#arian is gonna lose for sure

[thegetdownrebooter]

not to offend anybody but that emmy is between pedro or kieran.

[ebbarights]

with open eyes liveblog

i'm not ready for this. i haven't pre-grieved enough it turns out. i feel sick

on the bright side the only spoiler i have is that shiv did something controversial? which isn't a spoiler i would say but i'm actively avoiding reading the post currently greyed out behind this open tab

stewy not on kendall's side??? that's a fucking first. it's not but it is

okay so this is just like 1x06 right. literally a repeat?

last intro :(( i'm soo fucking sad. im sad. sadsaddsad oh yay arian. saaaaaaad

EBBA

shaved matsson cursed. hate that

matsson as shiv's puppet i don't think he's gonna like that. if their deal goes through i would be really surprised

theories about roman running to mommy literally right. love that though

tomshiv is making me want to rip myself in half like rumplestiltskin. specifically the shiv part obvs

i'm sure smart people have already made posts about this but. caroline called shiv.

NEW JESS NO

"let's bag him and tag him" dog (gone rogue) motif? idk anything about hunting

roman looking beat up in a normal t shirt wearing bracelets these are my dreams come true

caroline is so real. eyes ARE disgusting. face eggs

LAWRENCE YEE

kendall looks like a fucking disney villain driving up in his range rover in a suit sing-songing roman's name

SHIV TITS

okay tomgreg scene time to think about other things. everything revolving around roman is my dream finale <3 i want him to be okay but i also love it when he's not okay. you can't lose when you play both sides

shiv is way too sure of winning so she's for sure not winning huh

tom said grinder like- [i am shot in the head before i can continue]

fully flexing my swedish here

caroline is so right. get out you guys

wait sib alliance back on?? can this be real

i hate to say it but i think kendall's right he should be the one to take over

them talking about roman's breakdown while he's hugging himself is exactly what i wanted but it will make me want to kill myself forever

noo guys don't go in the waterrrrr don't you know about the motif

roman talking about sharks in the water is literally me but this time for real for real because i do have a debilitating shark phobia

if succession genuinely has a fucking. shark attack in it. (once again on my birthday) like that's legit fucking personal. jesse armstrong has read my diary and wants to ruin my life

i just googled 'succession shark' that's how paranoid i am lmaooo

kendall don't. DON'T go in the water

i know it's ridiculous i don't like the killing kendall conversation. this is the finale please don't play me with rn

okay the music is starting which means this scene is over and they can get out of the water right please get out get out right now

are they gonna actually accidentally kill kendall. or will it be on purpose and that was a double bluff

they are spending wayy too much time on this scene for a series finale that's already pretty long so. something's definitely gonna happen with the fucking smoothie. i feel sick

okay scene is over i feel like an idiot but relieved lol. maybe just a last happy siblings scene? if that's the case i'm glad we got that. i'm happy that scene was so long

wait shiv hasn't done anything controversial yet. is this like. a double bluff? i don't know how that would work i don't think that's the case

connor's peepaw slay

hope this isn't the only time gerri shows up but if it is i'm glad she's there at all

krank real

okay tom told shiv i know what's gonna happen and i think i'm okay with that kind of betrayal

i LOVE that greg's fucking parasite both sides shit finally came to bite him in the ass. if greg has a bad ending succession has a good ending

matsson screaming for ebba that's me.

yeah that's what i thought. i'm okay with that. like i wanted more for shiv and for the sibs but that was never gonna happen

living for the karoline hugo rivalry

STEWYYYY

okay stewy queer confirmed <3 like we all knew but still. also that line is gonna sustain the kenstewys for months

GERRIII and immediate zoom on roman lol

noo roman he seemed so weirdly okay until now. the pill scene is coming up huh

jesus i. i can't think of anything to say. poison

so my guess right now is. kendall is becoming logan but he also loses the vote. so he did That for nothing

it's literally 1x06. kendall sitting where logan sat, frank doing the notes

they're 4-4 and roman's next. 1x06 babyyyyyy

you could argue he made a different choice because he voted for kendall this time but. just like 1x06 he was pressured into that vote by a guy who uses physical violence against him. still with the parallels

they just said 6-6? did they count votes we didn't hear or am i an idiot

please don't threaten suicide right now ken. now's not the time

i think lying about the waiter is the worst thing kendall has ever done and that includes the scene with roman just before

i hate that roman said iverson and sophie aren't kendall's kid (real 'just playing devil's advocate' move) but i loooooove that he defended shiv <3

living for disillusioned roman. he might make kendall kill himself but he knows what's up

yeah i don't see an ending where kendall lives

tomgreg final breakup <3 i hope greg dies in a ditch

gerri's safe <333333

the romelukas ao3 potential though

good ending because ebba wins. can't believe i have the url of someone who won succession

roman drinking a martini :((((

roman drinking a martini :))))))

jesus christ kendall and colin

don't go near the water kendall. kendall listen to me.

okay think i'm gonna do a round-up post

[grootiez]

The Hunt For Florida Man

Rocket is jostled awake. “Ugh, WHAT?!?!” He says only to find the source of the shaking was his now-teenaged son. “Groot! What do you want?” The raccoon rolls over in bed to discover the time on his clock. “Oh my god! It’s almost 3 in the morning! Go to bed, you have school tomorrow!”

“I... I am Groot.” The tree squeaked as he shuffled his feet.

“Really? Another nightmare? Thought you outgrew them a while ago.” Rocket sighs. Knowing that he didn’t want to make Groot feel bad, he flipped up his blankets. “Fine, you can sleep with me tonight, but you better wake up on time tomorrow.” He states as Groot climbed into bed and got comfortable. “By the way, what was the nightmare about?”

“I am Groot...” Groot pipes up, slightly embarrassed. “Seriously?!?!” Rocket facepalms himself. “Florida Man?!?!” He couldn’t believe his ears. “Groot, Florida Man ain’t real!”

“I am Groot.” Groot replies.

“I don’t get paid enough to deal with this...” Rocket grumbles. “Groot, you gotta stop believing every cockamamie thing that comes out of Kraglin and Drax’s mouths. They know that you’re young and gullible, you just gotta show them that you’re smarter than they think. Be the better, smarter person! Now go the flark to sleep.” Rocket advises his son sleepily as he yawns and moments later, begins to snore.

Groot was left alone with his thoughts as he too shortly drifted off to sleep. Thankfully this dream didn’t have Florida Man in it and the teenager slept good.                                                       —————— It was morning. Rocket and Groot got up on time and ready for the day. As they went downstairs, the other Guardians were in the kitchen eating breakfast and watching the morning news which covered the events throughout the galaxy. As Groot sat down with his favorite cereal in a bowl with milk, (a reward since Rocket didn’t have to fight with the ‘Treenager’ for a change, something that was becoming rarer and rarer with each passing day), he too was listening to the daily report.

“In Terran news, the National Football League is set to start the season with modified rules and attendance policies because of the pandemic going around on the planet. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are more than eager for the season to start with Super Bowl hopes thanks to their acquisition of their new Tight End Rob Gronkowski, and their star quarterback Tom Brady, both former New England Patriots.” The newslady read from the teleprompter. The Guardians booed in unison, their disdain for the Patriots, which they oh-so-lovingly call the ‘Cheatriots’, was one of the multiple things that united them as a family.

“What sellouts.” Peter complains. “Just because Tom Brady and Bill Belichick didn’t get along the last season and lost to the Tennessee Titans in the wildcard round.” Everyone else nods in agreement.

“In other Terran news, a Florida Man was arrested overnight after he was found walking his pet alligator on the sidewalk. The same man then threw a steaming hot bowl of ramen noodles in the officer’s face.” The same newscaster states as Peter turned off the projector. “See? Ain’tcha glad that we don’t live on Terra?” Rocket decreeds as he grabbed his breakfast. “They’re overrun with IDIOTS on that sad excuse of a planet. No offense, Quill.” He adds as the humie gave him a dirty look.

Just then a horn from outside beeped and a large engine could be heard getting into gear. Groot had just missed the bus to school. “Ugh!” Rocket groans as he got up from his seat at the kitchen table. “Groot! You were supposed to be out there five minutes ago so that you didn’t miss the bus. Now I gotta drive you to school so that you’re not late, again!”

There was nothing more in this world that embarrassed Groot more than having Rocket drive him to school. Quickly, the treenager thought of a plan.

“I am Groot!” The teen proposes. “No! You are NOT driving yourself to school.” Rocket replies as Groot stared at his father. “End of story.”

“Come on, Rocket.” Peter begins to negotiate as he draped an arm over Groot’s shoulder. “The kid’s been doing good both in school and at home recently. I think he deserves to have a reward.” “Ugh, fine!” Rocket concedes as Peter handed the keys to the Milano over to the excited teenager. “But if we find one scratch on the ship, your ass is grass!” He added as Groot grabbed his coat and rushed out the door.                                                  —————— As Groot climbed into the cockpit of the Milano and placed the keys into the ignition, he decides that he would skip school today. After he called the school’s office and faked an illness, (which was easy since the office had a phone system where all Groot had to do was press numbers to indicate why he would not be showing up today, further reducing the cause of suspicion.) Once he was done, he decided on what to do with the free time that he had.

As he navigated the log of various planets, Groot came across Terra. Then he got an idea: he WILL PROVE Florida Man’s existence to the entire galaxy! He smiles to himself as hey punched in the coordinates and let the autopilot feature fly to Earth as he dozed off and took a well deserved nap.

A couple of hours later, Groot was awakened by the ship’s alarm system as the monotone voice boomed “DESTINATION AHEAD! WELCOME TO TAMPA BAY, FLORIDA!”

The teen looked at where he was headed and while wiping his still-groggy eyes. “I am Groot?” He says as the ship approaches a pre-determined landing site set by a small airport. Since the area Groot landed in was full of affluent residents, the Milano didn’t stand out amongst the multi-million dollar jets. It also helped that it was early morning so that the paint job wasn’t noticeable.

