#Maybe he celebrates Thanksgiving but only if it's just him and Ed

[wander-over-the-words]

🌻

new ask game send me a 🌻 and ill just tell you whatever the fuck i want

I was thinking about this again (and I’m literally listening to Christmas songs rn cause screw it Christmas music ain’t just for Christmas) so lemme tell y’all why it’s hard for me to write a Christmas fic for my Scriddler, as much as I’d like to

It’s because Christmas is Edward’s favourite holiday, but Jon doesn’t like Christmas. And yeah, to y’all that might sound like “oh well you can write something where Eddie has a bad Christmas and comes home to find Jon has decorated the house for him” but that literally wouldn’t happen cause Jon’s a stubborn fuck. If Ed had a shit Christmas, Jon would comfort him as he usually does if Edward’s had a bad day: obtain a drink or snack that Edward likes, give it to him, offer the chance to talk about the problem and then act as furniture for Edward to lean on if he needs to.

On a normal day, Jon couldn’t give less of a fuck about Christmas and ignores it, but if it’s shoved in his face enough, he just gets annoyed and locks himself away from it. And Edward would be trying to get him to partake in traditions with him because being in a relationship at Christmas is fun and all, which would just irk him. Christmas in my Scriddler’s household is Edward putting up decorations and Jon sitting there ignoring the decorations and declining the offer to help.

These two have had opposite reactions to the “child abuse victim finally gets to celebrate a holiday their way after having shitty holidays as kids” situation: Edward goes all-out cause this day is finally his to enjoy, while Christmas has just been forever ruined for Jon and he’s lost the will to care about it. I mean, Christmas in Gotham is very different to Christmas in Arlen; I imagine Jon’s first Christmas in Gotham was just him standing in the street going “WHERE’S ALL THE JESUS??? I GOT TOLD THIS HOLIDAY’S ABOUT JESUS” but he still lacked the ability to care about this more secular version. 

A Christmas fic for my Scriddler would be Edward trying to get Jon to join in in his celebrations, only to accidentally hit that point where Jon just loses his temper and snaps at him to leave him out of it, which would genuinely quite hurt him (like damn Jon he respects your holiday). Jon would begrudgingly apologise for upsetting him and he’d try his best to respect Edward’s celebration as Edward does his at Halloween, but the message of the fic would be “Jon doesn’t like Christmas, but hey I hope yours is better than his”. 

The MOST Jon would be willing to do at Christmas in terms of taking part in Edward’s traditions is MAYBE attending the Christmas party Oswald throws that Edward goes to, but only to take advantage of the lowered beer prices and sit in the corner and mull over why he doesn’t wanna be there. He’ll last about an hour before his patience is lost and he tells Ed he’s going home, text him if he needs picking up later. 

He’ll get Edward a present (and only Edward), but mainly so he doesn’t get shit for not getting him anything. If Edward lights up when Jon gives him the present, well then...that’s just a bonus. MAYBE he’ll indulge Edward when Eddie holds mistletoe over themselves and waggles his eyebrows for a smooch (Ed’s gotta catch him in a good mood for that one). He’ll take advantage of products that are sold at Christmas time (like eggnog and coffee shop goodies and whatnot) that he and Edward can share, but that’s all pretty much it.

There is one Christmas fic planned for the WanderVerse, but only because a big part of Jon and Edward’s relationship happened at Christmas, and that’s pretty much a coincidence. They accidentally, then not accidentally, then kinda accidentally but also not accidentally spend Christmas Eve together. (You’ll understand when I get it done.)

So yeah. Sorry, folks, but you’re most likely not getting cute holiday Scriddler from me. I can do a cute WINTER Scriddler fic, but not a cute Christmas one cause Jon’s kind of a bastard about it.

[the-awkward-outlaw]

A New Adventure - Pt 12

Hey folks! I figured it was only fitting that this series get a chapter about Thanksgiving. Enjoy! (BTW, this one made me really excited to go and bake some stuff).

Masterlist 

Read on AO3

Thanksgiving 

November has swept past and Thanksgiving is now only days away. 

Right after Halloween, Arthur mentioned it. Of course, you knew that Thanksgiving has been celebrated in the US since the Civil War. 

Curious about what it used to be like, you asked him how the gang celebrated the holiday. 

Arthur just smiled and explained that the last Thanksgiving he had with the gang, he and John had gone out hunting for turkeys, managing to catch four of them. 

Pearson had done his best to make an exemplary meal but, lacking a proper kitchen, he could only do so much. He’d made a hash along with some peach cobbler. 

There had been roasted vegetables cooked with the turkeys. 

Sean and Lenny snuck into town and stole some pies and desserts. 

The night had ended with most of the gang getting trashed. 

Arthur, chuckling at the memories, sombered up and asked you what Thanksgiving is like now. 

Your smile faded. You haven’t had a Thanksgiving in years, thanks to not really having much of a family anymore. 

The last one had been the last year your father was alive. 

Arthur apologized and hugged you. 

“Well, why don’t you and I do one? Just us?” he suggested. 

You heartily agreed and were silently grateful you still had the recipes your mom used for this celebration. 

The next shopping trip, you bought as many of the ingredients (and most importantly the turkey) as you could in order to get them before they were gone. 

Arthur looked at the frozen turkey. You didn’t get a big one, just one of those packets of breast meat since there would only be two of you. He seemed a little put off. 

When you asked him why, he said “Just don’t seem as satisfyin’. Buying a turkey from the store. I always caught ours back with the gang.” 

You put your hands on his hips and kissed him. “Well, maybe next year, you can go turkey hunting. I’ll get you a license and everything.” 

Arthur kissed you softly and thanked you, saying he’d like that. 

As the weeks of November went by, the inevitable signs of Black Friday and Christmas were popping up. None of which excited you. In fact, nothing annoys you as much as Black Friday. 

Arthur was seeing the ads too. He asked what Black Friday is. 

“Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving where, even though people just had this big feast to be grateful for everything they already have, they go insane and spend hundreds of dollars and stand in lines for hours on end while risking getting punched in the face so they can save twenty dollars on a $400 dollar item.” 

“You serious?” he said, not hiding the ludicrousy from his voice. 

“Yeah. It’s a bullshit holiday. I always just stay home and watch South Park’s rendition of Black Friday.” 

Arthur said it shouldn’t really be classified as a holiday and you agree before telling him it’s just a US thing. Other countries don’t do it. Black Friday is the most undeniable form of capitalism that has ever existed. 

Along with Black Friday comes the other signs of Christmas. Ads on Youtube playing holiday music and some people in your neighborhood have already put up lawn decorations. 

You tell Arthur you don’t really like Christmas, not being religious yourself and not having a proper family. Then you tell Arthur you don’t wanna talk about Christmas because you hate the avaris of the whole thing and want to enjoy Thanksgiving properly this year since you finally have someone to spend it with. 

He agreed, figuring you’d tell him about Christmas the closer it got. 

Now that Thanksgiving is only days away, you’re getting excited. You’ve just pulled the turkey out to thaw ans Arthur comes up and kisses you. 

You love whenever he does this, surprising you with his kisses. 

The two of you have not slept together yet, and honestly you’re not quite sure you’re ready for that just yet. Soon probably, but not yet. 

Arthur has not been pushy. In fact, he hasn’t even brought up sex or made any kind of advances. 

“So, there any Thanksgivin’ movies you folks got?” he asks, figuring there must be as it seems there’s a movie for everything. 

“Not really. Unless you count Garfield,” you say, referring to the cartoon cat. 

Arthur wants to watch it as he enjoyed the Halloween episode of Garfield, so the two of you sit down. 

Arthur pulls you into his lap while it plays. God, he is such a sweetheart. How can he go from being scary as hell to sweet as honey within seconds? 

Thanksgiving day comes and you get up early in order to start making pie dough. 

You don’t have to start the turkey until a couple of hours before eating, thanks to your trusty Instapot. 

Just as you’re starting, Arthur comes into the kitchen, hitching his pants over his union suit. 

You have to avert your eyes as his suit hugs his body in the right places, showing the firm muscles of his chest, arms and shoulders. He leans on the doorframe and watches you for a second. He really thinks you’re beautiful and he’s thankful every day for having ran into you. 

After a moment, he joins your side. He wants to help you make dinner. 

He’s pretty out of his element, rarely having cooked anything proper and never having baked. 

Despite that, he’s helpful and eager to learn. You show him how to grind the ingredients together to make it into pie dough. 

He tries his hand at it, but seems to struggle. You tell him to just add a little bit of cold water and a lot of elbow grease. 

Finally the dough is ready, so you show him how to throw it into a ball and then roll it into a circle and then how to get it into the tin. 

Arthur asks if it wouldn’t have been easier to get pre-made dough. 

“Gah, no. That stuff is crap. Besides, for Thanksgiving you should make as much by hand as you can.”

Arthur is impressed. He didn’t think you knew how to make so much from scratch.

Arthur samples the pumpkin pie and he sighs audibly. You have to push him out of the way to stop him from dipping his finger into it for a second time so you can get it into the oven. 

While the pie is cooking, you begin another batch of dough, but this one is different as it is meant to make rolls. 

Arthur likes working with this dough much better as it’s more stretchy and doesn’t take as much pressing. 

When you show him how to grab the dough and toss it hard on the table, he finds it particularly enjoyable. He really likes kneading it too, chuckling when you ask him if he likes it. 

“There’s something to this,” he says. You agree that this dough is fun. 

Finally the dough is ready to raise. The tricky thing about this recipe is it has to be raised three times, but you learned when you were young how to grow the yeast in order to make it rise quickly. 

You and Arthur have about an hour to relax while the dough rises and the pie bakes. 

Arthur suddenly pulls you close and suggests the two of you cuddle up on the couch and just watch something that isn’t going to require your commitance. 

You blush heavily but agree. You love cuddling with Arthur. He’s warm and soft in just the right places. 

He takes you into the living room and plops onto the couch before opening up his arms so you can climb onto him. You do so right after turning on some Netflix. 

The second your cheek hits his chest, he starts combing his fingers through your hair. 

The two of you watch the show for a bit but neither of you is really interested. You’re more distracted by your company. 

You really just want to kiss him. Lately you’ve been thinking about what he might be like in the bed. Something tells you he might not be too bad, though perhaps a little inexperienced or ignorant. Sex ed nowadays is bad enough, it was even worse in his day. 

His heart is pounding hard in your ear, and it’s faster than it usually is. Is he thinking along the same vein as you? 

Before you can stop yourself, you look up at him and kiss him. He responds enthusiastically. 

It isn’t long until you’re fully straddling him, your hands winding in his hair. His hands are gripping your hips almost painfully hard. 

As you shift your thigh, you feel something below his belt pressing into your hip. It makes you blush but excites you when you realize what it is. 

You stop kissing his lips and instead move down to his neck, sucking on his pressure point. He groans heavily. 

Just as you’re about to start working at the buttons of his union suit, the timer for the pie goes off. 

“Shit,” you whisper into his neck. He’s panting a bit beneath you. 

If it weren’t Thanksgiving, you’d say fuck it and keep going with Arthur. But you want today to be special. 

So you resolve yourself and get up, not looking at him as you go into the kitchen to pull out the pie. 

You expect Arthur to be practically behind you, but he isn’t. Even when you go to the roll dough and pound it down for the second rise, he doesn’t come. 

You blush again when you realize you left him half baked and he’s probably working on taking care of things. 

Part of you wants to go and help him, but you know you really shouldn’t. Right now isn’t a good time. So you decide to just carry on with cooking and give him five minutes. 

Before his time runs out, he strolls into the kitchen, a pink tinge to his cheeks. 

“Sorry, darlin’. Didn’t mean to leave you with the work.” 

“No, it’s fine. And I’m sorry too. Didn’t mean for things to get so far between us.” 

He smiles a bit. “I’m not. That was… well, it was nice.” 

You smile back a bit and return to the turkey, which sits mostly wrapped in the sink as you’re letting the juice run out. 

Arthur gently pushes you aside and takes the turkey from you. He delicately strips it of its wrappings while you get out the spices. 

When the meat sits inside the Instapot with all the spices and oils, Arthur takes a curious sniff. He hums appreciatively. 

By the time the turkey’s set to cook, you find the roll dough is ready to be rolled out. So you show Arthur how to roll it out into a circle, how to cut the dough into crescent shapes. 

After they’ve been rolled and buttered, you put them in your room, on your bed, and turn on your space heater and close the door. 

By the time the rolls are set to go, you have to start making mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. 

The mashed potatoes are a tried and true recipe so they don’t take too much effort. 

The vegetables are different as you’ve never done them before. But the spices make them smell good. 

Once all the food is cooking to the point you don’t need to do anything, you and Arthur give the kitchen a quick clean and begin setting up the table.

Luckily you have your grandmother’s china (your mom didn’t want it). You’ve rarely used it as it’s only for special occasions. 

Arthur inspects the china, noting the hand painted designs on the edges of the plates. He’s obviously impressed. 

Finally everything is ready to be set out. You and Arthur sit down, but you feel a little awkward. It’s been so long since you had a proper Thanksgiving you’re not really sure what you should do. Should you say what you’re grateful for?

You look at Arthur questioningly and his face says he’s thinking of the same thing. 

He clears his throat. “Darlin’, I know what I’m grateful for. I’m real thankful for havin’ run into you that day all them months ago. You saved my life and, well…” He blushes a bit and looks away. You’re blushing too.

He looks back at you, his eyes bright. “Darlin’, I love you.” 

Your eyes widen. He loves you? 

You huff a little and return his smile. “I love you too, Arthur. I’m most grateful this year for that day too. I wasn’t the only one who was saved that day.” 

If you were close to him, you’d lean over and kiss him, but as you’re separated by the table, all you can do is reach your hand over and grab his. 

He returns the gesture and squeezes yours. 

Dinner turns out to be surprisingly good. Better than you’d hoped seeing as you haven’t cooked this much or this complicated in years, and some of the recipes were new to you. You even pulled out some of your good wine.

Arthur heavily enjoys the meal. He excitedly dives into having seconds. 

After you’ve both gorged yourself, you and Arthur retreat to the couch again to wait out the guaranteed stupor that is to follow. 

You’re embraced in his grasp like before, but you don’t end up in a make out session. In fact, your mind doesn’t even wander into the direction of anything sexual. 

For the next two or so hours, you both slip in and out of your sleepy states while watching Netflix. 

Arthur likes brushing your hair. He’d never say it out loud, but he loves the way your body feels pressed against his.

He’s not thinking about sex either as he realizes this. You just feel comforting and warm. 

By the time the sun has properly set, you and Arthur go into the kitchen again and pull out the pumpkin pie.

“Oh, I’ve been excited for this,” Arthur admits eagerly.

You giggle as you lay on the whipped cream. 

The pie turns out to be just as good as the dinner. 

On his last bite, Arthur comes up to you, puts his hands on your hips and kisses you.

You can taste the pie and cream on his lips, but you enjoy it. 

As you kiss him, you wonder where your next steps in your relationship will take you. Unsurprisingly, you’re excited to find out.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #442

“the more you suffer, the more it shows you really care, right?”

