#Jon Brewer

[roysexton]

“I think I have naturally gravitated toward communities where I knew I could feel comfortable, or found ways to carve that out for myself.” Passle’s CMO Series Represents … #pride, #allyship, and #LMA23

Oh, thank you, Yasmin Zand and Charlotte Knight and Passle, for this lovely opportunity to discuss #LMA23, my professional and personal journey as a member of the lgbtq ommunity, and what authentic allyship can (and should) be: https://blog.passle.net/post/102igso/cmo-series-represents-born-this-way-roy-sexton-of-clark-hill-on-inclusion-com Very grateful for you, for this series, and for what…

[pressnewsagencyllc]

April 2024 film preview: Civil War, Monkey Man, Challengers, and more

Abigail Trailer #1 (2024) Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett Cast: Giancarlo Esposito, Dan Stevens, Matthew Goode, Kathryn Newton, Angus Cloud, Kevin Durand, Melissa Barrera, William Catlett, and Alisha Weir The horror genre left the COVID lockdowns with a real fear of children. However, while Abigail may look like the bad seeds of M3gan and Exorcist: The Believer, this pint-sized…

[baseballjerseynumbers]

Jon Singleton takes 12. Last worn by Javy Guerra earlier this season.

[maniculum]

Meadmaking, Pt. 2

Hi again, more mead-making shenanigans! This time, more medieval.

I'm going to highlight one particular recipe - the oldest English one we have. This comes from Tractatus de Magnetate et Operationibus eius (the thirteenth-century letter on the magnet by Petrus Peregrinus) (Folio 20r). You can read the original here.

It's a weird place for a mead recipe, that's for sure, but I won't complain.

Here's the transliteration:

ffor to make mede. Tak .i. galoun of fyne hony and to þat .4. galouns of water and hete þat water til it be as lengh þanne dissolue þe hony in þe water. thanne set hem ouer þe fier & let hem boyle and ever scomme it as longe as any filthe rysith þer on. and þanne tak it doun of þe fier and let it kole in oþer vesselle til it be as kold as melk whan it komith from þe koow. than tak drestis of þe fynest ale or elles berme and kast in to þe water & þe hony. and stere al wel to gedre but ferst loke er þu put þy berme in. that þe water with þe hony be put in a fayr stonde & þanne put in þy berme or elles þi drestis for þat is best & stere wel to gedre/ and ley straw or elles clothis a bowte þe vessel & a boue gif þe wedir be kolde and so let it stande .3. dayes & .3. nygthis gif þe wedir be kold And gif it be hoot wedir .i. day and .1. nyght is a nogh at þe fulle But ever after .i. hour or .2. at þe moste a say þer of and gif þu wilt have it swete tak it þe sonere from þe drestis & gif þu wilt have it scharpe let it stand þe lenger þer with. Thanne draw it from þe drestis as cler as þu may in to an oþer vessel clene & let it stonde .1. nyght or .2. & þanne draw it in to an oþer clene vessel & serve it forth //And gif þu wilt make mede eglyn. tak sauge .ysope. rosmaryne. Egre- moyne./ saxefrage. betayne./ centorye. lunarie/ hert- is tonge./ Tyme./ marubium album. herbe jon./ of eche of an handful gif þu make .12. galouns and gif þu mak lesse tak þe less of herbis. and to .4. galouns of þi mater .i. galoun of drestis.

Super clear, right? Here's a modern English version:

For to make mead. Take 1 gallon of fine honey, and to that 4 gallons of water and heat that water till it be as lengh then dissolve the honey in the water. Then set them over the fire and let them boil and scum it as long as any filth rises thereon. And then take it down off the fire, and let it cool in another vessel till it be as cold as milk when it comes from the cow. Then take dregs of the finest ale or else barm and cast it into the water and the honey. And stir it all well together, but first look ere you put your barm in that the water with the honey be put in a fair stonde and then put in your barm or else your dregs for that is best and stir well together; and lay straw or else cloths about the vessel and above if the weather be cold and so let it stand 3 days and 3 nights if the weather be cold. And if it be hot weather 1 day and 1 night is enough at the full. But ever after 1 hour or 2 at the most assay thereof and if you will have it sweet take it he sooner from the dregs as clear as you may into another clean vessel and let it stand 1 night or 2 and then draw it into another clean vessel and serve it forth.And if you will make metheglyn, take sage, hyssop, rosemary, agrimony, saxifrage, betony, centory, lunaria, harts tongue, thyme, maribium album, jon herb, of each a handful if you make 12 gallons and if you make less take the less of herbs and to 4 gallons of the matter 1 gallon of dregs.

I am not the only one who has broken this recipe down, so I will refer to you the following articles, who have done the work for me:

The Mystery of Mead

GreyDragon.org

Open Culture

Notes:

The inclusion of "fine honey" - this is for a good mead! No wax included.

The recipe heats the water before adding the honey, and notes that the yeast should be added to the must as it is still warm - as warm as cow's milk out the tit. Yeast loves warm (but not hot!) environments, so this indicates brewers knew how to handle yeast. The yeast itself comes from "the dregs of finest ale" or barm (frothing, fermenting malt, or another word for yeast) - this brewer is not risking his batch spoiling!

Additionally, the recipe states the mix should be in a warm place, or insulated if too cold - again, indicating that brewers knew that cold weather could kill the yeast, and warm weather would ferment more quickly.

One thing that catches me about all of the recipes I found is the sheer variety in herbs, fruits, and spices. I've compiled a short list of them below:

Cloves 

Grain of paradise (akin to a peppercorn, related to ginger)

Ginger 

Long pepper (like the peppercorn)

Cubebs (akin to allspice)

Galingale (akin to ginger)

Cinnamon 

Corriander 

Anise 

Heather 

Hops 

Sage

Rosemary 

Plum

Cherries

Hyssop (a relative of mint)

Agrimony (like lemon balm)

Saxifrage (rockfoils)

Betony 

Centory (thistle)

Lunaria (mustardy seeds)

Harts tongue 

Thyme 

Maribum album (horehound, rootbeer and licorice taste)

Jon herb (St. John's Wort, like black tea)

Given the medicinal uses of some of these herbs, and the uses of mild meads as medicines, I wouldn't be surprised if the second recipe here (the metheglin) is used more medicinally than for enjoyment. In any case, I'm excited to experiment with some of these older recipes and see how it turns out!

[cozza-frenzy]

The Alters Of The Magbox

Last updated March 31st 2024 - Total Headcount is 11 This post is mainly just for reference, but feel free to take a look if you've not met all of us yet, or are just curious.

