"Stay away from my basket!” A video of pandas' daily life in a breeding base in Sichuan has amused thousands of netizens. Check out the video to find out who the "trouble makers" are when the staff cleaned the pandas' house...(Read...)

With Suicide Squad set to flesh out the grimier and goofier aspects of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) on August 5^th this year, the onscreen version of Harley Quinn is already capturing the hearts of fans and now Warner Bros is in talks to develop a spin-off starring the venerable vixen herself.

Played by Margot Robbie (The Wolf Of Wall Street) in the upcoming Suicide Squad, The Hollywood Reporter states that she spear-headed the effort herself, hiring a as-of-now-unnamed female screenwriter to pitch it to execs. The other piece of information is that the film will also feature female heroes from DC as well, possibly including Batgirl (Jenna Malone’s role is being reinstated in the upcoming Director’s Cut of Batman V Superman fyi) and Birds of Prey (a typically all-female superhero team-up that has included Black Canary, Huntress, and Lady Blackhawk to name a few). Harley Quinn debuted in Batman: The Animated Series as the sassy and deranged on again/off again partner to the The Joker (Puddin’) and has gone on to become integral in the comics, video games, and more.

There are no concrete details or official announcements yet, but with Wonder Woman landing June 2^nd, 2017 and this film now on the table, could DC and Warner Bros beat Marvel to the punch when it comes to representing female heroes (and anti-heroes) on the big screen in their films? In other words, where’s my Black Widow movie? I’m excited to see this story develop.

Are you excited at the prospect of a Harley Quinn solo movie? Let us know in the comments below what female super heroes you’d like to see in the film as well and what storylines from the comics you’d like to see happen!

header image by Warner Bros

Whether you’re Tolkien obsessed, a casual Lord of the Rings fan, or even if you’ve only seen the films a handful of times, you’re bound to have heard, and possibly participated in, the debate regarding the Great Eagles of Manwë and their role in Frodo’s story.

Why didn’t the Eagles just fly over Mordor and drop the One Ring into Mount Doom? Why was Gandalf forced to send a young hobbit towards certain death in order to defeat Sauron and his evil forces? In any case, there wouldn’t be a story if these theories were at all possible (deus ex machina, anyone?), but alongside that fairly obvious point, there is proof in Tolkien’s many writings on Middle Earth that disprove any of these ideas as being successful.

Gandalf can’t just ask the Eagles for help all the time

As one of the Istari (powerful wizarding servants of the Valar), Gandalf had an understanding with the Eagles, also sent from Valinor, that they were all on the same side. Both Gandalf and Gwaihir, descendant of the greatest Eagle to ever live, were delivered to the lands of Middle Earth, but neither were greater or more kingly than the other. This presents a gaping hole in the argument that Gandalf could’ve simply asked the Eagles to carry the One Ring to Mordor, as the Eagles are not under Gandalf’s umbrella, nor are they a taxi service to the Istari.

Yes, the Eagles do help sometimes, but it’s up to them

Gandalf the Grey had saved Gwaihir the Windlord from a poisoned arrow, thus creating a lifelong friendship and bond between the two. It wouldn’t have been kind or respectable for Gwaihir to ignore Gandalf’s plea for aid in The Hobbit, and these Eagles are as proud and proper as they come. But, this does not mean that the Eagles would swoop in for just any of Gandalf’s requests. Again, they do not directly serve anyone but the Valar.

We also see Gwaihir swoop in and save Gandalf from Saruman’s clutch in The Fellowship of the Ring, but this is yet another situation in which aiding an Istari was of little to no consequence for a Great Eagle, different from putting themselves in great danger by flying above Orcish grounds and into Mordor. The Eagles are blessed, but not indestructible.

