#Vinny took it upon himself to take him under his wing

[svnsetblvd]

Thinking about the father and son relationship between Vinny and Sam

[brauthaalandfc]

Manchester City Player Ratings 2018/19

I got bored and decided to write a lil review of Manchester City players this season. Hope you enjoy and feel free to discuss.

Warning: may be biased

Ederson: 9/10  Keeping this one short and simple, just like Eddie’s passes from the back. What more do you want from a keeper? He can give you assists, great saves, and is willing to run half way up the pitch to defend his teammates. Took one point off him because he didn’t score. Maybe next season. 

Kyle Walker: 7.5/10 The English idiot definitely got tired around christmas time with a few dodgy games which I guess is understandable given the fact the he hadn’t really stopped playing for over a year with the World Cup and so on and he might have been the England crackhead but overall I think Kyle did well. Especially during the last few games, I thought that he played really well. I think it was Crystal Palace away that he probably had one of his best games. I hope he rests well over summer and can continue that form next season. 

Danilo: 7/10 When Kyle was too busy snorting coke (just kidding, don’t kill me), Danilo played really well in his place. Although he isn’t as quick or as direct as Kyle, he provided a composure and control that sometimes Kyle lacks. He didn’t really make any big mistakes when playing, and I would have given him a higher score if he played a little more. There has been rumours of him leaving and I hope these are not true because he is a pretty solid back up at right back and is Bernardo’s favourite person to annoy.

Oleksandr Zinchenko: 8/10 Am I crazy giving him a higher rating than Kyle? Probably. But I love to spread appreciation for my unproblematic little blonde ukrainian! Last summer he was linked heavily to Wolves- it looked highly probable that that was were he was going to end up this season. However, he decided to stay and fight for his place at Manchester City and I am so bloody glad that he did! When Ben got injured and Delph was...you know... being Delph, Zinnie stepped up and performed at left back (not his natural position!!) and played at a higher standard than any of us would have thought! I really admire his determination and confidence in himself to stay and fight to get into the first team. You can tell he works hard always and really loves and appreciates all his teammates. I have loved watching the little shy KDB lookalike grow and blossom into a more confident young man. Hopefully there is much more to come from this bundle of joy. We could all learn from Oleksandr Zinchenko!

Fabian Delph: 3/10 I might be a bit harsh here but literally, when did he forget the basics of football? Man preached it in All or Nothing but couldn’t practice it irl. Deplhy was a breakthrough last season and played well when Mendy got injured (yes, again). But this season... I don’t know what he was up to. Most games he played, we lost. I honestly have no clue what made him snap like that vs Leicester but bitch... calm down!! Is it harsh to say I don’t think he played well once this season? Well, I am saying it. Don’t get me wrong, I will be sad if he leaves this summer. He most definitely has passion, and whilst sometimes that leads to him perhaps being too emotional on the pitch, I appreciate it and is a popular character in the dressing room that will be missed. He has given a lot for the club in recent years but I’m afraid I see no future for him here. No more Delph every weekend :( 

Benjamin Mendy: 5/10 I have a soft spot for Mendy, can you tell? You’re probably thinking 5 is too high but I will tell you why. He played 10 games this season and got 5 assists during that time. That’s an assist every second game (if I have done my maths right). In the early stages of the season, there was no doubt that he was one of our most effective players. I was at the home game vs Huddersfield in August and I thought he played so well that game, bombing up the wing every time. He got an assist too, if I remember correctly? His crosses are insane and watching him live was a (rare) blessing! This makes it hurt even more knowing he got injured. It is obvious that Ben has so much potential and has bags of talent however, injuries seem to haunt him. Along with his occasion lax judgement and lack of concentration, he finds himself in difficult situations. It breaks my heart of the stories leaking from the training ground of him breaking down in tears. I cannot be easy for a young footballer to go through so many injuries when they are at a club that is constantly winning and breaking records, where you can watch your teammates win things and have fun with each other whilst you are stuck inside with your leg in a cast. My heart breaks for him and I hope that next season, these injuries no longer take over him and he can have a season to finally show why he is one of the best left backs in the world.

Aymeric Laporte: 9/10 There has been a lot of hype around Van Dijk this season (and rightly so) however, Aymeric hasn’t received as much attention and I think that is slightly unfair. Laporte, in my opinion, is not that far behind Van Dijk and is nowhere near his peak quite yet. I think that Aymeric has been one of our best and most important players this season. He is always reliable in defence and has probably been our first choice CB this season. Not to mention, he scored that header against Brighton that put us back in front and on the way to the title. I believe that Aymeric is an amazingly talented CB that will only improve over these next few seasons, and who knows, he might one day become the best CB in the league. 