Terry [Last Name Redacted] Pronouns: They/Them (Neos: Toon/Toons/Toonself, Fin/Fins/Finself) Species: Beyonder System Roles: Host, Conflict Resolution Likes: Seafood, fresh fruit, shirts that look like bowling alley carpet, electronic music Dislikes: Liver, cold and damp weather, getting "front stuck" Theme Song: Battle Scars - Paradise Fears Tag: #Shit Terry Says "I'll carry you home, no you're not alone, keep marching on, this is worth fighting for"

Chaos Loony Whackadoo Danger Crimefighter Gadget Stortion Pronouns: It/Its (Neos: Twist/Twists/Twistself, Spin/Spins/Spinself) Species: Cartoon Likes: Strawberries, rave music, dad jokes, causing problems on purpose, its partner (Len of The Panopticon) Dislikes: Silence, green vegetables, causing problems by accident Theme Song: Louder Than Words - Pink Floyd System Roles: Gatekeeper, Caregiver, Protector Tag: #Spiral Posting "It's louder than words, the sum of our parts The beat of our hearts is louder than words"

Taffy Brewer Pronouns: They/Them (Neos: Star/Stars/Starself, Crown/Crowns/Crownself) Species: Object Head Likes: Vegetarian curry, walking outside, plants and animals Dislikes: Meat, heavy rain, crowds and loud noises Theme Song: Down To Earth - Peter Gabriel System Roles: Self-Care, Caretaker, System Management Tag: #To The Stars "We're coming down to the ground To hear the birds sing in the trees And the land will be looked after We send the seeds out in the breeze"

(Art by our Partner System, @rinjak3 !) Martin Blackwood Pronouns: He/Him, They/Them Species: Beastkin Likes: Comfort food, tea and biscuits, pop music, drag shows, their partners (Jon and Jonny D'ville of The Panopticon) Dislikes: Body shaming, the smell of cigarettes, foggy days Theme Song: North - Sleeping At Last System Roles: Caregiver, Grief Holder, Emotional Regulator Tag: #Tea And Sympathy "Let the years we're here be kind, be kind Let our hearts, like doors, open wide, open wide Settle our bones like wood over time, over time Give us bread, give us salt, give us wine"

Vivien Blackwood Pronouns: They/Them (Neos: Paint/Paints/Paintself) Species: Cartoon Likes: Mint chocolate, authentic ramen, video games, animated movies & shows, making and appreciating art Dislikes: Physical contact without consent, being cold Theme Song: Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall - Coldplay System Roles: Creative Work, Caretaker Tag: #Beyond The Shadows

"So you can hurt, hurt me bad Still I'll raise the flag"

Andy Stortion Pronouns: Any/All (Undecided) Species: Beastkin Likes: Ice cream, french fries with ketchup, stickers, colored pencils, board games, asking questions Dislikes: Raised voices, being ignored, people in mascot suits Theme Song: Ready Now - Dodie System Roles: Trauma Holder Tag: (None yet - Andy is underage in-system, and doesn't post without supervision) "You said "I will listen, tell it all When you're finished we'll talk more" But I didn't know how, so we took it in turns To my surprise we found my words"

Dr. Roy Boss Pronouns: He/Him, It/Its (Neos: Dark/Darks/Darkself) Species: Cartoon Likes: Dark chocolate, BBQ Ribs, thunderstorms, heavy music, mad science Dislikes: Authority figures, bright lights, unfairness and injustice Theme Song: Get Up - Korn feat. Skrillex System Roles: Anger Holder, RSD Holder, Medical Advocate, In-System Medical Care Tag: #Boom Baby Boom

"I am clearly broken And no one knows what to do Pieces of the puzzle don't fit So I pound them into you"

Dagwood Hero Sandwich Pronouns: He/Him, It/Its Species: Cartoon Likes: Ice-cream sundaes, veggie dogs, making people laugh, story books Dislikes: Jokes that "punch down", violent media, swearing (for himself - he doesn't mind if others do) Theme Song: All You Need Is Love - The Beatles System Role(s): Mood Booster, Memory Keeper, System Management Tag: #Bring Me Sunshine "Nothing you can make that can't be made No one you can save that can't be saved Nothing you can do, but you can learn how to be you in time It's easy"

Jenova Destati Pronouns: She/Her, It/Its, (Neos: Fen/Fens/Fenself) Species: Divine Beast Likes: Salads, berries, being outside, peace and quiet Dislikes: Crowds, loud music Theme Song: Sweet Time - Porter Robinson System Role(s): Pain Management, Stress Management Tag: (None Yet) "To live, we're dying Why wouldn't we see our world as dark? But I won't spend time Resenting the way things are"

"Thirteen" (Real name & face withheld) Pronouns: He/Him, She/Her Species: Not Disclosed Likes: Social events, fine dining, "Dad Rock", her partner (Archivist Grian of The Panopticon), being shameless Dislikes: Alcohol, rainy days, gambling Theme Song: The Dying Light - Sam Fender System Role(s): Inner World Architect, Trauma Holder, Life Protector Tag: #Unlucky For Some "But I'm damned if I give up tonight I must repel the dying light"

"Roses" (Real name & face withheld) Pronouns: Any/All (Genderfluid) Species: Not Disclosed Likes: Karaoke, social events, cooking, sweet potatoes Dislikes: Alcohol, loud and grating noises, being outside after sunset Theme Song: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John System Role(s): Social Advocate, Trauma Holder, Misophonia Holder Tag: #Restless Nights

"You know you can't hold me forever I didn't sign up with you I'm not a present for your friends to open This boy's too young to be singing the blues"

[laiqualaurelote]

(this is a bit belated but I have been In The Countryside all weekend with next to no Internet - anyway! I was a guest reccer for @thereccenter last week. I've been the beneficiary of many kind recs in this newsletter and wanted to pass it on, so I made a list of my favourite heist AUs. I am thrilled it has appeared in the same edition as Michelle Yeoh's Oscar win.)

Laiqualaurelote adores AUs and crossovers, often incredibly niche ones. She is the author of the Ted Lasso heist AU “they will see us waving from such great heists” and can be found on Tumblr here.

Someone once described heist fic to me as the Little Black Dress of AUs—it’ll go with anything, provided you can pull it off. The joy of the heist AU lies in how it deploys its tropes—it’s delightful to see an ensemble you love cast in the archetypes of the heist crew: the Mastermind, the Grifter, the Hacker, the Hitter, the Thief, the Driver, the Forger, the Person Who Blows Stuff Up, etc. (All the better if this unfolds in a Recruitment Montage.) Most heist AUs riff off Ocean’s Eleven and/or Leverage, but the good ones are especially ingenious in how they adapt the cons to fit the fandom and manage to keep the reader guessing till the final sleight of hand. Heist heist baby!

(General content warning for criminality)

“Rose’s Eleven” by leupagus (@leupagus). 50K words, rated Explicit. Fandom: Schitt’s Creek; Ships: Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Ted Mullens/Alexis Rose Backstory: Schitt’s Creek is a show about a wealthy family losing all their money and being forced to relocate to a small town they once bought as a joke. (I have never actually seen it, which is how good this AU is.) In this fic, David Rose, released on parole, assembles a team to rob the Met Gala as vengeance against the man who got him sent to prison, Sebastien Raine—who seems to be dating David’s ex-husband Patrick. Rec: This AU appears at first to be your standard Ocean’s Eleven dynamic combined with an Ocean’s Eight plot, but there’s a lot more going on. I was bowled over by the complexity of the heist, with its double-crosses and triple-crosses. Love the criminals who are also working mothers. Content warnings: N/A