Would you ever sell your soul? No. Do you believe that something is going to happen in 2012? Welp, clearly not. I never believed it. Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon? No, but I'd love to! When was the last time you slept in someone else’s bed? Uhhh not since I visited Sara, I think. Do you like your music loud or at a reasonable level? Loud, for sure. Louder than I should listen to. Did the last person you kiss have a tattoo? No. What’s the last song you heard? "The Bird and the Worm" by The Used. Has anyone told you they missed you lately? No. What are you most likely to do when you’re exhausted; take a nap, drink some coffee, or go for a run to get yourself pumped up again? Naps definitely win. What are you most likely to pick if you got to choose your topic on a research paper; drug abuse, mental illness, or the death penalty? Mental illness, for sure. What is your favorite month of the year and why? October, bc aesthetic. What’s your least favorite animal? Probably wasps. They're mean fuckers that kill bees. What was your class song when you graduated? Some super shitty country song. Have you ever had to spend the night outside (not camping)? No. What`s the scariest living animal that you`ve petted? A tarantula, I'd say. She was a sweet rose hair that I literally did pet, which you absolutely should not do to tarantulas, but I knew nothing about them at the time. The urticating hairs on their abdomens cause serious itching, and I tell ya, that sure happened. So did you play old school Nintendo or Atari or Sega? If so which one? We had an old Atari for a long time. When/where did you meet your first love? In the hallway, during my sophomore year of high school. Is there anyone you dislike, that you have to see/speak to regularly? Hm, what qualifies as "regularly," really? I don't like my sister's husband, who I see semi-regularly, but I don't really talk to him. Does your family eat any unique foods for Thanksgiving that aren’t the norm? If so, what are they? Nah, not that I can think of. If you eat oatmeal, do you add water or milk to it? What is your favorite flavor? Milk; I don't like it with water. I only eat the apples and cinnamon kind. Was the last video you watched on YouTube a music video? If not, what was it of? It's a let's play. Have you ever been brave enough to cut your hair in a very different way? If you have, did you regret your decision after? Yes, and I still love it. What was the last book you had to read for school? Did you enjoy it, or were you just trying to get through? The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I loved it. Has anyone you know personally ever won the lottery? If so, how much did they win? Would/have you ever play(ed) the lottery? No to both questions. I have a very addictive personality, so I don't really mess with dangerous things that might tempt that behavior. What band/celebrity/etc. do you know the most information about? Who would you like to learn more about? Markiplier, ha ha. As for who I'd like to know more about... hm. Have your friends met the last person you kissed? Girt has. Who has made the biggest difference in your life? Jason. You get a text from someone saying that they want to hang out - who would you most like it to be from? Also Jason. -_- What is the name on your birth certificate (feel free to withhold your last name for privacy reasons)? Brittany Marie is all you need to know. Even if shopping isn’t your favorite... every girl has a favorite store. What’s yours? My favorite physical store is Hot Topic, but my favorite store overall is Rebel's Market, which I'm pretty sure is just an online source. Which type of undies do you wear most: Thongs, bikini/briefs, bootyshorts, or granny panties? Don't you dare laugh, I prefer "granny panties" lmfao. They're what I'm comfortable in, okay. How many nail polishes do you have, if you were to take a guess? *I* have none. Idk about Mom, but I know not a lot. Are you on birth control? Do you use condoms? I use birth control to regulate my period and ease cramps. If I was sexually active though, both would be musts for me. When did you start your period? How did you react? Who did you tell first? When I got home from school sometime in middle school. I don't remember exactly how old I was, but I was EXTREMELY upset. Like, I cried, because I didn't feel like a kid anymore. My mom was the first to know. Have you ever had sex while on your period? If so, would you ever do it again? NO NO NO NO THAT SOUNDS SO GROSS LKASDFJ;AJW;LKERJA;WEJLRKQWLKE;JR. Which way do you swing (boys, girls, or both)? I'm bi. Or pan. I really don't know. Tell me ALL about your longest/most serious relationship. Are you still in that relationship? How about I don't, because doing that I'm sure will send me in a PTSD spiral. No, we're no longer together. Who is your ALL TIME best friend (don’t count your boyfriend, either, silly!)? Sara. I don't think I've been as close with any other best friend. Which one of your friends has the best singing voice? SARAAAAAAAAAAA. What shade are you in foundation or concealer? I don't have a clue. I don't wear either. Have you ever showered with someone? Boy or girl? Were you completely naked? "Were you completely naked." No, I shower with underwear on. I've showered with my little sister as well as my best friend as a kid. I've never shared a shower as an adult and don't want to. Do you think you’re good enough for the person you like? No. Are you a cuddler or no? If I'm really into you, YUP. And if it's not hot. Wouldn’t it be kinda annoying to have to share a bed every night? No. I miss it sometimes. Have you ever walked on a beach at night? Yes. It's beautiful. Could you go the rest of your life without drinking alcohol? Pretty easily, yeah. Would you marry someone you didn’t love if you were paid 10 thousand dollars? No. I just wouldn't be able to stomach doing that. I'm solely marrying for love. Have you had sex today? I haven't in many years. Do you still care about your last ex? Very very much! Do you own more then one bathing suit? Nope. Is there any alcohol in the fridge? Yeah, but none I like. Who have you recently made up with after fighting? Nobody. Who do you WANT to make up with? Jason. Megan. Do you get scared easily? Hm. It really depends on the situation. Have you seen UP? Never the full movie, actually. I need to. How many coats of mascara do you use? I use it so rarely that I barely know. Two, maybe? What’s your favorite bracelet? The one Sara gave me. I used to always wear it, but it's worn down with time and is too loose for me now, so it's just with my jewelry. What color hair does your mom have? It's naturally gray now, but she dyes it black. Favorite song to listen to when you are mad? "Headache" by Motionless In White does it. What restaurant would you want to work at? NONE. I ain't working with hungry people. I don't want to work with people - period. When people ask “how are you?” do you say “good” even if you aren’t? Depends on who's asking. If it's a stranger or someone I barely know, odds are I'm just going to reply with "fine" or something like that. Were you honestly a good kid? Yes. Is anything wrong with your eyes? I have to wear glasses, so. Have you kissed or hugged anyone today? No. What is your mom’s and dad’s favorite TV show? I don't really know for either. Mom watches loads of shows, and I don't live with Dad, so. I know he really likes The Big Bang Theory, though, which Mom also loves. Have you ever suspected your mom or dad of having an affair? No, but ~supposedly~, Dad did with his now-wife. I don't know what the fuck is true between my parents, though. Do you think buying second hand clothes is gross? It depends on the type of clothing (ex., used underwear is a huge fucking no), as well as the state it's in. Does it gross you out when your parents kiss? They're divorced. That would be incredibly weird, uncomfortable, and impossible with how I know at least Mom feels towards Dad. Do you have a playlist made on YouTube? Yeah, multiple. Do you like dollar stores? I mean, sure? They have good deals occasionally and are a good option to stop for a quick snack or something. Mom doesn't actually *shop* in them, though. What’s the last thing you bought from one? I think a honeybun. Do you think it’s weird how babies are made? Well, yeah. Science can be crazy, though. Have you ever lost a friend over the opposite sex? No. Are you comfortable in a short skirt? I wouldn't be comfortable in ANY skirt. Do you and your family go on a vacation ever year? We essentially never do. Vacations cost money. We don't have money to spare. When you were going out with your last ex and you had the chance to date your celebrity crush, would you have left your bf/gf for them? No, because it's not like I know him personally, while I know her very deeply. Who was your most romantic moment with? Jason. Do you sweat easily? Like you wouldn't BELIEVE. A side effect of one (or even multiple) of my meds is hyperhidrosis, so I can sweat an ocean in two minutes, it seems. It's disgusting, and I am so self-conscious about it. What’s one memory you wish would just vanish? Just a specific moment with Jason that is particularly agonizing to recall. Are you in love with someone? No. Partying or watching a movie? Partying isn't my thing. I'd have more fun watching a movie with friends. What pisses you off the most? Child molesters/rapists, probably. Where do you want to be at a year from now? I just want a job by then, dude. I also hope I've lost a lot of weight. Do you like pickles? Only dill pickles. If you saw someone broken down on the side of the road, would you stop to help? Honestly, no. I don't trust people. What do you do with your plastic grocery bags after you unload your things? We put our plastic bags into one big bag for later use. Have you ever slept in a water bed? Yes. How often do you use Flickr? I don't. I only ever check my friend's for meerkat photos, ha ha. Share three nice memories you have of the person you fell hardest for. No, unless you want me to cry. Have you ever made any of your friends cry? Not deliberately of course, but yes. Do you look decent in your most recent photograph? God no, I look high. Out of all the guys you know, who would you trust to not cheat on you? Girt. I know he never would, especially because HE'S been cheated on. How do you plan on disciplining your children? NOT by physical means, I can tell you that much. If I actually had kids, I'd teach them through (hopefully) primarily deeply talking things out. If need be, there'd be time out, grounding, things like that. I do NOT support methods like spanking your kid, so that's a big no. If you could live in another country, would you? What country? Yes; Canada. If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Quinn, probably. What’s one health problem you wish you didn’t have? It's a tie between depression and anxiety. What is your cure for hiccups? NOTHING works for me. It's the worst. Did you ever do anything in class that annoyed other students? I mean, I don't think so. Have you used a Ouija board and had a freaky experience with it? I've never messed with one, and I don't want to. I don't know if I believe in their supernatural abilities or not, but I ain't fuckin around and finding out. Do you stick with a political party, or vote for who you like best? I pick based on their policies and morals, not necessarily their party. Do you know anyone who is an albino? No. Word search or crossword puzzle? Word searches. When you watch a game show, do you like to see people win or lose? Aw, who wants to see them lose? It's great to see people win and be so excited. Do you have a pair of fake redneck, vampire, etc. teeth? No. What is your favorite Pixar film? Finding Nemo. Do you get really mad when you lose a game? Not at all. I'm not very competitive, and games are about having fun. When was the last time you used a pay phone? I actually don't think I ever have. Who did you have your most amazing kiss with? Jason. Do you go to church every Sunday? I never go to church as I'm not religious. If you had to get famous for one of the following, which would you choose: music, acting, writing, modeling? Writing. What do you think of girls with huge boobs that don’t wear bras in public? Who the fuck cares. If they're comfortable and at least have a shirt on, let 'em. Most women have breasts, big whoop. Do you even like politics? God no. What’s it like at raves? Oh god, I'd never go. Have you ever had a dream in which you were making out, or more, with someone? lol yes

[sonicscrewdriverofsarcasm]

If we're being honest, 2020 is the first Thanksgiving I've had in a Long time where I've felt any kind of gratitude for the world. I know it's a holiday dished in blood, and that celebrating it is a sign of privilege at the very least, but sometimes it really is good to take a step back and appreciate the fragile good things that are happening in life to balance out the rest of the insanity happening in the world.

The horse is getting evicted from the hospital, for starters. Sure, that won't fix everything that he's done while he's there, and sure, it won't unestablish the systematic problems that got him there in the first place, but it's still a good place to start. I know Biden isn't exactly ideal, but at least he isn't Actively trying to destroy the country (and world of he can manage).

That's really the only good thing happening for the world as a whole that i can think of right now, but last night a couple of my friends who are equally fucked over by the pandemic and working with the public came over and we all kicked in to have a delicious meal from a cumulative effort. I got kind of drunk because my brain is a menace, but there wasn't a single fight last night to self medicate through.

I'm on an honestly unsettling string of good luck right now. I have two partners who love me and each other, and I'm engaged to marry one of them in 2 years. I have friends who care about one another enough to make last night happen even in the middle of a pandemic, and my ed even let me eat with them without throwing a huge fit (albeit drunk).

I've been on hrt long enough that it takes me pitching my voice up over a speaker with no visual to get me Sometimes misgendered (around 10 months on the shot). It's been 2 years officially since I came out as tabs to my parents at Thanksgiving, fully expecting them to reject me and recording to never see them again. I couldn't see them last night because of the pandemic, but last night my dad called and he even called me his son.

Most of my friends are also on a kick of good luck, too. One just got his top surgery. Another couple just got their first apartment.

Of course everything is still uncertain and could get taken away easily. Sure, rent and bills are a hassle right now because said friend who got surgery last his job afterwards. Yes, there's a long way to go before most things pan out. And maybe we'll all be dead before the end of the year because of the pandemic, but it's time like these when finding the good things in life to be thankful for is the most important. I won't lie, I'm an unmedicated bipolar person with multiple other mental illnesses, so finding hope outside of mania is a rare occurrence for me. I hope at least some of you can also find hope this year.

[syalmazhafira17]

Her Brother

Her grief of losing loving brother

TW: Mentions of death, drug addict, use of alcohol, slight mention towards s*ici*e

Word count: 2.566

A/N: Hii, finally I could post my writing in my Tumblr. I started a challenge for myself for writing 2.000 words at least every week and this is my piece of writing for November Week #2. I use some prompts for this writing, here is the list of the prompts and credits to tumblr blog posts that I took the prompts from, if you see your prompt used and wanted a credit, you can always chat me and I will give you credits. Thank you for reading!

XOXO,

Syalma

Thanksgiving, 2015.

Orange leaves piling up behind the house on the backyard. Falll has finally come, but her heart feels like the leaves, yellow, orange, falling from the tree, although they fall gracefully, but not her. Her heart felt like a haunted house, dusty and old. Her hair was a mess of strings. She can't cry anymore, she had ran out of her tears. She felt hollow on her soul, she just an empty flesh and bones.

His hands were the only safe place in the world for her now. The place where everything seems and feels fine, everything was perfect as she wished it was.

"When will you be home?" her voice trembled and cracked at the end. He coudl clearly tell her emotion, she has been with him for years.

"What's wrong petal?" he asked.

"He's gone, Carl. He has left," she broke down. Tears still not there, but her chest felt burst with emotions.

"Who- petal, I'll be home soon enough, okay? And we'll talk about it if you want to," Carl gulped.

"Thank you," she sniffled and hung up, buried her face on the pillow, that ironically smells like lemon, just like the smell of his other stuff she missed so much, but she couldn't bear the pain again. A knife felt twisted in her heart, and she growls in unphysical pain. Her hand squeezed her pillow harder, please take the pain away, she begs inside. She finally cried, with no tears, just some emotional heavy feelings being lifted off her chest, but it feels better, but not for long.

Her hand finds a way to her chest, squeezing the pendant of her necklace unconsciously.

"Don't lose it," he has said when he first gave it to her. "You have to remember me."

"I won't," she smiled brightly, not paying too much attention to the last sentence.

It was years ago, before only a month ago, she found out he got addicted to drink, and drugs. Not being the person she knew for years. Her head buried deep on her thoughts, the first time he show her what's love, care, and dream.

She was 4, he was 6, he already knew the family at such a young age. She didn't understand everything, but she already felt pain, and hatred. Her cheeck gone red, her face heated up, but she won't break, she was near for losing it, but she knew the consequence. She had enough for the day. She quietly crawls outside, towards the yard, where he waited. He immediately pick her up, wiping beads of tears that started to fall down quietly.

"Shhh...it's alright. It's okay. You are with me now," he whispered, holding his baby sister closer. Her chubby cheek mushed against his chest. She let out a soft whimper to let out the pain in her body. Her milk soft skin bruised here and there, hidden with dresses she wore, but that doesn't mean the pain gone. The only person knew it was him, he will always ice packed it, and kiss her, in susbtitution of parental sweet kiss.

For years it will be like those days. As they grow up together, they started to play along with the games. They would run through the bushes on the backyard and laughed as their parents chase after them, drunk, sober, but still dangerous. Their barrier will always be the wall on the backyard, when they were younger, they will always stop there, but when she hit 11, they started jump over the wall and ran to the street until it's midnight and their parents already head out to the bar.

One time, they almost got caught outside, on the street, they took the wrong turn and met with their drunk parents. He sees them first, immediately stopping her on the track and pull her to hide behind an abandoned building. And they got trapped there for an hour. They wouldn't mind, but she started to be scared. Feeling her body tensed, he crawled to the back of the building

"What are you doing?" she squeaked.

"Shhh, follow me," he instructed. He crawled to the little door towards the back of building. She looked over to where he meant it, before figuring out the thing.

"Is that even possible? It's too small," she shook her head

"Of course, silly. What do you think about your cool big bro?" he chuckled, pushing materials around him to make the hole turned bigger. Her eyes widen. Excitedly helping to push around and a door with the size of adult person opened.

"Where does this goes?" she asked.

"Shh," he shushed her, before speaking in random gibberish.

**"Who are you talking to?"**she asked curiously.

"I said shh," he softly shushed her again.

She stayed quiet, before she got in shock a group of leather jacket-ed boys coming around us.

"Who are they?" she said underneath her breath.

"The night's boys. My new friends," he smirks and talk to them in gibberish she couldn't understand. The boys nodded and smiles, and two of them letting out their hands towards her.

"They are pretty gentleman, take their hands," he warned her. She nodded, taking their hands and follow them walking through a small part of the town she never neither heard or seen before.

They walk pretty quietly, it was until the point that it was very odd for someone who walks that quiet. But she didn't comment anything and just following them. He didn't seem to care either, so that what makes her kept going and following them quietly.

They brought them to a small bunker, it smells odd, like rotten egg. Which wasn't something she would love, but she didn't mention it anyway, in fear that they will harm her. Although he said they aren't necessarily bad, but there's no reassurements that they won't harm her if she did anything.

"What makes you think they're safe?" she whispered under her breath once they reach the bunker and the boys that holds her hand lef them both alone on the lip of the bunker. "And what makes you think this is the best place?" she looked around.

"I have known their leader, and if we didn't let them lend a helping hand-" he turned his whole body around to meet her eyes. "we're doomed."

"But what's the point of bring us here?" she squeaked.

"Because we're playing this another round game of escaping from our drunk abusive parents. And you should be happy we have a place to stay rather sleep through the night ine that old building," he answered in relaxed state. The opposite of her freak out state, he seems so calm and knowing the situation they were in.

They stayed there for a whole ten minutes before a boy came up to them.

"Leader says you can stay here for the night," he simply says before walking away. Just about the time she wanted to ask where they should sleep or at least things like blanker or else, he stopped her on the track. Making her rethink of things, what should she expect them to have for sleeping? They're already in luck they won't eat them for late dinner/early breakfast.

They found a crook of bunker that was cleaner than the rest of the cold tiles. She cuddled herself while he stayed up brightly. Playing with a razor blade in his wrist without her noticing. He wanted nothing than escaping the reality, having drunken abusive parents, wandering the town in order to escape them at night, he just wanted a better life for him and her little sister he used to hate.

When he was a kid, he thought when his little sister was born, his abusive parents will chose her rather than him, and he will suffer alone while his sister took all of the caring loving parents whatsoever he craved so much. But when he first seen her walking with tears in her eyes and blood slid down her cheek, he knows that she will suffered the same, without love and care. So he started to learn to love her, giving her something they both supposed to recieve.

They went school, of course. Being a normal kid, when at night they turned to a complete rebel mode. They don't steal or get drunk underage, they just ran around the town, making friends with rebel, and knowing their lifestyle. They sometimes annoy pedestrians when they got bored, just whistling at them, and escape their parents once more. They played a little game to escape their parents every night, and everytime they didn't get caught, they will celebrate it by giving eachother a simple treat of a bite of cupcake, from the money they recieved for working with random people needed help around the town. But they needed more than that, they need enough money just to escape the town, or country maybe, to live and to be themselves without fear.

The morning quickly approached, without him having any sleep, and she woke up pretty quickly. He turned to her, gesturing to her they have to ran from the bunker as soon as the sun rise up. She nodded and balanced herself on her own two feet and ran outside with him. It was Sunday, so they walked and wandered around the town some more in the bright daylight.

"You know, maybe I should go out of town, look for money some more, and maybe we could live away from this town," he said.

"You mean, you will leave the town? Leaving me alone?" she stopped her track and looking to him deadly in the eyes.