Gwaihir physically cannot drop the One Ring into the fires himself

The Eagles of the Valar are huge, and that’s an understatement. Not only would their flight above Mount Doom cause a stir in Sauron’s forces, but there is no physical way for Gwaihir to drop the One Ring precisely into the Cracks of Doom. Not just into the fires of Mount Doom, you see, but in the exact spot in the mountain where the One Ring was forged. Someone must enter the mountain itself, approach this exact volcanic fissure, and throw the ring into the fires there.

Many spies have many eyes

Small and quiet, yet adventurous and loyal, hobbits were the perfect choice for sending out on this treacherous journey. Though spies of the enemy knew of Frodo’s quest, the focus of forces from Isengard and Mordor was split as they fought against Rohan and Gondor, thus leaving Frodo and Sam to follow a path by which they could move along mostly unseen.

Even if one of the Eagles had carried Frodo or Gandalf on their back with the purpose of entering the mountain, Sauron’s spies would be able to spot them at just about any moment, and attack. There’s no hiding when you’re an Eagle of the Valar and are flying straight into the mouth of evil.

The One Ring is too powerful for the already powerful to possess

We’ve seen Valar-blessed beings in the presence of the One Ring, and we’ve witnessed their sinister reactions to the power they could hold if they were to take the One Ring for themselves. An enormously important factor in having a hobbit carry the ring was to take advantage of their goodness, and hope that they would make it to Mordor before the ring-sickness set in.

What is your stance on the Eagles argument? Do you still think they should’ve tried to deliver the One Ring, disregarding deus ex machina, or do you have another angle on why it makes sense that they didn’t? Let’s talk in the comments below.

Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros.

Traditional walnut leaf singing. Blowing on a walnut leaf between the lips...(Read...)

British opera singer Nick Allen gives an impromptu performance in Antarctica to an unusual audience...(Read...)

A skydiving team finally figured out the best way for muggles to play Quidditch...(Read...)

In the village of Yeli, China, two men have formed an unlikely team to improve their community. Sixteen years ago, Jia Haixia lost his eyesight. His best friend, Jia Wenqi, lost his arms as a child. Together, the two have planted 10,000 trees around their village and have become an inseparable duo...(Read...)

"I just mixed the entire thing, thought it's hilarious. "..(Read...)

Instead of coming from a photograph, the woman in panel 2 and the guy in panel 4 were drawn from a program that allows artists to manipulate and pose 3D models of people. That’s why they’re both in unrealistically good shape. There was a way to make the characters heavier, but they didn’t gain weight realistically. (Turns out many people use the program in question to make computer generated erotica. We truly do live in the future!)

In the end, I decided using the program was only a good idea if I wanted the comic to be populated with abnormally attractive people.

Note from Missy: Abnormally attractive, and weirdly robotic. Though I think those programs have improved in the 9 years since this was done.  (So the erotica is … more realistic, I guess?)

 

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On Mother’s Day, we tell our Moms how much we love them but there are some things we don’t ever tell them, which is dishonest. So to break those barriers down, we went out on the street and asked people “What’s the biggest lie you ever told your Mother?” with their moms standing right next to them...(Read...)

Oh man, people were always on me to create a superhero persona for mullet boss, and I could never come up with an idea I liked for him. The One-Upsman would have been PERFECT!

 

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As always, thanks for using my Amazon Affiliate links (US, UK, Canada).

In honor of Mother's Day, Jimmy Kimmel asked Jimmy Kimmel Live staff members to read some of the real texts they have recently received from their moms."Mother’s Day is a chance to honor the women who gave us life, who love us, who leave us long voicemails and send us nonsensical texts."..(Read...)

***First off, spoilers for EVERYTHING Game of Thrones related. The books, the show, fan theories, you name it. You’ve been warned!***

 

OK! With that out of the way, let’s begin. This week’s episode of Game of Thrones–“Home”–was a big one indeed. Jon Snow finally, though not super surprisingly, came back from the dead, fulfilling a cliffhanger that book readers have had to live with since A Dance With Dragons was published in 2011. Jon Snow indeed is back in the land of the living, though in what form, is yet to be seen.