“The Kansas City Shuffle Job” by arboreal_overlords (@peri-hellion). 45K words, rated Teen. Fandom: The Magnus Archives; Ships: Jonathan Sims/Martin Blackwood/Tim Stoker, Basira Hussain/Alice “Daisy” Tonner Backstory: The Magnus Archives is a horror podcast in which fear entities manifest in the world through human avatars, who are granted eldritch powers. In this Leverage-based AU, the characters still have their avatar powers, only they use them for crime. Jon, who left the Magnus Institute after his assistant Sasha was murdered in a conspiracy involving his boss, is hired to lead a heist team comprising hitter Daisy, hacker Melanie and thief Tim. When they are double-crossed, they have to bring on board the best con man in England, Martin. Rec: Wonderful reimagining of the Magnus universe as a criminal underworld, with an intricately plotted heist and character studies carefully woven into the cons. “Let’s go steal an Institute!” Content warnings: Canonical character death, some canon-typical suicidal ideation

“Three Card Monte” by enjambament (@enjambament). 14K words, rated Teen. Fandom: Harry Potter; Ships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Caradoc Dearborn/Fabian Prewett, Lily Evans/James Potter Backstory: In this non-wizarding Marauders AU, Sirius gets out of prison and looks up Remus with a plan to rob the casino at Hotel Voldemort and steal...a piano. Rec: A clever, compact Oceans-esque heist with fun twists on canon, from grizzled hacker Mad-Eye Moody to young thief Tonks, still learning to grift on the job. Content warnings: Mention of past abusive relationship

“The Casterly Rock Job” by Netgirl_Y2K (@netgirl-y2k). 3.2K words, rated Teen. Fandom: Game of Thrones; Ship: Yara Greyjoy/Daenerys Targaryen Backstory: Daenerys’ plan to steal the Lannisters’ dirty little secrets for their business rival Olenna Tyrell involves enlisting Arya’s burglary skills, Margaery’s knack for seduction and Yara’s speedboat driving. Rec: Love an all-women heist crew! Criminal mastermind Dany has a delightful swagger, seen through the eyes of hard-bitten mobster’s daughter Yara.  Content warnings: N/A

“i don’t need a parachute (if i’ve got you)” by thewestwinged (@aberfaeth). 6K words, rated Teen. Fandom: The Locked Tomb; Ship: Gen, Camilla Hect & Palamedes Sextus Backstory: Thief Camilla teams up with the hacker known as The Warden to one-up his mother, the legendary grifter Juno Zeta, Who Met God And Convinced Him She Was One Of His Angels And Then, Ostensibly, Stole A Lot Of Money From Him. Rec: Spot-on voices for Camilla “hides a taser in a fake gun” Hect and Palamedes “uploads erotica onto Elon Musk’s website” Sextus. I would watch an entire series of Cam & Pal Commit Crimes. Content warnings: N/A

“Provenance” by rageprufrock (@rageprufrock). 20K words, rated Teen. Fandom: Inception; Ships: Arthur/Eames, Dominic Cobb/Mallorie Miles Backstory: Inception is technically canonically about a heist, but in this AU there is no dream technology and it’s about art theft instead. The theft of a Raphael painting from the National Gallery reunites Interpol agent Dom, insurance company representative Arthur, and the painting’s owner Eames, who may or may not have stolen it himself. Rec: Brilliant, funny, unusual in that it follows neither the Ocean’s Eleven nor Leverage moulds but strikes out on its own. The long-suffering hapless POV of Dom Cobb, usually a hugely unedifying character, is priceless. Content warnings: N/A

[writingpencil]

Beyond the Monster

Holy shit, this one is SIX years old (2019)

It definitely shows too (*sigh* cringe is dead but my era shows)

So, the OG concept was that, two years ago, a zombie outbreak made teens Rhys, Kiki, Jon, and Zyrann form a group to survive. Now they're nineteen, almost twenty, on their way to South Carolina, where there's supposedly an outpost.

However, Zyrann(1st person POV) gets sepereated from his group(I honest to god thought Zyrann was a girlie lmao oops) and has a bad accident. Thankfully, they are saved by Zero and his wolf, Echo, who later agree to help him reunite with his friends.

(Also Zy's group calls the zombies "mutants" while Zero calls them "roamers")

Prolog

“Kiki Taria,” 

“Here!”

“Jon Rider?”

“Present and accounted for.”

“Rhys Brewer?”

“I’m not late!”

The rest of the class, including our teacher Mr. Dendwin,laughed at Rhys’s usual “jokes”, if you can even call them that. I never found Rhys to be funny, or Jon to be smart, or Kiki to be pretty, but they were. Some could say they were the best part about humans, their minds beyond what is natural.

That’s major league bs. 

They were like the rest of us; human. 

And yet I found myself being friends with these three. . .

Not my choice, parents are friends so we spent many an afternoon at each other's houses and played in the backyard.

Well. They played and I sat in a corner reading. 

I do that all too much; read. 

I read all I can, whatever you put in front of me I’ll read it. Something else. . . I draw, whatever that’s good for. I’m actually drawing right now, ignoring what Mr. Dendwin is saying other than listening for my own name. 

“Zyrann Zen.”

I simply just raised my hand, a custom between my teachers and I. They simply mark me down and I don’t have to speak. 

I adjusted my mask, and continued to draw. 

Kiki passed me a note, neatly folded up in that “perfect” way. 

She didn’t write it tho, the handwriting belongs to Jon;

Hey Zyrann,

Would you like to join Kiki, Rhys, and I for lunch in the library? We plan on going there again after school. Also, Rhys said it was okay that you could stay with him.

Just show up.

-Jon.

I’m going to show, lunch is boring and there is no heart in my home. . .

Chapter 1

Where the heart is

“Wake up, Zyrann.” Kiki had to shake me in order for me to wake up. 

I just looked up as if her shaking me didn’t, almost, give me a concussion. “Kiki, where are Rhys and Jon?”

“They took the jeep to Misty Hollows,” Kiki said, she started to cook an MRE we found.  And of course they took the jeep, that’s Jon’s intelligence for you. He’s a smart cookie. 

“Kiki, you’re cooking it wrong.”

“What?”

I re-showed her how to actually cook an MRE. Thankfully we even had MREs, none of us have anything to make a fire with. 

Please don’t underestimate Kiki, she really is smart but she gets absent-minded a lot. Not her fault, actually, it’s a trait that her family passed down. She use to complete her homework and tests that way; staring off into space and letting her subconscious do all the work, she never got a wrong answer.

Kiki and I had shared the MRE, she said the boys had shared a can of peaches before they headed out. Misty Hollows looks promising for medical supplies as well as food, with little to no mutants. 

Mutants. . . Right.

Mutants are the equivalent of the roaming, walking, crawling, ugly dead that people love to butcher from comics. But, our version of mutants are different since they separate into categories. 

There are the walkers; they can’t run or move at all unless it is walking. They are really easy to avoid and super weak, and may be pathetic if you die from one of them. A horde is the same way, except it’s twice as terrifying. 

Then runners; Only run, and not as weak as the walkers but weak enough to be considered weak. They are fast, faster than the average human, and hard to run from. A horde is. . . imagine a large group and they are trying to get you and eat you while you try and run ahead. Yup, that’s scary.

Crawlers are typically legless, and that’s not a joke. They crawl, they sneak, they bite. And some can crawl on walls. . . I like to call them spiders. 