"No-not like that. It's just a quick one, once I got some work and I'll bring you as well," he simply said.

"Where should I go for safe if you leave? What will happen to you?" she asked.

"I know a friend- he was very kind and I'm pretty sure his sister wouldn't mind having someone to share nail polishes," he nodded.

"That wasn't the point. I don't want to be away from you. Why can't you just bring me already?" she said in the edge of patience.

"That wasn't the point either. They were very lovely and kind. And I can't bring you because the money wasn't going to be enough for both of us," he said coldly.

"I don't care about money. You are my only family. No one's my family here except you," she said, tears started falling from her eyes.

"But he could be family, he could be a part of us with his sister," he said.

"But I don't want to," she said.

"Well, you should, if you want to live better than these," he said.

"I don't care about these! I just needed you to be around, not far from me, that's what you did every day in our lives!" she fought.

"YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH IT TORTURES ME! YOU DON'T KNOW!" he yelled. She was in shock, but he didn't noticed that. "It wasn't easy."

"Oh- you thought I'm just a doll? Yeah, fine, okay. You can leave! Leave this town! Never come back! I will find a way to not starve myself and not being YOUR TORTURER!" she yells back and ran away.

He froze in his place. Realizing what he has done. "Stop! Willa! Stop!" he yanked forward and ran to catch her. But she ran faster than him, and he never found his Willa again. She escapes out of his grip just like that.

The next day, he finalize his choice. If he could get successful, he could have the chance to meet his sister. And maybe he could get his wish out of the town. So he left using the leftover money he had in his pocket, and he left with a train out the town, without saying goodbye to her.

She quietly watched him get to the train with only a dream and wish from behind a wall in the station. She wanted to ran and hug him, saying sorry, gave him a proper goodbye. But she doesn't have the courage to do that. So she just stood there, hidden, with tears streaming down her face. Her knees trembling and she doesn't even sure if she will be strong enough to hold her weight. She slides down and kneeling on the cold floor underneath, while the train that her brother took already drove away. Now she doesn't have someone to seek comfort with.

She walked around the town like a ghost. She knew exactly this 'friend' her brother meant. A house just down the block, not a really big house, they only live together for two, even the house enough for 4 people, because their parents mostly doing their jobs outside the country. With trembling hands and salty tears on her lips, she raised her hand and pressed the bell.

A girl around 20 years old opened the door. She has long dark hair, and she wasn't even shocked seeing the teen in front of her parents' house. The girl opened her arms widely and she just broke there inside her warm and welcoming arms.

"He really left, doesn't he?" the girl asked softly. She nodded.

"I'm sorry," the girl said.

"Nothing's to be sorry about," she croaked. The girl smiled.

"You can live here for the rest of your life," the girl softly said.

And she lives there for years. Living her life together with the girl and her brother, they tried to contact her brother for years, until a bit over a month ago, their hard work paid off.

They got his number. When she already engaged to her brother's friend. They finally connected. On their last phone call, he promised somthing she never got. Something he broke.

"Hello lil' sis," his voice heard at the end of the line.

"Hi," she held back tears of happinness.

"I heard you've been engaged to Carl? See, he will be a part of us eventually," he giggled.

"Yeah, you were right years ago. We never said proper see you later on the train station," she said.

"Yes, I'm sorry. But I'll be home soon, seeing my lil' sis got married with my friend," he sighed.

"I missed you," she croaked.

"I missed you too. Been looking for these kind of day when you just talk to me," he said.

"My wedding will be in a month," she said. "Think you could come a few weeks earlier? Want to bought wedding gown."

"Yeah, anything else?" he giggled.

"Think you could stop working outside the town for me?" she asked.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked.

"Yeah, you could work around here, or on Carls' even," she shrugged.

"Of course," he laughed. Oh how she missed the laugh. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She smiled before hanging up. But he never came tomorrow, the next day, or else. She never met him again.

[wastingstarlight]

but i'm weak, and what's wrong with that? | chapter two

pairing: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier rating: E (chapter) word count: 1.3k tags: Exhibitionism, Voyeurism, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Hockey, Masturbation, Pining, Friends With Benefits, Getting Together, Hand Jobs, Public Hand Jobs read on ao3 read part one | tumblr • ao3

Thanksgiving break is just around the corner and Eddie is not looking forward to spending the long weekend cramped in a house that smells like mothballs with one aunt after another after another asking him how school is going or what he’s planning on doing after graduating or if he has a girlfriend yet.

There are only so many combinations of “fine”, “I don’t know yet”, and “fuck no” he can give before wanting to jump into the quarry and stay there until hypothermia takes him.

To make it worse, Mike is doing Thanksgiving in Florida this year—apparently, his grandfather has extended family there—so he’s not even going to have company on the drive between Castle Rock and Derry.

It’s the night before he has to leave, though, and Torrance is playing Harvard. It’s packed—Torrance men’s hockey is good this year and word travels fast. Torrance isn’t a sports school per se, but New Englanders love their hockey and it’s an easy support for newcomers to get attached to—fast-paced, a little bit violent, a little bit primal.

It’s all amplified tonight. The game is chippy from the start—Harvard rushes the Torrance goalie two minutes into the first period and there’s a good old-fashioned shoving match that ends with two Harvard players and three Torrance players in the penalty box, and it only goes downhill—uphill?—from there.

It’s a fantastic game, gets everyone in the crowd on their feet. Richie gets his first goal ten minutes into the first and his second is a buzzer-beater before the end of the second. Eddie is on the edge of his seat. Richie’s going to get a hat trick tonight. He can feel it.

And then he does.

Eddie screams himself hoarse as the crowd of baseball caps are tossed onto the ice and Richie smacks into his linemates with a roar that’s silent beneath the din of the crowd.

They run the rest of the clock out and just like that, they’ve blown out the Crimson 5-0.

///

Eddie slips away from Stan as they head out of the rink and Stan gives him a knowing look before letting him go. So what? Maybe Eddie is predictable. Maybe he’s too pumped up to care. Eddie knows exactly how Richie likes to celebrate a win like this and Eddie wants.

He makes his way down to the hallway outside the home locker room and messes around on his phone as he waits. He doesn’t wait long—Richie is one of the first ones out, chatting animatedly with Bill, Mike, and Ben. He catches sight of Eddie and his grin goes sharper. He strides over, long legs making it look easy, curls one hand beneath Eddie’s jaw to tilt his head up and crashes their mouths together. Eddie makes a little noise and curls his fingers into the front of Richie’s shirt.

Eddie hears Bill’s wolf-whistle, Mike’s “gross”, and Ben’s “get it, Tozier!” but they don’t quite register, not when Richie licks teasingly at the seam of his lips.

They break apart but the look in Richie’s eyes makes Eddie’s chest flutter.

“C’mere,” Richie grins and tugs Eddie towards a side hallway that Eddie knows contains meeting rooms and offices.

“Wear protection!” Mike calls and Eddie flips him off.

Richie drags him into the first room that has the door propped open—a meeting room that’s illuminated only by the light from the hallway and the moonlight streaming in through the windows.

Eddie has barely had time to survey the room before Richie’s fingers card through the hair at the nape of Eddie’s neck and their mouths crash together. Eddie shivers into the kiss. His hands find purchase on Richie’s waist and he clings as Richie licks into his mouth while walking him back until he’s pressed against the wall with Richie’s thigh between his legs. Eddie makes a high pitched noise into the kiss and rocks forward helplessly.

“You were so fucking— ah—so fucking hot out there,” Eddie breathes. Richie kisses him again and again.

“Yeah?” Richie grins, shifting forward into Eddie’s crotch and drawing a moan.

“Yeah, Jesus,” Eddie mumbles.

“You can call me Richie.”

“Shut up,” Eddie hisses, leaning forward to kiss him again.

Richie grins into the kiss and the angle is off, but Richie shifts and then it’s perfect and oh Eddie is so easy for him.

Richie’s erection is a hard line against Eddie’s thigh and Eddie reaches a hand between them to palm at it.

Richie breaks back with a hiss. “Careful, Eds,” he says breathily. “You really know how to make a guy wanna come in his pants.”

Eddie hums. “I wanna blow you.”

“Jesus.”

“You can call me Eddie.”

Richie barks out a laugh and pulls Eddie forward into another kiss. Eddie has just undone the button on Richie’s pants when they hear voices growing louder.

“Shh, shh,” Richie grins, scratching a hand down Eddie’s side as Eddie muffles a whimper into the curve of Richie’s neck. Eddie nips Richie’s shoulder in retaliation and it’s Richie’s turn to bite back a hiss.

It’s just a handful of guys, joking around about the game and the party they’re headed to later, but they get closer to meeting room door that’s still ajar and Eddie feels Richie tremble. A wicked idea starts to form in Eddie's brain.

“Any one of them could look in here and see you like this,” Eddie breathes into Richie’s neck. Richie makes a little noise and Eddie goes on. “All marked up. A minute away from coming in your pants.”

“Fuck, Eddie.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? If one of them saw?” Eddie punctuates the question by tugging down the zipper of Richie’s pants.

Richie doesn’t answer, just rocks forward, looking for friction and finding none.

The voices are right next to the door now and Eddie begins to see their shadows momentarily blotting out the hallway light.

“Quiet, now,” Eddie breathes, finally getting a hand on Richie’s dick and giving it a few experimental strokes.

Richie inhales sharply through his nose and Eddie knows how much he’s holding himself back—he’s always the more vocal of the two of them, spouting out dirty talk that makes even Eddie blush.

Now, though, with a group of strangers just an open door away, Richie is doing everything he can to not cry out. All because of Eddie’s hand on his dick. It’s fucking hot is what it is.

Eddie smears Richie’s precome across his palm and that makes the slide a little bit smoother. Eddie’s hand picks up the pace; he doesn’t dare get on his knees when there are people so close because he knows that’ll make Richie talk, but he can do this, can keep Richie on edge.

They’re right next to the door now, and it’s like they could be in the room with them.

One of the strangers says something and another one laughs and apparently Eddie had been keeping Richie a bit too close to the edge because he pitches forward suddenly and buries his face into Eddie’s neck to hide a gasp as he comes, spilling all over Eddie’s hand.

“Oh my god,” Eddie says faintly. The voices grow quieter by the second.

Richie laughs breathily. “Sorry. Knew you wanted to blow me.”

Eddie unceremoniously wipes come onto Richie’s underwear before tugging them back up. “That was before I knew you’d come like a fucking teenager who just discovered jerking off when you heard people right outside the door.”

“Hey,” Richie protests weakly.

“It’s not a bad thing,” Eddie grins and leans forward to press a kiss to the corner of Richie’s mouth. Eddie moves to lean back, but Richie doesn’t let him and deepens the kiss briefly instead.

“Come back to my room,” Richie says. “I want to take you apart.”

Eddie shivers because fuck yes.

“You gonna come in under a minute again?” Eddie asks, because he’s an asshole and Richie makes it so easy.

Richie groans. “You’re never gonna let me live this down.”

“Nope,” Eddie replies, popping the “p”.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” Richie says with a long-suffering sigh.

Eddie just grins and shoves Richie backward. “C’mon, asshole. I want you to fuck me before I die of old age."

"Your wish, my darling," Richie says in his stupid British guy voice, "is my command."

[the-cookie-of-doom]

A World Without Color

the one where you only see color once you meet your soulmate.

Like most people, Stiles grew up in a world without color. All his life, he wondered what colors would look like. His mother tried to tell him; yellow was like feeling sunlight on your skin, blue was cold water on a hot summer day. Red was warm, like a fire, like love. Green was like was their walks in the Preserve, the smell of trees and loam filling the air, crisp and clear. Brown was the petrichor smell that followed a rain, the most beautiful color. His eyes were brown. Stiles wished he knew what that meant, hoped every day that he would meet his soulmate soon.

When Stiles was 9 years old, his mother got sick. Stiles didn't know it at first, she seemed fine. Just forgetful. She would get lost in her thoughts for a while, but Stiles did too, sometimes.

Later, Stiles would find out when his father knew Claudia was dying. Long before either of them told him, the color had started to fade from his world. Stiles couldn't imagine what it felt like, to go from seeing a kaleidoscope of colors he couldn't understand, to the washed out, drab grey of life as he knew it.

Stiles stopped hoping for a soulmate. He didn't want to know the pain his father felt, to finally, fully experience life and have it taken away from him. Better to never see it at all.

When they were 16 years old Scott saw color for the first time. Stiles knew it because the excitement sent him into a panic attack in the middle of class, right after the beautiful new girl sat beside him in their homeroom. Stiles took him to the nurse to get his inhaler, and tried not to feel jealous as his best friend looked around them in wonder.

"It's amazing," Scott managed through stuttered breaths, one arm slung around Stiles' shoulder.  "But dude. Your clothes look terrible."

Stiles didn't remind him that he couldn't see color, and neither could his father, not anymore. There was no one to correct poor color choices. Stiles didn't say anything, but that didn't stop Scott from looking guilty a split second later, overshadowing the amazement.

"I'm sorry," Scott said, softer, earnest. It was hard to remember another's pain when faced with your own good fortune. How many people could say they'd met their soulmate in high school? Stiles' parents hadn't met until they were well out of college.

"What's your favorite color?" Stiles asked to change the subject, diverting it back to a safer topic. Scott's expression turned dopey, a slow smile spreading wide across his face.

"Allison's eyes." Stiles snorted at the predictable response. Scott nudged him. "Same color as your eyes."

"Brown, then."

"Yeah!"

"You're so lame, man." They were at the nurse's office. "Be sure to tell her you can see now, I'm sure there's some pamphlet or other she has for you." Probably next to the sex-ed brochures they hand out at that time every year, alone with condoms and tampons. The latter two are at least useful.

"I can't wait to tell mom."

"Yeah. I'll see you later, dude."

Scott and Allison predictably met up after lacrosse practice; the school day didn't stop just because two tiny teens found love, so it was all day before they finally got a moment together. Scott had to work later that night, so they were going to monopolize as much time between now and then as they could. Stiles didn't blame him, even if it was guys night. Bros did not get in the way of their bro's soulmating.

Instead Stiles went to kick around in the preserve for a while, wanting to feel closer to his mom. It had rained all day so the smell of petrichor was strong. If Stiles closed his eyes, he could almost pretend his mother was walking right next to him, explaining all the different colors as best she could, apologetically telling him that no words could describe the entirety of the spectrum. But one day, when he was older, she would take him somewhere where he could see them all.

Stiles suggested Home Depot, where they could see all the paint chips. Claudia laughed and said maybe a big, beautiful garden, full of every kind of flower. Or the Pasadena Rose Parade, to see the colorful floats. And holidays would be amazing, bright and alive.

Ever since her death, the holidays had been just as bland as everything else about his life. What was there to be thankful for, when his mother was dead? What was there to celebrate, when the only gift he wanted was something he could never have?

Even so, the Stilinski's and McCalls joined forces to make a worthwhile celebration, even if they couldn't do much. They traded off hosting; last year it was Thanksgiving with Scott and Mellissa, Christmas at the Stilinski household. John had to get called in for a call and the hospital was understaffed, so Scott and Stiles spent most of the night playing videogames.

Stiles was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even realize how deep into the Preserve he had gotten, aimlessly walking. The trees looked the same in every direction, and when he took out his phone he had no service, the battery declaring 17%.

"This is private property."

Stiles looked up, and his world burst into color.

[gayiconwaluigi]

The Coen Brothers’ Raising Arizona and Mr. Robot

I’ve posted comparatives before about H.I. McDonough’s dream sequence with a lullaby version of “Down in the Willow Garden” and Elliot’s dream sequence of the future set to a lullaby version of Green Day’s “Basketcase.” But I want to take a deeper look into the actual message of the Coen Brothers’ Raising Arizona to see how the allusion to the film in Mr. Robot season 2 enhances the narrative.

Raising Arizona takes place in the 1980s with Nicolas Case (at only 22 years old) playing opposite Holly Hunter--a petty criminal, H.I., and a police officer, Ed, who fall in love, get married, and live a happy, simple life in a trailer out in Arizona. They’re the picture of an American Dream:  2 white, lower class individuals who decide to dedicate their lives to a child--a child that it turns out they cannot have either biologically or through an adoption agency due to H.I.’s former arrests.

Instead, the McDonough’s find that one of the wealthiest families in Arizona--the Arizona family--have had quintuplets and seek to redistribute the baby wealth for themselves, stealing a baby they just can’t seem to settle on a name for. H.I. and Ed both project their own desired personalities onto the healthy American boy as Ed reads Dr. Spock’s baby book to figure out just the best way to raise a child in Reaganite America.

People show up to detract from this dream: a pair of escaped convicts who drop by H.I.’s house on the way out of jail, a pair of friends who educate Ed on all the pressure of raising a child and ply H.I. with a proposition for becoming swingers. The convicts discover the baby belongs to the Arizonas and kidnap him, making sure to take “the instructions” (Dr. Spock’s baby book). 

While all this takes place, a mystical bounty hunter dreamed of by H.I. enters reality to take up the Arizona’s challenge of finding the kidnapped child. The hunter doesn’t have an ounce of good in him, and he wears a pair of leather baby shoes on his person to signify his past as a child and how the world had ruined him.

The film ends with H.I. blowing up the hunter (most poignantly with H.I. seeing he and the hunter have the same Woody Woodpecker tattoo), the convicts crawling back into prison because they couldn’t handle the real world, and the McDonoughs returning the baby with the threat of divorce looming above them. The film ends in a dream with H.I. monologuing much like a bard as he does for the entire movie as he reflects on a possible future for the child they stole and a possible future for he and his wife. The final lines? 

