While I still enjoyed listening to our favorite podders talk action flicks, I think the action movie scene draft was a bit of a misfire. Particularly, the categories didn’t lend themselves to much debate, and the system of drafting with the multiple picks get disjointed. I do think it’s a great concept, so I came up with some different categories that would make it more interesting. So away with the two picks per decade, and in with the following:
Firefight Scene (Anything with guns that be a shooting, i.e. John Wick in the club, Neo & Trinity in the lobby)
Martial Arts Scene (Hallway fight scene in Oldboy, Rama & Andi vs. Mad Dog in Raid: Redemption, anything Jackie Chan does in Drunken Master)
Western Shootout (Climax of the Wild Bunch, climax of the new 3:10 to Yuma, final standoff in the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly)
Chase Sequence (Car chase in the French Connection, Nice car chase in Ronin, Butch & Cassidy evade posse to the waterfall, the entirety of Fury Road)
Heist Sequence (Downtown LA in Heat, the Nun heist in The Town, even the opening scene of The Dark Knight)
Comic Book Scene (Elevator fight in The Winter Soldier, Joker’s escape in The Dark Knight, vampire club scene in Blade)
Sci-fi Action Scene (Marines first encounter xenomorphs in Aliens, Arnold vs the Predator, Darth Vader in Rogue One)
Period/Sword&Sandal Movie Action Scene (Opening scene of Gladiator, village raid in The Northman, ambush scene in Last of the Mohicans)
War Scene (This one might be a little tricky, because they’re not always “fun” BUT Omaha beach scene in Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawks go down in uh Black Hawk Down, beach bombing in Dunkirk)
WILDCARD (Trinity test in Oppenheimer perhaps? Titanic sinking, maybe?)
10 categories, one pick per round like normal. There’s definitely plenty of wiggle room with categories, like where to put the heist sequence in The Dark Knight. I’d also say movies should only be selected once, but whatever I’m not God, pick how you want.
And finally, put Van on this pod. And Shea Serrano if he’s willing to make a quick reunion.
What do you all think? Would you add any categories? And let me see the picks of the people, please share!

I released a pole 3 days for a All-star I and All-Star II cast. There were a total of 4 spots that need to be broken
Male #1 Rudy Boesch
Male #2 Richard Hatch
Male #3 Colby Donaldson
Male #4 Ethan Zohn
Male #5Lex
Male #6 Johny Fairplay
Male #7 Tom Buchanan
Male #8 Ted Rodgers
Male #9 Rob Mariano or Rupert Boneham
Female #1 Jenna Marcosa
Female #2 Tina Wesson
Female #3 Helan Glover
Female #4 Sandra Diaz
Female #5 Sue Hawk
Female #6 Vecepia Towery
Female #7 Kathy Vanvorick obrian
Female #8 Amber Brkich
Female #9 Kelly Wigglesworth, Jerri Manthey, or Jan Gentry
All-Star II cast Male #1 Ozzy Lusth
Male #2 Yul Knon
Male #3 Yauman chan
Male #4 Tom Westman
Male #5 Johnathan Penner
Male #6 Earl Cole
Male #7 James Clement
Male #8 Terry Dietz, Shane Powers, or Dreamz Herd
Male #9 Terry Dietz, Shane Powers, or Dreamz Herd
Female #1 Eliza Orlins
Female #2 Stephanie Lagrossa
Female #3 Cirie Fields
Female #4 Sandra Oakley
Female #5 Courtney Yates
Female #6 Ami Cuzack
Female #7 Parvarti Shallow
Female #8 Amanda Kimmel
Female #9 Twila Tanner

After a year of an elongated project with seven people ranking every Survivor U.S. character from worst to best, taking turns cutting characters and writing about them, it's time to reveal the final stage of SurvivorRankdownVIII - the endgame! The 24 castaways that the team has deemed to be their endgame will be ranked on average to get the final result. We hope to draw more attention to the project as it concludes and drum up excitement for the next iteration coming this summer, and we hope you follow along with endgame, join our Discord for discussion, and enjoy! If you're interested in more of the format, check some of the pinned posts and the spreadsheet, as well as the Rankdown itself. We're doing some cool things to celebrate the finale of Season 46 as well so stay tuned for that!
For additional context, the endgame consists of Sue Hawk 1.0, Tina Wesson 1.0, Jerri Manthey 1.0, Sean Rector, Sandra Diaz-Twine 1.0, Rupert Boneham 1.0, Twila Tanner, Ami Cusack 1.0, Tom Westman 1.0, Ian Rosenberger, Stephenie LaGrossa 2.0, Terry Deitz 1.0, Cirie Fields 1.0, Shane Powers, Jessica 'Sugar' Kiper 1.0, Randy Bailey 1.0, Colby Donaldson 3.0, Jud 'Fabio' Birza, Jane Bright, Sophie Clarke 1.0, Abi-Maria Gomes 1.0, Aubry Bracco 1.0, Tai Trang 1.0, and Scot Pollard!
We hope you guys find enjoyment and excitement in the project, and remember, live laugh love polls! #24 Reveal will launch along with this post.

LIVE from Lincoln Financial Field; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Sunday, April 7th 2024 Commentated by Michael Cole + Ian Riccarboni + BIG E
Countdown to WrestleMania XL: Presented by Cricket 5G. Panel: J. Redmond + S. Roberts + P. Rosenburg
WWE NETWORK INTRO
WWE Presents WrestleMania XL! Stadium Shots / Countdown Panel Introduction
Arriving Shots: Randy Orton / Kevin Owens / Bianca Belair / DIY
(Philadelphia City Shots)

• WWE WrestleMania XL Countdown Panel Introduction

(Match Video Package) Panel discuss Cody Rhodes vs Roman Reigns vs The Rock.

• Megan Morant sit-down interview with Triple H.

(Philadelphia City Shots)
(Match Video Package) Panel Discuss CM Punk vs Seth Rollins

• Byron Saxton is standing by outside Cody Rhodes’ bus.

THE ROCK CONCERT LIVE (in-ring)
(Match Video Package) Panel discuss Bayley vs IYO SKY
(Lincoln Financial Field Stadium Shots)

• Byron Saxton is standing by with IYO SKY.

Street Fight for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: The Kabuki Warriors def. KC2 (c) + The Unholy Union (14:27)

• Byron Saxton is standing by with Paul Heyman.

(Lincoln Financial Field Stadium Shots)
(Match Video Package) Panel discuss Rhea Ripley vs Jade Cargill.

• Byron Saxton is standing by with ATGMBR winner - Chad Gable!!
  
• Journalist Tom Rinaldi is standing by ringside.
  

(Philadelphia City Shots)

• Kayla Braxton is standing by outside Roman Reigns’ locker room.

‘Community Impact Correspondent’ Cody Field joins the panel!
WWE WrestleMania XL: Presented by WWE 2K24 + Snickers.
WWE NETWORK INTRO

• WrestleMania Cold Open, as narrated by Meek Mill.

WWE Presents WrestleMania XL! Stadium Shots / Commentary Team Introduction (on ramp) (Angle Zoom-Twist, Down Slight-Flip) Michael Cole (stadium shots): “Good evening WWE Universe, you are looking LIVE at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (the home of the Philadelphia Eagles) as WWE presents WrestleMania 40!” Michael Cole: “Well, joining me tonight, he is one of the greatest wrestling announcers around today, and he is the newest addition to the WWE broadcast team…it’s Ian Riccarboni!” Ian Riccarboni: “Thanks Cole, I am ecstatic to be here and the atmosphere inside this stadium is surreal! Tonight, lives will be changed, history will be made and I can’t wait to get this thing started!” Michael Cole: “And to my left, he is a former WWE World Champion…BIG E!” BIG E: “Hello everyone, I am sad that I won’t be competing tonight but I feel priviledged to be sat beside two legends in the commentating industry! I can promise, however, that tonight is going to be very special folks and you will not want to miss it!”
America The Beautiful - Performed by Jhene Aiko
Arriving Shots: Logan Paul / J. Uso + S. Zayn / Rhea Ripley / Jade Cargill Match Preparation Shots: CM Punk + Seth Rollins
(J. Redmond standing by ringside towards the end of CM Punk’s entrance) “Tonight, the winner of the men’s 2024 royal rumble match, CM Punk will be competing in his first televised singles match in over 9 years. He faces off against current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins and these two have a legitimate hate for each other, but tonight they have the opportunity to settle their differences and CM Punk has the chance to become world champion once again, tonight at WrestleMania!”
WWE World Heavyweight Championship: - Lilian Garcia / Referee: Chad Patton CM Punk def. Seth Rollins (c) (17:02)
Arriving Shots: The Rock + Roman Reigns

• We see the following stars ringside for WWE WrestleMania XL: 2x Grammy award-winning actor: Bradley Cooper Philadelphia 76ers Basketball Team: Joel Embiid

C4 SKY CAM Advertisement (Ian Riccarboni) “WrestleMania is powered by C4 Energy, the official energy drink of WWE. Available everywhere. Shop the newest flavour Nectarine Guava Knockout, exclusively at Circle K.”
During Becky Lynch’s entrance (Michael Cole) - “Well, Becky Lynch’s new book ‘The Man - not your average average girl’ currently the New York times No.1 Bestseller. Available now, worldiwde!”
(Match Hype Video Package) Steel Cage Match: Liv Morgan def. Becky Lynch + Nia Jax (12:48)
Warm Up Shots: Logan Paul
Jackie Redmond is standing by backstage with Paul Heyman. She says; “Paul, congratulations on your Hall of Fame induction. What can we expect in tonights main event.” Paul Heyman says; “After tonight…WWE will never be the same again. The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns has his plate full tonight as he faces two incredibly talenteds uperstars in what promises to be a battle. But…as ever, my Tribal Chief will walk out as champion, the same way he has walked out of the past 4 WrestleMania’s, and he will lead WWE right into a new era as his hold over all of WWE…continues!”

• We see the following stars ringside for WWE WrestleMania XL: Social Media Influencer + Co-Owner of PRIME: KSI Social Media Influencer: IShowSpeed Kansas City Quarter Back: Patrick Mahomes

LA Knight Slim Jim Commercial.
Slim Jim Graphics Advertisment: (BIG E) “This match is presented by SlimJim. Get savage with America’s favourite spicy meat stick. Snap into a SlimJim!”
During LA Knight’s entrance (Michael Cole) - “Hey, look who’s watching in London, the United Kingdom. They are all LA Knight fans across the pond!”
(Match Hype Video Package) During L. Paul’s Entrance (Ian Riccarboni) - “WrestleMania 40 is brought to you in part by Prime Hydration. 1.3 billion in sales last year - the fastest growing beverage in history and the official hydration drink of WWE. With only 25 calories, 0 added sugars, BCAA and electrolites. Drink Prime!”
(Show Prime Hydration Station) - Lilian Garcia WWE United States Championship: LA Knight def. Logan Paul (c) + K Owens + Randy Orton + AJ Styles (16:45)
Hall of Fame Ceremony Video Package

• Presentation of WWE Hall of Fame - Class of 2024. (Bray Wyatt + Paul Heyman + Batista + Mickie James + Cindi Lauper)

C4 SKY CAM - Bray Wyatt fireflies (w/ Shatter)

• We see the following stars ringside for WWE WrestleMania XL: Bafta Award-Winning Actor: Syllvester Stallone Professional Boxer: Conor McGreggor

Commentary Team announce the return of the KOTR + QOTR tournaments.
Bianca Belair def. Jordynne Grace (15:56) - Lilian Garcia
Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal Documentary Commercial.

• We see the following stars ringside for WWE WrestleMania XL: NXT Champion: Trick Williams ECW Originals: The Dudley Boyz + Rob Van Dam

Commentary promote WWE Backlash; France 2024.
(Match Hype Video Package) Best 2 out of 3 Falls Match for the WWE World Tag Team Championships: Jey Uso + Sami Zayn def. DIY (c) (39:10)
Jackie Redmond is standing by backstage with WWE World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk.
WrestleMania XL sponsors - WWE 2K24 + Snickers (Ian Riccarboni): “Well, WWE is presented by Snickers. Snickers satisfies. And also by WWE 2K24, the highest rated WWE 2K game of all time. Relive 40 years of WrestleMania, play all new match types and career-mode experiences with an iconic roster of over 200 superstars + legends. Available now, worldwide” * Snickers Commercial
Cody Rhodes laves his bus and makes his way to the stadium. (Commentary mention Wheatley American Vodka.) “Earlier today, The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes arrived in style, in his newly wrapped bus featuring WWE partner Wheatley American Vodka. Maybe Cody will celebrate tonight with an American mule cocktail. Enjoy American mule yourself made with Wheatley American Vodka, in celebration of WrestleMania 40!”

• We see the following stars ringside for WWE WrestleMania XL: Kansas City Chief Tight End + 3x SuperBowl Champion: Travis Kelce 14x Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter: Taylor Swift

(Match Hype Video Package) (J. Redmond standing by ringside towards the end of Bayley’s entrance) “Tonight, will Bayley be able to avenge the brutal betrayal, courtesy of Damage Ctrl? IYO SKY has been dominant as champion since SummerSlam last year, but she faces her toughest challenge yet in former best friend, Bayley when these two collide in a heated battle for the first time, on the grandest stage of them all!”
WWE Women’s Championship: / Referee: Dan Engler IYO SKY (c) def. Bayley (14:20)
WWE 2K24 Commercial.
C4 SKY CAM - (Commentary mention highlights of the night so far.)

• We see the following stars ringside for WWE WrestleMania XL: Former Philly Eagles Center + SuperBowl Champion: Jason Kelce Philly Eagles Offensive Tackle + SuperBowl Champion: Lane Johnson

(Philadelpha City Shots)
During Gunther’s entrance (BIG E) - “They are about to enjoy this match in Cologne, Germany as well LIVE right now. Of course, supporting Gunther, we will be in Germany, August 31st for the big Bash in Berlin!”
(Match Hype Video Package) WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship: Gunther (c) def. Andrade El Idolo (15:30)
WWE Shop Commercial.
WrestleMania Attendance Announcement: Kevin Hart announces the WrestleMania XL attendance (72,755) alongside the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders. Pretty Deadly interrupt but they are soon cut off when John Cena returns and hits an AA on Kit Wilson and a Five-Knuckle-Shuffle on Elton Prince.
Jade Cargill meets Bianca Belair while warming up backstage in gorilla.