Next is the Brawlers. They’re twice the size of a six foot human, and could probably one punch you. They typically are surrounded by a horde of mutants, walkers, so the walkers can find the humans and the brawler can destroy them. In one world, they are demons. In the other world, they are like protective mothers who are only trying to feed their babies. I’m not joking; I observed a brawler and her crowd and she literally grabbed a carcass and gave it to them. 

The father, or so I’ve seen, is what we call the Gladiator. They are two feet taller than Brawlers and can destroy entire buildings as tall as New York’s skyscrapers. And the Gladiator, because there is only one or two, remains in Manhattan eating whatever he can catch. 

Thankfully we managed to avoid Brawlers and the Gladiator, but that’s because we stick to the trees since Brawlers and Gladiator cannot go through them without damaging themselves first. 

“Zyrann. . .” Kiki said. 

“Yup.”

Kiki simply shrugged. “If we were to make it to South Carolina, do you think we could make a pit stop in Sunstone Valley? It’s a pretty small town but I know where it is.”

I nodded. “I’m with you, I know you want to find Hayden. But, really, it’s up to Jon.”

Jon is our leader, he makes the major and most of the final decisions. For two reasons. One; Jon is smart. Two; Jon is logical. 

But, knowing Jon, he’ll let us go to Sunstone. 

Crack.

We both stopped moving, and looked around making little noise as possible. I pulled out the pistol and readied it, Kiki took out her’s. 

“Zyrann. . . We don’t have silencers!” Kiki whispered to me. 

“I know,” I whispered back. “Don’t shoot unless absolutely necessary. Run if its a walker or crawler, shoot if its a runner.”

Jon’s gonna hate me if I get Kiki killed. 

“Stand.” I whispered as I stood myself. Kiki followed. “Get your bag.”

Kiki, quietly, put on her bag. She keeps the food and water. I already have my bag on, I keep track of whatever they miss. Jon has back-up weapons and ammo, Rhys takes the medical supplies. 

A surprise from our joker; He’s a decent doctor. 

Kiki got out her walkie-talkie. “Rhys, Jon, come get us. There’s something here and it’s not friendly.”

Jon’s static voice came through; “We’re coming back, meet us by the road.”

“Okay.”

Kiki and I just got out of there, the woods I mean, and we waited by the road at the ready. Honestly, I’m sure we just panicked and it was just a mouse or rabbit or something. . . But I rather be safe than sorry. Especially these days. 

That same black jeep sped on over to where Kiki and I were waiting. 

“Hey party people!” Rhys said, thankfully Jon was the one driving. “Get in already! Zyrann, your mask is crooked.”

I fixed my mask as I got in. 

“Where we heading off?” Kiki asked.

“South Carolina, where else?” Rhys deserved that slap to his head. 

Jon took off before he answered. “I was thinking we’d go to Redwick, then we could make a stop to Silverkeep, and then Icemeet.”

That would take us a week, that’s without pit stops or resting or sleeping. 

“Did I make you mute, Zyrann?” Rhys asked, we had been driving for an hour or two and he and Kiki switched seats. 

I pointed to my mask. 

“Sorry,” Rhys said. “Can you talk, please? I’m real sorry!”

I looked out the window, completely ignoring Rhys. 

My mask. . . Yes, my mask. . .

My mask is just a plain white hockey mask that covers all of my face, the mouth area had a red ‘x’ over it. . . I’ve been wearing this mask my entire life, from birth and soon to death. And, for some reason, whenever someone mentions it I immediately don’t talk for the rest of the day or longer. I remember going silent for an entire week because someone mentioned it.

I also remember not talking for a month when Rhys attempted to touch it.

Heh, he still tries to touch it.

“Come on Zyrann!” Rhys whined. “I’m sorry!”

I ignored him. 

Jon and Kiki looked at one another, they nodded. 

Kiki looked back at us. “We need to make a pit stop for gas, in Civil.”

Jon drove into Civil, parking the car away from the gas station. Kiki got out with Jon and they both went to get gas. . . What?

An awkward silence loomed between Rhys and I, Kiki and Jon weren’t coming back until he and I made up or something stupid like that. But talking is out of question.

That doesn’t mean Rhys isn’t going to try.

“So,” He started with. “For once, it’s not raining huh? It’s nice out, I like it!”

Although I agree, I’m still not talking Rhys. 

“Remember when you use to sleep over?”

Rhys. . . Why would you bring that up? What are you doing, Rhys?

I shifted my gaze over to Rhys, he was looking down at his hands, which shifted nervously.

Rhys continued; “I was always confused on why you wore that mask, even when you sleep. I always thought that is must of been uncomfortable. . . You know I almost saw you without your mask once?”

I twitched.

“Funny enough, it was two years ago. . . Before everything went down.”

That day? 

“Yeah,” Rhys said, he noticed I twitched. “You were in the guest room and Mom sent me to go get you, you left the door opened. I almost caught you in the mirror but I opened the door and I didn’t get the chance. . .”

Yeah, I hate remembering that day. 

We were seventeen, last year of school. I do take my mask off, occasionally. Like bathing or sleeping, only when I’m by myself, and just because. I wanted to take it off that day, just to remember what I looked like. 

I stared myself for a good ten minutes, at my dark brown hair and way too “perfect” shade of blue eyes, my fairly translucent skin. . . Not an ounce of my father was there, just mother. Father said I was everything she was; looks, personality, skills, even our childhood was the same. 

But I doubt Mother would be happy with Father, she use to be so cheerful though that it's hard to imagine her being angry. 

Back to that day. . . 

Rhys had entered my room, bright and cheery and thrown a mouthful of breakfast puns at me. I had to quickly put my mask on, it was crooked so I fixed it and played it off as if that was what I was doing.

Then, his mother screamed. 

We both ran to see what was the matter. Rhys mother was on the floor, being eaten alive by some random lady that had spikes growing from her back. You could just see the life being drained. . .

I pushed Rhys back into my room, locked the door, and just started to panic. 

Rhys had to sit and he started to cry, his sobs stung me. . . Stabbed right through the heart. 

“She. . . she. . .” He could barely speak.

I sat beside him and comforted him the best I could. 

While Rhys cried into my shoulder, I called Jon. He and I made a plan and he drove to pick us up after Kiki. Rhys and I had exited through the window. And, we went from there. 

How can I stay silent after that?

“Rhys. . .” I barely managed to get out. “Come here. . .”

Rhys moved over to me, I instantly wrapped him into a hug. 

I hate this! I hate all of this! 

My best friend had to suffer, watching his mother get eaten before his very eyes! 

No. . . stop it Zyrann. . . you knew who she was. . . what kind of person she was. . .

You have to hold him, you’re all he has left anymore.

“Sorry Rhys. . .” 

“It’s fine, my fault anyways.”

“No. . .”

Rhys laughed. “I really do want to see you though.”

“No. . .”

“I can’t just,” Rhys reached for my mask. “Pull this off and-”

I grabbed his wrist. “No.”

“Can you say something other than no?” 

I smiled. “Yes.”

Rhys rolled his eyes. “I hate you.”

“No.”

“Not again! I will hit you!” 

“Try.”

I immediately exited the car and sprinted towards Jon and Kiki, with Rhys chasing me. I hid behind Jon and couldn’t stop laughing, or giggling, doesn’t make a big difference.

“We can’t leave the kids alone for two minutes!” Jon said.