Nicolas Otamendi: 6.5/10 Nico was so so good for us last year and offers us more physicality at CB in comparison to Stones and Laporte, however he hasn’t really stood out this season. Despite this, I don’t think he has done much wrong? He has been largely reliable when called upon to help out the team and I really can’t fault him for that. Like Danilo, he was been linked with a move elsewhere but I hope that he doesn’t move. Like I said, he is more physical than Stones and Laporte and sometimes I feel like we need that, and with Vinnie leaving I don’t think it is wise to let another CB go when I don’t feel academy players like Garcia are ready for that jump up yet. Oh and he has a good beard so I bumped him up from an initial 6. 

John Stones: 7.5/10 It has been a bit of a weird season for Stonsey, hasn’t it? At the beginning of the season, he was playing loads and was dead good. However, after THAT moment vs Liverpool he seemed to fade away a little and it looked like Pep prefered to play Vinnie and Laporte over him nearing the end of the season when it was tense. He still played a little though. sometimes coming on to play as a defensive midfielder kind of position and didn’t really make any mistakes there which I guess shows him maturing as an all round player and reveals just how much Pep trusts him and sees potential in him. I expect him to play a lot more next season and continue to grow as a central... sorry centre back.

Vincent Kompany: 8/10 I was considering giving him a 10/10 just for that goal vs Leicester but I am keeping that score for someone else ;) What can I say about this man that hasn’t already been said? He is a Manchester City and Premier League legend. He captained this team to a domestic treble, an achievement never done in Men’s English football. Pep trusted him at the most important part of the season and it turned out to be the correct decision with that thunderbolt against Leicester (honestly, I cried). His season was kinda the opposite to Stonsey’s, he didn’t play much in the beginning of the season but played a lot in the second half. I’m so glad he got a run of games without injuries and got to play a pivotal role in the season’s outcome. He went out on a high and I wish him all the best in his new role at Anderlecht, as long as he comes back sometime soon. Captain. Leader. Legend.

Fernandinho: 8.5/10 I think it says a lot about the importance of Fernandinho to this Manchester City team that when we lost two games back to back in December, Fernandinho was missing. He is crucial to the way in which we play, and he plays his role so effectively and in a composed and sophisticated manner. He is like the unsung hero of the team. So why didn’t I give him a 9 or a 10? Whilst he has been reliable for large parts of the season, sometimes I feel like the game gets to him a little. The best example of that was vs Newcastle where he gave away the penalty that could have cost us the league. Luckily it didn’t but usually he does not make them mistakes but sometimes when we are under pressure, he can let out his frustrations. Regardless of that, I think he has done an immense job yet again this season. Despite getting a few injuries and frustration clouding his better judgement, he is still one of our best players. 

Ilkay Gundogan: 8.5/10 I was soooo gutted when we signed him in 2016 and he then proceeded to have that season ended prematurely due to injuries because I was so excited to see him play for Manchester City. However, I feel like we got to see the best of Ilkay Gundogan this season. Whilst sometimes I scream at him for continuously passing backwards some games, his reading and intelligence of the game is probably one of the best in the squad. When Dinho picked up a few injuries near the end of the season, I thought that was our title dreams over, however Ilkay decided to prove me wrong and deliver amazing performances when we needed him most. Sometimes City fans on Twitter give him stick but I genuinely believe that he is a massive talent for us and is fully capable of playing that Dinho role if we need him to.

David Silva: 7/10 There is a case to be made that David Silva is best ever player to put on a City shirt however, this season wasn’t his best. He started off well, and that free kick against Huddersfield was amazing! But gradually, he became slower and less like the el mago that we all know and love to watch. He would give the ball away cheaply and occasionally pick the wrong pass or just slow down play altogether. Even I was getting a little bit tired of Pep playing him ahead of a faster and more direct Leroy Sane. But at the Manchester Derby at Old Trafford, he did what David Silva usually does, and made the game his own. He was so so good that night and helped to keep the calm and control that game, even when we were looking a little bit shaky. Despite this, he did look tired most of the season. I really hope that was just Pep overplaying him because of Kev’s injury and that he isn’t losing his legs because I’m not ready to let go of him yet.

Phil Foden: 7/10 Now, me saying that Phil and David were both 7′s this season, does not mean that I think that they were at the same level this season. Of course, David played at a higher level than Phil. It just means that Phil’s standards are understandably lower than David’s. However, Phil did amazingly this season despite his situation. He is in a team, competing for a place with players like David Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva. So I think we were all surprised when the team news came out for the Spurs game and he was there. No, not on the bench but in the starting eleven. An eighteen year old boyhood fan starting a game for Manchester City! Against a top 4 team! In a tight title race! Not only that but he scored and played maturely for his age. I am incredibly proud of my lil baby Phil (even though he has a baby now). He started and played in more games than I would have anticipated. All of his time spent patiently waiting for his chance and training alongside his hero, has paid off! I hope he will get even more game time next season, showing us all why he has the nickname Stockport Iniesta!

