#capitalizing on that season 2 release :p

[schaeffersresearch]

Alibaba, Cinemark, and Uber Technologies are set to report quarterly earnings

#The Week Ahead

[extreme-investor-network]

Bitcoin Is Sliding. Two Events That Might Move Cryptos This Week.

BitcoinBTCUSD –2.66%  and other cryptocurrencies slid back on Monday after rallying over the weekend. Digital asset investors are not immune to the fear of recession that has shaken wider markets, and the week ahead holds key catalysts that could see more volatility. The price of Bitcoin fell 3% over the past 24 hours and was holding around $20,500, having traded near $22,000 after a Friday rally that continued over the weekend. The largest digital asset continues to change hands at less than one-third its all-time high near $69,000, reached in November 2021, but is well above the $18,000 bottom that was hit during the trough of a selloff in mid-June. Other cryptos saw declines, too. EtherETHUSD –3.16% , the second-largest token after Bitcoin, lost 3% to below $1,150. Smaller cryptos or “altcoins” were similarly lower, with Solana and CardanoADAUSD –4.93%  each shedding 3%, while “memecoins”—initially intended as internet jokes— DogecoinDOGEUSD –5.66%  and Shiba InuSHIBUSD –3.04%  slipped 4% and 2%, respectively. It has been a rough ride for digital assets this year, with the market capitalization of cryptos tumbling to $920 billion from nearly $3 trillion in November 2021 as many if not most tokens lost upward of two-thirds of their value. Drawdowns in prices have led to cracks in the crypto ecosystem, such as the meltdown of stablecoin Terra, breakdowns at lenders including Celsius and Voyager Digital, and the collapse of a major hedge fund threatening wider contagion. But crypto’s correlation to stocks is to blame for most of the year’s declines. While Bitcoin and its peers should in theory trade independently of mainstream finance, they have shown to be correlated to other risk-sensitive assets like stocks, and especially tech stocks. And stocks are in a bear market, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq index losing 27% so far this year while the wider S&P 500 has slid 19%. “The downtrend in the crypto market persists, due to increased fears of an incoming recession. The Google search volume of recession has skyrocketed in recent weeks,” Marcus Sotiriou, an analyst at digital asset broker GlobalBlock, wrote in a note. Investors are nervous about the possibility of an economic slowdown. Facing the highest inflation in decades, the Federal Reserve has already moved to clamp down on red-hot prices with tighter monetary policy. The fear is that more aggressive interest-rate increases could dent economic demand to the point of spurring a recession. News in the week ahead could provide more clarity on the inflation picture and how companies view the economy—which may be catalysts for stocks and cryptos alike. U.S. consumer-price inflation (CPI) data is set to be released Wednesday, with expectations that inflation will push to a new 40-year high of 8.8% year-over-year. “The market seems to be bracing for potentially shocking numbers on Wednesday,” wrote Yuya Hasegawa, an analyst at crypto exchange Bitbank, in a note. “Bitcoin’s upside will likely be limited until then and its outlook for the latter half of the week will also depend on the results of the CPI.” This week will also usher in the start of earnings season. Thursday sees Wall Street heavyweights lead the charge, with results from JPMorgan Chase (ticker: JPM) and Morgan Stanely (MS), before Citi (C) and BlackRock (BLK) on Friday. “This is a very important season (aren’t they all) as the collapse in equities so far in 2022 is largely due to margin compression and not really earnings weakness,” wrote Jim Reid, a strategist at Deutsche Bank, in a note.  Solid earnings could signal that the economy is healthier than investors have feared. But that could be a doubled-edged sword; if the economy remains strong, the Fed has little reason to slow down the tightening of monetary policy, while wobbles in the economy could temper the pace of interest-rate hikes. Nevertheless, even if investors get what they want from the inflation data and earnings, Bitcoin still faces a ceiling, according to Hasegawa, who has a weekly target range on the largest crypto of $12,000 to $24,000. “A breakout from the current range is still unlikely even if the inflation data turns out to be significantly lower than expected,” the analyst wrote. Hasegawa noted that Bitcoin miners—who have been under pressure from higher energy prices and lower crypto prices—have been consistently adding deposit to exchanges, signalling more sell pressure ahead. “And Bitcoin’s 200-week moving average, which is currently at around $22,600, seems to be a strong resistance for the price,” Hasegawa added. Original Article Original Article Here: Read the full article

[stock-research-institute]

Will the epic sell-off in U.S. bonds intensify? This week will break the last layer of "shackles"

Since this year, the U.S. stock market followed the bond market fell in tandem, and the magnitude of the simultaneous decline is the most in decades, making many investors in the market volatility almost "nowhere to hide". And this week, the U.S. Treasury is likely to usher in another crucial decisive moment, which will bring what changes to the global capital markets, is undoubtedly being watched.

Many market participants are pointing out that the ongoing decline in U.S. bonds is most likely set to enter a new phase at this point - with yields at many maturities on track to break above their 2018 highs. And there are several important potential catalysts that may drive this move in the coming week.

The biggest market focus this week will undoubtedly be Wednesday's release of U.S. CPI data for April, which is expected to fall back from the highest level since 1982, set in March. Fed officials just last week raised interest rates again by 50 basis points and set June 1 as the start date for balance sheet reduction. This week, a number of Fed officials will also make public speeches again to discuss ways to deal with inflation. In addition, the U.S. Treasury's largest round of bond bids for the May-July financing season will kick off this week, with the 3-year, 10-year and 30-year Treasury bids expected to be highly anticipated.

Even if none of these factors provide a reasonable driver for higher yields, there is little doubt that market liquidity has deteriorated, making the U.S. Treasury market more susceptible to changes in major events.

The Bloomberg U.S. Government Securities Liquidity Index (US Government Securities Liquidity Index), which measures deviations between yields and fair value models, was near its highest level of the year on Friday. On the day of the Fed's resolution, the volatility range of two-year U.S. bond yields exceeded 25 basis points for the third time this year.

"This is a once-in-a-decade moment for capital markets," said James Camp, head of fixed income at Eagle Asset Management. "Correlations are rising, and the cross-asset volatility is incredible. We have nowhere to hide."

01 、Challenging the 2018 highs

For shorter maturities such as 2-year and 5-year U.S. Treasuries, once yields exceed the 2018 highs, it will mean a return to pre-2008 levels.

For the benchmark 10-year U.S. bond yield, known as the "global asset pricing anchor," the peak of 3.25% in 2018 was the highest since 2011.

Last week, the 2-year U.S. bond yield rose as high as 2.85%, less than 26 basis points from the 2018 high. 5-year U.S. bond yield once touched 3.08%, only two basis points below the 2018 peak. 10-year U.S. bond yield rose 19 basis points in a single week to 3.13%, about 10 basis points from the 2018 high. The 10-year yield rose 19 basis points in one week to 3.13%, and has come within "striking range" of the 2018 high.

At the moment, it is the rise in real yields - the rise in inflation-protected bond (TIPS) yields - that is greater than the rise in nominal U.S. bond yields, suggesting that tighter financial conditions, rather than inflation expectations, have been the main driver of the recent bond market. The 5-year TIPS yield rose more than 150 basis points in the 40 trading days ended May 3, the fastest climb since 2008.

The latest round of selling also re-steepened the U.S. bond yield curve, as long bond yields rose the most, with the 10-year and 2-year U.S. bond yield spread widening by more than 17 basis points last week and the spread reaching its widest level since early March.

Piper Sandler's Roberto Perli and Benson Durham said the rise in term premiums - compensation for the risk of a poor outcome over a longer period - reflects deep uncertainty about the path of inflation and the Fed's policy response.

Meanwhile, U.S. stocks have plunged, with the S&P 500 now down for five consecutive weeks, the longest losing streak since June 2011. So far this year, the S&P 500 has fallen a cumulative 13%; the Dow is down 9.5%; the Nasdaq is down 22%. Last Thursday, the Dow fell more than 1,000 points in a single day, the worst day since 2020.