But, people who haven’t read the books may have not noticed just how important one other scene in the episode was: the moment we spent with Bran. There’s been a lot of discussion around the internet about what this scene might mean, but I wanted to take a second to break it all down for everybody here and explain just how important next week’s episode could be. If all goes as I (and many other) expect, it could be one of the biggest episodes to date.

This week, we learned that not only can Bran look into the past, but witnessed a vision where Bran saw that Hodor once could talk. Interesting, but not necessarily game-changing. But he also saw younger versions of his father, Ned, and his aunt Lyanna. It was a brief scene, and probably didn’t seem that important to most viewers.

But it is. In fact, it’s leading up to one of the biggest moments in the entire series.

I think there’s very good reason why G.R.R. Martin really wanted The Winds of Winter, the next book in the series, to be released before this season of the TV show. I also think it’s probably connected with why we didn’t see Bran at all last season: his entire story arc took a season off, and I’m guessing it was because what Bran is going to find out soon (potentially next episode) is one of the most important things in the entire span of the show. Martin was probably hoping to reveal both that, and the return of Jon, himself. So what’s so important? Three little letters.

R+L=J

For those unfamiliar with that little alphabetical equation, it’s a long-supported fan theory around Jon. Jon, of course, is the bastard son of Ned Stark. Or at least, that’s what we are told to believe. But it never made sense, did it? Honorable, sensible Ned, coming back with a bastard son? There was always something off about the whole idea.

That’s where R+L=J came in. The theory holds that Jon actually isn’t Ned’s kid, but is actually the son of Ned’s sister, Lyanna, and the late Rhaegar Targaryen. Rhaegar’s “abduction” of Lyanna led to Robert’s Rebellion, which, in turn, created the entire current political landscape of Westeros as we know it. Robert went to war for Lyanna, took the throne, and the Targaryen kingship was destroyed.

But what if Rhaegar didn’t really abduct Lyanna? What if they were actually in love with each other, and Lyanna went willing? Ned talks about the tournament at Harrenhal in one of his book chapters, and remembers how Rhaegar passed over his wife, Elia Martell (yup, of Dorne), to lay a flower on the lap of Lyanna, instead. There was something going on there, all right.

It’s also worth pointing out that the show added a scene: Ned told Jon all the way back in season one that he had something he would tell Jon when he returned. Yeah… like maybe who his real parents are. Of course this never happened. Ned died, so who else could possibly know Jon’s true parentage? (Yes, yes, there’s one possibility book readers know about, but the show doesn’t seem to be entertaining that idea). So how else would Jon, or any of the current main characters, find out this little secret? Did it die with Ned?

That’s where Bran and his seeing-into-the-past comes in. In the preview for next week’s episode we saw what looked to be the Tower of Joy. The Tower of Joy is where Ned (and a few others) rescued Lyanna, only to find her dying. We know that Ned promised her something (Ned reflected on this as he was locked up in King’s Landing) as she died, but we don’t know exactly what it was. Most seem to think that Lyanna made Ned promise to raise Jon as his own son, and to keep his Targaryen ancestry secret from Robert… else he meet with the same fate as the other Targaryen children that Robert was all too OK with murdering. And now Bran will be able to look back in time and be witness to exactly what that promise was, and find out the truth for himself.

If this is true, and is revealed next week, where does this leave everything else? It means that Dany isn’t the only Targaryen left, and it also means that Jon could have a claim to the Iron Throne, if he wanted it. It also means he could have a legitimate claim to Winterfell… something else he has always wanted. It fits into a bunch of other theories and speculations as well, most of which the show hasn’t really touched on, but it seems almost certain that the show is finally going to reveal and confirm at least one of them next week.

So, that little scene with Bran is actually leading to BIG, big things. The whole series is a song of fire and ice, remember, and now Jon will be literally made up of fire (Targaryen) and ice (Stark).

Like I said. Sure, Jon coming back was big. But keep a raven eye peeled during next week’s episode, because I think it’s about to get even bigger.