Kevin De Bruyne: 7.5/10 This is a difficult one. Kevin has had a difficult season. It seemed that whenever he would finally hit form, he would get injured again. I cannot imagine how difficult that would have been for him. It was saddening as a fan who loves to watch him play that we never really got to see the best of Kevin De Bruyne, We saw glinces of it in the FA Cup final but it was a little too late. There is no doubt that Kevin is a world class player, but unfortunately we haven’t been able to witness that this season. Despite this, when he did play he definitely had an impact. We are a better team with Kevin De Bruyne in it. No arguments about that. I hope next season he is back to his normal self, assisting and scoring when we need him most.

Bernardo Silva: 10/10 Ah, here we go. Brace yourselves, this could be a long one. I LOVE BERNARDO SILVA. In my opinion, he has been the best player in the Premier League this season AND should be in top 3 for Ballon d’Or. Am I being incredibly biased and over reactionary? Probably, yes. But am I wrong? No. Bernardo Silva has everything. He runs 12-14km a game. He never stops. He can dribble like Messi. Yes, like Messi. He dribbles like Messi. He can cross balls into the box. He can run halfway across the pitch just to tackle someone off the ball. He took on Virgil Van Dijk. 5′6 Bernardo Silva decided to get in a battle with 6′3 Virgil Van Dijk. Can we just take a moment to appreciate him in that game against Liverpool? He ran and ran and ran until he covered every single inch of the pitch that night. He wanted to win more than anyone and it showed. And let’s talk about his passion.  He celebrates every Manchester City goal like a madman, running across to the goalscorer and pulling the craziest of faces. And his goal celebration at Old Trafford? ICONIC. He did a knee-slide at Old Trafford in front of the City fans. Twenty years ago, and he would be considered a City legend for that alone. But he is on his way to becoming one of Manchester City’s all time best. I mean, his chant is already one of the best! I cannot fault any part of his season. Maybe he could have scored and assisted more? Meh I don’t care, his work rate earns him something more than just goals: the fans hearts. He has the potential to become one of the best in the world and I am so glad he is at Manchester City and has committed his future to us. 

Raheem Sterling: 9/10 Raheem has matured so much this season. Not just on the pitch, but off the pitch too. He has become a great influence and inspiration for those who have to suffer through racial discrimination and horrid racist attitudes. Whilst he has always been this person, it has taken the media this long to recognise this and praise him for it. I am happy that finally he is getting the positive recognition that he deserves. And he has deserved it this season. Each season he seems to grow more and more confident in himself, scoring and assisting more often. I can only see him growing from here and becoming even better. Only thing that is missing is his goal at Anfield, winning our first game there since 2003 ;)

Riyad Mahrez: 6.5/10 I think that it was always going to be difficult for Riyad this season. Our wingers: Raz, Leroy and Bernardo are all well suited to Pep’s style and the players around them. He needed time to adapt and learn. Overall, I feel like he dealt with it quite well. Yes, he missed that penalty at Anfield but he won us points at games where we were struggling slightly like Bournemouth. He did end up missing a lot of game time due to just how good Raz and Bernardo have been this season, he couldn’t really get a look into the team. And how many other players would to be honest? Although, I do feel he could have done better for a first season in a team like this, he has coped well and integrated into the team nicely. Hopefully he can have a breakthrough like Bernardo next season!

Leroy Sane: 6.5/10 I feel like Leroy would get a far greater rating if Pep played him a little bit more but I guess Pep had his reasons and that is understandable. Leroy, for me, is one of the best young players in the world. He has so much talent and potential. He offers something different from the other wingers in the team and can cause defences to have nightmares. And on top of that, this season we discovered that he is dangerous from free kicks too. But as I said, Pep didn’t play him as much as he could have. I guess Pep and Sane have their own problems and I hope it can be solved because Leroy is one to keep here at City. He has a huge future ahead of him and I would be massively disappointed if we lost him. 

Gabriel Jesus: 6/10 Gabi is the the same kind of situation as Riyad and Leroy. I think he has so much potential at this club however, his game time is limited due to the fact that he has to compete with Sergio Aguero, possibly one of the best strikers to play in the Premier League. It is a massive ask for Gabriel at his age. However, I think he has shown enough this season and seasons prior that he is a talented player who fits in this team perfectly. His workrate is perfect and I can see him becoming an important player for us in the future.