“This whole dream, was it wishful thinking? Was I just fleeing reality like I know I'm liable to do? But me and Ed, we can be good too. And it seemed real. It seemed like us and it seemed like, well, our home. If not Arizona, then a land not too far away. Where all parents are strong and wise and capable and all children are happy and beloved. I don't know. Maybe it was Utah.”

The entire film functions as a commentary on the promise of our children. We have our lives, and we will give our lives for our children. Except nobody quite knows the right way to raise them as evidenced by all the strange people we meet throughout the film who were once children and are evidence of the child rearing process gone wrong. The film also comments on the haves and the have nots--who deserves what? And why isn’t life fair?

The characters of Mr. Robot are the children of Raising Arizona--the ones born in the 80s, reared by these clueless individuals with some vague hope for a better future. In H.I.’s dream, he sees a future of him and his wife as elderly individuals hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for his children and grandchildren all dressed as if they were in the 1950s--touching on some unreachable past that never really existed in the first place. In Elliot’s dream, we see everyone--including only 1 blood relative--from his life at a table celebrating some unnamed event--a timeless dinner focusing on found family rather than one created through traditional marriage and the like.

Elliot’s world isn’t H.I.’s world. The characters in Raising Arizona have hope, whereas Mr. Robot is a show about these children raised in the 80s struggling to find hope. At the head of H.I.’s table is him and his wife, while the head of Elliot’s table his himself--signaling a surprising turn away from the traditional, heteronormative dream Elliot has harbored throughout the series. If anything, his true desires shine through in this sequence--Angela and Darlene are positioned opposite each other as equals, Angela in the position of a sister. 

Elliot and H.I. are the protagonists of their generation. They are both criminals. They both work jobs they hate and are around people they are incredibly annoyed with. They want something more out of life. However, while H.I. marries a cop, Elliot remains single--possibly a comment on that while our parents and their parents married to keep themselves from loneliness (H.I. and Ed’s only interactions are through his arrest photos???), Elliot, Darlene, Dom, Angela, etc are all unmarried, eschewing the traditional with absolutely no mention of babies with the exception of Tyrell’s son, who represents Tyrell’s dreams as a man--a hope that he could improve where his father failed. Ultimately, Tyrell loses his child and dies, which is a far cry from the hopeful ending the Coen Brothers evoke with their 1980s classic.

Raising Arizona and Mr. Robot both feature prophets although H.I. is representative of the everyman and Elliot as some computer science genius. H.I. doesn’t claim to be a Christ figure because to do so would be heretical in his good American 80s ideology, while Elliot and Mr. Robot routinely invoke Christ/Trinity imagery throughout the series. The one distinction between Raising Arizona and Mr. Robot is the presence of Mr. Robot; however, I think if you squint, the hunter functions as a foil and an important juxtaposition to H.I.’s character, especially because of their matching tattoos.

The closest we get to a Raising Arizona ending is Darlene and Dom (criminal and cop) paralleling H.I. and Ed (criminal and cop)--both couples who have the cop shame the criminal for their breaking of the law but who eventually break the law together with H.I. and Ed stealing a baby and Darlene and Dom, well, uh, they’ve broken a lot of laws. Ultimately, although Mr. Robot doesn’t appear to be about hope but jaded people and cynicism, the characters find their hope and end on a note of love and acceptance--and like Raising Arizona, profound spirituality. 

[dysphoric-dumbass13]

All of them. Every single fall themed ask at once. Lets see how you like it. (love you)

Whatever. Something to do in bio. Love you too boo.

Lantern: (how did you meet your best friend?) I have three. For Evan, they said something about the flannel I was wearing. I didnt like them that much to start out, they were too bubbly for my taste. For TJ, I was friends with his best friend in 6th grade. She left and I didnt have any friends so J tried to become friends with him and Angel. I loved him, he was so sassy and cool. For Kass, the asshole who's making me do this, it was 6th grade science. I didn't know what to call them and spent the entire year trying to figure it out but being too afraid to ask. They were actually pretty cool. Idk what all of their initial opinions of me were.

Frost: (if you could give some advice to your younger self, what would you say?) Quit pretending you're an adult, itll just hurt you. Let yourself dress masculine, it's ok to do that. And it's ok to like girls like you do, dont be afraid to express yourself.

Maple: (is there a hobby/skill you've always wanted to try but never did?) Yeah, I always wanted to be on a little league football team when I was little.

Harvest: (what fictional character do you most identify with? Why?) Dean winchester. Because I am just..... basically him if he wasnt raised in an environment with toxic masculinity *cough cough* John *cough cough*

Fireside: (if you had your dream wardrobe, what would it look like?) Flannel, band tees, everything would be from the Mens section. Some binders for masculine and nb days and lots of mens skinny jeans. Also David Bowie Vans, pride converse, and combat boots.

Cider: (a food that you disliked as a child but now enjoy?) Idk. For a period of time I hated coffee, I dont mind it now.

Amber: (share an unpopular opinion that you may have.) Oof. Um, christians aren't necessarily bad, the ones we all know of are because they hide behind the bible to hate people.

Fog: (how well do you think you'd do in a zombie apocalypse scenario?) Either really well or terribly. I'd either let then get me, or wear a medieval suit of armor and just walk through everywhere boss mode. And Costco.

Jack-O-Lantern: (if you could look like any celebrity, who would you choose?) Ruby rose.

Spice: (have you ever encountered a house that you believed to be haunted?) Yes. Mine. Creepy baby handprints in the basement. In keeping the spirits occupied with my old Barbies.

Orchard: (share one thing you'd like to happen this autumn) Oh, that's hard. I think I'd want a partner so I dont go into winter depressed like I always do.

Crow: (which school subject do you have an aptitude for?) Math or English? Does choir count? Idk

Bonfire: (describe your dream house) Idc that much. As long as it has a library and multiple bedrooms, and the people I care about loving with me/nearby

Cinnamon: (if you had to live in a time period different than the present, which would you choose and where?) Either Ireland in the medieval times as a knight, or the 70s in Europe or the US.

Cranberry: (what is one physical feature you get complimented on?) Annoyingly, my boobs. Apparently they're big and nice, whatever. Recently, my hair though. I just cut it short.

Maize: (share the weirdest encounter you've had with a stranger on the street.) Last year, I was at the mall in a bathroom and an older woman (idk maybe 60?) came up to me and said "I'm either having a drink or I have to pee. You're living the golden years kid, not me." In hindsight I think she was just quoting John Mulaney at me, but it was weird to me when it happened.

Quilt: (how do you take your tea or coffee?) Tea, chai and Irish breakfast are my favorites, I really like green tea though. It has to be sweet though, I can't stand unsweetened tea (theres my mom's Texan coming out)

Pumpkin: (do you think that humans are inherently good or bad?) Neither, I think people are born blank slates and our experiences shape everything about us.

Moonlit: (are you a neat or messy person? Is your room/house orderly?) Hahahaha, what's a floor?

Flannel #1: (have you ever gone on a bad date?) No. I've only ever been on one date, and I thought it was pretty good. I dated one person who was an asshole but that's it.

Cocoa: (if you could have any type of hair, what color and cut would you have?) Probably my natural color (light brown, easiest to dye), cut short, but curly in texture instead of this wavyish shit.

Ghost: (is there someone that you miss having in your life?) Yeah. I mean she isn't dead, but my 6th grade best friend. I miss her.

Pumpkin spice: (what is your drink of choice?) Mt Dew, Dr. Pepper, or tea. But it has to be sweet.

Wool socks: (what is something you look forward to in fall?) If I lived anywhere but where I live this would work, my wardrobe is actually fitting for the type of weather. Coolish, with some breezes, and crisp. Warm sometimes. My flannel is great for that, but stupid Colorado snows nearly year round.

Falling leaves: (you're stranded on a desert island and here's the twist: what three things do you NOT bring with you?) A boat so I can live in solidarity, thank you very much, anyone that's homophobic, transphobic, antisemitic, racist, etc, and peanuts.

Smelly candles: (what's your absolute favorite scent?) Fredh baked apple pie 🤤

Big sweaters: (do you prefer the cold, warmth, or a perfect in-between?) I'm practically a living heater. So cold weather.

Halloween: (if you could dress up as anyone/anything and pull it off absolutely flawlessly, who/what would it be?) Idk if this counts, but whatever gender I currently identify with (nb, feminine, masculine, in between). If that doesn't, then Jensen Ackles.

Cozy blankets: (where do you feel the most safe and at home?) With TJ. He's my family.

Hot tea: (when was the last time you kissed someone?) July 21st at around.... 5 or 6am?

Flannel #2: (what's your favorite day of the year? Is there a reason it's your favorite?) I don't really have one.

Chilly air: (what's your least favorite and favorite type of weather?) Is it weird that snowing is both my favorite and least favorite type of weather depending on the time of year?

Scarves: (if you could only wear one outfit for the rest of your life, what would it be?) My pair of black ripped guys skinny jeand with my dark blue distressed flannel and my wolf shirt.

Apple cider: (if you could throw a party and invite absolutely anyone, who would they be?) All of my close friends, plus the one I haven't seen in forever that I miss too much, and Misha Collins.

Haunted houses: (what's your scariest memory?) It was a dream I had when I was 5 that I remember in perfect detail. When I find the time I texted it to Kass I'll make a post with a screenshot of it.

Fuzzy boots: (if you could live in any year/era, which would it be and why?) See cinnamon above

Thanksgiving: (what is someone/something that you're most grateful for? Any particular reason?) That's hard. Can I say my best friends? That's only 3 people. And because they're always there and care about me and I love them.

Black friday: (what is one thing, if anything, that you would sell your soul to own?) The rights to be the writer of a Supernatural sequel.

Apple picking: (if you could go anywhere, where would it be and why?) Ireland. Castles. About 60% of my heritage. Green.

Corn mazes: (do you have any secret talents/abilities?) Not secret ones

Hay rides: (if you could pick absolutely anything to be your form of transportation, what would it be?) A 1967 4-door black Chevrolet Impala. Obviously.

The color orange: (do you have a specific song that reminds you of autumn? What is it?) Yeah, a few. Sweater Weather by The Neighborhood, Trees by twenty one pilots, Smithereens by twenty one pilots, Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snow (Hey Oh) by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blackbird by The Beatles, Perfect by Ed Sheeran, Castle On The Hill by Ed Sheeran, Heartbeat by Carrie Underwood, and What I Got by Sublime. To name a few.

Windy nights: (if you could go to any concert whose would it be?) Live Aid lmao. If they dont have to be alive then Queen, if they do then either Ed Sheeran, twenty one pilots, or Panic!

Holding hands: (do you believe in soulmates?) Kinda? I think I want to. I think you feel it at one point, if you meet someone you love that dearly. But idk, maybe I'm just being stupid.

Kass, thank you. And I hate you.

[wydallen]

jack does a task! // 001.

— && GENERAL INFORMATION

Full name: jackson grant allen. ( did i name him after my two favorite superheros aka barry allen and steve rogers? maybe. )

Nickname(s) or alias: jack, jay, allen, anything tbh.

Current age: idk about you but he’s feelin’ 22.

Astrological sign: pisces.

Gender: cis male.

Preferred pronouns: he/him/his.

Sexual preference: lowkey closeted bisexual. only his close friends and family know.

Language(s) spoken: english, some german from high school.

— && PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Height: 6′2.

Weight: 180 lbs.

Shoe size: 11.

Glasses? Contacts?: contacts but he prefers to wear glasses.

Tattoos: a few.

Piercings: his ears from when he was younger.

Birthmarks/scars/distinguishing marks: scar on his cheek.

Dominant hand: right.

If painted, what color are their nails/toenails?: n/a.

Usual style of clothing: pair of jeans, t shirt, and vans. here’s a pinterest board of the style he wears.

Frequently worn jewelry: some rings and a necklace.

Describe their voice, what accent?: he has an american accent. he doesn’t really think he has a midwest accent. his voice isn’t the deepest but it’s a nice tone.

What is their speaking style (fast, monotone, loquacious)? fast, usually. he talks a lot and if you don’t stop him, he’ll go a long time.

Describe their posture: he should probably go to yoga classes because he hunches his back a lot.

— && LEGAL INFORMATION

Any speeding tickets?: no, he’s a good boy.

Have they ever been arrested?: no.

Do they have a criminal record?: no. 

Have they committed any violent crimes?: no.

Do they have a passport? If so, where have they been?: he does! he’s only ever really been to los angeles. he’d love to go to new york or london or paris sometime.

— && PERSONALITY

Direct quote from them: “if meghan trainor ever threatens to release new music i have to go into hiding.”

Likes: books, chocolate, cuddling, card games, homemade meals, buzzfeed quizzes, dancing, a nice pair of jeans, a clean shaven face, working with his hands, hats, burritos, laughing, late nights, ice hockey, taking the train, swimming, people watching, bonfires, the great outdoors, true crime novels, “chick” flicks ( he won’t own up to it though ), camping, dogs, cats, animals in general, working out, getting tattooed, the smell of clean laundry, long showers, playing the piano, taking instagram pictures, alternative music, freshly baked bread, apple juice, french fries, snow, star gazing, listening to music on vinyl, stickers, cuddling while listening to the rain, the holiday season, barbecue, netflix binge sessions.

Dislikes: thunderstorms, sleeping alone, driving in big cities, carrots, mosquitoes, bees, boring movies, diet sodas, wasting food, “adulting” ( taxes, seeing lawyers, etc. ), thieves, pineapple on pizza, early mornings, when people take up two parking spots at once, spiders, people who are rude to service staff, political discussions, peanut butter, people who don’t use their turn signals, cold showers, humidity, toxic masculinity, small spaces, feeling defeated, being alone, liars, those aspca commercials, being questioned, loud noises ( mostly from thunder or fireworks ), overpowering fragrances, most fast food restaurants ( minus mcdonalds ofc ), out of tune instruments, his car breaking down, youtube ads, being barefoot, tea, awkward situations, feeling bored, any sense of responsibility.

Insecurities: i don’t know if he has any insecurities but he really doesn’t like his eyes. he hates that no one ever glorifies having brown eyes and sometimes wears contacts to make his eyes blue or green.

Fears/phobias: being in a hospital, elevators, being alone for the rest of his life, death, dying in a natural disaster, injuring his face, losing one of his family members.

Habits: chewing gum when he’s nervous, messing with his hair, rubbing the back of his neck.

Hobbies: gardening, playing the guitar, eating junk food.

Guilty pleasure: rom-coms from the hallmark channel.

Secrets: he doesn’t really have any, really. he’s mostly an open book.

Turn ons/offs:

turn ons: humor, security, understanding, faithfulness, communication skills, charisma, confidence, big smiles, food lover, nice hair, smooth skin, being a little rough, good banter, confidence, being verbal or loud during sex, good with kids, people who can provide him with pizza, being called daddy.

turn offs: bad teeth, body odor, dirty surroundings, the sound of somebody chewing, unnecessary rudeness, judgmental, indecisiveness ( lol hypocrite ), lack of commitment, smoking, pessimism, picky eaters, religious, lack of humor, bossiness, strong perfume, coldness, secrecy, constant negativity, racists, sexists, homophobes – the whole cream of that crop.

Lucky number: number four.

Pet peeves: people who chew with their mouth open, people with poor manners.

Dark version of themselves: he can have a huge temper if something makes him super, super upset. he’s known to have punch a few holes in walls or scream so loud that he loses it. 

Light version of themselves: he’s literally a human golden retriever. he just loves people and being with them. he can throw a million dad jokes in a matter of seconds and he enjoys making people happy, no matter what it takes.

How do they react to a proposal of marriage?: i think he’d be very flattered but he’d prefer to be the one to propose.

How do they react to the death of a loved one?: if it was someone who was in his immediate family, i think he’d be devastated. he’d probably eat and drink a lot. 

How do they react to something irresistibly cute?: he’d go into one of those smiles where it takes up his entire faces and it’d make his face hurt.

— && FAVORITES

Food: french fries.

Least favorite food: carrots.

Drink: dr. pepper.

Least favorite drink: any kind of tea.

Fast food restaurant: mcdonald’s.

Word: serendipity.

Color: blue.

Candle scent: sparkling cinnamon.

Store: target.

Instrument: guitar. 

Occupation: landscaper.

Animal: cats.

Holiday: thanksgiving bc food.

Season: fall.

Artist: ed sheeran.

Band/group: the arctic monkeys.

Song: gravity -- john mayer.

Movie/film: eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, lost in translation.

TV show: supernatural. 

Sport: hockey, baseball.

School subject: social studies.

Number: thirteen.

Emoji: 🤠

— && SKILLS

Talents: he can sing superlatively well.

Ability to drive stick? no. 

Can they ride a bike?: yes.

Do they play any sports?: he likes to play hockey and soccer.

Anything they’re bad at?: doing laundry, diy projects, and going clothes shopping.

— && FIRSTS

Childhood memory: helping his dad fix something in the family car when he was six would most likely be his first childhood memory.

Crush: his first crush was a girl named janette. the first time he ever met her, she knocked his sandwich off his desk and made him eat it anywaya. ever since that, he was in love with her for basically all of first grade. after that, he just kept getting crushes on girls who treated him like absolute shit. and even now, he still develops feelings for someone really quickly, and it’s a blessing and a curse. 

Email address: jack553@yahoo.com

Job: starbucks.

Kiss: he doesn’t remember it that well, tbh.

Love: britney spears in the baby one more time video.

— && MISCELLANEOUS

Do they have a fake I.D.?: no.