“I am Groot?” The teen thought to himself. How was he going to prove Florida Man is real? He pondered this as he walked the tree-lined sidewalks.                                                     —————— As Groot continues his walk, he remembers something that Peter said a while back while telling the Guardians all about Florida, where he liked to go on vacation. He also told them about some popular myths and legends, most notably the ones that involved the thing known as Bigfoot, or Sasquatch.

After Peter finished telling the tale, Rocket still didn’t believe it. That is, until Drax sneakily approached up from behind and scared the humie.

Rocket cackled. “HAHAHAHAHA! I guess that Florida’s not the only place people live in fear of Sasquatches!” Peter then gives the rodent a dirty look before retreating to his room for the night.

That’s it! Groot knew that if Peter was scared of this “Sasquatch” or whatever it was, Florida Man must be scared of them too. It’s probably a common Terran fear.

Groot took out his cell phone to research what a “Sasquatch” looked like. Basically, it was no more than a tall humanoid figure that was covered in mud and grass. Since he was wearing his school uniform and he didn’t want Rocket to yell at him for getting it dirty again, Groot changed out of it and into some regular clothes that he had in his backpack. He returned to the Milano to drop off his uniform that he hastily stuffed in his bag and locked the ship up.

The tree then continued his walk. He was about to give up until he heard something. He was coming up to the biggest house yet that he’s seen yet. In the backyard, there he was: Florida Man! Well, not exactly THE Florida Man. It was Tom Brady. who was tossing around a clearly DEFLATED FOOTBALL around with his best friend, Rob Gronkowski.

Groot got into action and hid his phone in one of the holes in the tree. He then discovered a small marsh nearby and got himself covered in mud and grass.

Meanwhile, Brady and Gronk were tossing around the deflated football and working on various plays that their new head coach, Bruce Arians, wanted them to work on and perfect. ”Gronk! What the hell, man? You were supposed to catch that!” Tom shouted as the football hit Gronk in the head. “I’m NOT LOSING to the Saints next week!”

“Gronk heard something.” Rob replied. “Gronk think we’re being watched. Gronk think Bill set up cams around here so he can see the plays.”

Tom shook his head. “Do you really think that Belichick’s spying on us? If anything, I’m the one that came up with the whole SPYGATE thing!”

This was Groot’s chance! He ran as fast as he could, although being caked in mud and grass proved to slow him down, that didn’t deter him from his goal: proving Florida Man’s existence.

Groot screamed at the top of his lungs as he leapt into the air as Gronk turned around and screamed like a little girl!

“GRONK DOWN! GRONK DOWN!” The scared football player shouted as Groot’s weight was too much for him and he and the teen fell into the pool.

Luckily, Groot fell on top of Gronk, so his disguise wasn’t ruined and he was able to carry on with the prank as he used Gronk as a stepping stone to avoid the water.

Now it was just him and Tom “Florida Man” Brady.

Brady assumed a fighting stance. “I’m not afraid of you.” He said bravely as he swayed back and forth on his legs. “Unlike Gronk, I’m going to subdue you and take control of the situation until the cops come and then you’re gonna be their problem.” He said as a tiny whistle could barely be heard and a moment later, Brady loss consciousness and joined Gronk in the pool. “Get’cho ass back to the ship right now!” Rocket’s voice boomed from Groot’s headphones, which were plugged into his iPod. “You are in DEEP TROUBLE when you get home, mister!” He adds as Groot grabbed his cell phone from the tree and Rocket remotely piloted the Milano to Groot’s location.  Groot climbed into the ship. He knew that he would be grounded for A LONG TIME. But before Rocket would pilot him back to the house, Groot made sure to upload the footage that he got to YouTube.  Florida Man IS REAL!———————————————————————————————————————

Read on Ao3.

———————————————————————————————————————

@madness-on-the-milano @blaketoziers @butterflyinthewell @canuckscot @i-sudoku @janetgenea @lothirielswanmarvel @madcatz6277 @netbug009 @pineapple-crow @rocket-roquill-raccoon @rocket-ringtail-raccoon @rr4901 @skarabrae-stone @sesshouki @thatcrappypuppy @vic394 @woozletania @whoop-whoop-grocket

[meanwhileinthebroomcloset]

Mhm...  This post was meant to be much shorter, honestly. Not to mention it got super personal, which was not my intention. It actually made me a bit teary-eyed and I’m usually an emotional constipated dumbass. 

Am I ready for the potential backlash this is going to cause? Eh, probably not. Am I going to engage in the discourse this can cause? Ah, you wished. I have more to waste my energy on. I didn’t write this post to argument with anyone, anyway. 

Gonna risk it, still.

-----------------------------------------

Isn’t it kind of ironic that it was witchcraft that made me fully return to Catholicism?

I mean, I kind of never left, hence the ‘’fully’’ in that sentence. But now I really know who I am. Although I don’t think Catholicism is the most accurate label (Christo-pagan, perhaps?) it’s the one I grew up with, and the one that comes more naturally to me.

Studying the beginning of it all, the commentaries of Pagans and Jewish writers at the time are just so fascinating and honestly beautiful.

Then everybody started chasing and killing each order, and it sure wasn’t fascinating anymore.... ‘’Stop being murderous revenge-driven assholes’’ I angrily mutter into my book, while frying my brains for High Middle Ages exams.

And then it split into Catholicism and Arianism (not that Arianism! The no-holy-trinity-on-my-watch one), and that was a totally different can of worms. Then Rome got pissy and the Orthodox Church officially became a thing that existed.

Man, why is religion so messy?

Faith is such a strange thing. So much power, so much potential for good and evil and everything in between. I started losing mine some years ago. 

Contrary to some horror stories you may hear, especially from people who are now no longer Christian, I was raised in a pretty open environment.

‘’Don’t be mean, have faith, give second chances... Here are the commandments. They’re perfectly acceptable, see?’’

‘’Yes, there are different religions, but you should always respect them and the people that believe in them. Remember, Jesus was Jewish. Here’s some historical context... ‘’

‘’What the hell kid, nobody here is going to hell. Also, you’re five, there are no children in hell. No, the cops also won’t... Lord give me patience... Are you sorry? Did you apologize? Are you going to try to not repeat it? Great! Then it’s all fine and dandy!’’

‘‘Man, we are definitely all going to hell... At least since we’re all gonna be there, we could form a basketball team. The devil can be the referee. He will be an awful one, but hey, we’re in hell’‘

‘’I know the bible says the earth was created in seven days, but when that story was written, people didn’t know dinosaurs were a thing. Science is cool, and we are not in the middle ages. ‘’

‘’Blind faith is dangerous, kid.’’

‘’Thinking thoughts and acting upon them are two very different things.’’

‘’Yes, the second mom in that Solomon story was willing to see another kid die for the sake of an argument... sometimes people are that bad.’’

‘’God is perfect. People aren’t. That’s the world we live in and it’s okay.’’

‘’There are people who do terrible things in name of religion or say they’re doing it because the bible says so. Don’t believe them. There’s no excuse for murder and abuse.’’

‘’Yeah, Portugal is very enthusiastic when it comes to Catholicism... ’’

Pretty good summary of religion in my childhood.

Still, I found my faith waning. I didn’t really know why and I’m still a bit iffy talking about that.

‘’What did witchcraft do, then?’’

 Well for once, it reinforced my ideas on how faith worked, and how strangely powerful it can be. Being skeptical is healthy but completely closing yourself off because something isn’t completely clear is too radical and you're just doing the equivalent of closing your eyes to the less brighter lights.

My god, I can hear the hardcore atheists coming...

Can I remind you there are more things in life that will not provide the proof you want, but that won’t mean they aren’t there? Relationships. Relationships are too complicated to have straight answers, a lot of the times. People hide their feelings, they fake them, express them and react to them differently. There are so many things we don’t understand or know about yet, like space and organisms that live on this Earth.

Sometimes what you need is a different approach to see they exist! It’s one of the things I learned with witchcraft.

There was also the religion itself. As I worked on my magic, I started seeing magic around me again. Not just with gods I had never considered and the one I was leaving behind, but with the faith I had always known.

The affection when someone says ‘’Our Lady’’ when talking about the Virgin Mary, my family calling upon Saint Barbara when thunder comes, children screeching excitedly because the Compasso has arrived to give us the news that Jesus has come to life again in Easter, the marble cemeteries, the comforting prayers, the masses I couldn’t ear because the local church’s echo is terrible, those boring long-ass weddings (oh my god, how many blessings do two people need?!), the loving dedication I see in every saint carved, my church's priest’s good humor... I never owned a rosary, but I always like the ones my aunts and grandparents keep.

I found Christian and Catholic witches on this site and I finally got to my conclusion. It’s really there. I just needed a different approach to it!

These things made me believe again, but also in new things.

‘‘But you can’t do that! You can’t combine magic and christianity’‘ 

Oh, watch me. And also watch the centuries of cunning women and witches in European history and those still alive today. The women that make ‘’mezinhas’’ and other types of favors in Portugal sure as hell are doing witchcraft, but you can bet your ass they don’t think they’re any less Catholic than anyone else. They don’t care about your opinions and I will hopefully do the same.

Relationships with deities are personal, and my relationship with God, Jesus and all of them is no different in that regard. I am a witch, I am human, I am catholic. I’m a follower, not a fucking mindless sheep.

You know what? I always compared God to Aslan. The lion wasn’t always there for Narnia, he wanted his people to solve their problems on their own. Get their independence, as a good parent does. They both don’t come up all mighty, that’s a posture reserved for evil and people who need a good slap in the face. They come to your level. God may come through one of the less eldritch abomination looking angels, though...

‘‘Well, if you have god, you shouldn’t need anything more. He's everthing. Why are you also a witch?’‘

Excuse me, do I look like a goddamned saint to you?! What part of human did you not understand?

And before you bitterly start quoting the Old Testament, let me remind you that it’s Old for a reason. Christ came to this earth to give us new rules since he technically saved us and things became different. That’s why Jewish people follow the Old Testament, for them, the messiah hasn’t arrived yet. Not to mention that to them that testament is not Old, it’s just the Torah.

You can keep quoting the bible to me all you want. But in my short twenty years of life, I was thankfully able to learn a few things. One of them is that the world isn’t black and white. Yes, I know this sounds obvious but there are some really dumb people out there. Also, this is the hellscape that we call tumblr.