Sergio Aguero: 9.5/10 If you ever need a goal, Sergio is the player to go to. This man got back to back Premier League hat tricks against Arsenal and Chelsea IN THE SAME WEEK. Unfortunately, he just missed out on the Golden Boot, however he scored incredibly important goals for us this season. The goal vs Burnley, the one vs Liverpool and the one vs Brighton are just three examples. He is always there when we need him. And that is why I put him as the second highest rated. (sorry Raz I still love you xx)

[mitchbeck]

CANTLON: (WED) PACK KNOCK OFF SPRINGFIELD IN HISTORIC WIN

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The Hartford Wolf Pack got two goals each from Patrick Newell and Vinni Lettieri and outlasted the Springfield Thunderbirds, 7-4, for the team's 27th win of the season and the 500th in franchise history. The game featured five lead changes and 64 shots. The game-winner came as a result of hard work and a little bit of luck as Newell easily deposited his sixth of the season and second of the game into an open net. While on a shift change, Newell found himself on the receiving of a Nick Jones pass from the left-wing circle “I got a fortunate change on that second one. I was (lucky) to be on the ice with (Jones). The puck was just sitting there for me, and I was able to put in,” Newell, in a laconic, low-key, So-Cal speaking style said of the goal that gave him his first professional multiple-goal game. The first place Wolf Pack has a record of 27-11-4-5 (63 points) and pulled ahead of the idle Hershey Bears by two points. The team continues its red-hot home record of 20-1-0-2. They have won 12 straight. The team's record when leading after two periods remains unblemished at 19-0-1-2. “We didn’t talk about too much before the game actually. Just a couple of items. We're much better on those (than Saturday) in Springfield. Our D corps played so very well and our scoring did so well. It's because of our D corps.” The Wolf Pack had 11 different players pick up points. “We do so much better when we have four lines contributing like they did tonight. Everybody had a hand in it tonight. We just gotta keep it rolling into the weekend,” remarked Tim Gettinger, one of the 11 previously mentioned. In the third period, the Pack was able to pull away on a right-wing rush by Vitali Kravtsov, who put a smooth pass beyond the reach of two Springfield d-men, Tommy Cross and Brady Keeper. Lettieri with a wide-open net didn’t miss and tallied his second of the night and 21st of the season. Jones had another quite effective night and made himself the fourth Wolf Pack player to have multiple points in the game with an empty netter with 17.4 seconds left.  Adam Huska earned his first pro point with an assist to close out the Thunderbirds at 7-4. “We rely on him for his defensive play a lot, winning key faceoffs, penalty kill work. It’s really nice to see guys like that get rewarded. They deserve it because they’re playing the right way. Jones played an excellent game tonight,” said Pack head coach, Kris Knoblauch. Huska (26 saves) was not perfect, but in the third period, he made terrific saves that kept Springfield from tying the game. “Credit to Huska in the third period. We needed him, and he stood strong making big saves and playing the puck strongly.” Knoblauch said. In the second period, the Thunderbirds head coach, Geordie Kinnear, switched goalies bringing in Philippe Desrosiers for Ryan Bednard. The two teams managed just five shots in the list 7:40 missing the net several times as well. Springfield managed to tie the game at three. Daniel Audette collected his second goal of the night taking a short pass from Jack Rodewald. He moved in the slot put the puck through Gettinger's legs and under his stick. Audette collected the puck and lifted a backhander and deposited it on the top shelf at 10:42. At 12:13 the Pack answered back to restore the lead at 4-3. After missing the net seconds earlier, Steven Fogarty didn’t miss the second time. Fogarty got a perfect short pass from Kravtsov and got inside position on the Thunderbirds' Rodrigo Abols and lifted his 12th goal of the season with the backhand past Desrosiers. The goal and the captain scoring it was big for the Wolf Pack. “Fogarty is a big part of why we have success. He pushes everyone to do well and leads by example,” Lettieri said in speaking of the team captain. Ethan Prow got the puck off the right-wing boards on a cross-ice pass on a break-in as the Thunderbirds Jonathan Ang took Libor Hajek out, leaving a wide-open lane. Prow’s shot cleanly beat Huska to the far side for his sixth goal matching his jersey number. The Wolf Pack struck first in this game. Danny O’Regan won a faceoff from Springfield’s Alexei Saarela and Newell, his new, old linemate, picked up the puck and circled around the linesman using him as a pick then fired off wing a high-shot. The puck hit Bednard in the arm and went over the goal line for Newell's fourth goal of the season at 2:35. “I was happy for Newy he played well and didn’t surprise us that’s what we expect of him. He and Danny have a thing together back in November and December when we had them together so we reunited them and they played well together. Ski’s (Matt Beleskey) complimented them well. O’Regan's veteran value was shown on that play before it started. “Not only is Danny a good faceoff guy, but he's a good coach. Before they went out on the ice, Danny told Newell what they were doing and they got the goal. Maybe we'll have Danny call up more plays,” Knoblauch jokingly said of his “new” would-be assistant coach. The Thunderbirds tied the game at one converting an offensive zone turnover into a scoring play. Fogarty had a left-wing shot stopped and Lettieri retrieved the loose puck. Fogarty cut to the middle and Lettieri’s pass went the other way. Tommy Cross (Simsbury/Westminster Prep) got the puck put a quick pass on Saarela's stick, the former Rangers draft pick came across the Wolf Pack blue line at full speed. Saarela made a nice move on Vincent LoVerde at the blue line and had two wingers open on the left side. He hit Danielle Audette, the son of former NHL’er Donald Audette with a perfect cross-ice pass. Audette wasted little time putting his 11th of the season into the back of the net at 10:05. The Wolf Pack answered back 2:42 later. Gettinger got to a loose puck and snapped a hard wrister from 35 feet out that cleanly went between Bednard's left arm to regain the lead at 2-1. Springfield answered back in kind to tie the game at two. Henrik Bogstrom won a one-on-one battle along the right-wing boards and shuffled the puck to Matt Mangene at the right point. He sent a shot that kept rising and eluded Huska at 13:01. It was Mangene’s first of the season. The Wolf Pack came back yet again as Lettieri pocketed his 20th of the season at 16:27 to make it 3-2. Jeff Taylor at the left point took Joey Keane’s pass put a short pass on Lettieri's stick blade as he cut to the middle the lane was blocked. Lettieri curled back into the left-wing circle and then with Fogarty at the net he used Springfield defenseman Thomas Schmetisch as a screen and fired the shot that Bednard never saw beating him short-side. Lettieri’s goal made it 23 straight seasons the Wolf Pack have had at least one 20 goal scorer. “Taylor had the patience of a kindergarten teacher waiting to find me,” joked Lettieri with a wry smile. “He made a great pass.” Now it's on to Charlotte for a pair of weekend games. Gettinger, with his hoody shading his eyes, set the tone for the weekend as the team seeks redemption for a lost weekend in December with two tough losses. “We're going down determined on Friday, we know what happened last time down there. We have some unfinished business." LINES: Fogarty-Kravtsov-Lettieri O’Regan-Newell-Beleskey Jones-Gropp-Gettinger McBride-Dmowski-Zerter-Gossage Hajek-Raddysh Keane-Geersten Taylor-LoVerde SCRATCHES: Nick Ebert (Lower-body, still day-to-day) Boo Nieves (Flu, day-to-day) Yegor Rykov (Healthy) Ty Ronning (Healthy) Gabriel Fontaine (Shoulder-surgery, Season-ending) NOTES: During an ice cleaning timeout, Jared Doyon of Meriden who handles a lot of game night operation duties, including as a fill-in PA announcer, slipped and fell on the ice. He suffered a concussion but seemed to be OK giving the thumbs-up sign to the crowd while being wheeled off on a stretcher. 1,807 was the announced attendance, though it appeared to be quite smaller based upon observation. It was the 24th worst-attended crowd in Wolf Pack history. 28 of the 39 times the crowd has been under 2,000 for Wolf Pack games have come on Wednesday nights. Next Wolf Pack home next Wednesday against the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins. Lias Andersson was scoreless in his debut with HV71 (Sweden-SHL). Ex-Pack, Akim Aliu, has a goal and an assist for HC Litvinov (Czech Republic-CEL) in four games. Logan Roe (Kent Prep) of the Florida Everblades (ECHL) was named ECHL Player of the Month. He was loaned to the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) and signed a PTO deal. Ex-Pack goalie, Brandon Halverson, was suspended and taken off the roster of the Norfolk Admirals (ECHL). This season he was a weekend emergency recall backup for Providence and had a poor two-game recall to the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) posting two losses and a 7.90 GAA. The Sound Tigers lose forward, Kieffer Bellows, to recall but get back defenseman, Sebastien Aho. Ex-Sound Tiger goalie, Kevin Poulin, was released from his PTO deal with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL). Ulf Samuelsson, a former Whaler great, Rangers player, and assistant coach, as well as a Wolf Pack assistant coach and Avon Old Farms assistant, has taken the head coaching job with Leksands IF (Sweden-SHL). His eldest son, Philip, and ex-Pack, Marek Hrivik, are currently playing there. He coached Philip when he was Charlotte’s head coach. The team is in dead last place in the SHL with an 11-24-3 record. He started his pro career with the team (1981-1984) and was granted permission by Seattle, and long-time friend, and another Whaler great, Seattle GM, Ron Francis. In addition, he is still being paid by the Blackhawks and had to seek permission from them as well. Samuelsson was just named a pro scout for expansion NHL Seattle team just a few months ago. Jordan Samuel-Thomas (Quinnipiac University/Canterbury Prep/Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack/West Hartford) leaves Worcester (ECHL) where he had 29 points in 33 games and was a minus-21 for Heilbronner (Germany DEL-2) for the remainder of the year. Ex-Pack, Kale Kerbashian, goes from HK Nitra (Slovakia-SLEL) to Lausitzer (Germany DEL-2) for the rest of the season. Two ex-Packers switched places. Casey Wellman has left SC Rapperswil-Jona (Switzerland-LNA) and signs with SC Bern (Switzerland-LNA) for the rest of the season. Tom Pyatt has taken his spot with Rapperswil after leaving Skellftea AIK (Sweden-SHL). Ex-Pack, Malte Stromwall, had 19 goals in 44 games, the highest-scoring Swede that was selected to the KHL All-Star Game. He's representing HK Sochi, but due to his illness, he was unable to play in the game. Stromwell is a prime example of how some Europeans are unable to make the adjustment to the North American game/rinks, but that still thrives playing in Europe. In ex-Pack news here is an article on Marek Mazanec. Read it HERE. Wonder what former goalie Mackenzie Skapski is doing showing off his hockey den. Read about it HERE. Wolf Pack fan jersey of the night: #3 that was worn by both Terry Virtue and later, Pat Aufiero, who wore it for 35 games after Virtue left to return to Worcester. #25 Mathieu Dandenault who played his last 19 pro games in Hartford. The all-time classic #20 P.J. Stock. Of the four, only two are still involved in hockey. Stock is an assistant coach for Lac-St. Louis Warriors, a local girls program in Quebec. Virtue is the head coach for Shrewsbury High Colonials, a Massachusetts Division I MIAA public school program. One of his two assistants is former UCONN Husky (last two Division III teams and first two AHA teams), Marc Busenburg. He played for Springfield and Worcester in the AHL in his pro career. Read the full article