“We’re older than you!” Rhys retaliated. 

That part is true, but we’re all nineteen and soon to be twenty for Rhys and I. 

“Aw, come on, Jon,” Kiki said. “At least Zyrann is feeling better,”

Jon nodded. “Come on, back to the car we go.”

Usually, one of us would groan or complain, even Jon, but by now. . . I’m sure we’re use to the road in the two year span we’ve been driving. The first car was Jon’s, that ran out of gas. Our second car got kidnapped by false friends. This is our third car.

Right now; Jon’s driving, Kiki is looking at CDs, and Rhys was searching through his bag. 

“Rock or Punk?” Kiki asked.

Jon voted on “Rock.”

Rhys voted on “Punk.”

Kiki looked at me and I just shrugged. Personally, I like rock music and punk isn’t bad either. I’m not real picky when it comes to music, same way with most things. 

“Um,” Kiki closed her eyes and randomly chose one. Rock. “Oh! Okay!”

Rhys rolled his eyes. Rhys hates rock music, for some reason, and doesn’t like punk music either. He just has some type of hatred towards it, so he went with the music he hated less. 

To end Rhys suffering, I took out some ear plugs I had. As I mentioned before, I keep everything I consider useful. That doesn’t mean I don’t carry food, water, or weapons. 

“Here.” I said, giving Rhys the ear plugs.

He happily took them and smiled when he couldn’t hear a thing. 

We had to make a stop for the night, we were all too tired to continue. So Jon parked the car off road, we were surrounded by forest. We all got out, Jon sat in the cargo back of the jeep while Rhys and I chilled on the ground. Kiki took out two cans of oranges, which I opened with one of the two can openers I had. 

“You can eat Rhys.” I said, giving him the can. 

“You gotta eat too Zyrann.”

“I’m fine, I’m not hungry anyway.”

“Eat.”

“No.”

“Zyrann!”

I smiled, even though Rhys can’t see it. 

I stood and started to walk towards the forest.

“Where you going?” Rhys asked.

“My business.” I said and continued to walk away. 

“You should take your bag.” Jon said.

I shrugged. “I’m going to be gone for two minutes, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

Honestly, I wasn’t planning on doing what they thought I was. I was going to be by myself for two minutes, chill in a tree without my mask on. 

I did find a suitable tree that I was able to climb up and just relax in. I took off my mask and breathe in the air. A gentle breeze blew, my hair moved ever so slightly with the leaves of the trees and the grass on the ground. I stared at my mask, just for a moment, before switching my gaze back to the trees. 

“HOOOOOOOOOOWL!”

The call of a wolf’s echoed from somewhere in the forest, they are not common here other than in wildlife parks and zoos. I never liked either, no one likes being caged or watched, or laughed at.

Wolves are beautiful creatures, I read many tales about wolves - both fiction and non-fiction. I like the black wolves the most, the white wolves taking second, followed by greys and the others are just fourth together. It was the way I grew up; liking dark things more than fairy tales. Mother was the same way, she read to me these stories she called “creepypastas”, essentially internet scary stories spread around. My favorite is-

I guess I really am like Mother, getting off topic. 

“HOOOOOOOOOOWL!”

Hmpt. That wolf likes howling, maybe it's unaware of how the mutants work. They love sound. It’s not about sight, many mutants have bad eyesight, but the other senses will guide them like a parent with their child. 

I do not blame the wolf for not knowing, it sounds really young. Wolves live to six or eight years in the wild, maybe it’s right around two years old. . .

When a minute passed, I put on my mask and made my way down the tree and started the trek back to the group. 

I instantly became loss. 

I ended up just wandering the forest for minutes at end, sure that everyone was worried sick about me. 

The wolf had howled again, it was closer to me than before. . . 

“Shi-!” I wasn’t looking where I was going and completely, blindly, fell off a cliff. 

I’m not even exaggerating, I fell and rolled on the side of a cliff into a river at least ten feet deep and sunk to the bottom. 

There was no current, so I just stayed at the bottom. . .

I lost consciousness. . . In a sea of black. . .

Chapter 2

Wrong type of person

“Shh Echo,” A voice said, it sounded male but soft. “Hand me the disinfectant. . . thanks pup.”

I felt a sharp sting to my side, it made me move and let out a similar sound to pain. 

“Easy, Echo,” The voice spoke. “He’s just waking up. No, pup, leave his mask alone.”

I blinked a couple times, the sun blinded me and I immediately shut them. I went to sit up but a hand was placed on my chest and kept me on the ground.

“Don’t move,” The voice said. “You hurt yourself and will take out your stitches.”

“S-Stitches?” I managed to squeak out. 

“Yes, you cut your head open. It’s not as bad as you’d think.”

I felt someone, maybe the person the voice belongs to, wrap some bandages around my stomach and side. 

The voice chuckled. “You took quite a beating, falling off of Divers’ Cliff like that- Echo! Down girl!”

I felt a pressure against my chest making me cough, it was gone just a second after, followed by a whimper.

“Shush Echo, I know you’re trying to help, pup.”

“Who. . . are you?” I asked.

“Drag the bag under the tree, pup.” The voice avoided my question. “Yes Echo, I’m sure I can pick him up.”

“What?”

“Hold still.”

He placed his hands and arms on my back and under my knees and lifted me off the ground. It hurt and it took all of me not to complain. He moved me only a couple feet away in the shade of a tree and had me lay against it. 

“You’re out of the sun,” The voice said. “You can open your eyes.”

Which I did.

Before me was a man kneeling in front of me. He had platinum blonde hair and dark green eyes, pale as me, wearing a dark green hoodie with the hood up and a pair of jeans and running shoes. He wasn’t frowning, or smiling, he was just there. . . 

Staring at me. 

“Hello. . .” I soon became very nervous, and this was all I could say. 

“Hello.” He said, his voice surprised me, despite me already hearing it. 

A sleek black wolf nudged a dark green bag at this man’s side, it had blue eyes the shade of the sky. 

“Thank you, Echo,” The man said, petting the wolf’s ears and neck. “Good pup, arencha girl?”

The wolf accepted the man’s petting and licked his hand. The wolf, a female named Echo, turned to look at me.

“He’s all right, pup.” The man assured Echo. “He may be dazed though, so be soft.”

Echo nodded, then licked my cheek like a puppy meeting a new person.

The man looked up at the sky, mumbled something I couldn’t hear, then turned to Echo.

“Echo, hunt.”

Echo nodded and ran faster than the wind in a certain direction.

The man held his hand out to me, but my nervousness didn’t let me shake it. The man just simply put it down, rummaged through his bag, and took out a pill bottle. He took out one and put the bottle back in his bag.

“This should help,” He said. “It’s a pain pill, nothing too high but it will help nonetheless.”

“I’m not in pain.” I said. 

“You will be.”

“Is that a-”

“A threat?” The man cut me off. “No, but soon enough when your body becomes fully conscious with your mind your muscles will be sore and your bruises will be pain filled. Please, for your sake and mine, take it.”

I, extremely slowly, took the pill and swallowed it. 

“I. . .” What do I even say?

“Tell me your name,” The man said. 

I’m glad I don’t have to start the conversation.

“Zy. . . Zyrann.”

The man nodded. “Nice to meet you, although I would have preferred a different situation instead of saving you from drowning.”