Anyway, as I have mentioned several times before, I’m a never-ending knowledge seeker I found the world beneath my feet is not pure myth and I want to explore it. Look at me go.

I keep a critical mind with everything. Faith and religion are not an exception. I’m not overly skeptic about faith itself, but I am of its writings, interpretations, translations and etc... I study history, it’s a skill you naturally develop.

And there’s quite a few plot-holes, characterization differences and much more. It was written by humans that couldn’t do a cohesive collaboration even if their lives depended on it. Godphones sometimes don’t get a good reception. There’s a ton of cultural context to unpack. I hear people saying all the time that taking the bible’s words literally is one of the most stupid things you can do.

And when I say people, I mean priests, clergy, theology students, etc... I didn’t hear this from my drug dealer in the street corner..

...... I don’t have a drug dealer.....

Anyway...

There are many problems with the catholic church. There are many problems with a ton of catholic and christians out there. I will never deny that. Shit needs to get fixed and maybe even chucked into the trash.

But I still believe in God, I still believe in the saints but I also still believe there are more gods and spirits out there. And those things are separate.

I have no interest in converting you. I’m just yelling into the void.

If you are one of those that no longer is a christian, or catholic because some dipshits banged self-hate onto your head, I’m really sorry. I hope you heal well and get the help you need in your new faith or lack of it. Banging the ten commandments back onto their heads repetiedly and tell them to actually read the damn book is optional, though.

In the end, if you are (or are trying) to be good, you deserve respect and freedom to worship whoever or whatever you want. You don’t need to be perfect, you can just strive to be the best you can be in your situation.

--------------------------------------------

And now back to our schedueled programing.

[darnedchild]

I’ve Always Trusted You

My response to @sherlollyappreciationweek‘s July prompt - Sherlock’s Other Life AU

Sherlock is having flash backs…but of what he is unsure. Images of himself as different, as someone else…as something else flash through his mind. He cannot reconcile the life that he lives with the life that he feels like he should be living. Primal urges keep springing up in the pit of his belly and he has to shove them down, move on, solve the next case. Two different pasts fight for control of his memories, making it impossible to know which to believe. After months of turmoil and personal destruction Sherlock comes to Molly knowing only one thing for certain - she is the only one he can trust.

A/N : While I’ve never watched “Sliding Doors”, I have read the IMDB plot summary and that’s practically the same thing, right?  This fic is very, very, very loosely based on that plot summary (very).  I’m also pulling dialogue directly from rewatching certain scenes of “The Reichenbach Fall” and transcripts compiled by Ariane DeVere (arianedevere on dreamwidth).  Not beta’d because I literally finished it two minutes ago and I’ve got another fic to work on by tomorrow.

I’ve Always Trusted You

“You’re a bit like my dad.  He’s dead.”

Sherlock barely restrained his annoyance at Molly’s continued interruptions.  He didn’t bother looking up from the microscope as he rebuffed her.  “Molly, please do not feel the need to make conversation. It’s not really your area.”

“When he was dying, he was always cheerful.  He was lovely, except when he thought no one could see. I saw him once.  He looked sad.”

Either she hadn’t picked up on his mood or she deliberately chose to ignore the unsubtle hint to drop it.  He issued another warning.  “Molly.”

“You look sad . . . when you think he can’t see you.”

He immediately knew who she was referring to.  Sherlock’s gaze found John, confirming the other man wasn’t paying attention to them.  He turned to look at Molly, unwillingly drawn into the discussion. 

“Are you okay?”

Sherlock wanted to scoff.  What sort of inane question was that?  Before he could say anything to remind her—yet again—that they had work to do, she was speaking once more.

“And don’t just say you are, because I know what that means. Looking sad when you think no one can see you.”

His fingers flexed on the microscope knobs as he supressed the urge to immediately deny it.  Yet she wasn’t wrong.  As much as he would have preferred not to care about the outcome of Moriarty’s newest little game, this time he was very aware of just how much he could lose.  

Of who he would lose.

Lestrade.  Mrs Hudson. John.  Even Molly.

Molly who was still intently watching him as if she could read his thoughts in every twitch of his lips and shift of his eyes.  

Perhaps she could.

“You can see me.”

“I don’t count.”  For the first time since he’d turned to her, she broke eye contact.  

How could she say something like that?  How could she even think it?  

“What I’m trying to say is that if there’s anything I can do, anything you need, anything at all . . . you can have me.”  She almost recoiled as her wording registered.  “No, I just mean, I mean, if there’s anything you need . . .”  Molly shook her head.  “It’s fine.”

He couldn’t even fathom what she might be offering.  They were already in the lab working together, so it wasn’t her assistance on the case.  She already gave him access to the bodies and equipment necessary for his experiments and research.  He couldn’t remember the last time she’d truly denied him anything, so what more could she possibly expect he would ask for?  “Wha-wha-what could I need from you?”

“Nothing.”  She shrugged as she turned back toward him, already beginning to look as if she regretted saying anything at all.  “I dunno. You could probably say thank you, actually.”

Something had happened.  Something important.  Yet he couldn’t quite put his finger on what.  He felt completely out of his depth, that much he recognized.  Almost as if he wasn’t quite sure why he was doing it, he did as she’d suggested. “Thank you.”

Molly quickly passed behind him, hurrying toward the door and away from whatever it was that had been gathering weight between them.  “I’m just gonna go and get some crisps.  Do you want anything?”  

She didn’t even give him a chance to respond.  “It’s okay.  I know you don’t.”

He didn’t actually.  He abhorred wasting time eating when he could be working on a case, but the stiff set of her shoulders and her closed off expression made him start to say that perhaps he would like something.  

She cut him off with a stiff “I know you don’t,” and left the lab before he could protest.  

Sherlock watched the door swing shut with unfocused eyes as he picked the last few minutes apart in his mind.  Why had he wanted to placate her?  Was it because she had seen him?  He couldn’t remember the last time someone had truly done that; Mycroft obviously did not count because he was . . . Mycroft.

“Sherlock.”  John’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Hmm?”  Sherlock briefly looked toward his friend before returning his attention to the closed door.  He pushed his stool back and stood.

“This envelope that was in her trunk.”  John held the crime scene photo up so Sherlock could see it if he were looking, but he wasn’t.  He was already moving across the room toward the exit.  “Sherlock?” John tried to attract his attention once more.

“In a moment.  There’s something I need to do first.”  Sherlock pushed his way out the door, ignoring John’s sputtered questions.

The corridor was empty but Molly had said she wanted crisps so he hurried in the direction of the closest set of vending machines.  As he’d hoped, she was still standing in front of the machines sorting through the small pile of coins in her hand.

“Molly,” he called softly, trying not to startle her.

Her fingers closed around the coins before she slowly looked in his direction with an obviously forced smile.  “Did you figure it out?”  

“No, not yet.”  He cautiously moved closer, unsure of his welcome.  “Molly, I wanted to say thank you.”  Unlike before, there was no hesitation in his voice.  

She turned to face him fully, puzzled by his sudden change in attitude.  “For what?”

He shook his head.  “I’m not sure, honestly.  Anything. Everything, probably.  I just-I just wanted to make sure you knew that I appreciated what you said.  What-what you offered.”

After a moment, she offered him a soft smile.  “You’re welcome.”

“Sherlock.  Sherlock, we’re here.”  John’s sharp tone cut through the memory like a blade, and Sherlock’s eyes snapped open.

No, that’s wrong.  Not a memory.

He took in the sight and sounds of a busy street as the cab pulled up in front of New Scotland Yard.  Whatever that had been, the false images that had invaded his thoughts when he should have been preparing for their upcoming meeting with Lestrade, were pushed aside as they exited the cab.

இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—

Sherlock stared out the window, not really paying any attention to the view as his mind raced with all the new data he’d accumulated over the last few hours.

John was right, it made no sense.  Why would the little girl, Claudette, scream when she saw him?  

Lestrade’s voice echoed in his head.  “Something about Sherlock reminds her of the kidnapper.”

That was important.  Why was it important?

Several lights flickered on in the building across the street. The letters I O U were painted on three of the windows.  Before he could do more than draw in a sharp breath the lights were off again.  He knew it would be no use to mention what he’d seen to the others in the room.  By the time someone was sent across the street to check the message would have been removed.  

He vaguely registered that John and Lestrade had left the room. Standing there was doing him no good, he’d think better in the familiar space of Baker Street.  

Donovan’s words stopped him just outside the conference room door.  “Brilliant work you did, finding those kids from just a footprint.  It’s really amazing.”

Molly was standing with Lestrade, their heads nearly pressed together as Molly pointed at something printed on the papers Lestrade held in his hand.  John was near the other two, impatiently waiting.  As was Anderson.

“Thank you,” Sherlock remembered to respond to Donovan.  Why was Molly there?  

“Unbelievable.”  Donovan’s tone wasn’t complementary at all.  Almost suspicious.  And she looked rather smug, as if she knew something that he didn’t.

Molly’s head snapped up.  “Not really.  I mean, anybody here could have done it.”

Donovan and Sherlock both stared at her.  He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of irritation at the implied insult to his deductive skills.

“Obviously Sherlock did it faster; but from what I’ve heard, someone in forensics would have eventually discovered the bottle of linseed oil and most likely put two and two together and found the footprints.  Unless they were too busy wasting their time canoodling and gossiping around the water cooler to spend time at the crime scene or in the lab, of course.”  Molly’s gaze landed on Philip and then pointedly slid toward Donovan.

“What just a minute-“ Philip began.

Molly plucked the papers from Lestrade’s hands.  “As I was discussing with Inspector Lestrade—Greg.” She looked at the older man and lowered her eyes.  Sherlock noted her cheeks flushed slightly.  He didn’t like that.  Not one bit.

“As I was explaining, the official report won’t be ready for another day or two but the preliminary results Sherlock brought with him earlier document what tests were used on the samples.  I was there during the testing, my name is right here on the form, authorizing the use of the equipment.”  She wagged the paper in Anderson’s direction until he took it.