It was the latest predicament for investors struggling to cope with the sharp swings that have plagued global financial markets. This year's decline has hit hard the 60/40 portfolio model, which allocates 60% to stocks and 40% to bonds, which has long claimed to provide both strong returns and a hedge against the risk of the expected occasional stock market pullback; the stock market is often thought to be far riskier than the bond market. And so far this year, it has become clear that the aforementioned hedging function has failed.

02 、CPI to be top of mind this week

Looking ahead to this week's many risk events, the performance of the U.S. CPI data for April will undoubtedly be one of the top priorities. The market is now widely expected to release on Wednesday, due to the base effect, the U.S. CPI growth in April may be slowed to 8.1% year-on-year. Previously, the CPI growth rate in March had reached 8.5% year-on-year, the highest level in 40 years.

CPI will be the key data to be released in the U.S. in the coming week, and last month's data is expected to show that inflation has crossed the peak and the year-on-year growth rate is slowing …… core inflation is also declining slightly," said James Knightley, chief international analyst at Holland International Group. "

Knightley believes that "lower gasoline prices will be a big help, as will the decline in used car prices heralded by the Manheim auto auction data. However, inflation will still experience a long, slow decline to get back to the 2% target set by the Fed."

Fed policy makers had said in their monetary policy statement last week announcing a 50 basis point rate hike that they were "highly concerned about inflationary risks." This is the first time since 2000 that the Fed has announced a 50 basis point rate hike in one breath.

Although the short-term interest rate market is expected to increase the policy rate from the current 0.75%-1% range to 3.25% next year, it is unclear how the lagged impact of tightening on the economy will affect the trend of the policy rate. The U.S. 30-year fixed mortgage rate has climbed to 5.27% last week, the highest level since 2009.

Many industry insiders said that if the April U.S. CPI data released this week can show a slowdown in growth as expected by the market, or help temporarily suppress the recent surge in U.S. bond yields. However, if this forecast ultimately falls short, then the various maturities of U.S. bond yields are likely to spike further.

On the central bank side, a number of Fed officials will also be speaking out on inflation and the economy this week.

Among them, especially the United States local time this Tuesday will become a key day: New York Fed President Williams, Richmond Fed President Balkin, Cleveland Fed President Meister, Fed Governor Waller, Minneapolis Fed President Kashkari, Atlanta Fed President Bostic and many other Fed officials will speak on that day.

#investing #stock market #business #finance #economy #us stocks #stocks #stock #yahoo! #english ie talent

[woppy42]

Cats are just like that

Fanfic: She-Ra (2018) Rating: G Characters: Adora, Catra, and… a cat Category: Fluff, friendship, light angst

Summary: After Catra joins the rebellion, she and Adora slowly try to rebuild their friendship. There’s a cat. It all relates, somehow.

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since Adora brought back a dirty, hissing bundle of fur and teeth and claws from a mission on the outskirts of Bright Moon. She'd washed it, brushed it, cooed over it and generally tried to befriend it despite receiving nothing but bites and scratches in return. Glimmer gave the thing a wide berth, and even Bow had the sense to look a little tentative around it.

Naturally, the blasted creature wouldn't leave Catra alone.

No matter how much she avoided it, refused to look in its direction, or cursed it with all the colorful invectives she could conjure, it still kept finding its way into her quarters, laying on her clothes, or winding its way obnoxiously around her legs when she was trying to walk.

Adora, on the other hand, had spent a full week desperately trying to coax the creature into friendship (or at least tolerance of her presence) before finally backing off when the little monster lashed out with its claws a little too close to her eye. She now regarded the creature sadly, but from a distance.

Catra tried not to think too hard about the allegory there.

(read on AO3)

Adora had walked around the castle for three days with a ridiculous bandage on her face before She-Ra's healing powers kicked in. The thin, pink marks on her cheek lingered just long enough for Catra to wonder if She-Ra didn't heal scars before they, too, faded away, leaving Catra with an unexpected and guilty sense of relief.

A low rumble distracted Catra from her thoughts. The creature had somehow gotten in her room again, and was now curled in a self-satisfied ball atop the rumpled pile of shirts she'd left on the floor. The corner of her lip lifted in a snarl, and she grabbed the thing by the nape of the neck and lifted it in front of her.

“Stay. Off. Of my things,” she hissed.

It blinked affectionately at her, paws dangling in the air.

She dropped it, and it landed lightly on its feet before scampering off to resume its previous position on the shirt pile. The purring resumed almost instantaneously.

“Ugh.”

*

Catra bounced the tip of the quill pen in a staccato rhythm on the blank paper before her, willing the words to come. They evaded her. (They had plenty of practice; they'd been doing just that for the past twenty minutes.) The aggravated tapping grew to a crescendo until the tip of the pen snapped off, leaving a sizable blotch of ink on the otherwise empty paper.

With a frustrated cry, she snatched up the ruined paper, crumpled it into a ball, and flung it across the room.

Going on scouting missions? Productive, engaging. Writing scouting reports? Purgatory. Torture.

Awakened from its slumber, the creature bounded across the room after the wad of paper and snatched it in its jaws, shaking its head rapidly as if to break the paper's nonexistent neck. A piece tore free in its mouth and the rest of the ball flew a short distance away. The beast pounced on it, tearing it to shreds with its tiny, needle-like claws.

Catra smiled viciously. “Good cat.”

Reports were stupid enough, but she'd been willing to send a perfunctory sentence or two in the Queen's direction in the name of cooperation. She hadn't even thought the queen would read them. Apparently, she had. Catra unfolded a copy of her latest submission:

“Was boring. nothing much happened. Killed a Horde patrol somewhere in the woods. found a rock that looks like glimmer's head.”

Catra didn't understand the issue. It was clear, concise, and held all the necessary facts. Certainly not “alarming in its utter lack of detail,” or “juvenile in tone and content.” Catra sulked. It wasn't like she hadn't offered the patrol a chance to surrender first.

Maybe the queen hadn't liked the part about the rock.

A knock came from behind her, and Catra's ear twitched back toward the sound before she swiveled to identify the intruder. Adora stood on the threshold, holding a stack of papers.

Catra hated how tentative she looked. Hated how even now, a month after joining the rebellion, she still felt a swell of defensiveness instead of affection upon seeing her oldest and closest friend.

Catra hated a lot of things. She knew now Adora had never really been one of them.

She glanced down to the papers Adora had clutched to her chest. “If those are for me, I swear I'm going to jump out the window.”

Adora laughed, tension dropping as she stepped into the room. “Don't worry, these are mine. Light reading from the last strategy meeting.” She dropped them with a solid thunk on the edge of Catra's desk, then glanced around at the broken pen and shreds of paper littering the floor, her gaze lingering wistfully on the tiny cat as it lounged with a distinct air of self-satisfaction in the the midst of its destruction.

“What are you up to? I thought I heard a shout.”

Catra folded her arms and slid down in her chair with a scowl. “Queen Angella doesn't like my scouting reports.”

“Oh.”

Adora's lip quivered as though suppressing a smile, and Catra's eyes narrowed.

“You read them, didn't you.”

“Just the last one,” Adora said, raising her hands in defense. “It was a little... brief.” The smile was fighting its way free onto her face.

Catra might have been annoyed before, but now she felt strangely embarrassed. She slid further down in her chair.

“I'm not good at this kind of thing,” she grumbled, hating how pathetic she sounded.

“Hey, don't say that,” Adora said, smile forgotten as she leaned earnestly forward. Her hand started toward Catra's shoulder, then fell back down to her side.

Catra hated that Adora had pulled back, and hated the relief she felt when she did.

“I, uh,” Adora started. “I was really bad at writing reports when I first got here, too.”

Catra raised a skeptical eyebrow. “You? ”

“Well, it wasn't exactly the same problem,” Adora admitted, her face reddening. “My reports were a little too long and too detailed.”

Catra snorted. That, she could see. She imagined Adora earnestly bent over her report, meticulously cataloging whatever her surveillance team had eaten for lunch and precisely how many minutes it took them to consume.

“One of the guards gave me a template to work from,” Adora continued. “It helped a lot. I could give it to you, along with some of my better reports. If you want, of course,” she tacked on hurriedly.

Well, it certainly couldn't hurt.

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Adora beamed.

The cat suddenly jumped up onto the desk, nearly knocking over the ink pot in the process. Catra scrambled to steady it and gave a low growl in the creature's direction. It was soundly ignored. Instead, the thing sniffed curiously at the stack of papers Adora had dropped on the desk, then began rubbing its face against the back of Adora's hand where it rested on the papers. She stood stock still, a look of disbelieving glee frozen on her face.

“Catra!” Adora whispered, as though any sound might frighten the creature off. “She's letting me touch her!”

“Looks more like she's touching you,” Catra observed languidly. She couldn't imagine why someone would be happy to have the little nuisance rubbing up against them. She'd do anything to make it stop.

“Do you think I...” ever so slowly, Adora moved her hand out from the stack of papers. The cat continued to industriously rub its face against her knuckles. Slowly, tentatively, she raised her fingers and traced them across the soft fur of the creature's head to scratch behind its ears. It purred.

Adora looked like she was going to explode from happiness.

Catra found herself fighting back a smile and looked away. Adora's enthusiasm was stupidly infectious.

“I'm running a patrol in a few days,” Adora said conversationally a moment later, still running her fingers with gentle adoration across the creature's head. “Could use your help, if you're interested.” Her tone was so casual it almost hurt.

“Why?” Catra internally winced. “I mean, what do you need me for? You've been running those solo just fine.” She winced harder. That was not an improvement.

Adora shrugged. “Two pairs of eyes are better than one. And two pairs of hands, in case things go south.”

Catra bit back a remark about how she was sure She-Ra could handle things just fine on her own.

“Okay.”

The pressing weight of Adora's forced casualness receded, and she visibly straightened.

“You know, after we get back from that, there's a festival in the next town over. Glimmer and Bow have been talking about it for days, and it would be great if you— ow!” Adora snatched her hand back with a cry after the cat suddenly sank its teeth into her palm.

Catra pushed aside the tinge of relief she felt at the interruption and reached for Adora's hand, pulling it forward. “Let me see.”

“I'm fine,” Adora insisted, looking somewhere between surprised and embarrassed. “It's not even bleeding.”

Catra ignored her and inspected the mark. The bite was hard enough to leave a purple indentation, but Adora was right—it hadn't broken the skin. Satisfied, she released her hand. Adora rubbed the mark.

The creature was now laying upside down on the desk, the picture of fluffy innocence. “Guess that was a little much, huh?” Adora said toward the cat.

It's all right, I'm sorry, I want things to be normal again just as much as you do, please just give me a little more time--

“Guess so.”

“Well,” Adora said, forcing cheerfulness into her tone as she picked up her stack of papers, “I have a lot of reading to do. See you around?”

“Yeah,” Catra mumbled in response. Say something, don't let her just--

“Hey,” Catra said, still looking at the desk. Adora stopped and turned back toward Catra expectantly.

“When do you eat breakfast?”

Confusion flickered across Adora's expression. “After morning training,” she said. “In the kitchens.”

Catra nodded. “See you there.”

A small, warm smile spread across Adora's face. “See you there,” she repeated.

Her step was lighter as she left the room.

The cat started to rub its head against her hand where it rested on desk, and Catra let it. She even scratched under its chin a little.

*

Winter was coming, heralded by colorful leaves and crisp days. Night came earlier, with a chill that drove people to crackling fireplaces, animals to their barns—and the creature into Catra's bed. Apparently, the pile of shirts that it had claimed for its own was no longer warm enough to satisfy it.

The first time she woke to find it curled against her side, purring contentedly, Catra had stared in shock for several seconds before lifting it by the scruff of the neck and dropping it onto the floor. It yawned, stretched, and wandered off in search of breakfast.

Catra felt... oddly well-rested. Her side was still warm where the little beast had been curled against it.

She was sure the two events were unrelated.

The next morning, she was a little slower to evict her uninvited tenant. The thing had stretched out in its sleep beside her, front paws resting gently against her upper arm as it dozed in a patch of morning light. It gave an inquisitive mrrpt as she lifted it off the bed and... placed, not dropped, it on the floor.

Over the following days, Catra slowly became used to waking up with the thing laying on her chest, sprawled across her legs, or curled up in a ball against her side. Not fond, but... accustomed. Once, when she jerked awake from a nightmare while it was sleeping near her foot, she accidentally kicked it clean off the bed. It landed with a soft thump and a disgruntled mewl, deciding for the first time in quite a while to spend the night on a pile of clothing instead of curled up next to her.

She actually felt kind of bad about it.

The next morning, it silently hopped up onto the table where she and Adora were sharing breakfast and padded over, rubbing its head against Catra's cheek for a moment before stealing one of the small fish off her plate.

She let it.

*

The worst part about being in Bright Moon wasn't the endless pastel walls, or the glittery princesses, or the naïve and twitchy inhabitants of the city. It was how Catra couldn't sleep.

She'd been doing just fine sleeping in the wilds, but as soon as she got under the same (enormous, pastel purple) roof as Adora, her body suddenly remembered what it was like to sleep in the Fright Zone—and repeatedly, firmly informed her that This Was Not It. There was no clanking of metal or hissing of steam. There was no gentle snoring of several other cadets.

There was no warm, steadying presence sharing her bunk.

It was fine. Scouting missions kept her busy, and the more missions she took, the more exhausted she could get until she was finally able to crawl into bed and fall asleep almost before her head hit the pillow.

That was the best way, honestly. The more tired she was, the less she dreamed.

As much as she hated to admit it, the furry creature had made it easier for her to fall asleep on days when she hadn't exhausted herself to the point of almost passing out. Its warm little presence wasn't quite right —too quiet, too small—but it was... something.

Catra passed the castle library, sparing a glance through the half open door as she walked by. She froze, then backtracked.

There, sitting in a chair illuminated by a golden patch of late afternoon light, was Adora: fast asleep, the book she had been reading dropped open on her chest, the cat sprawled across her lap and purring loudly.

It was... well, it was kind of cute.

Catra hadn’t realized she’d walked closer until the cat lazily cracked an eye open at her approach. It adjusted its position slightly and resumed purring.

Adora somehow looked even more exhausted asleep than she did awake. The dark circles under her eyes had only deepened in the time since Catra had come to join the rebellion, and some small part of Catra wondered if Adora was having the same difficulties sleeping as her--but no; no, of course not. She stayed up late studying, got up early to train, and went on missions nearly every day; of course she was tired. Anyone would be.

The book was starting to slip. Catra reached out and gently removed it, marking Adora’s place with a scrap of paper and setting it neatly on the table beside her.

The little beast watched her movements, but made no motion to get up.

“Good cat,” she found herself whispering.

Catra left silently, closing the door softly behind her.

*

It was midnight. No, that’s when she’d started this ill-fated expedition. It was far, far past midnight now. Catra wasn’t sure what annoyed her more: that the miserable cat had been missing from all its familiar haunts when she returned, tired and bedraggled, from a particularly miserable solo scouting mission; or the fact that she actually cared.

After all, they weren’t that far from the Whispering Woods. There were all kinds of predators in there that ate little cats for breakfast. And it wasn’t like she could trust the Bright Moon guards to guarantee none of those creatures snuck into the castle; she knew firsthand they weren’t an overly observant lot.

“Come here, you stupid little monster,” she hissed into the empty halls, loud enough for her and the cat to hear, but quiet enough not to wake the human occupants of the castle. “You're supposed to be shedding all over my blankets and stabbing your little needle claws into my arm while I'm trying to sleep. Quit hiding.”

Catra held still for a moment, ears twitching slightly as she listened for any hint of movement.

The castle was absurdly, impossibly silent.

She growled. “I swear if I don't find you in the next five minutes, when I do find you, I'm gonna turn you into a furry hat.”

It was her second pass through the castle, and she lingered for a moment at the door to Adora’s room. The door was shut, but… the cat was very small, and it finally seemed to have take a liking to Adora--to the latter’s great delight. It might be worth checking. Catra swayed tiredly, frustration rising as she realized that, despite her exhaustion, she wouldn’t be able to sleep until she found the miserable beast.

Catra put her hand to the knob and was only slightly surprised to find it unlocked.

She was also only slightly surprised to see the infernal creature curled in a satisfied, comfortable ball next to Adora, both of them fast asleep. Catra reached for the scruff of the cat’s neck, then paused. It didn’t seem right to disturb two creatures when they were sleeping so peacefully. Especially when Adora looked so tired all the time, and stressed, and the only time she’d seen her actually look this relaxed in her sleep was when she was with that stupid cat--

Catra swayed again in her exhaustion.

She was tired.

Really tired.

Oh, forget it.

Her limbs moved of their own accord. This bed was shorter than the bunks in the Fright Zone, but wider. She carefully crawled next to Adora, on top of the blankets, and curled up on her side facing away from her. Her back felt warm.

She'd leave in the morning, she promised herself, before Adora woke.

It was easy to relax as the familiar rhythm of Adora's soft, steady breathing lulled her to sleep.

*

Adora woke slowly, coaxed gently to consciousness by the warm light on her face and the soothing, even sound of purring. She smiled as she remembered how the small cat had leapt up on her bed in the middle of the night, stepping across her stomach before curling contentedly against her side. She'd been thrilled. Honored, even.

She took a deep breath and slowly stretched in place, eyes closed, flexing muscles still sore from the previous day's exertion. Her left arm felt a little sluggish, she thought absently. Oddly warm, too.

She turned her head to the right and opened her eyes a crack to smile happily at the little creature, which still dozed in a warm little ball against her side. Its purring seemed extra loud today.

“Morning, kitty.”

"Mmph," came a disgruntled sound from her other side. Adora jumped, her shoulder impacting something soft--resulting in a quiet yelp.

"What are you trying to do, break my nose?”

Adora’s mind came to a stuttering stop.

“Catra?”

Catra. Catra was there, next to her, wrapped around Adora’s arm the same way she’d seen small children clutching stuffed animals to their chest. Her nose was almost pressed to Adora’s shoulder.

“Yeah, duh. Who else would it be.” Catra’s eyes closed as she apparently tried to burrow deeper into the mattress. “Go back to sleep. ‘s too early.” Her words trailed off as she began to follow her own advice.

Her initial astonishment wearing off, Adora found herself unable to do anything other than stare and smile. She'd hoped Catra would eventually feel comfortable enough to regain some of their former closeness, but... She hadn't expected this so soon. Or this close, she thought, regarding her trapped arm with no desire to reclaim it. With Catra’s mask off and her face relaxed in sleep, smoothing away the worries of recent months, Adora could almost imagine they were children again.

A yellow eye cracked open. “Quit it.”

“Huh? I wasn’t doing anything.”

“You've got that look,” Catra mumbled discontentedly. “The annoying one.” Her complaint might have carried more weight if her face wasn't still practically buried in Adora's shoulder.

A teasing remark rose to her lips. “I was just wondering what the rebellion would think if they knew that the fearsome Catra, former second-in-command to Hordak himself, likes to cuddle in her sleep.”

Both eyes opened momentarily to deliver a malevolent glare.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

Blue and yellow eyes rolled, then closed again.

The cat at Adora’s other side batted playfully at her hand, and she rubbed its head. Sure, maybe things weren’t perfect between them. Finding a new normal would take time. But this... this was progress. She gave another fond glance to the figure at her side before giving a quiet, contented sigh and letting her eyes slip shut.

“I missed you too,” she whispered.

There was no answer. The pressure on her arm increased for a moment, then relaxed.

“Get over yourself,” came the eventual, mumbled response. The words may have been abrasive, but the tone in which they were delivered was anything but.

Adora smiled and settled back into her pillow with another small sigh, giving in to the warmth and her lingering tiredness.

Healing might take time, but this morning, they had all the time in the world.

Thanks for reading! If you liked it, send me a kudos or comment on AO3? :D

#she ra #she ra fanfic #she ra season 2 #spop #spop fanfic #catra #adora #reposting my own fic because i kinda like this one but it got like no notes #capitalizing on that season 2 release :p #my fanfic

[animebw]

Short Reflection: Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid Season 2

I don’t think any of us expected to be here.

Let’s be honest here, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is not a show designed to bear the weight of expectations. It’s a bawdy fanservice comedy mixed with a sweet, found-family focused slice-of-life, purposefully bright and breezy even in the rare moments it tips into more dramatic territory. And don’t get me wrong, I loved the first season as much as everybody. But amidst the weighty drama of Kyoto Animation’s current output- A Silent Voice, Violet Evergarden, Hibike Euphonium, Liz and the Blue Bird- Dragon Maid definitely stands out as a far lighter, less consequential affair. It’s the palate cleanser for when the rest of KyoAni’s work starts getting a little too heavy, a spoonful of sugar to cleanse your pores and leave you smiling ear to ear (and give you a little indigestion with its more uncomfortable elements). It was never meant to feel like a grand, meaningful statement. This goofy, wholesome, sometimes problematic fantasy rom-com was never meant to be Important with a capital I.

But then, in 2019, Kyoto Animation was targeted by a horrific arson attack. Countless incredible artists were injured and killed. Everyone was left reeling from the collective trauma. And as we’ve just recently found out, even Naoko Yamada herself left the studio in the aftermath. This wasn’t just a tragedy, this was a foul black scar across the face of the greatest anime studio on the face of the earth. I still remember experiencing the attack in real time over social media, checking my Twitter feed every few minutes in a state of numb shock, watching the death toll rise bit by bit, praying helplessly that it wouldn’t get any worse only for reality to prove me wrong over and over again. I don’t think I can ever properly describe the cold, nauseating despair I felt watching it unfold, how deeply it shook me in ways I still haven’t fully processed. And judging by everyone’s reactions, I’m not the only one who felt that way. The entire anime community, western and eastern alike, grieved for Kyoto Animation. As gauche as this comparison may be, I wonder if this is how people felt on 9/11 watching the twin towers come down. Not just the collective shock and horror, but the sensation that something representing the best of us had been violently ripped away.

And suddenly, the upcoming season 2 of Dragon Maid couldn’t just be another season of Dragon Maid. It was Kyoto Animation’s return to TV animation after almost three years. It was this incredible studio bouncing back after the horrors they’d endured, a statement of purpose that the KyoAni magic would never surrender to darkness. It was the return of sense to a world that had lost all semblance of reason. It had to be, needed to be, perfect. So we’ve found ourselves in a position where all this importance, all this symbolic weight, has been placed on the shoulders of a show where oversized titties bouncing in the face of an eight-year-old boy is a regular recurring gag. Suddenly, this adaptation of a skeevy ecchi manga has to be The Most Meaningful Thing Ever or we’ll feel like the terrorists won. And on top of all that, it has to carry that weight without the help of season 1 director Yasuhiro Takemoto, who died in the attack. KyoAni had to live up to all those expectatios while also carrying on a dead man’s vision as respectfully as possible. Would you want to be in that position? Cause I sure as hell wouldn’t.

