work was so shit today oh my god. the shift before mine didn’t finish their work so I had to do it which put me so far behind my own work that I had to stay for 40 fucking minutes after the end of shift to get it all done and I’m 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠

send me good vibes besties bc I need some positivity or I will explode into a thousand wooden splinters

Minor aspects

While the nature of the major aspects in astrology is quite straightforward and has been covered more than sufficiently, there’s still a lot of fog surrounding the nature of the minor ones. There are a lot of minor aspects that can be taken into consideration when interpreting a chart… however, since they are labeled minor they won’t be as obvious and much more difficult to spot in one’s own life. Note that this doesn't mean that they aren't impactful. There’s a lot of speculation and vague terms used when describing them. It seems that every minor aspect is said to have a “spiritual/creative dimension” as if that is supposed to clear up any of the mystery surrounding them. Perhaps, on one level, we don’t want to pin them down too much because certainty is the enemy of exploration. Or perhaps it’s the case that the aspects themselves don’t want to be pinned down? There’s an appeal in keeping certain things mysterious in our lives, to avoid defining and putting rigid labels on phenomena. It makes life alive and beautiful. Many people dismiss astrology is because they are afraid that they’re going to be reduced to a set of characteristics and have their personality mapped up to the point of being able to predict and foresee patterns of behavior and fated themes. The fear of knowledge is not irrational; it is probably healthy to an extent. Knowing too much can be dangerous and rob life of its magic. “Curiosity killed the cat”, as the saying goes. However, this is not the whole truth because curiosity also leads to expansion and better understanding, so let’s not be afraid to concretize these aspects, it's not the same as "killing" their potential. Life is never completely in our hands anyway, there's no risk of knowing it all.

Quintile (72°)/Bi-quintile (144°)

These aspects are said to have something to do with individual style and quality of creative work. It is suggested that these aspects say something about a mental-creative process of imposing one’s mind on a particular subject. It is also linked to talent and gifts the individual would possess that have not been actively learned. Basically, it seems to be indicative of the particular way a person would approach a subject. For example, the quintile would not describe the activity itself - the activity could be painting, knitting, running, cleaning or whatever – the quintile/bi-quintile would point to the way the person approaches the activity.

For example, Ted Bundy (whose chart I’ve explored a bit here), has Neptune bi-quintile the MC. Neptune, being the planet of illusion hints to Bundy’s quality of being a chameleon, deceiving the public as part of his personal style.

Prince Harry, (whose chart I’ve touched upon before), has his Moon bi-quintile Neptune. The Moon can be indicative of the mother figure, and his mother Princess Diana certainly had an elusive style and charm that was a bit deceptive and seductive. Of course, he would have the same thing going in his own life but it would perhaps be difficult for us to spot. He also has Moon quintile Venus and he definitely has a style/quality of emotional-physical comfort. He has Pluto quintile the AC, which would point to a style of showing up in the world that is powerful and intense. He has a tendency to come off as destructive and chaotic at times. There’s also a quintile aspect forming between Mercury in the 8th house and the MC which would hint to a public image that is colored by the “taboo” things he has said about his family in the recent present, but also in the past. He’s a public image that is aligning with the style of the playful amoral trickster.

As I’m going with charts I’ve already explored, let’s look at the quintiles in Meghan Markle’s chart. Her Venus is quintile Uranus and it perfectly describes her style of “wokeism”, that is, appearing to be objective and intelligent about feelings and affective values. She has a style of being “the loving humanitarian”. Whether she is this way in an actual sense is debatable. The quintile aspect is describing the quality and style not the actuality. But, it is disturbingly close to reality that it somehow becomes reality. It’s like the actor who adopts another energy signature in order to portray a different person. It doesn’t really matter if a person is rotten at the core - if he has a loving way of being, what difference does it make? The style is real enough to not reflect and give the impression of love.

Semi-square (45°) / Sesquiquadrate (135°)

These aspects are said to precipitate events. The nature of these two aspects is more immediate than the square aspect (which causes tension and doubt and needs constant navigation). The conflict represented is usually unconscious and is therefore not easy to identify. However, as these conflicts tend to manifest quite abruptly, we can take a look at the concrete problems the person faces. The planets connected by a semi-square/sesquiquadrate aspect will be in conflict but force some kind of release (that may result in an accident because of it’s autonomous/unconscious function).

I have Saturn sesquiquadrate my Moon. Since I tend to unconsciously block my emotional responses, the pressure builds and I am “forced” to get out of a situation, “forced to listen to my emotions”. I have encountered the theory that the sesquiquadrate in particular is manifesting as something that is looked down upon societally. This would make sense considering the aspect forces a breakout of one of the planets and nothing that is immediate and abrupt is ever favorably looked upon when it comes to social-societal structure and predictability. I have been meaning to take on commitments that would further my status in society in terms of formal education (Saturn in the 9th conjunct the MC) but I have not been able to do it without considerable decline in my emotional well-being. So, I have been “thrown out” by unconscious forces every time I’ve tried.

My sister has her Venus sesquiquadrate Saturn. She’s known for her deliberate and strategic way of dressing. She plans her outfits carefully, there’s nothing haphazard about the way she presents herself. However, she has Lilith conjunct Venus so she can push the limits and simply do what she pleases sometimes as well when the pressure of Saturn becomes too much. But, this often causes external judgment. A relative of mine has her Sun semi-square Venus. I can tell that she’s highly aware of her appearance. She is very pretty but there’s always something that is a bit off between what she wears and her self-expression. It’s like it doesn’t quite fit and it’s irritating.

To get back to the celebrities, Meghan Markle has Neptune sesquiquadrate Mercury. Is it possible that this forces distortion and vagueness in opinion and communication? It would certainly fit the bill. She also has Uranus sesquiquadrate Mars. She simply has to “break out of her confining situations”, cut people out of her life and move on in her own way. Uranus is also sesquiquadrate her MC, which seems to point to her unconscious pull to “do what she wants to do” at the detriment of her public image and reputation. Notably, Uranus sits in her 5th house of personal enjoyment and creation.

Prince Harry has a semi-square between Mars and Pluto. When he is angry it blossoms into rage and he can’t see straight. It has gotten him into quite a lot of trouble and societal-social disapproval. It seems that this is a common theme with the sesquiquadrate and semi-square. He also has his Moon sesquiquadrate Jupiter. Isn’t it the case that he tends to indulge in a way that makes him look bad in society?

Quincunx (150°)

This aspect is typically found between planets incompatible by element and mode. Basically, they have nothing in common and have a hard time cooperating, which will cause minor stress in the individual because of necessity to work around the incompatibilities. The planets are not in direct conflict but they are uncomfortable with each other.

For example, I have my Moon quincunx Mercury. Every time I sit down to write I’m mildly disturbed by little things like an aching back, a headache, restless legs or whatever. It’s not very comfortable for me but I can still keep with it, however it might take a toll on me health wise. The quincunx has been related to health issues because of the mild stress that it causes. It is manageable and one is usually able to cope with the stress, but it’s not very pleasant. Because it is not as demanding as more disturbing conflicts in one’s life, it’s in the background causing irritation.

Meghan Markle’s Venus makes a quincunx aspect to her MC. This suggests that she has a hard time reflecting her value on a public level, it’s as if how she’s perceived publicly disturbs her sense of ease and comfort. She has an Aries MC with a Virgo Venus and she’s continuously depicted as a bully these days, as some kind a selfish and aggressive bitch (the more negative attributes of Aries). This must be undermining her self-worth immensely, however, it’s perhaps too minor of a problem to do anything about. It is still there nonetheless, harping on in the background, breaking her down and causing slow disintegration…

Semi-sextile (30°)

Planets forming semi-sextile aspects are said to be able to aid each other, to have a better connection than if they had no link at all. Usually one planet is in the sign that comes before the sign of the other; in other words, a semi-sextile might be forming between Mars in Aries and Venus in Taurus. The semi-sextile usually connects consecutive sign like this, but planets could be in semi-sextile in the same sign, like Mars in 0° Taurus semi-sextile Venus in 30° Taurus. In any case, the planet placed at an earlier degree or in the earlier sign can draw on qualities of the planet in the later degree or the later sign and vice versa. For example, Prince Harry’s Venus in Libra is semi-sextile his MC. He can draw on his sense of harmony a diplomacy to benefit his public image. His Mars in Sagittarius is also semi-sextile his MC, which makes it so that he can draw from his Martial qualities of energy and action to influence his career and success.

Parallel/Contra-parallel

These are called aspects in declination because they are measured by latitude and not by longitude. This essentially means that two planetary bodies can aspect each other in a certain way measuring the distance between them north-south of the celestial equator. Two planets at the same degree north and south of the equator form a parallel aspect and can be interpreted the same as a conjunction (some say that it's more obscure like a quincunx/semi-square). Two planets opposite each other north and south form a contra-parallel aspect and can be interpreted as an opposition (some say that it's basically the same as the parallel though).

I have found, looking at my own chart that these aspects only confirms already existing aspects measured by longitude or it confirms the sign that a specific angle is in. For example, my MC is in Aries and it is also parallel Mars. Mars is the ruler of Aries so it emphasizes my already martial MC. My Sun is conjunct Saturn and it’s also parallel Saturn. My sister has a Scorpio MC and it’s also parallel Pluto, the natural ruler of Scorpio. For example, my sister has a wide Moon-Mars conjunction (6°) but they are also in contra-parallel. How is this supposed to be interpreted? I would simply see it as Moon-Mars is connected strongly despite the orb being a little wide with the conjunction.

However, it’s not always the case that parallel and contra-parallel aspects only confirms already existing influences. They can also add themes and connections. My sister doesn’t have any longitude aspects between Saturn and Uranus but they are contra-parallel to each other.

Septile (51.43° - a 1/7 of the 360°)

It is said to indicate a hidden flow of energy between the planets involved, an inner sensitivity to the spiritual dimension of the planets. Another description I have come across is that the planets “darkly interact” and there’s an occult theme surrounding the connection.

I have Venus septile Jupiter in my own chart. Going by the said method of interpretation, it would mean that I have sensitivity to the hidden wealth and underlying beauty and abundance in life. I think it is quite accurate.

Novile (40° - 1/9 of the 360°)

Is said to be describing a contact of perfection/idealization. It also seems to have something to do with spiritual awakening and growth, lack of fear and freedom.

Having Sun novile Saturn for example could be interpreted as a feeling of communion with the world and life itself through responsibility and the control one can exercise through self-expression.

----

There are of course other minor aspects to explore, but I'll stop here for now.

Yugio S3 Ep 26: Marik’s Low Speed Escape From the Museum

This episode is quite short and contains about two things 1.) this weird 4-way duel that has little bearing on anything except who gets to play Marik and get super cursed first and 2.) flashbacks.

I am so thankful for flashbacks, because this was mostly watching Kaiba doing his damnedest to manipulate Joey Wheeler and Yugi into not working with eachother so that way Joey would lose and go up against Marik when Joey Wheeler has already decided he was going to go up against Marik.

It was very catty. Kaiba at his cattiest. He really thought he was breaking up this friendship of two people who were once chained by the ankles to an anchor when they’re like “no, Kaiba, you don’t get it. Kaiba, this is totally unnecessary, Kaiba. Kaiba, calm down.”

To be fair to Seto Kaiba, he probably absolutely believes that this is what Yugi is going to do before their Senior Year of High School is over. Kaiba kind of lives in a Game of Thrones situation in his head when in reality...he’s in high school playing cards.

(read more under the cut)

We also get a flashback of this show desperately trying to prove to us that they had planned JoeyxMai this whole time. I’m starting to realize this is just how they write most romances on this show, by inserting flashbacks instead of actually showing any romance in the current timeline.

And by romance, I mean aggressive friendship because yes that age gap is...still there. My bro was like “I dunno if they’re even still in High School at this point. I think they wrote them out of High School without telling us” but like, until they show me directly that they have graduated, then I’m just gonna still believe they’re in high school. Except Seto who is like both 18 and 16 and a college graduate at 14 or just never graduated the 9th grade depending on who you’re talking to. Seto will be our outlier of “he’s in class but don’t ask.”

Anyway, lets go hang out with Ishizu to see what happened when Marik decided to pay her a visit at the museum. This occurred directly after she handed over her God card to Seto Kaiba.

Yes, she gave her God card to Seto Kaiba, and then, once he was out the door, decided to lock herself in a vault, just so she could spook her little brother’s cultists. This family and their weird pranks.

But here’s the thing I just realized that I can’t shake. I know it’s a kid’s show so none of this will matter, but let me go a little Ace Attorney on us here and just throw out a very quick “objection!” to the floor because...there’s some continuity issues.

+++++++++++++++BORKED TIMELINE RANT FEEL FREE TO SKIP ++++++++++

(Shocking on this show that has Seto Kaiba’s timeline, that there’d be some continuity issues, but youknow...now we have new one.)

If she JUST gave that card to Seto Kaiba, and she did not leave Japan from the time that she gave Seto the card and the time the tourney started (since this museum show I assume has been in Japan this entire time), then why is Marik here?

Marik came here on a boat in the middle of S2, he made a big fuss about it, but apparently he was already here just weeks earlier. He was already in Japan, then got back on his boat, and just sailed around in the Pacific for a spell before heading back?

Did he just come here to get these cards and then also drop off Bandit Keith???? Except...Bandit Keith was...before Ishizu showed up in the timeline of this show.

Or, and this is might be even more confusing, what if this is happening in Egypt, and it’s a completely different museum, and Ishizu just left Japan at some point to stand in a vault until her brother showed up,and then got back on a plane back to Japan just in time to crash Yugi’s date?

And here’s the thing, lets just pull out that borked timeline. The Ishtar timeline, from the perspective of the Isthars, lets do this.

1. Marik feels like going on a really exotic yachting trip with his cultist buddies and decides to check out Pegasus’ Island off the coast of America(?) While there, he unexpectedly comes across Bandit Keith, who (and this must have been really shocking to every single cultist there who is used to living underground) is violently shot out of a strange slip n’ slide mechanism, that pops him out of a cliff-face and vaults him directly into the ocean. Curious, Marik picks the weird Trash American out of the sea, and he finds out that Bandit Keith knows Yugi, but instead of invading Pegasus’ island where Yugi was currently residing, Marik decides to go allllll the way to Japan (Which is crazy because Bandit Keith did not know what part of Japan Yugi lived in. Japan is freakin huge and made up of several islands.)

2. Since Marik wanted to get to Yugi ASAP, he tosses Bandit Keith onto the coast of Domino in order to abduct Yugi on his way to soccer practice. We can assume this happened...like a few weeks later (I really am not sure how fast his party yacht moves, but like...considering we also don't know where Pegasus’ island is (Maybe like the coast between California and Mexico?????) I can never say.) At this point, Marik probably just peaced out and went to Guam to hang out 20 leagues away from where Noah was currently plotting his revenge.

3. While Yugi is recovering from 3rd degree burns form the warehouse fire, and during which time, Yugi’s doctors were also trying to figure out how the hell to get Yugi to let go of the goddamn golden puzzle that remained in his hands from the moment Yugi passed out to the moment Yugi woke up in the hospital, Ishizu lands in Japan via a plane (although the English version erroneously says she lands in America, because for a little while they wanted to pretend that this entire show takes place in the US.) She unpacks her cargo, sets up a museum exhibit, and then on the news/psychic phone call, invites Seto Kaiba over so she can give a God Card to Seto Kaiba. I assume al that happened the very evening that the museum show opened. Like maybe this happens over the course of maybe a week or so from when Marik left Japan after dropping off Bandit Keith?