“Once the samples were broken down, well, it’s just a matter of having the right resources to put it all together.  Right?”  She looked at Lestrade again.  “You said you had people out looking.  I’m sure they would have narrowed it down eventually.  Sherlock just had access to better, faster resources.”

Molly turned to Donovan again.  “So, there you go.  Brilliant and quick, yes.  But not so unbelievable.”  She took a deep breath and smiled at them all.  “Well, I’ve got to get back to Barts, if you don’t need anything else, Greg?”

“No.  I’m good. Thanks for coming by, Molly.”  He reached out and snatched the papers back from Anderson.  “I’ll give you a call tomorrow to check on the final report, yeah?”

“Sounds good.”  Molly nodded at the others.  “Philip. Sgt Donovan.  John.  Sherlock.” Then she pointed toward the left. “That way?”

Greg shook his head.  “You know what, I’ll show you out.  You two coming?”

John followed along but Sherlock took a moment to glance back at Donovan.  Her earlier smug expression had wilted considerably, but he still felt bit of unease.  

Somehow John managed to wait until they were in the street to grin at him.  “So, anybody could do it, huh?  That must have stung.”  

“How many times have I told you lot that you don’t observe the obvious?  She only said the same thing I’ve been telling you for ages.”  Sherlock refused to admit his ego might have been the slightest bit piqued.  

“Still, it was rather nice to know that Molly’s got your back. I’m not sure what Sally was getting up to, but I didn’t like it.”  John raised his hand to hail a nearby cab.

“Yes.  To both counts.”  Sherlock reached for the cab door the moment it pulled up to the kerb.  “This is my cab.  You get the next one.”

The city lights passed by as the taxi made its way down the street, almost hypnotic.  Sherlock blinked several times and realized they must have been traveling for nearly ten minutes already.  He had to have been lost thought.  

That’s not what happened.  Molly wasn’t there.  Just Donovan and her insinuations.  Focus, Sherlock.  Why does this keep happening?

He pinched the bridge of his nose and scrunched his eyes shut as tightly as possible.  He heard the sound of the small telly on the back of the driver’s seat click on.  That was absolutely the last thing he needed right now.

“Can you turn this off, please?”

The telly remained on and he asked again, louder this time.

The image on the screen changed and Jim Moriarty was grinning at him.

“Hullo.  Are you ready for story?  This is the story of Sir Boast-A-Lot.”

இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—

“Can he do that?” John asked in disbelief.  “Completely change his identity?  Make you a criminal?”

Sherlock paced up and down the street.  “He’s got my whole life story.  That’s what you do when you sell a big lie; you wrap it up in the truth to make it more palatable.”

John nodded as he began to flip through the pages in the folder he’d taken from Kitty Riley.  “Your word against his.”

“He’s been sowing doubt into people’s minds for the last twenty-four hours.  There’s only one thing he needs to do to complete his game, and that’s to-“ Sherlock froze on the spot.

Suddenly, it clicked.  Everything that the last few months had been leading up to, from the moment Moriarty broke into the Tower and left his message—GET SHERLOCK—it was finally coming to an end.

“Sherlock?”

Numerous options ran through his mind.  

John wouldn’t be able of any use.  He was loyal enough, but he wouldn’t be able to see the bigger picture. If anything, he’d be a distraction. A liability.

He’d already spoken to Mycroft on the matter, although neither one had predicted quite how far Moriarty would take things.  He’d have to contact his brother soon enough, but not yet.

He could go it alone.  It was what he’d always done before.

But there was another option this time, wasn’t there?

Wasn’t that what those not-memories had been trying to tell him?

He made a split-second decision.  “Something I need to do.”

“What?”  Ever eager to join into the fray, John asked, “Can I help?”

“No.  On my own.”

இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—

“You’re wrong, you know.”  Even without looking, he knew he’d startled her.  An unexpected voice coming from the darkness.  He didn’t blame her for being jumpy.  “You do count.  You’ve always counted and I’ve always trusted you.”

It was true.  It might have taken those waking dreams, or whatever they were, to make him recognize it. But it had always been true.

He finally looked toward her, almost afraid of what he would see. “But you were right.  I’m not okay.”

[thesportssoundoff]

“No point in a deceitful lead in, you’re gonna watch anyways” UFC in Greenville Preview

Joey

June 20th

How to describe this card. Hmm. Pointless feels almost too harsh. Inconsequential? Whatever word you choose to describe 12 fights of nothin' I'd suggest you use it to your hearts content. This card is a mix of pointless yet fun action fights and just plain pointless fights. This card by and large is just a collection of fighters either coming off a win or having snapped a losing streak all doing stuff. There's little to no name value and it's just a collection of fights. At the same time being fair TO the fights, some of these have big action quality on paper. The main and co-main event are great fights and beyond that you have a few interesting fights at women's flyweight, Luis Pena's return to 155 lbs against a returning Matt Wiman, a welterweight action fight throwdown and some interesting stuff at middleweight. It's a meaningless filler fight card but it's got potential to be worth your time should you sit in for it. Ready?

Fights: 12

Debuts: Deron Winn, Eric Spicely

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: 3 (Markus Perez OUT/Bruno Silva IN vs Deron Winn/Bruno Silva OUT, Eric Spicely IN vs Derron Winn/Cody Stamman OUT, John Lineker IN vs Rob Font)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 4 (Renato Moicano, John Lineker, Korean Zombie, Kevin Holland)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 1 (Syuri Kondo)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC: (Dan Ige, Kevin Aguilar, Montana De La Rosa, Andrea Lee)

Main Card Record Since Jan 1st 2017 (in the UFC): 23-17

Korean Zombie- 1-1 Renato Moicano- 3-2 Rob Font- 2-2 John Lineker- 3-2 Randy Brown- 1-2 Bryan Barberena- 2-2 Kevin Holland- 2-1 Alessio Di Chirico- 2-1 Montana De La Rosa- 3-0 Andrea Lee- 2-0 Ashley Yoder- 1-2 Syuri Kondo- 1-2

Fights By Weight Class (yearly number here):

Bantamweight-  2 (30) Featherweight- 2 (28)) Middleweight- 2 (20) Women’s Flyweight-  2 (18) Women’s Strawweight- 1 (16) Lightweight-  1 (39) Heavyweight- 1 (16) Welterweight- 1 (34)

Light Heavyweight- (22) Women’s Bantamweight- (8) Women’s Featherweight- (6)

Flyweight- (7)

2019 Number Tracker

Debuting Fighters (15-37)- Deron Winn, Eric Spicely

Short Notice Fighters (15-20)- Eric Spicely, John Lineker

Second Fight (36-9)- Anderson dos Santos, Ariane Lipski, Jair Rozenstruik

Cage Corrosion (Fighters who have not fought within a year of the date of the fight) (12-22)- Matt Wiman

Undefeated Fighters (21-25)- Deron  Winn, Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Fighters with at least four fights in the UFC with 0 wins over competition still in the organization (8-8)-

Weight Class Jumpers (Fighters competing outside of the weight class of their last fight even if they’re returning BACK to their “normal weight class”) (16-13)- Luis Pena

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1- So who needs the win more in this main event? Both guys are coming off losses and both guys are giving ground in the 145 lbs division that's actually kinda sorta in need of some new faces. After Volkanovski and Zhabit, Max Holloway doesn't have much remaining and Frankie Edgar, should he win the title, probably isn't long for the MMA scene either. Both fighters were finished in their last fight but both have interesting in roads to the title. Renato Moicano has a low key solid resume with wins over the likes of Calvin Kattar, Jeremy Stephens, Zubair Tukhogov and Cub Swanson and as one of the rare young-ish upside-ish Brazilians with some steam, he may not be too far away from a title shot. Conversely the Korean Zombie remains a sneaky popular fighter (when FS1 numbers started tanking toward the end of the deal, the Korean Zombie vs Yair and Bermudez did reputable numbers) who is always in exciting fights. Injuries and a military assignment might've taken away his prime but he's probably still good enough to be in the mix as they say. It's worth remembering he probably beats Yair Rodriguez if he doesn't get hit with the hail mary elbow. That said, ya can't rewrite history so what we're left with is a really fun action fighter who has had two fights since 2013 and one of his wins was over a guy who wound up eventually retiring in 2018. Not exactly a resume for success in 2019. So who needs this more? The Brazilian fighter who has twice failed in his "step up" fight (subbed vs Ortega, TKO'd vs Aldo) or the Korean Zombie who may have seen his title window violently closed vs Yair Rodriguez?

2- Trying to think of how the featherweight fights down the stretch shake out, I wonder if the winner of this fight gets Zhabit in September and the runner up gets Ortega.

3-I've referred to this as a "Let's See Who's More Broken?" fight and while that may be harsh, I can't act like one of the bigger question marks about this fight isn't trying to figure out who is more cracked.

4- If Renato Moicano has a weakness; it's that he lulls defensively and tends to struggle when he's forced to handle pressure. Brian Ortega beat him by wrecking him to the body and never giving him space to breathe despite Brian Ortega eating a ton of shots. The Korean Zombie's career has been earmarked by wars upon wars and you'd have to assume that in terms of PRESSURE (not movement or footwork but just pressure), he can replicate Ortega's gameplan while hitting a lot harder. The question is whether he becomes too predictable offensively because Moicano's fight processor runs at high speed and he has great vision.

5- I feel like Rob Font is such a throwback to when bantamweight was kinda getting thicker and dudes like him were considered vital pieces to the developing puzzle. Now he's just a guy passed over by like ten other bantamweights. That year and change between debut and his second fight really put a stop to that.

6- Is the winner of Andrea Lee vs Montana De La Rosa the #1 contender? At the rate Valentina is fighting at, she could realistically fight the winner of this one in the fall.

7-  I'm not entirely sure what John Lineker's complaints were about regarding not fighting often enough. They tried to book him to fight in 2017 in December and he got yanked. They tried to book him in December of 2018 and Cruz got yanked and then HE was hurt so they rescheduled it for January and he got hurt (or never recovered) and so Lineker wound up fighting in April. It's not like they're not trying to get him fights, he's just having a tough time making it to them.