Are they a virgin?: no.

How long would they survive in a zombie apocalypse?: probably a few weeks before accidentally getting killed. 

Do they travel?:  if he can afford it.

Celebrity crush: gabrielle union.

Place(s) they can always be found: in his apartment, at the park, or at a blackhawks game.

When do they like to wake up?: typically around noon, if he can. 

What do they wear to bed?: shorts.

Do they smoke/drink/drugs?: no / yes / no.

Do they snore? yes, although, he’ll claim he doesn’t.

Do they chew their pens/pencils?: no. 

Do they believe in the supernatural?: yes, very much so.

Have they ever cheated on anyone?: never.

Have they ever been cheated on?: he hopes not!

Has anyone ever broken their heart?: yes.

Are they squeamish?: around blood, yes.

Are they a lightweight?: no.

Type of kisser: soft and gentle.

Do they want kids?: yes.

Do they want to get married?: yes.

How are they in bed?: he likes to think he’s good but he can’t really tell.

Would they marry for money?: yes, if it’d make him a billionaire.

Opinion on sex: he likes it. a lot. 

Favorite position: he sounds so boring but missionary. 

What is their dream date?: a walk around the city at night, just getting to know them.

[brn1029]

Time for today’s Rock Report, brought to you by Meriwether’s bistro! swing by for, breakfast, brunch lunch or dinner at Meriwether’s Bistro inside Hells Canyon Grand Hotel in Lewiston. You’ll find bottomless soup and bread for only 8 bucks from 11am till closing!

And when Its game day, Mj Barleyhoppers has you covered. NFL, NCAA and Pac12 fans catch all the action. With 20 brews on tap and happy hour from 2pm-6pm

ABBA's Voyage was the best-selling vinyl album of 2021 in the U.K.

Released in November, Voyage was ABBA's comeback album, their first set of new music in four decades.

The Official Charts Company on Wednesday published the top 40 best-selling vinyl albums and singles of 2021.

The Swedish pop supergroup's first full-length release in nearly 40 years, Voyage comes out on top of the vinyl best sellers list, having sold over 40,000 copies on wax since its release. Voyage instantly debuted at the top of the Official Albums Chart, powered by 90% physical copies. In its opening week, the album racked up 29,900 sales on vinyl, making it the fastest-selling vinyl release of the century. In second place is Adele's 30. Her experimental fourth album sold 37,000 copies on vinyl in 2021

Spoon have shared a cover of the late David Bowie's Blackstar song "I Can't Give Everything Away."

The band recorded the song for Amazon Music's month-long [RE]DISCOVER campaign celebrating Bowie's 75th birthday on Saturday. "'I Can't Give Everything Away' is a tune Alex and I have been playing since we learned it for an acoustic and piano show in Mexico City in 2016," Spoon frontman Britt Daniel said in a statement. "It's just a fantastic song, and as the last song on Bowie's final album it doesn't disappoint. We recorded this version live in December 2021." "I Can't Give Everything Away" originally appeared on Bowie's final studio album, Blackstar, which he released on Jan. 8, 2016 — his 69th birthday — two days before his death.

Valerie Bertinelli, the first wife of Van Halen co-founder Eddie Van Halen, shared her last words with guitar legend before he passed away from cancer late in 2020. In an emotional goodbye, Bertinelli told Van Halen, "Maybe next time. Maybe next time, we'll get it right." Bertinelli told People, "I loved Ed more than I know how to explain. I loved his soul." The couple had been married for almost thirty years before their split in 2007.

Bertinelli, a Food Network host, also claimed that they were painted in the wrong light during the early years of their marriage, saying, "We were portrayed as a mismatch. The bad boy rock star and America's sweetheart but privately, Ed wasn't the person people thought he was and neither was I."

While they did get separated and got married to different people, they remained close to each other's heart. During a visit on Thanksgiving, Van Halen also gave Bertinelli a gold bar that he had bought in Germany during his treatment. Talking about the last words of the music-phenom, Bertinelli said, "'I love you' are the last words Ed says to Wolfie and me … and they are the last words we say to him before he stops breathing."

Bertinelli summed up, "Who really knows had he not died. I doubt it. I loved him more than I know how to explain and there's nothing sexual about it. It was more than that. And Ed and I understood that. There is no greater love than what we had between the two of us and with that, we made this beautiful son."

Bertinelli's memoir, "Enough Already: Learning to Love the Way I Am Today," is set to come out of January 18.

[incorrect-ego-quotes]

It's December 1st. Whose screaming Christmas carols, whose baking Christmas treats, whose decorating, who doesn't care, whose putting up mistletoe everywhere, whose shopping for presents every second, who forgot presents, who purposely didn't get presents and whose constantly asking for a puppy? (Sorry this so long, I just kept getting ideas!)

IM SORRY THIS IS DAYS LATE BUT I L O V E CHRISTMAS I HAVE TO DO THIS ONE. ALSO FORGIVE ME THIS IS /LONG AS FUCK/--the ipliersthe jim twins are as excited as, well, a kid on christmas morning. wearing santa hats, candy canes in their mouths, they even decorated their mic in red and green ribbon. the two practically shrieking out christmas songs -- much to everyone's annoyance "CHESTNUTS ROASTING ON AN OPEN FIRE--""jesus christ," dark snaps, "can you two knock it off?! it's only the first--""WOULD YOU LIKE A MORE MODERN SONG OF JOY." jim twin #1 asks, holding up a worn book of christmas carols -- the same one they've had since they were 4. passed on from dear old Mother Jim."no! this season is so grossly happy and joyful -- leave me to work--""I, DONT WANT A LOT FOR CHRISTMAS." jim twin #2 starts off as dark covers his ears. why did they have to be the loudest egos? why cant they see how shitty of a holiday christmas is?!"THERE IS JUST ONE THING I NEED, DONT CARE ABOUT--"dark gets an idea and smirks. knowing one way he can get them to leave him alone. "santa isn't real."the two twins share an offended and angry look, mouths open, did he just?!"christmas was a pagan festival of gifts before being appropriated by romans based on the Odin myth."the jim twins cringe, holding their dear caroling book closer -- he...he has to be lying!"who is the god of war and death."the jim twins turn away offended as all hell. jim twin #1 throwing a candy cane in dark's face and hissing. "SHUN THE NONBELIEVER, JIM.""SHUN."they then run off to go do whatever christmas activity next -- dark hoping they won't take this caroling /publicly/.******ed edgar and silver shepherd are cooking in the kitchen. ed is a surprisingly good cook -- especially around the holidays. just ask anyone who's been to his thanksgiving or christmas dinners. silver only tagged along because he was tired of dark being a joy sucker out of the season."now," ed chuckles, "we're gon' need about a store's worth of flour.""...what?! wh--ed, why do we need a store's worth.""uh, /excuse you, youngin'/," ed points at his pink and white apron. almost annoyed, "this apron calls me chef in charge 'round here. you follow, don't question.""ed. first of all, that's wilford's apron. second of all, we probably only need one bag at most for gingerbread cookies. why would we need a--""listen. i'm only making one gingerbread man fo' everybody 'round here -- i take home the rest.""how...much exactly is the rest?""350."silver shepherd sighs, taking off his mask and gloves. ed still smiling away as if his idea was normal. well, no arguing with a stubborn man like ed. he grabs his car keys from the table as ed follows him, "your limit is 50 dollars for the ingredients." he mumbles. "i knew you'd come 'round!" ed wraps an arm around silver, "we're gon' have so much fun with these lil old cookies! i even have a homemade sugar icing recipe! i'll even make a lil cape fo' yours!" he silently doubted it but hey, its a hell of a lot better than spending his free time with an angry and annoyed dark. ******bim tugged the host along, holding onto the sleeve of his trenchcoat gently as he lead him into the meeting room. the tall green christmas tree standing proudly in the corner. decorations of red and green and gold littered the meeting room's table. the smell of pine hits the host before anything -- taking him back to his own cabin in the woods long ago. the trees covering him away from the world as he...the host shook his head. he hated those memories. he hated those dark times. he hated it all."wilford put us in charge of the tree this year," bim smiled to himself, "i know its a challenge with erm...""i'm blind?""yeah, that." bim sighs, grabbing the box of lights and unrolling them gently, handing the ball to the host, who held it with a strange look on his face."w-what's poking me?""lights, silly!" bim giggles. the sound making the host blush and laugh along. any time bim was happy, he was happy. "now, i'm gonna loop around the tree. you just follow along, yeah? tell me if ya get dizzy and we can slow down.""the host nods, holding the bundle of lights close to his chest. ready for the decorations -- reminding him of his most favorite time of year."bim shakes his head and laughs, "you can't ever turn that off, can you?""the host cannot."the two start off steady and slow. the host following bim's footsteps. he could hear the jim twins playing 'i'll be home for christmas' in the next room over -- their office space. "those two can never get tired of christmas, i swear.""the host reminds bim that it's worse for him since his own office is right next door to the twins."bim giggles, "well, hope ya like christmas as much as them." it's when bim giggles does the host wish he had his sight back. what'd he give to see his smile (although, according to dark, it looks like his -- he doubt it. bim was handsome, charming, while his smile held back pain he swallowed down.)in those small moments of thinking and wishing, the host stays in place. the lights tangling as bim gets wrapped up with the host, groaning as the tree falls gently against them. the two tied chest to chest, bim's hands resting on the host's hips. "um..." bim laughs nervously, blushing away, "hostie, bud, we're tangled.""i...is that you against me?""yeah...i'll -- i'll get us out!!"the music drowns out bim's struggles as he pulls at the lights. the host's thoughts screaming at him -- tell him!! now's your chance!! confess!!"i love...i love--""hmm?" bim perks up, "sorry, wasn't listening, what do you love?""t...this song!! i, i love it, it's my favorite christmas song."he stops and hears bim laugh again, humming along, "its a good song."the host goes along with the lie, singing along as bim rests his head on the host's shoulder to get around to the lights behind him. "if only in my dreams."yeah, only in his dreams -- bim had matthias, what did he have? nothing but his dreams of what could be with the two of them. at least, for a moment, he had the courage to change that. maybe that's what he'll ask for this year; courage. ******dark crossed his arms and continued to work in his office. he could smell cookies baking, he could hear christmas songs being sung, and he could see holly being hung in the halls. how stupid -- the other egos should be /working!/ do they think they can take over mark's channel with all this fooling around?! he slams the laptop he'd been using shut and stares out his window. even the fuckin' /city/ was covered in red and green, fake reindeer and sleighs all around, snowmen (who bought fake snow to LA?!) waving in the cold breeze. he face palms himself. a headache coming on. he hated winter, he hated christmas, he hated everything about the holidays.it...brought back memories he didn't want to dwell on. memories of christmas morning...in a mansion of some sort. fuzzy memories of a woman, a man, and that damned mark -- all enjoying...hot chocolate with marshmallows. opening gifts like.../a family/."heeeeey darkidoo," wilford bursts into his office. the jim twins still throwing (sharpened to a point) candy canes at dark's door. "what do you want, wil?""geez," he shuts the door, dark's back turned towards him, "what's up with the jims? ya do something?""other than not engaging them in their childish behavior -- not, i did nothing." he sighs, "did you finish the weekly schedule for this month's programming on Markiplier TV?""gimmie another day--""damnit, wil! stop -- just stop! stop with this foolish nonsense, this holly jolly bullshit! i hate this season and i hate the way it makes everyone--" he stops as he hears wilford set down something on his desk and wrap an arm behind him. hugging him. "dark," he sighs, "just...take it easy, okay? it's december -- at least be happy the year's almost over, and be happy you still got us. hell, be happy some egos are working like doc and google." he smiles, "just...be happy we're all still here to celebrate the season. and nobody's gone."there's silence as dark hangs his head low. "i'll leave you alone for a while. i gotta confiscate the candy canes from the jims. i'll see you at home, dark."he squeezes around dark once more and moves to leave, stopping before he opens the door, "oh! i...i found that while looking for the christmas tree in the storage back home. i...i have a feeling it's yours. broke it in for ya!" he laughs as he leaves. dark turns around to see a black mug with a cursive 'D' on it. an intense emotion of...nostalgia rushing over him despite not remembering the mug. he stares out the window again as he holds the hot mug to him. he looks down to see hot chocolate and marshmallows. he smiles and sips the hot drink. this season isn't so bad after all with people like wilford in his life.--the septiceyesthis...was going to be the best surprise, marvin thought to himself. thanks to a new trick he'd learned -- he successfully figured out how to move the mistletoe to wherever he wanted, as if he had hung them everywhere. he was sure it'd be a laugh to see everyone's reactions. making anti kiss the pizza delivery guy, making dr. schneeplestein kiss whatever old patient he was seeing, maybe making robbie kiss his reflection. it'd be hilarious nonetheless. marvin, the marvelous magician, shall wow and dazzle his fellow egos!!he hid behind the couch in the lobby of their headquarters, where they hold their meetings, and waited.and waitedand waited/and waited/.growing tired as nobody walked by, had they found out about his plan? did nobody just need to come this way?he saw jackieboy man walk by and perked up, using his wand to move the mistletoe closer under him, rushing out the door to call him back as he left."j-jackie!! hey...oh shit," he looked up as he noticed he was directly under the mistletoe.jackieboy raised an eyebrow before looking up. "aha, you want to meet me here?" he smirks, catching marvin's chin in his fingers, flipping down his mask and red hoodie, soft green hair cascading down his face. a blush crossing marvin's cheek."just us two? alone here, the christmas decorations and lights lighting up your face so softly...""um, i mean--""here? under..." jackieboy looks up. suggestive. marvin not knowing if it was humanly possible to blush anymore."jackie...""THE MISTLEFOE?!""wha--" he ducked as jackieboy tackled him, wrestling him to the floor as chase and anti walked by. anti shouting as chase winced."get the magic nerd!! get the magic nerd!!" anti shouts"THE HELL IS A MISTLEFOE?!" marvin yells as he taps out with his wand from jackieboy man's headlock. ripping away his cat mask."pssh, the mistlefoe!! put two people under that," jackieboy points to the mistletoe, "and have 'em duke it out, fight and stuff. you dont know about the best winter tradition?""erm...its actually meant for the two to--" chase is cut off as marvin uses his wand to seal his lips shut, chase giving him the middle finger and pointing to his lips.marvin used his magic to burn the magic mistletoe attached to the doorframe. cringing as jackieboy man helped him up. helping him walk to dr. schneep's office"better luck next year, magic boy!!""....i hate working here," marvin coughs as he waits for the doctor. this, was going to be a very long winter. ******the doctor clocks out early, waving goodbye to the other egos....at 10 am, after working for 45 minutes."dude, ya can't just up and leave!! we need help with decorating!! and baking the cookies!!" jackieman boy yells as chase nearly stumbles carrying in the tree. "i must!!" the doctor yells, "chase, you are in charge until i get back at...well, just know you're all working late tonight!"chase gives a thumbs up, pointing at anti as he walks by, already directing them all.the drive to the mall isn't too long, he runs towards the opening, still in his doctor uniform. this time of year was perfect for his giving heart. already having a mile long list of gift ideas for every one of the egos in his pocket, his credit card with his savings from all his paychecks since last year loaded onto it -- no price limit for anyone!! and he finally healed from his injuries after black friday and cyber monday!! (hey, those internet shoppers are no joke)he practically skips into the mall with glee at the decorations. giant christmas gift boxes, fake snow, even a 'winter wonderland' with a fake santa -- wait...was that his patient bobby dressed up? bobby with the bad smoking habit?"i hope he cleaned up for the kiddies," schneep says to himself as he rushes into the first store -- a new camera for chase on the top of his list!!he gets everyone everything -- new knife collection for anti!! a new tux for marvin!! every single marvel movie for jackieboy man!! stuffed animals and candy for robbie!! a top hat for dapper jack!!and that's just for the first day of december, he plans to do this all until christmas eve, already having different wrapping for each ego's gift. until he sees it. his own personal wish. the 35 book set of medical mysteries -- all in order, and all for him.until another hand touches the set too. dr. iplier staring at him from the other side of the shelf. downright glaring. "henrik.""edward."the two stare back in spite -- no, schneep /needed this/. he worked too damn long this year to be bested by some quack doctor ego."aha," schneep laughs, obviously fake, "what are you doing here?""shopping for christmas. i was just looking at this book set i wanted for myself."fuck. schneep tugs on the set. dr. iplier's hand not going away. "oh, really?" he smiles coldly, "so. was. i."dr. iplier tugs, schneep tugs, the two turning into a tug of war before schneep pulls him against the wooden shelf in the bookstore, yelling as they fight it out. the early morning shoppers crowding around them, recording as schneep hold dr. iplier in a headlock. "THOSE BOOKS ARE MINE, YOU PRICK.""OVER MY DEAD BODY, QUACK.""OH THAT CAN BE ARRANGED, BITCH.""TRY ME, YOU ASSHOLE."schneep pulls out the scalpel he keeps in his pocket. the two fighting more, knocking displays over and taking it outside to the winter wonderland exhibit. children running and screaming as they crash into santa's sleigh. finally -- they're broken apart by santa (bobby). schneep grabbing his items from the bookstore and rushing out the mall. not wanting to deal with police or security. wiping away tears as he drives back. thankfully -- good old smoking santa (bobby), his faithful patient, was head of security at the mall. "its christmas," he later told schneep on the phone (and dr. iplier), "just...stay outta the mall for a good two days and i'll pretend not a single thing happened"schneep wiped away tears as he layer learned -- hey, the bookstore had tons of copies of the book set they were fighting over, that was just a display!he, however blushes as chase, anti, and robbie crowd around chase's phone. the video from his fight going viral online. "doc!! you're trending under #ThoseBooksAreMine!! that's awesome as hell, you'll be a meme!!" chase praises. schneep shakes his head. nursing the black eye he has. he knows it'll be worth it when he sees their laughing and happy faces on christmas day.because he knows damn well, marvin would forget presents and anti would die before he got presents for anyone else.******"a puppy!!" chase smiles as he walks into their ego headquarters with anti. heavy coats and scarves on. a smaller dog being walked by a young boy trotting on. "ew." anti drinks the starbucks chase bought him, "dogs are gross--"chase gasps, "i...am offended on behalf of all dogs, dude!!" "what? its a dirty animal that tracks mud and barely listens.""sure you're not describing yourself, dude?" chase jokes as anti rolls his eyes. "how could you want a little disgusting creature like that?""they're cute, they're playful, they cuddle up to ya when its cold, they bark!!" chase goes on and on, sitting down in the meeting room as they wait for the others, "they keep ya company, they nip at ya when they're hungry, they...they love you unconditionally...they...won't be taken away from ya," he stops, sniffling. tears forming in his eyes, memories of christmases long gone hitting him. seeing his son and daughter excitedly wake up him and stacey to open gifts. going ice skating. baking cookies.shit."...chase?"chase shakes his head and wipes a tear, "sorry, bro. i...i'm just caught up in my feelings. this time of year and, missing my kids."anti looks down into his coffee cup. damn, chase has been through a lot. he's the only ego who keeps it together -- not like him who just...glitches out at emotions. "...it's fine." anti grumbles under his scarf, "i'm sure this christmas will be...okay.""really?" "...yeah, really. even with that stacey keeping the kids, this christmas will be worthwhile. i mean, we got...decorating and shit to do today. that'll take your mind off it, right?""y-yeah, and the kids are suppose to call after school...and, and stacey's letting me come to their christmas play!! you're right, for once, anti!!" chase smiles and hugs him, anti awkwardly patting back. "okay...hug's been too long, don't push it chase.""sorry."...everyone had called chase a dumbass to give a copy of his apartment keys to anti. everyone had doubted anti would show any spirit in the season. everyone had doubted chase would get anything he really wanted for christmas, even schneeplestein.anti snuck into chase's apartment that christmas eve. chase down for the night in his bedroom. a small 4 foot christmas tree decorated in lights and ordainments in the corner of his living room. a letter from his kids (that anti skimmed through) on the table. "let's prove all those dicks back at hq wrong," he whispers to the bundle in his arms. setting it under the tree. it'd been absolute hell to get anyone to allow him to take home chase's gift. grunting as he sat on the couch and nodded off into sleep. the dalmatian puppy slept too, a red collar around it's neck, tail wagging in its sleep as it was thankful for anti for getting him out of the cold shelter. excited to meet his new master in the cold christmas morning.

[zebra-warrior]

So do I have a support network with having such complex condition? I do. It may not be a typical support group but it's what I have.

I have my immediate family meaning my parents and Maggie. They don't understand what's going on and aren't the most willing to learn the ins and outs of my condition and for my mom also having EDS she severely lacks the knowledge of what's going on even with her own body but they are there for me in the aspect of being available to help me with things I'm unable to do, provide me social support and love. They are one of the few living beings that haven't looked down on me and though they help me the still treat me like me throughout all of this. If anything Maggie loves me more because she now has a job and a meaning to life. Of course things have changed with Corona but she has really blossomed and thrived since being service dog trained. We have gotten closer and she loves the added bonus of going places and seeing new things and people at each place we go. My Cousin Loni and uncle Ken always check in on me though they are on the other side of the countryI know they are always there to talk as well. I also feel like my nieces and nephew care but they are still young and busy. It is nice that they check in on here every now and then though. Unfortunatly, I feel very disposable and misunderstood by the rest of my family and actually have tone who are jealous of my conditions or have used my conditions to try to apply for disability because they don't want to with. Of course that came right back around to slap them in the face when SSDI asked for their medical records but. We will get invited to family functions and then my extended family will essentially uninvite me becaise they have no ramp and expect my parents to leave me at home alone on holidays but we've adjusted to this with the not so genetic part of our family.

Family doesn't have to be genetic in nature. My neighbor is my family. We have began having holidays with them. They come for Christmas, we've been invited for Thanksgiving. Their dog comes to say hi to me.... Well maybe he just comes to mooch a treat off of me but I still like seeing him. My neighbors mother who was in a chair lived with them and upon her passing they left the ramp up so that I can go into their house and visit whenever I want to or to take them mail they got put in our box or what not. They also don't mind of I'm in their yard so on the nice days I can get out in my power chair I can zip around their pond with Maggie but my neighbor Pam is a very viral part of my support network.

The fourth aspect is everyone at my EDS specialist/pain clinic. I have had so many bad medical experiences and have lost trust in almost all medical personel but I know they always have my back and have gone up to batt for me way more times than they probably have wanted to but they did it because they care. Having almost all EDS patients they know the neglect we experience, the friends and family we lose, the struggles we face daily from insurance and the struggles we face. They may not have this condition themselves but I also believe they are the only ones who have the right to say they understand what we're going through. This doctor and his staff is the only place that has never blown off anything I've said about my health. This is the only practice I've ever visited where they treat their patients exactly the same as they would treat their family members.

Lastly I have my online friends I've met in support groups. Rather it be an EDS group, Mast Cell group, wheelchair user group or general disability group each group is a vital part of my support network. A small handfull of the individuals in these groups I've become friends with and I have the pleasure to speak to outside of support groups. These are people who understand what it's like to not be healthy or not have a portion of your body that works the same as the general population. Some understand the challange we go through, the guilt we experience, the isolation we feel as so many of us lose almost every, if not every friend we had when we were either able bodies or healthier. They can grieve with me, celebrate with me, can relate to the small and simple joys in life like being able to sit on the porch today, completing a simple task or even finally popping after days of no avail and relate to the seemingly small yet devistating aspects of life others would never think twice about like the ramp that was blocked, the container in the fridge they can't quite reach or the transportation driver who showed up without a seatbelt for you. We may never see each other in person but they are there for me.

I do want to include one more group of people. The strangers or accuantances I don't know well. I've had more visits, cards or messages from individuals I hardly know at a local church than I have from people who I once considered my friends so you can see my support group is missing a lot of individual you would think would be there but that's okay. You learn a lot about one's character when you get sick.

#myEDSchallenge #myHSDchallenge

[gamerszone2019-blog]

Phil Spencer Is Exactly Who You Think He Is

New Post has been published on https://gamerszone.tn/phil-spencer-is-exactly-who-you-think-he-is/

Phil Spencer Is Exactly Who You Think He Is

On a warm Saturday in early June, Phil Spencer, the Microsoft executive in charge of Xbox, was helping Keanu Reeves, the movie star, calm his nerves inside the Microsoft Theater green room in downtown Los Angeles. It was the unofficial start of E3 and Reeves was there to surprise the roughly 7,000 people attending Microsoft’s Xbox showcase. “I got the feeling he maybe wasn’t fully prepared for what was coming,” Spencer, 51, told me a few days later. Spencer, who has been participating in the showcase for close to a decade and has recently taken to hosting it, promised Reeves he had nothing to worry about. “They’re going to love you,” he assured him.

You can see the shock on Reeves’s face as he walked onstage in the many videos that have been posted online since: the whoops and hollers took a full minute or more to die down; the shouted declarations of love even longer. It’s a testament to Spencer’s own celebrity in the video game industry that his arrival onstage moments later was met with the same level of riotous enthusiasm. And not just once: it happened every time Spencer was on stage that day. At one point during the showcase, someone tweeted, “Phil Spencer is literally God.”

The idea of anyone idolizing a business executive is surprising in any industry, let alone one where consumers are routinely suspicious of big companies and corporate scheming. But many gamers seem to view Spencer as one of them, rather than the physical embodiment of a corporate business strategy. Spencer’s public behavior does little to discourage this: he has a habit of publicly sharing his Xbox Live gamertag, for example, and inviting people–everyday, non-executive people–to play with him. His overwhelming popularity means he gets more requests than he can respond to, but there are plenty of stories floating around the internet of Xbox Live users who have managed to challenge Microsoft’s executive vice-president of gaming to a Forza race or Rocket League match.

This kind of thing is unusual for someone at Spencer’s level. “One of the things I’ve always appreciated about Phil is how, even as busy as he is, he still plays a lot of games,” Geoff Keighley, the creator of the Game Awards, told me. “I’ll always remember talking to him Thanksgiving weekend 2014, right as we were about to launch the Game Awards, and it was clear he had just spent the entire day playing Assassin’s Creed. That stuck with me.”

Spencer has worked hard to create the impression that his loyalties lie with consumers. Since taking over as head of Xbox in 2014, he has tirelessly advocated for cross-platform play, insisting gamers should have the freedom to play together irrespective of console or platform, and reintroduced backward compatibility to the Xbox ecosystem. He has overseen the acquisition of a handful of first-party studios with the intention of diversifying the brand’s content; introduced Xbox Game Pass, an online game subscription service; launched the Xbox adaptive controller, the first controller released by a major publisher designed for gamers with limited mobility; and began work on Project xCloud, a game streaming service that will debut later this year and go head-to-head with Google’s Stadia service.

Of course, it’s not just consumers who have benefitted from Spencer’s progressive vision: last year, Microsoft’s annual gaming revenue went up by almost 15%, hitting $10 billion–a first in the company’s history. “Certain cynical people look at me playing or caring about video games and see it as me being that way because of the job I have,” Spencer told me. “I see it as me being one of the lucky people who found the job that is my hobby, my passion, the thing I love. I’ve been playing video games since I was six years old. This is what I’m made to do.”

At five foot nine, with broad shoulders and a square jaw, Spencer looks more like a high school football coach than an executive. His personal style falls somewhere between geek dad and personal trainer: loose jeans, sneakers, some kind of video game t-shirt (usually an Xbox-related one), and a hoodie or blazer, depending on the occasion.

Spencer married his high school sweetheart, and the couple has two daughters, both in their twenties. During the week, Spencer keeps to a strict routine, arriving at work early but never staying past dinner time. He’ll usually squeeze in a couple of hours on Xbox Live before retiring promptly at midnight. On weekends, he plays other things: piano, mainly, or chess. His broad tastes make him a skilled conversationalist and a fun sparring partner; get him talking about a subject he loves and his passion is evident. Music is probably his second-favorite thing to talk about after games: he is as comfortable talking about Xbox strategy as he is about Led Zeppelin (his favorite band) or old-school punk (“I like the kind of raw emotion and energy of good punk music”). He recently accompanied his daughters to a Rise Against concert, which he didn’t hate.

Spencer’s entire career rests on a chance encounter during his sophomore year at the University of Washington. “There was a guy who lived two doors down from me, and his dad was a vice president at Microsoft. He came to visit one day and saw me doing some game programming on my Atari ST. I think Microsoft was trying to do some of this stuff in Windows at the time. Of course, I didn’t know what Microsoft or Windows was. I was completely oblivious to it. But he just said, ‘Hey, come intern this summer.’ And I was immediately like, ‘Right, let’s do it.'”

Spencer began his internship with Microsoft in the summer of 1988. The company was only 10 years old at that point, and still very much led by a programming mentality. Spencer fit right in. At the end of the summer, Spencer’s boss asked if he wanted to stay on–and get paid for it. Spencer spent the next few months waking up at 6 a.m. for classes and then driving across Lake Washington in his Ford Pinto–“a car known for its potential to blow up if you got rear-ended,” as he remembers it–so he could be on the Microsoft campus by 11 a.m.

After graduating in 1990, Microsoft offered Spencer a full-time programming job in the multimedia group, where he went on to lead development on CD-ROM titles, working on projects like Encarta and the launch of MSN in 1995. In 2000, Microsoft officially entered the North American video game market with the announcement of its first home console, the Xbox. A man named Ed Fries was put in charge of acquiring first-party studios. When Microsoft eventually set up a new division, Microsoft Games, later the same year, Fries sought out Spencer. “His pitch to me was, ‘I’ve got this studio that I should probably shut down. Do you want to try running it before I do that?” Spencer said.

Spencer took over Studio X, an internal publishing studio, eventually working with designers like Peter Molyneux on Fable; Brian Reynolds on Rise of Nations; and John Tobias on Tao Feng. He spent a few years in London looking after Lionhead and Rare before returning to Redmond in 2008 to take over as general manager of the company’s internal game studios and begin work on Microsoft’s third home console, the Xbox One.

The company targeted its first two consoles, the Xbox and Xbox 360, predominantly at core gamers, making the machines faster and graphically more powerful than their rivals. The strategy had worked, at least up to a point: while PlayStation and Nintendo were still ahead (with the PlayStation 2/3 and the Wii, respectively), Microsoft had successfully managed to carve out its own niche in the North American market. The Xbox One, however, seemed specifically designed to expand the brand’s reach far beyond console gamers. In an attempt to appeal to a broader range of consumers, Microsoft shifted the Xbox One’s focus away from gaming towards other entertainment, like television and movies. In doing so, it also introduced a number of anti-consumer restrictions, like preventing people from sharing games with their friends and requiring online authentication every 24 hours.

While these were later reversed after considerable public outcry, it was too late. The Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4 went on sale within a week of each other; both consoles sold one million units in 24 hours. But, while the PlayStation 4 continued to break sales records in its first year of release and beyond, the Xbox One quickly fell behind–and has never caught up.

A few months later, Spencer took over as head of Xbox. Whatever jubilation he felt was short-lived; a few weeks into the job, he got a call from Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s new CEO. “I don’t actually know a whole lot about why we’re in gaming,” Nadella told him.

Spencer tried to work out what to say to Nadella. He looked at where Xbox had failed, and how the brand could be saved–if at all.

It seemed like a good time to ask that question. Spencer was facing a lot of internal scrutiny from his own team. Many developers who had worked on the Xbox One felt let down by Microsoft’s big vision; it was, as some told Spencer, not in line with “the soul” of what Xbox was. “Satya was transparent that there could be a future where gaming isn’t a business that Microsoft should be in,” Spencer told me. “But it’s better to have it above the table than below the table, right?” Spencer tried to work out what to say to Nadella. He looked at where Xbox had failed, and how the brand could be saved–if at all. When he finally called Nadella back, it was to say this: “If we’re going to stay in the gaming space, then let’s make sure we’re all-in. The last thing I wanted to do was run the gaming organization here as kind of an afterthought of the company and kind of half-in, half-out. Let’s go fix who we are.”

A few days ahead of E3 2014, Microsoft launched a feedback portal, inviting people to submit ideas on how Xbox could improve its products and services and vote on the best ones. Within a week, the portal had registered nearly 170,000 votes. “It was very public, anybody could see the list of suggestions that were there,” Spencer said. “And we were actually using that as a way to drive the updates that we were doing. Backward compatibility actually came from that feedback. We didn’t know if we could do it, but we set off a small team to see if we could get it done.”

Many saw this as Microsoft’s first act of atonement for the Xbox One snafu. The second came a year later, and it was led by Spencer. He pushed Nadella to acquire Mojang, the Swedish developer of Minecraft, for $2.5 billion–a move that gave Microsoft exclusive control over the most popular game in the world at the time. The company could have easily forced people to buy a Microsoft platform if they wanted to keep playing Minecraft. Instead, Microsoft announced the game would continue to be available on all platforms, including those of its direct competitors. It was an unprecedented move for a publisher of Microsoft’s size. “One of the first calls we got after the Minecraft acquisition was from Sony saying, ‘Are you going to pull it off PlayStation?’,” Spencer said. “And I’m like, ‘Why would I do that? People like playing it on PlayStation.'”

In March 2016, Spencer attempted something even ballsier: he opened up Xbox Live to cross-platform play, inviting rival publishers to allow players on competing consoles to connect with Xbox Live users. Cross-platform play became something of a cause célèbre for Spencer; he extolled its virtues on every stage and public forum. He stood on stage at Microsoft events and declared in front of millions that Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo should be competing on games and services, not through exclusionary walls that hurt gamers. What right do video game publishers have to block players from playing together, he’d ask. Doesn’t this create unnecessary divides, and prevent more people from playing games?

“One of the first calls we got after the Minecraft acquisition was from Sony saying, ‘Are you going to pull it off PlayStation?’,” Spencer said. “And I’m like, ‘Why would I do that? People like playing it on PlayStation.'”

“The number of people that are actually buying a console every generation isn’t growing dramatically, if at all,” Spencer told me. “At one point you have to recognize that, okay, you can’t just lead with one device. You can’t just say, here’s an Xbox. I’m going to go sell this device to every single person and that’s what they’re going to play on. That just doesn’t work.”

The idea of Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo working together probably seemed crazy at first, but Spencer was relentless. In 2017, Microsoft and Nintendo announced a first-of-its-kind partnership for Minecraft cross-platform play between the Xbox One and the Nintendo Switch, a rarity for console platform makers. “I’m positive it was the first time a Nintendo ad ever had the Xbox logo in it,” Spencer said, referring to Nintendo’s ad announcing the partnership. Sony demurred for a long time before eventually allowing cross-platform play for Fortnite. It’s now possible for PC, Xbox One, Switch, and PlayStation 4 players to play together. Earlier this year, Microsoft and Nintendo teamed up once again, revealing Banjo and Kazooie (two popular mascots of the Xbox-owned Rare Studios) will join the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster. Meanwhile, Sony and Microsoft recently announced a partnership to explore innovations in cloud, AI, and game and content streaming services.

“Nintendo is a strong player in this industry,” Spencer told me in May. “Do I wish every Switch player was also an Xbox owner? That would be awesome, but that’s not going to happen. Sony is the same way. I don’t think gaming is better if Xbox somehow replaces PlayStation.”

It’s this kind of candor that has earned Spencer the respect of so many gamers.

Respect is probably too polite a word for it: Spencer is so used to being mobbed in public by well-wishers that Microsoft assigned him his own security detail ahead of this year’s E3, adding to the already comically large party of people who follow Spencer around. To his credit, Spencer treats this as a fact of life–he ignores it as best he can–but is prudent enough to be apologetic about it if anybody points it out.

Not that anybody cares, really. Especially not at an event like the annual Xbox FanFest, which Microsoft throws for roughly 700 fans during E3 week. You can play games, chat with developers, drink, snack, and buy Xbox merch. You can also meet Phil Spencer. He attends FanFest every year, spending a few hours chatting to people and posing for selfies. His presence is never announced or scheduled: he likes to just drop in whenever he can.

A few days following the Xbox showcase, I accompanied Spencer on his annual FanFest visit.

The event is held in the same place as the showcase, inside the Microsoft Theater. The first person to spot Spencer as we walked in pointed at him and, in a dazzlingly accurate impersonation of the now-viral video of Keanu Reeves interacting with a fan during the showcase, yelled, “You’re breathtaking!” Shouting things at Phil Spencer seems to be a well-rehearsed routine among Xbox fans; as more and more people were alerted to Spencer’s presence, the “I love you!” declarations kept coming with startling regularity. Undeterred, Spencer walked around shaking hands and shooting the breeze. One guy asked Spencer to sign his life-size Master Chief helmet. Another pulled out an old Xbox controller. Spencer signed both. Someone else wanted to impart some feedback on how to improve Xbox Live. Spencer listened patiently. Almost everyone asked for a selfie. Slowly, a line began to form; after an hour, there were more than 50 people waiting.

I went down the line and spotted a guy with a lime green buzzcut. In a heroic display of brand loyalty, he’d also shaved the Xbox logo into the back of his head. “It took the barber four hours to do this,” he told me. “But he wasn’t mad because he remembered me from last year.” I raised my eyebrows. “Oh yeah, I do this every E3. I even dyed my mustache green last year!”

I asked him if he’d met Phil Spencer before. “Yes, heaps of times! We’re both from California. He’s the best. The loveliest guy you’ll ever meet. I actually feel really close to him.”

At the front of the line, Spencer seemed a little distracted. “I’d love to find Hitman and Megatron after this,” he said, scanning the room. Three years ago, Spencer got an Xbox Live invitation to play Destiny with a man named Keith Garlington (“Hitman”), a father of two who runs a funeral home in Arkansas. “Phil had talked a lot publicly about being a dad and not having enough time to play games, so I just sent him a message saying, ‘Hey, I’m a dad too,” Garlington told me recently. Spencer and Garlington now play together a few nights a week. They’re usually joined by Amin Cooper (“Megatron”), who works construction and lives in New Jersey. The three men talk about life, work, and family as they drive around in Forza and co-op on Destiny 2 strikes. “We know each other’s wives’ names. We know each other’s kids’ names. We know what we’re all doing next weekend,” Spencer told me. “What other social construct would put these three random people together like this?”

Both Garlington and Cooper came to FanFest at Spencer’s invitation. It was the first time all three men had hung out in real life. Leaving Spencer to his line duties, I tracked them down to find out whether Spencer was actually any good at playing games. Did he kick ass? Or did they kick his ass? “We don’t really play competitively, we mostly play co-op,” Cooper answered diplomatically. Spencer, spotting us, rushed over. “Don’t tell her anything!” he yelled before running away. “I think you can probably tell by now, having spent some time with him–Phil is 100% genuine,” Garlington told me. “It’s not a facade, and it’s not for the camera. He’s legitimately a good guy who loves games.” For his part, Cooper admitted he was a little starstruck when he first reached out to Spencer on Xbox Live. “He was so friendly right away,” he said. “He cares about everyone who plays, no matter where they’re from or what they do. That’s why everybody loves him.”

The downside of such public adulation is the scrutiny that inevitably comes along with it. Spencer’s detractors have wondered whether he is somehow playing the long con. From a purely competitive standpoint, Xbox remains behind PlayStation and Nintendo. It’s hard to know by how much: Microsoft stopped releasing sales figures for its consoles in 2014, the same year Spencer took over as head of Xbox. Would Spencer be as collegiate with his rivals if he had a competitive lead to maintain? After all, it’s easy to take risks when you have nothing to lose. “I hear that a lot,” Spencer told me. “That I only care about cross-platform play because we’re ‘losing.’ There’s no way for me to disprove that other than to say it’s not true. These decisions aren’t part of a strategy to eke away at number one’s foothold or something. It doesn’t mean that I’m perfect at this job. Obviously, you can get smarter people to do this job. I mean, I don’t even have an MBA. There’s a ton of things that I’m incapable of doing. If you put me as head of Microsoft Office or something, it would seem totally disingenuous. That’s not what I am.”

“I hear that a lot,” Spencer told me. “That I only care about cross-platform play because we’re ‘losing.’ There’s no way for me to disprove that other than to say it’s not true.

In 2017, Spencer was promoted to Nadella’s senior leadership team, becoming the executive vice president of gaming and reporting directly to Nadella himself. “There’s no part or thing that happens at Xbox that Phil doesn’t want to know about or be a part of,” Matt Booty, the current head of Xbox Game Studios, told me recently. “He is always thinking about where we need to be and how to get there. He is like a chess player in that way, always planning five steps ahead. If you just trust in that, he will get you there.”

A few days after FanFest, I tagged along with Spencer on a tour of the Nintendo booth on the E3 show floor. The heads of Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo usually visit each other’s booths during the show as a sign of respect and friendly competition.

The first person Spencer bumped into was Steve Singer, Nintendo America’s vice president of licensing, who, upon spotting Spencer, promptly gave him the middle finger. It was all for show, of course–the two men hugged warmly and talked shop out of earshot. Even inside the booth of a direct rival, Spencer’s fans weren’t far off. A young volunteer in a red Nintendo shirt spotted him and jogged over to say hi; it turns out the two know each other from Xbox Live.

After a brief tour of the main part of the booth, Spencer was whisked upstairs to play some games. He made for the Luigi’s Mansion 3 station and happily passed the next 20 minutes trying to maneuver Luigi out of a number of sticky situations. I’d love to say Spencer aced the demo, but the fact is, he kept dying. He finally realized why: he was accidentally pressing the wrong button on the controller. Every time the screen prompt told him to press X, he would press Y. (The Y button on the Nintendo Switch controller is in the same position as the X button on the Xbox controller.) “Remind me to tell them their X button is in the wrong place,” he said cheerily.

In the last year, Spencer has made good on his promises to make Xbox a more collaborative and diverse platform. He’s brought parts of Xbox Live to iOS and Android devices–as well as the Nintendo Switch–and pushed for more PC integration, something which has pleased a lot of PC gamers who have long argued that Microsoft wasn’t doing enough to acknowledge them. But perhaps his biggest investment in the future of Xbox has been in the slow but steady acquisition of a number of well-known studios, including Ninja Theory, Obsidian, and Tim Schafer’s legendary Double Fine Studios. “I think people want us to do a better job with our first-party games,” Spencer told me.

For his part, Schafer was initially skeptical of the acquisition. Firstly, it wasn’t something that he’d been thinking about. Secondly, he was worried about potentially putting Double Fine’s identity at risk. “Like, do we all change our emails to Microsoft emails and paint all the walls green?” he told me. What ultimately changed his mind was a phone call to the folks at Ninja Theory, who told him that Microsoft’s insistence on letting first-party studios just keep doing what they wanted with minimal interference was true. “They said, ‘We are still who we are. They’re letting us make the kind of games we want to make.’ And that was a huge thing for me. I could see how it makes sense–it makes sense not to have them convert us to making Forza DLC or something.”

When the discussions became more serious, Spencer invited Schafer out for a drink during this year’s DICE Awards. He laid out what the acquisition would mean for Microsoft, and what it would mean for Double Fine. “I’ve worked with a lot of different publishers over the years and they all have their own personalities and styles–but Phil is just a very legit individual,” Schafer said. “He’s made a lot of really great public statements about diversity and making games a positive force in the world, which really mesh with Double Fine’s own mission. It kind of cemented that feeling that this is the right thing to do.”

If he’d wanted a second opinion, Schafer might have also called 343 Industries, the veteran Microsoft studio that oversees the entirety of its Halo franchise. The studio’s head, Bonnie Ross, has worked with Spencer for more than two decades. A few weeks before E3, Spencer dropped in at 343 to give Ross and her team feedback on a demo for Halo: Reach on PC. The studio is located a short walk from Spencer’s office on Microsoft’s Redmond campus. Almost half of the building’s ground floor is taken up by a Halo museum, which features everything from life-size Master Chiefs to television props from the live-action web series Halo: Forward Unto Dawn, which aired on YouTube and Netflix, and the Ridley Scott-produced “Halo: Nightfall.” The museum also houses replica weapons, fan art, various Halo-related tchotchkes, and a random collection of Halo-branded snowboards (one of which Spencer owns).

“I’ve worked with a lot of different publishers over the years and they all have their own personalities and styles–but Phil is just a very legit individual,” Schafer said.

As we sat down to play the demo, Spencer attempted to calm my nerves by telling me he usually finishes all the Halo games on Legendary difficulty. He breezed through most of the demo easily enough and made it to the final checkpoint, which required him to take out two Hunters. Spencer tried to do this multiple times: he would manage to kill one but kept running out of both health and ammo before he could get the second. I reminded him of his previous boast. He pretended he didn’t hear me. Undeterred, he tried again. Someone offered to help, but Spencer jokingly waved him away. “It’s ok, I got this.”

After a few more tries, he finally killed both Hunters, but, just as the final cutscene was about to roll, an enemy he’d missed earlier snuck up behind him and shot him in the head. The room erupted in howls of disbelief. Spencer laughed. “I believe that’s my cue,” he said, standing up. Before he left, he went around the room, shaking the hands of all the developers and programmers who’d assembled to watch. “Good job, everyone. It’s great. It’s really, really great.”

Photography courtesy of Jay Lewis and Microsoft.

More Exclusive Phil Spencer Coverage

We’ve broken out several stories of note from our conversations with Phil Spencer and outlined the full list of news articles below.

Source : Gamesport

[costchard98-blog]

The Linc - Tim Jernigan thankful to be back following potential career-ending injury

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...

Eagles’ Tim Jernigan set to return after fear his career might be over - NBCSP Tim Jernigan feared his career was over. The Eagles’ defensive tackle, who will make his season debut Sunday, suffered a herniated disc that needed surgery in April. While Jernigan wouldn’t say how he suffered the injury because of “safety reasons,” it seems pretty clear it was serious. “S—, I’m blessed to play football again,” Jernigan said Friday. “One day, when this thing is over with or I’m wrapping it up, I’ll get more in detail with everything. But I’m lucky to play football again.” For months, the Jernigan situation has been shrouded in mystery and all of it isn’t gone yet. We still don’t know how he suffered the injury and we don’t exactly know how things transpired before he agreed to a significantly restructured contract after the surgery. What we do know is that the 26-year-old is going to play football Sunday after a lengthy rehabilitation process that prevented him from lifting weights for six months. That’s enough to make him smile.

Eagles vs. Giants Game Preview: 5 questions and answers with the enemy - BGN The Philadelphia Eagles (4-6) and New York Giants (3-7) are set to play on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. In order to preview this Week 12 matchup, I reached out to our enemies over at Big Blue View. The expert Ed Valentine (@Valentine_Ed) took the time to answer my questions about the upcoming game. Let’s take a look at his answers.

Eagles-Giants Preview Spectacular - BGN Radio John Stolnis and Brandon Lee Gowton share their favorite Thanksgiving memories as Eagles’ fans before preview the upcoming Week 12 matchup with the New York Giants. Plus discussion about the implications of Cowboys-Redskins, NFL Picks, and much more! Powered by SBNation and Bleeding Green Nation.

Mailbag: Taking a shot in the dark, the Eagles’ 2019 first round pick will be... - PhillyVoice I’m going to sound like a broken record over the next five months, so my apologies in advance, but I believe the Eagles’ first round pick, wherever it lands, will be a defensive lineman, for two reasons: With Brandon Graham potentially walking in free agency, Chris Long maybe retiring, and Michael Bennett’s future uncertain, the Eagles have an obvious need to restock the edge rusher pipeline with young talent. Also, at defensive tackle, the lack of a complementary disruptive interior presence next to Fletcher Cox has been glaring this season. The 2019 NFL Draft has the potential to be one of the best defensive line drafts ever, loaded with first round talent. I’d be shocked if at least 10 defensive linemen didn’t go in the first round.

NFC East Update - Iggles Blitz One of the most intriguing aspects of this game will be Carson Wentz coming off an awful performance in New Orleans. I think part of the problem down there is that he was forcing things, trying to create big plays even when they weren’t there. The Giants don’t have a juggernaut offense so Wentz is more likely to play smarter this week. He won’t feel the same pressure to come up with big plays. Wentz is ultra-competitive so I’m sure he is dying to get back on the field and erase last week. I’ll be shocked if he struggles two weeks in a row. All this talk of standings won’t mean a thing if the Eagles don’t start making some plays and winning games. That’s games, with an “s”. Sunday would be a fantastic time to start.

DT Tim Jernigan Brings Snarl To Eagles Defense - PE.com A team needing a spark to turn things around in the right direction, the Eagles get defensive tackle Tim Jernigan back for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants. Making his 2018 debut after an undisclosed (Jernigan chose not to discuss the nature of his injury) offseason injury that required surgery, Jernigan brings energy, nastiness, and a snarl to the defensive line. Amped to play, Jernigan knows he has the challenge of keeping his emotions in check against New York (1 p.m. kickoff) at Lincoln Financial Field. “It’s going to be tough, it’s going to be tough, but at the end of the day, I’ve got to be smart because it’s not about me. It’s about this team and right now our main focus is winning. We’ve got to beat the Giants,” Jernigan said. “I’m definitely going to bring energy, I’m definitely going to bring passion and just that swagger, man. We’ve got to get back to really just dominating up front. Our front seven has to dominate on Sunday.”

Eagles corner-starved entering game against Odell, Giants - ESPN One of the most startling facts surrounding this development is that LeBlanc, Sullivan, and Bausby weren’t even on the active roster as of a month ago. Bausby was released by the team in early September, re-signed to the practice squad on Nov. 5 and promoted to the 53-man roster a couple weeks later. Sullivan, a rookie out of Georgia State, was promoted to the active roster in late October. LeBlanc was claimed off waivers from the Detroit Lions in early November. He is on his third team this season, having been waived by the Chicago Bears in September.

Eagles’ Braxton Miller plays cornerback in practice due to banged up secondary - NJ.com This week, former Houston Texans gadget receiver Braxton Miller was asked to work as a scout team cornerback. Miller is comfortable with playing multiple positions, as he played quarterback and wide receiver at Ohio State during his college career. ”Being an athlete growing up, I played everything,” Miller said Friday. “So it’s just playing football. Just being instinctive and getting to the ball.” Miller said he played some cornerback in high school. While his job as a scout team cornerback was a temporary occurrence, he still tried to make the most of the opportunity.

Silva’s Week 12 Matchups - Rotoworld Past the point of reeling amid legitimate coaching concerns, the Eagles can silence some noise with a win over their longtime NFC East rivals. Even if it seems like forever ago, Philadelphia tore the G-Men to pieces 34-13 at MetLife Stadium in Week 6. Logically speaking, Sunday’s rematch should be a relative breeze. Yet Philly lost three of its last four games and looked like a sincerely bad team in the process, particularly in Week 11’s 48-7 Superdome spanking. The seven points were fewest of the Doug Pederson era. Carson Wentz must put this team on his back. He is a narrative-driven, fade-recency-bias DFS-tournament play. This same Giants defense yielded 58 combined points in Weeks 10-11 to Nick Mullens and a Bucs team that benched its quarterback during the game. … It isn’t hyperbole to say Philadelphia’s lone Week 11 source of offense was Josh Adams, who broke a first-quarter 28-yard TD sprint and finished with career highs in routes (16), targets (6), and snaps (55%) while Corey Clement and Wendell Smallwood remained black holes. Secure as the Eagles’ lead back, Adams should push for 15-plus touches as a home favorite versus a Giants defense that has allowed 100-plus rushing yards in 8-of-10 weeks and 14 running back TDs in its last nine games. I feel like I’ve been saying this for weeks, but there are reasons to believe Week 12 can be a turnaround game for Philly. The Eagles’ Weeks 12-17 schedule is among the softest in football, and division-leading Washington just lost its starting quarterback to I.R.

2018 NFL playcaller ranking - PFF Doug Pederson, Philadelphia Eagles: While the results of the 2018 season thus far have not been as stellar for the most successful member of the Andy Reid tree, Pederson is still offering substantial value as he builds his Eagles offense for the future. Carson Wentz is making a negatively-graded throw on fewer than 10% of his dropbacks, while they are making the correct run/pass decision on two-thirds of their second-down decisions so far this year in close games. Injuries to their offensive line, some fourth-down variance and having to come from behind due to a banged-up defense has obscured what continues to be one of the more well-run offenses in the NFL.

Giants vs. Eagles: Giants need to trust the pass against Eagles’ secondary - Big Blue View Philadelphia is 32nd in big play rate and that’s one of the places the Giants have excelled on offense — they’re fifth. Testing this secondary should lead to a lot of yards and a lot of points, way more than if the Giants try to get Barkley going on the ground. Foregoing the run doesn’t have to exclude Barkley from the game plan, part of what makes Barkley a special player. The Eagles are 24th against running backs in the passing game, which is exactly the type of mismatch the Giants should try to exploit. Over the past few weeks, the Giants have slowly unleashed Barkley on routes that should have been a part of the offense in Week 1. There was the angle route late in the game against the 49ers and the wheel route last week against the Buccaneers, which was wide open but resulted in the only incompletion of the day. These are the types of routes that should be worked into the offense early in the game along with more shots to the wide receivers.

The Winners and Losers From Thanksgiving Day Football - The Ringer Turkey Day was good for undrafted NFL players and creative celebrations. It wasn’t so great for Markelle Fultz.

NFL teams are getting smarter, and better, on fourth downs - PFT One of the hallmarks of last year’s Super Bowl champion Eagles was their aggressiveness on fourth downs: Eagles coach Doug Pederson listened to the analytics experts who have been saying for years that teams should go for it on fourth down more often, and the result was Philadelphia leading the league in fourth-down conversion and winning the title. The NFL is a copycat league, so it’s no surprise that this year, more teams are getting smarter about going for it on fourth down — and better at converting when they do go for it.

Film Room: Colts Offense - Football Outsiders Thankfully, the tides turned just in time for a playoff push. Since Week 7, the Colts have ditched the hobbled, scared iteration version of their offense for a more well-crafted approach that caters to the talent on hand. Sure, sure, catering to the talent on hand seems like it should be expected of an offensive coach such as Reich, but even the team he left not 12 months ago has admitted to not being able to find a role for the league’s best yards-after-catch threat, Golden Tate. It may have taken Reich and company a while to find their groove, but this offense finally has an identity and Luck is taking full advantage.

Bears vs. Lions: Notes from a 23-16 Thanksgiving win - Windy City Gridiron All things considered, Chase Daniel had a solid outing. Given a short week to prepare for making his first start in four years, the backup looked confident and poised. He finished the game completing 27 of his 37 passing attempts for 230 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Bears didn’t give him too daunting of a task in executing their play calls, as they rarely chose to stretch the field with deep passes. That said, Daniel was able to keep the offense rolling for the most part.

Texans Owner Bob McNair Passes Away - Battle Red Blog According to the Houston Texans, owner Bob McNair passed away today. He was 81 years old.

Winning is the worst possible thing for the Cowboys now. Thanksgiving NFL takeaways - SB Nation The worst thing possible is happening to the Cowboys right now. They are winning. Why is that bad? Because Jason Garrett might keep his job if they win the NFC East, and Garrett should not keep his job. I’ve written about it before. The offense is bland. It’s gotten better with the addition of Amari Cooper, but it’s not that different. It’s just Amari Cooper making plays. Thursday, was a great example.

...

Social Media Information:

BGN Facebook Page: Click here to like our page

BGN Twitter: Follow @BleedingGreen

BGN Manager: Brandon Lee Gowton: Follow @BrandonGowton

BGN Radio Twitter: Follow @BGN_Radio

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2018/11/24/18109926/eagles-news-tim-jernigan-thankful-back-following-potential-career-ending-injury-defensive-tackle-nfl

[junker-town]

3 winners and 4 losers from Playoff Saturday

Alabama and Clemson will play for the title again. These are some of the key figures from the day that became official.

The College Football Playoff semifinals are in the books. Notre Dame and Oklahoma are done, and Clemson and Alabama are where they usually are: playing each other in the national title game. They’ll see each other January 7 in Santa Clara, California.

Clemson and Bama were the winners of the day’s two games. But let’s pick out a few more specific winners and losers from the season’s most important day yet.

Winner: Trevor Lawrence

Clemson’s five-star freshman QB owned the day more than any other single player did. He was 27-of-39 for 327 yards, three touchdowns, and no picks against an elite defense. Lawrence being good now isn’t surprising. He was one of the highest-rated prospects in the history of recruiting, and Clemson surrounded him with a top skill-position group and a road-grading offensive line.

But his total reliability as a freshman — almost never throwing picks, only making occasional, minor mistakes — is incredible. If he can beat the Tide, he’ll be the second true freshman to QB his team to a title, after Oklahoma’s Jamelle Holieway in 1985. I won’t put it past him.

Winner: Tua Tagovailoa

Tagovailoa lost out to Kyler Murray in one of the best Heisman races ever, but he was the better of the two quarterbacks in the Orange Bowl (though Murray put up three excellent quarters of his own and still fairly deserved the trophy).

Tua put up one of those lines that would be absurd if he hadn’t done it several times already: 24-of-27 for 318 yards, four touchdowns, and (of course) no interceptions.

He looked healthy and every bit as crisp as he did for the first 80 percent of the season, when he built what had seemed to be an insurmountable lead for the Heisman. People who wish to relitigate that trophy race may do so now, but Tagovailoa will happily get ready for the title game instead. His bad SEC Championship feels like a distant memory, even though the Clemson defense he’ll see next is in a different world than the Oklahoma D he just saw.

Loser: Notre Dame’s big-game reputation, again

The Irish have now lost their last eight New Year’s Six (or equivalent) bowl games, going back to the 1993 season’s Cotton Bowl. I’m 24, and I have not been alive to see Notre Dame win a top-tier bowl game. On the one hand, props to Notre Dame for managing to stay relevant as a national brand amid such a long drought. On the other, while the Irish deserved their Playoff spot, much of the country will still decline to take them seriously. They’ve once again failed to make an emphatic argument in their own favor.

Loser: Nick Saban’s headset

Rest in peace:

Moment of silence for Nick Saban's headset... pic.twitter.com/MTH8kq0gwm

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) December 30, 2018

He was up by 18 at this point.

Loser: Anyone who bet the over in the Orange Bowl at 79.5 or higher

That was the opening total on Selection Sunday. It went even higher, reaching the highest total in Playoff history, comfortably. The game settled at 79 points exactly, with Alabama kneeling out the clock inside Oklahoma’s 10-yard line. No, I’m not personally upset about it. Why would you ask?

Loser: Jim Harbaugh

Heading into a game at Ohio State the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Michigan was ranked No. 4. The Wolverines were favored to win in Columbus, an extreme rarity in a series Ohio State has owned. This seemed like their best shot in years. That ended in humiliation, though. So maybe Michigan would at least beat a supposedly inferior team in the Peach Bowl and see some postseason success this year? Nope. This qualifies as a collapse, which Harbaugh’s getting used to in Ann Arbor.

Winner: Georgia

The Dawgs, who took Alabama to the wire and had a legit case as one of the four best teams, did not make the Playoff. Their players spent the day tweeting gleefully about Notre Dame’s and Oklahoma’s struggles, suggesting they should’ve been in the field instead.

But hear me out on this: nobody is getting a better deal than the Dawgs.

Their fans think they’re better than both Notre Dame and Oklahoma, so the logical follow is that they’d have faced Clemson as the No. 3 seed in the Playoff. That would suck. What’s much better is getting to play Texas in the Sugar Bowl, probably winning that game by a lot, and pretending for the whole offseason that Clemson wouldn’t have beaten you by 21.

Previous bowl season winners and losers

Winner: Rain

Rain won the inaugural First Responder Bowl, canceling the Boise State-Boston College game in Dallas before it got through the first quarter. Games get canceled for weather reasons all the time, but this appears to have been the first FBS bowl in the modern era to meet that fate. The game was declared a no-contest, its few stats wiped out.

Winner: Cheez-It

The sponsor of a middling (at best) bowl game in Phoenix wound up overseeing one of the most virally enjoyed bowls in years. Cal and TCU played just a hideous game, combining for nine interceptions, but you can’t buy publicity like the cracker-maker got at the end of it.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Indeed, those are Cheez-Its in that trophy bowl.

Loser: Miami

The Hurricanes secured their spot as the most disappointing team of 2018 by getting caved in by Wisconsin at the Pinstripe Bowl. The preseason No. 8 Hurricanes finished 7-6. What’s worse, they have a ton of problems facing them as they move into 2018.

Winner: Auburn

The Tigers routed Purdue in the Music City Bowl, 63-14. Had they not let up considerably in the second half, they would’ve easily broken the all-time bowl scoring record Army tied days earlier (70, and more on that shortly). They still put together one of the most dazzling offensive games any team has had in years, providing a nice little capper to a pretty terrible season for Gus Malzahn. Maybe it’ll be something to build on, or maybe it was just fun.

Winner: Gardner Minshew

Washington State beat Iowa State in a fun Alamo Bowl, and Minshew threw for 299 yards and a couple of touchdowns. He capped off one of the best and most memorable seasons ever for a Mike Leach QB in a uniformly positive way.

Winner: Army

The Black Knights won what you could fairly call the most lopsided bowl game in history, 70-14 against Houston at the Armed Forces Bowl. The 56-point margin of victory tied the record, and their 70 points tied the record, too. All of that pretty wells sums it up, but it’s worth noting Army scored 10 TDs on 10 offensive drives. (The Knights lost one fumble, which they offset with a defensive touchdown.) They finished with a program-high 11 wins and have never won more games in two years than the 21 they’ve won these last two.

Loser: Major Applewhite

That result has Houston head coach Applewhite’s job in danger, sources told SB Nation’s Steven Godfrey. UH’s president famously said upon hiring Applewhite that the school fires coaches when they go 8-4 (though it doesn’t usually, in truth), and Applewhite has now had a worse record than that in each of his two years. Offensive coordinator Kendal Briles resigned after the bowl, with sources telling Godfrey he was expected to head to Florida State. UH was supposed to lose this game without DT Ed Oliver and QB D’Eriq King, but Applewhite may have lost more than the bowl.

Winner: Troy, for somehow still having Neal Brown

The Trojans beat Buffalo in the Dollar General Bowl, a weird game that included the Bulls’ offense not seeing the field for the whole third quarter. That was weird, but what wasn’t was seeing Troy get to double-digit wins. The Trojans have done that three years in a row under Brown, with bowl wins capping all three and Power 5 wins at LSU and Nebraska mixed in. It’s astonishing that nobody’s yet hired Brown to a head coaching gig in those ranks, but Troy will take it. The program had never won 10 games before this three-year run of doing it every year. Troy’s one of the sport’s most reliable winners. Troy!

Loser: Memphis

The Tigers were the losers in the Birmingham Bowl, the most dramatic bowl yet. After blowing an 18-point lead, they scored a go-ahead touchdown with 1:15 left against Wake Forest. But they let the Demon Deacons march all the way downfield to take the lead back with 34 seconds left. Then they got into game-tying field goal range, and Riley Patterson knocked through a 38-yarder that got wiped out because Wake had called an icing timeout. He knocked through another after that, but a false start pushed it back to a 43-yarder, which Patterson then missed to give the win to the Deacs.

Winner: Jaylon Ferguson

The senior Louisiana Tech defensive end used the Hawaii Bowl to break Terrell Suggs’ career Division I sack record of 44, fighting through an iffy facemask call and some brief official scoring drama to do it. Ferguson has gotten little attention over his career, because he plays in Conference USA. But he’s been productive for four years, putting up particularly big totals in his sophomore and senior years. Bowl games are primarily about TV, but at their best, they should be about players, and seeing Ferguson celebrate was tremendous.

(Yes, it’s fine to note the NCAA did not count bowl stats before 2002, and that might make Suggs’ and others of his time look worse. It’s a bad policy. But that’s not Ferguson’s problem, and he should sleep fine going forward as a record-holder. He’s also a winner because he got to go to Hawaii, and because Tech actually beat the Rainbow Warriors.)

Steven Erler-USA TODAY Sports

Winner: BYU

The Cougars had an up-and-down year, but they made sure to finish with a winning record by beating the hell out of WMU in the Potato Bowl. They gained 9.4 yards per play to the Broncos’ 4.1 and got one of the most sparkling QB lines ever out of freshman Zach Wilson: 18-of-18 passing for 317 yards, four touchdowns, and (obviously) no picks. He was two measly screen passes away from qualifying for and setting the FBS record for single-game completion percentage. Former Georgia QB Grayson Lambert has it now at 96 percent.

Winner: FIU

The Bahamas Bowl was good fun, and Butch Davis’ Panthers came out on top against Toledo. They did it with a backup quarterback, Christian Alexander, running all over the Rockets’ defense and also converting some key late third downs with his arm. FIU lost a lot of talent from an eight-win team in 2017, Davis’ first season, and still inched forward to nine wins this year, including the second bowl win in program history and first since 2010. It’s not hard to see FIU as a Conference USA contender in 2019.

Winner: UAB

The Blazers did not field a team two seasons ago, or three seasons ago. But head coach Bill Clark stuck around and, when the program was reinstated a half-year after shutting down in December 2014, got to building a winner. A JUCO-heavy roster-building strategy paid off this year, when UAB won Conference USA and put up 10 wins, the most in its history. That was before trouncing MAC champion NIU in the Boca Raton Bowl, 37-13. That was the program’s first bowl win ever.

Loser: The Pac-12

The worst Power 5 conference missed the Playoff for the third time in the five-year history of the event. Then it began its underwhelming bowl schedule with Arizona State losing (and losing unimpressively) to the Mountain West’s Fresno State in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Fresno comfortably covered a 6-point spread despite having a near-touchdown turn into a touchback when a fumble at the pylon went through the end zone. The Sun Devils did not seriously threaten to win. It’s the second year in a row the Pac-12’s lost in Vegas, after Oregon fell to Boise State in 2017, both times by double digits.

Loser: North Texas

UNT quarterback Mason Fine getting hurt against Utah State was a big shame. His teammates weren’t able to keep things close without him. What we’d pegged as one of the best matchups of bowl season turned into a rout. The good news, though: UNT head coach Seth Littrell surprised a bunch of people by not leaving for Kansas State, Texas Tech, or any other open coaching job. The Mean Green should be a Conference USA contender in 2019.

Winner: Tulane

The Green Wave hadn’t won a bowl since 2002. They hadn’t been in a bowl since 2013. They were 5-6 entering a Week 13 game against Navy, and they put their bowl eligibility on the line when they went for a 2-point conversion with 1:27 left in a 1-point game there. They got it and won, and then they went to the Cure Bowl and beat UL Lafayette by 17. Willie Fritz has gradually built the Wave up and now has some postseason success to show for it.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Winner: FCS call-ups

Georgia Southern completed one of the year’s best turnarounds by beating Eastern Michigan on a 40-yard field goal at the buzzer of the Camellia Bowl. The Eagles’ 10 wins are their most since they made the jump to FBS in 2014, and they come a year after the program cratered to 2-10. Things started to turn around midseason last year, when Chad Lunsford took over for the fired Tyson Summers and went 2-4 after an 0-6 start. Now? GaSo looks as good as ever. When the Eagles are running the option, they’re good.

Appalachian State won impressively against Middle Tennessee at the New Orleans Bowl. The Mountaineers, who have hovered around the top 15 for most of the year in S&P+, are just really good. The Sun Belt champs showed out and did their conference proud, and they did it in their first game without Scott Satterfield, their coach who left for Louisville. Satterfield had transitioned the Mountaineers, like GaSo, from FCS blue-blood status to FBS startup. Things seem even better at App right now than they do at Southern.

So, hey, let’s count the Louisville as a winner in this group. The Satterfield hire already looked good, but it looks better now that App State’s had a good bowl and Mountaineer defensive coordinator Bryan Brown’s agreed to join Satterfield in Louisville. Meanwhile, there’s no reason new App coach Eliah Drinkwitz can’t win right away there.

Cheers to Kansas State, too, in a similar vein. The Wildcats’ new coach, outgoing NDSU boss Chris Klieman, is on to another FCS final. The drawback there is that K-State needs to sign some recruits. On another hand, it’s good to hire championship coaches.

Non-FBS winners and losers from this time of year

Winner: Mary Hardin-Baylor

The Cru beat Mount Union (the closest thing Division III has to its own North Dakota State) in a dramatic Stagg Bowl. UMHB’s now won two national titles in three years. That’s a hell of a thing for any program at any level, but it’s especially cool given this one’s newness. The school’s only been playing football for 21 years, starting in 1998. It was a playoff team by 2001, a regular contender after that, and now the best DIII team of the last three years.

Winner: North Carolina A&T

A&T beat Alcorn State in the Celebration Bowl to win HBCU football’s national title, 24-22. That makes three in four years (and in the Celebration Bowl’s history) for the Aggies, who have beaten up on the MEAC and SWAC and started this season by topping FBS East Carolina in Greenville. The team’s lost two games in two years. Rod Broadway built the Aggies up before retiring after 2017’s Celebration Bowl win, and first-year successor Sam Washington is now one-for-one.

Winner: Valdosta State

The Blazers won Division II’s national title — their fourth ever, also their fourth since 2004, and first since 2012— by surviving Ferris State in a truly wild championship game. QB Rogan Wells threw for five touchdowns in the title game and caught another, setting that game’s record for touchdowns responsible-for. VSU finished a sterling 14-0.

Loser: South Dakota State

The poor Jackrabbits have the misfortune of being rivals with North Dakota State. They’ve been unable to get over the NDSU hump for years, as their northern neighbors have become the most dominant program in the country at any level. The Bison blew them out in an FCS playoff semifinal in Fargo to continue both teams’ trends.

We’ll update this post as teams sort themselves going forward.