[rebelheartsmustbefree]

Too late to apologize...

*I wasn’t always this sleezy spy for the Garrison. The one they call to handle the dirty work. Heaven forbid those winged fucks got their hands dirty. That’s when they drag me into their sordid affairs. And this one was no different..at first that is. The mission was pretty straight forward, set up shop in not-your-average-small-town-Indiana, run the bar like any other business and the mark would just walk right in one day. The rest would pretty much handle itself. But the one thing I was not prepared for was actually falling for this pretty boy. The second his presence entered that bar, that fucking angel smiled at me and I knew I was in trouble. I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s go back to the beginning. Like I said, I wasn’t always this despicable. Sure I had a shady reputation but a lot of the Saints carried around some form of stigma. I was no different.

So let me properly introduce myself. My name is Vinny. Saint Vincent to be exact. I am the patron Saint of the Poor and Downtrodden. But with all my work of charity and the amount of goodwill I saw to on a daily basis, there was another cause I found more comfort in, the Freewill of humanity. Of all beings under the same sun, the moon and stars that could hold no man down and caged. The church didn’t see it that way and began unraveling all the good works I had done.  Needless to say that didn’t go over well and I ended up condemning myself to a life of servitude and now I am indebted to the Heavens and the Garrison alike. The huge bitch slap of irony was something that will forever leave a putrid taste in my mouth. I went down fighting for freewill only to lose all control of my own. Turnabout is always fair play in the eyes of those Heavenly dickwads. No so fair to anyone that lands on their shit list so to speak.

So now I’m the go-to guy to do all the down and dirty bidding. I’m not proud of what I’ve done, but the price of my soul was something I wasn’t willing to fuck around with. More like they really gave me no choice. After they use me all up, whenever that may be, I will be saved from all my sins and reside in the glory of Heaven. But I was starting to feel like I didn’t deserve that absolution, the guilt was beginning to eat away at me over what I was doing to Isaac. He agonized over what was going on with him, searching for answers when I had them the whole time. He was falling apart right before my eyes. The Garrison was turning him into their puppet, a name I had more than once referred to Isaac as, not something I am proud of at all. There wasn’t anything really these days that I could honestly say I was able to boast about. I was selfish. Trying to keep Isaac hidden away with me for as long as I could get away with it. Before the Garrison figured out that I was purposefully dragging my feet just to get more time with him. One more minute, hour..a day or two if I’m lucky. After the first couple months they began to question what I was even doing here, if they had sent me on a fools errand. But they were the fools. They had no idea what Isaac was capable of and if the angel in my arms ever figured out his potential, all of us would be sorry. I have seen vengeful up close and personal before and it wasn’t something I needed an encore of, no thanks.

As I sat here watching him sleep, I couldn’t help but take this time for some much needed reflection. Isaac may have started out as just another mission, another means to an end. But now I was consumed with this guilt that threatened to suffocate me right here as I share this bed with him. I wasn’t expecting to feel as much as I did for him, his disarming nature was something I was not prepared for, the way he unknowingly captivated the entire room as he entered it. His presence alone was enough to make you take notice. There was something about him that left me questioning everything the Garrison told me about him. Upon his birth he was already in the crosshairs, since day one they have tried to kill him. To no avail of course. Whether it was by the skilled and vengeful actions of his father Michael, or by Isaac himself, one by one the Angel’s failed and most lost their lives. Thus creating the feared angel shortage.

And that’s where my involvement deemed important enough to introduce.

They all clammored together and came up with this grand idea. Thanks to Isaac’s mother and her unexpected immortality, the idea was spawned with the hope that one day Michael would cave and disclose the fact that his mother was still alive after all these years. Low and behold, Michael couldn’t keep the secret any longer with the way Isaac was becoming a bit hard to handle and figured if he could find something or someone to ground his son, that maybe they stood a chance in saving us all. So when the Garrison devised their plan, they took great care with all the details. Naming the town Halo, Indiana was just the cherry on top. Only a glimmer of humor from one of the smart assed angels. I’m guessing that was Gabriel’s doing. He was the only one who knew how to take and give in the joking department. To get Isaac to fall into their grand plan, they had to set all the players in motion, the bar, the girl who would become the first of his creation, all of it. All unaware of how manipulated their very existence was down to even the most insignificant of detail. Nothing was overlooked.

And then one night he walked into that bar, my bar that I waited for him to walk into for all those years and the trap was set. Just like that. The pieces began fitting into place, he took the job and then we were in business. And then, at that moment when he came in and smiled at me for the first time, I was fucked. I knew it then. I sighed to myself as my phone began to buzz on the night stand, I knew who it was already. I had been avoiding all their calls, putting off the inevitable. But it was time to face the music and accept my fate. We had spent so many years fucking around with Isaac’s fate and now it was time to clue him in. no matter the consequence.

No matter what happened to me I wanted to be the one to tell him. It had to be me since we both were in this place where the feelings were starting to become more than sex. At least they were for me I should say. There was one thing in particular that I needed to atone for that only Isaac could forgive me for doing. But I would delay this a little longer and go down and make us some breakfast in bed, have another last taste of what the salacious angel had to offer and then confess everything.

This is what needed to be done. I would surely be tossed down to hell for crossing the Garrison but that’s the risk I had to take. I placed a kiss to his shoulder before dragging my ass out of bed, taking another look at him lying there before heading downstairs. The last couple days had been rough on him, each day bringing him closer and closer to full on grace again. The way he saw himself as broken tugged at my heart. He was wasn’t broken, just bent.  He thought he failed everyone but in reality he proved everyone wrong and saved all those people from the crash. So many souls saved that day. By his own two hands. It was a true showing of amazing grace itself. Truth was, he was unbreakable. This was just little setback was due to his inexperience in using that volume of power. More than any angel had ever seen since God himself. It was far too much compared to the drop he used to bring that female back to life. He needed to figure out how to manage and direct that much power in a more controlled fashion. And then he truly would be unstoppable.

As I finished up, I plated our food and made my way back upstairs, stopping short of the bedroom when I heard the whispers. Maybe he was on the phone. If only that were the case. I stepped inside the room to find Zachariah sitting at the foot of the bed, having what looked to be a very serious conversation with Isaac. They both stopped and looked at me as I set the tray of food down on the desk to the right of the door. I knew then that I was too late. The stare that Isaac pegged me with would have killed a lesser being. I opened my mouth to explain when I was cut off by the tightening in my throat, brought on by the will of the now pissed off and well informed angel.*

“I was just telling Isaac how you helped in killing his last lover, won’t you join us, Vincent? There’s so much to talk about and I would hate to miss any bit of detail in enlightening our dear angel here.”

#TBC

[inscrvio-blog]

↠ HELLSTATE TASK 026. behind the mask

                     “ all you have is your F I R E                        & the place you need to reach                        don't you ever tame your demons                        but always keep 'em on a leash … ”

THE BASICS

Name: Noah Ashbury Codename: Tiresias Age: Eighteen Grade: 12th

THE GIFT

Power: Clairvoyance - the ability to discern people who are not in the observer's presence.

Limitations: Noah’s abilities are considered to be average. Upon thinking of a specific person or animal, he is able to visualize images of their current movements as well as pinpointing their exact location. If he does not personally know the person or have an idea of what they may look like, he is able to do the same thing by feeling objects that have once belonged to them. However, the object must be something of high importance for the individual. If it is something that the person is not highly attached to, his ability to pinpoint their location or visualize them is weakened. Of the desired individual is deceased, Noah’s abilities are weakened. The longer they have been dead, the less likely it is that his powers will be effective. 

HEADCANONS

His family is well-known rebels that fought for a world where the gifted ruled over humans. However, Noah’s parents did not agree with this idea and when the found out they were having a child of their own, ran away from their families.

Noah was born with the power of clairvoyance which was passed down from his father. From an early age, he was educated in his powers and how to control them and master them. Though, Noah never learned about his families’ past. 

Because his parents had left their families without word or warning, they try to remain low so that they can’t be found. Noah was sent to the school in case they were found. That way, he would be surrounded by those who could protect him. 

When he was in hiding with his parents, they took active roles in their community in order to blend in. Noah participated in local soccer, baseball, and soccer teams. 

He is well-known for his flirtatious attitude and words. Noah often has little to no control over what he says but he never goes too far and always knows when to stop or when his advances aren’t welcome. 

Noah is a troubled kid. He enjoys causing chaos and often finds himself in trouble. However, he rarely ever gets into trouble due to his charismatic demeanor and the promise that he won’t do it again. Of course, he always does and he senses that the school’s patience with him is wearing thin. 

RELATIONSHIPS

Cyra O’Neill - Frenemies. Cyra is moody and gets upset far too easily. Because of this, Noah finds it easy to mess with her. While it may seem cruel to any outsider that may be observing their interactions, the two know that they do not truly hate each other and anything said has no true meaning. 

Ethan Shaw - Mentor. Not many people bother to truly care for Noah. To most, he’s just another kid that causes trouble. However, Ethan has taken it upon himself to do more for Noah and take him under his wing. Whenever Noah is up to something bad or gets in trouble for talking too much in class, Ethan is quick to give him pep talks. 

Gaius Krauss - Close Friend. Noah has always been curious and what started out as a simple excursion around the school, quickly turned into the meeting of Gaius and Noah. He often sits in the kitchen and helps him out while blasting music and singing. 

Gwen MacLaine - Acquaintance. An athlete with no athletic ability, Noah often finds himself getting hurt. Bruises, scrapes and dislocated shoulders are nothing new to him. If he isn’t being active, he is usually with Gwen getting treated. He has grown fond of her and occasionally will go on with his flirtatious comments. 

Helena Maxey - Fascination. Noah has always been a curious soul and in a world like theirs, there is much to learn. Upon meeting Helena, he was instantly intrigued by her. From the way she spoke to the way she dressed, Noah has become determined to befriend her. 

Kat Willows - Close Friend. The two are close due to their love for Vinny, Kat’s kitted. The two act as though they are parents to the kitten and take their responsibilities very seriously. 

Olivia Staford - Friend/Flirtationship. Noah has never been shy when it comes to girls. Olivia happens to be one of his favorite targets. He enjoys talking to her and will often flirt with her. However, he primarily thinks of her as a friend. 

Ophelia Richards - Friend/Love Interest - What started as some innocent flirting quickly evolved into something more. He often thinks about making things official with her, but always gets cold feet and gives her some cheesy pickup line instead.

Rory Damiani - Close Friend. Rory is one of the only girls that Noah does not constantly hit on. He sees her as a sisterly figure and the two often end up running around the school, causing chaos but never getting into trouble.

Santiago Rivera- Close Friend/Roommate. Teenage boys love their fire and these two are no exception. They initially bonded over their love for it and after that, quickly became friends. Despite their difference in personalities, the two are very close and Noah considers him to be like a brother.

Sidney Hall - Close Friend. The two are well known for their flirtatious ways along with their mischevious antics. Together, they form a force to be reckoned with. Noah also assists Sidney whenever he needs to make Huan jealous.

Teagan Sanford - Close Friend. Noah can’t really imagine a life without Teagan. Just like most of his friendships, theirs include running around the school and causing chaos. They use their powers together to help locate the voices that Teagen hears. Noah refers to her as the Daphne to his Fred.