8- If it's true that Allen Crowder apparently asked for $100,000 for the Greg Hardy rematch, I wonder if he could be theoretically one loss away from getting sent out of the org. Makes his fight with Jair Rozenstruik a bit more intriguing.

9- Why is Ashley Yoder vs Syuri Kondo on the main card over Kevin Aguilar/Dan Ige, Luis Pena/Matt Wiman or Winn/Spicely? I know card placement is sort of irrelevant but this seems particularly egregious.

10- Alessio Di Chirico is 2-2 in the UFC and showcased some promise in his last two fights vs Oluwale Bangbose and Julian Marquez. I wonder if Di Cihrico is going to be what we all expected Marvin Vettori to be? Kevin Holland should be a good test for both guys since Alessio rarely makes mistakes and has the power to pop Holland if he decides to get momentarily stupid in there. Holland has pretty much every physical advantage and when guys at 185+ fight, cardio kinda doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

11- Cannot emphasize how great of a fight Kevin Aguilar vs Dan Ige figures to be.

12- The image of 5'5 Deron Winn fighting at MW in the UFC cage is going to make me pine for seeing Gustavo Balart in the UFC.

[hamingo]

6 and 8 for Natalia, 7 8 and 9 for Anise!

Yay thank you for asking!!!!!

Natalia (I wasn’t sure which 8 you wanted so I did both of them)

6. Did they sacrifice the Chargers to save the Qun, or the Qun to save the Chargers? THIS IS IMPORTANT.Natalia saved the Chargers without a second to guess herself. She’d seen how the chargers are a family, and family is the number one priority to her. Losing them wasn’t an option. Natalia knew what they meant to Bull, and if losing them would be to him what losing Kelley would be like to her… Natalia wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

8. Was the Inquisition disbanded, or just turned into the Divine’s honor guard? Why? How much did your Inquisitor want to punch out the entire Exalted Council?They disbanded. Natalia was tired of being Inquisitor anyways, and couldn’t risk it growing. Her hunt for Solas is more of a personal matter anyways, and she’s never really been one for organized groups. If something’s gonna get done, she’s gonna do it herself.

8. How does your Inquisitor feel about Leliana being with the Warden, if the Warden romanced her? Are they jealous?She’d seen the stress melt away from Leliana’s shoulders, and her face light up when she read his letters. Natalia had had mixed feelings about the Hero of Ferelden after the first time she had met him, but whenever his letters were in her hands, Leliana seemed to soften, and Natalia couldn’t help but want to meet the person whose words could melt her spymaster again.

(I had started writing this, and then it turned into a story involving all of the times Natalia had seen Jaydin, which was too much for just an ask but I’m not turning into an actual short story so oooops)

Anise

7. What was the Fate of the Warden? Did they die or survive?In-game, Anise died, but that’s only because I hadn’t seen that ending yet, in my canon she lives because she isn’t actually the warden, she’s more of a companion. If she were the warden though, she would have demanded Alistair bang Morrigan, because she wasn’t planning on dying thank you. His choices were 1. Sleep with the sexy witch lady or 2. Die himself, because there’s no way Anise was going to.

8. Did anyone undergo Morrigan’s Dark Ritual? Why?In main canon, Jaydin did, because he and Morrigan were already an item anyways and no one really wanted to sacrifice themselves, they’d all come so far. In the world where Anise is HoF, she made Alistair do it.

9.(Bonus) How does everyone feel about Ariane/Finn?In another life, Anise and Ariane would have made a hot ass couple, and she’s said this to her. As it is, she thinks they’re sweet. Ariane kinda reminds her of Shianni, and Finn is just a loveable doofus. As much as Anise wanted to him, she physically couldn’t. It was impossible. Sooo she approved of them.

[littleredroseonthevalley]

Tears Dry on Their Own

Summary: Quédate Un Ratito Más sequel. Isadora’s relationship falls apart. After a period of mourning, she comes to an important realization.

Rating: M -  Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16 with non-explicit suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, or coarse language.

Explicit depictions of extra-marital relationships and intense depression. Explicit, non-graphic mentions of drug use. Reader discretion is highly advised.

Words: 1618

Notes: “Hey, Ariane,” you may say, “You’ll really gonna write a sequel for a two-note-fic no-one really cared about?”

Yes. Yes, I will. I actually did.

Why? Masochism.

Enjoy.

Isadora feels like she is suffocating in her room, but she does not feel like it to go out and face the sun. Inside was a place too much have happened, the painful memories of the past months threaten to consume her conscious, but it was still more inviting than the daunting outside world.

She called the school in advance. For all they knew, she was horribly sick, down with a particularly virulent form of the common cold. You would not want an infectious teacher around your children, would you?

The thing was, what caused the young woman so much pain was not something you could catch. Most people did not even understand it.

Hell, even she had her share of trouble wrapping her head around it.

She thought she was used to what things were. She did not understand why she let herself yearn for more.

Perhaps that is the thing, it is not that she would had liked something more, but because Chris had taken away what she actually had.

That is it. What caused Isadora so much crippling pain. The good, old sour grapes. Breakup blues.

Not that she is actually entitled to it, she considers. If it were an actual disease, her insurance would not cover it. After all, Chris Winters was not her boyfriend, not her husband.

No, she was just the other woman.

Yesterday, nay, yesternight, Chris knocked at her door around midnight. It was not unlike him to come by so late, but instead of the joyful, thrilled and yet secretive tone he used to time his fist hitting the wood, it was more of a depressed note.

When she opened the door, his face fared no better. He had deep, dark circles around his bloodshot eyes, his stubble was unkempt and his breath smelled of alcohol. Fearing for the worse, something akin to a cocaine bender, she ushered him in and set him on the couch.

For a long moment, he said nothing, made no sound. Isadora was reasonably worried, but did not press. She could see he was mustering his nerve to speak of something grave, and it would be of no help her nagging on his ear.

Finally, he takes a deep breath and says, “Isa, I think we should break up.”

“What?” She scoffed, taken aback. “Why?”

“Look, we gotta be realists here. We’re not getting anywhere. I can’t get a divorce, the press is on my case again and you deserve more than sneaking around with a dirtbag like me.” He says, not once raising his eyes to face her. “I think we should just cut our losses on whatever this is and move on.”

“Chris, you’re being absurd.” She responded, monotone, the way she lectures one of the kids on her care.

“Am I?” His voice flared with anger. “Can you tell me sincerely you don’t want to have a proper date night? That’s okay if some tabloid paparazzo ruins the quiet life I know you love so? That you’re happy being some Hollywood type’s dirty little secret?”

She took his hand, and he did not try to move it. “Do I want a normal boyfriend, who does normal stuff with me? Yeah, I do want it. But the thing is, I love you, and you’re not a normal person. I’d rather have whatever with you than a storybook romance with anybody else.”

At that moment, Chris takes his hand away and hides his face on them. He breathed heavily and seemed like he would shout or cry. He does nothing of the sort.

Instead, he sighs and runs his hands though his greasy blond hair. “She’s pregnant.”

Isadora needs no further explaining. She knows who is pregnant, and why this is relevant. She feared this moment for months, now.

“When?” It was her follow-up question.

“Last month, on her birthday.” He responds. “We drank too much. It happened.”

She breathes out. “You said you slept on separate bedrooms. That you barely spoke to each other.”

“We did. We do. It just… happened.” That was his excuse.

“My wife is a shrew. I know that, I said that many times, now.” He continues. “But now she’s also the mother of my child, goddamnit. I owe it to them to at least try to make it work.”

“What if it was the reverse, Chris? What if I was the one who have gotten pregnant?” The blonde woman asks, bitterly. “What would you do then?”

He narrows his eyes at her. “Don’t go hypothetical on me, Isadora. This is serious.”

“You already answered it.” She barks. “Just… leave, Chris. I got your message loud and clear.”

He rose to his feet and tried to walk towards her crowing figure on a corner of the living room. “Isadora, I…”

“No!” She cuts him off and points to the door. “Just go. I don’t want your apologies.”

Chris looks at her once more, his eyes twinkling with unshed tears, and then he left, saying nothing more.

That was three days ago. Isadora has not seen or heard of him ever since, despite having a TMZ alert on her cell phone. Perhaps out of pure masochism.

Her stomach rumbled, but there was no more food in the house. She had slowly consumed it all during her quarantine, but she felt no strength to order in. A foul stench came from the kitchen, no doubt the piling dishes and accumulated trash.

She groaned loudly, scratched her unwashed, messy hair, and decided she needed to stand up. At least to put the garbage out, the smell was indeed terrible.

Tying her hair on a careless knot, she dragged herself to the kitchen, gathered the smelly stuff on a couple of plastic bags and walked like a death row inmate to the front door of her apartment.

If Isadora was in full capacity of her mental faculties, she might have checked on the peephole if there was someone on the hallway, lest someone sees her on her mopey pyjamas and smeared, three-day-old make-up.

It was not the case.

Just as soon as she opens the door, Seth turns around and looks her dead in the eye and tries, with little success, to supress his surprise with the state of deterioration of her appearance.

As for Isadora herself, she liked Seth, she really did. The fact stands the man was a comedian, and he would likely to try and cheer her up, and she did not want to be cheered up. She wanted to mope to the end of time.

“For a moment there I was worried Rocket had assumed human form.” The man comments, humoured.

Ah, yes. The jokes. She forgot about the jokes.

“Hey, Seth.” She greets, not really into it.

“You look like shit, Iowa.” He presses on. “What happened?”

She figured the best policy was the truth. She would not be able to make up anything realistic and believable which was also better than what she was actually going through.

“It’s just a bad breakup, Seth. Nothing to worry about.” She responded, her voice sounding awfully dead.

He looked ready to dispute her claim, but chose not to do it. Instead, he said, “So, mystery guy is off the cards now? Sorry for hear it.”

Seth had acquired the habit of calling Chris her ‘mystery guy’, as he did not know who he was, nor she was willing to part to any details about his identity.

“I guess that’s life.” She shrugged it off.

He looked at her impassively. “Look, Iowa, I swear I’m not using your misery to haggle myself an audience, but I’m having a show tonight, if you want to show up. Some air might do you good.”

She sighed. “Look, Seth, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I’m really not on the mood. Right now, all I want is just to lay in the dark.”