“Th. . . thank you.”

The man shrugged. “It’s nothing, but I advise you to be more careful Zyrann.”

The way he said my name. . . it sent chills down my spine. 

“What. . . is your. . . name?”

The man hesitated, he went to open his mouth but quickly shut it. 

“Please?” I begged.

The man nodded. “I’m Zero.”

Zero. . . 

Echo came back with a brown rabbit in her mouth.

“Good girl, Echo,” Zero said. Zero stood and went a bit away from me. He took a foot long stick, maybe, and tied a rope to it. Echo had some dry grass and small twigs and put it besides Zero. Zero took his rope and stick and another stick and did this. . . fancy way of making a fire. 

He made smoke, blew on it, and a small flame blazed. He had Echo fetch some stick and made a fire roar. He skinned the rabbit, put the fur aside, stuck a stick through it and made a quick spit.

I gagged at the skinning and the stick part. 

Zero looked up at me as I did it and said; “Don’t throw up, you’ve lost too much fluid as it is.”

Echo rubbed her muzzle against my stomach, which made it feel better. I lifted my hand a bit off the ground, Echo tucked her head under my hand and let me rest it there and pet her. 

Than I instantly remembered my friends.

“Jon, Kiki, Rhys. . .” I said their names and tried to move, but Echo placed her head on my stomach and prevented me from going far.

“Easy Echo,” Zero said. “He can’t go as far as you’d think.”

Echo eased herself but still wouldn’t let me go anywhere.

“Your friends ditched you.” Zero said bluntly.

“Wh-”

“Too many roamers. . .” Zero explained. “They looked, but they couldn’t stay. They are miles beyond us and it will take you a while to even catch them.”

“We’re heading. . . South Carolina. . .”

Zero gave me an odd look. “Why would you head to the Carolinas?”

“Outpost. . . civilization. . .” 

Zero sighed. “Oh. . .”

“Need to go. . . Sunstone. . . Valley.”

“That’s beyond a mistake.” Zero said. “There are two gangs who fight there all the time, the Blue Phantoms and Lost Souls. They’ll be killed on sight, or if they’re unlucky, taken to the camps.”

“My friend,” I coughed, screw this pain. “Kiki, her boyfriend’s there. Hayden Mayyor-”

“Mayyor.” Zero spat. “He’s such an asshole, did you not know he leads the Blue Phantoms?”

“No. . . Hayden’s a good man.”

“Who kills innocents at will, without complaint or hesitation.”

“Shut it.” I hissed, a weak hiss but still a hiss. “I know Hayden, he’s no murderer.”

“Guess you’re wrong.”

I wanted to scream at him, but I had no energy to do so. 

Zero sighed. “Sorry. . .”

I didn’t speak. 

Zero took out a hunting knife and skinned a small chunk of the rabbit off, inspected it, then gave it to Echo. 

“Not cooked enough,” Zero explained. “It’s too raw, pink. Echo, you can go hunt for yourself or scout our surroundings. Sixty feet radius.”

Echo got off me and ran off. 

“Do you truly plan on going to the Carolinas? To Sunstone?” Zero asked.

I nodded. “Of course I do, I’m not going to abandon my friends.”

Zero sighed, he sighs an awful lot. “Then I wish you luck.”

“You can’t come with me?” I asked. 

Zero shook his head. 

“I’ll die without you helping me, I can’t make it on my own. . .”

Zero didn’t speak at first, he remained in thought for moments on end.

“Fine.” He said finally. “I’ll take you to the Carolinas, or you reunite with your friends, but I’m leaving after that. Got it?”

I nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet.”

Zero cut another chunk of the rabbit off, inspected it, then ate it. 

“Rabbit’s done Zy.”

I could move, despite how sore everything was and that I was beyond tired and that it was slow and filled with pain. I sat up from my slouching and held out my hand. Zero gave me a sliver of rabbit, which I ate slowly. Zero ate some, but he took the rabbit skin, stood, and walked off.

“Where are you going. . ?”  I asked.

“Just over here.” Zero said, he went only a couple yards away, knelt down and dipped the rabbit fur into. . . water? He was cleaning it, and came back. 

I watched as Zero took out a small suitcase box with many spools of different color thread and varies of needles. He started to sew away on the fur, turning them into. . 

Gloves? 

When Zero was finishing up, Echo came back and pawed at the ground. She pawed three times, and pointed her head to my right. 

“Okay,” Zero put aside the fur gloves and put everything away into his bag. He put on his bag, took the gloves, and put the gloves on me. “We have to leave, Zy.”

“I kinda. . . can’t move fast.”

“I know.” 

“I’ll try and-”

Zero picked me up as he did before, was he seriously going to carry me?

He was seriously going to carry me!

Zero carried me out of the woods and onto the road, Echo followed closely.

“Will you have to carry me for long?” I asked.

Zero chuckled. “No, although I’m sure you wouldn’t mind. In an hour, you’ll be able to walk fine and not slow as a snail.”

“Although I’m sure you wouldn’t mind?’ What’s that supposed to mean?”

Zero didn’t respond. 

[goalhofer]

Where every player played during the 2012-13 NHL lockout: Nashville

Liiga: Craig Smith (Kalevan Pallo) Metal Ligaen: Kevin Klein (Herlev Ørne) NL: Roman Josi (S.C. Bern) SL: Patric Hörnqvist (C.D.H. Glace Rouge) HockeyAllsvenskan: Carl Forsberg (Leksands Idrottsförening) & Patric Hörnqvist (Djurgårdens I.F. Ishockeyförening) KHL: Sergei Kastitsyn (K.K. Avangard) & Pekka Rinne (C.K. Dinamo Minsk) AHL: Daniel Bång (Milwaukee Admirals), Victor Bartley (Milwaukee Admirals), Taylor Beck (Milwaukee Brewers), Jon Blum (Milwaukee Admirals), Gabriel Bourque (Milwaukee Admirals), Bobby Butler (Albany Devils), Rich Clune (Manchester Monarchs), Ryan Ellis (Milwaukee Admirals), Chris Mueller (Milwaukee Admirals) & Austin Watson (Milwaukee Admirals) Didn't Play: Martin Erat, Mike Fisher, Paul Gaustad, Hal Gill III, Matt Halischuk, Kenneth Hannan, David Legwand, Chris Mason, Nick Spaling, Shea Weber, Colin Wilson & Brandon Yip

[wausaupilot]

Berti homers twice in 6-1 win as Marlins prevent Brewers from clinching NL Central

Come on, man.

MIAMI (AP) — Jon Berti had his second career multihomer game, and the Miami Marlins beat Milwaukee 6-1 on Sunday, the second straight day they prevented the Brewers from clinching the NL Central. Josh Bell also went deep, Jorge Soler had three hits and Jazz Chisholm Jr. doubled twice for the Marlins, who began the day one game behind the Chicago Cubs for the third NL wild card spot. Milwaukee…

[baseballjerseynumbers]

Spring Training:

Jon Singleton assigned 28

[cryptocollectibles]

Youngblood / Rob Liefeld 8 Issue Lot (1992-1997)

Youngblood #0 (December 1992) by Image Comics Written by Rob Liefeld, drawn by Rob Liefeld, Dan Fraga, and Danny Miki.

Youngblood #1 (April 1992) by Image Comics Written by Rob Liefeld and Hank Kanalz, drawn by Rob Liefeld.

Youngblood #2 (July 1992) by Image Comics Written and drawn by Rob Liefeld.

Youngblood #4 (February 1993) by Image Comics Written by Rob Liefeld, drawn by Rob Liefeld and Danny Miki.

Youngblood Battlezone #1 (April 1993) by Image Comics By vrious, cover by Rob Liefeld and Danny Miki.

Youngblood Yearbook #1 (July 1993) Written by Eric Stephenson , drawn by Chap Yaep.

Extremely Youngblood #1 (September 1996) by Image Comics Written by Tom and Mary Bierbaum, drawn by David Brewer.

Awesome Alan Moore Judgment Day #2 (July 1997) by Awesome Written by Alan Moore., drawn by Rob Liefeld and Jon Sibal, Chris Sprouse and Al Gordon, Steve Skroce and Al Gordon, Stephen Platt and Lary Stucker, Jim Starlin and Alan Weiss, Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson.

[diarioelpepazo]

El oriundo de San Felipe no se cansa de batear en el mejor beisbol del mundo, en su empeño por ganar por segundo año consecutivo la corona de bateo en la Liga Nacional. Gleyber ya acumula 41 partidos con al menos dos imparables en lo que va de año. M. Gil/T. Mogollón/A. Marín Luis Arráez ha decidido abrir la regadera bien temprano en la jornada de este jueves, 14 de septiembre, ante los Cerveceros de Milwaukee. El venezolano comenzó de gran manera el compromiso. Adrian Houser, serpentinero de los Brewers, intentó pasar al oriundo de San Felipe con un envío en la esquina inferior de adentro, pero no contaba con la increíble habilidad que posee el criollo para empalmar batazos. Como ya es costumbre, Arráez conectó con facilidad la pelota y le imprimió bastante fuerza para llevarla a lo más profundo del jardín central. Faltó muy poco para que Luis consiguiera un cuadrangular, pero finalmente la conexión culminó con un doblete. Fue el tubey número treinta para el venezolano en la temporada del 2023, se colocó a tan solo uno de su máxima cantidad en una misma zafra (31).  ¿Podrá superarse?  Lo cierto es que en esta ocasión, el coach de primera base, Jon Jay, se salvó del acostumbrado golpe en el pecho. El cual se ha convertido en una constante en las celebraciones de Luis Arráez.   Gleyber Torres no baja su ritmo con los Yankees en septiembre  [caption id="attachment_87622" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] El caraqueño se ha embasado en ocho de sus diez compromisos con el equipo en este mes. Foto Cortesía[/caption] El camino hacia la postemporada para los Yankees de Nueva York sigue estando cuesta arriba, pues a día de hoy se mantienen a ocho juegos de diferencia del último cupo vía Comodín. Y es que el equipo ha tenido la oportunidad de recortar distancias en esa lucha, ya que se enfrentan a las Medias Rojas de Boston en el Fenway Park. En la jornada de este jueves, ambos equipos se ven las caras en una doble cartelera. Los de casa se encargaron de picar adelante tras quedarse con el triunfo con un marcador de 5-0. A pesar de la blanqueada, Gleyber Torres volvió a tener una gran tarde para el conjunto del Bronx. Y es que de los seis imparables que permitieron los lanzadores de Boston, dos fueron del criollo. Al final terminó de 4-2 con par de dobles, aunque de poco sirvieron ya que sus compañeros no lograron llevarlo hasta el home con éxito. Sin embargo, en la alta del sexto estuvo cerca de romper el cero, pero terminó puesto out en jugada de selección. Luego de su actuación en esta primera tanda de juegos, Gleyber acumula un total de cuatro juegos multihits en sus 10 presentaciones con el equipo en septiembre. En líneas generales ya acumula 41 partidos con al menos dos imparables en lo que va de año. Asimismo, cabe agregar que el caraqueño se ha embasado en ocho de sus diez compromisos con el equipo en este mes; además que también lidera a los Yankees en cuanto a carreras impulsadas (8), promedio (.297), OBP (.381), slugging (.541) y OPS (.922) en septiembre. El venezolano de 26 años está protagonizando otra grandiosa temporada en las Mayores, ya que cuenta con una línea ofensiva de .272/.342/.465 en 143 juegos, con 25 dobles, dos triples, 25 cuadrangulares, 82 carreras anotadas, 65 impulsadas, 13 bases robadas y 147 cuadrangulares en 540 turnos al bate. Wilyer Abreu con jornada productiva ante los Yankees [caption id="attachment_87623" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] El venezolano ha estado activo con el madero. Foto Cortesía[/caption] El novato Wilyer Abreu continúa bateando con sus Medias Rojas y aportó en la victoria de su equipo ante los Yankees de Nueva York 5 carreras por 0 en el primer juego de la doble cartelera pautada para la jornada de este jueves entre los eternos rivales. El marabino bateó de 4-3 con una carrera anotada y una empujada en el duelo de la tarde, ub

icado como quinto bate y jardinero izquierdo del line up de los Medias Rojas, quienes llegaron a 74 triunfos en el año para mantenerse cuartos en la división este de la Liga Americana. El venezolano ha bateado muy bien desde que fue ascendido a Las Mayores a inicios de septiembre y batea para .362, producto de conectar 17 hits en 47 turnos, con un cuadrangular, siete anotadas y nueve carreras remolcadas, para un OPS de .934. El jardinero zurdo de 24 años disparó 22 cuadrangulares en la sucursal Triple A de Boston, con quienes dejó promedio de bateo de .274.     Para recibir en tu celular esta y otras informaciones, únete a nuestras redes sociales, síguenos en Instagram, Twitter y Facebook como @DiarioElPepazo El Pepazo/Meridiano

[roysexton]

One of the great joys of my professional career - and definitely of my Legal Marketing Association presidency - has been working with these #superheroes to plan this year's #LMA23 annual conference. Such remarkable, brilliant, kind, fun, happy souls - truly a gift to this industry. H/T to 2021 Prez Kelly MacKinnon, from whom I stole this recognition idea ... and in fact who has provided so much mentoring for me. I've stolen ALL her ideas! She's a beautiful human - so generous and kind.

Thank you to the 2023 Annual Conference Advisory Committee, depicted here as the marvels they all are (starting top left and across): Ruth Morayniss, Gail Lamarche, Jon Brewer, Mike Mellor, Arthur Uratani, Joseph Edmonds, Tahisha Fugate, MBA [she/her], Jennifer Dezso, me!, Megan McKeon, Lee Watts, Amber Bollman. I love you all dearly.

And none of this could have happened without the guidance and support of our HQ team: Danielle Gorash Holland, Holly Amatangelo, Kaitlin Heininger, Ashley Stenger, Jennifer Weigand, Ellie Hurley, Lisa M. Kamen, CAE, Kelly Bache Shatzer, CPA, Sarah Logan, Meredith Halperin, Sydney Janecke, Kristin Frankiewicz, Eric Himsel, and more my senior brain is likely forgetting to tag. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

#lmamkt #amplify #community #legal #law #legalmarketing #bekind

[moviesandmania]

INSIDE MAN (2023) Emile Hirsch true-crime thriller - trailer and release news

Inside Man is a 2023 American crime thriller film about an undercover cop – based on the real-life Gambino gangster family. Directed by, co-produced by and co-starring Danny A. Abeckaser (First We Take Brooklyn; Mob Town; Blackjack: The Jackie Ryan Story; I Love Us) from a screenplay written by Kosta Kondilopoulos. Also produced by Jon Brewer, Gustavo Nascimento and Kyle Stefanski. The 2B…

[news247planet]

#Brewers #Report #MLB Report: Brewers calling up former prospect Jon Singleton, who hasn't been in MLB since 2015 https://news247planet.com/?p=414837

[nwbeerguide]

The American Homebrewers Association announces this year's winner at the annual National Homebrew Competition.

PHOTO © BREWERS ASSOCIATION

Press Release

San Diego, Calif. • June 26, 2023 — The American Homebrewers Association® (AHA)—the national not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing the hobby of homebrewing—announced the winners of the 2023 National Homebrew Competition (NHC) during its annual Homebrew Con™ conference in San Diego. 120 medals in 40 categories were awarded for the most outstanding homemade beer, mead, and cider. Six major awards recognizing overall brewing excellence were also presented. 

The NHC has long been recognized as the world’s largest stage for amateur homebrewers to showcase their skills, creativity, and passion for the craft of fermentation. The 2023 competition received 4,335 entries from 1,708 homebrewers across 50 states, Washington, D.C., and 13 countries. In total, 164,105 entries have been evaluated since the inaugural AHA National Homebrew Competition in 1979 in Boulder, Colo.

MOST-ENTERED STYLE CATEGORIES

The winners of the most-entered categories were: 

Category 3: Pilsner (211 entries)

GOLD: Jared Aumen | Ann Arbor, MI | Ann Arbor Brewers Guild | German Pils (5D) SILVER: Robby Narquis | Richland, WA | New Zealand Pilsner (X5) BRONZE: Gregory Rinehardt | Abingdon, VA | Stooges Brew Club | New Zealand Pilsner (X5)

Category 18: Hazy IPA (168 entries)

GOLD: Jon Dieter | Concord, OH | Brewly Homebrew Club| Hazy IPA (21C) SILVER: Peter Cooke | Bridgewater, NJ | Garden State (GS) Homebrewers | Hazy IPA (21C) BRONZE: David Howell | Springfield, MO | Them Beer Knobbers | Hazy IPA (21C)

Category 26: European Sour Ale (162 entries)

GOLD: Jeff Bair | Kansas City, MO | Lambic (23D) SILVER: Joshua Cotton | Brooklyn, NY | New York City Homebrewers Guild | Berliner Weisse (23A) BRONZE: Kevin Wojdak | Elk Grove Village, IL | Urban Knaves of Grain Homebrew Club

Category 14: Irish & British Stout (161 entries)

GOLD: Chris Hunter | Martinsville, IN | Artesian Homebrewers | Sweet Stout (16A) SILVER: Richard Shoff | Baldwinsville, NY | Irish Stout (15B) BRONZE: Christopher Johnson | San Diego, CA | QUAFF | Irish Extra Stout (15C)

MAJOR AWARDS

In addition to category style awards, six major awards recognizing overall brewing excellence were presented. 

Homebrewer of the Year Award - Sponsored by Muntons

Recognizes the best-of-show beer judged from all gold medal winners in all beer categories.

John Heasley | Portland, OR | The Brewing Network

Cidermaker of the Year Award - Sponsored by Woodchuck Hard Cider

Recognizes the best-of-show cider judged from all gold medal winners in the cider categories.

James Werner | New Berlin, WI | Beer Barons of Milwaukee

Meadmaker of the Year Award - Sponsored by Redstone Meadery

Recognizes the best-of-show mead judged from all gold medal winners in the mead categories.

Shane Kammerer | Shawnee, KS | Kansas City Bier Meisters

Samuel Adams Ninkasi Award - Sponsored by Samuel Adams

Recognizes the entrant who accumulates the most points in the final round of competition.

Richard Shoff | Baldwinsville, NY

Gambrinus Club Award - Sponsored by Fermentis

Recognizes the club garnering the most final round points per total club entries.

New York City Homebrewers Guild | New York, NY

Homebrew Club of the Year Award - Sponsored by Briess Malt & Ingredients Co.

Awarded to the club accumulating the most total points in all categories of beer, mead, and cider in the final round of competition.

Kansas City Bier Meisters | Kansas City, KS

“The impressive quality of entries from this year's winners demonstrated immense dedication, innovation, and skill in the art of homebrewing. These creations captivated the taste buds of the judges, showcased a diverse range of flavors, and set the standard for excellence in fermentation,” said Chris Williams, competition director. “Congratulations to the 2023 National Homebrew Competition winners!”

 A complete list of winners of the 2023 National Homebrew Competition can be found here.

 HOMEBREW CON

Homebrew Con, the nation’s largest annual gathering of brewing and fermentation enthusiasts, returned sunny San Diego, where more than 1,300 American Homebrewers Association members attended the three-day conference for good brews, good vibes, and brew-IQ-boosting sessions. The AHA awarded the following for outstanding contributions to the homebrewing community.

ANNUAL RECOGNITION AWARDS

Radegast Club of the Year Award - Sponsored by Yakima Chief Hops

Awarded to a homebrew club for its efforts with community outreach and spreading the joys of homebrewing.

Horsemen of the Hopocalypse |Fort Worth, Texas

Homebrew Shop of the Year Award - Sponsored by BSG HandCraft

Awarded to homebrew supply shops on the merits of community support, education, customer service and engagement, promotion of homebrewing, and responsible business practices.

Patriot Brewery & Homebrew Supply | Elkhorn, Neb.

American Homebrewers Association Governing Committee Award

Awarded for outstanding service to the community of homebrewers.

Drew Beechum | Pasadena, Calif.

“To the participants, judges, sponsors, competition organizers, and volunteers who made this year’s Homebrew Con a resounding success, we say thank you. Cheers and congratulations to all the winners for making some of the world’s best homebrew,” said Julia Herz, AHA executive director.

Subscribe to the newsletter for updates about next year’s events here.

Editor’s note: Photos for media use are available here.

The 2023 National Homebrew Competition and Homebrew Con were made possible in part by the generous support of sponsors.

About the American Homebrewers Association: 

The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) has worked on behalf of the homebrewing community since 1978 and celebrates a membership of more than 36,000 homebrewers. The AHA organizes events including the Homebrew Con™, National Homebrew Competition, Big Brew for National Homebrew Day, and Learn to Homebrew Day. The AHA also publishes Zymurgy®, the longest-running magazine for homebrewers. The AHA is part of the Brewers Association®, whose Brewers Publications® division is the leading publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing literature for today’s craft brewers and homebrewers. Beer lovers, fermentation fans, and anyone interested in making their own homemade beer are invited to learn more at HomebrewersAssociation.org. Follow the AHA on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. 

The Brewers Association is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital/familial status. The BA complies with provisions of Executive Order 11246 and the rules, regulations, and relevant orders of the Secretary of Labor. 

from Northwest Beer Guide - News - The Northwest Beer Guide https://bit.ly/3JzA62O