• We see the following stars ringside for WWE WrestleMania XL: Actor and Singer: Vanessa Hudgens Mayor of Philadelphia: Cherelle Parker

Commentary promote WrestleMania Press Conference, immediately following WrestleMania XL on WWE’s social media platforms.
(Match Hype Video Package) - Lilian Garcia / Referee: Jessika Carr Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) def. Jade Cargill (W/Megan Thee Stallion) (16:39) * Towards the end of the match, Dominik Mysterio knocks Jade Cargill off the apron behind the ref’s back. This allows Rhea Ripley to pick up the win and retain her title. After the match, Rhea Ripley starts to beat down Jade Cargill but Mercedes Moné returns to WWE to assist Jade Cargill. As Rhea Ripley and The Judgement Day are walking up the ramp, Mercedes Moné raises Jade Cargill’s hand in the ring.
“The WrestleMania highlight of the night is presented by Xfinity 10G network. Get a reliable connection and the fastest internet from Xfinity - the future stars now!” Xfinity Highlight of the Night: LA Knight wins WWE US Championship.
Roman Reigns A&E Documentary Commercial.
Commentary Team thank Welshy Arms for WrestleMania’s official theme song ‘Legendary’. (Available now on Apple Music and Spotify)

• We see the following stars ringside for WWE WrestleMania XL: President of UFC: Dana White UFC World Heavyweight Champion: Jon Jones

WrestleMania 41 Announcement: Triple H + Carolyn Goodman (Mayor of Las Vegas) announce that WrestleMania 41 will be taking place at Allegiant Stadium on April 19th + 20th!
(Match Hype Video Package) / Referee: Charles Robinson No Holds Barred - Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Cody Rhodes def. Roman Reigns (c) + The Rock (26:18)

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Beekeeper
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Braveheart Hd vudu or itunes
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The contractor vudu
Commuter 4K vudu itunes
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The Fast and the furious 4K ma
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Vudu credits

Who is Francis Sinclair? (quick recap):
Francis Sinclair was born in 1898/1906 to parents Tom and Mrs. Sinclair. His father died before he was born, so his mother had to take care of him. When he was younger, he lived in Hawks Eye Cabin outside of Strawberry with his mother. He moved to New York City and lived an affluent life before traveling to the Old West period in the 1920s/1930s.
Francis Sinclair is first met in a cabin outside of Strawberry and tells his story about hunting for rock carvings around the world. He says he will pay a good price for all ten of them, but doesn't say why.
After the player sends him letters pointing out the rock carving locations, Francis invites them back to his cabin, but will be mysteriously absent. In the end of the quest-line, a woman appears in the cabin with a ginger-haired baby named Francis. After the protagonist expresses their confusion about the situation, Francis' mother asks the player for their name, but after finding out that the baby is actually Francis, the astounded protagonist tells her that it's not important and leaves.
Francis Sinclair seems mysterious and talks quickly. He speaks in a strange dialect and uses slang the protagonist doesn't understand.
After finishing the Stranger quest "Geology for Beginners," his notes and drawings are revealed to the player. They suggest that he may be a time traveler. His documents show a figure who jumps between the past, present, and future. Francis was interested in rock carvings that depicted skyscrapers, a big city, an atom, and a nuclear explosion.
How Francis Sinclair is (and isn't) connected to Grand Theft Auto:
Francis Sinclair has a strong accent that was popular in American culture in the 1920s and 1930s. The fact that he was an infant in 1899–1907 suggests this. Sinclair's Business Card has a picture of an hourglass with wings on it that represents time and travel. He wears a belt and trousers with belt loops, supporting the idea that he traveled through time. Before the 1900s, people only used belts to carry things instead of keeping their pants on. Also, pants with belt loops didn't exist until 1922.
Francis is similar to another time traveler, Ernest Keigel, a character who stars in the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories radio program called The Time Ranger. - Both of them speak with a Transatlantic accent. - Both have a decent understanding of science. - Both are fast talkers. - Both use 1920s and 1930s slang and are thought to have lived within the time period.
This is where Rockstar Games mostlikefully got the inspiration for Francis Sinclair, a person from the 1930s time traveling through various time periods.
Francis Sinclair resembles Kraff, one of three false deities worshiped by the Epsilon Program in Grand Theft Auto V. However, the character's portrayal and background contradict every aspect of Epsilonism (red birthmark, prohibited red hair, time travel science (general relativity), contradictory years with Epsilonism's creation and their Young Earth theory, setting in an unrelated universe, etc.), making the possibility of being a reference unlikely and simply a coincidence. Nevertheless, his unique birthmark is never employed for any religious reason; rather, it is designed to serve as a plot device for a more significant revelation during his last on-screen encounter, allowing the player to easily identify him in his "second form."
The mural doesn't solve a bigger mystery. It shows different time periods, and there's no hidden message to find. Some things are not puzzles. Francis Sinclair is a geologist who is looking for rock carvings that have already been found. The history book he always has with him demonstrates that he only wants to put them together so he can find the answer faster. Geology is the study of pressure and time, but he clearly is obsessed with this puzzle he doesn't have an answer for because it has to be put together first. Francis is not doing this to help a religious group. He is doing it for himself because that's how science works in the Red Dead Redemption Universe.

Moby has always been a mainstay in house music and electronica in general. And on May 17th, 1999, he released his fifth studio album Play to critical and commercial success, becoming a rare phenomenon in the dance world.

…..but not in the way you would expect. You see, not even Moby thought he would make an impact, and originally intended to retire after that. So what makes his success story so unique? And how did this album become the best selling electronica album of all time? Let’s take a deep dive!

A quick recap into his early career

Throughout the 80s, Moby was involved in multiple underground punk rock bands. At the tail end of the decade, he shifted his interests towards the then-burgeoning electronic music scene, moving to New York City and taking up producing, remixing and DJ-ing as a result. By 1991, his single “Go” became an instant success and propelled him into stardom. For the next few years, he scored multiple dance hits (including a remix of the James Bond theme).

It was in 1996 when he released his album Animal Rights where everything went wrong. His sudden shift to punk and metal inspired music alienated much of his fan base and proved to be a critical and commercial failure, leaving him in a bit of a disarray. By this point, much of his audience began to cast doubts as to who Moby was as an artist, and while he asserted that the stylistic change was only temporary, it didn’t stop them from leaving his side. His own touring was disastrous, and him opening for alt-rock band Soundgarden was met with boos and jeers, prompting him on leaving music altogether. But thanks to artists like Bono, Axl Rose and Terence Trent D'Arby giving positive reactions to his Animal Rights album, he decided to stay a little while longer.

Background

Play's musical direction began around the time Moby's friend, Gregor Ehrlich loaned him a 1993 box set titled "Sounds of the South: A Musical Journey from the Georgia Sea Islands to the Mississippi Delta." by Alan Lomax. In it, a wide collection of folk music recorded throughout the 20th century.
Moby began to work on Play in August 1997, but touring obligations as well as unsatisfactory mixing sessions caused multiple delays. According to Moby's manager, Eric Härle had stated their original goal was to sell 250,000 copies, which was what Everything Is Wrong (1995), Moby's biggest-selling album at the time, had sold. Moby had doubts in achieving that, and many of the labels seemed to agree. Moby lost his outlet to released Play in the US following his removal from Elektra's roster of artists, leaving UK-based Mute Records as his sole label. Looking for US records to distribute was a struggle, with major label records like Warner Bros., Sony and RCA rejecting him. Even after V2 picked up the offer, most of the journalists passed on listening to the album. By March of 1999, two months before release, Moby began contemplating on his future and felt that maybe it's best to just throw in the towel and retire.

Play debuted at number 33 on the UK Albums Chart, but fell off shortly after. In addition, the radio and network airplay the songs received was very minimal. At this point, the goal was to simply get people to listen to the music; for that to happen, Moby and his management had to get really creative. While brainstorming, the team noticed a few agencies flocking to them for permission to use the music as soundbeds. That marked the moment a huge lightbulb went off on everybody's head; there's great potential in using licensing.
Licenses weren’t exactly lucrative but it was an alternate way of exposing listeners to the music rather than just radio. Management team was very diligent in looking for licenses, nevertheless, they took painstaking care of which requests were more appropriate for certain songs. Eventually they succeeded in getting every track on the album licensed, with "7" being the last track to do so.

Singles

Play's rollout consisted of eight singles. I've listed the samples used as well as where the songs are heard. While I listed as many licenses as I could, I tried to keep it within a 5 year timeframe. Forgive me as I know I missed a few but it's tough to find older, obscure commercials.

Honey
After discovering an a cappella song from Lomax's box set, Moby wrote this song in about 10 minutes. The song had minimal radio airplay but still managed to chart in several places including the UK Singles Chart (#33) and Billboard's Dance/Electronic Singles Sales (#95). A remix was later released featuring American R&B artist, Kelis.
Licensed: Permanent Midnight (1998), The 13th Warrior (1999), Maxwell Coffee (1999), Holes (2003),
Samples: Bessie Jones - Sometimes (1960)

Run On
This was one the first Play tracks Moby made. Due to the amount of samples, putting this song together proved to be a major challenge. Sampling the original folk song "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Bill Landford and the Landfordaires, Moby didn’t know about the song's popularity until after recording it. It’s been covered by many artists including Elvis, Bobbie Gentry and Johnny Cash.
Licensed: Renault Kangoo (199x), Harsh Realm (1999), Mercy Streets (2000), Osmosis Jones (2001),
Samples: Bill Landford and The Landfordaires - Run On For A Long Time (1949), Melvin Bliss - Synthetic Substitution (1973)

Bodyrock
Fun fact: Both of Moby's managers tried to convince him not to include the song on the album, as they thought it sounded too similar to a Fatboy Slim track, but he insisted on keeping it as he liked the song for its sample.
Licensed: Dawson's Creek (1998), Rolling Rock Beer (2000), Hype (2000), FIFA 2001 (2000), Buffy The Vampire Slayer (2001), Veronica's Closet theme (2003)
Samples: Spoonie Gee and The Treacherous Three - Love Rap (1980), Gang of Four - What We All Want (1981), Afrika Bambaataa and Soulsonic Force - Looking for the Perfect Beat (1983)

Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad
Moby originally wrote this back in 1992 as a techno song. Unsatisfied with the result, he never released it. Years later, he revisited the song, reproducing it with slower and more sorrowful tone, Eric Härle encouraged him to include it on the album. Kelis also provided vocals on a remix of this track.
Licensed: The Next Best Thing (2000), Millennium Mambo (2001), Lovely Rita (2001), Black Hawk Down trailer (2001), Associaçao Desportiva de Deficientes (2004)
Samples: The Banks Brothers and The Greater Harvest Back Home Choir - He'll Roll Your Burdens Away (1966), Delegate vs. Emo-Trance - Return to Tasmania (1998)

Natural Blues
Music video features Christina Ricci (famous for her Wednesday Addams role)
Licensed: Shadow Hours (2000), Freddy Got Fingered (2001), Joan Of Arcadia (2003), Basic (2003)
Samples: Vera Hall - Trouble So Hard (1937), Coke Escovedo - I Wouldn't Change a Thing (1976), The Banks Brothers and The Greater Harvest Back Home Choir - All the Way (1966)

Porcelain
A standout of the album, it's one of the only songs on the album that Moby sings on.
Licensed: The Beach (2000), Nordstrom 'Doorway' (2000), VW Polo 'Lunchtime' (2000), Bailey's Irish Cream (200x)
Samples: Ernest Gold - Fight for Survival (1961), Electra - Destiny (The Remix)(1989)

South Side
Initially recorded with No Doubt frontwoman Gwen Stefani, production problems forced Moby to leave Stefani's vocals off the mix of the song included on the album; her vocals were later restored for the song's single release.
Licensed: I cant find any :(
Samples: The Counts - What's Up Front That Counts (1971)
Find My Baby
The final single (obviously)
Licensed: Any Given Sunday (1999), Charmed (2000), Nissan Almera II (2000), American Express 'Tiger Woods Plays Manhattan' (2000)
Samples: Boy Blue - Joe Lee's Rock (1960), Louis Bellson, Shelly Manne, Willie Bobo & Paul Humphrey - Super Mellow (1975)

As for the deep cuts (once again, I couldn’t find them all).

Rushing
Licensed: Weather Channel (2000s-2010s)
Samples: n/a

Machete
Licensed: Play It To The Bone (1999), Mission Hill 'Andy Joins The PTA.' (2002)
Samples: Tom Jones - Looking Out My Window (1968), Incredible Bongo Band - Apache (1973)

7
Licensed: unknown
Samples: n/a

Down Slow
Licensed: unknown
Samples: n/a

If Things Were Perfect
Licensed: unknown
Samples: Willie Hutch - Hospital Prelude of Love Theme (1974)

Everloving
Licensed: Requeum For a Dream trailer (2000), Thortons Chocolates ad (200x)
Samples: n/a

Inside
Licensed: Riding Giants (2004)
Samples: n/a

Guitar Flute & String
Licensed: unknown
Samples: n/a

The Sky Is Broken
Licensed: The X-Files 'All Things' (2000) (fun fact: Gillian Anderson hand-picked this song!)
Samples: Creedence Clearwater Revival - Long as I Can See the Light (1970), SMPTE Timecode - Audio Sample (1967)


My Weakness
Licensed: The X-Files 'Closure' (2000), Any Given Sunday (1999), Behind Enemy Lines (2001), The Salton Sea (2002)
Samples: Kanak - Danse Nyinewaco De Tiga (1990)

Conclusion

Play was the breakthrough album Moby needed to break into the mainstream, landing DJ gigs across the world before he even knew it. It was the first album to have all of its tracks licensed. The licensing approach was a resounding success that helped increase the album's visibility along with radio and MTV. In fact, it was so lucrative that the album was already considered a financial success before it even reached multi-platinum sales! Overall, Play's journey to being a cultural phenomenon was a slow but gradual one, with the album re-entering the top 100 charts and have many of its songs hit the charts across multiple countries. Before you knew it, the whole blues-meets-electronica was everywhere (even Adele cited this album as an influence on 25).

Using popular songs for commercial purposes is nothing new but with Play, many viewed this album as redefining the concept of "commercial". Not everybody was on board with this, many techno purists scoffed at his approach for success, seeing Moby as an ultimate sell-out, and his music being devalued as a result. Despite this, Moby remained steadfast in his decisions. Now, 25 years on, with a staggering 12 million sold worldwide, Play still remains the best selling electronica album of all time.

Questions

What was your experience with this album? Did you enjoy it?
Do you feel the push for licensing really changed the game? For better or for worse?
Do you feel this album has any cultural relevance beyond its commercial ubiquity? Why or why not?

5 years after arresting Epstein - nothing. Nobody's been arrested, nobody named under oath was even charged. Who were they? Do you know the names? I didn't even know they were named... why???
LAMINE N'DIAYE
Know the name.
Michael E. Horowitz was in charge of the investigation of the death of Jeffery Epstein while in the custody and care of the United States government, and, working for the JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, had sworn an oath to bring justice. Not just to Epstein (in keeping him alive AND SAFE for a fair trial), but to those he would name, and his accomplices. We got NO justice in this case. Who was responsible for this?
Michael blamed the low-level staff at the prison for neglegence, and misconduct after his team's investigation. He was the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice at the time. His investigation concluded three specific errors:

1. Failure to assign a cellmate. a. For some reason, extraordinarily bizarre and against the MCC's recommendations and insistence that it was required for safety, the prison never got around to assigning Epstein a cellmate.
   
2. Neglegence in monitoring. a. The staff, inexplicably, did not perform their legally required 30-minute checks. b. The staff also falsified reports to indicate that they had done the 30-minute checks, despite knowing they were on surveillance with the highest-profile criminal in the United States at the time.
   
3. Inoperative security cameras. a. Insufficient surveillance had been long-documented at the prison, but was not attempted to be addressed at any point by the warden, Lamine N'Diaye. There was special notice made to the coincidence of Epstein's cell assignment happening to have no camera coverage, despite being the highest-profile criminal in America on a 30-minute watch order before his trial...
   