4. Shortly after (within the amount of time it takes Kaiba to get the idea to do the tourney and the time to hastily throw it together (which could not have been long, this tourney is a complete disaster)) Marik crashes Ishizu’s museum in.......Japan? Japan or Egypt. Something like that. Considering he wants to go where the God Cards are, he’d probably go to the exhibit that also has the giant God Card tablet that will curse everyone that looks at it. So...probably Japan. However, there are palm trees here, and so maybe it’s Egypt? I don’t know. After that doesn’t work out, he peaces out yet again, and then gets back on his boat for the second time, and goes straight back to Guam or wherever.

5. A few days later, Ishizu crashes Yugi’s and Tea’s date. (and if she has been in Egypt spooking Marik in a vault, this means she had to get off of a plane in order to make it in time to spook this date as well on the other side of the world) She tells Yugi about the tourney because for some reason, Kaiba has invited everyone with invites but just...didn’t send an invite to Yugi for some reason although Yugi is the only reason he’s throwing this tourney. Then she shows Yugi the cursed God Card tablet and then peaces out so she can join Kaiba’s tourney and play cards peacefully while everyone else was getting attacked by cultists.

6. About a few days later into the tourney...Marik arrives in Japan and we act as if this is the first time he ever has and it’s with a MUCH better motorcycle, but we’ll get to that motorcycle later.

It’s not as bad as the Kaiba timeline--I can’t even put the Kaiba timeline in a consecutive order, but mm. This brother sister team realllly likes to travel across the entire world and back within the span of a couple of months, huh?

++++++++OK THAT’S ENOUGH ABOUT THAT TIMELINE, BACK TO THE SHOW+++++++++++

I am so weirded out that Marik doesn’t wear like anything under his cloak. Like nothing. It’s just a gross sweaty cloak and that’s it...and like I have NO idea if he has pants on, they never scroll down. I mean, I assume he has matching purple pants...or probably cargoes, but...does he? Or does he just wear that cloak over a pair of golden boxers?

Also, why is he wearing golden arm bands with a long sleeved cloak? It’s because he knows he’s gonna take that cloak off at EVERY opportunity, right? Like that’s the only reason you would bother with the arm cuffs?

And then we get the most unexpected motorcycle in history.

So like...remember how Marik was hella into Motorcycles? Remember how it was really cool hot rods that made him start towards the evil side in the first place? Think about the coolest motorcycles you know and then...admire this one

This motorcycle that moved so slowly that the cultists casually jogged behind him like it was a parade or something. Like, did he steal the motorcycle from this museum collection?

Anyway, bro let me know that apparently in the Japanese version she’s got armed guards with guns, but they were edited out. Funny thing is, bro also mentioned that since Marik can just mind control people, it makes more sense that Ishizu wouldn’t bring an armed militia with her. I gotta agree, this is the one instance where the English version actually works better.

Although that motorcycle though. Wow. It’s like out of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Marik just stuffed himself into that baby side car, making vroom vroom noises with his mouth as he glides away at a smooth 10 mph.

This is our serial murderer that killed Bakura, folks. It was this guy.

Kinda wish he kept the side car this entire time, that would have been a treat throughout S2.

Anyway, here’s a link to read all the recaps from Ep1 S1 in chrono order.

dream journal | one.

topic:

holographic chase

notes:

originally documented november 9th, 2017

925 words | 03 parts | s. f. w.

you give holographic chase in a wicked colosseum inlaid with crucified traps.

index:

one. | two. | three.

*✧🌙✧*

She stands in the midst of a gymnasium littered with balloons, streamers and confetti. The decor is haphazard, chaotic in an explosive fashion that is suffocating. Her eyes chase after holographic fragments from the chrome disco ball crawling along the wall, distorted and smothered music echoes from backstage, and with a glance down, she looks to be drowning in a carnation pink gown dappled with sequins and layered in gossamer. It's a gaudy atrocity she desperately wants to tear off, but it's the least of her concerns at the moment. She swears she has dropped into an 80’s prom gone psychedelic, and she can’t pinpoint a beginning or end or if there happens to be any of either at all.

Beyond that, there’s a burning question hounding her thoughts: where has everyone gone? To find an answer, she breaks away from the empty makeshift dance room and into the adjoining corridor. The difference between the gym tinted with pastel volumes and the sepulchral hallway is jarring to the mind, as if she has fallen off the face of one dimension and into another. Immediately, she wants back in the gym for the sake of color; however, the need to find another living person wins over her discomfort, and she ventures without looking back, teeth gnashed and nails clawed into the folds of her dress.

Immediately, she is overcome with a severe sense of vulnerability, as if she’s lost her way back to a home she can’t even recall—no, not quite like that, no, as if she has run straight into a dead end with no way through or around, as if the imaginary chase has come to an end and she has lost. It’s with crippling dread and with little grit does she carry on.

The dim corridor is bare of any windows and doors, giving way to one path she continues trekking on in hopes of finding someone. Abruptly, she comes to a staggering arrest, a decision not because there’s an obstacle in her path but because she's not alone anymore. Instead of swiveling to face the newcomer as she would have done so in her futile search for another, her instincts howl: don't turn around, don't turn around, don't—

Unable to suffer the suspense, she peers over her puff sleeved shoulder. Regret wrecks through her as soon as she makes out the figure standing a good distance away. A man. He dons a static white shirt, which stretches over the bulk of his muscles, and denim jeans frayed at the hems. His face is a horrific smear of colors, like a salmagundi of acrylics tarnishing a canvas, rendering his identity anonymous. In spite of his muddy features, she knows he's grinning, as well as she knows the color of her dress. She can imagine his blurred smile, and it's nefarious and manic, and she needs to get away from him now.

He shifts toward her and she bolts without any further prompting. She flees as if the Devil is breathing on her neck, but she feels to be sprinting through waist-deep water. Her limbs burn, yet no matter how much she urges them to move, she can't seem to run any faster. The corridor warps into a vortex before her eyes, making her escape that much more arduous. She must be going delirious. Regardless of her slowed movements, she persists.

Finally, she makes out an opening on the left and careens around the sharp corner, nearly tumbling over from the force. The arch leads to a set of stairs, and at the top is a lone door. Running through the hall is nothing compared to trudging up the steps, each one slowing her down more than the last. Afraid she truly will topple, she rams her shoulder into the wall to keep upright as she struggles to ascend. She refuses to look back, not needing to, because she can feel the weight of his gaze, feel the unmistakable presence of the man chasing after her.

Just as her fingers are a whisper away from caressing the handle, he’s upon her. His hands are vice-like as he snatches her up. At this point, she is bone weary and can't even put up a proper struggle against his intense strength. Rather than pulling her away from the door, however, he makes for it. She tenses with a mixture of anxiety and confusion. As soon as he hauls her in, she recoils in horror. The room is decked in pink shades, a perfect complement of her dress. A vanity stands in one corner, a variety of dolls are piled and scattered about, and there is an armoire brimmed with dresses. This is not what petrifies her, it's the overstuffed canopy bed framed with gilded bars and the idea of what this man intends for her.

“A pretty cage for a pretty girl,” he rasps into her ear, a deep rumble that sends shudders ripping down to her marrow.

He drags her fatigued form to the bed, then, tucking her underneath the ruffled-lined duvet with such condescendence it makes her sick.

“Sweet dreams, my doll,” he croons, pressing a kiss across her creased brow.

He shuts the cage and leaves with only his heinous smile to remember by. With the little strength she has left, she fights out of the sheets and yanks at the bars. She wails in vain for help but grows weaker each passing second. Finally, after crying until she no longer could, she collapses into a heap of fabric.

She has become his doll.

*✧🌙✧*

to be continued.  

*✧🌙✧*   

thoughts:

yes, i’m aware this work does not feature a monster; however, i felt the need to share. the dreams are true and based on mine. i did add a few details for the story’s sake, but every word is accurate to what i dreamed. over three consecutive nights, my mind was plagued with these disturbingly vivid images that still haunt me to this day. strange thing is, i knew i was dreaming and wasn’t afraid. it was only after waking and remembering did i realize how ominous they truly were. i’m no superstitious individual, but i often wonder where these dreams rooted from. it was a trip i won’t be forgetting any time soon.

A Belated, Nuanced Response to the Rooster Teeth Animation Glassdoor Controversy

2019 has been an especially problematic year to be a fan of animated content from Rooster Teeth.

By now, any of you reading this might already know what happened. But for those that don’t know the gist of it, since late March of 2019, Rooster Teeth consecutively received rather scathing reviews from anonymous employees via the job recruitment website, Glassdoor.

As of the time of this post, there have been 15 negative reviews listed that can mostly be seen with a Glassdoor account. Although they did gain a bit of attention from certain people that attempted to exploit this to any Rooster Teeth Animation fans at one point or another, it was not until RWBY Conversations on Tumblr made a blog post on June 15th with a compilation of screenshots of each review and addressed the matter quite aggressively. That same day, the post made its way to all the major social media platforms and emotions spiked incredibly high.

There have been numerous opinion pieces in the form of tweets, blogs, reddit posts and videos, the last of which has been made by people who otherwise don’t know anything about Rooster Teeth. Lots of other people have been outspoken about the matter, but what do I think of it? First off, as a clarification, I was... somewhat aware of this reputation Rooster Teeth had recently been receiving a couple of weeks prior to when things blew up. I say “somewhat” because I stumbled into this from someone (who shall remain nameless) who has been quite known for being committed to paiting anything related to RT Animation in a negative light. I took the matter with a grain of salt not because I thought the reviews I saw were false (more on that later) but rather because not having an actual Glassdoor account, I only saw a small fraction of the reviews made available so I admittedly underestimated the magnitude of the situation.

With that out of the way, to sum up my thoughts on the controversy, it’s definitely concerning. Coming from someone that has spent a good year highlighting and analyzing the skills of individual animators from RWBY and the show’s production into volume 6, the scale of the backlash from former and current RT Animation employees has been a bitter pill to swallow. It’s alarming knowing that things have gotten bad enough to warrant the responses seen on Rooster Teeth’s Glassdoor page as both a stern advisory to higher management and a warning to anyone who has considered working there. However, as alarming as this all has been, what I’m not going to do at this point and what I’ve been mostly careful about avoiding is emitting a knee-jerk, heightened emotional reaction.

As stated in the beginning of this post, 2019 has been pretty rough for fans of RT Animation. This is far from the first controversy of the year to come by and invoke extreme and conflicting feelings regarding this one company name and what tends to follow are very loud, irrational and even some bad faith discussions. It doesn’t matter if it’s about the company’s animation department or about blacklisting a voice actor or what an employee advises about watching something you don’t like, the responses have been consistently reactive with extreme opinions and with little thought for nuanced or educated conversations. This matter with RT Animation has been no exception in that regard, though to be fair, it’s not without good reason. I may have my interests towards RT Animation and content both in front of and behind the scenes, but I do also value seeking information and learning. And going forward, the latter is very relevant in order to get as much of a full picture of this controversy.

Now, having said that, this is something to be genuinely concerned about and is thus a rather difficult and touchy subject to talk about. I want to make it clear that everything I’m about to say from here-on is not meant to discredit what former and current employees have said nor is it to sugarcoat Rooster Teeth’s tendencies. I may ultimately be giving Rooster Teeth some benefit of the doubt, but I’m not going to obscure the things they have done that have led to things being the way they are. At the same time, I’m not going to viciously crucify them over this either. I won’t judge or blame anyone that has or will continue to resort to harsh measures to call out Rooster Teeth on their practices regarding crunch and production management. I’m just choosing personally to throw my two cents in a less harsh manner since what I plan to cover in this blog post will require avoiding that. The goal is to share and dissect some things using whatever information I can collect and contextualize which would hopefully provide a better understanding about how things got to the way they have and what Rooster Teeth is supposedly attempting to do about it.

Getting to the Bottom of The Situation

There’s a lot to unpack so let’s first start by breaking down the reviews themselves. As mentioned earlier, between the months of March and June of 2019, there have been at least 15 critical reviews from a combination of current and former employees regarding their experiences at Rooster Teeth animation. They each may vary a bit in tone and wording, but just about all of them share the same set of complaints that can be summed up as follows:

More often than not unpaid overtime work hours

Poor planning of scheduling and budgeting from managers in higher-up positions

General pay that’s too low to compensate for the unpaid overtime

Unfulfilled promises to contract employees of being given full-time employment after their time was up

Inexperienced directors/producers/managers

  This is the bulk of the criticisms and to breakdown the pattern of reviews further:

5 of them were from former employees while 10 of them were from current ones.

4 of them were from animators (2 specified 3-D animators), 2 were from compositors and the rest did not specify.

2 claimed to have worked at RT Animation for less than a year, 7 claimed to have worked for over 1 year, 2 claimed to have worked for over 3 years, 1 claimed to have worked for over 5 years and the rest did not specify.

Now some fans who have spoken about the reviews questioned the legitimacy of them. This is an understandable reaction but given the broken down information between the set of reviews, there’s evidence to suggest that they are very true. Most of who claim that they are true would immediately point to a handful of tweets from the creator of the 2-D animated series, Nomad of Nowhere, Georden Whitman who left RT Animation in 2018. His claims have much validity to them, but he’s not the only former employee who has brought up the matter directly or indirectly. Without getting too specific or naming names, one person who had been credited on RWBY & Red vs Blue from 2016-2018 indicated that the management and scheduling of productions was the reason said-person left. Another instance was one whose position was in the post-production stage of a few projects who had left RT Animation in early March of this year after having been credited in a few projects since latter 2017. This actually matches the description of one of the former employees who left a review in late March, who had been working at RT Animation for over a year. Even the description of one of the current employees who claimed to have been working for over 5 years is especially specific, as that would’ve been at least since at least 2014. Back then, the staff count on productions like RWBY volume 2 and Red vs Blue season 12 was much smaller and Rooster Teeth’s animation department was not officially founded until later that same year. 

So it’s not really a matter of whether the reviews themselves have any truth to them or not. Instead, a better question to ask and focus on is why did this happen? How did things get so problematic that it led to harsh responses one after another on just one job recruitment site alone? One thing I’ve seen fans and critics of RWBY suggest after this controversy broke out was to have volume 7 be delayed, with some going as far as launching a signature campaign to plead Rooster Teeth to delay the volume as if volume 6′s production was the main culprit behind the backlash. Putting aside the very questionable success rate of online signatures, while delaying the next installment of one of their shows is not ultimately a bad idea, it’s overlooking a couple of important details. The big one is the timing of these reviews which again, have been consecutively posted on Rooster Teeth’s Glassdoor page since late March of 2019. On the 9th of that same month, the season finale of Gen:Lock premiered which actually was the same date as when the former employee who worked in post-production left the company. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Gen:Lock’s production was what ultimately led to the backlash when you take into account director and writer of the show, Gray Haddock, posted a journal entry on June 2018 where he elaborated on the arrangement of staff between that show and RWBY volume 6′s production.

“Some of you have had questions about how production of gL impacts RWBY or vice-versa, and the answer is that these are largely parallel productions with separate crews.”

Earlier in January of 2018 on the season 1 finale episode of RWBY Rewind, Gray confirmed that Gen:Lock was “in the throws of pre-production”, where Gray was finishing a couple of the scripts left characters and mechs were being designed. A month prior, Gray posted a journal entry, stating that storyboards started on the first week of December. Though when he said the characters and mechs were being “designed”, it’s unclear whether that meant they were already designed and were in the midst of being modeled or not. But given how Gray also said animation would start “pretty soon” at the time, it might’ve been the latter, maybe?

It was never made clear when the animation phase started for Gen:Lock between the months of January and June of 2018. Regardless, the fact that both productions were for several months happening at the same time was what bit Gray in the butt. Now on the one hand, he’s not entirely wrong about the crews between productions being separate. As far as higher positions like directors, supervisors, leads, and assistant leads were concerned, certain teams like animation, lighting, and modeling between Gen:Lock and RWBY volume 6 did have separate names leading the helms. However, as the old saying goes, the devil is in the details and upon closer inspection, not all teams for both shows’ respective productions had separate leads such as camera layout, crowds & tech. Not only that, but the lower positions of each team had a lot of names overlap. And these credits were just from the first episodes of RWBY volume 6 and Gen:Lock. This is not counting how certain names like Paula Decanini who was co-lead animator throughout RWBY volume 6 wound up being co-lead animator for Gen:Lock by episode 7. Also, something to keep in mind is that a one or two reviews mentioned how some employees were under contract for roughly 90 days, equating to 3 months. It’s possible that Gen:Lock needed the extra hands by earlier January as maybe a sign that maybe deadlines during the production were not being met accordingly.

Now none of this is to say that RWBY had no potential issues of it’s own. One review from a 3-D animator mentioned about doing a “10-14 minute episode in 2 weeks” (whether that’s through the entire production or during later episodes is unclear) as an example of higher management having insanely high expectations, which likely referred to RWBY. It doesn’t help that for volume 6, the Lost Fable episode marked both the longest and one of the most difficult episodes to make, so it is not exempt from this. However, Gen:Lock’s episodes were longer, spanning between 20-30 minutes on average which meant that on the day of an episode’s premiere, every stage and aspect of that half-hour long episode had to be finished with each episode premiering back-to-back without a break. While RWBY’s episodes can vary more wildly in length, they are on average under 20 minutes. Also, not every episode of RWBY has a fight sequence whereas every episode of Gen:Lock had at least one either in the form of actual battles or sparring matches between mechs, humans or aircraft. That’s noteworthy due to how, at least in RWBY, a fight sequence can span between 4-6 weeks while a dialogue sequence can take roughly 2 weeks to do. Assuming a similar time frame applies to the same kinds of sequences in Gen:Lock, that, combined with each episode’s run time and the amount of animators, compositors, lighting artists, modelers, layout artists and crowd artists having to go back and forth between RWBY volume 6 & Gen:Lock, especially when the latter premiered right when the former finished, that would have likely led to the absurd crunch periods we’ve been hearing about.

Speaking of crowd artists, that’s another matter to consider. RWBY and Gen:Lock may both be 3-D animated projects, but the latter is arguably more demanding of its presentation due to its story’s hard sci-fi setting. This can apply to the show having a set of assigned User Interface or “UI” compositors for the many holographic images and text displayed throughout the show, which is unique to Gen:Lock, as well as models of background characters and their animations. In an interview from the website Inverse on October 9th, 2018, Miles Luna, the voice of Migas in Gen:Lock and co-writer of RWBY said the following:

“It’s one thing to make a fantasy world because you can’t compare it to real life,” says Miles Luna. “But a cartoon version of something that exists? All eyes are going to be on what’s correct. One of those things is crowds.” Without getting deep into the specifics, Luna says Rooster Teeth has made leaps in efficiently creating crowd scenes, not to mention making them look alive. “We did a whole bunch of R&D on crowd research for gen:LOCK that we’re now able to use retroactively for RWBY Volume 6,” he explains.

It was never specified ever since what supposed leaps were made in creating crowd scenes, but there is a clue. Back in RTX Austin of 2018 in August, it was confirmed from both the compositing and tech panels that RWBY volume 6 would be utilizing a new software for Crowd simulations called Houdini from Side FX. This is different from how for volume 5, the Autodesk Maya plug-in, Golaem was used and before that, crowds were done more manually. This is backed by lead crowds artist, Jacob Hilton on episode 1 of CRWBY: Behind the Episode season 2. It’s a likelihood that Houdini was similarly used for Gen:Lock and this is not the first time a software was used for one production before being used for another one. Though given the scale of background characters for crowds that have to sit, talk, walk, run and whatever other kinds of gestures in various shots, it may have possibly served as a challenge to handle, even with a more efficient software. It doesn’t help either that a majority of the main cast are seen wearing 2-3 different outfits which require extra models to be built and rigged.

I want to stress that all of backlash is not due to Gen:Lock exclusively, as much of this applies to other animated shows like RWBY. But it does seem to be the straw that broke the camel’s back for some and it’s production and scheduling might’ve been part of a broader problem. In 2018, there was a certain strategy to scheduling various Rooster Teeth animated shows, be it 2-D or 3-D ones. Let’s look at the following:

RWBY Vol 5 - October 14, 2017 - January 20, 2018

RWBY Chibi 3 - January 27, 2018 - March 17, 2018

Nomad of Nowhere - March 16, 2018 - April 20, 2018

Red vs Blue S16 - April 15, 2018 - July 23, 2018

Camp Camp S3 - May 25, 2018 - August 10, 2018

RWBY Chibi S3 (Cont’d) - June 30, 2018 - August 17, 2018

Nomad of Nowhere (Cont’d) - August 17, 2018 - September 20, 2018

RWBY Vol 6 - October 27, 2018 - January 29, 2019

Gen:Lock - January 29, 2019 - March 9, 2019

Red vs Blue S17 - March 9, 2019 - May 25, 2019

Camp Camp S4 - June 1, 2019 - September 28, 2019 (Presumably)

Although there are a few small gaps and a one or two overlaps, a season/volume of each show have come and gone right after one another. And that was just from 2018 to 2019 as of the time of this post. Scheduling content like this was not always case for Rooster Teeth, even back when the Animation department was founded. I imagine that this schedule is parallel to the gradual changes in how their first membership has been arranged which is due to the success of their animated content. Once upon a time, before Rooster Teeth Animation existed, it use to be that RWBY and Red vs Blue would be available for paid subscribers a mere hour before it was made available for everyone else on the website.

It’s clear that Rooster Teeth does consider their animated content very valuable, but the scale of the projects and the rate they end up being made are at the expense of the middle-men going through unpaid overtime. There are cases where with say, RWBY, measures are taken to increase the quantity of staff so that almost everyone is not required to wear more than one hat, have the pipeline for different software and plug-ins set-up at the start of a production and making sure every team has their own coordinator and manager. But it’s clear that despite these measures taken, they have not been large enough to fully compensate for the increased scale of the productions and the rate these productions need to get made. These circumstances are unfortunately not exclusive to Rooster Teeth either, as this has been a prevalent problem in the Japanese animation industry. On rare, more extreme occasions, you hear of staff members of animation studios either committing suicide or dying from overwork (otherwise known as “Karoshii”), whereas reports of how animation studios are suffering tight schedules to get shows like Black Clover, Dragon Ball Super, Märchen Mädchen, Dynamic Chord, God Eater the Animation and Attack on Titan out week-to-week with either poor, mixed or efficient-looking results through the presentation are more commonly made. Though similar to this Glassdoor situation, there are people in the anime industry, such as production assistants, who have anonymously spoken out about the harsh, troubling working conditions. Part of these situations may be due to Japan’s culture being taken to an extreme, but the systemic woes plaguing the anime industry can always be seen as cautionary tales of what a company like Rooster Teeth should avoid doing.

Looking Ahead towards Rooster Teeth’s Future

A lot has been touched on regarding the Rooster Teeth’s poor management within their animation department and there’s more I could touch on. There might even be certain woes behind-the-scenes that I’m unaware of. However my goal is not to perpetually dwell on the downsides. The question to ask from here-on is what can be done about this or rather what is being done about it? To stress, it’s not just about what should be done. Yes, Rooster Teeth should improve their management and recruit people who know how to handle deadlines better. Yes, Rooster Teeth should avoid overtime crunch periods from happening in their animated productions as much as possible. Yes, staff of various positions should be payed better. There’s a lot of discussions about what they should do and I do not disagree with any of those advisories. But there’s not a whole lot of what they can do or even what they are supposedly doing about the situation right now.

There have been certain suggestions on what Rooster Teeth can do. Delaying RWBY volume 7 is one thing, but balancing out the scheduling between all of their live-action and their animated content more would help, assuming they haven’t already done so. Unionizing would also be a significant improvement and is something I’ve seen a former employee desire. Another animation studio in Austin, Texas, Powerhouse who is most known for making the Netflix Castlevania series, is one of many studios signed to collective bargaining agreements with The Animation Guild. These are some valid steps they could take, though for now, let’s examine what is actually being about all of this, starting with looking at Rooster Teeth CEO, Matt Hullum’s Journal Entry post who responded about the matter on June 17th. More specifically, certain segments of his entry are worth examining:

  “Over the last several months we conducted a review and have taken several steps to improve communication and workflow to ensure we have a studio where people are happy to come to work every day. We are announcing today new measures on the road to improvement.

Effective today, we are moving forward with a previously planned change in our producing and creative structure. Gray G. Haddock is stepping down as head of studio for animation to dedicate himself to a strictly creative role. With Gray’s help, we have been in the process of hiring a new production head of the department, who will be responsible for the overall producer hierarchy and staff management. We want to thank Gray for his hard work and dedication to growing the animation studio over these years, and are excited to continue working with him in this new capacity.

Further, we are consulting with experienced leaders in the animation industry on our workflow, pipeline, production structure and other areas to enhance the workplace experience for our staff. Margaret M. Dean, the head of Ellation animation studios and president of Women In Animation, will consult with us and aid the search for a new studio lead.”

There are a few important things to dissect about Matt’s response. First of all, the fact that this is something higher-ups at the company have spent several months doing can be interpreted in two ways. On the one hand, it can be seen as wondering why is it that only in that span of time have more drastic steps been taken to do something about this as oppose to a year or so before that, which is a very fair counterargument. On the other hand, taking several months to do this which could’ve been around the time the series of Glassdoor reviews since March were posted, if not before that is at least a sign that they have been conscious about these issues to want to do something about it and spend the time tending to the matter.

If the journal entry ended there, then it would naturally be seen as vague, damage control, press release speak that would satisfy no one. But there is of course more to examine, such as Gray Haddock stepping down from his position as Head of the animation department. When Gray became the head of RT Animation as the department was founded in September of 2014, that was at a time when the staff count was a lot smaller than what it is now. Whatever the reasons why, Gray stepped up for the position when the department was just starting. The problem is that as far as his career up until that point, his prior credentials were generally in voice work and theater, specifically anime dubbing. He had a creative background, but not so much a management one. That’s not to say his time spent on voice acting did not lend itself to management at all, though. In an interview with Inverse on August 7th, 2018, Gray mentioned as a means of being flexible, until the rest of the cast for Gen:Lock got around to recording lines for their respective characters, Gray “voiced the entire first batch of episodes by himself”: 

“We had to hit milestones. We had to begin animating,” he said. “I read all the parts with the cadence and intonations I was hoping to direct the performances into, and roll with the changes as needed. The poor crew had to put up with three or four months show of me performing every part on the show.”

This is elaborated more in his interview with Anime News Network on October 26th, 2018 where he mentioned that despite getting A-List actors on board, getting the cast to do recordings in the midst of their busy schedules forced the production staff to be flexible. Whether or not this included the character Kazu Iida, who was voiced by Koichi Yamadera at Warner Bros anime in Japan and thus constantly speaks Japanese (Gray supposedly knows some Japanese), that was a hell of a task to do either way. This is not the first time he did this either. During production of volume 3 of RWBY, when Meg Turney, the voice of Neon Katt, was not available to record lines for the character, Gray had voiced all of her lines for chapter 5 so that the animators could get around to handling the character. So he has at least been pretty conscious about making sure the ball in a given production like Gen:Lock kept rolling through whatever he could do. But it’s clear that as Rooster Teeth Animation is growing up, not just through the tone of their content but through the need for a more efficient and healthy working environment, Gray Haddock was only capable of so much.

This leads us to the final point of the journal entry, the matter of consulting with experienced leaders in the animation industry. As far as animation studios go, RT Animation is still a fledgling that since its founded has arguably grown too big, too quickly. and at least some of the management staff do not have many years of experience under their belt. So to consult names like Margaret M. Dean, the head of Ellation Animation and President of Women in Animation is an especially big deal.

Though before talking further about her, a quick clarification should be made as to what Ellation and Women in Animation are. Ellation is a division of Otter Media which is under Warner Media Entertainment. Ellation studios is Ellation’s animation department with two sites located in Burbank, California and Tokyo, Japan. Women in Animation is a non-profit organization that Margaret has remained co-president of since 2013. With that out of the way, what is Margaret Dean’s relevance in all of this? This is sadly the part of the journal entry that’s most neglected even though it’s the most important. To make matters worse, the few people who have referred to Margaret when talking about the journal entry associate her name exclusively with the Crunchyroll original animated project, High Guardian Spice announced last August. This is one of those times where it could not be any more essential for one to separate his/her opinion of a work (or in this case, a teaser trailer for an upcoming work) from the names involved with the project and their credentials. With Margaret M. Dean, what people should look into is her IMDB profile page which gives an extensive list of her career in the American animation industry.

This is someone with over 27 years worth of experience in Animation and almost all of her credentials have to do with production management, coordination and supervision on a variety of shows. That’s nearly 5 times the amount of time Gray has been credited as supervising producer in a majority of the animated shows he has been involved in so far. To further put this in perspective, here’s a list of some of the animated productions she worked on:

Production manager/assistant for episodes of The Ren & Stimpy Show (1992-1993)

Production supervisor for every episode of Teen Titans and the Trouble in Tokyo movie (2003-2006)

Production manager for season 1 of Men in Black TV Series (1997-1998)

Production supervisor for many episodes of Ozzy & Drix (2002-2004)

Production supervisor for seasons 1 & 2 of Xiaolin Showdownn (2003-2004)

Line producer of most episodes of What’s New Scooby Doo (2002-2006)

Supervising producer of Supermansion (2016-2019)

Supervising Producer for 30 episodes of Robot Chicken (2015-2018)

Supervising Producer of Hot Streets (2016-2018)

That is not a resume to sniff at and the fact she’s one of the experienced leaders in the animation industry Matt and Gray have been consulting is a testament to how seriously they are about resolving this problem going forward. Or maybe this is all a way for them to save face. Who knows? I’m a just fan making educated guesses, not a psychic.

What Can Fans Do About This?

This situation has of course led to varied emotions suddenly erupting when the Glassdoor reviews went viral. Some have been weary about this while others have capitalized on the matter to stir up further controversy for the sake of views. But some (including me) have wondered if there is anything the fans can do. Some have declared that they would cancel their First member subscriptions to teach Rooster Teeth a lesson. I’m not going to tell people how to go about spending their money (and no, what I spoke of in my Monty Oum Vision, part 1 video was not meant to say otherwise) but I’m not sure how much good rioting by not paying anything will do beyond getting the company’s direct attention. At best, it may put the higher-ups on even higher alert but the whole point of the reviews is to address the need for current and would-be employees to have better working conditions and better pay.

We’re talking about certain animators that due to various circumstances, one of which being financial, that at least some employees are stuck with working at Rooster Teeth. Make of that what you will, but that is the reality and I’m not so sure how much canceling a paid subscription will help the animators as oppose to hurting them. Again, this is not about me telling you to keep your subscriptions out of obligation. That’s not the point. Rather, this is about finding other possible ways on our end to help the ones suffering the most.

So what can we do? Well, that’s another reality about the situation. There’s really a whole lot we, the general public since this is something that at the end of the day has to be resolved internally. Sure, we got the CEO’s attention over the course of the weekend. But beyond that, I’m not so sure we can cause more to happen than that. That said, we can provide support to those who either currently are or have worked on the Rooster Teeth shows we are fans of. Familiarizing yourself with the names of anyone in the staff of a show’s production through the ending credits and following them on Twitter or wherever else they frequent via social media is a good starting point. This is especially helpful in case certain folks may announce needing financial help of some sort. RWBY and RWBY Chibi animators Asha Bishi and Andrea Caprotti specifically spring to mind. Asha, who some may know of for her expertise character acting, including with Faunus characters like Blake, Kali, and Sun and how their animal traits are animated, put up a Go Fund Me campaign since April of 2019 where she needs outside help in order to pay off her Hospital Bills after going through some heart problems and being rushed to an ambulance a few times. Andrea who has animated scenes in Gen:Lock, RWBY, RWBY:Chibi & Red vs Blue, including Pyrrha kissing Jaune goodbye, part of Cinder, Emerald & Mercury vs Amber, and the “Evil Genius” skit, opened art commissions as of late June to raise money to get a ticket to see a very close friend of hers going through Chemotherapy.

These are right now a couple of the only examples I could find, but they are nonetheless more helpful ways fans can immediately help any skilled talent. And even if you can’t pitch in by providing money yourself, spreading the word also helps. Beyond that, the best thing we can do is wait-and-see. I know that’s not the most game-changing answer, but again, this whole situation is mostly internal affairs and while much greater measures are being taken to make things better for the animation departments employees, whether this will ultimately amount to great improvements is something only time will tell. That’s not to say I’m advising people to stop speaking out about the matter (though perhaps contacting them via email may be a more direct and expressing what you want for the employees may be a more direct and precise way than broadly shouting via social media). That might be necessary at this point in order to make sure the company does not get too lax on resolving the problem. At any rate, we can expect to start seeing the results of said-changes either as soon as RTX or whenever we see the new name for the next head of RT Animation in ending credits, whoever that might be or if there is a change in the scheduling of their content. Whatever happens, change is definitely on the horizon, one way or another.

The Den Fantasy League Recap: Championship and Year End

Gentlemen, 

We’ve made it to the end of the road. The finals and the final recap of the year. Let’s get to it.

The Perfect Ten v. Debbie Rowe

The last two teams to make the playoffs found themselves facing off in the championship game. This game, like our whole season, was riveting. Ian took the early lead throughout the day with massive games from guys like Watson, Hopkins, and Ertz. E found himself in a comfortable spot to be in, only looking at SNF guys on Jane’s team to step up; and boy did they. Sure, Jake had good games from Matty Ice, Michael Thomas, and Falcons D, but two guys kept him in it: Damian Williams and Douggy Baldwin. It was a shootout that Jake desperately needed but the clock struck midnight when Doug Baldwin caught a BOMB, only to be tackled right after the reception at the one-yard line. THE ONE-YARD LINE. Jake was 36 inches away from stealing this victory. Unfortunately for Jake, the reverse jinx didn’t work this time as E was crowned champion for the second time in three years. 

The Biggest Winner

We welcome back a familiar face but this time on the other side of victory. The champion: E Birch.

Final Recaps

Like last year, I’ll now take this time to look at each team: drafting, how they performed, etc.

The Perfect Ten 

E capped off an incredible comeback after losing seven consecutive. He was able to sneak into the playoffs after Vinny came up just short. That’s all the space he needed. E was led by the trio of his running backs with big games from his WRs and TE when he needed it most. After sticking with Mitch to start the year, the change to Deshaun was all he needed to capture his title. 

Best Draft Pick(s): Amari Cooper, 3rd Round // Adrian Peterson, 10th Round Worst Draft Pick(s): Chris Thompson, 8th Round // Tyler Eifert, 9th Round

Debbie Rowe

Jake found himself in the middle of the pack all season. He was led by his RB who will not be named and left him in a bind. He was able to claw his way back to an untimely loss in the championship game. 

Best Draft Pick(s): George Kittle, 14th Round

Worst Draft Pick(s): Rounds 4-8 (Royce Freeman, Corey Davis, Devin Funchess, Rashaad Penny, Ty Montgomery)

Kalabar’s Revenge

G put his hope in his trio of Pats but the lack of success of Gronk left him shy. The King of Kurses saw his take place at the most opportune time but saw himself not make the championship. 

Best Draft Pick(s): Ty Hilton, 3rd Round Worst Draft Pick(s): Rob Gronkowski, 2nd Round

Virginia Kuppcakes

The newcomer found himself with an interesting team. Early on, I’ll admit there were doubts. He was able to make his way into the playoffs with a good team but lost to the eventual runner-up. 

Best Draft Pick(s): Aaron Jones, 14th Round Worst Draft Pick(s): Devonta Freeman, 2nd Round

Mr. Magorium

What a disappointing end to a promising season. Gabe made a splash early on by make a deal to get Gurley in a blockbuster deal. Gabe was at the top all season long but, in a twisted turn of events, received the unwanted #1 seed. Gabe found his season crash in a first-round exit. 

Best Draft Pick(s): Saquon Barkley, 1st Round Worst Draft Pick(s): Jordan Reed, 8th Round

Mixon It Up

Like Gabe, Robbie wasn’t able to continue his regular season success into the playoffs. We all knew it was too good to be true. Rob found great success but came up short. 

Best Draft Pick(s): James White, 10th Round Worst Draft Pick(s): Chris Hogan, 5th Round

Team Timshel

Mike, like most teams, stayed in the middle of the pack. He was up and down all year but untimely injuries let him down in the end. 

Best Draft Pick(s): Ravens D/ST, 15th Round Worst Draft Pick(s): Le’Veon Bell, 1st Round

A Team Has No Name

Another middle of the road team, every week was a frustrating bout for me. DJ was definitely the wrong choice but there was always hope. I found my way into the 6 seed but that didn’t matter. 

Best Draft Pick(s): Travis Kelce, 2nd Round // Adam Thielen, 3rd Round Worst Draft Pick(s): David Johnson, 1st Round // Matthew Stafford, 9th Round

VP

Just missing the playoffs, Vinny was on the other end of the blockbuster trade. He let go of Gurley early only to receive Diggs and Mahomes (we won’t count Ajayi). Vinny fought towards the end but was the best loser. 

Best Draft Pick(s): Gurley, 1st Round (Yes, I know he didn’t end up with him but he was able to leverage it and avoid the end of year Gurley Kurse) Worst Draft Pick(s): Jerick McKinnon, 3rd Round

Hank Mardukas

Someone who we all thought had the potential of the Cabana Boy was able to sneak by. Scott’s team was a rough one but after he beat JP in the head-to-head battle he delivered the blow that would send JP to the Cabana. 

Best Draft Pick(s): Kenny Golladay, 9th Round Worst Draft Pick(s): Marvin Jones, 4th Round

2-2-1 (0.500) PVO

Dylan, another leader in the shot for Cabana Boy, had all but accepted his fate. Struggling all season, he found himself working on drink menus and picking out banana hammocks only to (not-really) shock the world by beating Rob in the final week of the season. 

Best Draft Pick(s): Jared Goff, 12th Round Worst Draft Pick(s): Christian McCaffrey, 2nd Round (Only because he later got rid of him before he hit his stride)

Wilmore Cinderella 

Jarrod went from the ultimate high to the ultimate low. After being champ last year, he found the weight was lifted off E and onto his shoulders. The breaking point was when Gabe beat him and Saquon scored that two-point conversion on MNF. He was never the same and spiraled into our inaugural Cabana Boy.

Best Draft Pick(s): Dak Prescott, 16th Round (only because he turned into a viable QB although JP didn’t keep him) Worst Draft Pick(s): Dalvin Cook, 1st Round & everyone else that got good after JP traded them

I’m honored to have shared the season with you all and I look forward to continued success in 2019.

Your beloved Commssioner,  Jared R. Mosqueda

If this works out (which I’m praying it does) I’m going to miss dressing up everyday. It’ll prob make me wanna go out every now and then too. I remember last time even on a day off I’d wear something similar to my work clothes and my dad dead used to think that I was about to go or just came in from work. Or when my cousins would want me to go out with them I’d have the toughestttt time getting ready because I felt so ugly wearing ”real” clothes because I was alwayssss dressed in some sort of athletic/leisure wear because of work. I told my SM that I miss coaching. I really do. And ironically enough I caught a IG live tonight after work of one of my fav coaches I have on ig (who’s actually from out here) and another coach who’s trying to get teams into HBCU’s (which is amazing). I’m really so in need of something that nurtures my heart and coaching was one of those. But I have to have standards and I have to have a goal. I don’t want to start off solely coaching though. Because I do need to be retrained and developed as a coach. When I was initially trained as a coach I kind of moved quick. From having zero experience except for taking classes as a kid and dancing throughout my youth I got the job. But never coached a day in my life and it was 10+ years since I took my last class. But I managed to find myself assistant coaching pre team and team practices, having my own pre team class as well as everything else that came along with it. Anddd I was being trained as a coach by Olympic coaches, an Olympic athlete and other international former athletes/coaches. But I was so drained. It was amazing that they saw potential in me. But I didn’t know what really was the deal inside that gym until after I got the job. I went in there so clueless. It started off as I need a job for some months and this is a place I used to take classes at. Also, a few years prior I had friends who worked there and told me I should apply but I never did cause I didn’t think it was really for me. So years pass and I finally apply and I get it and I excel but bc I intially went in with a set mindset that I was only going to be there for 6-7months it got tough after that 8th month. I was out of momentum and energy. And only made it to the end of the 9th month. like a day or 2 into the 10th month. I was so sickkkk. Sooooo sickkkkk. So this time around I’m thinking I have to set a goal. It was the same with my current job. My goal was only 1 year and I just made 2 years this past week. Like after that first year I was over it, but it was bearable because of COVID and I literally only had not even a full 2 month quarantine. And with the new limitations and rules that were implemented, I got through this second year. But now things are really opening back up and I’m like nahhhhhh. Nahhh! I can’t do it. I’m not a people person. I can be around people but I don’t like excessive interaction and with this pandemic, interaction has become limited which was an absolute blessing to me. Made it easier for me to be myself. Because I don’t really like to speak or be in close proximity with others, I don’t like eating around others or others eating around me really. its just been amazing. Honestly. But Im in need of more personal interactions. Too many people for too many hours for too many days has been doing something to me that I’m getting sick of. Lol. Of course I’d love to be home or elsewhere and make money in my sleep but I’m not at that point in my life just yet. So something that I truly love to do. Literally the only job I loved. Like I loved it and felt it in my heart ohde when I used to coach. Like literally how my heart used to feel sometimes was like how in the movie the grinch‘s Heart grew. It really used to feel like that when I would coach. I feel like it had a lot to do with the fact that gymnastics was always #2 for me. I had to knock dance down another one. Cause dance was literally only because my parents couldn’t continue with gymnastics payments (they’re sooo expensive!!!) esp if I was going to start team (which was my only route cause I

was too advanced for all of the classes). So because gymnastics meant so much to me specifically cause I couldn’t continue it when I was younger and a good number of things I leaned to teach my kids I didn’t know how to do myself but I could teach them it was amazing. And just by coaching I learned sooo much and it improved and motivated my workouts and Fitness. But I didn’t go in with a committed mindset it was a “for now type of thing” to me so I failed miserably at the end of it. I have more of a direction to where I wanna go with coaching now since I have experience. I wanna choreograph floor routines. I love floor and its the closest to dance routines out of all of the events. the owner of my last gym wanted to start a dance class for me to teach so he literally turned part of the toddlers play area into a dance studio. I wasn’t ready for that though, it was too much and overwhelming and it showed and I just got sick and left. It’s like the vision was amazing but those were never my plans. And they sprung onto me so quick and everything happened soooooo fast. And I just had to pause it and get off the ride. Wrong timing cause a lot was happening during that time too that was as equally important. so I diverted my attention to something else that I believed was more important and it didn’t lead me down the wrong road, I found so much I loved too that I wouldn’t know I’d enjoy if I didn’t trust the intuition God gave me. i probably should have just left when I planned too instead of attempting to take on more than I could handle. But what’s did is done and I’m ready to try it out again. Similar story to my current employment. First experience with this company was good but went horribly south so I made the choice to walk away, lived my life, gained more experiences, came back and everything went great. And now this has become the longest job I’ve held (consecutively) because working with a program for 4 years but only during the summer breaks does not count. But now it’s like, I still want to move on farther but not this way. I feel like I need a redirection, get my life and my mind onto a new page and then go from there and see where I’m at. Yeah I want to “retire by 30” = “stop clocking in and out on someone’s time”) but logically speaking ...can I do that in the next 2.4 years? when I tell my dad that he‘s like okay I believe you can do that but also laughs and says that he thought he was going to retire at 35 and that’s when he ended up having kids and getting married and didn’t retire for another 25 years. so I tell him he basically just retired his single life. But that’s my thing... like I literally want to retire clocking in and out on somebody’s time. I’ll work with you, but I’m not working for you. But I’m tryna figure out the details. I think very far ahead and miss out on what’s in front of me. But my future has always been important to me. I never wanted to get so warped up in the present that I don’t prepare for what’s to come. it always felt like my parents didn’t prepare for me/us when they were younger. i mean, they made it work I guess but being the oldest all that was heavy and it was like I was to blame for what had unfolded bc I was the first and if it wasn’t for me they just might have walked away from each other. Idk, I just don’t want to make those mistakes. So I’ve always been stuck in the future. And it’s like no one is on the same page as me. Hell, I’m not even on that page probably. But i read books and packets backwards anyway. you learn more about the story reading it from the end first That’s how the beginning makes more sense. I am also very okay with people telling me storylines before I’ve read/watched something or seeing something from the middle on. but I’ve been asked once why I take tests from end to beginning. i Actually start at the beginning , jump to the end then fill in the middle. But it makes more sense. I told them that at the beginning you’re given an intro of what it’ll all be about. At the end its usually a summarization and The middle is a bunch of the same

questions asked in different ways. The beginning and end give you an idea of what you’re about to get into. But I say all this to say, I believe my next experience will be a life changing one and I have every intention to make sure it guides me into the direction God is aiming me towards. Stability and execution should be my focus right now. Stability and execution. Sounds good to me.

Wednesday 15th July 2020

Saint Swithin’s/Swithun’s Day

St Swithun's day if thou dost rain

For forty days it will remain

St Swithun's day if thou be fair

For forty days 'twill rain nae mare

Hhmmm, so what’s it to be?

We shall see. Mid to late afternoon yesterday it was black as yer ‘at and a storm threatening. It did rain, but nothing cleared the air.

The most concise explanation about Saint Swithun I can find is from the readers’ replies to something in The Guardian years back

St Swithun (this is the preferred spelling in Winchester, the city with which he is most closely associated) was a Bishop of Winchester in the 9th century and tutor to King Alfred the Great. He is said to have performed one miracle in his lifetime, mending the eggs of a woman who had dropped them in her astonishment at seeing the bishop. After his death, he was buried at his own request outside the cathedral where the rain would fall on his grave. Later his body was moved inside, and his spirit was so offended that it caused rain to fall for forty consecutive days. For this reason, it is said that if it rains on St Swithun's Day (15 July) it will rain for the next forty days.

There is more though, from Winchester Cathedral (PDF)

I’ve not been to Winchester, although if you say Winchester Cathedral, I can sing it for you, well, one line and a bit of humming of melody. Strange, the things that stick in the back of your memory taking up space you need for the useful things like what you went upstairs for.

I can hear someone’s thoughts as they read this ‘Are you padding out your Blog again?’ well, truth be told, I haven’t had any inspiration today and then, while sitting down to enjoy brunch (Seeded bread fresh from the bread making machine with mature Cheddar, Ham and Branston) I reached for my sandwich and was taken aback by a fast moving black blob on the table. It was coming towards me. Yes, it was a big Spider, not so much huge in diameter as solid and chunky and quite fast moving.  Trying to scoop it up on a sheet of paper, it ahem legged it and then we had to hunt as it seemed to have disappeared. Eventually it showed up again and was evicted outdoors.

We do get an awful lot of Spiders in the house, all kinds and I’m forever brushing cobwebs down with my Wiggy Stick - every home should have one*

*available from other sources

My patented spider removal method is a two pronged attack with the Wiggy Stick and a pond net. Makes you feel ever so brave and works. Have that one on me if you’re the same and don’t want ‘things’ in your hand.

It’s gone still and dull again now like yesterday. The feeders are busy, some House Sparrows but mostly Blue and Great Tits and there are a couple of identical looking little bunnies. It’s all very calm and peaceful and Junior here looks lost in thought.

I wrote all that earlier today and so far the rain’s held off. I had a bit of a rest upstairs and a nice long phone chat with one of the Ms Natures and then looked out of the window - this Spirea has gone mad this year. I planted one the other side of the steps, but the ‘Helpers’ have given it a huge lockdown restyle and it’s sporting the plant equivalent of a No 1. Hey Ho.

I’ve got a lot of chores coming up, content may be a bit thin until next week, so I’m using this post to send good wishes directly to people I know who read.

Ms Nature - we love and miss you.

Mr and Mrs Guru - have a nice break away and make the most of it.

Ms Linda - I emailed, I’m so pleased you read, it makes me feel connected across the ocean

Neighbours - you’re fantastic neighbours and for that, a huge thank you

My friends who are poorly and injured - massive get well soon good wishes x

I’ll end with a public service announcement, just because I can

Outside links in bold are not affiliated to this Blog

Never Have I Ever

Louis isn't quite sure how he managed to talk Harvey Specter into playing "Never Have I Ever," but the team's all here, and they are going to bond, dammit!

Ships: Marvey Rating: Mature (to be safe) Warnings: Sexual humor Word count: 2K

Written for Suits 100′s 9th prompt: “Never Have I Ever… The PSL crew (either all of the (main) characters or just a selection) engage in a game of ‘Never Have I Ever…' – Why they do and what happens is up to you.“

“I cannot believe we are still here.”

“Louis, I never thought I’d say this, but I 100% agree with you.”

The two named partners grin at each other, looking around at the glass-walled office that somehow is still theirs, at the firm that is somehow still intact, even after Anita Gibbs’ latest scorched-earth attack.

“We should unwind,” Louis says, clapping Harvey on the back and ignoring his flinch, “like the night Mike went to prison.”

“Wait a minute--” Mike enters the room at that moment-- “what’d you do the night I went to prison?”

Harvey smirks. “You remember how we figured out how to get rid of Hardman?”

“You’re kidding. You and Louis--”

“--and don’t forget Jessica.”

As Mike’s jaw drops, Katrina walks in. “What about Jessica?”

“She’s proud of us for once again saving the firm from certain death,” Harvey covers smoothly, ignoring Mike’s gawping.

“But really,” Louis cuts in, “we should have some sort of celebratory bonding exercise!”

Katrina looks at him sharply. “Louis, while I would trust anyone in this room to defend me against criminal charges, I don’t trust any of you to catch me if I fall backwards.”

Harvey looks mildly offended, and Mike flat-out squawks in protest.

“There are other options,” Louis points out. “Strictly verbal games, strategy games . . . Or we could just go home and sleep.”

A shadow crosses Mike’s face as he thinks of going back to his apartment-- sadly empty, now that he and Rachel have called it off for good. Harvey catches the look and sighs, “What games are we talking about, exactly?”

Once again brightening, Louis says, “Well, there’s this whole array of games that I always saw Esther playing, but I never got invited. ‘Would You Rather,’ ‘Never Have I Ever’ . . .”

On hearing that option, Harvey releases a snort. “That’s never going to happen. I’m obviously the most experienced one here, and I don’t play games I can’t win.”

“Well . . . We could always make up a special lawyers’ edition,” Katrina remarks.

"Yeah,” Mike adds, “we can amend the rules to suit our purposes. First off, let’s say there’s two winners-- the last person in, but also the first person out. And in order to avoid a repeat of today’s disaster, nobody can say anything that could implicate any of us or our coworkers in a crime or open us to litigation.”

“It’d be fun if we had a version of ‘taking the fifth,’” Katrina muses.

“Maybe you can lie in your response on at most one turn,” Louis contributes.

“I’m in!”

They turn around and find Benjamin has somehow materialized in the doorway, smiling broadly at them.

“Well, then . . .” Harvey rolls his eyes, “I guess it’s time for a teenage girl sleepover party. Next we can do each other’s hair.”

“Hey, would you let me--”

“No, Louis."

Thus they end up sitting in a circle in Harvey’s office, waiting for their managing partner to make the first move.

“Never have I ever slept with a-- hang on, that’s not actually true anymore. Never have I ever seen Louis shirtless.”

He grins as everyone else folds a finger.

“That’s not fair, there’s a mirror in my bathroom, that guarantees I lose a finger!”

“That’s how the game’s played.”

Mike shoots their IT specialist an odd look. “Benjamin?”

“There are more cameras in this firm than you people realize.”

Katrina just shakes her head and mutters, “Damn mudding.”

Harvey: 10. Mike: 9. Louis: 9. Benjamin: 9. Katrina: 9.

“Just to be clear--” Mike narrows his eyes at Harvey-- “never have I ever wanted to see Louis shirtless.”

“Okay, that’s not fair either--” Louis breaks off into a gasp. “Katrina?”

“There have been times,” she admits, eyes downcast, “when I have had a lapse in judgement.”

Mike glares at their IT specialist. “Benjamin.”

“Okay, so maybe I installed some of those cameras.”

Harvey: 10. Mike: 9. Louis: 8. Benjamin: 8. Katrina: 8.

“Oh you . . .” Louis shakes his fist at Harvey. “Never have I ever flirted with Jessica Pearson.”

“Now we’re talking--” Harvey beams as he puts his first finger down, only to frown. “Back up, Louis, you’ve definitely flirted with Jessica.”

“No, I haven’t!”

“Just because you did it by accident doesn’t mean you didn’t do it. You gaped just like every other associate back then!”

“Benjamin,” Mike protests.

“Just because she didn’t notice doesn’t mean I didn’t do it!”

Harvey: 9. Mike: 9. Louis: 8. Benjamin: 7. Katrina: 8.

Benjamin simply announces, “Never have I ever willingly bought a Mac product.”

“Hang on,” Mike says, “have you been coerced into buying a Mac product?”

“You should fear the Apple fandom, Mike.”

Harvey: 8. Mike: 8. Louis: 7. Benjamin: 7. Katrina: 7.

Wearing a smug smile, Katrina says, “Never have I ever spent a consecutive 365-day period employed by Pearson Specter Litt.”

“Mike,” Harvey scowls, “you’ve definitely worked a full year at the firm.”

“Ah, but she didn’t say the firm, she said ‘Pearson Specter Litt.’”

“I meant the firm--”

“But you didn’t say it,” Mike grins. “I worked at Pearson-Hardman for a full year, and at Pearson Specter for a full year, but Pearson Specter Litt? Nope.”

“Ugh,” Katrina says, “you need to pick a name and stick with it. Unless you’re going to add ‘Bennett’ in there, of course.”

Harvey: 7. Mike: 8. Louis: 6. Benjamin: 6. Katrina: 7.

Harvey whips out his most lecherous smirk as he says, “Never have I ever had sex in the office.”

“Missing out, man,” Mike replies, throwing back a smirk of his own.

Harvey inhales sharply before murmuring, “I didn’t need that image.”

“Louis,” Katrina near-whispers, “you had sex in the office?”

“Is it so utterly impossible to imagine me as a wild, untamed associate desperately in need of discipline by my betters?”

“. . . And I definitely didn’t need that image.”

Then Mike looks at their IT specialist and exclaims, “Benjamin!”

“I’m not under oath, you’re not getting any more details out of me.”

“That’s . . .” Mike grimaces. “That’s actually probably good.”

“But let’s just say The Donna isn’t my only project.”

“Benjamin!”

Harvey: 7. Mike: 7. Louis: 5. Benjamin: 5. Katrina: 7.

Mike grants them all a beatific smile before saying, “Never have I ever graduated from a school in Cambridge.”

“Low blow, kid. I’m proud of you,” Harvey chuckles.

Harvey: 6. Mike: 7. Benjamin: 4. Louis: 4. Katrina: 6.

“Never have I ever tasted a Stilton,” Louis announces, “without pairing it with an excellent port.”

Katrina shudders. “Why would anyone eat a Stilton without port?”

“I can’t possibly imagine, but it seems those two uncultured swine can tell you . . . Hang on, Harvey. You’ve never tasted a Stilton without port? I-- I’m proud of you--”

“I haven’t, given that I have no idea what the hell a Stilton is.”

“. . . Never mind, I need to take your name off the wall at the soonest opportunity.”

Harvey: 6. Mike: 6. Louis: 4. Benjamin: 3. Katrina 6.

“Never have I ever--” Benjamin surveys the other four before proceeding-- “wanted to hit Louis Litt in the face.”

“That’s because you’ve never dealt with him alone for more than two minutes,” Harvey says.

“Possibly.”

“Katrina--” Louis stares at her once again-- “I’m shocked and flattered.”

“I’m an archer, Louis, I fantasize about shooting you in the chest.”

“As a fellow marksman, I can respect that.”

“Louis,” Mike says with a puzzled frown, “why did you put a finger down?”

“I admit, I have occasionally caught sight of my face in a mirror and thought that, really, it is a supremely punchable visage.”

“Self-awareness is a virtue,” Harvey remarks.

Harvey: 5. Mike: 5. Louis: 3. Benjamin: 3. Katrina: 6.

“Never have I ever worn a man’s suit,” says Katrina.

“Mike,” Harvey scolds, “you can’t call those rags ‘suits.’”

“But Harvey, I spent 500 dollars!”

“Oh, shut up,” he says, voice undeniably fond.

Harvey: 4. Mike: 4. Louis: 2. Benjamin: 2. Katrina: 6.

It’s Harvey’s turn. “Never have I ever worn a dress . . . Of course you did, Louis.”

“I was playing Lady Bracknell!” Louis exclaims.

“Someone here is lying,” Benjamin says under his breath, “and I know who it is.”

Harvey: 4. Mike: 4. Louis: 1, Benjamin: 2. Katrina: 5.

“Never have I ever ridden a bicycle without a helmet,” Mike says.

After a moment, Benjamin observes, “We’re all a lot more risk-averse than our arrest records would suggest.”

Harvey: 4. Mike: 4. Louis: 1, Benjamin: 2. Katrina: 5.

“In honor of the salacious reputation that this game enjoys out in popular culture,” Louis says, “never have I ever had a sexual fantasy involving cheesy legal jargon.”

“Define cheesy,” Benjamin immediately demands.

Katrina gives him a look. “If you have to to ask . . .”

Harvey had lowered a finger, but he slowly unfurls it.

“Harvey?” Mike asks.

“I can’t remember whether I’ve ever had a fantasy, or whether it’s always been real-life.”

“Harvey!”

“I specialize in mergers, what do you expect?”

Harvey: 4. Mike: 4. Louis: 1, Benjamin: 1. Katrina: 4.

“Never have I ever had a net worth of over fifty million dollars,” says Benjamin.

Harvey Specter would never pout, but he comes close. “Did you just-- make me feel slightly insecure about my financial situation?”

Harvey: 4. Mike: 4. Louis: 1. Benjamin: 0. Katrina: 4.

“Regardless,” Benjamin says, “I’m our first winner.”

“That’s not fair,” Katrina retorts. “You can’t say something that’s false on your turn.”

“Unless he just saved his fifth amendment right until now, because we never specified that you couldn’t use it to respond to your own statement,” Mike points out.

Harvey groans. “I can’t believe I have to win this by lasting the longest. This game has been aggravatingly non-sexual.”

“Well,” Mike chuckles, “if lasting is a problem for you, then maybe you should stick to non-sexual games from now on.”

“Never have I ever wanted to punch Mike Ross. Oh wait, no false statements.”

“Wait your turn!” Mike says, swatting him on the shoulder.

“Never have I ever slept with a woman,” Katrina says.

Louis throws up his hands, crying, “And so my sexual prowess does me in!”

Harvey: 3. Mike: 3. Louis: 0. Katrina: 3

“Never have I ever been hired by Harvey Specter for a job,” Harvey says.

Harvey: 3. Mike: 2. Katrina: 2.

“Okay, I know I should do something obviously strategic like ‘Never have I ever stood face-to-face with Mike Ross,’ but . . . Never have I ever spent over an hour doing my hair.” Mike looks at the results and grins. “Just as effective.”

Harvey: 2. Mike: 2. Katrina: 1.

“Hmm,” Katrina says, considering. “Along the same lines, never have I ever spent more than thirty seconds gazing at Harvey Specter’s chin or cheekbones.”

“How?” Louis yelps. “How can you resist the thrall?”

“You gaze at me, Mike?”

“You gaze at you, Harvey?”

Harvey: 1. Mike: 1. Katrina: 1.

“Never have I ever checked out Harvey Specter’s-- hang on, that’s not technically true.” Harvey sighs, rubbing his forehead, and says, “All right, never have I ever worked for Louis.”

“Oh, come on . . .” Mike protests.

“It’s a fair, if boring, move,” Katrina says with a shrug. “And I already used my fifth amendment right.”

“So did I,” Mike admits. “Okay, Harvey, you won fair and square.”

They look over at Louis, who is downright shaking with excitement. “I can’t believe we did that! We bonded! Next up is ‘Truth or Dare’!”

The other four look at each other. “Actually . . .”

“I have work.”

“Same.”

“I gotta go.”

“I’m not playing anything more unless we get drugs this time.”

The shout goes up in unison: “Benjamin!”

Harvey moves to his desk to work, and the others start to filter out. Mike is the last to leave, but Harvey calls out while he’s in the doorway, “Hey, did you take the fifth on the dress question?”

Mike spins around, a funny expression on his face. “I don’t have to tell you if I took the fifth.”

“And yet you just did,” Harvey smirks.

“In return, can I say what I would have said if I made it to my next turn?”

“What?”

“Never have I ever wanted to have sex with Mike Ross.”

Harvey matches his gaze, poker face firmly in place as he contemplates his answer. “I would have taken the fifth.”

Mike nods, walks out of the room calmly, and waits until he’s safely in the elevator to break out into cheers.

Wrestle Kingdom 12 preview

This is set to start around 2am Eastern time Thursday morning and go maybe five or six hours, so lllllet’s get ready to make bad decisions about our sleep schedule!

Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito - Naito defeated Kenny Omega to win the G1 Climax tournament in August, earning the right to challenge for the  IWGP heavyweight title here.  Okada has held the title for 564 days, far and away longer than any other reign with this championship. 

Okada vs. Naito was famously supposed to headline Wrestle Kingdom 8, but fans turned on the idea.  In the end, the intercontinental match (Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi) went on last, forever putting a footnote on what was supposed to be Okada’s first Tokyo Dome main event outside of Tanahashi’s shadow and Naito’s first Dome main event period.  Four years later, both men have earned the respect they were denied then.  So it’s morbidly amusing that fate has yet again cast doubt on whether Okada vs. Naito is “really” the main event, thanks to the buzz surrounding Jericho vs. Omega.  Obviously Okada and Naito have something to prove.  Again.

Okada had a hell of a year in 2017.  Kenny Omega tends to get most of the press for the three matches that Dave Meltzer rated six stars or better, but I watched all three and frankly I’d give Okada just a smidge more credit for those performances.  It’s also worth noting that Okada had epic matches against other opponents, like Katsuyori Shiabata, Minoru Suzuki, and EVIL.  The man’s a wrestling machine, and while he’ll never be my sentimental favorite in NJPW, he’s got my confidence as the man who makes the belt feel important.

Naito did pretty well for himself this past year as well, although I’d argue that’s more from a storytelling and entertainment standpoint.  Little things like his treatment of the intercontinental title belt and his interplay with his stablemates have added that little extra something to his game.  The Japanese audience already loves him but it’s getting easier to for the rest of us to get into his head, and see what the appeal is.

Either man can win here.  If Naito wins, it’ll be the much-delayed Tokyo Dome coronation that he’s been chasing for four years, and a proper milestone in the ascendance of Los Ingobernables de Japon as a key faction in the company.  If Okada wins, it will be his 9th consecutive successful title defense and his second consecutive title defense at the Tokyo Dome; he looked unstoppable after last year’s show, and now he’d be practically godlike.  The only thing for sure here is they’re going to fight and fight for like half an hour, and they’ll leave it all in the ring.

Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho - Omega’s IWGP United States championship is on the line.  The match is no-disqualification, which is itself interesting because it’s already pretty hard to get disqualified in New Japan, suggesting that these guys are going to go far beyond the carnage that usually gets a pass.

The backstory here is that Omega got his old buddy Don Callis a job in the commentary booth, and then Callis helped his old buddy Jericho get in touch with New Japan to put this match together.  So it’s the battle of an NJPW guy who leads the hottest faction in ROH against a longtime WWE guy, and the guy who made it happen is now VP of Impact Wrestling.  Weird.

Jericho is specifically here to try to do his own version of the Connor McGregor/Floyd Mayweather fight that generated so much buzz and money.  To that end, the buildup to this match has been extremely heated.  The two of them have barely coexisted in the same building for more than five minutes without beating each other senseless.  Jericho has vowed this will be Kenny’s last match in Japan.  We’ve been assured this will not be about getting star ratings or match of the year votes--it will be a brawl.

These guys had me hooked in with the press conference.  I don’t really care who wins, but you’d figure it has to be Omega unless they’ve got something else lined up for Jericho later in the year.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White - White is challenging for the IWGP intercontinental title.  This is kind of cool for me because I got into New Japan when White was still a rookie jobbing in the openers with the plain black trunks, and then I watched him say farewell before going on excursion, and now he’s back with this wacky new “switchblade” gimmick.  It’s pretty incredibly to think of him advancing to the #3 match on the biggest show of the year, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can deliver the goods.

Tanahashi is hurting.  Aside from the torn biceps he’s been working through since the summer, he’s got a knee injury too, and that’s on top of all the usual wear and tear to a top wrestler in a Japanese group.  Ideally they’d let him gut it out for this one night, put the other guy over, and then send him the fuck home to heal up.  But if NJPW or Tanahashi were going to make such a rational decision, they wouldn’t have booked him for the G1 Climax last year.  So this could get excrutiating to watch, especially if Tanahashi just wins and therefore is set up to keep defending his title through the next couple of months.

I’m a Tanahashi fan and I hope he can deliver a good match, but I gotta root for White to just win quickly and decisively to give the poor guy a break.

Cody Rhodes vs. Kota Ibushi - This was booked to be a defense of the ROH world championship but Cody lost it to Dalton Castle a few weeks ago.

You can look at this match as a sort of consolation prize, in that both guys were viewed as top choices for Kenny Omega’s opponent on this show until the Jericho thing came up, and now they’re pitted against one another.  The problem with that is that neither guy has much in the way of upward momentum.  Cody is primarily an ROH guy, and there seems to be no interest in putting him in line for an IWGP or NEVER title.  Similarly, Ibushi is a free agent, and the issue with him has always been that NJPW will only push him so far without a contract.  So it’s hard to buy that the outcome of this match matters.  Maybe they can defy expectations or steal the show, but as it stands I’m just not worked up about it.

As far as predictions go, I’m vaguely leaning towards Cody.

Minoru Suzuki vs. Hirooki Goto - Suzuki’s NEVER openweight championship is at stake, as is the hair of both participants.  The winner of the match gets the title; the loser gets his head shaved.  Additionally, Suzuki’s henchmen in Suzuki-gun and Goto’s associates in CHAOS are barred from ringside, to prevent the usual clusterfuck finishes that happen with Suzuki-gun matches.

This could go either way, although a Goto loss would be pretty humiliating and send his storyline in a very dismal direction.  After weeks of just trying to get this match, Goto really needs to get the last laugh.

Marty Scurll vs. KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay vs. Hiromu Takahashi - This is a four-way match, and the first man to score a fall on any of his opponents will win Scurll’s IWGP junior heavyweight championship.  Basically the minute Scurll won the title, the three previous champions all demanded a title shot, so he offered to face them at the same time.  Not sure that was such a bright idea.

This will surely be an entertainingly flippy diversion form strong style and big mean guys.  I’m not sure it matters who wins, but I gotta pull for my man Hiromu and his cat Daryl.

Davey Boy Smith, Jr. & Lance Archer vs. EVIL & SANADA - Evil and Sanada won the 2017 World Tag League tournament to earn this shot at the IWGP heavyweight tag team championship, held by the Killer Elite Squad (Smith & Archer).  You know it’s gonna be a mean guy match when one side’s best line is “EVERYBODY DIES” and the other side’s best line is “EVERYTHING IS EVIL.”  I smell a title change coming.

5-team gauntlet match - This is for the NEVER six-man tag team championship.  The gauntlet starts with two trios wrestling a normal six-man tag match.  Once a fall is scored, the losers are eliminated and another team comes out.  This continues until the final team enters the match, and the winners of the final fall get the title.  They did this kind of match last year and the teams entered at random except for the champions who got to enter last, so I assume that’s the rule here, too.

The teams are:

Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa (the defending champions, representing Bullet Club)

Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano & Beretta (representing CHAOS)

Michael Elgin & Raymond Rowe & Hanson

Ryusuke Taguchi & Juice Robinson & Togi Makabe

Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi & Takashi Iizuka (representing Suzuki-gun)

A title change seems inevitable, since the NEVER tag belts are the hot potato of the promotion.  Of the fifteen guys in the match I think Ishii is the most protected, so I tend to favor his team to win, although Sabre is overdue to get some gold.

It’s worth noting that War Machine (Rowe and Hanson) are wrapping up their New Japan commitments and are widely expected to be reporting to WWE soon, so I wouldn’t bet on them to win here.

SHO & YOH vs. Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson - Roppongi 3K (Sho/Yoh) are defending the IWGP junior heavyweight tag team title against the Young Bucks (Nick/Matt).  The Bucks are so dominant in the junior tag division, and 3K is still so new, that a win for the Bucks will accomplish absolutely nothing.  There’s an opportunity here to help make 3K into the future of the division, so all we can do is see if they’ll take it.  I expect we’ll be seeing these teams trade the belts for many years to come, but I don’t think it’ll happen just yet.

New Japan Rumble - This will most likely be on the pre-show.  It’s a gauntlet battle royal, with wrestlers entering the match at one-minute interval; eliminations can occur via pinfall, submission, or exiting the ring over the top rope to the floor.

This is typically used to get people on the show who aren’t otherwise booked, so I’d expect to see:

Satoshi Kojima

Hiroyoshi Tenzan

YOSHI-HASHI

Yuji Nagata

Jushin Thunder Liger

Tiger Mask

Yujiro Takahashi

Hangman Page

Leo Tonga

El Desperado

TAKA Michinoku

Chase Owens

Gedo

Jado

ACH

Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Manabu Nakanishi

David Finlay

Yoshitatsu

New Japan usually brings in some old-timers and joke entrants for this thing, so you never know who’s coming or how many participants there will be.  I could imagine some of the Young Lions being in this, but if so they’ll just get clobbered so it kind of doesn’t matter.  Typically the winner is someone credible but not necessarily in line for a push, so that has me thinking Liger or Kojima could come out on top.  But really, who’s to say if Billy Gunn shows up at the last minute and shows us all who the ass man really is?

New from Every Movie Has a Lesson by Don Shanahan: OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2020: The minor film categories

(Image: hypable.com)

PART 2: THE MINOR FILM CATEGORIES

The short turnaround 92nd Academy Awards arrive host-free for the second consecutive year on Sunday, February 9th, barely a month after nominations were announced. The pace has added excitement and urgency right on down to my website’s 2020 Awards Tracker. Let’s start calling some winners. As always, that prognostication data is cited in these predictions. This column examines the minor film categories of international, animated, and documentary films. As I say every year, stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

The nominees: Corpus Christi, Honeyland, Les Misérables, Pain and Glory, Parasite

Who should be here: These are likely the top and best five. Maybe I can throw a bone to Monos, but we’re getting pretty obscure once we all realize the juggernaut in the category.

Who should feel lucky to be there: Every film not named Parasite is the answer. Jokes aside, I must say I don’t mind the category re-naming to give this a little extra rub of prominence.

Who should win and will win: This is a no-doubter for Parasite, arguably the hyperbole-driven “movie of the year.” Sure, once could ask for wealth to be spread towards Almodovar’s Pain and Glory, but the renowned filmmaker already owns two Oscars to Bong Joon-ho’s zero. This will be a stunner and a possible precursor if it’s NOT Parasite. That could very well mean Parasite wins the top spot instead of this easy one. Be watching!

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

The nominees: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, I Lost My Body, Klaus, Missing Link, Toy Story 4

Who should be here: In my opinion, these are the right five, Frozen II be damned.

Who should feel lucky to be there: Klaus is the luckiest one where we have Netflix topping Disney, which is a really cool thing. Maybe this will nudge the Mouse House that originality gets honored more competitively that repetition. We could only hope.

Who should win: To keep the originality vibe going, let’s have the indie animated movie win for a change. I Lost My Body is a worthy, original, and soulful work. To me, that beats the cash grab sequel that’s going to win on the home television network it owns.

Who will win: My review flak and soapbox history with Toy Story 4 is well-known here. I don’t think it should win or be here, but it’s going to win. The craft is good enough and the franchise is beloved. The favoritism is too high. I’ll be the jerk rooting for an upset.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

The nominees: American Factory, The Cave, The Edge of Democracy, For Sama, Honeyland

Who should be here: The Academy makes me scratch my head. For the second year in a row, the most popular, well-reviewed, and publicly favored documentary of the year was excluded from the field. Apollo 11 is as imperatively important and worthy as any documentary in history. It has more than 30 award season wins, lapping these other nominees combined and twice over. It should be accepting a trophy on stage Sunday.

Who should feel lucky to be there: With Apollo 11 out, all five should feel lucky whatever discerning voting body that picks this field noticed them. Talk about changing the culture. I’d start in documentary.

Who should win: If we’re going for power and drama along with facts, For Sama is the heartbreaker that should sway voters with gobs of empathy. However, I think politics tend to win in this category and it will again.

Who will win: As a middle-finger to the current administration and wealthy genuflect to a departed hero, I think American Factory produced by the company founded by Barack and Michelle Obama carries the favor and sentiment. If the former first couple walks the red carpet and attend the ceremony, expect a big standing ovation days after a crass State of the Union and an impeachment acquittal.

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

The nominees: Brotherhood, Nefta Football Club, The Neighbours’ Window, Saria, A Sister

Who should be here: Good luck digging. As connected as I am, I don’t know the depth of this field any more than most. The five here are solid enough.

Who should feel lucky to be there: We’ve reached that part of the ceremony of fringe and non-featured categories that will probably be given during a commercial break. They’re all lucky.

Who should win and will win: In this dartboard category with virtually no awards season data to go off of, I go straight to the Vegas betting odds. Brotherhood is where the money is going. Give it a checkbox.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

The nominees: Dcera (Daughter), Hair Love, Kitbull, Memorable, Sister

Who should be here: In a surprise, there was no Pixar-branded short that played before its annual June release, that being Toy Story 4. Normally, that is a shoe-in nominee in this field.

Who should feel lucky to be there: SEE LIVE ACTION SHORT

Who should win: Now I’ve actually seen these five and can give some love and true opinion. The best one I saw was the claymation drama Dcera (Daughter). Smudges matched character and intimate cinematography to move around the family subjects of grief was very striking. It really stood out something unique and artistic.

Who will win: Even without a mainstream Pixar choice, I’m still putting my money on the brand. One of their smaller PixarSpark selections was Kitbull, a charming little story of neighborly friendship between a chained and abused dog and an alley kitten. It went with refreshing 2D animation and brought the Pixar Punch heart. I think it wins people over.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

The nominees: In the Absence, Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone, Life Overtakes Me, St Louis Superman, Walk Run Cha-Cha

Who should be here: SEE BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM

Who should feel lucky to be there: SEE BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM

Who should win and who will win: Fitting and with positive effort, topical politics tends to these documentary categories. Look no further than American Factory in the feature section. Here in the shorts, put your Oscar pool wager on St. Louis Superman chronicling the political rise and struggles of rapper Bruce Franks, Jr. during the post-Ferguson time period. That kind of content pushes the buttons and earns votes.

NEXT: THE VISUAL AND ARTISTIC CATEGORIES

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Drank’s Postseason Rotation Preference

Pictured is Alex Wood, clearly confused about what his postseason role will be.

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LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

Drank can hear you laughing, from wherever you are.

“PLAYOFFS?!?” you scream, in the most Jim Mora-way possible. “WE’RE TALKING ABOUT PLAYOFFS?!?”

Case in point:

LITERALLY PLAYOFFS. LITERALLY GUMBY.

The playoffs are literally two weeks away, and while the Dodgers have been doing whatever they can to sabotage their playoff aspirations, all media sources inform Drank that the Dodgers have already clinched a playoff spot, and are merely a single win or an Arizona loss away from bypassing the play-in game, to the actual tournament of pain. One more win, and the Dodgers’ odds of winning a World Series skyrockets to 12.5%, which is about where it would have been had the Dodgers won 116 games anyway.

I guess we do actually have to talk about playoffs! And now that the Dodgers are pretty much in this tournament of pain, they might as well try to actually figure out the best method to getting wins, preferably at the rate they were getting wins in June and July, and not the last 4 weeks.

To begin, let’s focus on the starting rotation. The rotation had 94 qualified candidates before the year, and then injuries dwindled that number down to roughly 8. Let’s start with the obvious.

GAME 1: CLAYTON KERSHAW

Literally Clayton Kershaw. Need I say more?

Okay, literally Clayton Kershaw not hanging sliders up in the zone to Aaron Altherr. That Kershaw is a bad Kershaw, that really needs to avoid showing up in the postseason, or I might ban the internet and its hot takes from my house forever.

The good news is that, relatively speaking, Kershaw is pretty much the best pitcher in baseball again. And he won’t be pitching on 3-days rest. That’s a start.

GAME 2: YU DARVISH

Darvish has been maddeningly inconsistent since being acquired on August 1st, which at least is better than being Mattingly consistent. His fastball touches 97, his breaking pitches have wicked movement that at least will play as unhittable, and he will lose control of all of his pitches at random times.

Basically, since becoming a Dodger, Darvish has showcased why he has both A) the highest K/9 rate in baseball history, and B) why the Marlins could tag him for 9 runs in a 3-inning span.

The good news is that these regular season results don’t really mean anything. The other good news is that Darvish has the ability to put up a damn fine box line score even if he has no semblance of control with all of his pitches (see his last start in San Francisco). The bad news is that I really, really want good Yu Darvish to show up in October, and I have no idea if that is how it will actually play out.

Be good, Yu.

GAME 3: RICH HILL

Rich Hill is like the left-handed Yu Darvish, in that when his stuff is on point, he has the ability to take a no-hitter into the 9th inning... and sometimes even the 10th inning, before the season then spirals out of control. But unlike Darvish, Hill pretty much relies on 2 pitches in 2 parts of the zone. When it is working, it is an absolute thing of beauty.

In 2017, Hill has had lapses where he loses control, where he might walk 2 or 3 batters in an inning or give up consecutive home runs. When he is on, though, he is arguably the best #3 starter in a field full of really good #3 starters. Going to need that deception to play well, and going to need Hill to play well with the majority of his playoff starts likely to be on the road.

GAME 4: HYUN-JIN RYU

Just like we thought, another dominant left-handed... wait a minute, this guy didn’t make the All-Star team!

You might be wondering why the actual 4th best starter isn’t listed as the 4th best starter. I’ll get to that reasoning in a second. For now, note that Ryu has been perfectly fine as a starting pitcher, who has a .310 OBP against the first two times through the order. Expect 4 or 5 innings out of Ryu, then move onto the next piece.

Yes, I understand what Dave Roberts said. HEAR ME OUT, DAVE.

SUPER HYBRID RELIEVER LEFTY PERSON THAT HAS BECOME VERY VALUABLE FOR POSTSEASON TEAMS: ALEX WOOD

There it is!! Alex Wood--who led baseball in ERA for much of the season, who had elite strikeout rates for most of 2017 compared to the other elites in the game, who even got the anti-NERD crowd excited with his 15-3 record--should come out of the bullpen.

But not in any bad way at all. This is actually quite a prestigious role, if you have only paid attention to how postseason baseball has played out the last few years.

Let us start with the role Andrew Miller played in the 2016 MLB playoffs, when it became cool to be a reliever who could come in during the 5th or 6th inning instead of the 9th. The ability to put out potential fires and massive threats in games where every out and every run is absolutely crucial, is absolutely crucial. Terry Francona and Andrew Miller proved exactly why the save stat is the dumbest fucking stat of all time, because Miller really earned the save (and really, the win on several occasions) by coming in for 2 innings during the middle of a baseball game and shutting down the opposing team’s best hitters, at a moment where the game was pretty much on the line.

That role proved to be so effective, that the Dodgers elected to spend $80 million on a relief pitcher, which I would have never guessed would have ever happened with this front office. That role even proved to be so effective, that the Dodgers were rumored to be dangling some valuable pieces of the farm to bring in another potential dominant lefty reliever in Zach Britton--who was not even good enough to pitch in the 2016 AL wild card game!!

And the carry-over is obvious, as teams are already focusing on implementing that strategy for October. The Yankees, for instance, have like 7 different elite relievers that they can use at any time, and not just have to rely on Chapman metaphorically lodging bullets into garage walls in the 9th inning. The Red Sox have discussed using once-dominant-but-now-injured-a-lot lefty David Price in this role as well. Andrew Miller also figures to be Andrew Miller again come October.

So, if you are the Dodgers, why not Alex Wood?

Mind you, this is not for a loogy position--not when Tony Watson and Tony Cingrani have pitched as well as they have since being acquired. I am talking about using Alex Wood for 1-2 innings in 3 or 4 games of each series.

When Wood first moved to the bullpen to start the year, his fastball velocity touched 93. To pair that with his improved backdoor slider, opposing hitters had no chance. Then, as Alex Wood moved back into the rotation and kept his dominant form, his innings piled up again. Then, as his innings piled up, well...

You can clearly see from this handy chart and screengrab that as time has gone on, Alex Wood’s pitches have gotten less fast. That is a problem, coinciding with a few lackluster starts recently, which has contributed a little bit to the team’s terrifying downfall.

The point is, maybe it would not be the worst idea to put Alex Wood in the bullpen, where maybe you can find that uptick in velocity once again. If you assume Wood pitches 1-2 innings in relief in 3 games of the NLDS, then what you are really banking on is that Wood pitches 4-6 innings with the 93mph fastball, as opposed to 5-6 innings with the 91mph fastball. You are spreading out Wood’s value across the middle innings for multiple games, as opposed to pitting all of Wood’s value into 1 game, as unconventional as that sounds.

Oh, and in case you have not been paying attention to the last 4 weeks, middle relief has been sort of a clusterfuck tire fire. Maybe, in those games, relying on Wood to pitch the 6th and 7th innings before handing the ball to Morrow and Jansen is not the worst idea.

Of course, this does not mean anything if Wood can’t get his fastball velocity back up. But, in Drank’s opinion, it is the best, most wisest solution. Particularly also made by the fact that Ryu and Kenta Maeda have been perfectly acceptable rotation figures this season, despite their recent struggles as well.

Also, like Andrew Miller, Alex Wood is left-handed. Their first names both start with the letter A. They are pretty much clones of each other.

So, maybe, consider that.

Two weeks until Game 1 of the PLAYOFFS!??!? I am so terrifed.

sharp as a tack (but in the sense that you're not smart, just a prick) (1/?)

on ao3

S4 is fairly confident that when the doctor tells him to pack his things, tells him he's being relocated to more appropriate quarters, tells him it's nothing to do with him, obviously, because the provided conditions have been more than adequate, but that it's instead due to some impending renovations on the otherwise-vacant Guard barracks... Well, he thinks, really, that Gaster is very nearly convinced he's doing his subject a favor. He'd never actually say as much, of course, the stubborn old bastard, but S4 is nothing if not used to interpreting the mental gymnastics his pseudo-father performs in order to justify the goings-on behind the lab's polished steel doors. S4 knows better than to ask why—it's not his place, not relevant data for his work, he does not need to think independently to perform his functions as assistant, only obey— but Gaster stares down at him anyways. Stares at his small, trembling claws curled, white-knuckled, around the strap of an old black backpack he'd found abandoned in a closet months beforehand and been permitted to keep. He furrows his brow. Behind the thick half-rims of his glasses, his eye sockets narrow. S4 takes a shallow, shuddering breath, and tries to still the beating thing in his ribcage that is definitely not his heart. Granted, the bag is practically empty, hanging light and almost flat in his grip, but what had Gaster expected? The subject owned nothing aside from the toy tucked safely into the bottom of the backpack, wrapped neatly in the lab coat that had been deemed his, and subsequently altered to fit his stunted form. He's hidden the stuffed doll almost without meaning to, same way he tucks it beneath his pillow every morning when he makes his bed. Gaster has never expressly forbid him to have it—never really expressly forbidden him anything, though he makes it abundantly clear, generally with a few well-placed cutting words, whenever S4 happens to stumble over one of those invisible lines. It makes his stomach squirm when his creator looks at him like that, anyways, so it's just easier to hide her and participate in Gaster's charade that he is an adult, with no need for something soft to cling onto at night. “Ugly thing,” is all Gaster had to say about it when S4 had first turned up with the toy. It had been gifted to him by one of the more recent additions to Gaster's staff, a stocky fish monster with shimmering green scales and a smile even wider than the subject's own fixed grin. Gaster had not asked, only turned back to his notes with a long-suffering sigh and continued reading. (“Got a kid about your age,” had been Doctor Melusine's gruff explanation, as she'd thrust the toy at him, shaking it for emphasis when he only stared in confusion, blank. “Undyne said it was alright, I mean, I know I'm no seamstress and it got a little Frankenstein there on the left arm— “ and here she points to a limb distinctly mismatched from the uniform brown cotton of the other three, “—but y'know, she said you probably wouldn't mind it and, well.” The doctor huffed out a kind of near-laugh. Her little head-light bobbed charmingly in the resulting draft, shaggy red bangs puffed up alongside. “Doctor G doesn't really seem like the paternal type so much.” S4 just. He just stared at the doll, at her too-wide blue eyes and the tiny embroidered line suggesting a nose, at the careful pink plaits that formed her mane of braids and reached for it entirely without meaning to. Doctor Melusine is right, of course, and the left arm does look distinctly grafed-on, especially with the large, obvious black stitches spanning the shoulder, but he didn't care. The mismatched limb was darker and printed all over repeatedly in small pink lettering with the word 'Chanel.' His claws only just grazed one small foot before Melusine actually shoved the thing at him, evidently overjoyed at any sign of life from him. “Why?” he had croaked, but he'd taken it from her all the same, running one thumb absently, awed, over the soft, worn cotton of her blue flowered skirt. Doctor Melusine had just shrugged and shoved her scarred hands deep into her lab coat pockets, a gesture her daughter would mimick unconsciously in years to come. “Part of my debriefing was reading through your files. Project, uh, S4-N5 was it? All of your files.” He'd bristled a little at his full designation, though she didn't appear to notice. He knows what's in those files. Because he'd read those files, hadn't he, pored over them to the extent that he thought he could probably replicate whole chunks of the horrible reports solely from memory. He knew exactly what was in them, knew Doctor Melusine had been reading detailed logs of every single one of his humiliating stumbling blocks on the road to learning how to function like a real monster. Logs of the way he'd struggled even to speak with the unfamiliar conjured tongue. How he'd taken months just to learn to stand upright without the balancing aid of the tail he should have been born (?) with. How he'd had to dispense with the automatic feral instinct to puff himself up and snarl at his creator whenever he loomed over the subject's comparably tiny form. To bare his blunt fangs and try to enforce any kind of personal space. That...had actually been the first thing to go. Gaster had seen to that. “Yeah?” was all he'd managed aloud though, sounding dazed. “Yeah. And today is, uh. Your...birthday? I wasn't sure if he ever told you or not.” Which he hadn't, obviously. Gaster had let, what, eight consecutive March 9ths pass without so much as a word on the subject, though he'll grant it's possible the doctor had simply forgotten. Possible, the subject amended, that he had actually forgotten the concept entirely. He certainly never mentioned his son's or his own, no parties, no gifts, no celebrations on lunch break with the myriad of techs. “No,” is all he'd said though, and curled one pink braid around his forefinger. [He'd name her Chanel, he decided, since he didn't actually know any names besides ones belonging to monsters he knew personally. The idea of naming her after one of them didn't exactly sit well.] “Yeah, that's kinda what I figured, so. Uh. Happy birthday, kid.” And then she had done this baffling thing where she'd thrown her big arms around him and kind of crushed him briefly to her chest, this stifling thing that pressed the breath out of him as much as it made him feel weirdly warm all along the surface of his bones. A hug, he'd learned at about age ten, which was embarrassingly old for something so basic, but hey. Not relevant data, right?) “Is that all?” Gaster says, and S4 blinks wide, startled eyelights up at him. “What about your clothing?” S4 glances down at himself, double-checking that he's still fully-dressed in his usual faded blue scrubs, his bare toe-claws. “I'm...wearing it?” he says hesitantly, unsure if the question is meant to be a trick or not. Gaster scowls. “I suppose we'll have to pick up something more suitable for you, then, won't we.” It's patently not a question. He's not even looking at S4 anymore, which the subject is abundantly grateful for, because he has absolutely no idea what the correct answer should be. Surely Gaster doesn't think he'd somehow acquired the means to clothe himself...? He's been wearing the same scrubs every single day for the past seven years of his life, save for the handful of occasions when they became filthy enough to require an actual wash. He's not totally certain how Gaster hadn't noticed. He suspects it will be forgotten before his creator actually musters the bandwidth to do anything about it and he...turns out to be entirely right on that point. His creator's son, on the other hand, barely makes it a week before approaching him to ask, nasal cavity crinkled in pointed disgust, gangly arms crossed over his narrow chest, “Don't you have anything else to wear?” Papyrus himself is dressed in a slouchy black skirt that kind of drapes unevenly to his knees and an oversized sweatshirt emblazoned with a crude picture of a rocket ship, which are both brand-new articles of clothing to S4. He seems to have something different for each day of the week, and he mashes the styles together in a loud, clashing way that doesn't really make any sense at all to the subject, who is accustomed to—prefers?—the relative ease of his uniform. “No,” the subject answers honestly, with a small shake of his head. “This is all Doctor—uh, this is all your dad ever gave me. But he wears the same thing every day, so...?” He shrugs. “Maybe he thinks that's fine?” Which actually makes Papyrus bark out this surprised laugh, which makes Papyrus smile at him, doesn't it, possibly for the first time ever. It's a bright, crooked thing, considering the brilliant purple bruising all around his right eye, but he only winces a little bit when he jars the injury. “Well shit, we can't have that,” Papyrus says, and then he follows it with “No brother of mine's gonna walk around dressed like an escaped mental patient.” He just, he says it like that, lets it slip between his teeth easy and warm as the smoke of that green stuff he never ever uses when his father is around. Like it's nothing. Like he doesn't even think about it. If the subject is mute for a long time after, if he can't actually manage to say anything past the booming repetition of brother brother brother he called you his BROTHER playing on repeat inside his skull, well. Papyrus doesn't seem to find it strange at all.

Sawamura Eijun and the ace number.

At this point I think Sawamura should be the ace, he deserves to get the ace number. He's showing the results of one year of hard work.

Eijun worked very hard to develop as a pitcher and not only, he eliminated his weaknesses: before he had some moments of mental instability but now he's solid on the mound and his stamina is good enough to throw an entire match; before he had poor control, now he improves his control and is able to land his pitch where Miyuki wants it,not only, Sawamura has increased his speed and now he has more varieties of pitches in his arsenal and he has been dedicated to it so in this way he becomes more unpredictable; if he couldn't control the breaking movements of his pitches, now he has complete control by learning how to grip; furthermore he couldn't get early strikes, instead in the last chapters he's striking out batters calmly and before he was very bad at batting too but now he can make contact even if he still needs more improvements

He had to worked on his basis because he lacked them, he build his foundations, he is constantly told that unless he eliminates his weaknesses, he won't be better than anyone. Because of this he focuses on the present, on being able to achieve his goals and he doesn't take anything for granted. He got over so much challenges and has gone through many experiences, from his first day in the team: he suffered seeing Chris not being able to play because of injury, he created a new pitching style, he went through a bad time (the dead ball during Inashiro vs Seidou match and consecutive negative effects, the yips arc), then Miyuki told that he didn't pitch good at the Koshien but 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' and he always showed us his determination, resolution and strength in adversity.

He has the ace's attitude and responsability... after everything he's been through, after his costant growing he can face any kind of situations, difficult and easy ones. He has the qualification to be the indisputable ace. And then he has a good attitude despite everything, he helps to increase everyone morale with his reliable pitches, he can bring optimism, everytime he entered the field the atmosphere surrounding the team changes. (Even if sometimes he was frustrated, jealous or what else -I'd be too if I were in his- he never forgets to cheer for his teammates, like when Kataoka replaced him in the 9th inning against Yakushi... even then he cheered Furuya and the other)

Look at the Seidou vs Ichidai match when he stops Ichidaisan's momentum , no one knows what he's going to pitch... mad, serious and determinated, but still able to do an incredible play. And just don't forget when Kataoka says he's sorry and acts like they already lose, the team accepts it and loses hopes, but Eijun brings them back to everyone because all of them are wrong, the game's not over yet.

Well that time Eijun's determination was a real badass. He said and acted exactly like an ace is supposed to do.  (And now that also Miyuki's seeing him as a true ace, I only wait for Kataoka's realization).

English isn’t my first language, so please excuse any mistakes

How the Nationals Won Game 1 of the World Series

HOUSTON — It had been exactly five months since Gerrit Cole took a loss in a baseball game, a period in which he strung together 19 victories for one of the most remarkable winning streaks the game has seen.

It got to the point where fans of the Houston Astros almost felt a sense of entitlement, that every time Cole took the mound he would win. For much of the season that was the case, but the expiration date on his streak came at a most inopportune time.

The Washington Nationals, behind a wonderful performance from their own ace, Max Scherzer, stunned the Astros, 5-4, to win Game 1 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park.

It was the first World Series victory for a Washington team since the 1933 Senators, an American League team, won Game 4. They lost that Series to the New York Giants in five games and did not return to the postseason before moving to Minnesota to become the Twins in 1961.

But on Tuesday the Nationals, who moved to Washington from Montreal in 2005, extended their postseason winning streak to seven games, dating back to their division series upset of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

They scored five runs off Cole — two of them on home runs — as the Astros right-hander surrendered eight hits and lost for the first time since May 22 against the Chicago White Sox. During his winning streak, Cole went 19-0 with a 1.59 earned run average, and his team went 23-2 in that span, including three straight wins in the postseason.

“It’s been the best run I’ve seen in a starting pitcher in my career,” said Houston’s Game 2 starter, Justin Verlander, a 15-year veteran.

But perfection is rare in baseball, and the Nationals drove that point home by hammering Cole early. Ryan Zimmerman, the longest-tenured National, homered in the second inning, and Juan Soto, who turns 21 on Friday, homered in the fourth — the first of his three hits — to even the score, 2-2. It was the first time in 12 starts that Cole had given up two home runs in a game.

If that was not shocking enough, Washington jumped on Cole again in the fifth inning. His first mistake was to walk Kurt Suzuki, the No. 8 batter. Then Victor Robles singled to left field, and one out later Adam Eaton, who came into the Series batting .194 in the postseason, slapped a broken-bat single to right field that enabled Suzuki to score and gave the Nationals the lead.

It was the first time Cole had trailed since Sept. 2, and the first time he had allowed as many as five runs in a start since his last loss, in May.

On Monday, before the Nationals’ practice at Minute Maid Park, Eaton was asked about the baseball being used in the postseason and whether it traveled less than the ball used in the regular season, as some have speculated.

“I don’t ever hit the ball hard enough anyway for it to go anywhere,” Eaton said with a shrug, “so I don’t know the difference.”

But the broken-bat single was his second hit of the game — off one of the best pitchers in baseball, no less. One batter later, Soto added to the tally when he lined a ball off the wall in left field to push home two more runs and give the Nationals a 5-2 lead.

The Astros’ hitters are tough, too, but Scherzer settled down after giving up a two-run double in the first inning to Yuli Gurriel and did not allow another run over his next four innings.

After Scherzer departed, Washington used Patrick Corbin, the probable Game 3 starter, to pitch an inning of scoreless relief, but the Astros took advantage when Corbin was replaced by Tanner Rainey. George Springer whacked a leadoff home run to set a record — he has hit a home run in five consecutive World Series games dating to the Astros’ championship in 2017, breaking a tie with Reggie Jackson and Lou Gehrig.

It was the Astros who had taken the first lead of the game, striking quickly against Scherzer in the first inning when Gurriel lined an inside pitch off the wall in left field for a two-run double.

Scherzer had walked Springer to lead off the inning, and then Jose Altuve, in his first at-bat since his dramatic home run to beat the Yankees in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, lined a single to left field. The fans, still saluting one of their favorite players for his previous heroics, exploded.

That did not seem to immediately affect Scherzer, who struck out Michael Brantley and Alex Bregman on sliders. But against Gurriel, he threw a 1-2 fastball that was up and over the inner third of the plate, and Gurriel sent it on a line to the wall. With two outs, the runners were moving and both scored easily.

The Nationals got within one run in the top of the second when Zimmerman rocketed a 96-mile-per-hour fastball over the wall in center field.

Zimmerman had played in 19 postseason games, but like his team, he had never made it past the division round of the playoffs until this year. Now he and the Nationals have taken not only Game 1 but also home-field advantage.

Benjamin Hoffman provided live updates and analysis from Game 1, as it happened:

Bottom 9th: Sean Doolittle Closes Things Out

Sean Doolittle started the ninth by striking out Alex Bregman with a 94-mile-per-hour fastball that Bregman simply waved at. Yuli Gurriel flied out to center, leaving things up to Carlos Correa, and Houston’s shortstop flied out to center to end the game.

Top 9th: Astros Keep It Close

Joe Smith was on the mound in the ninth for Houston and he needed just one pitch to retire Ryan Zimmerman on a grounder to short. Smith struck out Kurt Suzuki and got Victor Robles out on a pop to short.

The Astros have three more outs to get back into this game.

Bottom 8th: Nationals’ Lead Is Down to One

Houston keeps chipping away, but still trails, 5-4.

The rookie Kyle Tucker came in as a pinch-hitter for Martin Maldonado and he singled to center off Daniel Hudson. Aledmys Diaz seemingly flied out harmlessly to center, but when Victor Robles was not quick with a throw, Tucker showed some hustle by tagging up and advancing to second, with Robles’s throw inexplicably going behind Tucker, to first base.

That brought up the postseason hero George Springer, who took advantage of the runner in scoring position by doubling off the wall in right-center, sending Tucker home and making it a 5-4 game.

After Jose Altuve flied out to right for out No. 2, Sean Doolittle came in to relieve Hudson, and he got out of the inning when Michael Brantley lined out to left.

Top 8th: Another Hit for Soto, but No Runs

Both teams are now into their bullpens, with Washington still leading, 5-3.

Will Harris came on in relief of Gerrit Cole, and he quickly retired Anthony Rendon on a pop-out to second. After Juan Soto singled on a grounder to center, Howie Kendrick lined out to right. With Asdrubal Cabrera up, Soto stole second, becoming just the fifth player in the last 20 years to homer and a steal a base in a single World Series game. But Harris was unfazed, and he got out of the inning by striking out Cabrera.

Bottom 7th: Rainey Gives Up a Solo Shot

Houston’s deficit is down to two runs after George Springer hit his 14th career postseason home run.

The hard-throwing Tanner Rainey came on in relief of Patrick Corbin, and Springer turned Rainey’s 99-mile-per-hour fastball into a 428-foot home run to center that got the crowd in Houston right back into the game.

Rainey recovered to strike out Jose Altuve on a slider in the dirt, but Michael Brantley and Alex Bregman both walked. Daniel Hudson came in to face Yuli Gurriel and got the first baseman pop out to second. Carlos Correa hit a grounder to short that Trea Turner couldn’t handle well, loading the bases for the 22-year-old Yordan Alvarez. But the powerful Alvarez struck out to end the inning.

Top 7th: Cole Stays Strong

Gerrit Cole was back out to start the seventh and he still looked strong, striking out Victor Robles on four pitches. Trea Turner made him work for a second out, drawing eight pitches before striking out, and Adam Eaton flied out to right, giving Cole his first perfect inning of the night.

Cole has thrown 104 pitches and, with lots of activity in Houston’s bullpen his day is either done or nearly done.

Bottom 6th: Scherzer Gives Way to Corbin

Patrick Corbin, typically Washington’s No. 3 starter, came on in relief of Max Scherzer — his fourth relief appearance of this postseason — and he did his job well, bridging Washington to its regular relievers for the final three innings.

He started things off with a strikeout of Yuli Gurriel, who had no chance on a devastating 84-mile-per-hour slider. After Yordan Alvarez, who is quickly heating up after a terrible N.L.C.S., singled on a line drive to right, Corbin struck out Martin Maldonado with another terrific slider. Aledmys Diaz came in as a pinch-hitter for Josh Reddick, but Corbin got him to ground out to second to end the inning.

Top 6th: Astros Get a Double Play

Gerrit Cole only needed to face three batters in the sixth, even if he did not quite match Max Scherzer’s perfection of the previous half-inning.

Asdrubal Cabrera lined out with a soft single to left center, causing a stir of activity in Houston’s bullpen, but Cole induced a 4-6-3 double-play off the bat of Ryan Zimmerman. Cole then got a third out when Kurt Suzuki flied out to second base.

Bottom 5th: Peak Scherzer

The game finally has a perfect inning, thanks to Max Scherzer.

Michael Brantley lined out to center, Alex Bregman grounded out to short and Yuli Gurriel struck out.

Hopefully Washington fans enjoyed it, as Scherzer is now up to 112 pitches. His season-high was 120 and he was only allowed to throw more than 110 seven times.

Top 5th: Nationals Get to Cole

A few singles, some heads-up baserunning, and a booming double have the Nationals leading Gerrit Cole and the Astros.

The Nationals put pressure on Cole immediately. Kurt Suzuki drew the first walk of the day from Houston’s co-ace, and Victor Robles followed with a single on a sharp grounder to right. Trea Turner lined out to right, but showing some aggressiveness, Suzuki advanced to third after the catch.

That proved to be a key decision, as with runners on the corners and one out, Adam Eaton laced a single to right, sending Suzuki home.

Anthony Rendon broke his bat on a hard grounder to third that Alex Bregman tried to turn into a double-play, but even with a clean turn at second base, Houston only got the out at second thanks to Rendon running hard out of the box. That left runners at the corners with two outs for Juan Soto, who smacked a double off the wall, bringing both runners home.

Howie Kendrick then smoked a ball that looked like it would send at least one more run in, but Cole got bailed out by a thrilling diving catch from Carlos Correa to end the inning.

This is easily Cole’s worst start since May 22, when he took a loss to the White Sox that preceeded one of the most dominant stretches by a starting pitcher in recent memory.

Bottom 4th: Scherzer Gets Out of Another Jam

It’s not as if either starter has truly faltered, but considering how dominant both of them typically are, the fact that there has not been a 1-2-3 inning yet today is at least somewhat surprising. That streak continued for Max Scherzer in the fourth.

The slumping Yordan Alvarez led off with a single on a hard grounder up the middle, continuing that surprising run of imperfection.

After Martin Maldonado flied out to left for the first out, Josh Reddick tried to argue that his bat had made contact with Kurt Suzuki’s glove on the first pitch he saw. The umpiring crew disagreed and three pitches later, Reddick flied out to shallow left.

Scherzer walked George Springer, putting two runners on for Jose Altuve, but Washington escaped the jam when Houston’s second baseman grounded out to first to end the inning.

The bullpen should get ready though. Scherzer is up to 96 pitches and his day will end soon.

Top 4th: Soto’s Slam Ties It Up

On the second pitch of the inning from Gerrit Cole, Juan Soto tied the game, 2-2, with a 417-foot homer to left-center.

Cole proceeded to breeze through the rest of the lineup, as Howie Kendrick flied out to right and Asdrubal Cabrera and Ryan Zimmeran both struck out, but it is a whole new ball game.

Bottom 3rd: Scherzer Gets Shaky, but Escapes

The score is still 2-1 Astros, but Max Scherzer’s lack of efficiency is becoming an issue.

After Jose Altuve flied out harmlessly to right, Michael Brantley lined a cutter to right for a single and Alex Bregman struck out on a huge cut at a 95-mile-per-hour fastball.

Yuli Gurriel proceeded to hit a pop to center that Victor Robles was playing too deep to corral. Robles, a 22-year-old center fielder, was shaken up on his dive for the ball, but then the game was delayed to determine if Brantley had been physically stopped from attempting to run home by Houston’s third base coach, Gary Pettis. It did appear that there was some illegal contact between Pettis and Brantley, but no call was made.

After play resumed, with runners on second and third with two outs, Carlos Correa struck out to end the inning.

In what should be a troubling differential for Washington, Scherzer is up to 69 pitches through three innings, while Cole is at 42.

Top 3rd: Nothing Cole Can’t Handle

Gerrit Cole worked around a two-out single to record a scoreless inning.

He got Victor Robles to pop out to first and Trea Turner to ground out to third, but with two outs Adam Eaton singled on a liner to left that a diving Alex Bregman very nearly snared at third base. Washington’s M.V.P. candidate, Anthony Rendon, then flied out to center to end the mild threat.

Bottom 2nd: Scherzer Bounces Back

Max Scherzer had little trouble getting out of the second even if he is having a hard time keeping his pitches in the strike zone.

Yordan Alvarez drew a leadoff walk ahead of a fly out to right by Martin Maldonado. Houston’s No. 9 hitter, Josh Reddick, managed to get Scherzer to throw six pitches but popped out to Trea Turner in very shallow center field. Scherzer then froze George Springer on a terrific changeup to end the inning.

Top 2nd: Zimmerman Puts Nats on the Board

Ryan Zimmerman, the face of the Nationals essentially since the team arrived in Washington, homered to center on the second pitch he saw in a World Series game, narrowing the Nationals’ deficit to 2-1.

Gerrit Cole had started things off by retiring Howie Kendrick on a grounder to short and then kept Carlos Correa busy by inducing a pop-up from Asdrubal Cabrera that Houston’s shortstop also handled.

Up stepped Zimmerman, who joined the Nationals late in the 2005 season — the year they moved from Montreal. He launched a 96-mile-per-hour fastball 413 feet for just the second run against Cole this postseason.

Cole was able to recover, inducing a grounder from Kurt Suzuki to — who else? — Correa, to end the inning.

Bottom 1st: Astros Take the Lead

Houston, which came in as a heavy favorite, took a quick 2-0 lead off Washington’s Max Scherzer thanks to Yuli Gurriel’s two-out, two-run double off the wall.

Houston’s leadoff batter, George Springer, drew a seven-pitch walk and on Scherzer’s next pitch, Jose Altuve singled to left. Scherzer pulled off quite a feat in striking out Michael Brantley on three pitches, but he was wild on his third pitch to Alex Bregman and Springer was able to advance to third.

Scherzer finished a strikeout of Bregman on a vicious slider, but with runners on the corners and two outs, Gurriel lined a 1-2 fastball off the wall in left, bringing both runners home.

Carlos Correa struck out to end the inning, but not before Scherzer had spotted Gerrit Cole a 2-0 lead — which is more runs than Cole has allowed so far this postseason.

Top 1st: One Hit, and Little Else for Cole

Gerrit Cole quickly had to deal with a runner in scoring position, but nothing came of the Nationals’ brief threat.

Trea Turner led off the game with a sharp grounder to short that Carlos Correa couldn’t field cleanly, leading to an infield hit. On the next pitch, Turner stole second, just barely beating Martin Maldonado’s throw. Adam Eaton popped out to third on a bunt attempt and Anthony Rendon struck out, bringing up Washington’s powerful youngster, Juan Soto, who struck out swinging on a 99-mile-per-hour fastball.

Starting Lineups

Nationals

Playing in Houston, the Nationals will have a designated hitter for the game, and they went with Howie Kendrick, who won the M.V.P. Award in the N.L.C.S.

1. Trea Turner, SS

2. Adam Eaton, RF

3. Anthony Rendon, 3B

4. Juan Soto, LF

5. Howie Kendrick, DH

6. Asdrubal Cabrera, 2B

7. Ryan Zimmerman, 1B

8. Kurt Suzuki, C

9. Victor Robles, CF

Astros

The Astros went with a fairly typical lineup for them, with the only aberration being Martin Maldonado starting at catcher, thought that is typical in games started by Gerrit Cole.

1. George Springer, CF

2. Jose Altuve, 2B

3. Michael Brantley, LF

4. Alex Bregman, 3B

5. Yuli Gurriel, 1B

6. Carlos Correa, SS

7. Yordan Alvarez, DH

8. Martin Maldonado, C

9. Josh Reddick, RF

Keys to the Game

Every game of this series could potentially be a marquee pitching matchup, with both teams boasting three terrific starters. In Game 1, it will be Max Scherzer on the mound for Washington and Gerrit Cole starting for Houston. There is no doubt that Scherzer, with his three Cy Young Awards, is the more accomplished of the two, but if you limit things to this postseason, the Astros appear to have a razor-thin advantage.

In three starts, Cole has a 0.40 E.R.A. over 22⅔ innings, with 32 strikeouts and eight walks. Opponents have hit .132 against him and Houston won all three of his starts. Scherzer has started three games and appeared once in relief, putting together a 1.80 E.R.A. over 20 innings with 27 strikeouts and eight walks. Opponents have hit .134 against him and the Nationals also won each of his starts. The difference largely boils down to Scherzer having had a rocky first two innings in his wild-card round start against Milwaukee

The Nationals have a Most Valuable Player Award candidate in Anthony Rendon and the Astros have one in Alex Bregman, but the best postseason hitter between the two teams has been Houston’s Jose Altuve who has a .349 batting average, .767 slugging percentage and a postseason-leading five home runs, including a walk-off against the Yankees in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series to send the Astros to the World Series. Rendon has been rolling for Washington, slashing .375/.465/.594, but he has just one home run. Bregman has struggled some, with a batting average of .257, but has made up for that some by leading all postseason batters with 10 walks.

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