TL;DR? Check out Nerdist News’ run down of the theory:

What are your favorite Game of Thrones theories? Let us know in the comments below. 

Image Credit: hbo.com 

James Corden calls on Gwen Stefani to help him get to work, singing her classics along the way until they have to pick up two friends...(Read...)

Jimmy and Chris Evans compete in an icy twist on blackjack, where the loser of each round gets a pitcher of ice water funneled into their pants by the winner...(Read...)

Right now is the best time for fans hoping to have their favorite books adapted, but not on the big screen. Television allows for books to truly breathe and tell their tales without sacrificing character and atmosphere for the sake of plot and pacing. Television is in a golden era and the prestige formats (BBC’s mini-series format for shows like Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell or HBO’s limited season format for shows like Game Of Thrones or the upcoming Westworld) present filmmakers with numerous possibilities. Here are five classic books that are getting the small screen treatment that promise to delight in their full, unabridged glory.

Good Omens

Art by Blair Z

A collaboration for the ages between the late, great Terry Pratchett and the maestro of dark whimsy himself, Neil Gaiman, Good Omens follows an uptight Angel named Aziraphale and a slick demon named Crowley who have gotten a tad too comfortable with their lives on earth. When the End of Times is announced, they naturally have misgivings. Plus there’s the whole business with the anti-Christ being misplaced as a baby and growing up in a small English town out in the countryside, completely unaware that he is the spawn of Satan. This absurd tale of Revelations was going to be adapted to the silver screen in 2002 by Terry Gilliam (Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Brazil), but funding faltered. Flash forward to 2016 and Neil Gaiman himself is set to adapt the book into a six-part miniseries. No word yet on a network or release date, but casting the perfect actors for Aziraphale and Crowley is essential. Trust in Gaiman.

His Dark Materials

Art by Angela Rizza

Phillip Pullman’s atheist fantasy, His Dark Materials, explores the adventures of  young Oxford girl battling for her sentience and her soul across various dimensions. The first book, Northern Lights (The Golden Compass in the US), got the Lord Of The Rings-esque treatment in 2007. It seemed rather shortsighted in retrospect, but totally understandable considering everyone wanted to copy the colorful fantasy template. However, the other two adventures in the trilogy (The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass) proved a little too anti-religious for the likes of Hollywood and the sequels languished faster than Eragon. It was announced late last year that the BBC has commissioned writer Jack Thorne (Skins) to adapt His Dark Materials for television. Filming is set to begin this year. Here’s hoping Thorne can capture the myriad of tones and worlds that Phillip Pullman so brilliantly brought to life in those books. Hallelujah!

Dirk Gently

Art by Delaney Mamer

Douglas Adams, author of the seminal Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, also wrote a couple of wild detective novels following a man named Dirk Gently and his transcendental adventures in true Adams fashion. There was a television series on BBC a few years ago, but BBC America tapped Max Landis (Chronicle) to adapt the first book, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, into eight episodes. Samuel Barnett (The History Boys) will play the titular Dirk Gently while Elijah Wood (Lord Of The Rings) will play a new character invented by Landis, Gently’s assistant going by the name of Todd. Perhaps Wood’s character will help give the narrator’s voice a physical presence or maybe he’ll provide a foil for the slippery Dirk Gently. We will find out soon enough when the series premieres this fall.

A Series Of Unfortunate Events

Art by Megan Fisher

Fans of A Series Of Unfortunate Events were stoked when this trailer popped online last year. Netflix has claimed no affiliation with the teaser, but they are indeed adapting the suburban gothic series for the small screen this year in the form of eight episodes. The books follow the misadventures of three orphans (Violet, Klaus, and Sunny) as they try and survive the evil machinations of their nefarious relative, Count Olaf, and his attempts to steal their inheritance money. Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) is set to play Count Olaf and Patrick Warburton (The Venture Bros) will play the narrator/author of the books, Lemony Snicket. Director Barry Sonnefeld (Men In Black) is taking the reigns of the series. There’s no confirmation on how A Series Of Unfortunate Events will be adapted, but with the long form nature of television I doubt they’ll be melding the first three books into one like they did in the 2004 film starring Jim Carrey.