“I get it, I get it, worth the shot.” He raised his hands in mock-surrender. “I guess I’ll see you around, then?”

“Yeah, sure.” She tried to muster him a smile, it must have come out as a grimace.

He disappears down the stairs, as she walks slowly through the hallway until she reaches the dumpster outside.

Hours later, as Isadora nurses a bowl of cereal on her stomach, she hears the sound of paper hustling on the hallway. She walks to the door and finds the program for Seth’s show that night.

She picks it up and her first instinct is to trash it, but then she reconsiders.

“What are you doing to yourself, Isadora?” She asks out loud, to herself. “You’re slipping away!”

Isadora Andel was a strong woman in a long line of strong women. Her mother and grandmother were widows, and they ran the family estate with an iron fist, in spite of the crippling pain of losing their beloved husbands, and the taxating task of caring for small children alone.

They did not sulk around the corners. She, herself, did not either. She shed no tears over what happened at Tender Nothings, and the idea of crying over any other of her break-ups always seemed laughable.

She loved Chris, yes, and it hurt when he left her, but it was no excuse to become a depressed hermit. It was no excuse to forego her hygiene. It was no excuse to cry three days in a row.

“You’re a self-respecting woman, for God’s sakes!” She shouts. “Snap out of it this instant!”

Seth had a point, fresh air could only do her some good, and even if she laughed at none of the performers’ jokes, at least she would force herself to take a shower and brush her teeth.

Besides, Seth was a good friend, he was a good person. At the very least, she owed it to him to go and cheer him on.

It felt like a terrible chore, but she dragged herself to the bathroom. She would attend the event.

Once dressed and opening the front door to leave, Isadora considers she may be a long way from okay, but she would be damned if she spent another minute feeling sorry for herself on a dark corner of her apartment.

Tears dry on their own, after all.

[racingtoaredlight]

RTARL’s 2020 NFL Season Week 12 Extravapalooza

I thought it was fitting, if not downright poetic, that the Lions and Cowboys were dispassionately brutalized in front of the nation on Thanksgiving Day. This was a Thanksgiving that saw all of our traditions sadly, yet appropriately, put aside, so of course these Turkey Day stalwarts found themselves summarily flushed down the toilet along with extended family card games, giant tables covered in desserts, and hours-long gossip sessions with folks you don’t see as often as you’d like. Hopefully, next year we can all enjoy the Lions and Cowboys failing spectacularly while in the company of all of our friends and loved ones, while we point and laugh as God intended.

My picks are in BOLD, and the lines come to us courtesy of our friends at Vegas Insider. I use the “VI Consensus” line, which is the line that occurs most frequently across Vegas Insider’s list of sportsbooks. Your sportsbook of choice may offer a different number, and if you’d like my opinion on said number A) you are insane, and B) leave a comment below and I’ll try to answer at some point before things kickoff today.

EARLY GAMES

Los Angeles Chargers at Buffalo Bills (-4.5)

Oh yeah, this is the good stuff. These two teams rank very highly in my own personal Watchability Index, and I fully expect this to be a ton of fun. In my mind there isn’t a lot of separation between these teams, despite the fact that the Bills have a much better record and have beaten several good teams, whereas the Chargers’ three wins (only 2 with QB Justin Herbert at the helm) have come against bottom-feeders. I have no idea what I’m talking about, is what you should take away from this.

Las Vegas Raiders (-3) at Atlanta Falcons

Oh boy. We have the Raiders, a team who always burns me when I pick against them, and the Falcons, a team who always burns me when I pick them to cover. Something’s gotta give! Or maybe the power of these two opposing forces will rip the fabric of the universe asunder and mercifully send us all into the vast, peaceful void of eternal slumber. Or, I could just pick the Raiders and avoid that whole possibility. You’re welcome, or I’m sorry, depending on where your head’s at these days.

New York Giants (-6) at Cincinnati Bengals

The devastating, season-ending knee injury to Bengals QB Joe Burrow bums me right the hell out. Cincinnati will be starting Brandon Allen under center, and they will be officially unwatchable for the remainder of the year. The Giants have won 2 in a row and have been looking feisty, which annoys me because I really wanted horribly-chafed penis and Giants HC Joe Judge to flame out with lightning speed.

Miami Dolphins (-7) at New York Jets

Tua will be sitting this one out and I was gonna make a “Ryan Fitzpatrick Revenge Game”-joke, but then I realized that practically every game could be a revenge game for Fitzpatrick at this point. Jets QB Sam Darnold will be making his return to the lineup, and I still have absolutely no idea how good he is. His career has been absolutely tragicomic up to this point. I hope he leaves the Jets and spends a couple of seasons enrolled in Andy Reid QB School backing up Patrick Mahomes or something. Ooh, or maybe he can go to Indy and take over for Phillip Rivers.

Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts (-3)

A battle for divisional supremacy between a pair of teams each coming off of thrilling overtime wins over good teams? Don’t mind if I do! These two squads just played each other two weeks ago, with Indy winning 34-17. Titans QB Ryan Tannehill was hot garbage in that game, and RB Derrick Henry “only” touched the ball 19 times. I don’t expect Tannehill to be THAT bad again, and I DO expect Henry to get the ball more often, especially since Indy will be without 2 starting D-lineman (DT DeForest Buckner and DE Denico Autry). Mostly, I’m picking the Titans because I think these two teams are very evenly matched and therefore splitting their season series fits into a nice, neat little logic box in my brain. This is not the kind of logic one should follow when gambling.

Carolina Panthers at Minnesota Vikings (-3)

Panthers QB Teddy Bridgewater makes his glorious return after a one-game absence for this one, and I think he and WRs DJ Moore, Robby Anderson, and Curtis Samuel are going to conspire to ruin the days of the entire terrible Minnesota secondary. The Vikes look like they’ll be without the services of NFL TD reception-leader Adam Thielen, so they’re going to be a bit compromised on offense. I smell a Bad Kurt Cousins game. Could just be a turkey drumstick that fell underneath my couch, though.

Arizona Cardinals (-2) at New England Patriots

New England does not have the defensive speed to contain QB Kyler Murray. I have visions of many demoralizing drive-extending 3rd down runs dancing in my head, and it’s upsetting. The only way the Pats have a chance is if QB Cam Newton and RB Damien Harris combine for like 40 effective carries and keep Calimari on the sideline as much as possible. 

Cleveland Browns (-7) at Jacksonville Jaguars

Holy shit, Mike Glennon is starting at QB for the Jags. Oh, and he’ll be without WRs D.J. Chark and Chris Conley. I feel bad for RB James Robinson, because he’s quietly been one of the best players in the league this season, and he doesn’t deserve the indignity of participating in this game. He’s gonna get a chance to eat in this one for sure, but no man can overcome the Glennon factor. The Browns have to take care of business here.

LATE GAMES

San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams (-6.5)

Since losing TE George Kittle and QB Jimmy Garoppolo (for the 2nd time), the Niners have dropped three-straight games, all by double-digits. That’s not good! They’re getting RB Raheem Mostert and WR Deebo Samuel back today (Yay!), but studly rookie WR Brandon Aiyuk is out and Santa Clara County just booted them the hell out of their stadium and practice facilities for the foreseeable future (Boo!). They’ve got a lot of shit going on right now, is what I’m saying. The Rams are comin’ in hot off of wins against Seattle and Tampa Bay, and I think they keep it rolling.

New Orleans Saints (-15.5) at Denver Broncos

Well, this game is set to be a total goat rodeo. Denver’s entire quarterback depth chart has been ruled out due to exposure to COVID-19, so they’re starting current practice-squad WR and former Wake Forest QB Kendall Hinton. I would love nothing more than for Hinton to shock the world and light it up, but the Saints defense has made both Tom Brady and Matt Ryan look like complete trash in the last 3 weeks, so I don’t like young Mr. Hinton’s odds, I’m afraid. The NFL is really boning Denver by not moving this game to Tuesday. The horse whisperer in charge of calming John Elway down is really gonna have their work cut out for them this week.

Kansas City Chiefs (-3.5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It’s terrifying to pick against Kansas City, but this is merely a bet that the good version of the Bucs shows up today. You won’t find this kind of in-depth analysis on any of those subscription sites! I will say that if I’m wrong and Tom Brady sucks once again resulting in another week of passive-aggressive Bruce Arians, I won’t be that upset. 

SNF: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers (-9.5)

MNF: Seattle Seahawks (-6) at Philadelphia Eagles

Apparently, Eagles HC Doug Pederson “wouldn’t be totally unhappy if he were fired,” and rookie QB Jalen Hurts was getting 1st team reps during practice this week, so things may be dangerously close to going completely off the rails in Philly. Fun!

TNF(?): Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers (-9.5)

The NFL is a fucking clown show for forcing these teams to play this week.

Last Week’s Record: 4-9

Season Record: 69-77-5

[funnynewsheadlines]

125 Of The Freshest Jokes About The Pandemic To Make You Laugh (New Pics)

As confusing as the world is right now, there are not that many options but to live through it. With safety belts fastened and survival kits prepped, we’re gonna keep on rollin’ into 2020, which is like an old Klaxons song “Not Over Yet.”

So what's a better way to get your sanity deficiency cured than a dose of good humor? And not just any kind of humor. We’re talking about the new comedy genre of the year, pure gold in the mockery department, and already a cult classic—Bored Panda’s compilation of corona jokes.

The punapocalypse is back, so get your masks ready, 'cause it’s about to feel like someone turned on the laughing gas. Be sure to check out the previous parts here, here, and here. Trust me, just like wine, they even get better with time.

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Image credits: darrenbrads123

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It's easy to lose hope with all the challenges that 2020 keeps throwing at us. Especially when you look at how the coronavirus has been resurfacing in some parts of the world in the past few weeks. There are now 10.5 million confirmed people who have been infected with Covid-19 worldwide; over 2.6 million of them are in the United States.

On Tuesday, June 30, more than 48k new coronavirus cases were confirmed in the US. Meanwhile, at least 36 states have cases trending upwards, some states have put a stop to easing lockdown regulations, and the number of new cases in the US has risen by 80 percent in the past 2 weeks. So it's easy to panic and to feel stressed.

