoned a grappling based approach entirely, having landed an average of 0.49 takedowns per 15 mins in her UFC/DWCS career so far. On the feet, she’s scrappy and actually does hit kind of hard, but the technique is still very much a work in progress. She makes up for the lack of finesse with pure enthusiasm and grit, and will stay in her opponent’s face and swing until the final bell. She’s also pretty durable too, having never lost by finish in 15 fights with striking that’s that sketchy.
Emily Ducote is kind of the polar opposite. She’s a dedicated striker that has decent enough grappling defence. She has little to no power in her hands, but she’s reliable to rack up decent volume and can keep it up across 15 minutes. She has landed 100+ significant strikes in 3 of her 4 UFC bouts, but she’s also absorbed 100+ in 3 too.
The summary of this one is that Ducote is just the cleaner striker of the two, but I think this -330 price tag is a bit ridiculous. Yes, comparing the stats makes it seem that Ducote will win easily, but Demopoulos has faced quite a few opponents that have wanted to grapple her, and her Strikes landed per minute figures are skewed as a result. Given that Ducote absorbs a similar number to what she lands, I think Demopoulos’ enthusiasm should see her land far more than she has done before. Also, Demopolous’ fight metrics are often inferior to her opponents in all of the fights she loses, so the stats do her a major disservice to how competitive she can be.
I always say that there’s a real ceiling in regards to how much you can favour a striking based WMMA fighter if they have no power or finishing ability. The judges do not score technique, so the 50+ pitter patter punches they land can easily be trumped by any instance where it looks like they get hurt on the return, so in this instance I think Vanessa’s power and forward pressure could be enough to make rounds closer than the odds suggest they should be.
In short, Ducote price is nuts but she should probably win so definitely deserves to be favoured. I wouldn’t bet anything here other than FGTD, which could be a decent parlay piece anywhere less than -400. I’d be interested to see what Ducote by Decision looks like because I do rate Demopolous’ durability and see it going the distance quite frequently…so +100 or better would get my money.
How I line this fight: Emily Ducote -250 (71%), Vanessa Demopoulos +250 (29%)
Bet or pass: 1u Emily Ducote to Win by Decision (+100 or better)
Prop leans: See above

~Ramiz Brahimaj v Themba Gorimbo~
Stylistically this is a very funny fight, because it’s between two guys whose strengths and weaknesses are exactly the same. They’re both aggressive grapplers with average to bad striking, and they’ll hunt for the finish from the opening bell…and fall off a cliff at the halfway point if they can’t find it.
Themba Gorimbo is unfortunately completely unbettable at this stage in his career, I think. He’s obviously got this narrative with The Rock going on, and it’s somehow managed to turn him from a sub-par, barely UFC quality fighter that can’t beat AJ Fletcher, to someone whose fame actually manages to transcend MMA a little bit. Just goes to show how important those post-fight interviews can be! That popularity obviously swells his betting line as he’s likely to garner more money and attention from bettors, whereas Brahimaj is a nobody unless you’re a hardcore with a good memory. Couple that with the fact Themba’s style is not sustainable across 15 minutes, and you’ve got a fighter with a very limited path to victory that you can rely on, who comes with an eye-watering price tag.
Whilst Brahimaj’s betting line would lean towards the value side due to Thema’s popularity, this is the first time we have seen him compete in over two years. He was a fighter that came in during COVID times, and immediately got thrown into the deep end when matchmaking was difficult. I bet Max Griffin against him due to Max’s durability (IE my bet was ‘Max to survive and turn the tables’), and it resulted in Griffin slicing Ramiz’s ear in half with an elbow (one of the more gruesome moments we have ever seen in the cage). Ramiz managed to hit is PTV against Micheal Gillmore (the runt of the litter in a season of TUF who had no right competing in the UFC. The only interesting thing about him was that his parents couldn’t even spell his own name ), as well as Sasha Palatnikov. When facing a veteran grappler like Court McGee, I also won a bet backing the experience and durability of a guy like Court (which is ironic given I’ve bet on Court to be KO’d in his last two).
So basically, my summary here is that Thembo deserves to be favoured simply by being more proven and in the better recent form. He’s got good enough grappling all round to be able to stop Ramiz from being so dominant as a round one buzzsaw, and unless Brahimaj has made some major changes in the two years off, Themba’s probably got the slightly superior cardio (by a bit) and therefore should still be around once his opponent fades.
The -275 betting line is absurd though, as I mentioned earlier, because there’s a likelihood that Themba gasses out himself too, and it could easily be Brahimaj that’s fresher in the latter stages, should we get there. Therefore, it’s a very easy pass. I will take a look at the round props as there could potentially be an angle on some sort of combination, but we will see.
How I line this fight: Themba Gorimbo -200 (67%), Ramiz Brahimaj +200 (33%)
Bet or pass: Fight to End in Rounds 2 or 3 (price dependent), or something like that
Prop leans: See above

~Tom Nolan v Victor Martinez~
I’m bored of saying it, but Jesus Christ the calibre of a ‘UFC Fighter’ is just so low these days. Tom Nolan just got knocked out in 63 seconds as a -350 favourite to Nikolas Motta (shoutout to me for sort of predicting that), and Victor Martinez’s UFC debut saw him get knocked out cold by JORDAN LEAVITT.
So what do you do, bet at -350 on an unproven fighter who shat the bed at the exact same price tag last time? Or trust a guy who got put to sleep by the hands of Jordan Leavitt?
Obviously, you pass. If I see a single parlay screenshot with Nolan in it this weekend I will lose all hope.
How I line this fight: I like my chances of pulling Mackenzie Dern for a second time, more than I like my chances of lining this fight accurately.
Bet or pass: Pass
Prop leans: See above

~Abus Magomedov v Warlley Alves~
Abus Magomedov needs to fire his manager. He started off his UFC career with a highlight reel KO inside 20 seconds, and had the world at his feet. Then he gets a main event spot against Sean Strickland. Fair enough taking an opportunity, but trying to speed run the rankings is a terrible idea when you consider all they want to do these days is play monopoly and generate stars. It’s much better to KO bums in the prelims and get paid a 50k bonus a few times than do what he did against Strickland…because look who he got for his third fight after losing in embarrassing fashion - Caio Borralho, who is lowkey one of the best prospects in the UFC at the moment in my opinion. Abus basically went from prospect to fodder when he lost to Strickland, and I wouldn’t expect him to stick around in the UFC for too much longer if he doesn’t start delivering early KOs again.
He should be able to get the better of Warlley Alves though. Alves looks hella old and shopworn, despite only being 33 years old somehow. He has ridden the coattails of having a win against Colby Covington on his record for his entire career, because he’s done nothing remarkable with it since. His loss to James Krause was the fight where it was apparent Alves was on the decline, and a ‘loser leaves town’ win against the equally old and frail Sergio Moraes was the only thing keeping him afloat. He scored a shock upset KO via body kicks against Mounir Lazzez (who turned out to be a bit of a fraud anyway), but the writing has been on the wall for Warlley for some time. Fast forward a few years and he's on a threefight losing streak again, having been beaten down pretty badly and finished in under 1.5 rounds in four of his last five losses.
That’s a key piece of info for this one, because we know Abus’ limitations revolve around him being a great early fighter with terrible and unsustainable levels of cardio. When looking at Abus’ fights, you need to decipher the chances of him winning early, and that will explain the rest.
Given Alves’ frailty, I think this is a pretty generous fight for Magomedov – possibly the most appropriate and tailor-made matchup they could have found for him!
His winning probability relies heavily on doing work early, so naturally betting Abus R1/2 KO would be the obvious go to. I’m not sure there will be any value on that prop though, because it’s a pretty obvious angle that everyone’s going to try and take. However, I’ve long known that Bet365’s Bet Builder product is broken when combining Winner + Total Rounds, especially before they release the rest of the props as it’s completely out of context…so Backing Abus to Win and Under 1.5 Rounds at the right time could produce a valuable price before it gets corrected. That’s all I’ll be looking to play for this fight, assuming those early Abus props are rubbish. Be careful what price is available if you’re considering this, it’s going to be much shorter than normal and it’s a very limited window to be betting on.
How I line this fight: Abus Magomedov -250 (71%), Warlley Alves +250 (29%)
Bet or pass: Abus Magomedov to Win & Under 1.5 Rounds (+125 or better)
Prop leans: See Above
Live Betting Leans: I’d take a look at Alves on the stool after R1, but I don’t think I could trust him really.

~Piera Rodriguez v Ariane Carnelossi~
Ariane Carnelossi returns after two years on the sidelines. I’ve always jokingly been a fan of her, because that fight against Na Liang (the first UFC Fight back with fans after COVID) was genuinely one of the highlights of 2021 and it was such a fun fight with a crazy energy. Also helps that I bet her heavily in that.
Carnelossi’s a decent striker that actually hung with Angela Hill back in the day, but her wrestling defence is a clear weak point. She got absolutely ragdolled in one of the best UFC performances I can remember when she faced Loopy Godinez, and even Na Liang had some success in that opening round. She’s not a fish off her back or anything, but if you can’t defend takedowns and your opponent has the cardio and ability to chain takedowns together…you’re going to struggle.
Piera Rodriguez is a pretty well-rounded fighter, she’s decent enough in the striking realm and has a diverse arsenal with kicks and a whole lot of feints, but she’s also a decent enough grappler that can commit to that multiple takedown approach. She’s landed three or more in each of her UFC/DWCS victories and just generally does a good job of showcasing herself to be a well-rounded mixed martial artist. My biggest criticism of her is that she does look to have slight signs of bad cardio, as her third rounds against both Hughes and Hansen were a bit laboured and slow.
So initially this fight was lined as a clear pick’em, which I didn’t agree with at all. Whilst Carnelossi should be able to show some competitiveness, her inability to defend takedowns should see her on the back foot for a fair bit of this fight, and her desire to land the knockout with every punch she throws could even see her lose moments on the feet to Piera’s kicking game and more technical style. Carnelossi does have a bit of a cardio advantage though, which Piera will have to navigate, but other than that I think the Venezuelan should be given the nod as a moderate favourite, probably around -175. Considering I got Piera at -120, I thought that was worthy of a 2u bet. If the line continues to move though, I may arb out as I think -175 is a very fair number.
How I line this fight: Piera Rodriguez -175 (64%), Ariane Carnelossi +175 (36%)
Bet or pass: 2u Piera Rodriguez to Win (-120)
Prop leans: Probably a decision win for Piera, Carnelossi is dedicated and Piera not much of a finisher.

~Alatengheili v Kleydson Rodrigues~
I write the same synopsis for Alatengheili because the guy never changes. Here’s a paragraph from his last fight that I wrote:
Alatengheili is one of the most frustrating talents I’ve seen in MMA in recent years. He was once the number three freestyle wrestler in China and looks to actually have a really promising wrestling game…but he just doesn’t fight like it! In his UFC debut, he faced a clearly superior striker and waited until round 3 to start shooting religiously (no attempts in R1 or 2, 7 attempts in R3). After that, he did exactly the same again in a split decision win against Ryan Benoit (1 TD attempt in R1, none in R2, and 12 in R3). He then faced Casey Kenny, who is a great defensive grappler…and decided not to attempt a takedown. Then he faced Gustavo Lopez, who took HIM down three times from eight attempts, and none from Alatenheili. He went on to beat Kevin Croom in under a minute on the feet, then went back to his regular style of waiting until R3 for takedowns when he beat Chad Anheliger. In the Gutierrez fight that followed, he attempted four takedowns and landed two. These all came in – you guessed it- round three.
So I think it’s fair to assume that we can’t call Alatengheili much of a wrestler anymore. When he’s striking on the feet, he’s clearly got some power in a big wind up shot, but other than that it’s quite flat footed and low volume stuff. Those aren’t particularly good qualities, as he’s hardly demonstrating a clear killer instinct that makes up for bad minute winning fundamentals.
Kleydson Rodrigues is a guy I was quite excited about when he got to the UFC. He looked great on DWCS, but immediately had a tough test against CJ Vergara in his debut. I do personally think he won that fight, but CJ’s pace, pressure and tenacity got the better of him down the stretch and made that fight close. He returned and obliterated Shannon Ross, before being steamrolled on the mat by Farid Basharat. A real mixed bag of results, overall.
The thing is, I don’t exactly think that the losses Rodrigues suffered are directly relevant here, as Farid’s topside grappling is way way better than Alateng’s. The Mongolian also doesn’t have the forward pressure or pace of CJ Vergara, due to how flat footed he is.
On the flipside, Alatengheili has struggled against fighters who technically outclass him on the feet, or those with good takedown defence. The Mongolian has proven to be a tough fighter to put away, which should give him a chance to take over at the midway point.
Comparatively, I think Kleydson Rodrigues has shown himself to be a higher calibre striker than Alatenheili, and clearly the more diverse one. Kleydson also throws a lot of low kicks, which are a key weapon when trying to nullify the grappling threat of the already flat footed power puncher.
In conclusion, I just think Kleydson Rodrigues outclasses Alatengheili in the striking, whereas I don’t think the Mongolian outclasses him anywhere on the return. The Mongolian has proven he is keen to stay on the feet for the majority of fights, which should leave the door wide open for Kleydson to win minutes. The cardio advantage does lie with Alateng, but I don’t think he pushes enough of a pace in the grappling or striking department to make Kleydson fade like he did against CJ (who is one of the more suffocating guys in the division). Also, Alateng’s grappling threat in R3 may well be nullified by the 10 minutes of leg kick investment that Kleydson has already made.
So as you can probably tell, I favour Kleydson Rodrigues in this one. I personally thought he should be a -200 favourite, so I was expecting to pass on this one…but it looks like the BetOnline moneyline is moving towards -150. For some strange reason the fight is barely available in the UK for now, but I’m hoping that -150 would be available for me to bet for 2u.
How I line this fight: Kleydson Rodrigues -200 (67%), Alatengheili +200 (33%)
Bet or pass: 2u Kleydson Rodrigues to Win (-160 or better)
Prop leans: None
Live Betting Leans: If it’s 1-1 going into the third and there’s been a pace…I’d recommend betting Alatengheili.

~Tamires Vidal v Melissa Gatto~
Melissa Gatto is a competent and well-rounded fighter. She went to competitive decisions with Tracey Cortez and Ariane Lipski. She is UFC quality.
Tamires Vidal is a plodding fighter that doesn’t appear to be very good at defensive grappling. She went to a competitive decision against Montserrat Rendon. She is not UFC quality.
Gatto is -400. It’s a very steep price to pay but I don’t think it’s too far off where it ought to be – she should be able to point strike on the feet and have very decent grappling success, where she can definitely fish for a submisison. I’d be interested in seeing what the price on Gatto by Submission is though, so I may be looking to play that.
How I line this fight: Tamires Vidal +300 (25%), Melissa Gatto -300 (75%)
Bet or pass: Xu Melissa Gatto to Win by Submission (+300 or better)
Prop leans: See above

Bets (Bold = been placed)
2u Edson Barboza to Win (+130)
2u Angela Hill to Win (-137)
2u Piera Rodriguez to Win (-120)
2u Kleydson Rodrigues to Win (-150)
Xu Emily Ducote to Win by Decision (+100 or better)
1u Abus Magomedov to Win & Under 1.5 Rounds (+100 or better)
Xu Melissa Gatto to Win by Submmission (+300 or better)
0.25u Parlay Pieces (not bet yet)
Parlay Pieces: Angela Hill, Emily Ducote, Abus Magomedov, Kleydson Rodgriguez, Melissa Gatto
Dog of the Week: Edson Barboza

First of all, and based on the resumes I've seen here something I think needs to be said, a resume is a marketing tool. It is not a background check confession form.
What I mean by this is that you don't need to put everything you've ever done on a resume. Typically, in the corporate world, until you are much more senior, you only get one page. So be efficient with that space! It doesn't matter if you are proud of something, it doesn't matter if it was difficult, it just matters if it helps you get a job.
So if you're trying to get a job as a project manager, for instance, it's not super relevant to say, "Planned and executed engaging math lessons for sixth graders". That's great, and you should be proud of having done that, but how will that make you a great PM? Instead, you might want to go with, "Led campus improvement committee in analyzing various data streams and implementing widespread initiatives that resulted in 15% fewer disciplinary infractions". That hits several things that suggest you have serious PM skills.
"But hold on man, I haven't done anything like that!"
That brings us to another topic. How can you lie on a resume? And my rule would be...don't tell a lie that can get smoked out. If you say you're super knowledgeable on computer networking, I'm gonna hone in on that during the interview and ask enough questions to find out exactly what that means. If you say you earned your PhD at Harvard, that's going to come up on the background check. BUT...if you were simply a member of the campus improvement committee, not the actual leader, yet you can speak intelligently to what that team did and how they did it, you can get away with saying you led it. Nobody's going to verify the complete validity of that, and former employers are really only allowed to say what your title was, and when you held it with them.
And again, I don't care how much of your time was spent on a given thing. Obviously, if you were a teacher, most of your time would have been spent planning and executing lessons. Maybe that committee met once a month. It's still more relevant to your desired next position, so focus on it.
Next, make the bullets strong. We should already be doing this by taking out some of the job description stuff as I described previously, but try to focus not just on what you did but what affect it had. And again, this is a place where you can stretch the truth a bit. If you were the algebra team lead, it's OK to state that your leadership efforts resulted in a 12% increase on whatever standardized test. Nobody's going to check that. But again, action => effect.
Now, your resume should have a number of sections. Typically, it will start with an introduction/overview. My last used resume had this:

I am an experienced system administratonetwork administrator and former military officer with a proven record of successful leadership in high stress situations. My goal is to join a high-performing Information Technology team where I can effectively use my leadership and technical expertise.

Strong, concise, focused, describes me in a way that sounds cool. Don't be bland. Show enthusiasm and clear intent as to where you want to go. Make me want you on my team.
After that, you'll have a number of sections. Skills, experience, education are pretty much always present. However, you can change the order, and you should based on what's most relevant. When I was getting into tech, I had been a teacher and a military officer, so I moved experience down, and inserted a "projects" section near the top where I described several things I had completed in my homelab. I also put certifications near the top since those demonstrate my knowledge. For me, education goes at the bottom because my degrees are not related to tech (but some corporations really care about degrees so they still need to be shown). On my next job search, I'll put experience first and foremost because I've got two years of IT stuff to talk about, drop projects entirely, and then list certifications, skills, and education at the end. Don't even include "references available upon request" because it's obvious and it simply consumes space.
Lastly, formatting. Somebody else can talk about ATS compliancy if they want; I don't know much about that. Regardless, this shouldn't be artsy. Black text, white background, same font throughout (and a boring one, like TNR or Arial), size 9-10 for the bodies, 12 or so (and bold) for your name, put some plain black border lines between sections to break the thing up.
And really nail it with verb agreement (past tense, present tense, don't care, just match it throughout), periods at the end of bullets (yes, no, don't care, just don't vary from place to place), spelling, grammar, and so on. Would I throw someone's resume out because they had two different fonts and misspelled one word? Personally, no, but someone else would, and it costs nothing to be perfect in this area, so just do it.

Bold Font isn't working anymore so this is going to look kind of ugly. Okay I don't know what's going on with the Font on Reddit but it works sometimes but other times it won't let me use it. This is bizarre.
Antz 1998 ID5915DW Released: 10/08/1999

At First Sight 1999 ML107181 Released: 27/04/1999 Notable for it's late release. Wouldn't called it coolest.

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery: Special Edition 1997 ID3965LI Notable because of the bright colors It's a common enough laserdisc for the standard surround sound version.

Blade 1998 ID4252LI Released: 22/12/1999

Bride of Chucky 1998 LD 83749-WS Released: 30/03/1999 *My favorite Widescreen release. Looks fantastic but this is not a cheap laserdisc and ranges from 120-170 or higher on Ebay at the time of this posting. So can't really recommend to anyone that is struggling financially.
Child's Play 2 1990 41024 Notable because of it's incredibly beautiful Cav side for the last 20 mins or so of the movie. Looks really gorgeous and if you do a quick google search you can find screen captures I did with Hauppauge with my CLD-99. The CLV side is no slouch either. It's all around one of the best looking 4:3 releases on this format. You'll specifically be able to notice the detail and the beautiful eyes on the CAV side. They stand out even more so especially with close up shots of Chucky and Andy. I notice on lddb some copies might have light rot from what has been reported. I did not notice rot on my copy. I notice black noise at the beginning but that's from the film print and normal.
Cliffhanger 1993 78806 I remember this being a pretty good looking Widescreen release. It's also cheap to comeby and I recommend it. It's a very common laserdisc. Common isn't bad though especially if the release looks good video quality wise. Actually as collectors and movie lovers I think we all would prefer if this format was more common so things would be more affordable.
The Crush 1993 12926 This version of the film is notable for having the correct name Darian. I actually took the laserdisc audio and spliced it into a bluray release of the film to have the correct name in the movie. You ask how can you do that when Laserdisc flips? Well, that's simple because the software I use allowed me to trim the audio so when it flipped it wasn't going to stay out of sync. Now I synced it up as best as I could and obviously it's hard to get anything perfect but I have streamed the movie in the past with others that didn't notice any audio out of sync issues so I think I did a pretty good job. I don't remember the picture quality on this one being on the level of Bride of Chucky or Cliffhanger. I think the bluray release of this did a good job picture quality wise. I'd only recommend this movie if you want the real name Darian. Also, for legal purposes I cannot give out a copy of my edit of the film for obvious reasons. I don't hold the copyrights.
Dark Tide 1993 LDCVM5850 This is the best looking release of this film and a laserdisc exclusive. Maybe in the future we will get a bluray release of it but I wouldn't hold my breath with the weird environment we live in. People get easily offended and a movie about Women being forced on an island is probably not a good selling point in this sensitive society. The main actress is beautiful though. She is really pretty. I don't know what she is but I could see her being a type of an Italian. She looks a bit italian to me. Maybe she is an Irish girl that just is good at tanning even though I've never really heard of a person who is Irish that can tan well. :)
Demonic Toys 1992 LV12937 Full Moon typically has great looking releases on laserdisc. I know this because I own quite a few of them. This is no exception. This is basically a 4:3 dvd level laserdisc similar to that of Child's Play 2. I don't think this has a CAV side but either way I remember the picture quality on this looking gorgeous even on a big flat screen. I should test it out on my crt TV which I'm sure will look even better.
Dollman Vs. Demonic Toys 1993 LV83102 See above it has great video quality for 4:3 aspect ratio. The biggest crime with this movie is that a large portion is a recap of Dollman and Demonic Toys movie before the actual real short movie starts. I first seen this movie back in the 90s as a kid when it was shown on Sci-Fi channel.
Ernest Saves Christmas 1988 953 AS Again another great 4:3 aspect ratio movie. I own all the Ernest movies on laserdisc but I found that the Christmas and Halloween movies were the only ones with really good picture quality. The other two not so much and Ernest Goes To Camp is incredibly rare and I'm lucky even have that one in my collection. I believe the Christmas one shows up every so often on Ebay and the Halloween one is kind of rare but not on the level of Ernest Goes to Camp. Ernest Goes to Prison seems to be the most common one of them all when it comes to laserdisc, then Ernest Saves Christmas, Ernest Scared Stupid, and then in my opinion the hardest to come by is Ernest Goes to Camp.
Ernest Scared Stupid 1991 1305 AS This is one of the best looking laserdisc releases for 4:3. It's up there with Child's Play 2 and Demonic Toys. I'd rate it slightly above Ernest Saves Christmas in video quality and Ernest Saves Christmas is a great release on it's own. I believe they may have used a different camera to film Ernest Scared Stupid but either way it's really clear looking and I have posted screens of this on reddit with a quick search and on lddb's screen shot topic.
Friday the 13th films all look good on laserdisc. Now could they have been a little better looking. Debatable because the cameras used and these are older films. I do remember being impressed by Friday the 13th part 5, 6, 7, and 8. Those 4 specifically look pretty good on laserdisc. Part 1 looks great but the aspect ratio is incorrect or looks weird from what I remember. I forget if the image is squished or stretched out. I think it might be slightly stretched out maybe to show more of a widescreen look at 4:3. I don't know but part 1 has weird aspect ratio from what my memory tells me. I own part 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 on laserdisc. I do actually own part 3 but I don't count it because it has laserdisc rot and is completely unwatchable. I think the part 2 I have has mild rot but is very watchable. Rotted laserdiscs I'm usually refunded for by sellers on lddb and ebay. People are usually kind to others and maybe they didn't get around to testing it or what not who knows. Well, ebay sellers typically don't a have a player but a good amount of lddb sellers do and the ebay sellers that usually do have players to test on would be people that probably sell on lddb.
Night Life 1989 90196 Stuck on laserdisc and the video quality is meh. It's definitely alot better than vhs if I had to guess but I don't remember being overly impressed. It's not terrible by any means but I think I was expecting a little more. Also, this is a movie title I'm shocked hasn't been release on bluray yet. Not sure if they believe it's not good enough for them to make $$$ on it or what. It's definitely something I thought Arrow Video, Scream/Shout Factory, Vinegar Syndrome, or one of those labels would have been able to obtain. I believe RCA owns this and I don't know if RCA is still the same RCA or if they were bought out. lddb tells me RCA and Columbia Pictures owns this movie. Keep in mind we have no idea what the original film print is like. Maybe it's too badly damage and this might be stuck on laserdisc.
Nightflyers 1987 LD 65169 Another Stuck on laserdisc and I also don't know why. The video quality again is meh and more of the middle of the road. Keep in mind I'm comparing video quality to stuff like Child's Play 2, Ernest Scared Stupid, Ernest Saves Christmas, Demonic Toys, and Full moon movies. When I say meh or middle of the road I'm not crucifying the release because they are still light years better than the VHS counterparts if I had to guess. It's still the best and only way to see the films until they get a possible bluray release. Again, I have no idea if some of these film prints are damaged to the point the laserdisc releases might be the best it ever looks. Only time will tell if they release in high definition.
A Nightmare on Elm Street films I own all 6 on film and the widescreen releases are pretty good for the format. I own the first 3 films in widescreen and the 4th, 5th, and 6th all look pretty good at their 4:3 aspect ratio. If memory serves me correctly I believe the 4th and 5th film specifically look pretty good at 4:3. The 5th film The Dream Child is only Uncut on laserdisc and vhs. I do not know why it never got a bluray or higher definition release. Maybe the uncut film print was damaged? I don't know but I do know someone was working on a project to restore it probably from a laserdisc print or I don't know what they were doing but they may have stopped because maybe New Line or someone sent them a cease and desist letter which sucks. His work can be found on youtube of the extended scenes.
Odyssey, The ID3629HL This release is great looking and definitely comparable or up there with the dvd release. Might even beat the dvd release if the dvd release has any bitrate issues. I remember watching this at school in one of my study hall classes or maybe it was a real class. I forget but I believe the guy brought it in on either vhs or dvd back in the early 2000s and we watched it on a crt tv. Actually, I'm pretty certain it was his vhs copy of the movie. Anyways the laserdisc release of this is gorgeous. I'd rate it up there with Child's Play 2, Ernest Scared Stupid, and Demonic Toys.
Pinocchio's Revenge LDVM5909 This is a fantastic release and up there with Child's Play 2 and the other movies I mentioned. I would love to say it's dvd level but the Dvd of this actually beats this by a hair. I've compared it to the DVD through screens in the past and comparing a DVD copy to it and the DVD wins. Doesn't Win by a lot and you can probably be fooled if someone hides their laserdisc player and you would probably assume it's DVD. However side by side the DVD has a little bit more details in the dolls eyes and so on. However, this is not me downplaying this laserdisc which I paid a for in the past and I see it goes up and down on ebay often so I don't think it's a super uncommon laserdisc but it's definitely one of the better 4:3 video quality films and I think Pioneerdid a fantastic job with this release. https://www.reddit.com/LaserDisc/comments/vrvsif/what_is_the_best_looking_laserdisc_video_quality/
Small Soldiers ID5914DW Released: 31/08/1999 This like Ants rarely shows up for the North American release on Ebay. I'm guessing it's either uncommon since they are both late releases or people tossed their copies out in the trash for whatever reason. Maybe they viewed this format obsolete. Funny thing is the first dvd release of Small Soldier was not good and I think it may have actually took it from the laserdisc version which is pretty good widescreen for a laserdisc. I like having this one in my collection and the video quality is solid. https://www.reddit.com/LaserDisc/comments/10x89aa/small_soldiers_laserdisc_vs_bluray/
Stranded 1987 32771 Another movie I'm shocked never got a dvd or bluray release. This one has Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers in it. Is it a great film? No but I wouldn't call it terrible. More like middle of the road film. I think the biggest thing the film has going in it is that Flea is one of the Aliens. Video quality also meh middle of the road probably better than the VHS by a long shot. Maybe if I run into Flea I'll have him sign this one day but I doubt that'll ever happen. I don't go to conventions. I can see why this movie doesn't have a bluray release because I don't know how many people would want one. It's such an obscure piece of History. I'm not picky when it comes to movies so I think this movie is pretty cool but I can see others not liking it or giving it a chance.
Summer Camp Nightmare 1987 75666 Very weird revenge movie at a camp. I don't want to spoil to much but this one is so crazy that I do recommend people watching it. If you can't get it on laserdisc or if you think it's too expensive. I don't even know what it sells for now and I doubt I paid a lot for it maybe in the $20-$30 range 4-5 years ago or so if I had to guess in the past. But this is a fun movie in my opinion. Just bat shit crazy and that's kind of how I like it. Video quality is meh another Middle in the Road Video quality wise but I'd have to take an educated guess and say it probably beats the VHS.
Wild Wild West 1999 17794 So So movie average from what most say. However, the video quality on this release is great for a widescreen release. Its up there with the better widescreen releases. However this is one of the laserdiscs that usually command a decent price. It's not in the hundreds range normally but usually commands between 60-80 dollars. Will Smith is also a douche in real life and I think many of us are pretty much done watching his movies. He is controlled by his sick Wife. He is the ultimate Femboy. I'd get Kevin Kline and Salma Hayek but definitely don't care for Will Smith's signature. I actually think with his behavior in recent History and even his weird racial movie choices by pushing for division between people with the Emancipation movie. I think people have just had enough of Will Smith. Most normal people do not want to hear the cries of the past and the injustice of people. It is not only a certain demographic that had to go through cruel times but with the way Hollywood works they push movies like this to divide and conquer. Also, most of our Ancestors did not own black slaves because I believe it was mostly rich White people which the Majority of the Americans are not and are not descendants of rich people. Yet they lump us in with those people and blame us all for what happened to a certain demographic when most of our Ancestors probably weren't even living in USA. On my Fathers side they did come over here and they fought for the Union Army but that's besides the point. I don't like how people are keeping slavery alive in the minds of people and pushing victimhood. I don't think it's good for black people or anyone.

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Urban Exploration

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At First Sight 1999 ML107181 Released: 27/04/1999 Notable for it's late release. Wouldn't called it coolest.

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery: Special Edition 1997 ID3965LI Notable because of the bright colors It's a common enough laserdisc for the standard surround sound version.

Blade 1998 ID4252LI Released: 22/12/1999