For reasons only known to Michael E. Horowitz, the blame began and ended with the low-level staff. The guards. The prison's warden, Lamine N'Diaye. That's LAMINE N'DIAYE - was, I suppose, assumed to have no knowledge of what was happening in their prison for which they were responsible. Is it possible a larger, more influential group infiltrated the prison to kill him without N'Diaye's knowledge? No. Not really. It's a prison... They were put on witness protection (there are no existing records of LAMINE N'DIAYE outside of references to their posting as the warden of a major New York prison and references to them in the court cases... 'Warden of a New York prison' is not a position you meander into off the streets with no past. No info on even if it was a man or woman... ... ...
Total blackout of any information at that level (the level of who is the public servant responsible for the death of a man and subsequently the death of a major US political trial).
Someone might almost accidentally believe that Michael E. Horowitz and Lamine N'Diaye were in on it and allowed Epstein to be killed to, oh idk, gain massive profits and be move away under the cover of darkness blaming it on low-level poorly educated prison guards following orders in an area they had NO control over, or say in no security cameras covering.
That's no security cameras covering a cell in a US prison by the way - again the highest-profile cell at that time. Zero surveillance.
Why would a warden who failed to prevent the death of a high-profile inmate be protected and moved like a catholic priest? Why weren't they lambasted? They were responsible for his safety - he died - they were comfortably and entirely secretly moved with the help of the federal government. Today they're either secretly dead, or living in a mansion in Wyoming.
Nobody was caught. There was no justice in this case. They didn't even release the names Ghislane Maxwell DID name in her own trial. It's a sealed record.
Whatever it's worth; five MAJOR names were released by Epstein himself. Hundreds more were claimed. Epstein named: Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Alan Dershowitz, and Israeli prime minister Ehud Barack.
Of these - only Donald Trump, of all people, was exonerated - and by Virginia Guiffre herself. She noted that he was at Epstein's house, but she never saw him partake or be offered any of the uncouth things happening there. She offered none of those consolation to any of the other named people. Trump had also separately noted his distancing from Epstein almost a decade earlier. She insists the rest are guilty men, if you believe her. Idk why she'd stop one short if he was in on it. I think he was a wealthy New Yorker who of course knew another wealthy New York financier who partied.
Others named under oath - others ACCUSED by the verified victims include: Harvey Weinstein, Richard Branson ("'Virgin'"), Elon Musk, Tony Blair (UK prime minister), Al Gore (accused man-bear-pig), Stephen Hawking (yes, THAT Stephen Hawking), Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Peter Soros (George Soros' nephew), Bill Richardson (New Mexico Gov.), Alec Baldwin (the marksman), Kevin Spacey (convicted sex offender - unrelated sexual assault crimes), Chris Tucker (that slap makes a lot more sense now, huh), David Copperfield (magician), Michael Bloomberg, Rupert Murdoch (Media mogul), Noam Chomsky (MIT professor), Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones), Leon Black (Apollo Ltd.) Jean-Luck Brunel, Leslie Wexner (Victoria's Secret CEO), Lawrence Krauss (friend of Albert Einstein), Marvin Minsky (MIT professor), George Mitchell (former senator), Glenn Dublin (hedge fund manager), Tom Pritzker (Pritzker family wealth manager and US politician. Cousin to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker), Mort Zuckerman, George Stephanopolous, David Koch (of the Koch family wealth), James Patterson, Tom Barrack, Griffin Dunne, Wesley Clark, and Jes Staley.
And, on the little girl recruitment side of the sex cartel, we've got accused: Naomi Campbell (aging actress), Katie Couric (became friends immediately after his first sex crime conviction in 2009), Sarah Ferguson, Eva Andersson-Dubin, Jessica Roccobono, Courtney Love (when alive), and Peggy Siegal.
Idk about you, but I'd be pretty interested in clearing my name if someone said I was in a pedophile ring under oath. Notice something funny? Not one of those people has been center stage since their accusation. All have 'gone silent' except for Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Robert Kennedy. All the rest have had a notably massive decline in public activity. Of course - everyone is assumed innocent, until they are proven guilty.

Nothing. Nobody's been arrested, nobody named under oath was even charged. Who were they? Do you know the names? I didn't even know they were named... why???

LAMINE N'DIAYE

Know the name.


Michael E. Horowitz was in charge of the investigation of the death of Jeffery Epstein while in the custody and care of the United States government, and, working for the JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, had sworn an oath to bring justice. Not just to Epstein (in keeping him alive AND SAFE for a fair trial), but to those he would name, and his accomplices. We got NO justice in this case. Who was responsible for this?

Michael blamed the low-level staff at the prison for neglegence, and misconduct after his team's investigation. He was the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice at the time. His investigation concluded three specific errors:

1. Failure to assign a cellmate.

a. For some reason, extraordinarily bizarre and against the MCC's recommendations and insistence that it was required for safety, the prison never got around to assigning Epstein a cellmate.

1. Neglegence in monitoring.

a. The staff, inexplicably, did not perform their legally required 30-minute checks.
b. The staff also falsified reports to indicate that they had done the 30-minute checks, despite knowing they were on surveillance with the highest-profile criminal in the United States at the time.

3. Inoperative security cameras.
a. Insufficient surveillance had been long-documented at the prison, but was not attempted to be addressed at any point by the warden, Lamine N'Diaye. There was special notice made to the coincidence of Epstein's cell assignment happening to have no camera coverage, despite being the highest-profile criminal in America on a 30-minute watch order before his trial...

For reasons only known to Michael E. Horowitz, the blame began and ended with the low-level staff. The guards. The prison's warden, Lamine N'Diaye. That's LAMINE N'DIAYE - was, I suppose, assumed to have no knowledge of what was happening in their prison for which they were responsible. Is it possible a larger, more influential group infiltrated the prison to kill him without N'Diaye's knowledge? No. Not really. It's a prison... They were put on witness protection (there are no existing records of LAMINE N'DIAYE outside of references to their posting as the warden of a major New York prison and references to them in the court cases... 'Warden of a New York prison' is not a position you meander into off the streets with no past. No info on even if it was a man or woman... ... ...

Total blackout of any information at that level (the level of who is the public servant responsible for the death of a man and subsequently the death of a major US political trial).

Someone might almost accidentally believe that Michael E. Horowitz and Lamine N'Diaye were in on it and allowed Epstein to be killed to, oh idk, gain massive profits and be move away under the cover of darkness blaming it on low-level poorly educated prison guards following orders in an area they had NO control over, or say in no security cameras covering.

That's no security cameras covering a cell in a US prison by the way - again the highest-profile cell at that time. Zero surveillance.

Why would a warden who failed to prevent the death of a high-profile inmate be protected and moved like a catholic priest? Why weren't they lambasted? They were responsible for his safety - he died - they were comfortably and entirely secretly moved with the help of the federal government. Today they're either secretly dead, or living in a mansion in Wyoming.

Nobody was caught. There was no justice in this case. They didn't even release the names Ghislane Maxwell DID name in her own trial. It's a sealed record.

Whatever it's worth; five MAJOR names were released by Epstein himself. Hundreds more were claimed. Epstein named: Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Alan Dershowitz, and Israeli prime minister Ehud Barack.

Of these - only Donald Trump, of all people, was exonerated - and by Virginia Guiffre herself. She noted that he was at Epstein's house, but she never saw him partake or be offered any of the uncouth things happening there. She offered none of those consolation to any of the other named people. Trump had also separately noted his distancing from Epstein almost a decade earlier. She insists the rest are guilty men, if you believe her. Idk why she'd stop one short if he was in on it. I think he was a wealthy New Yorker who of course knew another wealthy New York financier who partied.

Others named under oath - others ACCUSED by the verified victims include: Harvey Weinstein, Richard Branson ("'Virgin'"), Elon Musk, Tony Blair (UK prime minister), Al Gore (accused man-bear-pig), Stephen Hawking (yes, THAT Stephen Hawking), Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Peter Soros (George Soros' nephew), Bill Richardson (New Mexico Gov.), Alec Baldwin (the marksman), Kevin Spacey (convicted sex offender - unrelated sexual assault crimes), Chris Tucker (that slap makes a lot more sense now, huh), David Copperfield (magician), Michael Bloomberg, Rupert Murdoch (Media mogul), Noam Chomsky (MIT professor), Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones), Leon Black (Apollo Ltd.) Jean-Luck Brunel, Leslie Wexner (Victoria's Secret CEO), Lawrence Krauss (friend of Albert Einstein), Marvin Minsky (MIT professor), George Mitchell (former senator), Glenn Dublin (hedge fund manager), Tom Pritzker (Pritzker family wealth manager and US politician. Cousin to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker), Mort Zuckerman, George Stephanopolous, David Koch (of the Koch family wealth), James Patterson, Tom Barrack, Griffin Dunne, Wesley Clark, and Jes Staley.

And, on the little girl recruitment side of the sex cartel, we've got accused: Naomi Campbell (aging actress), Katie Couric (became friends immediately after his first sex crime conviction in 2009), Sarah Ferguson, Eva Andersson-Dubin, Jessica Roccobono, Courtney Love (when alive), and Peggy Siegal.

Idk about you, but I'd be pretty interested in clearing my name if someone said I was in a pedophile ring under oath. Notice something funny? Not one of those people has been center stage since their accusation. All have 'gone silent' except for Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Robert Kennedy. All the rest have had a notably massive decline in public activity. Of course - everyone is assumed innocent, until they are proven guilty.

Today I'm writing about the Aprile Family "Plot".
I'll describe how the Aprile family, (Namely Richie, partly Janice, Jackie Jr, and finally Ralph) all laid seeds to bring down Tony.
I've stated before on previous write-ups, but I'll state once more that Jackie Sr was the beloved leader of the Sopranos crew. This is highlighted in season 3, specifically the episode to "To Save us All from From Satan's Power" when in Tony's flashbacks we see a Jackie Sr that has his doors opened for him by Silvio and we see other crew members let out their chairs for him.
He was a man HONORED by his crew. He had support from NJ/NY through HONORABLE means. This is NOT the case with Tony. Tony built up his power through FEAMURDER first. We see Tony, though I believe it isn't 100% authentic, completely honors and overall respects Jackie Sr until his death. It's then Tony has to show his true character and sought the top spot.
Fast forwarding, as Richie is released, we see IMMEDIATELY he doesn't respect Tony's authority. This is highlighted in Season 2 first during Tom/Barbara elder's funeral when Tony sees Livia/Janice/Richie all together for the first time. Tony while getting a half-hearted apology from Richie tells him to BACK OFF AND RESPECT THE TITLE.
On another note, ALL of tony's enemies that he PHYSICALLY has to subdue call him "Anthony." These are all the people who saw him from his early years. This is why they have it out for him the most. They all KNOW he isn't fit to be "king". Yet his selfish nature can have it no other way. From Junior to Richie, Ralph, Feech, Blundetto (Out of jealousy), Hesh, Phil, etc each of his direct/in-direct enemies call him by his government name.
They do this is a way to MOCK him and usually due to their standing with him, (meaning he NEEDS them for some particular reason), Tony allows it. It's a very subtle clue into who has it out for Tony during the entire series.
Richie was used as a pawn for Janice, who mimics Livia's use of Corrado in the same way to bring down Tony. Richie, originally does not know/knew that Janice was using him as an overall pawn, but he himself, due to Tony not seeing him as equal and their issues of currency/the garbage business led to him being in direct conflict with Tony.
Richie, with his own personal baggage and theories on his sexuality, never has the respect to fully follow through on attacking Tony directly, Thus, he seeks out Junior to HELP aide him in his quest to retake the family/crew back from the Sopranos. Richie didn't mind Junior being in charge because him being out of the can meant all he had to do was wait and Junior's age would likely mean that eventually Richie would be in charge.
Also, Richie by episode 12 Knight in White Satin had already begun the plot to keep the Aprile family in charge by grooming Jackie Jr who then was still a student at Rutgers. We also see the closeness (though they never talk on screen) between Rosalie/Richie. She is front and center almost like the queen as Janice/Richie have their engagement ceremony.
As previously stated, I believe Janice was the overall chess player in that she was using Richie and he didn't realize it, but on the surface, Richie was marching headfirst into challenging Tony for the top spot by merging the families together and moving into a identical huge mansion with everyone noticing.
Once Richie goes to Junior to finally push through the need to usurp Tony, Junior agrees but understanding that he CAN"T be allowed to be noticed by Tony, he warns Richie to not fully commit to Albert. Junior is much sharper than Richie/Tony as far as being a consigliere (his true natural position), so he basically is the hidden middleman and puppet master for Richie. He deep down understands how the crew thinks/acts now. (End of season 2).
He knows that Richie hasn't been around long enough to garner the respect NOR FEAR needed to carry out what he wants against Tony. Junior understands that Tony will basically go to war and fight to the death (right or wrong) to keep his position. (Which basically what happens in season 6 more or less). Therefore, he plays possum and sends Richie out to do the deed and never attach his name to this second hit against Tony.
When Richie fails to pursue Albert, we see off screen that Jackie JRichie TOGETHER go to Junior to exclaim the bad news. As Junior yells ( I KNEW IT I FUCKING KNEW) he is verbally yelling out his subconscious that Richie is too week as he thought to carry out the plan against Tony.
Richie, who off camera with Jackie Jr likely already talked about strategy, THEN states to Junior that if YOU (JR) take out Tony, everybody will fall in line.
Richie in his street way, is now telling Corrado that hey, if YOU do it, everything will still work out because I don't have the muscle to do so. (Also notice that when Richie yells how he has "guys" in federal lock up who would love nothing better than to take out Barese; Junior gives him a perplexed kinda faint look like YEAH RIGHT. You can't even handle this yourself on the streets).
Junior then, realizing that Tony can NEVER find out he'd come after him twice, exclaims to Bobby his internal thoughts and says we must cut bait with Richie and let Tony know so he doesn't kills us for plotting to kill him twice. He convinces Tony that he wasn't apart of it and throws shade at Janice by telling Tony "Wonder where she is at in all this. My little Niece." Tony knows Janice's true character.
Janice provoke and kills Richie. Likely to save herself. Tony understands that now, by also getting rid of the body FOR Janice, that he OWNS her now as well. Not only did he have the proof he need that she plotted, but she also has a rivals blood on her hands AND only Tony can help her get rid of it. This was a deep and complex plot relationship most don't speak about between Tony/Janice.
In season 3, we see a now Christian-hypocritical Janice that literally is MUCH NICER to Tony than in season 2 in her initial arrival where she had this air of superiority due to age and life experience. Richie's plot to take down Tony by his OWN means dies with him at the hands of another Soprano.
PARTII of the plot now begins with Ralph/Jackie Jr.
As stated, it wasn't by accident that in season 3, Rosalie IMMEDIATELY sought out Ralphie as a spouse. This is the same method that Janice used in going after Richie except it's much more subtle. Rosalie never was away. She was the widow of the beloved boss. She was best friends (frenemies ) of Carmela the new Queen. Therefore, she didn't have to utilize the same approach as Janice. It had to be different. Not to mention, there is no way she didn't have silent ANIMOUSITY towards the Sopranos after Richie abruptly disappears. She knows how things roll. As Richie died, her standing also takes hit because the power is still not in HER family's corner still.
Thus, Jackie Jr now steps up. He started accompanying Richie in late season 2 on business disputes and Tony SHOULD have noticed him as a threat then that COULDN"T be changed. Christopher in episode Fortunate Son, is told by Tony to "keep Jackie out off it". Christopher states Jackie Jr is heir apparant prior to this.
Feech also spoke later about how power always gets passed to the son. Tony partially doesn't want Jackie Jr in involved because he understands that he becomes a rival who he'd have to deal with. It's the same in the Lion kingdom ironically.
Jackie, despite his actions was nothing more than a 21st century Tony without his dad there to carry him. Same academic profile, same Jock profile, and only difference is Jackie is being forced in the wrong direction partially due to Tony and his associates. The main one in season 3, being Ralphie who emerges more openly.
Namely, in Employee of the Month episode 4, when at at Sack's welcoming party, we see outside that Sack is secretly conversing with Ralph and Tony's worried glances notice this. The scene is very subtle in that the viewer SHOULD understand that Ralph/Sack are high level business men who have the propensity to drive home major dollars through construction. We never see Tony utilize anything but prior connects TAKEN from Junior when it comes to his business dealings. The HUD scam was grafted by Brian WITH Ralph in attendance. Tony never makes any spectacular business moves or scams that make you go wow.
The viewer finds out season 5 that the guy can't even write and is likely dyslectic. This makes total sense in why leading up, all his rivals usually don't respect him and only his closest friends do out of fear.
Tony is NOT a great or savvy businessman .He is a charming/brutal sociopath that charms up until a degree and then uses violence to take what he wants. Ralph is NOT that. He has business savvy. He is a PSYCHOPATH nevertheless.
Ralph is attempting through Johnny Sack, to plot his own rise to power in the NJ faction. This plot thickens in season 3, when Ralph, after realizing that Jackie Jr is making his move to become a member of the family. Several scenes, Ralph is bringing Jackie Jr deeper into the world with the gun, the x dealer suggestion, and taking him on missions to extort.
Ralph is poisoning Jackie with the trappings of the life. He, I believe is doing so to strengthen him to get the courage to challenge Tony and make a move while he can stay in the background and reap the fallout.
Tony/Ralph/Jackie Jr all kind of have parallels with the Lion King. Tony & Ralph playing the mufasa/scar roles while Jackie Jr is that of Simba. In a criminal way.

What's up all! 4th Wall here! I finally have power returned to my home, and can play a little catch up! This one's a heavy hitter, No NSFW needed (I hope) but if you've got kids, be warned.
First, Previous, Next
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A bright flash of blues and whites spat a greyish black object into normal space a mere one hundred Clicks from physical asteroid cloud that provided a natural barrier into the Lurix system. USN Olyvia’s drives instantly flared to life, and she made for the outer edges of the asteroid field with a purposeful stride. The senior Crew was at hand, having alternated shifts so they were well rested for this endeavor. Captain Correllus Grarzia shifted in his chair slightly, watching with interest as his star helmsman switched from his standard control configuration to a more “analog” twin joystick and pedals. ‘The kid really should be piloting a fighter’ he mused just as the young lad turned to look at him. “Ready, skipper”

“Take us in. All ahead slow.” Cory ordered calmly, before keying up the ship wide broadcasting channel. “This is the captain. We’ve just entered the Lurix system. Rig for silent running. I repeat, rig for silent running.” All across the ship, nonessential systems were shut down; their lack of electronic signature aiding the stealth coating on the bulky former troop transport. In engineering. Patrick, Cammy, and the rest of their section powered down a large portion of the larger systems onboard.

Life support was set to emergency backup, with old school oxygen candles lit in special housings that allowed their life-giving emissions to be circulated throughout the ship. Each major section of the vessel had their own supplies of these low-tech solutions, and Olyvia carried enough of these candles to survive for several days without functioning life support if needed.

Only a few were lit this time, using them as an augmentation to allow for minimal use of their perfectly functioning life support systems; and Cammy returned from the compartment just in time to aid in shutting down two thirds of Olyvia’s fusion reactors. This was not usually part of the silent running protocol, but Cory had added it for this mission. While they knew where their target would be, they still knew very little about what defenses awaited them inside the system.

Patrick keyed up the mic, “Engineering reporting in, silent running.”

*acknowledged* came a voice back. And Patrick leaned back in his chair just as Cammy arrived. “Well, that’s that.” He sighed.

Cammy stepped behind his chair, rubbing his shoulders for a second, “candles are lit. Two per section. At this rate we won’t run out for a year.”

Patrick chuckled, standing before looking over at his team, “sandwiches are in the mess hall. Half go now, half after. We’ll wait and go with second shift.” The team nodded and soon. The room was half as full. “Hurry up, and wait” Patrick mused, and turned to the rest. “Hold’em anyone?”

Over the next several days, shifts were kept short with a high rotation frequency. Olyvia picked her way through the natural minefield created by a destroyed world, slipping between the dead planetary shards with deadly caution. She ran quiet, with all but minimal deflectors shut down, and a single detuned laser online on each of her flanks as a last resort against impacts. Cory, Jesse, Patrick, and Cammy met regularly to keep tabs on the ship’s progress. The admiral’s transmission had reached them in time, and the four of them, plus Jacky when she could pry herself from the infirmary, worked to formulate a plan to get into the freighter without killing everyone. They had Hera and Jacobs reports, but those reports also admitted to a certain degree of incredible luck on their part. Things could have gone very differently, and the murder of the freighter during the admiral’s capture operation hinted at a change in tactics from their foe.

Mackenzie’s Privateers had liberated several freighters since they began operations, keeping to their cover as “pirates” by leaving nothing big enough to betray their secrets behind. A few of the other captains had left pieces of inoperative Unity tech, strategically damaged and jettisoned after the fight, as red herrings to convince both the Vorath, and the Thermians that these “pirates” had somehow gotten ahold of Unity warships.


Cory stepped into the cargo bay to meet Patric and Camorra. They were tinkering, carefully he hoped, with one of Olyvia’s harpoon missiles. It was a project triggered by Cammy’s brilliant, if outlandish, idea. “We know these freighters all ran the same codes, and the same infrastructure in their computer cores. Why can’t we hack it. Human computing should be perfectly capable of it.” Cory remembered her words as he stepped up to the two, “at ease” he waved them away as they threatened to salute him, “how’s out little project coming.”


“See for yourself” Patrick smiled handing him a data pad.

Cory took the offered device, quickly scanning through the data, “All I see is Olyvia’s system logs. Did you give me the wrong one?”

Patric smiled evilly, “that is coming from the missile, we found a common power regulator chip that dam near all Delmar freighters use in their integrated core management. Our mole here mimicked that regulators protocols to get into one we installed in a conduit over there” he pointed to an open panel. “It’s designed to cycle through several common chip sets and protocols to get access.”

“You hacked Olyvia?” Cory asked, eyebrow raised in a combination of amusement and irritation.

“Well, “Cammy said calmly, “we had to test it, and Oly’s the only ship close enough…”

“I see…” Cory mused, “it will have to do, we will be reaching the edge of the field in three days, how many of these can you have ready?”

Patrick scratched the red stubble punctuating his jaw line. “Hmm two, maybe three, including that one.” He winced at his captain’s expression, “took us a minute to get the virus right, sorry.”

Cory sounded to himself like a broken record, “I guess that will have to do as well. I’ll leave it to you.” He turned to return to his office but was interrupted half way there by an urgent request for his presence on the bridge.

Jesse rose to greet him as Cory stepped into Olyvia’s command center, and he nodded towards the ready room off to the side. The two of them quickly stepped inside and Jesse closed the door. “Jesse, what’s this about” Cory asked, settling into his desk chair.

Jesse, his first officer, and battle born brother looked at him seriously, “The first of our stealth probes have made it into the system proper….. It’s not good” He tapped at his data pad before handing it to his captain, “The enemy is doing something big down there, and we don’t know what. What we do know, Is that there are three heavy cruisers in orbit, and three more destroyers in floating patrols around the system.”

Cory scrolled through the pad as his first officer made his report, pausing at the same information on the planet’s surface, “These are military installations. This makes no since. We haven’t had a use for Lurix in millennia. It’s always just been a haven for aquatic and semi aquatic species. Why didn’t our intel warn us of this.”

Jesse nodded grimly, “I don’t know for sure, but I have my suspicions.” He reached over, tapping at the tab to open a particular file Cory had yet to find. “We found these in orbit as well.” He pointed to a pair of Delmar constructed freighters, parked in orbit over the marsh world. “I authorized a single transmission to a single drone, uploading Patrick and Camorra’s hacking program into it, and we sent it to one of those freighters... this is what we found.”

Cory opened the indicated file, and felt bile rise in the back of his throat as he watched. “Ready a tight beam, send it back the way we came, Towards Simo.” Jesse looked at his captain in understanding. The risks of transmitting this close to the enemy was a grave risk. Measured against the information they just witnessed; however, it was an absolute necessity. Jesse took the offered tablet, “The Admirals need to see this…. Both of them.”

————————————————————


Clint Stevens groaned as his communicator beeped from his desk. It was a very early morning on a weekend, and Frie had let Natalie stay at her grandparents for the weekend. He quietly slipped from the entanglements of a profoundly comfortable Delmar goddess he had somehow been gifted with as his wife, and silently cursed the inevitable destruction of his plans. The Com was linked to his computer console, and Clint tapped the file as he sat down.

The file opened, beginning with a grim looking Corellus Grarzia who made an intro statement that froze Clint in his thoughts. Before he could begin to prepare himself, images flooded in that turned grogginess into razors edge consciousness ringing with a white hot fury. Frie was ripped from her slumber instantly, reaching for her biometric pistol safe as a response to the unbridled rage she experienced from her husband. It took her a moment to realize that they were not being attacked, and she rushed from their bed, neglecting even basic decency to be by his side.

The two of them watched the Horrors unfold. Children… small children of multiple different races, stacked in a freighter’s hold like cattle, being thrown food like one would an animal. Massive screens played, promising safety and full bellies should they only but kiss the hand of a severe looking Vorath female. All who had not, were treated to daily ice cold sprays mixed with random beatings. He watched as desperate older siblings attempted to shelter their kin from the abuse, often times paying the ultimate price for their valor.

Clint and Frie were spared a further assault on their senses by a beeping light, indicating an urgent call from Clint’s adopted brother. Frie slipped out of view, reaching for a night gown as a furious Mac, accompanied by an equal parts shocked and livid Lyrian, appeared on screen.


“You’ve seen it” Clint stated. There were no barriers between them, no formalities. Only pure truth.

“I have,” Mac rumbled. “Why is it always kids..”

Clint shook his head, “I can have a battle group there in two weeks. It’s not soon enough, but.”

Mac nodded sharply, “I’m redirecting everyone not on critical missions. Simo and Kid are already there with Olyvia. Wisconsin is enroute. We will await your arrival….. Clint…” Clint’s eyes met Mac’s in a joined promise that reached across time and space.

“No, there won’t.” Clint answered, responding to Mac’s unspoken statement.

___________________________________________________________

A week later, The Chancellor Thomas Durrant of the Sol Federation perused the latest transmissions from Unity space. He was due for reelection this coming fall, and it was a close race. His opponent was labelling him a Warmonger, as he was an outspoken proponent of a more active role in the struggle against the Vorath, and it was working. The points were closing in the polls, and The Chancellor had not come out on top with the latest debate results. Humanity simply was not interested in further conflict. For the first time in human history, the vast majority of the Human race was content with peace.

The Chancellor took a sip of his mug as he opened a file from Admiral Stevens marked priority, but not top secret and promptly spit the contents in his mouth back into the mug. It was a complete file on some kind of intelligence operation, and Durrant almost wondered if it had been sent to him in error. The gruesome cover video dispelled that notion as the leader of Humanity itself watched horrors thought long dead play out in front of him. Several minutes later, he closed the file, and opened a message prompt.


“Viktor, are you up.” He typed.

*Yea, Tom. I’m up, the campaign ain’t gonna run itself into the ground.*

Durrant snorted at the dark humor, “Viktor, I was sent something. It changes… everything” he typed, attaching the cover video, and the longer form surveillance recording he had found inside the file from Clint. Several minutes passed in tense silence before…

*Jesus Christ, Tom.*

Tom Durrant took a long slow breath, “Do you still have your man at The Post.” He paused before sending, knowing what he was asking.

*Yea… yea I do, Tom. Are you sure you want to do this. This has ‘it will blow up in my face’ written all over it.*

“I know, but this bigger than me. Do it, and announce a press conference to follow if The Post runs with it.” Durrant typed and sent the last message, closing down his console. He stood slowly, feeling his age for the first time in recent memory, and walked heavily to bed.

The Post ran with the story. In the next 48 hours, the “leaked” scenes of tortured children, some barely more than infants ripped its way into Humanities Psyche. The revelations of what exactly was going on behind Vorath lines assailed Humanity, spurring many to call for blood, and Others to cry hoax. Around and around the political commentators debated, and redebated the shocking footage.

Chancellor Thomas Durrant followed through on his word, and was now stepping up to the platform and the Microphone as promised. He stood there for a full minute, meeting the eyes of as many of the hundreds of reporters before him as he could. The weight of his expression prompted a flurry of flashes as camera drones captured the image. Durrant allowed all of this to happen, waiting until the din of activity settled into a heavy silence. “People of Humanity… By now, you have undoubtedly seen the shocking pictures from the far side of the galaxy. Many of you believe it to be a hoax, a desperate ploy for political points. Allow me to be clear. This is no hoax, I received these disturbing images directly from Admiral Clint Stevens, who is marshalling the forces at his disposal as we speak. He aims to do something about these orbital concentration camps, and I support his actions with the full backing of my authority as Chancellor of the United Sol Federation.”

Durrant paused, letting the information sink in before continuing, “to answer the question as to whether this is a political ploy for points. Let me be perfectly clear, I alone released the footage from inside those torture ships, and I do not care if you believe it to be a political ploy. If Humanity can see the atrocities committed to the young innocents in those images and refuse to stand up for them; I no longer would wish to lead that Humanity. Yes, we are few compared to what we once were, but we have a strength that cannot be fathomed by those who chose to side with pure evil. Make no mistake, any being that is capable of torturing and murdering children deserves the title.” The Chancellor of United Sol skewered the silent crowd with a withering gaze, “All of you here know that I have been an ardent supporter of taking a more active role against this pure evil, and my opponent has made a great many statements regarding my supposed “warmongering”. I believe that to debate him further on this matter is as wasteful as it would be irrelevant. As such, I am suspending my campaign immediately. Pending permission from donors and the campaign review board, I will be donating the totality of my campaign war-chest to the purchase of relief supplies and construction of rehabilitation facilities for these children.” Durrant paused as a wave of gasps swept through the room as a volley of flashes assaulted his eyes. “Holding the position of leader of the Human race seems so insignificant in comparison,” he said softly, almost to himself before scanning the crowd. “The election is 4 months away. If you wish to reelect me, so be it; but know this.” Thomas Durrant rose to his full height, “If you elect me this fall, know that I will use the full weight of this office to unleash the full might of Humanity upon this evil, or I will resign from my post and travel to Unity space myself.”

With that. Chancellor Thomas Durrant spun on his heals and marched off the stage.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
If you made it this far, Thank You! I hope you enjoyed the episode. If this if your first time seeing this series, I hope you will join us from the beginning. I do have a patreon that has extra content that is not main story arc, but still cannon shorts, as well as exclusive content from some of my other series. If you believe I've earned it, feel free to give it a look; but know that just coming to hang is already enough.
Have a wonderful rest of your day.
First, Previous, Next Patreon

In my ever-growing Doctor Who video and audio collection, I've gathered over fifteen hundred individual stories, and I'm attempting to (briefly) review them all in the order in which they might have happened according to the Doctor's own personal timeline. We'll see how far I get.
Today's Story: The Scales of Injustice, written by Gary Russell
What is it?: This story was published as the twenty-fourth novel in the Missing Adventures series by Virgin Books. It is available as an unabridged audiobook under the alternate title “Scales of Injustice.”
Who's Who?: The story is narrated by Dan Starkey.
Doctor(s) and Companion(s): The Third Doctor, Liz Shaw
Recurring Characters: Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, Mike Yates, John Benton, Major General Scobie, Tom Osgood, Carol Bell, Maisie Hawke, Jack Tracy, Steve Champion, Private Millar, Fiona Lethbridge-Stewart, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, Michael Wagstaffe, Tobias Vaughn, and various Silurians, including Icthar, all appear, as well as Robert Lines, Patsy Haggard, John Sudbury, the Pale Man, and the Irish twins, who recur in various spin-offs and prose fiction.
Running Time: 08:10:47
One Minute Review: When reports of a disturbed policewoman's prehistoric drawings alert the Doctor to the possible reappearance of the Silurians, he hurries off alone to look into it, concerned that involving UNIT might lead to another deadly confrontation. Investigating the site where the policewoman was found, he comes upon two of the reptilian humanoids and a terrified teenage boy, but before he can make his peaceful intentions clear, one of the creatures attacks him, rendering him helpless with its third eye…
This novel serves as a sequel to "Doctor Who and the Silurians" and a prequel to "Warriors of the Deep," with ties to "The Sea Devils," "Who Killed Kennedy," "The Invasion," and "Spearhead from Space," and references as many other stories as Gary Russell could squeeze into its 262 pages while also telling the stories of Liz's final departure from UNIT and the end of the Brigadier's first marriage. With all that going on, it's amazing that it holds together so well. The two main plots can feel like they are competing at times, but I found both of them fairly compelling, and the character work with Liz and the Brigadier is very well handled, spread throughout the book without drawing focus from the main story.
The audiobook is read by Dan Starkey, who has become one of the most prolific narrators of Doctor Who audiobooks. People who only know him as Strax might be surprised to discover what a versatile voice actor he actually is, which serves him very well here, given this novel's expansive cast of characters, and he's backed up by a solid production with some great vintage effects.
Score: 4/5
Next Time: The Rings of Ikiria

Over the course of the past few months I have been working on compiling a list of my 500 favorite songs. It was sort of challenge that I gave myself and I'm super pumped with how it turned out. There were a few rules (only 5 songs per artist being the big rule, among a few others), and here's the list I came up with. Thought it was fun, so wanted to share here and see if it might spark any discussion about song placement, lack of songs/artists, or see if anyone had any similar lists. All thoughts are welcome! (and if you don't care to comb through all 500 songs for your favorite song or artist I'm more than happy to help you track 'em down)

1. Trash Panda - Aging out of the 20th Century
   
2. Djo - Roddy
   
3. The Beatles - Don't Let Me Down
   
4. Snail Mail - Heat Wave
   
5. Phoebe Bridgers - Savior Complex
   
6. Joji - SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK
   
7. The Shins - The Fear
   
8. Talking Heads - This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
   
9. The Cranberries - Linger
   
10. Post Animal - Ralphie
    
11. Hop Along - Not Abel
    
12. The Beach Boys - Heroes And Villains
    
13. Electric Light Orchestra - Livin' Thing
    
14. The Monkees - As We Go Along
    
15. Blondie - Heart Of Glass
    
16. The Strokes - Oblivius
    
17. Chet Baker - It's Always You
    
18. The Beatles - Rain
    
19. Electric Light Orchestra - Telephone Line
    
20. Husbands - Must Be a Cop
    
21. Faces - Ooh La La
    
22. The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize??
    
23. Frank Ocean - Nights
    
24. Harry James - It's Been a Long, Long Time
    
25. The Turtles - Happy Together
    
26. Etta James - At Last
    
27. The Zombies - The Way I Feel Inside
    
28. The Beatles - Here, There And Everywhere
    
29. The Beach Boys - God Only Knows
    
30. Kanye West - Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1
    
31. Briston Maroney - Sinkin'
    
32. John Lennon - Oh My Love
    
33. Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Ladyfingers
    
34. Squirrel Flower - Headlights
    
35. The Backseat Lovers - Maple Syrup
    
36. The B-52's - Rock Lobster
    
37. George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
    
38. Snail Mail - Ben Franklin
    
39. Laura Elliott - Grass Stains
    
40. Djo - Chateau (Feel Alright)
    
41. Tame Impala - Eventually
    
42. The Backseat Lovers - Snowbank Blues
    
43. Claude Debussy - Clair de Lune
    
44. The Weeknd - Save Your Tears
    
45. Talking Heads - Thank You for Sending Me an Angel
    
46. The Zombies - Time of the Season
    
47. The War On Drugs - Nothing to Find
    
48. Queen - Brighton Rock
    
49. The Dream Academy - Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
    
50. The B-52's - Strobe Light
    
51. The Cranberries - Dreams
    
52. Fugees - Killing Me Softly With His Song
    
53. Molchat Doma - Тоска
    
54. Tyler, The Creator - ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?
    
55. The Mamas & The Papas - Dream A Little Dream Of Me
    
56. The Chords - Sh-Boom
    
57. The Beatles - The Abbey Road Medley
    
58. The Ronettes - Be My Baby
    
59. The Who - Baba O'Riley
    
60. Dr. Dog - Where'd All the Time Go?
    
61. M83 - My Tears Are Becoming A Sea
    
62. Billie Eilish - everything i wanted
    
63. Outkast - Hey Ya!
    
64. Nat King Cole - Orange Colored Sky
    
65. The Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize
    
66. Four Tops - Reach Out I'll Be There
    
67. Foreign Air - Shut Up and Show Me
    
68. Leonard Cohen - So Long, Marianne
    
69. dodie - If I'm Being Honest
    
70. Briston Maroney - June
    
71. Post Malone - Sunflower
    
72. John Lennon - Isolation
    
73. Buddy Holly & The Crickets - Not Fade Away
    
74. Phoebe Bridgers - I Know The End
    
75. Kanye West - All Falls Down
    
76. Alvvays - Adult Diversion
    
77. John Lennon - Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
    
78. Clairo - Amoeba
    
79. The Beach Boys - I Know There's An Answer
    
80. Paul McCartney - Let Me Roll It
    
81. Frank Ocean - Ivy
    
82. Radiohead - Motion Picture Soundtrack
    
83. Djo - Mutual Future (Repeat)
    
84. Phoebe Bridgers - Scott Street
    
85. Childish Gambino - Me and Your Mama
    
86. Pink Floyd - Astronomy Domine
    
87. The Pied Pipers - Dream
    
88. The Beach Boys - All I Wanna Do
    
89. Djo - Change
    
90. Второй этаж поражает - Крайности
    
91. Little Richard - Lucille
    
92. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Shanghai
    
93. Chet Baker - Deep In A Dream
    
94. The Beatles - It's All Too Much
    
95. Post Animal - Dirtpicker
    
96. The B-52's - Love Shack
    
97. EDEN - foreve/over
    
98. Kanye West - Ultralight Beam
    
99. The Zombies - Going Out Of My Head
    
100. Talking Heads - Found a Job
     
101. Snail Mail - Pristine
     
102. Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love
     
103. Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World
     
104. WILLIS - I Think I Like When It Rains
     
105. Chet Baker - But Not For Me
     
106. Naked Eyes - Always Something There to Remind Me
     
107. Tyler, The Creator - GONE, GONE / THANK YOU
     
108. Djo - Half Life
     
109. Trash Panda - Check Please
     
110. Briston Maroney - Deep Sea Diver
     
111. Beach Fossils - This Year
     
112. Momma - Medicine
     
113. Hop Along - Prior Things
     
114. Talking Heads - Road to Nowhere
     
115. Electric Light Orchestra - Turn to Stone
     
116. Briston Maroney - It's Not My Fault
     
117. Tyler, The Creator - NEW MAGIC WAND
     
118. Snail Mail - Headlock
     
119. Phil Collins - Take Me Home
     
120. Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know
     
121. The Beach Boys - Do It Again
     
122. Tame Impala - Breathe Deeper
     
123. Ella Fitzgerald - Misty
     
124. Phoebe Bridgers - Waiting Room
     
125. Kanye West - Runaway
     
126. Daft Punk - Get Lucky (feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers)
     
127. Dire Straits - Money for Nothing
     
128. Kendrick Lamar - Alright
     
129. Black Country, New Road - Concorde
     
130. George Harrison - If Not for You
     
131. Harry Styles - Cherry
     
132. Ms. Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop (That Thing)
     
133. Paul McCartney - Junk
     
134. Wings - Maybe I'm Amazed [Live]
     
135. Talking Heads - Houses in Motion
     
136. Del Water Gap - Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat
     
137. Pixies - Where Is My Mind?
     
138. Queen - Seven Seas Of Rhye
     
139. Paul McCartney - Jet
     
140. Sufjan Stevens - Death with Dignity
     
141. A Flock Of Seagulls - I Ran (So Far Away)
     
142. Tame Impala - Let It Happen
     
143. Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love
     
144. Clairo - Management
     
145. Tommy James & The Shondells - I Think We're Alone Now
     
146. Fergie - Clumsy
     
147. Childish Gambino - This Is America
     
148. Prefab Sprout - The King of Rock 'N' Roll
     
149. Joy Again - Looking Out for You
     
150. Beach House - Space Song
     
151. John Lennon - Mind Games
     
152. The Weeknd - Gasoline
     
153. Weezer - Buddy Holly
     
154. Phoebe Bridgers - Sidelines
     
155. Tame Impala - New Person, Same Old Mistakes
     
156. Lana Del Rey - A&W
     
157. The Dillards - I've Just Seen a Face
     
158. The Doors - Break on Through (To the Other Side)
     
159. Julie London - I'm Glad There Is You
     
160. 2Pac - California Love
     
161. Dean Martin - Everybody Loves Somebody
     
162. Snail Mail - Anytime
     
163. The Strokes - The Adults Are Talking
     
164. Jordana, TV Girl - Better in the Dark
     
165. Juice WRLD - Hide (feat. Seezyn)
     
166. The Wild Reeds - Get Better
     
167. Finom - Mine
     
168. Hop Along - One That Suits Me
     
169. The Killers - Mr. Brightside
     
170. Michael Cera - Clay Pigeons
     
171. Clairo - Bags
     
172. Prince - Let's Go Crazy
     
173. The Zombies - She's Not There
     
174. Blackstreet - No Diggity
     
175. Frank Sinatra - I've Got You Under My Skin
     
176. John Denver - Take Me Home, Country Roads
     
177. Harry James - I'm Beginning to See The Light
     
178. The Clash - London Calling
     
179. Charles Bradley - Changes
     
180. Buddy Holly - (Ummmm, Oh Yeah) Dearest
     
181. Eagles - Seven Bridges Road [Live]
     
182. Moxie - Honey
     
183. Faces - Stay with Me
     
184. Post Animal - How Do You Feel
     
185. New Order - Age of Consent
     
186. Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
     
187. Lana Del Rey - Doin' Time
     
188. Twin Peaks - Blue Coupe
     
189. Kanye West - Gold Digger
     
190. Fruit Bats - The Bottom of It
     
191. Frank Sinatra - Somethin' Stupid
     
192. Lorde - Perfect Places
     
193. Martha Tilton - Exactly Like You
     
194. King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man
     
195. Glen Campbell - Southern Nights
     
196. Claire Rosinkranz - Frankenstein
     
197. Guillemots - Made-Up Lovesong #43
     
198. Fleetwood Mac - Say You Love Me
     
199. Frankie Valli - Can't Take My Eyes off You
     
200. The Crickets - Don't Ever Change
     
201. Paul Anka - Put Your Head On My Shoulder
     
202. George Harrison - Isn't It a Pity
     
203. Trash Panda - Off
     
204. Super Besse - Holod
     
205. Beyoncé - Hold Up
     
206. Charlie Burg - I Don't Wanna Be Okay Without You
     
207. Eagles - Peaceful Easy Feeling
     
208. Ella Fitzgerald - It's A Lovely Day Today
     
209. PERMSKY KRAY - Дорогой Человек
     
210. The Little Dippers - Forever
     
211. The B-52's - There's a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)
     
212. Patti Page - Old Cape Cod
     
213. Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
     
214. The Soggy Bottom Boys - I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow
     
215. Trash Panda - Things Will Never Change
     
216. Hop Along - Well-dressed
     
217. Sixpence None The Richer - Kiss Me
     
218. TV Girl - Daughter of a Cop
     
219. LAUNDRY DAY - Jane
     
220. Tyler, The Creator - EARFQUAKE
     
221. Sigue Sigue Sputnik - Love Missile F1-11
     
222. Joji - Gimme Love
     
223. The Backseat Lovers - Pool House
     
224. The Weeknd - Take My Breath
     
225. Mild High Club - Homage
     
226. Doc Watson - Am I Born to Die?
     
227. Daniel Caesar - Streetcar
     
228. The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon
     
229. John Lennon - #9 Dream
     
230. Tame Impala - Elephant
     
231. Chuck Berry - You Never Can Tell
     
232. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
     
233. KIDS SEE GHOSTS - 4th Dimension
     
234. Soft Cell - Tainted Love
     
235. The B-52's - Song for a Future Generation
     
236. Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
     
237. Lana Del Rey - Blue Jeans
     
238. Billie Eilish - Halley's Comet
     
239. Glenn Miller - In the Mood
     
240. Kid Bloom - Control
     
241. The Cinematic Orchestra - To Build A Home
     
242. Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine
     
243. Brenda Lee - If You Love Me (Really Love Me)
     
244. TV Girl - Lovers Rock
     
245. Art Lown - Knew You Well
     
246. Dean Martin - Ain't That A Kick In The Head
     
247. Miniature Tigers - Like or Like Like
     
248. Electric Light Orchestra - Sweet Talkin' Woman
     
249. The Hunts - Ages
     
250. The Cars - Good Times Roll
     
251. Bill Withers - Lovely Day
     
252. Drake - God's Plan
     
253. Kansas - Point of Know Return
     
254. The Neighbourhood - Stargazing
     
255. The Clash - Rock the Casbah
     
256. Hop Along - What the Writer Meant
     
257. Briston Maroney - Under My Skin
     
258. Jack Stauber - Buttercup
     
259. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Ya Love
     
260. Ginger Root - Loretta
     
261. Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now
     
262. Frank Ocean - Pyramids
     
263. Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)
     
264. Destroy Boys - I Threw Glass at My Friend's Eyes and Now I'm on Probation
     
265. Mild High Club - Dionysian State
     
266. Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
     
267. Kevin Abstract - Empty
     
268. The Frights - Crust Bucket
     
269. Stealers Wheel - Stuck In The Middle With You
     
270. The Shins - Fighting in a Sack
     
271. fun. - We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe)
     
272. Lil Uzi Vert - Money Longer
     
273. Miniature Tigers - Cannibal Queen
     
274. The Doors - Touch Me
     
275. Jean Dawson - Clear Bones
     
276. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Catching Smoke
     
277. Molchat Doma - Люди Надоели
     
278. The Go-Go's - Our Lips Are Sealed
     
279. Billie Eilish - ocean eyes
     
280. BOYO - Crown
     
281. The 1975 - Somebody Else
     
282. Husbands - She's a Betty
     
283. Syd Barrett - If It's In You
     
284. Trash Panda - Atlanta Girls
     
285. Frank Ocean - Godspeed
     
286. Alice Phoebe Lou - Glow
     
287. Childish Gambino - Redbone
     
288. New Order - Blue Monday
     
289. Post Animal - Schedule
     
290. Harry Styles - Fine Line
     
291. Harry James - I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You)
     
292. Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again
     
293. Chet Baker - I Fall In Love Too Easily
     
294. The Cranberries - Put Me Down
     
295. John Mayer - Edge of Desire
     
296. George Harrison - All Those Years Ago
     
297. Electric Light Orchestra - The Diary of Horace Wimp
     
298. Alex Clare - Too Close
     
299. Eric B. & Rakim - Know The Ledge
     
300. Peter Frampton - Show Me The Way [Live]
     
301. Simon & Garfunkel - Mrs. Robinson
     
302. Black Eyes - Deformative
     
303. The Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody
     
304. Bonny Light Horseman - Deep In Love
     
305. The Walker Brothers - The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore
     
306. Cage The Elephant - Cigarette Daydreams
     
307. Hot Flash Heat Wave - Raindrop
     
308. Clairo - Sofia
     
309. Kendrick Lamar - PRIDE.
     
310. Camille Saint-Saëns - The Swan
     
311. Weezer - Say It Ain't So
     
312. C418 - Sweden
     
313. Lana Del Rey - Let The Light In (feat. Father John Misty)
     
314. The Postal Service - Such Great Heights
     
315. Pickin' On Series - Those to Come
     
316. Lana Del Rey - Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he's deep-sea fishing (feat. RIOPY)
     
317. John Mayer - Moving On and Getting Over
     
318. Field Medic - POWERFUL LOVE
     
319. Cage The Elephant - Flow
     
320. Joji - Run
     
321. The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again
     
322. Boston - Peace of Mind
     
323. Ben E. King - This Magic Moment
     
324. David Bowie - Starman
     
325. Beastie Boys - Sabotage
     
326. Harry Belafonte - Banana Boat (Day-O)
     
327. Gene Krupa & His Orchestra - Rhumboogie
     
328. The Cardigans - Lovefool
     
329. The Kinks - You Really Got Me
     
330. The Zombies - She's Coming Home
     
331. Michael Jackson - Thriller
     
332. Moxie - Blue Skies
     
333. The Mamas & The Papas - Straight Shooter
     
334. Peter, Paul and Mary - Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
     
335. Green Day - Brain Stew
     
336. Dua Lipa - Levitating (feat. DaBaby)
     
337. The Police - Roxanne
     
338. Britney Spears - Toxic
     
339. Tears For Fears - Head Over Heels
     
340. Rex Orange County - Pluto Projector
     
341. The Strokes - Call It Fate, Call It Karma
     
342. Portugal. The Man - Feel It Still
     
343. The Black Crowes - Twice As Hard
     
344. Ted Nugent - Stranglehold
     
345. fun. - Some Nights
     
346. Wings - Silly Love Songs
     
347. Paramore - Still into You
     
348. Peter Frampton - Baby, I Love Your Way [Live]
     
349. The Monkees - Last Train to Clarksville
     
350. Royel Otis - Oysters In My Pocket
     
351. The Backseat Lovers - Growing/Dying
     
352. Nelly Furtado - Say It Right
     
353. Post Animal - Goggles
     
354. Erik Satie - Gymnopédie No. 1
     
355. Childish Gambino - IV. Sweatpants
     
356. Steely Dan - Dirty Work
     
357. ABBA - Lay All Your Love On Me
     
358. Still Woozy - Goodie Bag
     
359. Arlo Parks - Black Dog
     
360. Goth Babe - Weekend Friend
     
361. George & the Handsomes - Sleepy Beats
     
362. boygenius - 20
     
363. The Mills Brothers - You Always Hurt The One You Love
     
364. Travis Scott - SICKO MODE
     
365. Pinegrove - Need 2
     
366. The Backseat Lovers - Sinking Ship
     
367. Franz Schubert - Ave Maria
     
368. Zac Brown Band - Knee Deep (feat. Jimmy Buffett)
     
369. Justin Timberlake - Mirrors
     
370. Simon & Garfunkel - Cecilia
     
371. The Cranberries - Zombie
     
372. Daniel Caesar - Japanese Denim
     
373. Billie Holiday - Easy Living
     
374. ISLAND - By Your Side
     
375. Phil Collins - Tomorrow Never Knows
     
376. Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-Changin'
     
377. The Four Freshmen - Day By Day
     
378. Fleetwood Mac - The Chain
     
379. Billy Joel - Big Shot
     
380. Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever
     
381. Yot Club - down bad
     
382. Rihanna - Stay
     
383. Fleetwood Mac - Landslide
     
384. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 2: No. 10, Scene. Moderato
     
385. The White Stripes - Fell In Love With a Girl
     
386. Alvvays - Easy On Your Own?
     
387. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - If We Were Vampires
     
388. Blackway - What's Up Danger (with Black Caviar)
     
389. Albert Hammond - It Never Rains in Southern California
     
390. Matt Maltese - Jupiter
     
391. John Denver - Mother Nature's Son
     
392. Childish Gambino - Sober
     
393. Claire Rosinkranz - Pools and Palm Trees
     
394. The Cars - Just What I Needed
     
395. The Doors - Light My Fire
     
396. Blondie - Tomorrow Never Knows
     
397. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Hell's Itch
     
398. The Japanese House - Saw You In A Dream
     
399. Franz Schubert - String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor, Op. 29 No. 1, D. 804
     
400. The Drifters - White Christmas
     
401. The 1975 - Robbers
     
402. George Harrison - Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
     
403. The Frights - Tongues
     
404. Paramore - Ain't It Fun
     
405. Billy Joel - Pressure
     
406. Frank Sinatra - My Way
     
407. Art Lown - Going Back to Carolina
     
408. Bruno Mars - Just the Way You Are
     
409. Under The Rug - Lonesome & Mad
     
410. The Mamas & The Papas - Dedicated To The One I Love
     
411. Foster The People - Sit Next to Me
     
412. Weezer - Undone - The Sweater Song
     
413. Michael Jackson - Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
     
414. Tia Blake - Plastic Jesus
     
415. Los Bravos - Bring a Little Lovin'
     
416. Lady Gaga - Bad Romance
     
417. Minnie Riperton - Les Fleurs
     
418. Billy Idol - Dancing with Myself
     
419. Cody Fry - I Hear a Symphony
     
420. Gringo Sapiens - Driver's Licence
     
421. Vacations - Relax
     
422. Glitter Party - time waits
     
423. Steve Lacy - Bad Habit
     
424. The Crystals - Then He Kissed Me
     
425. The Pied Pipers - Mairzy Doats
     
426. Mitski - Bug Like an Angel
     
427. James Ray - I've Got My Mind Set On You
     
428. Clairo - Bubble Gum
     
429. Masayoshi Takanaka - SEXY DANCE
     
430. Nat King Cole - (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons
     
431. Sleigh Bells - Crown On the Ground
     
432. Olivia Rodrigo - favorite crime
     
433. No Doubt - Just A Girl
     
434. Foreigner - Long, Long Way from Home
     
435. Heart - Crazy On You
     
436. The Hunts - Darlin'
     
437. David Bowie - Heroes
     
438. Alice Phoebe Lou - Hammer
     
439. Thee Oh Sees - Toe Cutter - Thumb Buster
     
440. Roar - I Can't Handle Change
     
441. TV Girl - Birds Dont Sing
     
442. Laufey - From The Start
     
443. Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group - Freight Train (feat. Nancy Whiskey)
     
444. Metro Boomin - Am I Dreaming
     
445. Liana Flores - rises the moon
     
446. POP ETC - Speak Up
     
447. Jean Knight - Mr. Big Stuff
     
448. The Platters - Twilight Time
     
449. Derek & The Dominos - Layla
     
450. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Homeless Man in Adidas
     
451. Charlie Burg - Lovesong (The Way)
     
452. Hot Flash Heat Wave - Gutter Girl
     
453. ABBA - Fernando
     
454. Mitski - My Love Mine All Mine
     
455. Savannah Conley - More Than Fine
     
456. Young the Giant - Mind Over Matter
     
457. Future Crib - Yer Movin'
     
458. Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone
     
459. benches - Violent
     
460. Musical Youth - Pass The Dutchie
     
461. Olivia Rodrigo - vampire
     
462. Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone - City Of Stars
     
463. Maya Hawke - Thérèse
     
464. Current Joys - A Different Age
     
465. Wayne Newton - Danke Schoen
     
466. La Roux - Bulletproof
     
467. Jason Segel, Walter - Man Or Muppet
     
468. U2 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
     
469. The Raconteurs - Steady, As She Goes
     
470. The Ink Spots - Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall
     
471. Ace of Base - The Sign
     
472. Vulfpeck - 1612
     
473. Nordista Freeze - Hey GiGi
     
474. The Chainsmokers - New York City
     
475. Suki Waterhouse - Johanna
     
476. Pete Rodriguez - I Like It Like That
     
477. Calvin Harris - Summer
     
478. The Rare Occasions - Notion
     
479. a-ha - Take on Me
     
480. Rush - Working Man
     
481. Traffic - Dear Mr. Fantasy
     
482. Starbuck - Moonlight Feels Right
     
483. Van Halen - Drop Dead Legs
     
484. The Troggs - Wild Thing
     
485. Led Zeppelin - Good Times Bad Times
     
486. The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)
     
487. Cream - Sunshine Of Your Love
     
488. Justin Timberlake - SexyBack (feat. Timbaland)
     
489. David Bowie - Suffragette City
     
490. Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2 "Moonlight"
     
491. Avicii - Wake Me Up
     
492. The Who - La-La-La-Lies
     
493. The Spinners - The Rubberband Man
     
494. MGMT - Time to Pretend
     
495. Hootie & The Blowfish - Only Wanna Be With You
     
496. Sheck Wes - Mo Bamba
     
497. Claire Rosinkranz - 123
     
498. Ringo Starr - Photograph
     
499. The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)
     
500. Duran Duran - Rio
     

BRAVO

• Scheana Shay's Sister Cortney Is Her Twin in Stunning New (and Old!) Photos (Bravo)
• Lala Kent Reveals the Real Reason She Moved to the Valley: "Let Me Be Very Clear..." (Bravo)
• VPR’s Tom Sandoval Shuts Down Split Rumors by Posting NSFW Photo With Girlfriend Victoria Lee Robinson (US Weekly)
• Jax Taylor Says ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Stars Coming Over to ‘The Valley’ Is a ‘Hard No’: ‘It Isn’t Fair’ (US Weekly)
• Jax Taylor Gives His Honest Take on the Toms’ New Girlfriends: “She Could Be My Daughter” (Bravo)
• Kristen Doute clarifies her ‘The Valley’ reunion remarks: ‘We haven’t been told’ anything (NY Post exclusive)
• Kristen Doute Compares Jesse Lally to 'Vanderpump Rules' Jax Taylor (Collider)
• Lisa Vanderpump Says Gordon Ramsay Has ‘Met His Match’ in Her! (Extra exclusive)
• Summer House’s Jesse Solomon Says He ‘Doesn’t Regret’ Flirting With Paige DeSorbo (Life & Style exclusive)
• 'Summer House' Season Finale Watch Party Hosted By The Boro In Tysons (Patch)
• How Summer House: Martha's Vineyard's Jasmine Cooper Found Support as a New Mom (E! exclusive)
• Vanderpump Rules snubbed from NBC Upfronts as Seth Meyers slams Tom Sandoval in harsh diss after cancellation rumors (The Sun U.S. exclusive)

NEW JERSEY

• Margaret Josephs Dishes on Teresa Giudice Fallout: "She's Obsessed with Me" (Bravo)
• Margaret Josephs Calls RHONJ Star Jackie Goldschneider ‘a Disappointment’ (Heavy)
• Joe Gorga Claims RHONJ Cast is Getting “Punished” Amid Leak Allegations Involving Teresa and Jen, as Melissa Shades Teresa and Jennifer’s Behavior as “Gross” (Reality Blurb)

ORANGE COUNTY

• ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ Resumes Filming After Jennifer Pedranti’s Fiance Enters MLB Drama (US Weekly exclusive)

NEW YORK

• ‘RHONY’ star Erin Lichy is ‘obsessed’ with this under-$12 beauty buy (Page Six)

BEVERLY HILLS

• Crystal Kung Minkoff Is ‘Really Excited’ for Her Next Chapter After ‘RHOBH’ Exit (US Weekly exclusive)
• Jamie Lee Curtis “Excited” For Friend Amanda De Cadenet Joining ‘RHOBH’ Season 14 Cast & Teases “Maybe I’ll Be Back” (Deadline)
• Teddi Mellencamp covers up in a long sleeve shirt and pink pants as she supports her sons in equestrian competitions in Los Angeles (Daily Mail)
• Annemarie Wiley Discusses Best Part of RHOBH, What She Would’ve Shown on Season 14, and Favorite Franchise, Plus What’s Next and Why She Became a Nurse (Reality Blurb)

ATLANTA

• Go Inside Riley Burruss' Next-Level College Graduation Party (Pics) (Bravo)

AFRICAN FRANCHISES

• LaConco on The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip – South Africa (Showmax)

Links to this week's episode discussion posts:

• RHONJ S14E2 🍝
• Summer House S8E12 ☀️

As the world faded away into nothing but a dark void, Tom felt the only mildly familiar sensation of magic flowing like a gentle stream. It wasn’t much of a draw, but it was certainly noticeable.
“Right, best make this quick then,” he tried thinking to himself, feeling the flow peak as he did.
“Who is this? Make what quick?” an ethereal sounding female voice replied. It did sound a bit like how he remembered Joelina sounding. Though she did not exactly sound calm.
“Uhm… Hello? Anyone there?”
“Yes hello. Who is this? What must be done quick? Answer me at once!”
“It’s Tom… Is that you, Joelina?”
“Yes of course it is! Stupid dragons taking ages, I have questions for you! So many questiiioooonssss...”
“Yeah I figured that… Fire away I suppose.” Tom replied a little uncertainly as to just what he might be in for.
“Firstly! Did you read the letters?”
“I did yeah…”
“Disregard them, I have learned much since they were written! So much more yes, cursed blessed knowledge…”
“So you do know we have gone to space then?”
“What? No, I re-experienced the memory you had of the movie about the moon mission. It was evident on the second watching that it was trickery of the eye! Spaceflight is but a myth!”
“Riiight.”
“Then how have your kind visited space? And what of the gods above!? it was evident that the woman with the crystals was but a fraud!” Joelina explained with all the calm and restraint of a shoppingmall Karen
“Well the rockets to the moon, that did happen.” Tom attempted, doing his best to remain calm and diplomatic. “The movie you saw was probably a recreation… Tell me, did things go wrong on that trip but they made it home anyway?”
“Yes, do you know of what I speak? Ahr what am I proclaiming! of course you do it is your own memories, how could I forget.”
“Yea…, you watched a movie about Apollo 13 I think. Good movie, and that all happened too. Like for real happened”
“I see…” Joelina replied, sounding rather unstable. “And what of the gods?”
“We ain’t got any. Well not in space at least.”
“Impossible!”
“No, quite possible. Many still believe in gods though, but let’s not get into that too much. It’s a right old mess.”
“No, you must tell me what happened to the gods? Have they left you?”
“Well some think so, but no. I just think it all works a bit different for us. They might be a little more hands off.”
“But the churches… and these religious warriors you did battle with,” the inquisitor all but muttered to herself, sounding like she was struggling to put pieces together. “Do Jesus and Islam fight for power then? no no, they would have long since lost the battles to the ancient gods of war the teachers spoke of… though why they were always naked eludes me yeeees…”
“No, again we don’t really have gods just floating around... Could we please talk about something else? Or is that all you wanted to know?” Tom tried, hoping he really didn’t have to dive deeper into that particular subject.
“No no don’t you dare cut me off! I have seen what you talked of, nuclear fire and missiles, ships of the oceans and planes soaring in the skies. But is it not all fake? Surely it must be! It must be? It must be…”
“I don’t know what you saw… but we have ships sailing around. If you’ve ever seen flying ships like you have here then that’s fake I can assure you of that. We do have airships, but they look more like really big long balloons.”
“But we could make such vessels, or someone could from times past. If you can visit the moon then surely you can make a ship for the skies!”
“No no, we ain’t got grav oil. Or dragon essence as I guess it’s called. That means no anti gravity, and that means weight is a very very big problem for anything you wanna make fly. Planes and helicopters are how we fly. Remember how I flew to Afghanistan on a big ass plane? Or when I learned to parachute later?”
“What is parachute? is it the ham from your times doing, vacationing? what has dried meat products got to do with flying machines of battle!”
“Wooo easy now easy. I guess you didn’t get that far yet. Uhm. It’s a cloth kite you dangle from and then glide to the ground. Very good fun.”
“A cloth kite used to fly?... such strange inventions. Wait was there not a movie of with something of that nature? yeeee… there was a song. I liked that song… something something brains upon his chute. Yeesss…”
“Yeah… You’ll know it when you see it. I have one actually.” Tom clarified trying not to get too weirded out.
“You must demonstrate on a suitable occasion.”
“Yeah… I do have a question too though,” Tom replied, letting silence reign for a short time. “...Your last letter was in Danish.”
“Oh, uhm yes. I- I was having some difficulty separating what was real and what was not… I still am. Do not tell Glazz, she musten know the truth yet. She seeks to limit my excursions.”
“You’ve ended up like I did, have you?”
“No no no, the effects do indeed recede as expected, everything is in good order… But I had to know more. So so much moooore.”
“Maybe you should cool it a bit. You never know when a brain snaps. Or how,” Tom tried, confident his advice would be ignored.
“There is not time!”
“And why is that? How is it going in our beloved Inquisition?”
“Mind your tongue, human! Things are progressing, but so are our enemies. Infiltrators have been caught, traitors within our ranks are making their moves. The reemergence of Rashan, attacks on mines, keeps and a daring heist attempt at a Royal Guard fortress! The game is afoot, we cannot delay.”
“You can’t overreach yourself either. Weren’t you supposed to be winning over the rest of the inquisition right about now? Can’t do that as a gibbering mess.”
There was silence for a while more after that. “Glazz sent you a letter? What did it say?! You may not keep secrets from me- wait not… I should confiscate her arm… she cannot write with her left. Yes far better plan, avoid upsetting him. And fill her pen with invisible ink. Yes very good.”
“No, it’s just obvious to any idiot. But what about winter, won’t things slow down?”
“They should, yet as autumn progresses it has only been picking up. I hope they too are running out of time… But time for what? I must know what they are planning. They might be behind schedule. But what SCHEDULE! sorry…”
“Well you’re not gonna find the answer to that in my memories, now are you?”
“You were sent by someone. You are here for a purpose. I must know this purpose. It will help me understand. The puzzle is large and much of the box kept from me.”
“As far as I’m concerned, I’m here to help you guys get in gear. That’s a decades to centuries long sorta problem, not a couple of years. Sounds like this war will be in the couple of years category.”
“Then why now? Why did you arrive now?!”
“Shitty luck? Sounds like 10 years ago would have been a lot better… Oh on that note, did you hear? We found something down below.”
“No, Paulin would have told me.”Joelina dismissed, he could almost feel her turning her snout up and away from him.
“Well we opened the vault like 3 days ago,” Tom replied, quite surprised Paulin hadn’t said anything. “Wait yeah she can send you messages, no? She sent the message about what we wanted to buy too, didn’t she?... How did she do that by the way? Why didn’t you just have her ask me questions?”
“That is not for you to know, and this is not for her.”
“Really? More secrets still? Come on, tell me or I’ll let you think flying whales exist.”
“I know those are not real. If they were, you would have harvested them long ago! likely for some deranged snack… or facial decoration.”
“True, but you get the idea,” Tom persisted, feeling like this was something worth pushing for. Why would Paulin not have let her precious Joelina know?
“Very well. This does not leave your mind… In the name of, what was it called… camaraderie. Paulin is in possession of joined paper. Messages may be written down and read by anyone with similarly joined paper. Unsecured. Originally believed to be fore love letters… dastardly studs and wenches using perfectly good magic for such trivialness… simply tie the message to a rock and throw it though the window. Most peasants cannot even afford glass” Joelina trailed off, seemingly zoning out once more.
“You have magical paper that can relay written information… and you don’t fucking use it!?” Tom explaimed, not quite believing what he was hearing.
“No, we do not know how to make freshly bonded paper… only more linked to all other paper in existence…” Joelina agreed. He could almost feel her looking at the floor in shame. “But it is not as if you are infallible, why did you not bring one of these radios?”
“I uhm…”
“Why didn’t you?!”
“I forgot,” Tom admitted, thinking back to his packing days. Of all the things that could have proven useful, that one might have been his biggest blunder.
“For the love of all that is holy! You are our saviour?!” Joelina scolded, understandably so, but still.
“Hey I never claimed to be smart!”
“I have lived your dreams. That is a lie! You very much claim to be smart!”
“Fuck off, I know you are just a scared little insecure girl.”
“She died 30 years ago!”
“Well I haven’t gotten to that bit yet!”
“What in the devils do you mean?” Joelina questioned calming right down in a fraction of a second.
“I’ve only had like three proper dreams about you… wait no, not like that,” Tom blurted out as it clicked just how wrong that sounded. Joelina didn’t seem to care in the slightest though.
“Three? That is it!?” going right back to outrage.
“Yeah… Wait, how many have you had?” Tom questioned. He rather wanted to know just how much she might know about him in addition to the memories she had already picked through when inside his head.
“Several a day!” the inquisitor exclaimed in reply.
“Okay, I can see how that would drive someone a bit mad.”
“I am not going mad!”
“Did Glazz say the same thing?” Tom questioned, quite certain he was striking a nerve.
There was no reply for quite some time, Tom feeling the headache growing as things grew tranquil once more. He could feel his breath. It was rapid, and his heart was pounding. He probably shouldn’t do this for much longer. Thus he endeavored to break the silence.
“You probably should listen to her you know.”
“No! These matters are above her station!”
“Hasn’t she been in the Inquisition longer than you?”
“She has yes. But she is no inquisitor. She is a body guard.”
“Seems like she is a wee bit more than that,” Tom pushed on. He didn’t yet know how those two came to stick together, but it was clear they had been working together for decades by now. All the way since she was assigned to Harvik
“Mind your own matters, human.”
“Very well, don’t think I can keep this up anyway.”
“We have barely been chatting! Where do the dogs come from?!”
“Selective breeding for thousands of years. But I’m gonna go. Take a break, do what Glazz says… even if Jacky hates her.”
Yet more silence followed that, though it was brief and Joelina was the first to speak again.
“Fine! In the interest of cooperation I shall let you rest. Wear the earring at all times, I shall be contacting you again soon.”
“I think I’m gonna be the judge of that. I’ll put it on when I feel like it.”
“You will do as I say!”
“You need a nap and a bit to calm down. I’ll give you three days. Around noon. See yah… How do I get this thing off?”
“I’m not telling you,” Joelina grumped like a little girl. She really didn’t seem quite like herself at all today. She had been the spitting image of restraint and arrogance before. The arrogance was still there, but the restraint had certainly gone.
“Come on, do I just try to cut off the magic or is that a bad idea?”
“If you answer a question I might answer.”
“Right then… Gimme gimme gimme aaaa-”
“JUST CUT IT! Farewell!” she called out loud enough Tom’s head pulsed and then there was blissful silence once more.
“Hehe. That did the trick, right concentrate on that funny feeling aaan-”
__________________________________________________________________________________
After dinner had been rounded up, Dakota had given a brief address as to some of the news received. There wasn’t much that hadn’t already made the rounds at the tables during the dinner itself. The war had been expanding, recruitment had started in full in the cities, and if not for the rather special situation at Bizmati they could have expected their banners to get called by spring.
Rumors had it that the kingdom was preparing itself for counterstrikes the following spring, which meant training through the winter for many volunteers.
“And a lot of not so volunteers,” Fengi muttered as Dakota carried on with the address.
“You can say that twice. At least the street rats might get something to eat and a place to sleep,” Tirox the trader escort added.
“I suppose that is true. Not a bad deal in winter time… I might even have taken it.”
“But we must instead keep our minds on our home,” Dakota carried on, talking to the whole hall. “There can be no mistake, we will be a target. We will be ready. They are getting bolder by the day it seems. It is not impossible they may attempt to take our keep before the winter comes. Or perhaps they will be waiting for spring. It is equally clear their forces are spread thin. We will weather such assaults, I have no doubt. But we must keep training. We must keep vigil. We cannot afford to be surprised or outmatched. I know you will all do your best. And tonight, we have no less than 4 dragons here. So breathe easy, have your snacks and your drinks. If the weather holds soon we will be finished with the warehouse and then we may make final preparations for winter. It is sure to be an interesting one for once.”
The hall replied with a half-discordant cheer, not overly enthusiastic unlike what Dakota had likely envisioned. The talk of them possibly getting attacked even before the snow came wasn’t really that encouraging. But Dakota tended to speak her mind, and she was probably right. Bizmati keep would be a damn tough nut to crack. And to Dakota’s credit she did seem to recognize she hadn’t really managed to rile them up.
“Didn’t you hear me?” she tried again in a slightly more humorous tone. “Eat, drink, and have fun! And put those tables together, don’t want you brooding in your corners.”
That did get a bit more of a reaction, as well as some good humored chuckles. People started getting up and set about moving the tables closer together.
It was a little rude to split up their guests in the same way as they normally did. Saph carried one of the benches over to the new spot, glancing around for any sign of Maiko, but there was no sign of him anywhere.
Feeling a little miffed, she sat down with the others as Ray came back with one of the small kegs of cider looking very excited. “We should have a taste, right?”
“Oh yes please!” Pho called out, Essy giving her a slight slap on the wrist.
“This one is only for those who paid for it. You will have to do with whatever you bought. Or the ale I’m sure they intend to serve.”
“Aww man. Not even a sip?”
“Okay, maybe a sip,” Essy relented. “Oh, I should get Koko his gift.”
“You got him a gift?” Saph questioned with mirth in her voice.
“Of course, that is what people do for each other… you did get Maiko something, right?”
Saph felt her expression slip a little as she prepared to disappoint their chief people person. “No, not really…”
“All that money and you didn’t get him shit? That’s cold girl,” Pho laughed, clearly finding it hilarious.
“Oh shut up, not as if I got something for Unkai either,” Fengi added, springing to Sapphire’s defence, though it seemed like the delivery had Fengi second guessing herself as well.
Esmeralda did look a little saddened by the news, but she was far too nice to say anything. Tirox however had no such filter.
“Oh don’t worry about it, just gotta go with a different sort of gift.” The diminutive guard laughed heartily at his joke. Udanti found it quite funny as well, and Pho certainly loved it. Bo just shook her head a little and went back to a small puzzle of some sort she had been working on, on and off, for most of the dinner by now.
“So uhm… One mug each?” Ray questioned, having been left hanging at the keg.
“Oh yes sorry, just the one, this stuff is expensive,” Saph replied, holding out her mug, Ray pushing it back down.
“One moment.” And she produced a wooden mallet and one of the metal taps. It looked like one of Raulf’s, so it was probably old as faded dragonscales.
Ray gingerly placed it against the cork and raised the mallet as the table fell silent in anticipation.
With a whack the tap went in clean with hardly a drop spilled, and Ray breathed a visible sigh of relief. “Right there we go.”
There was a quick round of cheers from the table, and Ray started pouring servings.
“Oh got yours open, have you?” the voice of Balethon came as the guard came walking up to the table, mug in hand and lizard on shoulder. “You all know we are gonna have to work out who got the better stuff, right?”
“Oh does it always have to be a competition with you, Balethon?” Saph questioned. She had just wanted to enjoy the cider.
“Look who is talking… And yeah of course we do! Just think of the bragging rights.”
Ray didn’t look too thrilled, nor did any of the girls who had actually paid for the keg. The rest of the table seemed to think it was a brilliant idea, even as Balethon’s voice carried and heads started to turn as people started to mingle between the now closely together tables.
“I’ll be the independent adjudicator!” Tirox declared, not receiving much attention as the full mugs started to get passed around. “Oh come on. I’ll be fair!”
“Shut it pipsqueak, you’ll end up taking 10 rounds of tastings before you make up your mind,” Udanti scolded, though in good humor.
“I might…” the guy relented, looking to Balethon. “Ey, by the way. Did you teach the brainlet any tricks?”
“Sure, Skitters can do a few things.”
“Aside from chasing the food?”
“You know what I think he might yeah,” Balethon replied sarcastically, gently tapping the static lizard twice on the head. The lizard didn’t do much save skitter about on his shoulder to face Balethon’s head, one eye pointing in whichever direction.
‘That thing just looks so dumb,’ Saph thought to herself as Ray handed her a mug. “Oh thank you.”
“Okay, Skitters. Up,” Balethon went, raising a claw into the air as if he wanted the lizard to jump. Or perhaps stand up. “Up… come on.”
There was no reaction from the lizard aside from it jerking to the left a bit, possibly having spotted a fly or something.
“Weeeell obedience might need some work,” Udanti chuckled. “Have you tried with some food in your hand?”
“Sure, then he just tries to eat the hand. Come on, Skitters. Up!” Balethon tried again, doing the gesture once more. And this time the little lizard jumped into the air. The little legs stretched out, taking its pitiful excuse for wings with it, and it half-fell half-glided to the floor where it hit with all the grace of a 6 year old on his first lesson. The slightly fat lizard bounced once, then rolled over twice before coming to a stop, looking around confused.
“Aaayyy! That’s a good boi,” Balethon went, going to pick it up again before someone stepped on it or it ran off under the tables. “And now you get a treat.” True to his word Skitters was fed a small piece of something or other which it seemed quite happy to snap up.
Fengi leaned in to whisper to Saph. “Was that the trick or did it just get sick of staying there?”
“I have no idea,” Saph replied, holding up her mug. “Cheers though.”
“Cheers,” Fengi replied as they clinked mugs.
“Oh hang on now, wait for me,” Essy protested as Ray finished pouring her mug and started on her own, looking to the girls as she questioned “Oh, also what about Jacky? Should we wait for her?”
“Who knows how long that will take?” Fengi replied, holding her mug impatiently.
“I’m sure she won’t mind. She is with Tom. We’ll let him have a mug as well,” Essy added with a reassuring nod, looking up to the high table. “Oh but we are missing Lin!”
“Oh right yeah she paid too… I can’t remember, did Edita chip in?”
“I don’t think so,” Sapphire replied, shaking her head as Essy got up to go fetch Linkosta. Balethon decided to take her place, a big grin on his face.
“So what else is going on over here?”
“Oh not much, hellooo little guy,” Pho went, trying to give skitters a scritching. In exchange he tried to eat her finger. “Oh… I mean I guess it doesn’t hurt.”
“Oh yeah, he can’t hurt a fly… well he can, but nothing more.”
“Shame he won’t get any bigger either,” Udanti added, nodding sagely. “Would have made a good rat hunter.”
“Nah… toe hunter though. Also where is the ale at?”
“Oh Raulf and Wiperna are getting ale and some of the bubble beer.”
“What is bubble beer?” Udanti questioned, tilting her head.
“Oh you’ll love it,” Saph interjected, waiting patiently as she saw Essy and Linkosta returning to the table out of the corner of her eye. “It’s an ale but it’s all fizzy.”
“Riiight… I’ve heard of fizzy beers before.”
“Oh yes, but this one is so much more fizzy.”
“It’s light and almost springlike.”
“Light ale? You mean for kids?”
“No no no. Just trust us it’s good.”
“Right right, I trust you,” the archer replied, looking to Essy and Linkosta, who seemed to be looking for a place to sit. “Should we not just put two end to end rather than this scrunching up business?”
“Yeah we should… Right get the craftsman table over here then. We don’t wanna have to smell the guards,” Saph called out, holding up her mug.
“Hey! That was uncalled for,” Balethon protested as Ray passed a mug to Linkosta. The girls all raised their mugs and had a sip, not willing to wait any longer. They all smacked their chops a little, looking down at the golden liquid. It was slightly fizzy too… and it tasted like the brew of the gods themselves. Ray was looking at them all visibly tense with anticipation and perhaps a twinge of fear.
“Ray… You have not disappointed,” Saph declared, nodding her approval, a smile creeping onto her face once more.
“Oh this is the best drink I think I’ve ever had,” Fengi added, taking another gentle sip.
Ray looked visibly relieved, her expression changing to one of ecstasy as she too took a sip herself. “Oh it’s even better than I remember. I’m glad you liked it.”
“Like it?! I love it!” Fengi cheers, Essy giving an appreciative nod to Ray before looking to Lin.
“Sooo?”
“It’s very good… Do you think we could try and cool it down a little? Imagine this cold.”
“It is often served cold, yes,” Ray confirmed, nodding her assent.
“I’ll go get the powder!” Saph called out, getting up. “I have got to try that.”
__________________________________________________________________________________
The strange ethereal world that had seemed so all-consuming started to quickly fade. Holes grew as light and reality started seeping in, sounds and noise starting to build around him. “Oom-Tom… Tom, are you okay?” came the familiar voice of Jacky as his eyes shot open and he blinked a few times as he returned to reality proper.
“Yeah yeah, I’m here… That is trippy, but hey, I think it worked.”
“How many fingers?” Jacky questioned, holding up her hand.
“4. Clear as day.”
“Pheeew. Okay look around, anything strange?”
Tom obeyed, sitting up a bit straighter and glancing about the room. “Nnnnn, nope all good. Just like last time I used one of these.”
“Right, good. Now what did she say?”
“Oh a bunch of stuff… mostly we chatted a bit about how she’s going a touch mad. Even Glazz thinks she’s falling apart at the seams apparently. She was also not happy I wanted a break.”
“Oh don’t tell me you have to do this every day from now on?”
“I said she had 3 days to get ready to try again. Hopefully she’ll have her case worked out by then.”
“Here’s to hoping… also how is your head? Does it hurt?”
“A bit, it’ll go away I’m sure.”
“Right,” Jacky replied, looking at him skeptically. “If it gets worse, tell me. But dinner was served a while ago I think. And I’m hungry.”
“Me too, let’s go.”
__________________________________________________________________________________
Well then, Joelina got her chat. She seems fine... I am sure she will continue to be a steadfast ally, within the walls of the inquisition for many weeks to co- I mean years, definetly years.
As always I hope you enjoyed the chapter, if not you know who to blame. I promise I won't cry to much if you tell me what was wrong... I promise.
Not really any news, other than fuck me I'm a busy boi, luckily I found the time to keep up with the writing yet, hopefully things will quet down soon so I can get back to begin a bit further ahead.
Untill next time, take care
Wiki and Art Gallery If you can't remember who someone is, want to read any of the side stories of fanfiction, or you just wanna watch some of the cool art that's been made for the story. Patreon If you want to help get more cool shit made consider joining the Patreon, you also get chapters two weeks ahead of time. HoH Subreddit if you want more stories from the HoH universe or are interested in writing something for this funny little world. Discord if you wanna have a chat about the story or just hang out First Previous

Round 1, Pick 25 - Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona:
NFL: This pick reflects the sheer depth of this offensive tackle class. Morgan is an experienced player who will help protect Jordan Love and allow him to flourish in the pocket.
CBS Sports: C+. I might have taken Graham Barton here, but they need help up front so I get it. Morgan can move inside to guard but if they move right tackle Zach Tom to center, he would be their right tackle.
ESPN: If you're going to make Jordan Love one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league, which they will soon, you better make sure you can protect him. That's why taking an offensive lineman in the first round for the first time in 13 years made so much sense -- even though Morgan was the seventh tackle to come off the board in the first 25 picks. The only real blemish on Morgan's resume was a torn ACL late in the 2022 season. He had planned to declare for the 2023 draft if not for the injury. Instead, he returned to play in every game last season
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Cried like a baby at the end of Ted Lasso.
Round 2, Pick 45 - Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Texas A&M:
NFL: Green Bay slid back and drafted a top-40 talent on my board in Cooper. He's the classic mold of what this Packers scouting staff seeks in a linebacker, possessing excellent speed, length and pursuit ability. There's a starting spot opposite Quay Walker, and I think Cooper will grab it, but both those players can play a little too freely and loosely at times.
CBS Sports: B+. Young, high-energy off-ball ‘backer. Plus range. Loves attacking downhill and very effective vs. the run. Flashed in coverage too with ball skills. But tackle reliability must improve at next level. Ultra-quick trigger. IDs plays in a flash. Some rawness but plenty of tantalizing traits.
ESPN: This pick was tailor-made for new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, who is overseeing a switch from a 3-4 to a 4-3 base scheme. He inherited only two starting-caliber inside backers in Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie after they released former All-Pro De’Vondre Campbell this offseason. This pick came after the Packers traded back from No. 41 overall with the Saints, who gave up Nos. 45, 168 (fifth round) and 190 (sixth). This after the Eagles traded up to No. 40 to take Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean, a player once thought to be a Packers' target. The Saints then took cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry with the 41st pick.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Can spot the four cloud types: cirrus, cumulus, stratus, and nimbus.
Round 2, Pick 58 - Javon Bullard, S, Georgia:
NFL: The Eagles might lead the NFL in drafting Georgia defenders, but the Packers have been giving them a run for their money in recent years. Bullard fills a need at safety, and he brings the kinds of intangibles this scouting department places a premium on. He can play out of control at times and isn't a tremendous athlete, but Bullard is an intense competitor who can play multiple spots in the secondary and be a four-down player.
CBS Sports: A-. Hair-on-fire stocky safety who can align at nickel CB if needed. Takes great angles against the run and plays with reckless abandon. Runs the alley like a missile. Rarely misses a tackle. Not crazy ball hawk. Smaller with shorter arms. Just a stud football player.
ESPN: After this pick, it's fair to say Gutekunst addressed three of his biggest needs -- tackle, inside linebacker and now safety. Perhaps only cornerback would rank on the same level of need. They're essentially starting over at safety, having moved on from Darnell Savage, Jonathan Owens and Rudy Ford. They spent big on free agent Xavier McKinney, but the only other safety with any experience still on the roster was Anthony Johnson Jr., a seventh-round pick last year who played 303 defensive snaps as a rookie. "Obviously the tackle board was stacked, so we addressed that," assistant director of college scouting Pat Moore said. "Then I think Gutey took the best player available at those spots [ILB and safety]."
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Has been trying to reach you about your car’s extended warranty.
Round 3, Pick 88 - MarShawn Lloyd, RB, USC:
NFL: This could be Aaron Jones' replacement, even if the Packers added Josh Jacobs this offseason. Lloyd's messy medical history likely was the biggest reason he fell behind some other backs, but his burst, three-down ability and make-you-miss agility make him sort of a poor man's D'Andre Swift.
CBS Sports: A. Older but ultra-sudden thick RB with glimpses of special elusiveness. Speed is a plus to his game. Has a lot of tread left on his tires because he was low-volume back in college. Fumbling issues. Perfect speed acquisition to this stretch-run offense.
ESPN: Yes, Josh Jacobs signed a four-year, $48 million contract in free agency, but the reality of his contract says he's just going year to year. For example, he has a $5.93 million roster bonus due next March if he's still on the team. A year later, his 2025 base salary spikes to $10.2 million. This isn't to say Jacobs will be a one-and-done, but the point is they could move on and save money at any time after this season if they think Lloyd is ready to be the RB1. After letting Aaron Jones go, the Packers have rebuilt their running back room in a hurry.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: He may or may not be allowed to own gerbils anymore…
Round 3, Pick 91 - Ty’Ron Hopper, LB, Missouri:
NFL: Hopper wasn't quite as productive last season for Mizzou as he was in 2022, looking a step slow a number of times. Injuries were a big reason why, and Hopper's pro day workout likely was the difference in him landing in Round 3 and not on Day 3. He has pass-rush potential and can drop in zone coverage.
CBS Sports: C+. Ultra-physical off-ball LB. Sleek, exudes athleticism and makes assertive decisions on a routine basis, particularly against the run or blitzer, where he also thrives. Best in that role or as a spy. Long way to go in coverage. Another linebacker?
ESPN: This is what happens when you switch from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defensive scheme. In fact, Gutekunst didn't hide the fact that he would have to add to the inside linebacker room when, earlier this offseason, he said they will "be a little bit more heavy there, so we're going to have to add some numbers." So drafting Hopper in the third round after taking Cooper in the second round shouldn't have come as a major surprise. Hafley now has some options when it comes to deciding who will line up next to Walker at inside linebacker.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Insists that his pocket sand WILL come in handy one day.
Round 4, Pick 111 - Evan Williams, S, Oregon:
NFL: Williams grew on me as the pre-draft process went on. He might not be special in any way, but he's extremely solid and assignment-sound. He might never be a big playmaker, but Williams can hit and will work to earn some kind of role.
CBS Sports: B-. Not a tremendous athlete but does everything well that teams ask out of a multi-dimensional safety today. Keeps throttle down when flying to outside runs, will make an occasional play in coverage. Not a twitchy nickel type. Best in box or robbing middle of the field. Energy exudes from his playing style. Just not a big-time physical specimen.
ESPN: Gutekunst has never been afraid to double up at a position. He's now done it twice in the first four rounds after taking the two inside linebackers on Friday. He traded up to take his second safety, giving up a sixth-rounder (No. 190 overall, that they got from the Saints a day earlier) to move up from No. 126. There will be an all-out competition for the second safety spot next to Xavier McKinney among Johnson Jr., Bullard and Williams -- who posted some impressive blitzing numbers with 4.5 sacks last season (third-most among FBS defensive backs) and 17 quarterback pressures since the start of 2022 (tied for 10th most among FBS DBs).
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Hopes to be the 111th best player like his idol, Tom Brady.
Round 5, Pick 163 - Jacob Monk, C, Duke:
NFL: Monk played center, guard and tackle over five seasons with the Blue Devils but likely projects to center in the NFL. He's smart and competitive and has above-average athleticism in a smaller frame.
CBS Sports: A-. Hyper-experienced, legitimately versatile blocker who probably plays center or guard at the next level. Athleticism and acceleration off the snap instantly stand out. Doesn’t have immense size or length but can win with quickness or power against smaller upfield rushers. Classic Packers pick. He’ll be a useful depth option for a while.
ESPN: Gutekunst said after taking Morgan in the first round: "You can't have guys that can only play one spot. That's very hard to do. It just puts a lot of stress on your group." Monk embodies that versatility. He began his five-year college career -- which included 58 starts -- at right tackle, moved to right guard for two years and has gone back and forth between center and right guard the last two years. He was one of only seven FBS players with at least 300 snaps at both center and guard last season. Gutekunst traded up five spots with the Buffalo Bills and gave up a sixth-round pick (No. 219 overall).
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Was once attacked by someone’s pet opossum in a Walmart.
Round 5, Pick 169 - Kitan Oladapo, S, Oregon State:
NFL: Oladapo is a nicely proportioned athlete with outstanding length and enough athleticism to be tried as a safety or even a zone corner. He's a bit older but can make his mark at multiple spots because of his willingness to tackle.
CBS Sports: A. Very similar to Jaden Hicks who went a round earlier. Large, strong safety body type but fluid and instinctive in coverage. Could play with a tick more energy but his methodical style keeps him out of trouble re: missing tackles or being baited by misdirection. Huge interception radius. Speed is good, not great. Sound tackler.
ESPN: This should complete the overhaul at safety after the Packers signed Xavier McKinney in free agency and picked two other safeties (Bullard in Round 2 and Williams in Round 4) previously in this draft. The Packers moved on from three safeties who each played at least 500 snaps last season (Darnell Savage, Jonathan Owens and Rudy Ford). After starting his career as a walk-on, Oladapo earned second-team All-Pac 12 honors in 2023 when he did not allow a single touchdown pass in 421 coverage snaps.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Is convinced he could pilot a submarine if he had to.
Round 6, Pick 202 - Travis Glover, OT, Georgia State:
NFL: Glover is a typecast developmental OT prospect with so-so movement skills but ideal length and grip strength. He flashed some real finishing ability, albeit vs. a lower level of competition.
CBS Sports: B+. Wide offensive tackle with the frame of a guard but plenty of length. Smooth athleticism for his size and loves to mash at the second level. Balance is good but can get a little overzealous in pass pro. Hand work and punch timing are solid. Another classic Packers pick. Versatile.
ESPN: Stop if you've heard this before: the Packers took another versatile lineman who has lined up at multiple positions. Glover played both tackle spots and left guard in college. He's considered to have a high upside considering his 6-foot-6, 323-pound frame.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Discovered the reddit mods did not spell check the true facts.
Round 7, Pick 245 - Michael Pratt, QB, Tulane:
NFL: If it's me, I am drafting Pratt before both Jordan Travis and Devin Leary, and the Packers aren't afraid to keep investing in QB talents. From the Green Wave to Green Bay, Pratt is good enough to push Sean Clifford to the side and become Jordan Love's understudy -- perhaps as soon as this year -- with his cool, calm, patient approach and quality accuracy.
CBS Sports: B+. Experienced pocket passer with quality arm who was consistent producer at Tulane across multiple seasons. Lights were never too bright for him. Has some improvisational flair to his game. Just not ultra accurate.
ESPN: Gutekunst said he wanted the Packers to get back into the business of drafting and developing (and then possibly trading) quarterbacks. He's now taken one on Day 3 for the second straight year after picking Sean Clifford in the fifth round last year. Clifford served as Love's backup last season, but it appears he'll have to battle for the job again. Pratt, a four-year starter at Tulane and the 11th quarterback selected this year, went 21-3 as a starter the last two seasons.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Brushes his teeth at least ten times a day.
Round 7, Pick 255 - Kalen King, CB, Penn State:
NFL: You can find King's name scattered in some August mock drafts, but his stock continually tumbled after he struggled to match his 2022 performance, didn't test well athletically for his size and lost some Senior Bowl battles. But in the seventh round? King is well worth the small gamble here.
CBS Sports: B+. Previously had RD1 hype but had a disastrous 2023. Athletic chops are there. Has impressive highs just not a natural mirroring type. Plays chippy and throws his weight around against the run.
ESPN: Going into the draft, there was some thought that the Packers could take a corner early -- even as high as the first round. Instead, they waited until their final pick to take one. They seemed to hit on seventh-round cornerback Carrington Valentine last year. King played 84% of his snaps on the outside, splitting it about evenly between the right and left sides.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: If you’re still watching, please get some help.

This is our weekly casual conversation chat! Here, community members are welcome to discuss anything and everything about the game, about your life, or about what you've been up to.
We also include userflair data on this day.
Please keep the discussion within subreddit rules, of course, and remember to keep things civil and friendly!

Flairs Overview

• Users with Flair: 13,231
• Used Flairs: 604
• Unused Flairs: 66

Number of Users with each Flair

Note: This table shows the number of unique users with each flair image, with a minimum of 25. Multiple identical flairs in the same user's flair count as one.

Flair	Users
A Courtesan of Rome	55
Adalhard-F2	30
Adalhard-M1	65
Adalhard-M2	25
Adam1	58
Adam3	55
Adrian1	428
Adrian3	174
Aerin	313
Aiden	195
Aisha	38
Aislinn	153
Ajay	228
Alana	131
America's Most Eligible	37
Andy	231
Angel	62
Anna	95
Annabelle	307
Annelyse	71
Aromantic	33
Arthur1	33
Arylu	137
Asexual	94
Aster	156
Aubrey	32
Aurora	117
Ava	160
Avery-F	71
Avery-M	47
Bloodbound	74
Becca	431
Beckett	1093
Ben	80
Bertrand	27
Bi	218
Bianca	83
Blaine-F1	40
Blaine-F3	56
Blaine-M1	67
Blaine-M3	97
Blades of Light and Shadow	123
Book	64
Bryce	893
Cal	185
Caleb-Hero	31
Caleb	44
Cas-F2	61
Cas-M2	180
Cassius	133
Cat	53
Charlie	159
Chloe	25
Chris	108
Colt	265
Connor	84
Corgi	307
Crow	56
Dakota-F1	49
Dakota-F2	28
Dakota-M1	63
Dakota-M4	46
Dallas	58
Damien	953
Dan	56
Danni	110
Dave	42
Dean	35
Derek	36
Diavolos	65
Diego	31
Dipper	76
Dixon-F	27
Desire & Decorum	41
Dom	123
Donovan	30
Drake	453
Edward1	43
Edward2	53
Edward3	71
Edward4	38
Eiko	131
Eleanor	166
Eli	59
Emma	204
Emu	37
Eris	72
Ernest	789
Endless Summer	144
Esme	33
Estela	419
Ethan	1041
Eva	85
Fabien	39
Flynn	329
Furball	133
Gabe2	38
Gabe3	39
Gaius	130
Gay	41
Gorgue	101
Grayson	37
Greyhound	42
Griffin	111
Hamid	120
Hana	358
Hayden-F2	179
Hayden-F3	108
Hayden-M1	73
Hayden-M2	95
Hayden-M3	25
Hazel	37
Heart	632
High School Story	59
Hunt	184
Hunter-F1	30
Hunter-M1	31
Hunter-M2	116
The It Lives Series	100
Imogen	71
Imtura	159
Jackie	92
Jaime	67
Jake	941
James	71
Jax	310
Jen	114
Joaquin	29
John2	50
Julian	26
Kaitlyn	296
Kamilah	829
Kane	36
Kate	59
Katherine	46
Kayden-F1	80
Kayden-M1	119
Kayden-M2	42
Kenji	143
Kenna	194
Kepler	37
Kieran-M1	69
Kieran-M3	27
Kingsley-F1	43
Kingsley-F2	88
Kingsley-F3	57
Kingsley-M1	185
Kingsley-M2	39
Kingsley-M3	95
Kitten	105
Leo	73
Lesbian	120
Levi	74
Liam1	390
Liam2	42
Liam3	319
Lily	70
Lindsay	27
Lobster	52
Logan1	114
Logan2	112
Loola	37
Lucas	68
Luke	35
Lumian	43
Mackenzie1	67
Mackenzie2	33
Mackenzie3	69
Mal	598
Marc	396
Maria	265
Mark	37
Matt	45
Maxwell	396
Meridian	53
Michael	633
Michelle	48
Mona	255
Montjoy-M3	27
Most Wanted	28
Naomi	52
Nia	465
Nik1	86
Nik3	49
Noah1	29
Noah3	72
Noah	139
Nonbinary	27
Open Heart	73
Oliver	117
Olivia	193
Pan	50
Parker	123
Perfect Match	27
Poppy-Qb	646
Priya	87
Pug	85
Puppy	41
Queen B	39
Quinn	572
Quote	53
Rafael	196
Rainbow	33
Raleigh-F	46
Raleigh-M	278
Raydan	152
Redfield	93
Redpanda	30
Ride or Die	29
Rory-F2	56
Rory-M2	49
Sabina	90
Sam-F1	43
Sam-F3	63
Sam-M1	42
Sam-M3	61
Sam	52
Sawyer	152
Sean	136
Sei	63
Shannon	52
Shreya	264
Sienna	49
Simon	81
Skye	541
Slater	59
Sloane	101
Sol	62
Sonia	318
Stacy	28
Sumire	33
Syphax	98
Tatum	98
The Crown and The Flame	62
The Elementalists	101
Teja	25
The Heist: Monaco	26
Thomas	278
Threep	202
Tom	360
Trans	43
Troy	25
The Royal Romance	42
Trystan-F3	34
Trystan-M1	76
Trystan-M3	56
Trystan-M4	56
Tyril	896
Uwu	68
Val	83
Vera	60
Veronica	83
Victoria	74
Veil of Secrets	30
Zahra	29
Zig	427
Zoey	170