However, laughter and seeing the silver lining can help psychologically and physically. And if you feel guilty about laughing during this crisis—don't. Humor helps us get through the toughest times.

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Image credits: conradzimmerman

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Bored Panda previously spoke to comedy writer and comedian Ariane Sherine about whether or not it's all right to joke about the coronavirus during the pandemic.

According to her, it's "essential" to joke."Humor is a release mechanism to help us cope during dark times," she pointed out. Now that's something we should all keep in mind the next time someone tells us that we're being insensitive while laughing, don't you think, dear Pandas?

However, that's not the only plus of laughing during a crisis. Ariane told us that shared humor also helps us bond with one another. "Lockdown would be very gloomy indeed if we couldn’t laugh about our predicament!"

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Image credits: 7eandra

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There are lots of fun ways to boost your mood if you've got the pandemic blues. Hilarious lists like this one work wonders, as do stand-up comedy shows, funny movies, and comedic books.

Comedy writer Ariane revealed that her personal favorite go-to funny movie during the lockdown is the 2004 flick 13 Going on 30. "It’s really heartwarming and the Thriller scene is hilarious. It always lifts my spirits when I’m feeling low."

What about you, dear Readers? What do you do to cheer up during these stressful times?

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from Funny – Bored Panda https://ift.tt/2NOGZzS via IFTTT from Blogger https://ift.tt/3imNCr8

[youlovesliney-blog]

Kyler Murray #1?

With the 2019 NFL draft approaching, rumors and speculation start to become more intensified with the decision the Arizona Cardinals have to make with the number one overall pick in this years selection. But is it really as intense as new head coach Kliff Kingsbury has indicated? I don’t think so. Here’s why:

Last year, Arizona sent the No. 15 pick, a 3rd-round pick (No. 79) and a fifth-round selection (No. 152) to the Oakland Raiders for the 10th overall pick and would go on to choose Josh Rosen, the young studded QB from UCLA, just months after losing Bruce Arians and Carson Palmer to retirement. Let me reiterate that, they traded UP to select the former Bruin to be their franchise leader. General manager Steve Keim even told Rosen in the war room “ the future is all about you my man” and followed it up by agreeing with Rosen when he said “ I promise, I swear to god we’re gonna go win some Super Bowls”

Now fast forward about 8 months, and quite a lot much changed. The cardinals front office decided to move on from head coach Steve Wilks and brought in highly touted head coach from Texas Tech, Kliff Kingsbury. Kingsbury, previously before he was under consideration for any NFL jobs, stated in an interview his appeal to the current Texas A&M Quarterback, Kyler Murray. Kingsbury went on to say “if I had the number one overall pick, I would draft Kyler Murray.” Funny how things change. Now, he has his chance to select his draft rights, but now the question remains, will he? We won’t find out until draft night, technically. Maybe though, just maybe we need to remind ourselves not to overthink this.

When you not only select a first round QB, but you trade UP to select said QB, that usually means you have a lot of faith in that player to take your franchise by storm and lead it to the promise land. It’s hard to imagine that after just one season in Arizona, Rosen’s time is coming to an end. Let’s be fair, you put Tom Brady in Arizona for that 2018 season, and I’m sure he would do a little better than Rosen, but he still doesn’t take them to the playoffs. The 2018 Arizona Cardinals.. well they weren’t good at scoring more points in a football game than the other team they were playing. And it happened a lot. So much that it lead them to the first overall pick in the coming 2019 NFL draft.

The Kyler Murray to Arizona rumors are just that.. rumors! Nick Bosa is most likely the name you will hear after Rodger Goodell takes his first stroll to the podium come draft night. The Ohio State defensive edge rusher can become the next JJ Watt as long as he can stay healthy. Arizona has a big decision to make before April 25th. I mean, seriously, what should Kliff Kingsbury do? Tell everyone exactly who he’s taking? Of course he’s trying to throw a wrench into everyone’s draft plans. It happens every year, and with Nick Bosa the unanimous first overall selection for any NFL team, things couldn’t have worked out any better for the smoke screen created by head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

[secretlyatargaryen]

Sansa being praised as a good victim and Sansa fans putting down other abuse victims part 2 (because people keep telling me this doesn’t happen)

Companion to this post.

http://secretlyatargaryen.tumblr.com/post/162004630567/im-so-glad-im-not-the-only-one-who-doesnt-like

i'm so glad i'm not the only one who doesn't like lyanna. tho tbh i hate rhaegar 1000x more. and i absolutely despise how much they're romanticized in the fandom. i still don't understand how 11yo sansa gets so much hate for her dreams and mistakes in the beginning, but not the older, "wiser" lyanna for supposedly running off with a MARRIED southern prince. i mean neither should entirely be at fault bc they were both young girls who imo were taken advantage of, but it's some food for thought.

For now I am not a Lyanna fan at all. I try to sympathize with her and I can’t. I try to find similarities between her and Sansa and forgive her actions but again I can’t. We don’t know a lot about Lyanna so maybe I will change my mind in the future but for now just the thought of her leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

What I don’t understand is how Lyanna gets almost no blame for what happened to her family even though a 11 year old Sansa gets blamed for her father’s death.

http://secretlyatargaryen.tumblr.com/post/70714078551/i-am-loyal-to-king-joffrey-my-one-true-love

Okay, but this is bullshit because Tyrion’s big mouth is always getting him into trouble. He can never shut his sass up. Thus and therefore, Sansa is approximately 1,568% better than ur fave….especially if it’s Tyrion. Ugh.

http://secretlyatargaryen.tumblr.com/post/53455177515/exitpursuedbyasloth-you-should-learn-to-ignore

“You should learn to ignore them.” -Sansa Stark, First of Her Name, the Queen of Survival, the Unbroken, More Alive Than All Your Faves, Protector of Lemoncakes, Patron Saint of Songs and Broken Men

Hey Tyrion, you might want to fucking listen to Sansa right now. Tyrion? Tyrion, are you listening to Sansa? Oh, no, you’re threatening Joffrey’s life right in front of his mother, Tywin, and Varys. Oh, wow, that’s going to end really well for you you are a clever one aren’t you I am sure there will be no unwanted repercussions from that no sir.

https://www.facebook.com/EverythingGameOfThrones/posts/610986598973846

Would you rather she behave like Cersei, or perhaps Margaery? But she is learning fast and is stronger than she appears. Would you be strong enough to keep a straight face when the enemy comes to tell you they slaughtered you mother and brother? Or to keep your mouth shut, not uttering a curse or threat as Joffrey is having you beat bloody? Or to treat him with kindness and respect after he threatens to rape you?

http://www.snarksquad.com/2014/04/game-of-thrones-s04-e03-this-fucking-episode.html

I do not think Arya would have lasted as long as Sansa, had she been caught before fleeing King's Landing. I think Arya would have had a hard time keeping her mouth shut and "behaving wisely" and I think she might've got herself killed or tortured by Joffrey.

https://www.accesshollywood.com/articles/game-of-thrones-qa-sophie-turner-on-sansas-escape-146456/

I think Sansa is one of the strongest people because the thing about this world that people don’t realize is that, yeah, there are these cool fighting badasses like Brienne and Arya, but the real easiest way to survive is to keep your mouth shut and do what people want you to do and Sansa’s like clicked on to this and that’s why she’s gone on for so long. People aren’t scared of her, people don’t suspect her. I think it’s a very brave and very intelligent thing to do.

 And if you think about it, Arya, if she had stayed in King’s Landing, she might not be alive, because she wouldn’t have been able to keep her mouth shut.

So Sansa is really the best person to be in that situation if you had to have one of the Starks there.

http://www.xojane.com/entertainment/sansa-stark-feminist-superhero?page=232

Because, while Sansa still initially falls into the problematic “traumatized woman” trope, she ends up breaking it by handling her trauma in a way that most characters like her do not. She doesn’t become a hardened warrior, or hide behind fire-tongued abrasiveness. How many female characters do we know that hide behind spunk, brashness, and typically “male” behaviors to cope with their feelings of hurt or abandonment?

http://artnalism.com/game-thrones-sansa-stark-apology/

Consider this though: Arya’s tendency to action and violence would have had her killed in King’s Landing. Sansa stayed alive because she knew there was no way to escape without help – and she’s not given enough (or any) credit for that. Sansa’s strength comes from her ability to survive.

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/124198-why-do-people-hate-the-kick-ass-character-that-is-arya-stark/

I’m not gonna root for [Arya] doing that while she is destroying her soul in the process

http://jaimebrienne.com/topic/30003647/88/

If any of the Starks are going to live, I think it probably will be Sansa. Unlike Arya who's main focus is revenge, she just does what it takes to survive.

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/126817-about-sansa-and-arya/

HOWEVER, I believe that Sansa's fate could be more tragic than any of those listed above. Sansa could die, and it may be because of Arya.

[...]

This would mirror innocent Lady being sacrificed in absence of the real culprit Nymeria.

https://www.quora.com/Would-Sansa-make-a-better-queen-than-Daenerys

Dany's arc is one in which a princess who's been brought low gradually rises higher, whereas Sansa's arc is one in which a privileged lady is brought low and must be resilient and creative in order to rise higher and rebuild herself. At this stage of the story, Dany has so much and yet also struggles so much that you might wonder just how much a person could need to finally move. If three dragons, a bunch of sellsword companies and the Unsullied aren't guarantors of stability, what is? If Dany can't figure her stuff out with all of that, then how talented is she? Whereas Sansa has been a prisoner since her father's death and has had to navigate a situation where she's not empowered at all, and while she hasn't completely climbed her way out yet, there are clear signs that she's poised to do so. In terms of direction and overall vision and sense of purpose, Dany has stumbled while having mind-boggling resources, and Sansa has succeeded despite having nothing but her own damn self.

[...]

Sansa is gentle and merciful, wanting everything to be music and lemon cakes like in the stories. Even when she's been wronged, she just wants people to be good to each other, rather than wanting revenge.

Dany has (justifiably or not) burned and crucified people, breaking contracts and seeking vengeance on people who wronged her. She has entered conflicts with no exit strategy, and she's very prideful.