If it seems like I’m spending more time talking about the context of this show’s existence than the show itself, well, you’re not wrong. The fact is, the circumstances into which Dragon Maid S has released color it in ways that go beyond any notion of objective quality. We were so starved for Kyoto Animation’s return that whatever show they first released after the attack was going to be a phenomenon whether it was designed to be or not. They could’ve released the second season of fucking Phantom World and we’d just be grateful that they were back at all. Who would have the heart to criticize, however well-deserved such criticism might be, when we should just be happy for the return of the one and only KyoAni? Still pumping out high-quality animation that puts everyone else to shame, with genuinely great working conditions that foster healthy business practice and artistic brilliance alike? The shining representative of anime at its absolute best, shaking off the impossible tragedy it’s endured and proving that it’s still here to deliver on that promise for many years to come? Under those circumstances, I don’t think any show would be given proper scrutiny. You’d feel like an asshole for doing so.

Well, I’m gonna be that asshole. Because as fucking amazing as it is to see KyoAni back on their feet, there are two glaring problems that keep Dragon Maid’s second season from being as good as its first.

The first problem is a bit more intangible, which makes it harder to describe. Simply put, though, it feels like Dragon Maid S is leaning harder on the slapstick comedy than it should. The first season struck an extremely careful balance between goofy antics and more subdued, contemplative slice-of-life moments. Its best moments came not from the absurd fight scenes and jiggling gazongas, but from the sense of family and comfort instilled by Kobayashi and Tohru’s extended community of humans and dragons. It took time to show the realities of mundane life, the quiet moments of connection between people that made you care about them. The second season, in contrast, feels like it’s trying too hard to be Nichijou at points. The gags are almost too fast, the pacing too abrupt, the absurdity too ramped up at the expense of those quiet moments. Yeah, the sheer spectacle of this season’s battles is second to none (seriously, KyoAni, do another action show already), but none of these crazy sakuga-fests hold a candle to ten straight minutes of Kobayashi and Kanna just walking down the streets and seeing what surprises lie around the corner. That’s where Dragon Maid’s heart lies, and it feels like those moments are fewer and farther between than they should be.

The second problem is Ilulu.

Here’s the thing: as a show, Dragon Maid has always struggled to escape its origins as a fetish manga. There is no escaping that fact. Lucoa and Shota’s scenes, all the uncomfortable fanservice, they were as much a part of Dragon Maid’s first season as the working-adult lesbians finding comfort with each other. And much like with K-On, everything that makes this show great is a result of KyoAni fighting as hard as possible to escape its source material’s worst instincts. So Ilulu existing isn’t some unexpected descent into trash. This has always been a part of this show’s DNA, as much as I wish it weren’t. But Ilulu is by far the most blatant and unavoidable example of Dragon Maid’s pervier side yet. Even putting aside the fact she looks like someone superglued two watermelons onto the chest of a ten-year-old, the show can’t decide whether it wants her to be an innocent child in need of guidance or a sexually mature adults who wants to bang Kobayashi. It tries to split the difference by casting her as a disaffected teenager caught between both worlds, but it’s pretty obvious that’s only an excuse. She’s a big-tittied loli who’s simultaneously sexualized and infantilized, and while her character does eventually settle into a comfortable groove as the season goes on, it’s rough going getting there.

And then there’s that one joke. If you’ve seen this season already, you know which joke I’m talking about. The moment in episode two where Ilulu curses Kobayashi and makes her grow a dick. This is, without question, the single most repulsive sequence in the entire show. Not because “ew dicks are nasty,” but because in the space of six minutes, this extended gag implies:

1) Men are biologically inclined to lust after women and must keep their hormones in check to avoid assaulting them,

2) Women with penises are actually men, and

3) Having a penis makes you sexually attracted to little girls.

This scene lasts for less than half an episode. It’s never brought up again after it’s over, and it has no bearing on any future character beats or jokes. You could potentially watch this season and completely skip over this bit, that’s how little impact it has. But its mere presence is such a cancer that it casts a pall over everything else. It’s impossible to think of this season and not think about this one singular, awful moment, and everything it says about the author’s priorities. A better adaptation would have exorcised it entirely and created a version of the story that didn’t feel tainted with its presence. KyoAni has never been afraid to make extreme adaptational changes in order to make a story better; they absolutely could have done so here. But they didn’t, and now we have to live in a world where the definitive version of Dragon Maid contains one of the worst scenes I’ve seen in an otherwise good anime in a very long time. I couldn’t blame anyone for dropping this show based on this one scene alone.

And that’s a tragedy, because it means this one scene could keep people from experiencing what’s still one of the loveliest anime out there.

Yes, when all is said and done, for all the complaints I could make, I still loved Dragon Maid S. Even if it wasn’t as good, even if I had to put up with more bullshit than usual, this is still the same show I fell in love with. It’s still a fascinating portrayal of domestic life between two very different people. It’s still a beautiful expression of community and found family, even among the most unlikely bedfellows. It’s still got some of the brightest, most expressive animation ever, exploding with color and life and lush, lived-in beauty. It’s still so overwhelmingly gay it might just stop my heart. And honestly, that alone makes me happy people are cheering its return. Right now, the most celebrated show in the anime community, the show that has everyone has been overwhelmed with joy to see come back, is a show about women who love other women, navigating all the complexities that come from sharing your life with someone else and grappling with extended metaphors for conservative ignorance and hatred. This is the show being heralded as the return of the king, and it’s returned with all the polish, bombast, and effort you could ever wish for.

So in the end, I don’t think we have to be blind to something’s faults to celebrate its existence. We can still critique and complain and push for something to be better, even as we celebrate having it at all. Seeing the faults doesn’t take away from how overjoyed I am to see my favorite anime studio back on top, shooting for the stars all over again. The fact that Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is something that so many people care about so much, from the audience to the people making it, makes me happy. This show existing makes me happy. And I’ll continue to celebrate its existence with the rest of you, even if I have to keep eating around the bad spots to enjoy it. So with all that said and done, I give Dragon Maid’s second season a score of:

7.5/10

Welcome back, KyoAni. I can’t wait to see what you’ve got in store next.

#anime #the anime binge-watcher #tabw #Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid #kobayashi san chi no maid dragon #Kyoto Animation #KyoAni

[werfrgy]

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[wannabepygmalion]

30 factoids let’s gooo

( i just felt like doing these for fun... seeing briar do it + the ask memes got me thinking and i had the urge lmao )

1. His favorite Sanrio character is Cinnamoroll!! Also a fan of Marumofubiyori and Pompompurin.

2. Domino enjoys some music from pretty much any genre, but his favorite music usually is of the pop rock-pop punk-rock umbrella of sounds. He likes music that you could shout along to for Emotional Release (even though he will not actually do the shouting. he just still likes that vibe). 

3. He likes Animal Crossing. Probably doesn’t care too much about having a super finished and decorated island, but I imagine he tends to drift towards fall/autumn aesthetics and cottagecore vibes for what he does do… I think some of his favorite villagers would include Sylvana, Marshal, Teddy, Patty, Chief, Benjamin, Anabelle, Eunice, Shep, Hazel… he likes most of the Sanrio villagers too.

4. His favorite season is autumn, unsurprisingly.

5. Domino really likes dyeing his hair! He likes the sensation of looking in the mirror afterwards and his reflection feeling Different. 

6. He’s just so into art and art history. Once you get him to open up and he doesn’t feel like he’s annoying you, he will happily talk your ear off about (checks watch) the Corinthian order of Ancient Greek architecture. 

7. Also he does enjoy himself a little K-pop. He’s not super, super into it, but he has some groups he follows. Likes some songs he comes across. This is largely because I like to think about what kind of idols he’d bias since I”m so into it. I would name some groups he’d like, but I doubt any of them would still be around by 2030--

8. Growing up, his family never had any pets! Too busy. I think, honestly, Domino’s maybe never lived in a household that had pets, only met other people’s briefly. He would enjoy having a pet someday, but right now he doesn’t feel stable enough or like his life situation is good for a pet.

9. He has a couple fake succulents in his bedroom. He is currently too nervous that he’ll accidentally kill one and feel awful about it to try looking after a real plant.

10. His roommate’s name is Atlas! Atlas is a Twitch streamer who’s been getting more popular recently due to Minecraft roleplay, and is also a musician. Atlas’ online handle is Bird; his real identity is not public information.

11. Which. Yes, Domino has played Minecraft. But only on creative mode. He thinks it’s fun to build when his brain needs to chill, not really here for combat and all that.

12. He has a tattoo of a larkspur flower on one of his forearms; he got this pretty recently! Within the last 3 months or so.

13. He is banned from every Jamba Juice. If you ask him about this, he will either avoid it or tell you a different story every time.

14. Domino is actually really good at drawing as well as sculpting, but he heavily prefers sculpting. He’s been drawing for longer, but, when he first tried sculpting, something about it just clicked with him that he’d never experienced prior. 

15. He doesn’t drink alcohol, nor does he consume caffeine!

16. Atlas is also a faceless streamer -- his audience doesn’t know Domino exists beyond Atlas mentioning he has a roommate. Domino would like to keep it that way as much as possible.

17. He’s not a big spender… a good chunk of the money he earns from working goes to general life expenses -- rent, groceries, etc. He is not rich by any means. Money that’s leftover gets put away for when he needs to buy more art supplies; he spent a hot minute saving up for his tattoo since he wanted it to be nice.

18. Domino has an Instagram, but he doesn’t really do the “social” aspect of it. He just uses it more like a portfolio to post his work. Doesn’t respond to comments or anything, doesn’t look at it otherwise.

19. In general, he kinda avoids social media besides, like. Youtube and Twitch, and even then, he’s a diehard lurker for everything. He has spent some time browsing R/ddit, though, because it’s a decent place to see people talking about extremely specific experiences. Been on some specific forums too. Sometimes stuff like that makes him feel more validated and shit. Only valid R/dditor on the planet, etc. He absorbs other internet culture via osmosis from Atlas anyway.

20. He doesn’t drive! He still has a license for the sake of having a valid ID, but doesn’t drive with it. Doesn’t even have a car.

21. He has an older brother, who’s an engineer. He’s a couple years older and is off married somewhere else having an extremely normal life. Domino is estranged from his brother and has never met said brother’s wife. Probably didn’t even go to their wedding, honestly.

22. Domino doesn’t do commission work! He just kinda… does things at his own pace, then displays and eventually sells his work when it’s done.

23. The agent Domino works with is an older woman who works at a local art gallery that kinda took him under her wing. For obvious reasons. I mean, look at him. Her name is Veronica McCoy. Yes, I just took two names from Riverdale and slapped them together.

24. He doesn’t believe in soulmates! Or love at first sight, for that matter.

25. Domino’s usual typing style is actually a lot more laid back and casual -- no capitals, more prone to shortening words, etc. However, he types a lot more formally when it’s appropriate and/or he’s not comfortable with everyone in the convo. Similarly, he’ll loosen up a little in-person as he grows more at ease with you. To no one’s surprise, he will not give anyone nicknames unless they tell him to call them something else… he doesn’t want to offend.

26. Yes, he can and will swear if he’s comfortable with you. Yes, Domino can and will say ‘fuck’ -- though, he doesn’t throw it around constantly like some of my other characters. 

27. Domino has read a translation of all of Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses.’ He loves that shit.

28. I think cows are one of his favorite animals… he just thinks they’re cute and have very sweet faces. He never wants to touch T/kTok (or its future equivalent) with a 10-foot pole, but he would be very pleased if you sent him videos of cute animals. Curated content with none of the stress.

29. When very focused working on something, he tends to stick his tongue out. :P

30. Some plants I would associate with him include: cyclamen, columbine, and meadow saffron!

#ooc ; #domino factoids ;

[strawberrysteven]

i've been thinking about this ever since watcher released a 30 minute video about what happened on hwyd. watcher is one of the first companies i've seen that doesn't prioritize profit over everything else.

in a late-stage capitalist society, there is a pressure to monetize or capitalize on everything. the day jobs we have is not enough, we need to sell our art, writing, crafts, etc. we are told that if we aren't productive, if we aren't working our way to earn money, we aren't useful or contributing to society.

this is where media companies come in: they are here to make a profit first, make content second. they mostly care about their statistics and analytics and what makes a video go viral (see: buzzfeed, conde nas conglomerate, even most popular 'individual' youtubers nowadays). yes they can make meaningful content, but they care more about virality and money.

watcher doesn't prioritize profits or virality or statistics. if they wanted money they would've created shitty meaningless but viral content. stuff that's easy to create and easy to go viral, basically easy money. in ep 1 of making watcher, steven himself said that "success here is defined by the culture we built." another tumblr post i read back then during the early days of the comapany, mostly about video statistics and whatnot, mentioned that both steven and katie said that numbers and statistics aren't all that defined the success of a video or show. i think the fact that watcher creates meaningful content, and cares about creating meaningful content is just amazing? impressive? heartwarming? wonderful?

watcher cares. and it's not performative in any way possible. they support the lgbt+ community, they support poc communities, they support blm and it can truly be seen. you can put concrete actions to their words unlike most influencers today. steven creates meaningul asian-american content through food. shane creates a show of historical events that should be talked about and a show about exploring lesser-known locations in california. hell, two of watcher's seven pilot shows are interview shows. these interviews aren't generic shit like you see in tv shows, they go in-depth about the interviewee and their life (zach's ankylosing spondilitis, megan lee's unique career in media, etc). ryan and steven have done well in these interview shows. hell, homemade, a show that has half the views of puppet history (and other watcher shows) and is a long way from reaching 1m views, has a season 2 outlined and ready to film. yes it's profitable, but if it was any other media company it wouldn't have seen a renewal for season 2 for a long time. the numbers of homemade s1 are just half of it's success, the other half is its reception, which is positive. watcher cares and they show it.

in a world where capitalism is slowly destroying society, i think watcher, a company, that prioritizes creating meaningful content over profits, is something we need. knowing this, i can stan watcher proudly knowing that they don't care only about the numbers, but the community as well.

tl;dr watcher is the first company i've seen that cares about creating meaningful content instead of profit, it shows, and it's wonderful.

#watcher #steven lim #shane madej #ryan bergara #wearewatcher #tian rambles #im so glad i chose to stan watcher instead of whatever other influencer

[resultshare5]

Why a win against No. 5 Iowa would be Maryland soccer’s greatest in more than a decade

When Maryland football instruct Mike Locksley was asked Tuesday in regards to the have an effect on a victory over No. 5 Iowa would have on his application, he stated with out hesitation that the Terps are only taking issues one day at a time. “We aren’t even there yet, to be honest,” Locksley stated. “We don’t talk an awful lot about successful around here. We center of attention extra on Monday via Friday, making certain that we have a winning routine. What happens on game day, we can cope with and reside with these effects.” Locksley and the Terps may not admit it, however Friday evening’s matchup against the Hawkeyes at Capital One container is the application’s greatest game given that he took over as head train in 2019. Maryland is four-0 for the first time in 5 years and will be in search of its first 5-0 delivery on the grounds that 2001 when it received the Atlantic Coast convention, performed Florida within the Orange Bowl and went 10-2 to finish ranked No. 11 within the nation. After the Terps defeated Kent State, 37-sixteen, on Saturday, they inched closer to the associated Press proper 25 ballot, unofficially rating twenty seventh with ninety one votes. A victory over undefeated Iowa would not handiest provide Maryland its first win over a proper-10 group due to the fact doing so twice in 2007, however the software might get hold of its highest rating in well-nigh two many years. “definitely, we hear the buzz,” senior wide receiver Brian Cobbs stated. “but all in all, we’re just attempting to position the most efficient product on the container. That stuff will deal with itself.” When Maryland defeated No. eight Boston school, 42-35, on Nov. 10, 2007, the Terps were nonetheless within the ACC, actor Tobey Maguire changed into still Spider-Man, the first iPhone had just been released and J.ok. Rowling had lately posted “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the last novel of her iconic ebook sequence. Former Maryland linebacker Hakeem Sule remembers college Park being electric powered after the Terps beat the Eagles. Maryland snapped a 3-online game losing streak, and students stormed the field in jubilation. “[It was] an opportunity for us to place the college of Maryland on the map and show the conference and the nation that we were a tough team and we performed with significant delight,” said Sule, who now coaches at McDonogh in Owings Mills. “I are expecting that from this Terps group. this is a greater talented crew than we played on.” considering the fact that becoming a member of the large Ten, Maryland has only played three domestic games in opposition t a good-10 opponent. Maryland turned into routed through No. 6 Ohio State, 62-three, in 2016, the same season the Terps all started 4-0. A yr later, No. 10 Penn State beaten Maryland, sixty six-three. In 2018, Maryland suffered a heartbreaking 52-51 loss to No. 9 Ohio State in additional time. “I consider adore it’s a huge opportunity for our program,” junior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa stated. “at the end of the day, train [Locksley] all the time talks about simply conserving the main factor, the leading component, and that’s simply focusing one day at a time.” in the Locksley era, Maryland has had few opportunities like Friday’s video game. In 2019, the Terps defeated No. 21 Syracuse at domestic, sixty three-20, and took the Orange’s spot within the appropriate 25. There’s additionally the Penn State online game in 2019, which had an analogous build-as much as the upcoming Iowa matchup. It became a Friday night, the stadium did a blackout and the Terps, who have been 2-1, may’ve cracked the precise 25 if they defeated the Nittany Lions, who were ranked No. 15 at the time. Maryland changed into embarrassed, 59-0, a outcome the application doesn’t wish to replicate towards the Hawkeyes. “That online game is in the past,” junior punter Anthony Pecorella stated. “identical to Howard is during the past, Illinois during the past, and West Virginia is in the past. It’s a brand new week, it’s a brand new video game.” For lovers who might possibly be seeing flashbacks from the Penn State loss, there should still be optimism for a special effect against the Hawkeyes. The Terps, who are 3 ½-point underdogs, have a good-5 offense and protection in the huge Ten. The Terps’ defensive line has been one of the vital best in the nation, wearing the fifth-finest sack complete (sixteen). they've a dynamic receiving group led by using sophomore receiver Rakim Jarrett and senior Dontay Demus Jr., who've combined for 711 receiving yards, the 2d-most through any flow-catching duo amongst power 5 convention teams. The largest difference, despite the fact, is the quarterback place. Tagovailoa, the brother of former Alabama big name and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, is the second optimum graded quarterback within the nation, in response to professional football focal point. He ranks suitable 10 nationally in passing yards (1,340), touchdowns (10), completion expense (75.5%) and passing yards per video game (335). Tagovailoa has been regarded a Heisman Trophy candidate with the aid of former winner and Ravens quarterback Robert Griffin III, and is on pace to damage Scott Milanovich’s faculty record of three,499 passing yards in 1993. “If we let [Tagovailoa] backyard the pocket, it’s a bit dangerous,” Iowa educate Kirk Ferentz observed. “It’s astonishing how easy he gets out of there and also searching down the field. That’s a predicament for any shielding participant.” If Tagovailoa wants to legitimize the Heisman narrative, Friday should be an ideal probability. Iowa will be the top-quality defense Tagovailoa has confronted up up to now this season. The Hawkeyes have held opponents to eleven points per online game and have a conference-surest six interceptions. Iowa’s Matt Hankins is the 2d-maximum graded cornerback, based on professional soccer center of attention, while Riley Moss is the eleventh optimum rated cornerback. Hankins and Moss each and every have two interceptions this season. “Iowa is without doubt one of the exact defenses in the nation,” Locksley mentioned. “They do a very good job of producing turnovers within the secondary with their corners. they've a proficient team throughout the board. an excellent probability for the Terps here at home.” Cobbs referred to priorities get out of line and intellectual errors ensue in case you make a video game bigger than it has to be. Maryland has completed its superior to keep away from the narrative with the hope of enjoying its second in the countrywide highlight Friday evening. “Being that it's a Friday evening online game, we haven’t had those opportunities considering that excessive faculty, for those who believe lower back to it,” Cobbs observed. tv: Fox activities 1 Radio: 105.7 FM 먹튀검증

#먹튀검증

[coppicefics]

Masked Omens: Week Seven, Part One

[Image Description: Image 1 - A simple rendition of the Masked Singer UK logo, a golden mask with colourful fragments flying off of it. The mask has a golden halo and a golden devil tail protruding from either side. Below, gold text reads ‘Masked Omens’.

Image 2 - A page from the Entertainment section of the Capital Herald, dated 6th February 2021. Full image description and transcript below the cut. End ID.]

Read the fic here! All news stories and events are entirely fictional; real names of people (with the exception of image attributions) and places are used only for context. No affiliation is implied, and no disrespect is intended by the use of their names in this work of fiction.

[EDIT: With thanks to HolRose/@hasturswig for spotting that I had overlooked the sad passing of John Noakes, who originally appeared on this page!]

The Capital Herald - Saturday, 6th February 2021 Entertainment, page 15

Top left: Grasswater redo rumoured Will anybody tackle the ‘cursed’ adaptation? [Image Description: The ‘w’ in ‘Grasswater, ‘h’ in ‘the’, and ‘o’ in ‘adaptation’ in the above headline have been circled in pencil. End ID.] It's been nearly a decade and a half since the critically-acclaimed adaptation of Sir Thomas Parsett's The Grasswater Affair flopped into cinemas, and rumours are once again circulating about a possible reboot. The first attempt at transferring Parsett's magnum opus to the big screen was released in 2009 after a series of setbacks to the production process. Among the calamities that befell the set were a fire in the wardrobe department, an overdose requiring producers to recast the lead role of Fabian, and a bout of food poisoning that halted filming for over a week. There were whispers, among the more superstitious, that the film was cursed. By the time The Grasswater Affair was finally released, the delay had whipped the original book's fans into a frenzy of anticipation, and excitement over the forthcoming film actually pushed the 19th-century novel into the bestseller lists for the first time in the weeks before the release. Early reviews were promising, and the good press only fed the hype machine. But the crowds that packed into cinemas to watch it emerged disappointed; while the reasons they gave for their disappointment varied wildly, everybody from casual viewers to die-hard book lovers seemed to find it lacking in some aspect or another. It deviated too far from the source text, while adhering precisely to the minor details that didn't matter; it featured a young actor fresh out of drama school, rather than the promised household name; it lingered too long on shots of the actresses' bosoms, and the key object that proved key to the plot was left entirely out of focus in the background of a crucial early scene. While, naturally, some audience members enjoyed it in its own right, it never became either a blockbuster hit or a cult classic, and it still boasts a lowly 2.9 stars on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) and 24% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This being the case, it might be hard to understand why rumours continue to circulate about a revival of The Grasswater Affair, or what might make this time different from the many, many other occasions when such a story has surfaced on the internet. The first question is easily answered by a look at the thriving community of Parsett fans who adore the original novel – and, indeed, the rest of the series The Grasswater Affair is part of. Following first Fabian, and then various other heroes, through a sort of alternative 19th century underpinned by magic and other fantasy tropes, it's been hailed as a masterpiece – and it's aged surprisingly well despite the shift in society's views and tolerances since its publication. The first novel sees Fabian locked in a battle of wits with his somewhat older rival, Rafferty, as they seek to make their fortunes in a society rife with danger and – worse – scandal. As for the second question, the recent rumours have an extra ring of truth to them thanks to the attachment of an actual name – writer-turned-showrunner Noel Garmin is said to be in talks about the project. Having adapted several of his own books for the small screen, could he now be turning his famed respect for written source material to a film or series based on Parsett's masterpiece? If he does, book fans can expect to be very pleased with the result. Garmin was asked about his upcoming projects at a recent convention panel, and his answer, while enigmatic, seemed promising.“Well, I've got to write some books, at some point! But I do also want to work on some more TV, it's a fascinating way of telling a story and it's still quite new and exciting for me. Perhaps I could tell one of my favourite stories, one that I didn't originally write. I'm actually talking to some people... We'll have to see. Hopefully I'll have news for you soon.” Hopefully you will, Noel. Hopefully you will. CITRON DEUX-CHEVAL Top right: Summer’s operatic offerings Last of Glyndebourne festival announcements [Image Description: The apostrophe and ‘s’ of ‘summer’s’ and the ‘t’ of ‘operatic’ in the above headline are circled in pencil. Below the headline is a short, wide picture of a theatre auditorium with red curtains. Small text over the bottom of the picture reads ‘Photo: Gabriel Varaljay | Unsplash’. End ID.] Opera fans are in for a treat this summer, as Puccini's Turandot returns to Glyndebourne Opera House. The venue in Lewes is renowned as the home of great opera, and Turandot is a favourite no matter where it's performed, so this combination of the two is a perfect match. Throw in popular young tenor Jeremy Wensleydale – most recently seen on ITV's The Masked Singer - performing the role of Calaf, and it's a performance guaranteed to impress. The play follows Calaf as he sets out to win the hand of the titular princess. Each suitor is asked three riddles, and failure means instant death. But answering three riddles is not enough to win the heart of Princess Turandot, and Calaf strikes a desperate bargain; if she can guess his true name by daybreak, she may put him to death regardless. If she fails, the marriage goes ahead. It's an interesting method of courting, to be sure, but the opera has enchanted and delighted audiences for many years now. And, if nothing else, who can resist an opportunity to hear 'Nessun Dorma' live? Glyndebourne members can book tickets now for dates between 25th May and 22nd June; remaining tickets will be available from the 18th of April. Turandot is the latest title to be announced by the opera house and completes their summer season's line-up. There will also be performances of Cosi Fan Tutte, Tristan and Isolde, Il Turco in Italia, and an array of concerts and other events. The Glyndebourne Summer Festival is always a highlight of the arts scene in the middle of the year, but there are events all year round. Currently, the opera house is a stopping-point for a touring production of Romeo & Juliet, which has already passed through the Chichester Festival Theatre and will then go on to Colchester, Ipswich, Cambridge, Sheffield, Manchester and Leeds. The show is a daring new interpretation of the age-old Shakespearean tragedy, fusing music and dance with the familiar story, and a full review will appear in the Capital Herald on Thursday. From the middle of February, Romeo & Juliet will be replaced at Glyndebourne with a more traditional #approach to La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi. The music of La Traviata may be familiar, even to audiences unfamiliar with the story, as it was rather liberally plundered for inspiration by Donato Lovreglio in 1865. Of course, that does assume a familiarity with Lovreglio - but if you find yourself humming along during your first attendance, that might very well be why. Incidentally, for more opera and classical music trivia, you might find my recent book, Inside Opera, worth a read - especially if you need to brush up on your cultured conversation points before you visit the opera house this summer. EDWARD BIGGS Inside Opera, by Edward Biggs, is published by Byker Press and is available now in all good bookshops. #Hardback RRP ￡9.99/€11.99.

Centre left: Capital Herald scoops NMA Star-studded ceremony honours news greats [Image Description: The ‘H’ of ‘Herald’, ‘A’ of ‘NMA’, and ‘t’ of ‘star’ in the above headline are circled in pencil.] The 2021 News Media Award ceremony took place on Thursday evening at a glamorous event held in the Mayfair Room at the Connaught Hotel, Mayfair. While many of the attendees are more used to operating the cameras than parading in front of them, they rose to the occasion with great aplomb, rubbing shoulders on the red carpet with some of the most famous entertainers in the UK who'd come to add their own special touches to the ceremony. It will come as no surprise to learn that Trevor McDonald, Natasha Kaplinsky, and Naga Munchetty were in attendance, as were Tom Bradby and Dan Walker. But the attendee who really got heads turning was Carmine Zugiber, notorious for attending very few events on UK soil. Although she's normally out in the field, she's been based in London for the last couple of months, covering the political beat for News World Weekly in Uriel Scrolle's absence, and it seems she couldn't resist the opportunity to collect her awards for Best Combat Coverage and Outstanding Field Reporting in person. Wearing a glamorous Ligur gown in striking red to match her hair, she paused on the red carpet to exchange words with some of those less fortunate reporters covering the event. “I don't know what to do with myself, with nobody shooting at me!” Zugiber joked. “Where's my bulletproof jacket?” The ceremony featured a performance of 'Messy (If I Want To Be)' by rapper P-White, who also presented an award for Entertainment Columnist of the Year to the Capital Herald's very own Citron Deux-Cheval. Another of the Capital Herald's staff writers, Edward Biggs, was nominated in the category of News-Adjacent Achievement for his 2020 trivia book, That Guy From That Thing. While the award, presented by Dame Angela Crowley, eventually went to News World Weekly's Donald Eath for High Score: A Study in Arcade Machines, Edward did get a chance to meet Dame Angela and exchange a few words. “She said I shouldn't feel discouraged, as she didn't win anything at her first awards ceremony either – and she wished me every success with my new book, which has just come out,” said Biggs of the star. “Hopefully, next year, I'll be bringing home a trophy too.” At the end of the night, as the winners and losers drifted home, the presses were already roaring into action to print the morning's papers. The news never stops; there was precious little time for the winners to enjoy the warm glow of appreciation, and no time at all for the less successful nominees to lament their losses. But at the end of the day, the whole industry could sleep safe in the knowledge that the work we do is valuable, and valued. MARY HODGES

Bottom left: Blue Peter garden party ‘22 Celebrating 10 years in show’s new location [Image description: The ‘B’ and ‘e’ of ‘Blue’ and the ‘h’ of ‘show’ in the above headline are circled in pencil. End ID.] The BBC has announced that it will be holding a party for former Blue Peter presenters, guests, and viewers in 2022. Held in the Blue Peter garden in Salford to celebrate ten years since it was relocated from London, the party is expected to provide an opportunity for Blue Peter presenters, past and present, to mingle and let their hair down, as well as catching up with some of the guests who've appeared on the show over the years. Former presenters such as Adam Young, Katy Hill, Radzi Chinyanganya, Anthea Turner, Gethin Jones, Pat Maputi, Yvette Fielding and Konnie Huq can expect an invite, of course, as can the current team of Lindsey Russell, Richie Driss, Mwaka Mudenda, and Adam Beales. But the former guests are an even more varied bunch; everyone from Idina Menzel and Sir Chris Hoy to McFly and Tim Peake could be invited, to say nothing of the hundreds of farmers, bakers, teachers, parents, and kids who've taken part in the show. While the party is quite a long way off yet, the BBC are already hard at work figuring out a lottery system that will allow them to give every viewer an equal chance to be invited to the party. Register your interest now on the Blue Peter website to make sure you don't miss out. SARAH JEUNE Ad, bottom right: [Image Description: A black background with a dark-grey crown resting on it. There are smudges of a lighter colour on the background. Above the crown, graffiti-style text reads ‘P-White’. Below it, written as if in chalk, are the words ‘Chalkdust tour’, underlined as if in chalk. Beneath it, a red bar reading ‘New dates added’ covers the words ‘Sold out’. Below that is the web address ‘www.chalkdust-tour.com’. Tiny writing in the bottom right hand corner reads ‘Photo: Zach Angelo for ProChurchMedia | Unsplash’. End ID.]

[End of transcript]

#very much fake news #masked omens #masked omens week seven p1 #good omens fic #mine