American Gods

Art by B Regul

Neil Gaiman recently shared a photo from the set of the Starz adaptation of his novel American Gods. Shadow Moon, an ex-convict, is released from prison after his wife and best friend die in a horrible car crash and finds himself on the front lines of a battle between the Old Gods and the New Gods. Of course everything is not as it seems. Bryan Fuller (Hannibal, Pushing Daisies) and Michael Green (Heroes, Smallville) are show-running this dark carnival of a novel for release in 2017. With Neil Gaiman keeping a close eye on the filming I’m sure his trippy, murky look at Americana will make it to television intact, gods and all.

Are you excited to see these books translated to television? Are there any books you’re clamoring for the small screen treatment? What favorite books that already have movies would you want to see reimagined for television? let us know in the comments below!

Vinnie's Pizzeria at 148 Bedford Ave. in Williamsburg unveiled "the pizza box pizza" Wednesday on social media. It's a traditional New York-style pepperoni pie surrounded by a square pizza that serves as the "pizza box.""No waste, 100% pizza and 100% delicious," the pizza parlor wrote one Twitter.Getting your hands on a pizza box pizza is going to cost you some money. Each pizza box will cost you $40.Proprietor Sean Berthiaume explained how he came up with the idea in an interview with PIX11."…he came up with the idea right before the lunch rush when business at the restaurant was slow. Out of pure boredom, he decided to experiment and thought about how he was tired of seeing people eat their pizza out of a cardboard box, then throwing the greasy carton away. What a waste! Berthiaume said he thought about an edible box — a pure, delicious, square pie that not only served as a box, but food that you can eat and won’t waste (if you don’t throw it away)."..(Read...)

Tak was conceived by  New York Times bestselling author and real-world Gandalf Patrick Rothfuss for a novel. Cheapass Games has heaved it into reality, and it is funding on Kickstarter now.

Tak first appeared in Rothfuss’s The Wise Man’s Fear, which was the second volume of The Kingkiller Chronicle. The game is described as, “simple in its rules [and] complex in its strategy.” Within the novel, the game occupied a place similar to chess in our own. Rothfuss said in a recent blog post that, “Tak is supposed to be my world’s version of Chess or Go or Mancala.”

Which sets forth a formidable task for any designer wishing to try her hand and making the game real. How do you make another chess? It’s like asking a playwright to produce another Hamlet. But James Ernest of Cheapass Games set himself to the task. Ernst said, “I was excited by the idea of creating a new classic.” Rothfuss and Ernest had collaborated before. Pairs is a new pub game which featured art inspired by Rothfuss’s novels, with game design by Ernest, which was successfully Kickstarted in 2014.

Rothfuss was skeptical of the new project at first. He said, “I can’t ask you to make a game like that. It’s like saying, ‘[Y]ou know those games that have stood the test of time for hundreds or thousands of years? The best games ever? Do that, but in my world.’”

On a 2016 panel, Rothfuss elucidated, “I said [to James] something along the lines of ‘You can’t make it. Nobody can make it. Even if you made it, you wouldn’t be able to make it right. And if you did make it right, nobody would want to play it.’”

Despite Rothfuss’s misgivings, James Ernest continued on his quixotic quest to make Tak into a real thing that exists. After a year of design and playtesting, Rothfuss changed his tune about Tak. He said, “James shows up with this thing, and it was… so [expletive] good. It was beautiful. It was elegant. It was irritating, because I hate being wrong.”

The rules of the game live up to the elegance of chess. Players are given colored pieces, and the board looks like chess. Players must make a road of their pieces from one side to the other. Capstone pieces and stacking add strategy to the game. Full rules can be found here courtesy of Cheapass Games. In still more geeky good news, you can already play Tak online thanks to superfan Chaitanya Vadrevu.

Intrigued? Fascinated? Seduced? Then hie thee forth to Kickstarter to get your copy of Tak before the other kids on your block!

Think Tak is cool? Cheapass Games has produced enough board games to choke a donkey. Witness here.

In addition to being a writer and gaming imagineer, Pat Rothfuss is a philanthropist. Learn more about his charity Worldbuilders here. To when your appetite for helping Pat help the world, behold, Patrick Rothfuss trying to make-out with a llama.

What will Patrick Rothfuss kiss next? Mange-ridden ferrets? Wolverines? Let us know that you think of Tak and Patrick Rothfuss’s effort to reach out to the animal world in the comments below!

Feature image courtesy Gollancz. Other image courtesy Cheapass Games.

 

Hippos Eat Entire Watermelons Whole At Zoo..(Read...)

Tommy Edison, who has been blind since birth, takes a "blind taste test" to see if he can determine which food is the name brand and which one is the store brand. Tommy compares Kellogg's Rice Krispies vs. Kroger Crispy Rice, Nabisco Oreos vs. Kroeger Original Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, Haribo Gold Bears vs. Kroger Gummi Bears, A&W Root Beer vs. Big K Root Beer, and Lay's Classic Potato Chips vs. Kroger Classic Potato Chips...(Read...)

International Tabletop Day is nigh! Are you overwhelmed by options for day full of incredible games? We have the solution. Put in the criteria you’re looking for, and we’ll match you with the best game for you!

Yeah, in retrospect I see Rick’s point. It does ring false when he wins. Of course, I can’t be sure if it rings false for thematic reasons or just because I know the real Rick and know how rare a victory is for him.

For the record, the last time I was in Seattle I hung around with Rick, and he got a belly ache by eating too much candy, which is quite a coincidence.

 

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Hi!  I’m not a violent person!  As a kid I had a bunch of NERF arrows and water guns and would sometimes play Little House on the Prairie using an old plastic hockey stick as a hunting rifle.  My son, also not a violent person, is a totally wonderful, sweet kid who, when given a Spiderman mask as a […]

These are the Dino Lamps available from Firebox. They cost around $43 apiece and look kinda like they're origami. They're not paper though, they're plastic. Unfortunately, they only come with a UK style electric plug so you're going to need an adapter to plug them in elsewhere. Look cool...(Read...)

Those of us in the know realize that high nerditry and other geekology is deeply fun. Just look at the grins at any board game table, or hear the roar of the crowd at your local Con. And even if an entire table of D&D players fell off a trireme, were turned to stone by a gorgon, and sank to the depths of the Sunless Sea, odds are those players had smiles on their faces as they plunged to their absurd and watery doom.

But gaming is not just a thrill of the moment. New research is stacking up to show that being geeky actually makes you a happier person. Studies are showing that being a geek during adolescence actually makes you a happier adult.

A 2013 study in The Journal of Happiness Studies detailed by Wired shows a strong link between the social engagement of adolescents and their happiness as adults. The study, which was run in Dunedin, New Zealand, followed 1,000 Kiwis over 32 years. Every three years, participants were interviewed in detail for the study, and the results were surprising.

Firstly, academic achievement in adolescents did not strongly correlate to adult happiness. However, social connectedness was a strong indicator of adult happiness. What is social connectedness? It includes the “quality of social attachments, participation in organized clubs and groups, self-perceived competencies or strengths, and life satisfaction.”

Wired takes this data to be mean trouble for nerds, stating “our geeky kids may struggle with social connection[.]” Like, everybody knows that, right? Geeks so awkward in social situations.

I would boldly state that this is old fashioned, obviated, and stereotypical thinking on the part of Wired. The vision of the geek with social neuroses and underdeveloped physical prowess is a stereotype of the past. Rather, geeky pursuits increase the vaunted social connectedness of the study. Dungeons & Dragons provides a case in point.

The Christian Science Monitor reported the story of The Game Loft. The Game Loft is a non-profit in Belfast, Maine which runs tabletop role-playing games for students after school and aims “to guide young people age 6-18 to become confident, competent, caring, contributing and connected adults.”

The Christian Science Monitor interviewed Game Loft veteran Max Delaney, who claimed that he always felt like an “outsider.” He said he was searching for a community, and having problems with authority at school. And he found his community through gaming at the Game Loft. By playing Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop games, he learned how to interact with others. But a single anecdote does not an argument make.

There is extensive research showing that role-playing can increase social connectedness and social skills among players. For example, one study found that role-playing improved the social skills of adolescents with autism and behavior disorders. D&D has even been used with suicidal schizophrenics to help then find a reason to live.

Role-playing is not a symptom of dysfunction. It does not breed social awkwardness, or make its players nebbish. Rather, D&D fosters community and social skills. The game makes its players more socially adept. And every gamer who has ever participated in a regular D&D group knows that the game forges social bonds with other gamers.

So it falls to The Christian Science Monitor, the Principal Skinner of national news outlets, to tackle Wired‘s contention that geeks are socially maladroit. The Christian Science Monitor defends us one and all by stating that “The Game Loft has managed to turn the lingering ‘gaming is antisocial’ stereotype on its head.” The Christian Science Monitor, unlike Wired, knows a stereotype when it sees one.

And all this suggests, by way of the the New Zealand study, that we gamers are happier people for it.

Feature image credit: JD Hancock | Flickr

 

Rumors hit the web last week that the upcoming Star Trek series will be set in the original continuity and not in the J.J. Abrams movie universe. BirthMoviesDeath.com reported that the series will supposedly take place just after Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, which places it essentially between the original and Next Generation series.

This is great news for fans who consider Undiscovered Country as one of the franchise’s better movies and who enjoy their Trek with a heavy dose of Klingon treachery. Perhaps most refreshing is the move away from the new Abramsverse, which, while entertaining, contains far too many lens flares and didn’t have the same focus as the original series. (There! I made a lense flare reference; you can cross that off your Star Trek news bingo cards.)

The rumors also say the Bryan Fuller helmed series will not be set on a ship called Enterprise, which makes sense considering the timeline. BirthMoviesDeath also referenced an unnamed source who reportedly claims the new series might follow a seasonal anthology format. This is an interesting concept and many parts of the Star Trek universe we’d like to see explored (some examples below).

BOLDLY GOING WHERE?

So where would we like to see the show set if it hops around the big, giant extended Star Trek universe?

The continuing negotiations with the Klingons in post-Undiscovered Country should be a great backdrop for a ship to continue the standard five year mission of exploring new worlds and new civilizations. What we probably do not want here is any attempt to jump ahead and pre-introduce any of the races or tech from Next Generation and beyond. They did a little of this in Enterprise and it largely did not work. It would also cause some awkward questions about series continuity. “When did they first meet the Ferengi again? Why did Picard act like nobody ever had before?” Of course, there have never been any continuity problems in Star Trek. (Starcasm)

There is certainly something to explore in the world post-Dominion War, with rising tensions all over the Alpha Quadrant and the balance of power constantly shifting. In this era, an interesting story might have a crew whose mission is to restore Starfleet’s mandate of exploration in a time where resources are continually being devoted to armament. This would also be a chance to involve some of the actors from the later series who might still want to grab a combadge and get back into the action.

A season set at Starfleet Academy could exist in almost any time period and explore the growth of a new crew as they separately face the challenges of graduation and come together initially as strangers on a new ship. If there is any attempt to interweave the seasons this could be a jumping off point for multiple characters who are later explored as they participate in the key points of the Federation’s history.

CAN’T WAIT TO ENGAGE

We’re psyched for a Star Trek series to be back on TV again… or more specifically on “CBS All Access,” the network’s online platform. Bryan Fuller (who, many forgot, wrote 22 Voyager episodes) is an amazing choice for showrunner. Recently announced consulting producer Nicholas Meyer (who directed Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan) is another great addition. The creative team behind this show is exceptional and we can’t wait to see where and when they want to take it.

Where and when do you want to see the next Star Trek series set? Are you happy with the rumored setting? What do you not want to see? Let us know in the comments and live long and prosper. 

Images courtesy of Memory Alpha

There is a lot of change in the Doctor Who universe right now. With news of Steven Moffatt handing over the reigns of the show to Chris Chibnall and the introduction of a new spin-off called Class, it’s an exciting time to be a Whovian. Further still, after Jenna Coleman’s gut-wrenching departure last season, the Doctor has been in need of a new companion, and it would seem that finally–after loads of casting speculation from the fandom–the Doctor’s found her. The BBC got Whovians excited by showing us a ten-second clip teasing the reveal of the new companion’s identity (yep–teasers for casting announcements are apparently a thing now):

So who will the Doctor be travelling with in the upcoming season of Doctor Who? Meet Bill  (played by Pearl Mackie), and check out this clip of Bill and the Doctor facing off against the Daleks!

We know next to nothing about this new companion apart from her name, but Bill’s fashion sense paired with the name of the clip “A Friend from the Future” (and the fact that the Doctor calls 2017–which will be the present for the new season–“the future”) makes me wonder if Bill isn’t from the past–like the 80’s or 90’s. She could just have vintage style, but the idea of the Doctor picking someone up to travel with from several decades ago is pretty interesting.

The actress herself, Pearl Mackie, is newer to the scene. According to the BBC, Mackie graduated from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 2010, she’s been on the BBC drama Doctors, and is currently in a show on the West End called The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. There was a lot of speculation that the new companion would be an actress that we’d seen before in other BBC dramas, and of course there was plenty of speculation in the arena of the favorite Whovian dream of making regular companions of non-regular companions like River or Osgood. However, I’m excited to see the Doctor interact with someone completely new, and I cannot wait to see what Pearl Mackie brings to the role of Bill.

Filming starts for the new season of Who this year, which means we may get some more information on Bill in the coming months, even though we’ll have to wait until 2017 to formally be introduced.

What do you think of the new companion? Are you excited to learn more about Bill, or were you hoping it was someone else? Do you think Bill is from the past, as well? How are you going to pass the time until we get new episodes of Doctor Who? Let’s talk about it in the comments! 

Image credit: BBC

Sometimes, it seems like the dice are out to get us. I’ve been in D&D groups where certain dice have gotten benched for their crappy rolls, and there’s even been a hilarious wave of dice shaming stories cropping up.

And honestly, who hasn’t been there? Rolls of the dice have been very unkind to me over the years. From the time my character and our party’s other strongest character couldn’t haul down bed curtains to surprise a sleeping enemy (Just pathetic.) to the time my husband’s wizard accidentally set an entire forest on fire trying to blast baddies out of the trees (Thanks a lot, Miles). I even survived one epic night where the house rules were you take a shot for every 20 or 1 you rolled. I was having a feast or famine sort of rolling streak and wracked up something like six of them; but I’m not sure of the exact number because I was trying not to die of alcohol poisoning.

It should come as no surprise that some folks had to take it a step further and ask the question of what would it be like if some of the most gut-wrenching events on film had come from the character fumbling their roll miserably. I’m here to share the painful results.

Dude, no! Just no. Come on.

Or how’s about this moment that we’d all love to forget actually happened.

Maybe Joss Wheden isn’t trying to murder our souls one character at a time and is just a really bad player. Somebody buy the poor man some new dice.

Check out the gallery below for some more misery for you to enjoy.

What are some of your favorite love-to-hate moments? What about those personal injuries to pride and sanity that you’ve encountered during a game? Leave a comment and share the pain.

Featured Image Credit: Scott Ogle
Critical Failure Images: DND Memes

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