[...]

Sansa would understand and forgive, and not cast them aside for one mistake that this person has already been trying to rectify ever since they realised they were wrong. And last but not least, Daenerys is actually quite evil

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.855926-Game-of-Thrones-Sansa-vs-Daenerys

Daenerys on the other hand almost out the gate is a strong aggressive woman who knows what she wants and is eager to take it. However, this is actually not a point in Daenerys's favor. Sansa has room to develop and change. She can start out as a "stupid little girl" whose head is full of silly ideals such as chivalry and honor, and then she can become a badass political schemer who still holds a bit of a softer side. Where as Daenery's becomes the "mother of dragons" by the end of book one and is so full of piss and vinegar that some people suspect that the only place she can go is crazy town.

[...]

What does Daenerys lose? Kahl Drogo? Really? Khal Drogo was a barbarian warlord who used her as an arian f@#$ puppet. Sure they eventually obtain a more mutual relationship because she can do it cowgirl style, but she doesn't even speak his language for most of the time spent with him. Furthermore, by book 5 she seems totally over him. She is all over her sellsword boyfriend and is even getting freaky with some of her serving girls. Meanwhile, Sansa is being creeped on by a guy who was in love with her mother. Things go far too well for Daenerys.

[...]

Dany on the other hand, despite coming from similar circumstances, is everything wrong with an idealistic person and she only learns lessons and changes when it conveniences her. She's Joffrey's antipode in almost every way, but she's just as bad because she's as flawed as he is.

She isn't even a nice person in person because she's haughty and arrogant and mindful of her rank and her position on top.

https://winterfelland.tumblr.com/post/159370019542/the-pro-daenerys-and-pro-sansa-meta-no-one-asked

if you ever want to write something again with the delusion of not pissing off Sansa fans… don’t you EVER dare write down the fantasy of Daenerys Stockholm syndrome Targaryen who started randomly enjoying being raped every night giving sex advice to  ‘poor Sansa (who) has not had a positive sexual experience yet.’

[azaraspirit]

YO I was tagged by my good ol pal @kasonseward aka righteousangel and ofc i had follow suit! i havent heard from him in ages i just found out about his new blog bc he tagged me lol thanks kas! *cracks knuckles* ok let’s do this

Answer the 20 questions and tag some followers you want to get to know better! I was tagged by @kasonseward

Name: Tracy

Nicknames: My sis often calls me PeeWee(and I call her sissy)

Zodiac sign: Aquarius and proud of it bitches 

Height: im like 5′8 1/2 but i just say 5′9 (I’m almost as tall as Ron Perlman LOL)

Orientation: ummmm I’m not entirely sure about this answer since I have no experience with romantic/sexual relationships but I kinda found out on my own that I’m bisexual but I’m not really comfortable with the idea of actually having physical sex with someone? (I just know that I’m attracted to both genders). Well except for one person...but I doubt that will ever happen so yeah...good luck understanding that. She’s just my bff for now. But if it turns into something more, well I’d be super happy about it.

Nationality: I’m white as a vampire but I have like viking blood in me or something idk i think my mom told me we have ancestors from denmark but idk much about my family’s past although I’d love to find out more about past relatives.

Favorite fruit: oh man i guess grapes if theyr’e just right but I also love apples and oranges

Favorite season: spring and fall for the obv reasons

Favorite book: oh man i haven’t been reading lately...but I really loved the Raven Cycle series. 

Favorite flowers: pretty much all of them but I have a special fondness for tulips especially the candy cane ones SO PRETTY 

Favorite scent: so many! the smell of lilac bushes and tiger lilies are my top faves

Favorite color: THE ENTIRE FUCKING RAINBOW 

Favorite animal: I really love wolves for some reason. I had a great frienship with two of them back in the day before they died. I still miss them. They were Max and Arian and one of my dad’s friends had them. Like they were legit gray wolves and they were so sweet. I miss them bunches. I actually based an oc off of Arian who’s a wolf spirit. Arian was my favorite. He was the son of Max but twice his size and my dad’s friend had cats and the wolves were just so chill with them. I absolutely loved them. I still remember kissing their sweet faces. 

Coffee, tea, or hot cocoa: hot cocoa but only in the winter. i tried tea but i never found one that i liked and i don’t care for coffee but i dont mind a small cold vanilla bean every once in a while.

Cat or Dog person: why not both? 

Favorite fictional character: YOU’RE JOKING RIGHT? HOW CAN I CHOOSE JUST ONE? 

but right now I gotta say Shiro from Voltron who’s my space husband. he’s just so good and kind and those are my favorite traits of a character. He was willing to give himself up as he was dying but Keith refused to become the new leader. he’s just really good at motivating the rest of the paladins when they’re in battle despite his time being kidnapped and losing part of his arm. also not to mention his connection with the black lion. and he’s also just super hot. *sighs dreamily* also Sam Winchester, Viktor, Yuuri, Yurio and Otabek are my other top faves.

Blog created: um it was to follow @burdge for her amazing percy jackson fan art but im not in that fandom anymore and i’ve grown and changed so much since then. i cant even remember when i started this blog. maybe 2011? im certain it was right after high school.

Number of followers: almost 730 but im certain a lot them are porn blogs. sighs...and hardly any of them talk to me which totally sucks but oh well. 

ok im gonna tag some ppl 

@singingwithsherlock @anxiouspineapples @peachyereri @superkittycas @skittlesmcgraw

[first-and-ten]

Week 17 Preview

So here we are. The end of the line. Let us cherish it. That will be more difficult than it was gonna be because the NFL, in all its infinite wisdom, nixed Sunday Night Football and put ALL of the good games in the afternoon slot. Just what I needed: More games at the same time and fewer spread out. So I can only watch two of them. And in one time slot the best option is seeing the Browns finally fulfill their destiny of going 0-16. Fuck you, NFL, for making the entire Seahawks fanbase sweat for an extra 3 hours.

GB 10 - 20 DET $2 DET -7.5 - Lock it Up - Maybe the Lions falter in their letdown week, or maybe they step up their game to give Jim Caldwell a nice send-off. Or maybe those things even out and the Lions win by ten.

HOU 7 - 14 IND $4 IND -3.5 - Survivor - I so do not want to use this as my survivor but in the end I have to. This is another Goodbye Coach game, this time with the hapless Texans coming to Indy. The Colts are just pure and simple a better team right now, but next year I wouldn’t be so sure. This is the end of a long road of QB angst for both squads. 

CHI 13 - 28 MIN $2 MIN -12.5 - Lock it Up - Goodbye, John Fox. It’s been nowhere near fun. A big spread against a team with a good defense but I’m willing to take it as the Vikings carry momentum to the 2 seed. 

NYJ 9 - 27 NE $9 NE -15.5 - NFL title Belt (NE) - - Lock it Up - The Pats always want to be as hot as possible going into the playoffs but they are currently in a bit of a slump. That said, what the hell are the Jets gonna do? They’re not doing anything. Most interesting part of this should be seeing whether James Harrison gets snaps.

WSH 23 - 17 NYG $5 WSH -3.5 - Lock it Up - The Giants are already in 2018 mode so it’s hard to imagine them winning this last game of 2017.

DAL 25 - 21 PHI $2 DAL -2.5 - Unpopular Opinion - I will finish the season not using the Eagles -- the winningest team in the league -- as my survivor pick. That’s fucked up, man. The Eagles have been squeaking by with Foles in charge and the Cowboys are mad.

CLE 0 - 35 PIT $9 PIT -14.5 - Game to Watch - - Lock it Up - The Browns are going winless, why not pointless too? 

DEN 21 - 23 KC $10 KC +3.5 - Game to Watch - Pat Mahomes will start. Paxton Lynch will start. We’ll still lose. Oh how the turntables.

CAR 31 - 29 ATL $12 CAR +3.5 - Game to Watch - - Unpopular Opinion - Pray.

CIN 17 - 24 BAL $8 CIN +9.5 - Game to Watch - - Lock it Up - The Bengals are sending off Marvin Lewis after 15 years. 15. What the actual hell. Cincy has ruined the Ravens before but they scored 0 points in the first go-round this season and Baltimore is 9-0 against losing teams this season.

BUF 21 - 23 MIA $5 MIA +2.5 - Game to Watch - - Unpopular Opinion - Miami outplayed the Bills earlier this season, it was just a matter of home field advantage. The Bills should feel good about coming into the final matchup with the chance to make the playoffs, but neither their end of the bargain nor the strange sequence of events predicated on other games will play out in Buffalo’s favor. Circle the wagons once more.

NO 26 - 20 TB $3 TB -7.5 - Game to Watch - - Lock it Up - The Saints can lock up the NFC South with a win. The Buccs are on their hottest streak this season and still are fresh off two consecutive division losses. 

JAX 21 - 17 TEN $70 JAX +5.5 - Game to Watch - Putting my big bucks this week on the Jaguars who are 5.5 point underdogs in Tennessee. How does that even happen? Do you have any idea how outmatched the Titans are? They need to win to get into the playoffs, and there is just no chance it’s happening. Exotic Smashmouth is holding Marcus Mariota back and it shows. If the Jaguars aren’t able to scheme for Derrick Henry and let the Titans run it down their throats again, they’re not going anywhere in the playoffs. And if the Jags somehow lose this game, they’ll see their foes again a week from now.

OAK 27 - 30 LAC $1 OAK +7.5 - Game to Watch - Oakland has been right on the verge of playing spoiler for weeks now, I think they suffer one more time. That said, I will be interested to see how LA reacts to the Raiders coming to town. They’ve got many more fans in the area that the Chargers.

SF 34 - 20 LAR $7 SF +3.5 - Unpopular Opinion - A rematch of an amazing Thursday Night shootout earlier in the season, but this time the Niners have Joe MonTanningBed (as some are calling him) and the Rams are resting their starters.

ARI 25 - 27 SEA $10 ARI +8.5 - Game to Watch - Bruce Arians may be out the door. The dude has a respectable record coaching in Seattle, but all his wins have been with Carson Palmer at QB. This time he’s got Blaine Gabbert.

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose!