#differently into more divisions so that things seem less daunting

[icewindandboringhorror]

maybe is very Bigg Nerd of me but I absolutely love when it gets to this time of year and I sit down and reorganize my goals, write up a new schedule, make a to-do list for the next year, discard/donate everything I’m not using, etc. etc. It’s jost.. Refreshinge.. despite the fact that no matter how much planning I do I’m always going to have functioning issues and other factors inhibiting me lol, it’s still like, Well Hey At Least I’m Trying, And I Love To Organize Shelves Babey

[ink-and-flame]

Kinktober Day 14 : Intensity Bared

Kinktober Day 14 Prompts: Exhibitionism (strangers) ~ High heel wearing(forced) ~ Lingerie (wearing) Fandom: Original (Auchendale Archives) Tags: exophilia, exhibitionism, high heels, lingerie, oral sex, rough sex Pairing:  Orc(m)/Human(f), ?(M)/Human(f), Darnok/Lia, Lucien/Lia

[Author’s note: I skipped day 13 for personal reasons and had to struggle with tonight’s because my wrist pain was acting up, but I got through it. We get to experience a little more drama and some intense moments. I hope you all enjoy.]

The time spent with Lucien had been a unique and surprisingly pleasant experience for Lia. After the first night she was surprised that Lucien requested they continue doing scenes for the rest of the weekend. Lia had agreed and ended up enjoying herself more than she expected she would. There were a few things she simply would not do, as they were special for her and Darnok and it felt wrong to do them with anyone else. Lucien was understanding and had a few lines of his own that he requested not be crossed. Overall Lia found she was more compatible with Lucien as a dom than she had ever expected she would be. 

The compatibility was enough of a surprise for Lia that she had to sit down and spend some time thinking about it logically. If someone else could give her what Darnok could give her, and possibly more, were her feelings for him as real as she thought? There was something to be said for time. She had known Darnok a while now, and they had grown close, despite him being practically a mystery to her. 

Her mind kept going back to the conversation with Lucien. If he knew she loved Dar, then why hadn’t he said anything before this? Rationally there were plenty of valid answers for this question but Lia couldn’t help but mentally torment herself for a bit before snapping herself out of it with more logic. It honestly didn’t matter. She felt what she felt and at some point she would have to come clean. It wasn’t healthy to keep her feelings inside like this, but telling Darnok could lead to losing him. That thought bothered her.

There was also a concern about whatever orc clan meeting he attended. As usual he told her nothing, so of course her imagination ran wild with arranged messages, or him being forced to move far away and she would never see him again. Of course the rational part of her brain told her she was being ridiculous and that she could just ask him when they spoke again. 

Time for that would come soon enough as Darnok had contacted her, wanting to see her and talk to her before the weekend. Lia agreed, but the day he chose meant she would have to wait until after work to head to the club, something she didn’t really like to do. She wanted time to relax, eat, and clean up, but that would cut into what little time they would have. 

There was nothing for it and Lia found herself leaving for the club just a little later than she had intended. By the time she had gotten there the worry inside of her had increased to full on anxiety. She had convinced herself that he would only do this if something had happened and no amount of logic was working to convince her otherwise. 

Heading into the club Lia saw Darnok in the lounge, he was already talking to Lucien. Dar did not look upset, but that didn’t mean much. Lia made her way over and sat down smiling at both men and giving each a little polite bow of her head. 

“Sorry I am late, I was held up at work.”

“It is quite alright Lia. I knew that would be a possibility and I wont keep you long. I know you haven’t eaten dinner yet or had a chance to relax. I do apologize, schedules being what they are, this was the best I could do and I wanted to do this in person.”

Lia’s stomach dropped and she already felt nauseous. Despite the smile on Darnok’s face Lia thought the rug was about to be pulled out from under her. “Ok?”

Darnok reached up and stroked her cheek gently. “Lucien was telling me about how wonderful you were for him and I am so very proud of you.” He leaned in kissing her forehead. “You have been such a good sub and have impressed me at every turn.”

Lia felt like she was being buttered up like a turkey about to be shoved into an oven and the feeling wasn’t great. “I wasn’t acting or trying to impress or anything.”

“I know, that is what makes you so special Lia. Everything about you is genuine. I am so impressed with you. I couldn’t be happier to have you as my sub.” Darnok was beaming 

Lia noticed that Lucien had the most neutral expression on his face that she had ever seen. He was blank, sheer blankness, so he was no help at all. Now she was just confused. Was she getting the boot or not?

“I wanted to talk to you about doing something special, but it will mean I have to cancel this week and move it to next. Would that work for you? I know that we had scheduled that weekend off and I couldn’t remember if it was because you had a prior engagement.”

“I did, but I don’t anymore. It was already canceled and I wasn’t sure that we could rework the schedule so I just left it alone.” Lia was still suspicious, but relaxing slowly.

“Wonderful. Then I will see you next weekend instead of this weekend.” Darnok took her hands into his. “I will be renting one of the larger spaces here and hosting an event. I want you there as my sub. I will have a special outfit for you to wear and during the evening, at some point, I would like to do a scene. There will be people in attendance you don’t know. Most of the people in attendance will be unknown to you, but this is quite important to me and it would mean everything to me if you could attend.”

Oh, so it was a public scene with strangers. That was what all this was about? She wondered if she got worked up over nothing, but then something tugged at her mind. He had never been this insistent when it came to a public scene. At least it was more a whoever sees, sees, and that was fine. This seemed to be built around it and they had only done a few of those. The way he worded it, something was telling her to push for more of an explanation. “We have done a public scene before, I don’t understand what makes this one different?”

“Ah, yes, well. That is where I worry you might not want to agree. This event will be almost entirely orcs and a few individuals I trust. Lucien will be there, of course, but he will most likely be the only person you know. I can understand how this would be daunting and I wont be mad if you decline.”

A room full of orcs? Now that was something Lia wanted to see. It made her even more curious about just what that meeting was all about. Still, this was important to him and if she was honest, she was curious. Maybe this would give her insight into his life, into parts of him she had yet to see. “Of course I will do it. We will need to discuss details and expectations before the event. I want to make sure I do everything right and know what is expected of me, but I am not afraid if that was what you were worried about.”

“A little, yes.” He admitted looking sheepish. “I know you are still new to public scenes and it has always been with smaller crowds, this will be my first hosted event at this club and there will be points where you will have to be on your own while I handle the event itself.” 

Now Lia understood the crux of his worry. She would be spending part of this alone, similar to the gala. Considering how well she did there, she figured she could do it again. The difference was she was in a cage and no one could touch her. The only other time she had ever done something so public where Darnok was not at her side was when she was a serving tray at an event the club owners were running. She had been particularly proud of herself for that one and felt that she had more experience now than she had then. If she could do that, she could do this. 

“I still agree. Just be clear with instructions and expectations. If someone does something I don’t like am I allowed to refuse them or move away?”

“Of course. I would never allow that. The basic rules will always apply. Your consent will be required and that is something understood by the guests.” Darnok pulled her into a hug.  “I am so happy you agreed to this.”

Lia leaned into the hug with a smile, her worry almost completely vanished. She stayed chatting with both Darnok and Lucien until her stomach growled loudly and she announced it was time to go. 

Arriving home, Lia made herself something quick to eat and sat on her couch lost in thought. She had worked herself up over nothing and caused herself undo anxiety. She knew she needed to work on that, but maybe she wasn’t the entire problem. Darnok’s insistence on secrecy, division, his refusal to tell her even basic information. It was causing trust issues for her. What if he was hiding something like an arranged marriage, or a relationship. That would be a valid reason for him to not let her know anything. The less she knew the less chance of him being caught. That just didn’t seem like something Darnok would do. 

Lia did not sleep well that night, or the night after, however the weekend proved to help soothe her a bit as she spent it with Ember. They saw a movie, went shopping, and talked through the evening and well into the morning. It was something Lia needed. She finally confided all of her feelings, thoughts, and emotional turmoil to her friend, needing a shoulder and a kind ear. Ember was supportive and rational, trying to help ease Lia’s fears, but also while being pragmatic and making it clear that the current agreement she had with Darnok benefited him more than it did her and that her concerns and suspicions were valid. They may not be true, but her feelings and reasons for having them were still valid.

It was what Lia needed to hear and help lift some of the weight off her chest. Maybe it was time to start thinking about renegotiation. Though she did admit that after the island get away, her and Darnok had been closer than ever and that maybe the shift was already happening, just slowly. She was willing to wait, not wanting to rush anything and potentially ruin what little good was developing. 

By the time the event moved closer, Lia had almost forgotten her worries and concerns as excitement filled her. Darnok had her come to the club to pick up her outfit for the event and try it on. Of course it fit perfectly though it didn’t cover much. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the heels, not really being a fan of them if she knew she had to do any amount of walking, but they were non negotiable. The rest of the outfit could be tweaked to a degree, but time was not on their side for any heavy alterations. 

The night arrived and Lia followed the instructions she was given. She arrived at the club early, she was escorted to the employee area to change with the small handful of other subs that would be at the event. For a while Lia had worried she would be the only one there and wasn’t sure how well she could handle being the only sub. It was nice to not be alone and she dressed carefully. 

She pulled on the corset. It was lace, showing her skin through the detailing. It was cut so that it cupped under her bust, but her breasts were mostly free, nipples on display. She had delicate nipple clamps with silver bells she needed to wear. The thigh high stockings had matching lace detail around the thighs, as did the heels she was wearing. She wore arm coverings of delicate lace that looped around her middle finger and fit snug around her bicep. Her collar was a simple silver band with a loop. There was nothing covering her most intimate of places. The corset only went down so far, the rest of her was fully on display. 

A stylist helped her get her hair pulled up into a strategically messy updo. It looked far more elegant than messy, but had a sort of carelessness about it that Lia found charming. She didn’t understand how it took that long to make her hair look like she didn't actually work to have it styled. 

When the time came to enter the event room the subs were lined up and walked out into the room. Lia was led over to Darnok as the other subs were led to their stations. She smiled at the way his eyes roamed over her body and wished for a moment they were alone. Those eyes held promises, ones she intended to make him keep. 

As it was early in the evening, there wasn’t as much for Lia to do but stand with Darnok and look pretty. She didn’t speak unless directly addressed and glanced at Darnok several times to make sure it was ok before doing so. It did not take long for her to find her comfort zone and she was given breaks to lounge on one of the cushioned platforms like the other subs. 

When there, people at the event could approach her, talk to her, touch her, only with her consent of course. She found that the bells on her nipples were quite popular and the various people she met seemed to enjoy trying to find different ways to make them ring. Lia found she liked it, the touches did not hurt and no one was being overtly disrespectful. 

At one point Lucien stepped over to see how Lia was doing. She spoke with him for a bit, allowing him the most familiarity with her form. Knowing that she could trust him and he probably had spoken to Darnok to find out just how far he was allowed to go before even approaching her. 

With his face between her legs and her hands gripping his horns, they made for quite a show. She heard Darnok’s deep voice from off to the side, his rumbling tone so familiar to her. It was the voice with him she did not recognize, but it was just as deep.

“She is exquisite is she not? I have never had a more perfect submissive in my life.”

“For a human, she is temptingly beautiful. I had always found them to be a little too frail for my liking, but this one, her beauty is enough to make me reconsider.” The unfamiliar voice trailed off.

Lia risked turning her head and saw an orc, just as large as Darnok, standing there next to her dominant. She was a little too distracted by her pleasure to pay as much attention, but she wondered who he was. She kept her head tilted towards them, but her eyes were closed now. 

“I am surprised you allow that.” 

Darnok chuckled. “Lucien is a friend and he has been with Lia before, with my blessing of course. He is one of the few I trust with her. He knows where the line is and will not cross it. I enjoy watching her pleasure. I rarely get to see her like this. Usually I am so focused on creating that pleasure, I never get to fully enjoy her reactions.”

“As you said, she is exquisite. I suppose everything makes a lot more sense now, seeing her. I couldn’t imagine what would make you risk it all, but now I think I understand.”

“There is no risk and that is not a conversation we should be having here.”

“I am just saying if I had a Taledras in my” The words were cut off suddenly.

Lia opened her eyes to see Darnok dragging the other orc away where she could no longer hear them. Darnok did not look happy, but Lia lost focus as she came hard, her thighs shaking as she arched up to Lucien’s face. Her grip on his horns tight. Her brain was trying to make sense of what she had heard but her orgasm clouded her ability to think straight. She collapsed back against the cushion panting as she smiled at Lucien. Her smile faded when she saw his expression briefly before he resituated it back to neutral. It seemed that something in that conversation was not meant for her ears, or for anyones. 

She lounged on the cushion, not wanting to rouse suspicion by sitting up too fast or seeking Darnok. This was one of the reasons she came here, to learn, and she had clearly just learned something if Lucien’s face was anything to go by, or at least the face he had made briefly. The smart thing, would be to wait and not ask, to pretend she saw nothing and heard nothing. Which was what she did. There was a risk involved if it turned out to be something she didn’t want to know. 

“Wow Lucien, you really know how to please a lady.” Lia said quietly with a smile.

“I do indeed, can you stand or do you need more rest?” Lucien smiled back gently as he kissed her thigh. 

“I think I can stand. Am I allowed to clean up or no?” 

“No, I am afraid Darnok was particular about that. He wanted to have you shortly after I finished.”

“Oh, well then maybe I should just relax here for a bit longer?” Lia did her best to pretend that everything was normal and it did seem to be working. 

“That seems like an excellent plan. I will stay here until Darnok returns, I wouldn’t want anyone else getting any ideas.” Lucien stroked Lias face in a gentle, almost affectionate manner. 

His gentle kindness and open affection worried Lia as much as his expression had. She was not going to show it though. She had to remain outwardly oblivious, but she already knew what she was going to do the moment she got home. 

Lucien stepped away only long enough to bring her a drink. It was long enough for others to come over, to compliment her on her beauty, to ask if she was free for others. Lia declined and Lucien’s presences helped keep them at a respectful distance. She sipped at the water, and glanced around, hoping to spy Darnok. Wherever he had gone, she couldn’t see him.

It was only a few more minutes when Lia heard his voice not too far behind her and it was getting closer she turned to see him smiling at her, but something in his eyes gave her a slight pause. 

“You looked so lovely with Lucien between your legs like that. The two of you make quite the attractive pair. I do hope I am not being replaced?” His voice was light but tense. 

Was that jealousy that Lia detected? It couldn’t be. Darnok had never shown signs that he could even feel that. Yes he occasionally got possessive, but only when he lost control. Something about this excited her and it helped push her worry away. “I could never replace you, all Lucien did was help get me ready for you.”

Darnok moved onto the cushion and pulled Lia to him, Her back pressed against his chest as his hands roamed her body. “Well then, I would hate to waste such a thoughtful gift.” His tusks rubbed at her neck as his fingers slid between her legs. 

Lia’s eyes closed as Darnok’s thick fingers teased over her clit and spread her already soaking folds. She could feel him hard, throbbing, almost desperate behind her as his cock slid between her thighs spreading both her cum and his precum all over her. She could feel the eyes on her, on them, and no longer cared. This was what she wanted and was excited to have it. 

Darnok lifted her easily by her thighs, positioning himself at her entrance. Arching his hips and teasing her just a little before slowly letting her sink down onto the tip of him, pushing in ever so slowly. Inch by thick throbbing inch of his cock pressed into her, stretching her. Much to her absolute delight. He was taking his time and it felt incredible. 

He was half way in before he pulled back and pushed in again, still going almost tortuously slow and Lia was close to begging for it harder and faster. She wanted more, but she was also enjoying the teasing. It would drag things out, make her pleasure last longer, her orgasm more intense. She opened her eyes and found that yes, many were watching them, including the orc from before. At this angle she could see him better and he had a hungry look in his eyes as he focused on her. 

Lia’s eyes were not open long as Darnok filled her, thrusting up into her, hilting himself with a groan. His tusks scraped at her neck and ear as he began to thrust. His pace still slow, but not as slow as before. Lia could tell by the way his hands moved to grip her, to pull her closer, that he might lose control again. He was growling against her ear, a possessive noise she recognized when he wanted to rut her. 

“So beautiful, so soft, so yielding. You are mine Lia. No matter who touches you, or how they please you, they can’t have all of you.” Darnok growled and nipped at her neck.

Her moans grew louder at his words, as the soothed the worried part of her. She hated how much she liked him like this. She wanted him jealous, wanted him possessive, because it meant she mattered to him, she was important to him, and that thought alone pushed her pleasure even higher. 

Darnok’s thrusts increased in speed and intensity as Lia gave in. She could feel him stretching her, pushing her body to its limits, and she was able to handle it. All the times in the past that Darnok had gone too hard, or lost control had prepared her for this. Her body had been conditioned to handle him now, despite how big he was or how powerfully he took her. 

Lia was in heaven with each thrust deep into her body. She opened her eyes, watching the people watching her. Their expressions driving her on as she lifted her arms to wrap around the back of Dar’s neck to help her brace herself as she moved with him, actively participating instead of just letting Darnok do all the work. All this did was encourage him and drive him to be rougher with her. 

Soon Lia was pressed onto her front, Darnok’s large hand around her neck, his other between her legs as teased her clit while rutting hard into her. She could barely keep her eyes open but she needed to see. She wanted to see the reactions to her being taken like this. Darnok had never gotten this rough with her in public, never like this. He had pushed the line, pushed her limits, but he always held back just enough. 

Her cries wer loud, filling the room as the sounds of their bestial fucking filled the space. Other couples had joined in, fucking in other parts of the room, where they could still see the show. Lia saw that the orc from before was watching her with an intensity that would have frightened her any other time. 

Soon she came with a scream, her body bowing as she spasmed around Darnok. Her core clenched around him hard as she felt him swell and let loose his seed deep inside of her with a loud roar. Other roars joined in from different parts of the room as many of the orcs there had also reached climax. 

Lia was panting and shaking, thankful for the soft cushion beneath her. Darnok had not marked her this time, but that was probably for the best. She could feel as well as hear his heavy breathing as he pulled her up against his chest, nuzzling at her. She felt tired and was happy when he began to stroke her skin and soothe her with his voice. 

Darnok’s aftercare was always so gentle. No matter how rough their scenes got, it was his tenderness afterward that Lia loved most. He pulled out slowly, carefully, and had someone bring over some supplies so he could clean her. He gave her water to sip as Lucien brought over a blanket. 

There were still scenes going on around the room. People who had not climaxed, or who were engaged in more intricate scenes. Lia glanced around with a smile. She hoped that the event went as well as it appeared. She only wanted Darnok happy. As she curled against him feeling warm and safe, a small thought plagued her. 

Who, or what, was a Taledras.

[renjinobankai]

Another byaren fanfiction I found

Joy (joyinthedance)

2006-06-11 23:42:00

Title: “Captain Material”

Characters: Byakuya x Renji

Rating: NC-17, maybe.

Word Count: 2490

Warnings: Spoilers through end of Soul Society arc, and oh yeah, yaoi.

Disclaimer: If these guys were my property, I’d be happy for life. ^_^

Summary: This is just my take on how the definition of hotness (aka ByaRen) began.

Damn that Kurosaki Ichigo! Thanks to the boy’s interruption that day in the healing ward, Abarai Renji had never told his captain the really cool line that had been on the tip of his tongue. Afterwards, he had chickened out and made up some throwaway comment, because really, it didn’t sound that cool. It sounded pathetic. Pathetic to think that a street rat from Rugonkai could so much as lay a finger on the Kuchiki heir without throwing off the balance of the universe, much less confess the fact that his long obsession with surpassing his captain was more than mere rivalry. Renji was certainly competitive, but this passion went deeper than a drive to be the best, deeper even than the desire to show the frustratingly snobby noble that class did not determine ability. He had never realized what his feelings meant until Rukia’s rescue, but now it was impossible for him to deny them. However bitterly, however hopelessly, it was true: Renji was in love with Kuchiki Byakuya.

* * *

The Sixth Division captain was seated at his desk, facing a tidy but daunting stack of paperwork. Business had just begun to return to normal after the chaos surrounding the Aizen debacle, and the serious injuries both he and his lieutenant had suffered only compounded the problem. Being behind drove Byakuya crazy, but it wasn’t just his work that was bothering him. Somehow, something else felt unfinished, but what that was exactly was dangling just out of reach of his consciousness. He tried to concentrate, but his pen slipped and spattered ink across the page. With a silent curse he crumpled the paper and cast it into the empty wastebasket he seldom had the need for. He closed his eyes, trying to relax his furrowed brow and cleanse his mind of thoughts, but it was feelings, not thoughts, that were distracting him. He should have been able to suppress the beginnings of emotion before they even registered, but he found he could not. They bubbled up to mar the calm surface of the clear pool of his inner world, forming an image out of recent memory: Abarai Renji, his fiery hair pooling about his body like the blood he lay in, eyes fierce with a resolve unbroken by defeat. Again Byakuya felt the sensation grip him, a profound and conflicted intermingling of feelings, some of which he barely recognized as belonging to him…

“Taichou!” a familiar voice barked, and Byakuya’s eyes snapped wide open. Renji took a step back; it threw him off to see the usually imperturbable man appear so startled, almost embarrassed. Before the lieutenant could let out his breath, however, Byakuya had composed himself completely.

“Renji.” There was something unusual about the captain’s tone, but Renji couldn’t put his finger on it.

“I just thought I’d bring you some – ” Renji was struck suddenly by the way the moonlight illuminated the sleek black hair and the gleaming kenseikan that bound it. In that moment Byakuya seemed to be composed entirely of soft light and stark shadows…such ethereal beauty disarmed him.

“—uh, tea.” Renji finished, flustered. He quickly set the cup down on the desk, hoping the captain couldn’t detect the slight trembling of his hand that almost made the steaming liquid slosh over the rim and onto Byakuya’s meticulous work.

Byakuya’s face didn’t change, but he took the drink gingerly and immediately took a long sip. He was exhausted, Renji realized. Only with the recent chain of events had he begun to understand the burden that the older man carried and the strain he hid behind his aloof countenance.

“Thank you,” Byakuya said, setting the cup down and once again taking up his pen. It was a signal for his subordinate to leave, but Renji lingered.

“It’s late, Taichou. I was wonderin’ how long you were plannin’ to work tonight. I know you don’t wanna, but you need rest. You still haven’t completely recovered from your wounds.”

Byakuya raised one eyebrow as if to say that he had more than recovered, thank you, and that Renji should speak for himself.

Renji looked away. “Well I’m gonna head off to bed.”

Byakuya took another silent sip of his tea, but he didn’t take his eyes off the lieutenant. “Goodnight, Renji.”

Dammit! Renji thought as he closed the door behind him. Why does he always have to make things so damn awkward? They had never exactly been friends, but now that they had faced each other as enemies, a fog of unresolved tension had settled over their every interaction. Renji had grown accustomed long ago to the icy glares and disdainful words, but this was different. He couldn’t tell how Byakuya’s estimation of him had changed, or if it even had. Though Byakuya had ultimately come around to Renji’s point of view, the fact remained that the lieutenant had defied his captain and misjudged his character. Now that he understood Byakuya’s motivations better, Renji felt slightly ashamed of his rash actions. Not that he had done the wrong thing, he was sure of that, but he wondered whether he had done it the wrong way. Had he heard an extra helping of condescension in the noble’s voice as he pronounced his name? Or…could it possibly have been a trace of tenderness?

No, no, no! Renji thought. I can’t kid myself like that. Facing out from the balcony, he looked down at the lamplit streets of the Seireitei below him, and beyond that, Rugonkai…and above it all, the thin pale moon. He could not understand how two people could work together so closely and yet maintain such an insurmountable gulf between them, which he was not sure was growing or receding. Certainly it had widened as their ideological conflict had come to a head, and yet, in certain moments since then, the barrier had seemed to give way ever so slightly, like a veil fluttering in the wind. It was these fleeting glimpses that fed Renji’s desire. He wanted to have physically what he knew he could never have emotionally – that is, nothing between them. He sighed and turned around to leave, then stopped with a start as he found himself face to face with the very object of his thoughts. “K-kuchiki-taichou!” he stammered.

Byakuya looked only slightly surprised to see his lieutenant loitering outside his door. “Is there something you want, Renji?”

You bet there is, Renji thought, imagining himself pouncing on the unsuspecting Byakuya and pinning him against the door with a passionate kiss. How glorious it would be to cup that porcelain jawline in his hand, to weave his fingers thorough that night-black hair, to gleefully and spitefully and lovingly defile the captain’s untouchable dignity with his own raw and feral passion. Except, he realized suddenly, he was not imagining this at all. He was kissing Byakuya, and rather intensely at that.

Now you’ve done it, Renji you fool, he scolded himself as his tongue explored the warm recesses of his astonished captain’s mouth. You’re going to get yourself Senbonzakura’d to shreds again. But in that moment, it was worth it. Byakuya wasn’t exactly kissing back, but that didn’t matter. Just the sweetness of penetrating those perfect lips was enough. Renji kept his eyes closed, fearing that if he opened them he would wake from a dream – and also fearing to see the look on Byakuya’s face. At any rate, his other senses were giving him plenty to work with: the softness of that impeccable hair with its aroma of opulence, the flawless skin surprisingly warm under his fingers. Renji had his captain right where he wanted him, he realized with a thrill of delight. He had never felt so powerful in his life, and this heightened his growing arousal as his hand glided beneath edges of the noble’s robes.

Unfortunately for Renji, his newfound supremacy was short lived. Suddenly he was falling forward as Byakuya’s free hand grappled for the doorknob and the door swung back open into the room, taking the two shinigami with it. The impact broke Renji’s hold on Byakuya; he opened his eyes, and their mouths parted. If he kills me right now, Renji thought, at least I’ll go with no regrets. Finally daring to look, Renji saw the slight pink flush in the captain’s cheeks, and in those bottomless eyes, a glimmer of…what?

“I suppose I should not be surprised by your want of restraint, Renji,” Byakuya said as he pushed the door shut, “but if we are to proceed, it would be unwise to do so in such a conspicuous location.” Before Renji even had time to process the other man’s words, Byakuya was returning his lieutenant’s kiss with an intensity that betrayed real feeling. Even if his tongue hadn’t been otherwise occupied, Renji would have been dumbstruck by three simultaneous realizations: one, that he was still alive; two, that the notorious ice prince seemed capable of genuine passion; and three, that he enjoyed being kissed by Kuchiki Byakuya even more than he enjoyed kissing him.

As Renji recovered from his blissful shock and responded to Byakuya’s advance, they shared a moment of heated chaos: tongues fighting for dominance, ravenous hands moving of their own accord, robes loosening and falling open around sculpted shoulders. Then, before he realized it was happening, Renji was on his back, pinned to the floor and completely bereft of control. Renji’s eyes widened; Byakuya’s narrowed. “Really, Renji,” he said archly, “don’t tell me you expecting it the other way around.” He slipped a finger under the band that held back Renji’s hair and snapped it in two, letting the brilliant locks cascade over the floor as he moved in for another kiss with fierce, efficient grace.

Now Byakuya’s own hair was unbound and both shinigami were stripped to the waist. Byakuya’s tongue began tracing Renji’s tattoos with incredible lightness, lingering at a chiseled collarbone, a taut nipple, the contours of flexed abdominals. Though his tongue was warm, its electricity sent shivers over Renji’s body. It flickered along the edge of Renji’s waistband and paused there mischievously. Then Byakuya raised his head and just looked at the lieutenant for a minute, drinking in his body with his eyes. For a moment Renji appeared transfixed by the deep blue-gray gaze; then his arm shot out to untie the captain’s hakama in one swift pull. Byakuya’s eyes widened for an instant as the garment fell down around his ankles. So did Renji’s, but for a different reason.

“Caught ya off guard, eh Taichou?” Renji started to say, but he was silenced by aristocratic lips against his own. Byakuya undid Renji’s sash with one hand and buried the other in his scarlet hair as he deepened the kiss. Renji had given up hope of regaining dominance; it was enough to know that he of all people had reduced the aloof Kuchiki heir to this primal state. Byakuya’s tongue had recommenced its calligraphic dance down his lieutenant’s body, now unencumbered by clothing, continuing downward and taking Renji’s erection into his mouth. Renji moaned and arched into the motion that sent hot waves of pleasure coursing though him. You bastard, Kuchiki, he thought as Byakuya deftly teased his arousal to new heights, you’ve totally done this before. Once again the fear he might be dreaming seized him, but never in his most private fantasies had he dared imagine this sweet delirium. Just as he was up against the very brink of release, Byakuya pulled back.

“What the hell?!” Renji cried breathlessly. “What’dja stop for?! Don’t torture me like that, Bya – gaaah!” In his indignation he had sat up too quickly, allowing Byakuya to flip him in one quick maneuver. Renji suddenly found himself face down, still throbbing with need.

“It seems you have forgotten your place, Abarai-fukutaichou,” said Byakuya, as first one, then two slick and slender fingers prepared Renji for what was to come. Even now, Byakuya’s voice kept its collected, commanding tone, but its refined edge had given way to a lustful hunger. “Do you remember when I told you the difference between you and me?”

“Yeah,” Renji answered weakly, between gasps of painful pleasure. “Level.”

“You will find, Renji, that in some things, there are only two levels. Yours – ” Renji cried out as his captain entered him, “ – and mine.” Renji’s body burned with the delicious ache of Byakuya filling him, rocking him, pressing up against the deep core of his desire. He squeezed his tearing eyes shut and his breath came in ragged moans as Byakuya drove hard into him again and again. Somewhere, he felt hands, lips, teeth, nails, heaven, pain, more heaven…everything blurring in the blinding pleasure. Years of being disparaged, reprimanded, and even imprisoned now seemed to Renji like torturous foreplay leading up to this impossible yet inevitable moment. His whole body belonged to Kuchiki Byakuya, and Renji couldn’t have wanted anything more. Their rhythm quickened, and their glistening, quaking bodies seemed to fuse together, scarcely able to contain the rising energy between them. Renji braced himself as his captain’s thrusts intensified, feeling the heat within him breach its threshold. “Byakuya – !” he managed to cry, wracked by the throes of climax. For an instant they were equals as they both came at once and collapsed on the thin carpet of discarded clothing.

They lay there, damp and fatigued and silent, as their breathing gradually returned to normal. Finally, feeling confident that it was safe to move of his own volition, Renji looked up to meet his captain’s eyes. Byakuya looked spent, and absolutely radiant. Renji had never seen him look so beautifully human. For someone who had just been ravished, Renji was feeling exceedingly proud of himself. “Well, what did you think, Kuchiki-taichou?” he asked, flashing a roguish grin. “Was I captain material?”

“Don’t be cheeky, Renji,” replied Byakuya before kissing his forehead with a touch as soft as a single cherry blossom.

Renji closed his eyes. His life had just gotten amazingly better. And, he realized, much more complicated. How were they supposed to keep this under wraps? Could he make it back to his room unseen? Where were his clothes, anyway? Oh, yeah.“Um, am I supposed to go back to my room in…this?” Renji asked, lifting up one rather wrinkled and less-than-clean sleeve of the robes they had substituted for sheets.

Byakuya looked down at his own uniform and once-pristine white captain’s cloak, which had also seen better days. Trailing a smooth hand across his lieutenant’s shoulders, he replied, “That depends on whether you decide to go back to your room.”

Renji managed to mask his giddy delight with his well-honed sarcasm. “Somehow I get the feeling this isn’t really my decision.”

“Catching on, are we?” Byakuya smirked. “You always have been a fast learner, Renji.”

Renji just smiled. Sex and a compliment from Byakuya in one night.

He wasn’t sure which surprised him more.

[aion-rsa]

Doctor Who Series 13: Jodie Whittaker Leaving Rumours, the Next Doctor, and the Future

https://ift.tt/2SweahO

Jodie Whittaker is fast approaching that three-season milestone at which most Doctors pull the inter-dimensional rip-cord and eject themselves from the TARDIS. Speculation has swirled around her, as it does for most Doctors, from the very start of her tenure, and now, more than ever, there’s the strong scent of Regeneration in the wind. So, will Whittaker leave at the close of series 13? And if so, will any of her companions remain to bridge the gap between eras? Might showrunner Chris Chibnall also hang up his sonic-shaped pen? The BBC is playing its cards characteristically close to its chest, so divining the answers to these questions is not unlike trying to unlock the mystery of the Doctor’s real name.

There was an ample reminder of the BBC’s zeal for secrecy when Who-newcomer and beloved Liverpudlian John Bishop – cast last year as companion Dan – was rebuked for revealing during an online Q&A that his character, too, would be Liverpudlian. If the BBC don’t want you to know that a Liverpudlian might be playing a Liverpudlian, then this is going to be a bumpy ride. But let’s strap in, brace for impact, and see what’s (or Who’s) out there…

Jodie Whittaker on leaving

Everyone has their favourite Doctors, and not-so favourite Doctors. Jodie Whittaker is not alone in having had love and scorn heaped upon her in equal measure, a phenomenon that has touched most actors to have taken on the role, with the possible exception of Tom Baker and David Tennant, who stand as almost deified in their respective eras.

It’s clear, though, that Jodie Whittaker has loved every moment of being the Doctor, and of being embraced by the show’s fandom, telling the Telegraph in November 2020: “If you bump into a Whovian, it genuinely makes both of your days. There’s something emotional, poetic and very humbling about being in the show, because you’re a little tiny jigsaw piece of something that is so precious to so many people.” It’s perhaps understandable, then, that her response to the speculation around her departure was to say: “To even question an end point would be too upsetting.”

Or, to parrot one of her predecessors: “I don’t want to go.”

Where’s the evidence?

Over the last eighteen months, rumours that Jodie Whittaker will be leaving after season 13 have been endlessly shared and repeated. These rumours were reported as fact by some media outlets earlier in the year, though the BBC has steadfastly refused either to confirm or deny them. It does, however, seem more likely than not that 13 will be 13’s last; a supposition based upon the ‘Who Rule of Three’ and the unignorable sound of drums gathering pitch and pace across the internet.

In the hunt for ‘evidence’, dead-ends and red-herrings abound. IMDb currently reveals no projects rumoured or in pre-production for Jodie Whittaker beyond her TARDIS tenure, but, then, actors keeping contractual secrets would be fools to release their schedules onto one of the most comprehensive entertainment databases ever to have existed. So no help there.

The Mirror newspaper recently reported that the front-cover of the 2022 Doctor Who annual would be Doctor-less for the first time in its 57-year-history. Could this be a clue? Not likely. The people at Penguin Random House – the annual’s publishers – made it clear that the thirteenth Doctor will feature heavily throughout the publication.  So whether the new cover is simply a radical redesign, a yielding to the purchasing power of this era of the show’s vocal detractors; or a shrewd marketing move designed to have the product promoted for free in the press, it doesn’t actually tell us very much about the likelihood of the 13th Doctor’s exit.

Peter Capaldi’s Trouser Clue

We might, however, be looking for clues in all the wrong places. Peter Capaldi deduced that he’d be handing over the TARDIS keys to a woman a few days before the BBC officially broke the news to him: thanks to his tailor.       

At a New York Comic Con panel in 2017, Capaldi told the audience: “I went into Paul Smiths, which is a very wonderful clothes shop in London where I buy my suits, and everybody knows me in there. And they said, ‘We just got a call,’ they said, ‘from the Doctor Who office saying, ‘Can we have a pair of [Peter’s] trousers, but with a waist size thirty?’ … And I thought, ‘Well, that can’t really be a man with a thirty-inch waist. That must be a lady then’.”

Staking out Jodie’s tailor probably won’t prove fruitful, though. Knowing the BBC, they’ve probably plugged that potential leak by sub-contracting Jodie’s wardrobe out to a mute grandma living alone in a fortress atop the Himalayas.    

Read more

TV

Doctor Who: the behind-the-scenes causes of regeneration

By Mark Harrison

TV

Doctor Who: Which New Doctors Are Now Canon?

By Chris Farnell

Will the Doctor Regenerate in 2022?

Series 13 will consist of eight episodes, set to begin airing later this year. The Mirror reports that there will be two specials in 2022, although it isn’t clear whether these will be in addition to this year’s 8,  or whether we’ll see a split of 6 episodes in 2021 with the 2 specials being held over for 2022. A special – Christmas Day, New Year’s Day or otherwise – has become the traditional arena for regeneration, so if Whittaker is leaving, it’s likely that her final scene will come at the end of that rumoured second special.

Many think that the greatest evidence for Whittaker remaining as the Doctor until at least 2023 is our proximity to Doctor Who‘s upcoming 60th anniversary. After all, it would seem a shame to bow out before a big milestone, and it could be daunting to saddle a new Doctor with spearheading such a significant celebration. Still, the timey-wimeyness of it all means that even should Whittaker leave in 2022 there’s no reason she couldn’t make an appearance in an anniversary episode, perhaps alongside a few other previous incarnations. And 2022 marks the 100th anniversary of the BBC itself, so it’s hard to imagine that the show won’t be doing something extra special to mark that, given that it owes its very existence and longevity to the broadcaster (Michael Grade notwithstanding). Whenever she leaves, 13 could easily have her cake and eat it.

Will Chris Chibnall leave after Series 13?

When Bradley Walsh and Tosin Cole left at the end of ‘Revolution of the Daleks‘, Mandip Gill’s Yaz stayed behind. Yaz has been one of the new era’s most underdeveloped characters, so it made sense that she would get her chance to shine and grow in a less crowded environment, sharing companion duties only with John Bishop’s newly teased Dan. But as her character and her story seems so intrinsically linked to the Doctor herself, with the promise of more in-depth exploration to come in series 13, when/if the Doctor leaves, will Yaz’s story also draw to a close? Will only Dan remain with a foot in two TARDISes? All speculation at this point, and it very much hinges on which direction the writers take Yaz in this next clutch of episodes.

Showrunner Chris Chibnall – a lifelong fan of the show and, prior to his appointment as big chief, a long-standing writer for both Doctor Who and Torchwood – has been at least as divisive a figure in Who fandom as 80s helmsman Jonathan Nathan-Turner. Rumours regarding his possible departure have circulated with just as much frequency as those surrounding Whittaker. When asked about series 13, Chris Chibnall told the Radio Times: “I do know I’m coming back for a third season. Yeah, absolutely.” Within those words, if you look hard enough, exists the implied absence of certainty around future seasons, but perhaps that’s getting rather too Da Vinci Code about the whole thing.

While the stewardships of previous showrunners Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat spanned two Doctors each, this doesn’t mean that Chris Chibnall is guaranteed a crack at the 14th Doctor. Should Chibnall leave after season 13, among the writing team perhaps only Pete McTighe – who wrote ‘Kerblam!‘ And co-wrote ‘Praxeus‘ – has the experience to take over as showrunner, given his stint over-seeing the award-winning Australian prison-drama Wentworth. 

How might 13’s Regeneration Happen?

Each of the modern Doctors has met their end in the service of some great sacrifice, either to protect a companion or to save if not the universe then at least a world within it. It’s unlikely that 13’s exit will be any different. It’s simply a question of against whom or what she’ll be fighting when her time comes.

Though it may be too soon for the Master to be directly responsible for the undoing of yet another Doctor so soon after 12’s John-Simm-shaped downfall, it’s likely that the Master will at the very least influence the direction of 13’s regeneration. Sacha Dhawan has expressed enthusiasm at the idea of returning, though nothing, as you would expect, has yet been confirmed. Or denied.

The revelations in ‘The Timeless Children‘, controversial though they proved for some fans, are perhaps too epoch-shaking and era-defining not to play a part in 13’s swansong, and it may well be that the shadowy Division – the Time Lord’s very own version of Starfleet’s Section 31 – will be complicit in the Doctor’s fall.

Another question presents itself: now that the Doctor knows she has infinite regenerations, might it make her more reckless? Might she start to see her body more like an easily changeable suit than a thing of flesh and blood? Might she regenerate multiple times before becoming the 14th Doctor, a la The Curse of Fatal Death, and what on earth would we call the 14th Doctor – who wouldn’t really be the 14th Doctor at all – if that happened?          

Who’s in the running for the next Doctor?

Many of the same actors tipped as possible replacements near the end of Capaldi’s run have reappeared in the Regeneration rumour mill, including firm favourites Michaela Coel, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Michael Sheen, David Harewood, Richard Ayoade and the indefatigable Kris Marshall. Joining them this time are Line of Duty alumni Kelly MacDonald and Vicky McClure, and It’s a Sin front-man Olly Alexander. It could be that one of them, or none of them get the call. The next Doctor could just as easily be Jo Martin’s fugitive Doctor, who’s been hiding in plain sight all along.

Really though, as with all things connected with the show at this stage of its cycle: Who knows?

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Doctor Who Series 13 will air on BBC One later this year.

The post Doctor Who Series 13: Jodie Whittaker Leaving Rumours, the Next Doctor, and the Future appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3h7A1nM

[julia-bernardo]

Convenience, At What Cost?

"Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy." Psalm 96:11-12

With the extreme changes in environmental conditions with a higher frequency of disastrous events, we are called to change our lifestyle and habits before it is too late. Good day, I am Julia Bernardo and I have written this blog entry in order to reassess my current habits, and further call on others to do the same and advocate for eradicating the widespread exhaustion of our natural resources, also known as 'throwaway culture'.

Feel free to either keep reading along this blog post or access a PDF version of this entry here.

💖🌿🍂

How throwaway culture affects each and every one of us, and why we need to pay attention to this issue.

By: Julia Maria M. Bernardo // 2MBIO3 // College of Science

The last cup of coffee we bought from the nearby café, the takeout we ate for lunch, and that order that arrived from our recent purchase from an online store. Such mundane things, almost habitual– we have grown so accustomed to our current way of living that we have forgotten the impact it creates on others, and even more, on the world itself. Often, we forget that the world and its resources are finite. These resources we continually use would pile up as trash somewhere, affecting ecosystems and contributing to the eventual collapse that would affect us all one day.

The ongoing over-consumption, exploitation, and abuse of natural resources is also known as “throwaway culture”. So why exactly is this a pressing issue? Why should we, even as students, be concerned about it? Will I even make a difference if I’m the only one doing it? These questions may seem overwhelming and the thought of abandoning habits we have grown accustomed to may seem daunting, but let’s tackle these things one at a time.

Well, turns out, throwaway culture is indeed something that we urgently need to pay attention to, and rightfully so. According to peer-reviewed studies, global temperature is expected to rise up to 4°C within this century should current trends on the emission of greenhouse gases continue. This not only causes changes in climate, but land and ocean life, sea levels, and many ecosystems are expected to collapse within this timeframe. Different aspects of our lifestyle such as the use of private transportation and constantly using disposable items contribute to the accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs). As trash degrades in landfills, methane and nitrous oxide are released into the atmosphere. On a larger scale, companies with unsustainable practices or those that mass produce single-use products are culprits as well, as industrial activity greatly contributes to global warming.

One of the most prominent issues that both science and religion agrees on is the conservation of the Earth. According to Pope Benedict XVI on his speech during the World Day of Peace in 2007, “Experience shows that disregard for the environment always harms human coexistence, and vice versa. It becomes more and more evident that there is an inseparable link between peace with creation and peace among men”. This further presses on the issue that advocating for sustainable living and care for the environment is a communal effort. Likewise, in the Caritas in Veritate by Pope Benedict XVI, “The protection of the environment, of resources and of the climate obliges all international leaders to act justly and to show a readiness to work in good faith, respecting the law and promoting solidarity with the weakest regions of the planet.” We must be conscious of our actions, as the continuous abuse and exploitation that happens are sure to harm us as well, while having a greater impact on the less fortunate who may not have the means to adapt to the changing environment.

In the Bible, mention of God’s grace through his creation has also been included, such as in Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”. Everything that we have are given to us by God’s grace and manifests His unending love for us. By doing practices that harm or neglect these gifts, we reject not only God’s presence, but we also fail to consider how his other creations are affected; this includes human beings, which he equally loves regardless of any physical, social, or economic divisions.

So, what exactly can we do, and will a change in an individual make a tangible change in our current reality? The simple answer is yes. Time and time again, we always hear the phrase that “change starts from within”. By reevaluating our lifestyle, we can switch to other alternatives without really sacrificing anything. While it may seem less convenient, it is a small price to pay for lessening our contribution to the growing landfills. However, this change does not stop in our individual lives. It is vital that we advocate for environmental causes, calling on companies that largely contribute to industrial waste and pollution. Likewise, influencing the people around us to do the same may seem like a small action, but has great consequences in terms of reducing the generated waste.

With the culmination of Church teachings and scientific methods that explicitly provides effective means to save the Earth, may the next generation continue to enjoy the same resources and safe environment that we do today.

References:

Caritas et Veritate, n.d. Retrieved from: http://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate.html

Catholic Social Teaching on Care for Creation and Stewardship of the Earth. [PDF]. Retrieved from: https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/environment/environmental-justice-program/upload/Environmental-Primer.pdf

Theology 4, Unit 1 – Spirituality of Mercy

Theology 4, Unit 2 – Dialogue with the Poor

UCAR, 2020. Predictions of Future Global Climate. Retrieved from: https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/climate-change-impacts/predictions-future-global-climate#:~:text=During%20the%2021st%20Century%2C%20computer,Celsius%20(1.8%C2%B0%20F)

[nagdabbit]

A HANDY DANDY GUIDE TO WRASSLIN

For the lovely, the wonderful, the incomparable @gideongrace​ , may I present: Daggs’ Guide to the Wild Ass World of Professional Wrestling! (and it’s goin’ behind a cut because It Got LONG!)

So, here is the things. Wrestling is STUPID. And great? And fun as hell! And the most carny sport to ever exist. But, also SUPER inside baseball a lot of the time just because it’s got such a long goddamn history that it can seem daunting to get into. Like I’ve only been back into it the last four or so years, so there’s a lot of history that I’ve missed! There’s also a whole lot of gate keeping, just like comics or video games. There’s also the bitter truth that a lot of people in the industry are absolute shitheels that should have been fired long ago (and I’ll only be vague about a lot of that). So, yeah. A WHOLE LOT.

First things first: HISTORY. There’s just so much. But, conveniently? You don’t need it. It can be fun if you end up really like wrestling, but contrary to what a bunch of middle-aged, racist, misogynist and WILDLY homophobic, White American Men will tell you, you don’t actually need it to enjoy yourself. If you DO want history, might I suggest the How2Wrestling podcast! It is a cheerful, lovely show hosted by two goddamn delightful humans, Kefin and Jo (who are also just wonderful people to interact with in general)! There is also the Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling by Aubrey Sitterson and Chris Moreno, which is a great read! Wrestlesplania is another good show for history of the sport and the wrestlers! They’re definitely, uh, hornier, but v fun!

Secondly: On the subject of inside baseball, wrestling jargon is a whole thing. The ONLY part of wrestling history that is 100% important: it is a carny sport. Like, some side-show, vaudeville ass shit, yo. And it has never evolved from that, so there are a whole lot of terms used that are very specific to like... early 1900′s carnival culture. Here is a wikipedia article, but there’s also a wonderful How2Wrestling episode about it all! I’ll try not to use much!

Thirdly: We can’t talk about wrestling podcasts without mentioning Colt Cabana’s The Art of Wrestling. A lot of the archives are behind a paywall now, but the show is great. If you DO get into wrestling and start to find wrestlers you enjoy, I highly highly suggest checking to see if they’ve done an episode. Colt is a goddamn delight of a human, deserving of support and a great interviewer on top of it. Even if you just bookmark eps you’d wanna listen to and then start a free trial to marathon them all. (See also: the Colt Cabana & CM Punk lawsuit(s), in which Colt got royally fucked over.)

Fourthly: Nobodies Watching Wrestling. Drag Queens watching wrestling. That’s all you need to know. Even out of context, they’re goddamn delightful humans. Might I recommend this episode with EFFY, because I sometimes just watch it when I’m having a bad day.

Fifthly: Tights & Fights is a great weekly wrestling pod, and is how I keep up on a lot of things that I might not be watching. PLUS, diverse group of (wonderful) hosts: Hal Lublin, Daniel Radford, Lindsey Kelk, Open Mike Eagle, and producer Julien Burrell. They’re just great. And horny, at times, but in a charming and respectful way.

Now... The boring part. I’m just gonna get some of the popular company introductions out of the way, and then the fun part of So Many Match Suggestions at the bottom. But, business first! (The Big difference between Larger Companies and Independent Companies is that the big guys have a contracted roster of people who sometimes can work with other companies [unless they’re the WWE, who have exclusive contracts and still call their employees Independent Contractors so they don’t have to offer health insurance or a union], and indie guys contract people usually show-by-show. ALSO, there is intergender wrestling [men vs women, which does bother a lot of people. I do side with support of it, but I do totally get how it can be hard to watch] in indie shows, whereas there is NOT in 90% of the big companies.)

(And, honestly, if you wanna skip this part, you can, but if I don’t do it first, I’ll forget..)

AN OVERVIEW OF THE BIG PLAYERS

WWE - Here’s the thing. The WWE kinda... is a terrible capitalist bastard of a company, run by a morally bankrupt, egomaniacal, shitstain, roid-rage cryptkeeper of a man. And, if you want my personal opinion, RAW and Smackdown are both (currently) TERRIBLE shows, despite having some truly phenomenal talent. BUT, but. NXT (and NXT UK) is probably the best, like, weekly wrestling show (on TV, at least, but we’ll get there). The talent is INCREDIBLE, the storylines are less bad bananas, and they’ve adopted a LOT of the best indie talent lately (because they want to directly compete with AEW, but that’s a whole other thing). WWE programming is also the easiest to get a hold of because they are the longest running and basically Disney, so there are some full matches on YouTube, and Raw and NXT are available on Hulu. They are also releasing a lot of free stuff on the WWE Network that you can watch without signing up for a paid account, but there is a lot of stuff behind a pay wall.

Cons: Real Talk, run by a bunch of terrible people. Responsible for covering up a lot of truly reprehensible crimes for which no one was held accountable, despite being well documented. A blatant disregard for the (physical and mental) safety and/or financial security of a lot of their roster--specifically the people you don’t see on TV. (If you want some history, you can look through the past tweets of the New York 64 Tournament, but a lot of it turned my stomach, so I would not suggest, but it’s there if you have the same morbid curiosity that I did)

Pros: The company might be run by terrible people, but their roster is good. A lot of my top wrestlers do work for the WWE, sure, but they do hire a lot of decent humans that I sometimes feel bad about not supporting. Also, it is the dream of a lot of people to join WWE simply because of the prestige, the massive audience, and job security. I might hate Vince but I can’t begrudge any wrestler currently working for them.

NXT Pros: On the subject of rosters, NXT is LIT. But they have also stolen some of the best indie wrestlers recently: Mercedes Martinez and Jake Atlas, two of my All Time Favs. Both of whom deserve the world, because being openly gay in the wrestling industry is the pits.

All Elite Wrestling - AEW is a very new company, and they are my favourite of the big promotions. They are a company run by wrestlers, rather than a millionaire with a writing staff. I like the wrestling style(s) better, I was a huge fan of a lot of their roster before they hit TV last October, and I like not giving the McMahons money. The storylines are better, if only because they don’t have a writer’s room dictating scripts and such, and the characters are more fun (for me at least).

Easiest ways to watch for free: Their YouTube channel! There you can find a lot of highlights, behind the scenes, AEW Dark (the “dark” matches, or the non-televised matches from TV tapings), PPV pre-shows and a lot of stupid stuff.

Cons: A bit of an issue offering equal match time to the women’s roster the way they SAID they would at the start. A bit more violent of a style as a lot of the wrestlers came up death match style wrestling, or are from Japan/wrestled in Japan and typically wrestle “strong style” (wrestling style with less theatrics and known for Real Real Strikes that Hurt A Lot), which some people can find off-putting. Also, they hired Jake Hager, who is a real piece of shit.

Pros: Have a wonderfully diverse roster. Orange Cassidy. Sonny Kiss. Good storytelling. Jake The Snake Roberts doing Hella Promos. The Dark Order, who we affectionately refer to as the Spooky Perverts. Chris Jericho yelling at a Drone, and Matt Hardy being a wizard. A bunch of wrestlers who are married to other wrestlers who work for WWE, and good jokes are made.

BUT THE BIGGEST PRO-AEW THING I CAN PROVIDE: NYLA FUCKING ROSE. They didn’t make her the first women’s champion like they should have, but they put her in the first championship match on the FIRST episode of the weekly show, Dynamite, and she is now the CURRENT women’s champion. I don’t wanna make a big deal, only it is a BIG DEAL, because Nyla Fucking Rose is the first openly transgender wrestler signed to a major promotion, and if you think I didn’t fucking CRY LIKE A CHILD when she won, you’re wrong. So, yeah, a NATIONALLY TELEVISED WRESTLING PROGRAM’S CURRENT WOMEN’S CHAMPION IS A TRANSGENDER, FIRST NATIONS WOMAN. NYLA. FUCKING. ROSE.

As of right now, AEW seems to be done filming, which is both Very Smart and also heartbreaking, but you can find all the ways to watch over here on their site if it looks like fun!

WOW Women of Wrestling - Have you seen GLOW? This is a show created by the IRL creator of GLOW (the promotion the show is based on, not the show)! And it is? Incredible? The characters are fun and portrayed as superheroes, the stories are CAMP af, and the wrestling is GOOD. They’re a non-traditional show, which is fun. Their roster is made up of wrestlers playing different wrestlers. Wrestling is a bunch of super talented people playing characters while doing acrobatics. WOW gives us people playing characters, playing other characters, while also doing acrobatics.

Cons: All male announce team? On an all women’s show? Excuse? And also: Tessa Blanchard who is, it turns out, a great big racist. Also a little harder to get full episodes it seems.

Pros: Literally everything else.

Ring of Honor - For awhile ROH was handily competing with WWE. And then they weren’t. And then they got better. And then they got worse. And now, currently, they are a company that I hate supporting.

Cons: Run by assholes who don’t care about worker safety, and don’t put anything into the women’s division.

Pros: Sometimes they partner with New Japan Pro Wrestling. They’ve recently released a lot of goooood old matches including some Kevin Steen (currently WWE’s Kevin Owens) vs El Generico (definitely, 100% not at all, no way, no how, of course NOT WWE’s Sami Zayn [he is, this is another inside baseball joke that I’m just obligated to make every time I mention El Generico]) matches which are BRUTAL. Oh, and Dalton Castle:

Impact! - It’s back! I don’t watch it, but they DO have Rich Swann, so they can’t be bad. There is an entire history to Impact that is BANANAS. Like AEW, a bit more rough and tumble, scrappy death match folks, and I like a lot of the roster, like Taya Valkyrie, Jessika Havok and Sami Callihan. Not a bad show, but the full show weekly doesn’t hold my attention.

Cons: Tessa Blanchard, mostly. She is an incredible wrestler, her matches are good, but.

Pros: Pretty easy to watch, actually? I believe they’re still on Twitch, and they have an entire channel on Pluto TV.

New Japan Pro Wrestling - NJPW is GREAT. Definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. The shows are long, and strong style just... hurts. Like, a lot of wincing on my end. But the wrestling. Oh, lordy, the wrestling is incredible. But it is brutal. Strong Style wrestling is much different than the typical American style that you see in WWE, and a lot more grounded than high flying lucha styles. (Though a lot of wrestlers do travel to Mexico and train in lucha style wrestling (which I am the least familiar with), so currently there is a lot of the very high flying flippty dos and the absolutely brutal strikes that you see in strong style wrestling.)

Cons: Show/match length is typically long and there is A Lot to See. The only way I know to watch full shows is through their streaming service.

Pros: Just the whole thing, really. They release a free match on YouTube every Monday. Also, Toru Yano, the best wrestler in the world.

Indie Promotions that I know less about because I can afford only so many streaming services

Firstly, here is a Wiki list of wrestling streaming services. I’m gonna name a couple below, but the wiki page has a handy list of costs of the bigger ones because capitalism knows how to get you. (Personally, I only use IWTV at the moment. They’re a good company run by good people, and a lot of indie promotions would have died out without partnering with/support from them)

Beyond Wrestling - Beyond is My Favourite Promotion To Watch, Bar None. Their weekly show (when in season), Uncharted Territory, is fantastic. Diverse talent, diverse styles. They do have a lot of death matches, which can suck to watch if you aren’t into that sort of thing. I am, it turns out, into that sort of thing. But listening to interviews with a lot of death match wrestlers, specifically Jimmy Havoc, can help understand the w h y of it all! Available on IWTV.

Chikara - Chikara is So Fun! They are a (mostly) family friendly promotion and training school. Their shows are filled with young/newbie wrestlers as they learn the tricks. Run by Mike Quackenbush, who is a delightful person, BRILLIANT wrestler/trainer, and someone who is willing to take the safety of his people into account. He’s good people, who trains good people, and supports good people, and gives them a safe, open place to learn. It’s also very fun! A lot of comedy matches. Watch on: CHIKARAtopia or some of their archive is on IWTV.

EVE - An all-women promotion, providing a safe working and training environment for women and girls. They have put their foot in it on occasion, but they seem to still be good people. (I would recommend the Tights & Fights episode with founders Emily and Dann Read for a little backstory on the company, but not needed.) Ways to watch.

RIPTIDE - YO, RIPTIDE IS DOING THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SHIT. Cinematic wrestling, and it is great. The matches are good, the promos are good, the people are good. But the way they film it oh my god holy shit. When everything is a little less hectic, they are people I am definitely gonna support as much as I can. Watch here.

A Matter of Pride - Here’s the thing. They have put on some very good, inclusive shows. However, some serious allegations have come out about Rick Cataldo, who is involved with the company, and I think it’s important to mention. They have done a lot of good in the world of prowrestling and they put on good shows and they have given a platform to people who might otherwise have been pushed aside, however bad things have still happened there. Watchable on YouTube.

OTHER NOTABLE INDIE COMPANIES

GCW (IWTV, Fite TV & Smartmark) * Black Label Pro (IWTV) * Prime Time Pro Wrestling (IWTV) * Uncanny Attractions * RISE (IWTV) * Bar Wrestling * PWG * Stardom * Bizarro Lucha (IWTV) * OTT

There is also NWA Power that is a good show on YouTube, however, they immediately hired (and now fired for being racist) Jim Cornette who is... just an absolute jackass. But I do feel I should mention them.

Is that over? Yes? Well..

NOW THE FUN PART. THIS IS MY MOMENT. THIS IS THE ONLY PART THAT REALLY MATTERS.

So. The thing is. Wrestling is A Lot. SO, I’m gonna give you as wide a variety as I can! I’ll point out some fun people, some fun gimmicks and HOPEFULLY won’t completely turn you off! If you enjoy any of these, then the dumb stuff up above is useful!

First! The most important wrestling match of All Time. Invisible Man vs Invisible Stan. This is everything you need to know about the beats of good wrestling, but also why wrestling is fun. There are two people in this match: Referee Bryce Remsburg and the audience. And that’s it. This is literally just a referee (but it’s Bryce, so the referee) miming a wrestling match, and an audience buying into the kayfabe wholeheartedly. (Inside baseball: Bad Boy Vision - “Bad Boy” Joey Janela’s [another wrestler] sunglasses)

One of my favourite matches in recent memory, AND one of the best matches sort of just in general! David Starr vs Jordan Devlin at OTT. Quintessential wrestling, fantastic storytelling, and one of the best promo packages I’ve ever seen. BONUS: David Starr is a GREAT human fighting day and night to unionize the wrestling industry. He’s the Bernie Sanders of professional wrestling.

I thought about putting an actual death match on the list, but the closest I will get is this Nick Gage vs Josh Briggs fans bring the weapons match. I chose this match because my very best friend does not like this style of wrestling at all, but he did enjoy this match. It’s a lot, obviously. But it’s not as bad as it could be, but there’s also no shame if it isn’t your thing. Hell, I don’t even know why it’s my thing! I don’t even like bloody horror movies! I will say that Nick Fuckin’ Gage is one of the most prolific death match guys still working today, and also one of the nicest, kindest, most beloved guys there is and I would die to protect him. MDK!

Okay, this is the single most beautiful match to exist. Cara Noir vs PAC (fka WWE’s Neville). This isn’t wrestling, this is art. Great story, no commentary, gorgeous camerawork. Bonus: Cara Noir has the most fantastic and well rounded gimmick (character) in the business. Have you seen Black Swan? That’s it. That’s his character. And it’s great. Nailed. It.

Oh, did you know David Arquette is a wrestler? HE IS! Here’s he and RJ City.

On the subject of WWE and NXT, this Halftime Heat match of Aleister Black, Ricochet & Velveteen Dream vs Johnny Gargano, Adam Cole & Tommaso Ciampa. These are six of the best wrestlers work, and definitely TOPS in the WWE system. SEE ALSO: Black & Dream put on a HELL of a program together at NXT, but it’s been boiled down to this highlight vid that gives me feelings. Gargano vs Andrade Cien Almas is one of THE BEST matches of all time and here is a shitty highlight reel, but it’s still good. Adam Cole is 1) incredible and 2) the prettiest possum in the Denny’s dumpster, have a Cole vs Finn Balor highlight reel. God, I wish it were easier to find WWE stuff on YouTube.. All these matches should be on Hulu, tho.

NEXT! Kris Statlander vs Davienne for Beyond. Kris Statlander is A Legend, despite being real new to the business. Currently wrestling for AEW, former stuntwoman and, most importantly, she’s an alien.

FREE FOR ALL TIME. Solo Darling vs Penelope Ford vs Veda Scott vs Ashley Vox. They didn’t have to go that hard, but they did.

SPEAKING OF. Kylie Rae, Penelope Ford, Kimber Lee & Skylar vs. Shotzi Blackheart, Harlow &Twisted Sisterz. I just? I love? All of them?

And not to mention Kris Statlander vs Priscilla Kelly. I mean, I mean. I cannot sing the praises of both of these women enough.

Okay, so I am really only passingly familiar with a lot of Japanese wrestling. Mostly got into it last summer, actually. I get it, I love it, but I’m not as well versed in the people involved. Two badasses I do know? Meiko Satomura vs Kana (WWE’s Asuka). Fucking legends, both of them. Hard hitters, too, jesus.

If you do get into NXT at all, Keith Lee and Donovan Dijak put on one fuck of a program together, but the story started long before they ever entered the WWE! Please enjoy this absolute hoss fight from a couple years back.

NOW, some intergender matches! If you think they aren’t your thing, feel free to skip!

A fun match of (current IRL romantic partners) Keith Lee vs Mia Yim from before either of them debuted at NXT. I believe they weren’t dating at this point, so the next part will really hit, cuz it’s romantic as shit... This was not the booked ending. Keith Lee didn’t kick out on purpose. (Which, I mean, is literally all wrestling endings, but.) Mia was booked to lose (at least they told her that), and he purposefully took the L and went out on his back, to surprise her and give her a MASSIVE push.

Leyla Hirsch vs David Starr. I just. I goddamn love Leyla Hirsch. A very young wrestler, very new to the industry and I just love her so much?

Two great, intense matches of Joey Janela, the patron saint of bad decisions. Versus Kris Statlander (I can’t get enough of her) and versus Jordynne Grace.

Orange Cassidy and Penelope Ford vs Shockwave and Veda Scott. Shockwave is a robot and Orange Cassidy is Paul Rudd in Wet Hot American Summer. I can give no other explanation.

COMEDY TIME, YO. Comedy wrestling is The Best. There’s a name, Orange Cassidy. Yeah, he’s very funny, and also the most divisive person in wrestling rn. He’s Paul Rudd. He knows he’s a wrestler. He’s lazy. And there’s one match that we need to get out of the way first...

Orange Cassidy vs David Starr. The thing is. Orange Cassidy can fucking wrestle. His gimmick might be that he doesn’t want to, but he can. And It. Is. Great.

Now we can get on with the funnies.

Orange Cassidy vs Colt Cabana. Not story needed. Just two dudes at a food festival. Oh, yeah, there’s also a Swamp Monster. We love Swampy.

Colt Cabana vs Toru Yano. It’s just. So. FUN.

You might know the name Joey Ryan as The Dick Flip Wrestler, or The King of Dong Style. His dick has magical powers, it’s a thing. Here’s he and Orange Cassidy.

Johnny Cockstrong is the opposite of Joey Ryan. Literally. Here’s him also vs Orange Cassidy.

Did you want to see a Dick Test of Strength between them? Well, it happened.

Back to RIPTIDE for (another intergender, kinda) Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate & Trent Seven vs Joey Ryan, Candice LeRae (the World’s Cutest Tag Team) & Colt Cabana.

Kinda almost but not really comedy but very funny and also full of good wrasslin’, here is EFFY vs Orange Cassidy. Pirated, technically, and in real low quality, but I Love It. EFFY is Daddy.

Now, you’ll notice not a lot of women in the comedy section. Real talk, women still tend to get treated as a joke by the wrestling industry at large, so they don’t get the luxury of being as funny as they want. But one woman out there doing the lord’s work is Session Moth Martina. Legend. Love her. Admittedly, another intergender match, but it makes me happy. Martina & Orange Cassidy vs Joey Janela & Penelope Ford (Janelope).

One of my All Time Favourite Matches to date, EFFY and Danhausen (Gaytanic Panic) vs Chris Dickinson and Pinkie Sanchez (Team Pazuzu). Yes, this is a Halloween show. Yes, the Ref IS dressed as Chris Dickinson. There are teeth, Jesus resurrects someone, Danhausen is in fishnets and Effy is in face paint. It’s great. Love that Danhausen.

And there we have it! A whole lot of information and a bunch of matches and some stuff. It’s real dumb, and sometimes the industry is dark, but there’s a lot of hella good people doing dumb things. I hope this was helpful?? And Fun! (But my feeling won’t be hurt if it wasn’t fun, I promise!)

I leave you with this, RJ City making coffee in his underwear with Danhausen. Completely out of context. Because I love it.

[your-dietician]

Jim Phelan's impact extended well beyond the basketball court | Sports

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/ncaa-basketball/jim-phelans-impact-extended-well-beyond-the-basketball-court-sports/

Jim Phelan's impact extended well beyond the basketball court | Sports

The basketballs still bounced in Memorial Gymnasium on the campus of Mount St. Mary’s University on Thursday evening less than 48 hours after the passing of legendary head coach Jim Phelan. The sneakers still squeaked, the jumpers were still on target, and the players still competed. The defending Northeast Conference Champions were competing in a mid-week pickup game in the old gym where Phelan had built the Mountaineer program. They competed just as hard as Phelan had coached for the 49 years he was the head coach on the beautiful campus just south of the Mason-Dixon line.

All of it just the way Coach would have wanted it.

Phelan won 830 games at the Mount in a career that spanned 49 years from 1954 until he retired after the 2002-03 season. Remarkable in any era and downright preposterous in today’s revolving door coaching world, Phelan coached them all at Mount. St. Mary’s. When Phelan took over in the spring of 1954, the program had won 471 games in its 45 seasons under 16 different head coaches. By the time Phelan coached his last game, the school had a basketball identity. The win total had nearly tripled under his guidance to 1,301.

At the time of his passing, no one has won more games at Mount St. Mary’s than Jim Phelan. That is not overly surprising considering he ranks 13th all-time on the NCAA wins list. But what I meant to say was that Jim Phelan has more wins at Mount St. Mary’s than everyone else – combined. His 830 victories are 112 more than the other 21 coaches have racked up.

Along the way, his teams reached the NCAA Division 1 Tournament twice, the NCAA Division 2 Final Four on five occasions, winning the national championship in overtime in 1962 over Sacramento State.

As mind-blowing as those numbers might be, they aren’t the most impressive numbers or the most important numbers. Those numbers lie in the 217 student-athletes that he coached and guided through the years. Doctors, lawyers, investment bankers, school administrators among them, many kept in close contact with Phelan throughout the years.

“I consider it one of the great blessings of my life,” former Mountaineer Tony Hayden said of playing for Phelan via telephone from his Philadelphia area home late this week. “I think his flexibility with people was something. He didn’t coach everyone the same way. He recognized some people needed more urging than others, and some you had to back off a little bit. He was a player’s coach.”

Phelan grew up in Philadelphia, had a standout career at LaSalle, and played briefly for the Philadelphia Warriors in the NBA before becoming a coach. His first coaching job was at his alma mater as an assistant for one season in 1953-54. LaSalle won the national championship that season. Phelan headed to Emmitsburg shortly after that and never left.

Hayden joined the team a year after the Mount made its first trip to the NCAA Big Dance, facing Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament the year before. In those press conferences before the tournament action, fans got to see a part of Phelan that Hayden thinks might have often been hidden, the fact that Phelan was “funny, really funny.”

His sense of humor was on display during the pre-tournament press conference. Matched up with the daunting task of playing the top-rated Wildcats, Phelan quipped, “Kentucky has ten McDonald’s All-Americans. I have ten guys that eat at McDonald’s.”

Always viewed as an offensive coach, players were more likely to earn a spot on the bench for the shot they failed to take rather than the one they missed.

Silas Cheung shot the 1995 team into the NCAA Tournament, lighting up Rider’s Alumni Gymnasium with 5 second-half trifectas en route to a 19-point NCAA bid NEC Tournament MVP producing effort.

“He’d say, ‘Silas, if you’re not going to shoot it, you might as well be next to me. That’s why you’re in there.” Cheung recalled.

Cheung also talked about a recent visit he shared with Phelan and his wife Dottie about a month and a half ago.

“He’s just so genuine. They both are just great people. Dottie is always so sweet. I am very thankful I got to see them recently.”

He recalled Phelan’s efforts and noted that he always made time for his players and that he led by example as much as with his words.

“He just wanted to make sure that he helped turn you into a good man, a good father, a good person. He helped you through things. If you fell, you got up. He always made sure he had the time for you,” Cheung said.

As word of Phelan’s death spread on Tuesday, many who knew him, played for him or against him, coached with him or on the opposite bench, took to social media to express their memories, sadness, and admiration for him. Among them was one of the Mount’s all-time greats Riley Inge, the starting point guard against Kentucky in that NCAA Tournament game. Inge shared a pair of stories that he had kept to himself until now about Phelan’s profound impact on his life. A summary of Inge’s Facebook post is included here with his permission:

Inge recalled that he joined the Mount mid-season during the school’s second semester and that he was joining classes midstream and, in some cases, continuations of first semester courses. He noted that his professors had concerns about the situation, and a meeting between Mount President Robert Wickenheiser, Phelan, himself, and various department heads occurred. He recalls being uncomfortable and feeling unwanted when Phelan says, “I get paid to coach and win basketball games. You all get paid to teach students. Riley’s a student here now. Teach him what he needs to know, and I guarantee you he will graduate with a degree from Mount St. Mary’s.”

The words gave Inge chills. He admits that at that moment, he had no intention of graduating. He was thinking about going to the NBA, having a productive career, and becoming a coach.

“But when he guaranteed my graduation, I felt like I couldn’t make him a liar and let him down.”

Inge graduated in 1998. Inge also noted that his graduation came two years after his eligibility expired but that Phelan made sure he had the opportunity even when he was no longer scoring baskets and winning games for him. A promise Inge said Phelan had made to his Inge’s mother. Inge concluded his post with the following,

I’m telling y’all he cared about his people and he was a special guy. If you were fortunate enough to know him or be coached by him, you were a lucky person. Again, thank you coach for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself. — Inge

Regardless of ability, frequently walk-ons don’t get much playing time on a college basketball team. Without a Division 1 scholarship offer upon graduating from St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia, Hayden received the same opportunity Phelan gave his players on scholarship — to earn his playing time. An option that might not have occurred with another coach. Hayden started from day one.

“He did things a little differently,” Hayden admitted. “He certainly charted his own course. Like with the bowtie.”

Ah, yes, the bowtie. Phelan’s signature bowtie. Out of respect for his college coach Ken Loeffler who wore a bowtie, Phelan wore a bowtie in his first game. The Mount won. So he wore it the next game. The Mount won again, and the tradition was born. He wore the bowtie for all but one season. He gave it up when his daughter said it was “gross”, but an uncharacteristic losing season brought the bowtie back the following year.

I always find that when you talk to coaches, particularly those nearing the end of their career or already done coaching, they remember the losses more than the wins. Those are the ones that are hard to shake. Phelan had a way of turning the page and moving on.

With Phelan that always seemed to be deeply tied to his love and devotion to his family. His wife Dottie and his five children have always been at the center of the equation for Phelan. It’s a fact that all of the players I spoke with in the recent days brought up.

Jamion Christian played for Phelan’s final three teams. Christian’s first head coaching job came at Mount St. Mary’s and he will enter his third season as the George Washington head coach this season. He said he attempts to bring many of the same things he saw with Phelan to his players.

“As a coach the way you live your life around your players and in front of your players is important. When you look at coach, the relationship he had with his family and the way he incorporated you within that family. He cared tremendously about you and cared about what was best for you. He would fight for that for you.” George Washington head coach Jamion Christian said.

My roots to the Mount are deep. Phelan’s 1981 team was a glorious group that hooked me. The offensive style and the excitement of Memorial Gymnasium, particularly the night of March 7, 1981 reeled me in. Two weeks shy of my 8th birthday, I was impressionable. And the sights that unfolded that evening were unreal.

Playing in the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional final against Elizabeth City State, the Mount saw a late lead evaporate and trailed by one with 2 seconds left and needed to go the length of the floor and score to survive and advance.

As Mark Purdy wrote in The Gettysburg Times on Monday following the win:

Coach Jim Phelan had a plan. So did (Dennis) Dempsey.

As the story goes, Dempsey wanted to attempt to draw a foul on the inbounds play by getting the defender to run into him. Phelan was simply designing a play to hope that a half-court heave fell in. Dempsey, who had unsuccessfully tried the play in practice earlier in the week, convinced Phelan it was worth a whirl. He was right. The Elizabeth City State defender plowed into Dempsey and the referee called the foul. Dempsey calmly made both free throws and a devastated ECSU team called a timeout it didn’t have. The Mount made more free throws and ran out the clock.

“We didn’t call the play. He called the play,” Phelan said of the heroics afterwards.

That made me a Mount fan.

But it’s that family culture that has kept me. A culture of family that Jim Phelan used to build his basketball program. It’s something that every individual I’ve talked to about Phelan in the last few days has at the front of their minds.

A family culture that is truly special. A family culture that is truly infectious. A family culture set in motion by a Hall of Famer in every way. A family culture that will continue.

“Our family culture is something that has been passed down at the Mount,” current head coach Dan Engelstad said on Friday. “Coach Phelan passed that down to Coach (Milan) Brown and gave him his blessing and he in turn passed that down to me. The family dynamic has always been important here. I want to keep that. Because a closer family makes for a more enjoyable journey. I want to make him proud, not just in words, but in the way I live it.”

Someday, and it might be sooner than later based on what I saw in that pickup game, the Mount will win for the 1,661st time in school history. With that win, all of the other coaches will finally have more wins than Jim Phelan.

As Mount St. Mary’s fans, we’ll do what we do with wins.

We’ll put a bowtie on it and remember how we got there.

(function(d, s, id) var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.5&appId=1550124928647000"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); (document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Source link

[cfijerusalem]

IMPASSE 2021.  Israelis head back to the Voting Booth

It seemed good to Darius [who became king after Belshazzar] to appoint over the kingdom 120 satraps who would be in charge throughout the kingdom, and over them three chief commissioners (of whom Daniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, so that the king would have no loss [from disloyalty or mismanagement]. Daniel 6:1-2 (Amp)

According to the Oxford dictionary, the word “impasse” is defined as “a situation in which no progress is possible, especially because of disagreement; a deadlock.” For the fourth time within a span of less than two years, those eligible to vote in Israeli elections will return to the polls just prior to Passover and attempt to establish a permanent, viable government session. This includes making a determination as to whether or not the tenure of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu should continue or if he should step aside from duties in an office he has retained for longer than anyone else in the history of the modern Jewish state.

Israeli legislative election ballot (CC BY 4.0, Wikipedia)

The dynamics for this battle seem to differ somewhat from the three trips to the polls the population took in 2019. This time, perhaps even more so, the elections seem to be a referendum on the Prime Minister with respect to his looming legal battles and whether he was fit to serve, based on presumed guilt or innocence in the circumstances, or whether his focus on his on self preservation in and of itself would compromise his ability to be effective as the leader of the strongest democracy in the Middle East.

His main adversaries now seem to be running from his right ideologically, as there is more pressure from nationalistic elements within the nation to push for sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. There needs to be more clarity regarding the decision making balance between COVID public safety measures and the domestic economic ramifications that are related to it, and an even more strident tone regarding Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas than his, if that is possible.

Some of the international advantage that the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has gained from the favor he has had with the United States, and the personal relationship he has had with the President may be ending. Israel will have to rely on more internal diplomatic mechanisms to maintain momentum from the Abraham Accords and other regional and international economic cooperation agreements (i.e. regarding the Mediterranean with Greece and Cyprus to name one).

As weakened a position as he is in, many of the other potential leaders of the nation still face the daunting task of creating a majority coalition of 61 out of 120 seats within the Israel Knesset government and it remains to be seen who will be able to deal and compromise enough to do so. Though it appears that Israel is more ideologically united since its major victories in military battle were realized, small minority factions could still hold many cards within the government when it comes time for President Rivlin to ask someone to form a government after the elections are over.

Then the king said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to the one [woman] and half to the other.” Then the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for she was deeply moved over her son, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; cut him!” I Kings 3:25-26 (Amp)

In Israel, as in many other democratic nations in the earth, the internal political dynamics of each nation seems to be becoming more and more adversarial, contentious, personal and even vindictive. “Scorched earth” is a term which alludes to a situation that rather than capitulating to your adversary, you are willing to destroy a process or institution, even if it includes your ability to ever serve or participate in it yourself, to spite your adversary.

We pray this is something those in Israeli political operations would never consider. In a future Insights, I will review the recent election cycle in the United States, which indirectly will affect Israeli affairs internationally. This cycle for that republic has been remarkably divisive and toxic and may simply be indicative of things to come governmentally for nations in general. Nations, including Israel, would do well to search for a Proverbs 8:16 type of leader: “By me, princes rule and nobles who judge rightly.”  

Believers praying for Israel and their own nation would do well to ask God for competent leaders who are looking out for the well-being of their societies as a whole, statesmen, not for those seeking self gratification by padding their own ego, material wealth or control of the masses. Joseph, Daniel, Mordechai, Hezekiah, and others come to mind as examples of leaders who were humble enough to serve in a manner that benefited their people or nation by first submitting to the ultimate authority of God, then being humble enough to implement any instruction or impression that came from Him in policy enactment and philosophy.

We hope that there are enough leaders that acknowledge the wisdom of Almighty God in their decision making regarding the rest of us, in Israel and beyond, to keep nation-states strong and vibrant, otherwise as Luke 11:17 (Amp) states “every kingdom divided against itself is doomed to destruction; and a house divided against itself falls,” will be an outcome we shall begin to witness more and more in the earth.

Reporting from Jerusalem,

Kim S. Brunson

[orbemnews]

Right here’s Why Distribution of the Vaccine Is Taking Longer Than Anticipated In Florida, lower than one-quarter of delivered coronavirus vaccines have been used, at the same time as older folks sat in garden chairs all evening ready for his or her pictures. In Puerto Rico, final week’s vaccine shipments didn’t arrive till the employees who would have administered them had left for the Christmas vacation. In California, docs are apprehensive about whether or not there shall be sufficient hospital employees members to each administer vaccines and have a tendency to the swelling variety of Covid-19 sufferers. These kinds of logistical issues in clinics throughout the nation have put the marketing campaign to vaccinate the USA towards Covid-19 far not on time in its third week, elevating fears about how rapidly the nation will be capable of tame the epidemic. Federal officers stated as just lately as this month that their purpose was to have 20 million folks get their first shot by the tip of this 12 months. Greater than 14 million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines had been despatched out throughout the USA, federal officers stated on Wednesday. However, in keeping with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, simply 2.8 million folks have acquired their first dose, although that quantity could also be considerably low due to lags in reporting. States range broadly in how most of the doses they’ve acquired have been given out. South Dakota leads the nation with greater than 48 % of its doses given, adopted by West Virginia, at 38 %. Against this, Kansas has given out lower than 11 % of its doses, and Georgia, lower than 14 %. Compounding the challenges, federal officers say they don’t absolutely perceive the reason for the delays. However state well being officers and hospital leaders all through the nation pointed to a number of components. States have held again doses to be given out to their nursing houses and different long-term-care services, an effort that’s simply gearing up and anticipated to take a number of months. Throughout the nation, simply 8 % of the doses distributed to be used in these services have been administered, with two million but to be given. The vacation season has meant that individuals are off work and clinics have decreased hours, slowing the tempo of vaccine administration. In Florida, for instance, the demand for the vaccines dipped over the Christmas vacation and is anticipated to dip once more over New Yr’s, Gov. Ron DeSantis stated on Wednesday. And critically, public well being specialists say, federal officers have left most of the particulars of the ultimate stage of the vaccine distribution course of, comparable to scheduling and staffing, to overstretched native well being officers and hospitals. “We’ve taken the folks with the least quantity of sources and capability and requested them to do the toughest a part of the vaccination — which is definitely getting the vaccines administered into folks’s arms,” stated Dr. Ashish Jha, the dean of Brown College’s Faculty of Public Well being. Federal and state officers have denied they’re guilty for the gradual rollout. Officers behind Operation Warp Velocity, the federal effort to fast-track vaccines, have stated that their job was to make sure that vaccines are made accessible and get shipped out to the states. President Trump stated in a tweet on Tuesday that it was “as much as the States to distribute the vaccines as soon as delivered to the designated areas by the Federal Authorities.” “Finally, the buck appears to cease with nobody,” Dr. Jha stated. These issues are particularly worrisome now {that a} new, extra contagious variant, first noticed in Britain and overwhelming hospitals there, has arrived within the U.S. Officers in two states, Colorado and California, say they’ve found circumstances of the new variant, and not one of the sufferers had just lately traveled, suggesting the variant is already spreading in American communities. The $900 billion aid package deal that Mr. Trump signed into legislation on Sunday will convey some aid to struggling state and native well being departments. The invoice units apart greater than $8 billion for vaccine distribution, on prime of the $340 million that the C.D.C. despatched out to the states in installments in September and earlier this month. That infusion of cash is welcome, if late, stated Dr. Bob Wachter, a professor and chair of the division of medication on the College of California, San Francisco. “Why did that take till now after we knew we have been going to have this drawback two months in the past?” Covid-19 Vaccines › Solutions to Your Vaccine Questions With distribution of a coronavirus vaccine starting within the U.S., listed here are solutions to some questions you could be questioning about: If I dwell within the U.S., when can I get the vaccine? Whereas the precise order of vaccine recipients could range by state, most will probably put medical staff and residents of long-term care services first. If you wish to perceive how this choice is getting made, this text will assist. When can I return to regular life after being vaccinated? Life will return to regular solely when society as an entire good points sufficient safety towards the coronavirus. As soon as nations authorize a vaccine, they’ll solely be capable of vaccinate just a few % of their residents at most within the first couple months. The unvaccinated majority will nonetheless stay susceptible to getting contaminated. A rising variety of coronavirus vaccines are displaying sturdy safety towards changing into sick. But it surely’s additionally doable for folks to unfold the virus with out even realizing they’re contaminated as a result of they expertise solely gentle signs or none in any respect. Scientists don’t but know if the vaccines additionally block the transmission of the coronavirus. So in the meanwhile, even vaccinated folks might want to put on masks, keep away from indoor crowds, and so forth. As soon as sufficient folks get vaccinated, it would develop into very tough for the coronavirus to search out susceptible folks to contaminate. Relying on how rapidly we as a society obtain that purpose, life may begin approaching one thing like regular by the autumn 2021. If I’ve been vaccinated, do I nonetheless have to put on a masks? Sure, however not ceaselessly. Right here’s why. The coronavirus vaccines are injected deep into the muscle groups and stimulate the immune system to provide antibodies. This seems to be sufficient safety to maintain the vaccinated individual from getting in poor health. However what’s not clear is whether or not it’s doable for the virus to bloom within the nostril — and be sneezed or breathed out to contaminate others — at the same time as antibodies elsewhere within the physique have mobilized to stop the vaccinated individual from getting sick. The vaccine scientific trials have been designed to find out whether or not vaccinated individuals are protected against sickness — to not discover out whether or not they might nonetheless unfold the coronavirus. Primarily based on research of flu vaccine and even sufferers contaminated with Covid-19, researchers have cause to be hopeful that vaccinated folks gained’t unfold the virus, however extra analysis is required. Within the meantime, everybody — even vaccinated folks — might want to consider themselves as doable silent spreaders and preserve sporting a masks. Learn extra right here. Will it harm? What are the uncomfortable side effects? The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine is delivered as a shot within the arm, like different typical vaccines. The injection into your arm gained’t really feel totally different than some other vaccine, however the fee of short-lived uncomfortable side effects does seem larger than a flu shot. Tens of hundreds of individuals have already acquired the vaccines, and none of them have reported any critical well being issues. The uncomfortable side effects, which may resemble the signs of Covid-19, final a couple of day and seem extra probably after the second dose. Early stories from vaccine trials recommend some folks may have to take a time without work from work as a result of they really feel awful after receiving the second dose. Within the Pfizer examine, about half developed fatigue. Different uncomfortable side effects occurred in no less than 25 to 33 % of sufferers, generally extra, together with complications, chills and muscle ache. Whereas these experiences aren’t nice, they’re an excellent signal that your personal immune system is mounting a potent response to the vaccine that may present long-lasting immunity. Will mRNA vaccines change my genes? No. The vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer use a genetic molecule to prime the immune system. That molecule, referred to as mRNA, is finally destroyed by the physique. The mRNA is packaged in an oily bubble that may fuse to a cell, permitting the molecule to slide in. The cell makes use of the mRNA to make proteins from the coronavirus, which may stimulate the immune system. At any second, every of our cells could include tons of of hundreds of mRNA molecules, which they produce so as to make proteins of their very own. As soon as these proteins are made, our cells then shred the mRNA with particular enzymes. The mRNA molecules our cells make can solely survive a matter of minutes. The mRNA in vaccines is engineered to resist the cell’s enzymes a bit longer, in order that the cells could make additional virus proteins and immediate a stronger immune response. However the mRNA can solely final for just a few days at most earlier than they’re destroyed. The duty of administering hundreds of vaccines is daunting for well being departments which have already been overburdened by responding to the pandemic. In Montgomery County, Maryland, the native well being division has recruited additional employees to assist handle vaccine distribution, stated Travis Gayles, the county well being officer. “Whereas we’re attempting to roll out vaccinations, we’re additionally persevering with the pandemic response by supporting testing, contact tracing, illness management and all of these different points of the Covid response,” Dr. Gayles stated. Complicating issues, the county well being division will get just some days of discover every week of the timing of its vaccine shipments. When the most recent batch arrived, Dr. Gayles’s crew scrambled to contact folks eligible for the vaccine and to arrange clinics to present out the doses as quick as doable. Over all, Maryland has given almost 17 % of its vaccine doses. In a Wednesday look on CBS, Gov. Larry Hogan attributed the gradual course of to challenges throughout the board — from the federal authorities not sending as many doses as initially predicted, to the shortage of logistical and monetary assist for native well being departments. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott and prime state well being officers say vaccines can be found within the state however will not be being distributed rapidly sufficient to take care of a vital surge of Covid-19 circumstances that’s pushing hospital capability to the breaking level. “A good portion of vaccines distributed throughout Texas could be sitting on hospital cabinets versus being given to susceptible Texans,” the governor tweeted Tuesday. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday inspired folks to be “humble” within the face of such an advanced process and stated that the tempo of vaccination would speed up. California has administered 20 % of the doses it’s acquired. Hesitancy amongst folks supplied the vaccine may be slowing the rollout. Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio stated in a information convention on Wednesday that roughly 60 % of nursing house employees members supplied the vaccine within the state had declined it. In Florida, some hospital staff supplied the vaccine declined it, and people doses at the moment are designated for different susceptible teams like well being care staff in the neighborhood and the aged, however that rollout has not fairly begun, stated Justin Senior, chief government officer for the Security Web Hospital Alliance of Florida, a hospital consortium. There are vivid spots. Some states and hospitals are discovering methods to speedily administer the vaccines they’ve acquired. West Virginia stated on Wednesday that it had completed giving the primary spherical of vaccine doses to prepared residents and staff at all the state’s 214 long-term-care services — placing the state far forward of most different states that started vaccinating at these services underneath a federal program with CVS and Walgreens. In Los Angeles, Cedars-Sinai Medical Middle, which employs some 20,000 folks at a number of services, was vaccinating about 800 folks a day, stated Dr. Jeff Smith, Cedars-Sinai’s chief working officer. He stated Cedars-Sinai anticipated to vaccinate all of its employees members who’ve opted for the vaccine inside a few weeks. However different communities are falling wanting that speedy clip. Dr. Smith stated the medical neighborhood is apprehensive about staffing shortages when hospitals should each administer vaccines and deal with Covid-19 sufferers. In a information convention on Wednesday, Operation Warp Velocity officers stated they anticipated the tempo of the rollout to speed up considerably as soon as pharmacies start providing vaccines of their shops. The federal authorities has reached agreements with numerous pharmacy chains — together with Costco, Walmart, and CVS — to manage vaccines as soon as they develop into extra broadly accessible. Thus far, 40,000 pharmacy areas have enrolled in that program. Most vaccines administered throughout the nation up to now have been given to well being care staff at hospitals and clinics, and to older adults at nursing houses. Gen. Gustave F. Perna, the logistics lead of Operation Warp Velocity, on Wednesday described them as “two very tough, difficult teams” to immunize. However public well being officers warned that reaching these preliminary teams, who’re largely being vaccinated the place they dwell or work, is a comparatively simple process. “That is the half the place we’re imagined to know the place individuals are,” stated Dr. Saad B. Omer, the director of the Yale Institute for International Well being. It could be tougher, public well being officers say, to vaccinate the following wave of individuals, which can almost certainly embrace many extra older Individuals in addition to youthful folks with well being issues and frontline staff. Among the many contemporary challenges: How will these folks be scheduled for his or her vaccination appointments? How will they supply documentation that they’ve a medical situation or a job that makes them eligible to get vaccinated? And the way will pharmacies be sure that folks present up, and that they’ll achieve this safely? “Within the subsequent part,” stated Dr. Jha of Brown College, “we’re going to hit the identical wall, the place abruptly we’re going to should scramble to start out figuring it out.” Lucy Tompkins and David Montgomery contributed reporting. Supply hyperlink #distribution #expected #Heres #LONGER #Vaccine

[multiple-fandomimagines]

Avengers & Guardians Family Masterlist *updated 2/12/19*

NONE OF THESE ARE MINE!!! I did NOT write any of these! I believe they are amazing fanfics, written by insanely talented people, and deserve to be shared. ALL CREDIT GOES TO THE AUTHORS!!! 

Marvel Masterlist  Marvel Smut Masterlist 

Tony & Avengers Team

Silent Ilien by everythingispoetry (Parent Tony Stark)(Tony Stark & Avengers Team) Tony is bringing up his autistic son. The world - and the Avengers - are oblivious. They just think Tony is being typical self when he disobeys orders or just disappears. Encounters through years. Pepper, Rhodey, Natasha, Steve, Thor, Bruce, Clint, the team, JARVIS. Bonus: Phil.

An Ever Watchful Eye by torianmist (Tony Stark & Avengers Team) Guardian Angels come in all shapes and sizes and are not always who you think they may be.

I Really Do Trust You by tsjn (Tony Stark & Avengers Team) The team does a very different version of trust falls. Tony, dealing with the aftermath of New York, doesn't participate. The team starts to wonder if Tony really trusts them. Or Tony tries too hard not to disappoint, and has a panic attack because of it.

Not Fighting by arianapeterson19 (Tony Stark & Avengers Team) Fury had no room to complain, he had known what would happen if he made Tony sit through one more meeting without providing decent coffee. He didn't have to be such a dick about it. Or the one where Fury is a shit and the Avengers have some forced bonding.

In Deep Water by itsallAvengers (Steve Rogers x Tony Stark)(Tony Stark & Avengers Team) The Avengers want a pool. Tony can arrange that for them. He can. The thought doesn’t fill him with horrible, daunting dread and crippling fear. Not at all. (Or maybe denial does more harm than good)

Submerge by Oceanbreeze7 (Tony Stark & Avengers Team) Not many people escape being a Prisoner of War untouched. Lucky (unluckily) for Tony, he wasn't entirely the exception. Besides, water is a terrifying thing.

Division of the Heart by TylerM (Tony Stark & Avengers Team) Tony Stark is sick. Surely that's not going to be a problem? When he doesn't tell the team a normal cold is a little more complicated with the Arc Reactor, things get a little out of hand.

Grown Now by TylerM (Tony Stark & Avengers Team) Loki de-ages Tony Stark, and the team have to now deal with a tiny four year old who is nothing like the Tony they're used to, and nothing like they'd expect him to be as a child.

Sick Games by arianapeterson19(Tony Stark & Avengers Team) Anyone who locked Tony in a room with electronics was either stupid or insane. Or both. OR The one where everyone gets kidnapped and Tony’s not exactly useless.

Me and Myself by Kyu_Momo (Insecure Tony Stark)(Tony Stark & Avengers Team) "Tony! If you could just be a little less like you we would all like you a lot more!“

Expendable by Kelady (Steve Rogers x Tony Stark)(Tony Stark & Avengers Team) Tony's expendable and he knows it. So why is the whole team in his hospital room, worried? or Tony gets stabbed by Loki and he learns exactly how much they care. Hint. It's a lot.

TONY STARK, PRESUMED DEAD by Kelady (Tony Stark & Avengers Team) Tony Stark's house is blown up on National television. Of course, the remaining Avengers are going to find out. This is what they do while Tony Stark is Presumed Dead.

 Not just a team, but a family. by Thebookofavenging (Tony Stark & Avengers Team) Post the arc-reactor surgery, tony wakes up to find the avengers in his hospital room and needless to say he is a little surprised by it. Fluff and Confusion ensues.

Ghosts by madwamoose (Tony Stark & Avengers Team) The Avengers have been placed under a spell. Each day, a ghost of a member of the team will haunt them until they face their worst fear and stick up to it.

It Only Hurts a Little (He's Lying Through His Teeth) by F-117 Nighthawk (Tony Stark & Avengers Team) Two times Tony hid the fact that the arc reactor was causing him pain and one time Pepper didn't let him.

The Triggers List by TeaSpent (Tony Stark & Avengers Team) After the first 'incident', the triggers list was made. Stuck on to the fancy fridge in the Avenger's Tower with a purple smiley face magnet, the paper has everyone’s name's on it, as well as a bulleted list of triggers. Well, that is, everyone except for Tony.

Truth, Secrets, Mind by Kelady (Tony Stark & Avengers Team) The Avengers team is thrown in to Tony's mind and they are shown some of Tony's bad past.

I Don't Like To Be Handed Things by Kelady (Tony Stark & Avengers Team) Tony Stark doesn't like to be handed things. The avengers find out why.

Not a Soldier by SailorChibi (Tony Stark & Avengers Team) When a villain kidnaps the team and demands sex in exchange for the team's freedom, the obvious choice to offer up is the person who has the most experience (and the worst reputation). Unfortunately, Tony didn't actually consent.

Stuck with us by petroltogo (Tony Stark & Avengers Team)(High School AU) Prompt fill: can u write like a hs au, with avengers as a group of friends. they act like they think tony doesn't have feelings, they seem to never take him seriously and they often tease him or laugh at sth that actually hurts him (they dont know that it makes him feel bad) he usually just takes it, because he thinks he deserves it. but then he has just the worst day ever, and they make some comment abt sth and he just breaks and starts crying, cause he just wants someone to care abt him. they comfort him.

The Star-Spangled Man With A Plan by Mistfire24 (Tony Stark & Avengers Team) Tony is forced to clean out and organize his father's old things. He finds a special surprise that he can't wait to share with the rest of the team. OR Everyone is laughing because Steve Rodgers, A.K.A. Captain America is dressed in SPANDEX

Fix You by Princess_Aleera (Clint Barton x Tony Stark)(Tony Stark & Avengers Team) “Hello, Tony. I want to play a game.“ Tony is taken by the Jigsaw Killer and forced to endure five grueling tasks - each of them representing one of his teammates. The same teammates who, on Jigsaw’s orders, are forced to watch every second of Tony’s torture on a set of monitors. “Hello, Avengers. Today, you are not here to save anyone. You are here to help with the clean-up, for once in your life.”

The Tony Stark Squad by BellaP (Tony Stark Defense Squad)(Not Team Cap Friendly)(Tony Stark & Avengers Team) Because Tony does have loyal friends, and they are not happy with the Avengers.

Me Without You by Wix (Tony Stark Defense Squad)(Not Team Cap Friendly)(Tony Stark & Avengers Team) Tony’s moving on, slowly and one piece at a time, but he’ll get there eventually. With a little help along the way.

We Are Tony’s People [part one, part two, part  three] by Tempest_Raining (Tony Stark Defense Squad)(Not Team Cap Friendly)(Tony Stark & Avengers Team) The first time the Exvengers walked into the refurbished compound after three-and-a-half years of sitting in Wakanda they are met with some of the more… vindictive people on Tony’s roster. Or, I just wanted to experiment with Rhodey, Doc Strange, Matt, Foggy, Jessica and FRIDAY working together to confront/warn the Exvengers.

Contractually Obligated [part one, part two, part three]by poetically_ordinary (Tony Stark x Stephen Strange)(Tony Stark Defense Squad)(not team cap friendly)(Tony Stark & Avengers Team) When the wayward Avengers finally sign the Sokovia Accords, they return to a place that is no longer like they remember it to be. Everyone must come together to portray a united front to the world. Even if that’s the last thing happening behind the scenes.

Tony Stark is Not a Supervillain (But his Poker Group All Are) by DaughteroftheSilverMoon (Tony Stark & Marvel Villains)(Tony Stark & Avengers Team) A superhero walks into a room full of villains- and they play poker and give him a drink. After all, it’s the polite thing to do. Only then they get to liking him, and all of a sudden they’re slaying dragons for the good guys. It’s very disconcerting, but kind of nice.

Avenger’s Game of Tag by athletiger (Steve Rogers x Tony Stark) It wasn’t supposed to go on this long, but it just…happened. It started off as a child’s game of tag, but the Avengers just had to evolve it into something long and glorious, collateral damage included. Inspired by Jeremy Renner’s new film “Tag.” In theaters June 15.

Broken by NotEvenCloseToStraight (Tony Stark x Avengers Team) It took months of therapy for Bucky to break his Winter Soldier conditioning, and Steve was there for him, encouraging him to talk about his past, his fears, his time as the Soldier. And Bucky talked about everything– except why the barest mention of an Alpha makes him panic. When Steve brings Bucky home, Alpha!Tony is ready to welcome Bucky with open arms and wings, but Bucky can’t look at him, can’t be in the same room without his wings flaring out to keep the Alpha away, a broken Omega panicking in the presence of a strong Alpha. But Tony is a good Alpha, and the team pulls together to help Bucky, showing him what it means to be loved, to be healthy and whole, and one day when Tony holds his hand out, Bucky trusts him enough to take it. And Bucky realizes that with a family behind him, with the safety hes found in the Omegas, the companionship from the Betas, and the unconditional love from the Alpha–HIS alpha, he isn’t broken at all. But with a team like the Avengers, tragedy is never far off, and this one rocks the family to their core. How can they fix the broken pieces of their lives when their Alpha is gone?

Peter Parker & Avengers Team

In The Home by aloneintherain (Peter Parker & Avengers Team) The Avengers have been infected, turned violent and aggressive against their will. And Peter, the only one unaffected, is trapped inside the Tower with six feral teammates.

He’s Ours To Protect by ImaKaraTabiHe (Parent Tony Stark)(Steve Rogers x Tony Stark)(Kid Peter Parker & Avengers Team) Things are going well at the Tower since Peter was adopted. At least, they were before someone from Peter’s past reappeared.

The Sun Will Come Out  by aloneintherain (Peter Parker & Avengers Team)  The Avengers bombard Peter’s place of employment, meet his awful boss, and ruin a man’s life. Peter quietly suffers

Working For A Miracle by ImaKaraTabiHe (Peter Parker & Avengers Team) Peter’s alone in the world, struggling to be both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Sometimes he feels so low, he wonders if he’s living, if it’s worth it. Maybe miracles take some work though?

Fitting In (Tiny Spaces) by aloneintherain (Peter Parker & Avengers Team) Peter’s trapped beneath a collapsed building during a mission, hurt and unable to move. Luckily, his comm still works. Unluckily, the Avengers don’t realize how bad of a state Peter is in, and Peter isn’t inclined to tell them.

Peter’s International Debut by ImaKaraTabiHe(Peter Parker & Avengers Team) “Where the fuck were you!?” It comes out as more of a yell than he would’ve liked, but his control is slipping and all the anger, fear, and hurt are crashing out. In which Peter comes back on a Sunday and he has good reasons to be ticked at the Avengers for leaving him behind to go on a mission.

5 Times Spider-Man Saved an Avenger’s Ass by TunaFishChris(Peter Parker & Avengers Team) What it says on the tin.

Peter & Wanda BFF’s [part one, part two, part three] by TunaFishChris (Peter Parker & Avengers Team)(Peter Parker & Wanda Maximoff) Nobody’s thrilled at the idea of “that kid” Peter Parker on the Avengers team. Nobody’s thrilled at the idea of “that weirdo” Wanda Maximoff on the team, either. Until they disappear, that is. Or, the one where Peter and Wanda are besties and the other Avengers are jerks until they realize how important and awesome they both are.

With Arms Wide Open by xSeshatx (Peter Parker & Avengers Team) 5 times the Avengers helped Peter Parker, and the 1 time Peter Parker helped the Avengers

Peter Parker is a ridiculously nice person by NeighbourhoodGay(Peter Parker & Avengers Team) The realization that Spider Man is in fact the sweetest human being on the planet takes the Avengers by surprise.

void by thepensword (Peter Parker & Avengers Team)(Infinity War Spoilers) He wakes up gasping. For a moment, all he sees is blackness, and he is searching for air that feels as though it will never again enter his lungs. He feels numbness and pain as one, terror and despair racing through his veins, and he thinks this is what it must feel like for the world to end. Peter in the void, after the war.

here comes the sun by porcelaincarnival (Peter Parker & Tony Stark)(Peter Parker & Avengers Team) No one believes that Peter interns at Stark Industries, so when the class takes a field trip there, Peter can’t help but be a little upset about it

Peter Quill & Guardians Team

Breathe by ren (Peter Quill & Team) Peter has asthma. The team don’t know about this until he suddenly has a severe attack in the middle of a battle. To make matters worse, they don’t know what it is in the first place or how to make him better.

Unpack Your Heart by aloneintherain (Peter Quill & Team) The Guardians are captured and Peter is taken to their captors to be questioned. Instead of torturing him, however, the interrogator injects him with a truth drug. Due to his hybrid nature, however, the serum works a little too well: Peter can’t shut up and starts babbling whatever comes into his mind. Frustrated, his captors throw him back into the cell to let the serum wear off. Unfortunately, that means that the Guardians are stuck with a drugged up Peter who can’t stop talking!

If You Need Me, Call Me by AutumnHobbit (Guardians of The Galaxy x Avengers) They’ve all got their issues, and their own unique patterns of brokenness. Except now, they also have each other’s backs. Or: Five Times The Avengers Helped The Guardians, And One Time The Guardians Helped The Avengers.

Darcy Lewis & Avengers Team

Avengers Means Family (a cautionary tale) by moontyrant (Darcy Lewis x Avengers)(Big Brother Avengers) Darcy's cheating (ex)boyfriend won't give her stuff back after she leaves him, and it's up to the Avengers to make it right.

Darcy is Done! by Caiti (Darcy Lewis & Avengers) Darcy is the all-around gofer for these people, and she's sick and tired of not getting thanked. She is going on strike.

Reader & Avengers

Always Remembered by WinterReadingerDixon67 (Bucky Barnes x Reader)(Reader & Avengers)  Reader finds out her grandfather has passed away and now attends his funeral with Bucky and the team at her side.

What We Do For Our Own by isntthatjustmarvelous (Avengers & Reader) You experience something traumatic, but your super secret boyband are there to help. And to discuss revenge.

Avengers Team & Team Free Will (Supernatural)

The Touch Point by The67ImpalaDragonChild (Avengers Team & Clint Barton & Team Free Will) When Clint Barton was young, he met two boys. Two boys that became closer to him than his own brother. Years later, Clint is now an Avenger, and his two adoptive brothers are the deadliest hunters in the United States. If not the world. They’re closer than ever. And when Clint is snatched directly from the aftermath of a battle by a face from his past, and only has a few minutes to call for help, Clint makes a call to Natasha Romanov… And Dean Winchester. Now Avengers and Hunters alike must race against time and work together to find Clint. Before his time runs out.

An Occasional Matter of Family by dare_to_do_our_duty (Tony Stark & The Winchester Brothers) In which Tony Stark is related to Sam and Dean Winchester and they drop in on occasion when nobody is busy saving the world. And sometimes when everyone is busy saving the world.

[briangroth27]

The 100 Season 4 Review

Full Spoilers…

The 100’s fourth season was a spectacular apocalyptic roller coaster that had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish! I had no idea how they could possibly stop a worldwide nuclear meltdown and, smartly, they didn’t try. The point wasn’t to stop the latest apocalypse; it was to find a way to survive it. The writers created so many dead-end solutions to surviving praimfaya that it not only felt like an extremely difficult struggle, but by the season finale they’d convinced me there might not be a happy ending.

I liked that they resolved the remnants of the Alie (Erica Cerra) plot quickly and efficiently. The fragile peace established in the wake of the City of Light’s destruction set things up perfectly for tensions to rise again just as everyone should’ve been coming together to save the human race. Allowing the people Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey) killed in the City of Light to die in the real world was a great way to set things off with our heroes immediately in danger and distrusted, even with impending nuclear apocalypse 2.0 on the horizon. I loved that the season continually built to insurmountable odds; whenever the kids would get a win, they’d be forced with an impossible choice, like freeing slaves or getting a hydro-generator, that would exponentially worsen their chances for survival. Then people started turning on each other, making things even worse. For every character, this season was a test to see how far each of them would go to survive and what going past their limit would mean for their humanity…if they even thought survival was worth fighting for. Discussing what kind of leaders humanity needs in the future and the right way to lead, some of this season’s biggest character arcs felt like a true transfer of leadership from the adults to the kids. Ever since the adults landed at the end of Season 1, there’s been a struggle for them to put the 100 back in their place in the pecking order (to varying degrees of success and/or cooperation), but now it feels like it’s really time for the kids to take over.

The eventual plan for the main heroes to go back to space was a fun one and a cool way to bring things full circle before the time jump at the end of the season. And it’s about time they jumped ahead: no one looks 17 anymore. The entire season was fraught with tension, but the final episode was one of the finest thrill rides I’ve ever seen. Everyone seemed like they could die at almost any moment and I wasn’t sure if they’d make it to space. I was ready for even Clarke (Eliza Taylor) to die, and I’m not sure that I’ve truly believed any main character on a show would actually get killed before. I absolutely loved that—like in the rest of the season—every step of the way was a challenge for the heroes; even getting into the Ark and installing the air generator were struggles that nearly killed the kids! This is how you build tension and create plots overflowing with danger! The incoming worldwide catastrophe was a great excuse to visit as many varied locations as the show could come up with, though I do wish they had the time to dig into each clan’s culture more before wiping them out and sticking them into a melting pot in the bunker. Perhaps we’ll see both the remnants of the various clans and a new, unified culture in Season 5. It was great to see so many differing sets and environments, and it’s going to be interesting to see what the face of the Earth (and the underground bunker) looks like six years later.

Clarke Griffin/Wanheda I really enjoyed Clarke’s attempts to keep the peace and save everyone through multiple political deals with Roan (Zach McGowan), subterfuge in trying to pass herself off as a Nightblood, and finally sacrificing her chance at getting off the planet to get her friends to safety. She’s had to make many hard and divisive choices over the course of the series, but the first time I actively disliked her was when she went along with Jaha’s (Isaiah Washington) plan to steal the bunker when the outcome of the last conclave was in doubt. That was incredibly wrong—even born of desperation as it was—though I liked the role reversal she and Bellamy (Bob Morley) got because of it. I also liked that Clarke found some measure of happiness with Niylah (Jessica Harmon), though I miss Lexa a lot. I truly thought they were going to kill Clarke in the Praimfaya wave…and I think I would’ve been OK with it if she had. I like Clarke a lot, but if she was going to die, going out a hero to save her friends would’ve been acceptable and commendable. It also might’ve been thematically fitting since her leadership and Earth-shattering decisions were so tied to the Earth that we knew, and that era has ended. However, the twist that her homemade Nightblood saved her was a clever one, and a good, unexpected use of an earlier survival attempt. I can’t wait to see how she’s changed in the six years of the time jump and how she’s faring in her new role as a mother figure! What has wandering the Earth nearly alone for six years done to her? Will she be drastically different from the Clarke we knew? Will she be able to fit in with the people in the bunker or those in the Ark now? Or will she have more in common with the new arrivals from deep space?

Octavia Blake/Skairippa Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos) had perhaps the best arc of the season, going from assassin protecting Roan’s tenuous hold on power, to a warrior who wanted peace, to the victor of the final Nightblood conclave, and finally to the leader of the new combined Grounders. I never could’ve imagined the Girl Under the Floor from the pilot episode who just wanted to party in fresh air would become a Grouder, much less the leader of nearly every human left on Earth! With this season, Octavia has tied Raven (Lindsey Morgan) as my favorite character on the show. Avgeropoulos got to display a huge range of emotion this year, with Octavia’s badass assassin moments (leading into her bloodlust issues), her yearning for peace and her near-suicide, her doubts about whether she could win the conclave, and finally the daunting task of forming a new type of clan. She was great at playing all of Octavia’s sides! I liked that Kane (Henry Ian Cusick) brought up Lincoln’s (Ricky Whittle) death to talk Octavia down from executing Ilian (Chai Hansen) for destroying the Ark; that was a great moment that provided some closure to Lincoln’s death, which I felt was a little rushed. Though Avgeropoulos’ acting was great, I’m not sure I fully bought the writing behind Octavia’s suicide attempt (connected to Lincoln as it was)…though it’s entirely possible Jasper’s (Devon Bostick) constant pleading for death just left me over the whole concept. I didn’t have a problem with the twist that she sought a peaceful life with Ilian of all people, though. I do wish her life as a farmer with him had lasted a little longer, but I get that there wasn’t time for that in either the season or the world. Invoking Octavia’s past as the Girl Under the Floor as a strategy for winning the conclave was really clever and I loved that episode! I was really proud of Octavia when she decided everyone would get a fair stake in the bunker—even going so far as to threaten Skaikru with death if they didn’t pare down their number to 100 and resolving not to punish Azgeda for Echo’s (Tasya Teles) dishonorable actions—and I left the season thinking it’s decisions like those which prove she’s the rightful leader. I can’t wait to see how she leads, and I hope she’s been successful at keeping peace in the bunker without resorting to evil means. Seeing her go from someone who thinks she’s destined to be a warrior to taking on a peacekeeping position will be fascinating! I also wonder if her rule will survive once people get out of the bunker and aren’t forced to live with each other anymore. It’d be a shame for them to come together to survive, only to fall back into war once they’re safe.

Raven Reyes Raven has been awesome from day one and this year was no different! I loved how torn she was over letting Alie’s upgrades run rampant in her brain; on one hand, they increased her intelligence and allowed her to outthink the apocalypse, but on the other they were killing her. This was a clever way to bring Becca “back” while turning Raven’s specialty—technology—against her. I also liked that we got to see Sinclair (Alessandro Juliani) again, acting as the good angel on Raven’s shoulder. Lindsey Morgan was great at portraying Raven in her various crazy, desperate, despondent, and ultimately plucky and resourceful stages throughout the year. She’s also very good at delivering the technical explanations and conveying all the mathematics involved in whatever technology the characters are using (or inventing on the fly). It was great to see Raven forgive Murphy (Richard Harmon) for shooting her; I wonder what’s happened between them in space. I do wish she hadn’t been trapped in the lab for what felt like forever, but that’s where she was most useful. It was awesome seeing all of her friends show up to get her out! They had me convinced Raven would burn her brain out figuring out the key to saving the day, so when she killed herself to shut down Alie’s upgrades and managed to bring herself back right after, I was beyond impressed! I’m eager to see what kinds of technological improvisations she’s accomplished in space over the past six years. It’d be interesting if she’s grown into a different role than just the tech genius since we last saw her. I hope she’s gotten to spacewalk to her heart’s content!

Bellamy Blake I hated Bellamy after he mindlessly slaughtered Grounders last year, even with the understanding that it was supposed to be a parallel to fear-driven actions people took post-9/11. That may have allowed me to understand it, but it didn’t excuse it. So, I liked that he got back together with Clarke as the co-leaders of the 100 this year and the writers did a fairly good job of rehabilitating him over the course of Season 4. Clarke can lead without him, but it seems he needs her to be his best self. I don’t want him and Clarke to ever get to the point where they’d date, though. I liked his efforts to do the right thing all year, especially when he insisted they open the bunker after Jaha and Clarke stole it; that was some great character progression! I also loved every moment he got with Octavia this year, particularly her forgiving him for his role in Lincoln’s death and their last communication with each other over the radio; I really hope their brother/sister relationship is explored more next season. It’ll be interesting to see him come back to the world now that she’s the leader and he might not be; that’ll be an interesting reversal of their dynamic. I wonder if he’s still the leader on the Ark, or if they’ve just done away with that concept altogether because there’s so few of them. I could maybe see him and Echo getting together, but who knows what’s happened in six years. I think it’d be kinda funny if he and Murphy had come to an understanding and came back from space as best friends. And what will the survivors of Skaikru say to the man who opened the bunker, leading to many of their friends and family’s deaths?

Monty Green Monty (Christopher Larkin) didn’t have as meaty an arc this season as he did last year (outside of learning the Ice Nation chief killed his father, after which he let the freed slaves kill him), mostly because he was stuck trying to convince his friends not to kill themselves for so long. I liked that he stood by them to try and convince them to seek better shelter for as long as possible, though. Even if by the end he was just there for Harper (Chelsey Reist) and Jasper, he was far more patient than I would’ve been with impending doom coming at them so quickly. His final scenes with Jasper were really well-acted and made me care about Monty’s loss, even if I’d long stopped caring about Jasper himself. I like Monty and Harper’s relationship a lot and I was very relieved she finally left with him. I hope they’re still together after their six years in space. I also liked that Monty was brought more into the core leadership group of the 100, even if it led to him discovering Clarke’s emergency backup list of people to save, leading to dissention among Skaikru. His reaction to learning he wasn’t on the list was really well done. I wonder what role he’s settled into in space; he seems to be something of an underrated jack of all trades, so in addition to assisting Raven more I’m up for any new uses of his skills. Perhaps he will continue to be the moral compass for the group to contrast Clarke’s tough survival decisions, Bellamy’s guilt-driven efforts to be better, Raven’s analytical mind, Murphy’s self-serving instinct, etc. I liked that Murphy went back to save Monty from the black rain and increasing radiation and I’m definitely interested to see how they’ll have been interacting now that they’re stuck on the space station together. Monty seems like he’d be the optimistic foil for Murphy, so some fun sparks could fly there.

Harper McIntyre As much as I like Harper, I definitely think we need to get to know her better. She’s been recurring since the first season, but if we’ve learned much about her background or even her interests, I don’t remember it. She seems to pick the right side of issues for the most part and she definitely has a deep sense of honor-driven guilt, given her arc this year, but I want to know more. I understood her feeling guilty about accidentally trampling a fellow member of Skaikru (Jesse James Pierce) to escape the black rain—saving herself instead of helping him—but I really wish that subplot had ended sooner. I wish she could have realized more quickly that while she wasn’t right to leave him, feeling as horrible about it as she did means she’s not a terrible person; she was afraid and made a selfish mistake driven by her survival instinct. Yes, it was wrong, but killing herself pointlessly wouldn’t bring him back. What I hated most about this arc was how she sided with Jasper; instead of at least trying to atone for what she’d done by working harder to save as many more as she could or something, she joined the fools doing just waiting for death by contributing nothing. I was really glad she came around in the end, though. I also liked that her reaction to her mistake contrasted her pretty sharply with most of the other main characters: I don’t think she could ever settle for making one of the impossible choices Clarke makes on a weekly basis and she wouldn’t ever do something evil and fear-driven on the scale that Bellamy did. With that in mind, I’d like to put her in some of those impossible situations to see how she might grow as a result next season. Maybe she’s had to face a few of them in space over the past six years.

John Murphy I hated Murphy at the start of the series, but he’s grown on me ever since and Harmon always brings an entertaining energy to his scenes. His standoffish and self-serving nature also brings out some fun conflict in his scene partners, which is always fun. It was good to see his softer side (to an extent) this year as he and Emori (Luisa D'Oliveira) tried to do whatever would give them the best chance of survival. I’m definitely a fan of their relationship and I hope it’s lasted the six years in space. I’m glad he and Raven reconciled their past—their goodbye when she decided to stay behind and keep working, presumably to die, was really well done—and I’d like to learn that they’ve formed a stronger bond in space. I feel like his arc this season was about moving from being selfish (such as refusing to let Bellamy out of his cell to open the stolen bunker) to realizing he needs to help the whole group survive—even if only because that’s also his best chance of survival—and I’m hoping that teamwork instinct has grown within him. For a moment I thought he’d leave Monty to die in the black rain and I was proud that he went back for him. I wonder how much more he’ll choose—or be forced—into becoming a true member of the space team. It’d be a pretty great twist if they made it back to Earth and he had become their leader!

Allies and Enemies I like Emori and feel she brings a fun energy to the series, but I also enjoyed the darker side we saw this year. Unlike Harper, Emori was absolutely willing to do whatever it took to survive, even serving up a random Grounder (Bradley Stryker)—claiming he was Baylis, a Grounder who’d imprisoned her and her brother (Myk Byskov) earlier (Edit: I’d incorrectly remembered Baylis being completely made up; thanks to daisytachi for that correction!)—to Raven and Abby’s (Paige Turco) Nightblood experiments rather than let them use her as the test subject. The fact that Clarke nearly did experiment on her, proving her suspicions and fears about the limits of the kindness of her compatriots, gave a lot of weight to a situation that could’ve been easily written off as her just sacrificing a guy out of paranoia. The 100 loves those tough choices and messy character arcs even for the heroes, and I love it for that. I like that as much as Emori really cares about Murphy, at first she pulled him toward his self-serving tendencies; that was an interesting tug-of-war for both of them. I loved that like him, she’d become a team player by the end of the season, and I’m excited to know how she’s changed after being in space for six years. Her enjoyment of zero gravity was a nice light moment for her; I wonder if she's still enamored with space or sick of it by now. I’d also like to see how her do-anything-to-survive attitude has contrasted with Harper’s guilt over tough choices while in space.

I couldn’t stand Jasper last year or this one, so I was glad he finally got his death wish fulfilled. His begging for death needed to end far sooner than it did, to the point that I had no sympathy for him well before he actually died. He’s been through awful things, sure, but every character has and no one became the do-nothing, self-destructive fool that he did (though many of them did at try to choose suicide rather than face the praimfaya). Jasper even convinced several other people to die for no reason, dragging them all down with him and making him much worse. His drawn-out death didn’t move me except for how it impacted Monty and I’m glad we’re finally rid of Jasper.

Jaha was in a similar position for me: I disliked him last year and ended this season hating him again. It’s true he came in handy with his scientific know-how and his quest to find the bunker. There was definite worth to letting him try to rehabilitate himself after the Alie debacle for Skaikru—I firmly believe anyone can improve—but stealing the bunker was the last straw for me, and should’ve been for the characters as well. That was so selfish and his self-righteousness about how the Grounders would take space from people—it also stuck out to me that he doesn’t even consider the Grounders to be people—made it even worse. At least Clarke felt bad about doing it; Jaha had no problem screwing over anyone who wasn’t one of “his” people, as if an Earth repopulated by Grounders wouldn’t be human in the same way one repopulated by Skaikru would. True Skaikru had the skills to operate the bunker, but they didn’t need all of them for that. I definitely don’t think he deserved a spot in the final 100 Skaikru spots. Sure they were working from Clarke’s list, but he could’ve easily given up his spot to Hardy (Cole Vigue), the man whose kid (Beckham Skodje) he’s adopted, instead of sending Hardy to his death and again saving himself. I do not trust Jaha and wouldn’t be surprised to find that he’s a source of strife in the bunker under Octavia’s rule, particularly given it was her who issued the ultimatum that Skaikru pick their 100 survivors and share the space or die.

I liked that Season 4 found Marcus Kane starting to step back as a leader of Skaikru; instead trying to keep the peace for Clarke while she was off looking for solutions to Praimfaya. An ambassador role suits him and I hope he’s also been a good advisor to Octavia in the bunker. Hopefully he’s learned to trust her as their leader, just like he did Clarke. Talking down Jaha from his plan to kill the Grounders trying to come into the bunker was probably my favorite Kane moment this year. I’d like to see that wisdom come into play in the bunker in the coming season. Will any of Skaikru even listen to him again, given how he talked Jaha out of fighting for the bunker, essentially sending most of their friends and family to their deaths? Or will his (and Jaha’s) realization that there’s no point in saving humanity if you’re going to do it by acting inhuman help bring peace to the bunker?

This year, Abby ran the gamut from doing whatever it took to keep her patients alive, be they Roan or Luna’s (Nadia Hilker) radiation-poisoned people, to giving up on life completely. While she was struck by what they’d done to “Baylis” in Becca’s radiation chamber with their Nightblood tests, she was also willing to run the test again to get their desired result (even with Raven calling them out as being like Mount Weather). It was interesting to see her go from using meds Murphy stole for her to try and save a kid to being willing to risk Emori’s life to create a radiation cure. She justified it with a “do whatever it takes, then figure out how to be human again” rationale, but I wonder if the show will explore whether or not there are limits to coming back from some of these characters’ choices. I’m a big believer in redemption, but with the show constantly throwing impossible choices that often lead to death at these characters—or just having them make huge mistakes that cost lives—is there a limit to the humanity they can regain? While I was disappointed in Abby when she wrecked the chance to test the Nightblood Clarke injected herself with (Alie-induced hallucinations of Clarke dying in it or not), I was proud she sided with Bellamy on opening the bunker chamber. I wonder if she’s been able to cure herself of the Alie upgrade or if it continued to drive her insane, and possibly to her death? I hope it’s not the latter, as an offscreen death in the 6-year time jump wouldn’t be fitting for her. I’m also wondering if Abby will forgive Kane for saving her. She seemed like she’d given up completely, even just letting Clarke leave to save Raven without a fight, which was drastically different from how she’s treated Clarke in the past (as pointed out here). I hope they don’t have an arc where Abby and Kane are fighting and she hates having survived; we just did that with Jasper and it made me hate him. I don’t want to hate Abby too. I want to see her rebuild herself somehow; to figure out how to make a life worth living again.

Octavia’s longtime mentor, Indra (Adina Porter) didn’t seem to get a lot to do this year beyond protecting the interests of Trikru, and that’s a shame. She’s a great character and I hope she has a larger role in the bunker and in Season 5. It was perfect to see her set aside her Trikru focus and push Octavia to claim the leadership of a new type of clan, particularly after how tense things were getting over the occupancy of the bunker. I wonder if her dedication to Octavia and to this new unified clan has held up over the six years in the bunker, or if they’ve parted ways to some extent. It was also cool to meet her daughter Gaia (Tati Gabrielle), and I hope we get to see more of their relationship next season! Gaia was interesting and I’d like to see where she goes now with the leadership structure of the clans not determined by the Flame. Will she abandon the Grounder religion she’s kept sacred to form something new, or, as I’ve seen suggested elsewhere, will her religious focus create problems for Octavia’s right to rule?

Roan worked as a tenuous ally for Clarke. I didn’t think that partnership would last as long as it did (or that it would take on as many forms as it did), but it was only a matter of time until his people became more important than Lexa’s old allegiances and Skaikru outlived their usefulness. I liked that he was willing to see the logic in siding with Clarke instead of irrationally ignoring her warnings or disregarding Skaikru’s technological skill. His death in the final conclave could’ve felt like a convenient time to clear the board of characters, but given so much of his conflict with Clarke and Skaikru had come from trying to save his people, it made sense for him to give his life to that goal as well.

Echo had a long, hard road to finally becoming an ally of Skaikru again after initially blaming them for Alie and it was an interesting one. She played off Roan as his more hardline and distrusting soldier very well—even risking dishonor and shouldering banishment to try and help him win the final conclave—and I’m excited to see if that loyalty has transferred to Skaikru in the six years they were in space. Her interactions with Bellamy were some of her best scenes, and I wonder if they’ve gotten together while orbiting the planet. I also liked that she respected Octavia when she thought she’d died; this show has done a good job of humanizing many of the Grounders and Echo was no exception. As I saw pointed out elsewhere, can Echo and Emori survive in space due to the Grounders’ lower radiation tolerance? If not, I wonder if Raven remembered enough of Becca’s instructions to make them both Nightbloods. If she did, that should be an interesting arc for Echo; she felt it’d be blasphemous if everyone became a Nightblood. Like so many others, Echo attempted suicide in the season finale and by that time I was completely over it as a reaction to praimfaya (so Raven’s “whatever this is, finish it” was perfect!). Those moments felt like they could’ve been cut for more time elsewhere. Regardless, I can’t wait to see how she’s been fitting in with Skaikru over the past 6 years! How she reacts to whatever changes to Grounder culture Octavia has instituted in the bunker to keep the peace will be interesting too. Will Echo see herself as the last true Grounder, or will she identify more with Skaikru now and feel out of place among her former people? Will she and Octavia still harbor bad blood for each other?

I wasn’t that big a fan of Luna’s arc from outsider pacifist to losing all faith in humanity and trying to sentence everyone to death. It was a shame to see a character so diametrically opposed to major tenants of Grounder culture (and violence in general) become the thing she’d hated and fled. However, since it came from the death of her entire clan and from watching Abby and Clarke willing to do anything to make sure their Nightblood tests succeeded (even if Clarke was eventually willing to subject herself to the radiation to test it), I bought it. I just would’ve liked her to continue to find an alternate way of doing things. Perhaps her arc reflects a message of the show in general: you can’t sit on the sidelines and eventually you’ll have to get your hands dirty. Alternatively, it could mean that once the peaceful are driven to war, all is lost. Or that breaking someone so dead-set on one way of doing things shatters them completely.

Nathan Miller (Jarod Joseph) could’ve used more screentime this year. He and Bryan (Jonathan Whitesell) had a falling out over the hydro generator and I wonder if his practical nature—saving 500 in the Ark was more important to him than the 25 slaves—will play into helping Octavia run the bunker. I also wonder if his distrust of the Grounders from the early seasons will continue to thaw after living among them for so long; at least, I hope it will, because the tribalism has to stop if humanity is going to survive. Though they ultimately went with Clark’s list and left his father (Chris Shields) out, I wonder if he’ll find out his dad put two names into the initial lottery to stay in the bunker. Either way, I’d like to see his reaction to his father’s death.

I’d definitely like to know more about Niylah! At first I thought she’d just be a rebound relationship for Clarke, but she’s proven herself a loyal, genuinely good person and this show could definitely use that contrast with so many other characters making the hardest of choices. As I’ve seen pointed out elsewhere, she’s one of very few characters who have kept their hands clean over the course of the series and I wonder if that’s been possible in the bunker. Has she been instrumental in leading the people within towards a brighter future? Given neither Skaikru or Trikru wanted her around at the end of this year, with only Octavia standing up for her, has she been forced to harden herself for protection in the bunker? I loved Lexa, but perhaps Niylah’s very different personality is what Clarke will need going forward. Has she waited for her sometime-paramour in the bunker, or has she moved on? Their reunion should be interesting no matter what form it takes.

Ilian’s obsessive hatred of technology—sparked the Alie-related death of his family—and Skaikru made him a solid minor adversary early on; he was a nice bit of unexpected fallout from Alie’s City of Light arc. I liked that the City of Light arc wasn’t forgotten in the rush toward Praimfaya. I was surprised he managed to burn Alpha Station, one of several tragedies befalling Skaikru’s efforts to survive this year. I thought Ilian brought out interesting character moments in the people around him, like Kane being ready to kill his own people to keep them from descending into vengeance-fueled mob rule and Octavia being forced to confront who she’d become and face Lincoln’s death again. Once he tried settling down with Octavia, his optimism was a nice contrast to so many other characters and his view of death and life as being akin to crop cycles was an interesting outlook: they were planting crops not necessarily for themselves, but perhaps for future generations. In that sense, he became an unexpected foil for Luna; she lost faith in humanity and wanted to destroy it, but Ilian went from wanting vengeance to optimistically planning for humanity’s future. He also chose to fight to save his people in the final conclave, which makes me wonder if survival in this world requires violence and a loss of humanity to save the humanity of others.

Riley (Ben Sullivan) felt all sorts of awkward, since everyone suddenly knew him very well when we’d never even heard of him before. It makes sense they’d all know him given they’re all from the Ark, but since no one had ever mentioned missing him, the sudden (for us anyway) first-name basis he was on with everyone felt off. He died without much fanfare (a drug overdose at Jasper’s end of the world party) too, so I’m not sure what the purpose was for the seeming attempt to set him up as a new major supporting character. His best moment may have been attempting to assassinate Roan, since that allowed us to see Bellamy fighting for redemption for his own war crimes.

Season 5 I don’t think they can top praimfaya as an “enemy,” so I hope the focus next year is on exploring the new status quo they’ve set up and the conflicts that it will breed, even if they’re smaller scale. How do you build a new society? I was a little confused over the prison ship that arrived in the end, but this talk with show creator Jason Rothberg made me much more excited for what’s to come. Unlike when the adults landed on Earth and of course already knew the kids, this feels like a true parallel to the series premiere, when the 100 landed and knew no one on the ground. What are these prisoners going to be like? Will they be used to the harsh Earth conditions given their asteroid mining, much like the 100 were better suited to the radiation levels on Earth’s surface than the Mount Weather people? And given that they’re miners, certainly they’ll be able to dig out the bunker, right?

I’m definitely excited to see how Octavia has been keeping the peace in the bunker too! I really hope they’ve found the time to rediscover their humanity and work together, so they can emerge from the bunker as a true unified force. And what have the kids been doing in space for six years? Have they been captured by these prisoners, or did they work out some sort of partnership before they found out the ground was habitable again? I’m excited to see Clarke in a mom role and I’m interested to see how Abby will respond to that. I can’t wait to find out more about Clarke’s Nightblood “daughter” Madi (Imogen Tear, Lola Flanery) and where she came from either.

 Season 4 was fantastic; one of the finest, most exciting seasons of television I’ve ever seen. Bring on Season 5!

[goldira01]

Do it yourself or outsource it? Rightly or wrongly, most people seem to fear the IRS, and an IRS audit can be daunting, even if it is entirely by correspondence. Most considerations are arguably the same in many different kinds of tax audits. However, crypto tax matters can be even more sensitive than many others. One reason is return filings and records. 

Let’s face it, many crypto investors have not been exactly scrupulous about filing taxes on time, reporting consistently, and keeping good records. After all, doing all of that isn’t easy, although it has gotten easier over the last year or two. 

Related: The IRS Is Blindly Coming After Cryptocurrency Traders — Here’s Why

Another reason is the IRS focus on crypto. The IRS has said that virtual currency is an ongoing focus area for IRS criminal investigations, following its announcement on a Virtual Currency Compliance campaign to address tax noncompliance related to the use of virtual currency through outreach and audits. For some time now, the IRS has been hunting crypto user identities with software too. The IRS keeps stressing noncompliance related to virtual currency transactions through a variety of efforts, ranging from taxpayer education to audits to criminal investigations. 

A wake-up call

Remember the IRS summons for John Doe to get Coinbase user accounts? More of those could be coming. More recently, the IRS sent thousands of letters to people with virtual currency transactions stating that they may have failed to report income or pay taxes properly. The IRS says it identified these targets through various IRS compliance efforts. IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig seems to think this should be a wake-up call, and a warning. 

The most frightening part of the IRS is the Criminal Investigation Division, although its involvement in an audit is rare. Even so, it is important to have a sound understanding of how criminal tax issues arise, so you can be prepared. Many people are surprised to learn that the vast majority of IRS criminal tax cases arise because of so-called “referrals” from the civil division of the IRS. 

It happens from plain civil audits and civil IRS collection activity. One IRS Agent spots or hears something fishy and passes it on. It can start innocuously. During the course of an audit or a tax collection matter, a civil IRS auditor discovers something that seems odd and refers it to the Criminal Investigation Division. You may not even know that you are being investigated. Of course, many investigations do not lead to prosecutions. However, if you are contacted by the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, whether as a target or as a witness, you should politely decline to be interviewed. Refer them to your lawyer.

Related: IRS Expands Penalties: Which Tax Mistakes Are Better Not to Commit

Many people think that cryptocurrency could be the next big thing for the IRS, which has been training its criminal agents for Bitcoin and other virtual currencies — and that should tell you something. If the IRS is suspicious, they can require you to produce records, even ones that may incriminate you. With offshore bank accounts, the IRS refined this technique by seeking a grand jury subpoena to produce your offshore bank records. 

Many Americans have a knee-jerk reaction to this. “Just take the Fifth,” lawyers tend to say. The Fifth Amendment says you cannot be forced to incriminate yourself. However, the IRS can make you produce these required records even if they will incriminate you. You may be able to refuse to speak under the Constitution, but sometimes, you cannot refuse to produce certain records. 

Getting professional help vs. DIY

To return to more normal tax audits and notices, if the IRS audits you or has begun sending you notices and so on, should you handle it yourself or get professional help? The answer can vary, but getting help is often the wiser path. If the IRS visits you in person, hire a lawyer. No personal visit should be taken lightly. You have no legal obligation to talk to the IRS, whether it is the civil or the criminal part of the IRS contacting you. Politely tell them that your lawyer will contact them, and ask for their business card.

It is unlikely that the IRS will push you to talk after you say this.  But even if they do, politely decline. Even if the IRS says you are just a witness and that it is someone else they are pursuing, you do not have to talk. Besides, who is a witness and who is a target of an investigation can be quite fluid — it can and does change. Written notices and other materials are obviously considerably less threatening. However, even if the query or audit is all in writing, most people feel a chill when dealing with the IRS. 

You might receive a letter from the IRS asking about some aspect of your tax return. You might want to handle it yourself — but be cautious and reflective if you do, especially in more serious matters. The point at which you may need a representative is often early. In fact, some taxpayers spend large sums with tax professionals precisely because they initially tried to handle the case themselves. Sometimes, you can dig a hole that runs deeper than if you had handed the case to a professional from the start.

One reason to have a tax lawyer or accountant handle your audit is to get some distance. Even in a civil audit, talking to the IRS can be dangerous and can put you in a disadvantageous position. The IRS may ask you about things you don’t want to answer, but not answering is awkward if you are handling it yourself. Having a representative means you will have time outside the IRS presence to prepare appropriate responses that put the issues in the best possible light.

Some taxpayers even represent themselves beyond an audit at the IRS Appeals Division or in the United States Tax Court, although many of those cases seem to be poorly handled. Even the once-famous lawyer, F. Lee Bailey, represented himself in the U.S. Tax Court in a $4 million dispute with the IRS. Bailey won one issue but lost most of them, including claimed loss deductions for his yacht. Worse, the court approved significant negligence penalties against him that he probably could have avoided with tax counsel. Seeing to your own case clearly isn’t easy, but it usually pays to hire someone to handle it.

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph. This discussion is not intended as legal advice.

Robert W. Wood is a tax lawyer representing clients worldwide from offices at Wood LLP, in San Francisco. He is the author of numerous tax books and writes frequently about taxes for Forbes.com, Tax Notes and other publications.

[dontchangeian]

Greatest LED Grow Lights for Cannabis 2019

Welcome..!

I am going To assume you're in your hour or so of reading LED grow light reviews and you're still no nearer to making a decision.

I can Make this assumption, because I have been there myself and I have helped others. There are many distinct options these days and, regrettably, the majority of these options aren't any good.

You Want To eliminate all the lights that are useless. Then you have to choose which of the excellent lights is ideal for your garden. It's a daunting job.

These lights give the best results for a reasonable price to you. We have not included any of those lights, nor any of those cheap ones.

LED Grow Lights - Reviews

Viparspectra Reflector Series 450 Review

This Viparspectra is engineered to give you the best balance between PAR output and policy area. It has a complete optimum spectrum that will get your crops growing extremely fast and supplying more harvests. Also, the light emitting from the LED light is very similar to the sunlight, so the crops will definitely thrive and grow under it.

Compared to some 400 Watt HPS/MH lighting program, This light absorbs about 200 watts.

Isn't that awesome?

While swallowing low power, it will still provide a policy area of 2.5 X 2.5 feet in veg mode at a hanging distance of 24 inches and 2 X 2 ft in bloom mode in a hanging space of 18 inches.

While using this LED grow light, you do not have to worry about heating. Due to all aluminium cooling heat sink, this LED grow light. Besides the heat sinks, it also has advanced cooling fans as well.

With Exceptional warmth, an optimal reflector layout Dissipation system and full spectrum lighting, this LED grow light is one of the best LED grow lights in the industry.

It is created by marijuana grower over many Years of testing and research. According to the company, when working for hours, then this LED grow 70% are run by light than HID lighting.

There are 90 pieces of Bridgelux and Epileds LEDs In light grows. Every of these LEDs is a 5 watt on, supplying brightness and creating less heat. This light's lifespan is 100,000 hours.

What more?

It also includes UV and IR LEDs. Ultraviolet LED Is very crucial as they sterilise the cannabis plant also helps it to fight with germs and germs. The light will help in promoting cell division which results in better yields and faster growth.

You'll be getting a 3-year guarantee as well as 30-day money back satisfaction guarantee as well.

Pros:

3-year warranty.

Runs 70% cooler than HID lighting.

Reputed manufacturer.

High ratings on Amazon.

Designed by specialist marijuana growers.

Efficient cooling system.

Full spectrum lighting.

Lightweight.

Affordable.

UV and IR included.

Cons:

None.

Mars Hydro Reflector 600W LED Grow Light

These LED series' uniqueness is what creates Them get included in the listing of the top five LED companies. Mars Hydro Reflector Series of LED has the title as they incorporate those attributes that they advertise about their LEDs, of fulfilling their customers to the fullest.

Their incorporation of the name of Reflector comes In the fact they use a unique design of reflector that lead to a PAR output that is top. These reflectors are placed around each and every LED.

Additionally the seven years of LED manufacture Expertise has also made them among LED manufacturers' most reliable resources.

Each of Mars Hydro Reflector Series' LED lights have the center of Full array of light with the addition of blue, red and white lights which help both vegetative and flowering stages of plant growth.

The Reflector that has been placed around each and each LED lights result In a greater output with energy intake.

There are four kinds of LEDs with different wattage and sizes. Thus Variety is just another of this LED lights' feature.

Pros:

The Mars Hydro Reflector series facilitates different kinds of combinations.

This company ensures the best quality of LEDs.

The reflector is a very distinctive feature that offers bright light with lower energy consumption.

Cons:

Even though the company ensures full spectrum coverage, the LED does not include ultraviolet or infrared radiations.

The warranty period is very less, providing the warranty of three months only.

The cost of these LEDS is a little higher. Because of this, they are not easily accessible for each and every individual.

Video Review:

Mars Hydro 600W Full Spectrum Grow Light

Cibo 1000W COB LED Grow Light

The Cibo 1000W COB LED Grow Light is a quality grow Since it can be adjusted by you from 0-100%, dimmable. This implies that the light is perfect for use under states that are different. To this, it is a light which it is possible to use from water-soluble breeding , indoor gardens, pipeline blossom, blossom farm, and the cellar amongst others. The effective 1000W super bright LED makes it perfect for providing lighting that is excellent in almost any space it is used. The fantastic thing is that the light features in a wide range of colours to choose from; therefore a selection.

Along with this, it is Adequate light needed for growth. It provides a plant Veg range of 380-800nm and, thus, recommended for the increase of other crops and flowers.

Pros:

Available in different colors

Widely applicable

It's dimmable

Cons:

Some aren't bright enough

Advanced Platinum P-Series 300W LED Grow Lights

Advanced Platinum is a trusted brand in the LED light market, particularly growers, and the cannabis community.

Like all Advanced led the fan lets without getting heat these lights can run, lighting.

Their Lights' size range want.

The Products have a 12 ring spectral output that is full within the scope, out of the box from Ultraviolet.

There is A change for users to turn on veg or bloom mode.

As this Led light manufacturer is made in the united states, it seems to be far costlier than the four products above. However they do offer some real values that buyers need to think about. The goods from this business help assure buyers Apart from being well-made and durable - .

This is Not for anyone with a tight budget, so if you're searching build product that runs well for decades, the Advanced Platinum series ought to be taken under consideration.

Pros:

Efficient 12 ring spectrum

Quiet running

Trusted brand.

5 years guarantee and 90-day return policy

Can be daisy chained

Cons:

Pricier than other manufacturers.

Bozily LED Grow Lights for Indoor Plants

When you need quality increase light you can use for indoor planting, this can be an Exceptional system to test . It supplies a bigger lighting that provides coverage, which makes it ideal for plants. It brings about heat dissipation with no noise. Due to this, it is perfect for indoor usage. The 360-degree with no dead angles provides a light-absorbing to provide lighting.

The energy saving light is ideal for use It demands. What's more, it features an auto on/off timer, making it ergonomic and without a indicator works.

300W power output

Larger illumination

360-degree Angle light absorbing

No fan no Sounds

Pros:

It operates Easily

Consumes low power

Simple to Use

Cons:

Lousy design

Bestva DC Series 2000W Review

Bestva has generated A lot of work at a price. This 2000 W LED grow light includes a 12 ring spectrum that imitates natural sunlight so as to give your plants the best source.

When you think about LED grow light, you Must think about the heating issue, correct?

Well, don't worry!

This 2000 W LED grow light has a good System built into it. It's strong and silent cooling fans inside. Together with that, it also includes glass panel and heat sinks to remove heat. This LED grow roughly 50 runs to Fahrenheit cooler than other LED grow lights.

Impressive correct?

Additionally, it has a chip system. This increase light Uses dual 10 W LEDs instead of 5 watts and 3 watts one. The reason for that is that LEDs are brighter and more efficient compared to other ones. It also aids in providing the maximum PAR/LUMEN ratio for any LED grow light.

There are 200 bits of individual 10-Watt LED Light grows. High-quality manufacturers such as Epileds and Bridgelux make every one of these. The overall lifespan of this LED grow light is 100,000 hours.

The power consumption of the 2000 W LED grow Lighting is only 390 watts. It will offer you a coverage area of 7.8 feet by 7.5 ft in a hanging space of 24 inches.

Good right?

You'll also get a 3-year guarantee along Refund warranty.

Pros:

Really lightweight.

Very thin.

High power.

3-year warranty.

Complete spectrum lighting with UV and IR.

Low power consumption.

Dual chip layout.

LEDs produced by quality manufacturers.

Large protection area.

Cons:

You need to pay the delivery fees to use the guarantee after six months.

King Plus UFO Double Chips LED Light

The King Plus Double Chips LEDs are Incorporated in the list because of their advanced technologies. The technologies provide the greatest of the facilities that include much brighter light emission.

The technology they’ve used is The technology that is cheap that is double. This technology is nothing but the incorporation of LED chips that normally consist of 2 5W LEDs. Thus with this, the output is much larger with power consumption.

The full Spectrum they use is considered to be the ideal. This full spectrum includes all the bands that are red, white, infrared and ultraviolet. The double chip technologies ensure a fantastic productivity.

The Durability of the LED lights is ensured by the correct coverage of the LED lights with glass covers and then having couple of holes in them. In dissipating the heat through these holes the fan that's connected with these lights helps. There are four different sizes of the goods.

Pros:

The double chip facility.

The entire spectrum lighting that have yellow, red, blue, Infrared and ultraviolet rays.

The dual Chips LED lights guarantee a greater coverage with greater efficiency.

The thicker glass instances that ensure a proper coverage and durability.

The guarantee is also huge, containing a span of three decades.

Cons:

The policy area might be less than the advertised one.

Despite having an elaborate heating facility, their nearness to the plants may burn them because of the additional glowing light emission.

There is no facility of making a daisy chain together with the numerous units.

Kind LED Grow Lights K3

Kind LED has become a brand that is popular on the light sector. This is just merchandise on the led marketplace.

This is among the maximum spectra led lights on the market with 12 band-color spectrums ranging from UR to IR.

The thick 2CM aluminum heat sinks help ensure the lights run effectively and decrease heats.

They have two product types - the K3 and K5, in which diodes are owned by the K3s, although the K5 series has a mix of 3 & 3w diodes.

The K3 It aims more, although series is efficient to utilize for any indoor setup, grow tents.

The Company advertises for their advanced light technologies such as the secondary optical lens for deeper penetration, together with the K5 series using integrated timers, remote controls, customizable attributes for the spectrum outputs, "mother earth" and mild intensity.

3 years Guarantee product that is 90-days back warranty gives a feeling of security for buyers, which is suitable for a product at the higher price end.

If you’re Grow you'll be able to afford it, and area is moderate, the K3 is worth the cost. However, for small and normal grow demand, users have been satisfied by the K3 well.

Pros:

12 ring spectrums.

Solid build

Low warmth

Long warranty period

Cons:

Bit Pricey

Missyee 1200W LED Grow Light Spectrum Plant Light

The power output of the LED grow light is a consideration you need to check Out for before making the buy. This is a powerful 1200W LED grow light which will raise the growth of your plants. It features switches that offer up to three mild manners depending on the plant period. Other than this, in addition, it features up to 120pcs dual-chip LEDs which make it electricity economical.

The lighting has been paired with up to three fans plus heat sinks, Which enriches the results. Additionally, the full spectrum light provides the plants with sunlight including the white, blue, and IR.

Pros:

Provides natural light system

It is very strong

Comes in different colours

Cons:

Some don't last more

Phlizon 600W LED grow light

This Phlizon LED grow light has Earned 4.3 stars rating from over 300 happy buyers on Amazon.

Worried about the security?

Afterward this LED grow light will be able to impress you. This manufacturer has eliminated them as a lot of cheap LED reflector built inside the light are prone to melting and burning. Then there's a threat of reflector if a short circuit is within the grow light. Thus, to further enhance the safety aspect, the reflectors have been eliminated by them in the plan.

Cool yeah?

You can substitute a 400 Watt HPS/MH lighting program With this 600 light grow easily, and you will find by doing this down the power consumption to only 108 watts.

Unbelievable right?

This light is really effective as it pertains To power use. You'll be getting a 2 X 2 feet of policy area at a hanging space of 24 inches.

The people who made light grows did a Lot of experiments on a different light spectrum . And as a result, they've included blue, red, white, IR and UV within their own light spectrum range.

UV and the IR promote the mechanism of The plant and blue, red and white LEDs enable the plants to grow and provide improved harvests.

Best part?

The best thing about this LED grow light is the Double switch. You will get two different ON and OFF switches that you can use to command BLOOM light LEDs and the VEG. This way you can have control over how fast or slow you want your plants to grow.

It's 60 pieces of 10W LEDs from the framework. The LED angle of seeing will be 120 and 90 level together. This LED grow light also has an FCC certificate which is given because of its quality. In Addition, it has an UL and ISO certification Too.

Pros:

UL listed.

ISO certified.

FCC certified.

High power LEDs.

UV and IR included.

Full spectrum.

2-year Guarantee.

No Reflector to increase safety.

Dual Switches for VEG and Bloom mode.

Lightweight.

Cheap.

Cons:

No info about lifespan provided.

California LightWorks SolarStorm 440W

The Led Lights from California Lightworks are a model which will deliver the excellent lights which get plants to operate at all phases.

The SolarStorm is among both series of California Lightwork besides the SolarSystem. It's directed at small and ordinary growers. This version owns a switch style for veg/bloom. And yet another switch for the bulbs.

The SolarSystem has more power and comes with spectrum controller, which is better suited to production.

They have 5 rings of deep blue, red, deep red, hot plus connected UVB T8 bulbs. However they lack IR.

Buyer's Guarantee is excellent with a warranty and 90-day risk-free trial.

Pros:

High-end product, reputable brand.

Long warranty period.

Alter for veg/bloom and UVB tubes

Cons:

Quite expensive.

Viparspectra V600 Reflector Collection

Viparspectra V600 is specifically designed to give you the highest PAR Output to cultivate your plants throughout different cycles.

This light--which is certified --features an advanced cooling system to maintain your room trendy, and reflectors.

Since they are full spectrum lighting, you can easily change their preferences From seedlings to the flowering growing phase. The reflector design makes it possible for a 50 percent increase of the PAR output, meaning that light reaches your crops.

If you get hooked into these lights, the chain function allows you to Attach together without the need of wires cords or accessories.

It has 5-watt Bridgelux and 120 diodes and Epileds chips, Which can be controlled by a timer. In other words, the light should last you longer or 100,000 hours. This LED light is reasonable priced, which makes it the ideal combination between quality costs, and performance.

In-depth Features explained in below video:

Viparspectra V600 600W LED Grow Light

Pros:

Simple to use.

The high-speed aluminum fans allow heat dissipation and growers report less noticeable heat compared to other brands.

Plants to grow throughout all stages.

Regardless of the affordable cost, the lights come in material.

Most manufacturers appear to achieve returns that are great.

Many manufacturers report When facing complications, outstanding customer service.

Cons:

Lights may be noisy.

Consumers complain with the hanging ropes of quality issues.

Narrow beam angle--90 levels.

Does not include UV lights.

VANDER LIFE 2000W LED Grow Light

For efficient growth of crops, this is a power increase light which provides A high spectrum to enhance plants' development. It provides a blue red IR UV also white, which will be inclusive of what the plant requirements. Apart from this, the power output makes it good for providing power that will improve the development of the plant.

The system is very safe as it doesn't use reflectors and does not melt. In addition to this, it's ideal for regions of 4×4 feet and a height of up to 16-inches long. This matches for use in all areas.

Pros:

Provides all Lights needed for plants expansion

Serves for long

Serves Places

Cons:

Lacks on/off switch

King Plus 1000W LED Grow Light

King plus company is unique in its own way Have their factories and professional grow labs to develop, research and design LED's. This product includes 10W double chips which are more efficient and more economical than 5W LED's.

It provides a full spectrum of light which is much like sunlight. It manages to keep the heat on the LED board and fans, thanks to the holes at a minimum. 1 thing that makes light stand grows out is that the 10W chip LED's are all outfitted with their zener diodes, which can be found on LED's in the marketplace.

With a 3 year warranty this product is your best purchase for any serious newcomer cannabis grower.

If You've Got a grow box or a 3 X grow tent , then you can Utilize this LED grow light to get the return from your marijuana plants. With attributes like long warranty period, and UV/IR, you can rest assure that you and your crops will love light a good deal grows.

Pros:

Great Excellent epistar LED used.

10W diode, which signifies light penetrates more.

Extended life span.

3 year guarantee

Cons:

Uses a little more power than advertised.

Not so lasting as high-end LED's.

No more UV light.

Deckey Total Spectrum Hanging LED Lamp

The list would not be complete with no sub-50W variants.

The Deckey grow light is a spectrum panel made up of 225 LEDs.

Of these 165 are reddish colored, although the remainder (60) emit blue colour light. They combine to offer the optimum level of light for plants in all stages.

The panel is square shaped, measuring 12.2x12.2 inches. The LED is made to be hung from the ceiling, as its name implies. This Deckey LED is rated at below 10 watts.

It may be Kept at a distance between 1.6 feet to 3.2 ft) in the maximum distance, it should be able to cover 2.5 square meters or 26 square feet.

The light Is fabricated from plastics. You receive a quite long 1.65-meter cable along with the light. Mounting accessories can also be provided along with the bundle.

As for the performance is a really low powered grow mild. It isn't suitable for flowering plants that are big.

Despite According to the vendor as a full range panel, it isn't enough for all phases of plant development and only displays colors that are red and blue. The Deckey is perfect for the vegging or early tag that is growing though.

Pros:

Has both blue and red LEDs

Consumes only 9 watts

Total package for Simple installation

Cons:

Under powered for large plants

Not great for flowering stage

No advanced alternatives

Conclusion

Quality LED grow lights are the best alternative Plants inside. They're more efficient that conventional forms of lighting, meaning they create more output signal, generating less heat and while using less power.

They also last much longer. You won't have to change bulbs and often over 10.

But there are drawbacks. Well, one downside, and that is that the Proliferation of LED lighting.

In the previous five decades, tons of manufacturers have flooded the marketplace with cheap LED lights which are practically useless. They do not need to light intensity or they just use the spectrum to be of any use.

Full Spectrum & Light Wavelength Explained

Just like how we can see a certain range of light spectrum together with our Eyes use a certain range of light spectrum to grow.

When plants grow outdoors, sunlight provides the complete spectrum of lighting a Plant should develop. Sunlight gets absorbed by the plant's pigment molecules for photosynthesis (growing).

LED grow lights are all made to provide the light wavelengths most valuable to plant growth. We call this best range PAR, brief for photo synthetically-active radiation.

The PAR spectrum includes the light wavelengths of approximately 400 nm to 720 nm, exemplified below:

By taking a look at the PAR spectrum graph we can observe that some colors are used by plants. A plant uses blue light (400 nm -- 500nm) and red light(620nm -- 700nm) wavelengths at the best concentrations.

That is the reason we quantify lights in regard grow to PAR output rather than Lumens.

You can check the PAR output of an increase light using a PAR meter (also referred to as a PPF meter). This useful device measures how many photons of light hit on the sensor.

PPF brief for Photosynthetic Photon Flux is the amount of light photons which make contact with your plants every second. Only mild in 400nm to 700nm's ranges are quantified. The unit of measurement is µmol/s.

PPFD stands for Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density. PPFD, quantified in µmol/(m2s) which we call micromoles or "uMoles" as slang. PPFD shows the density of PAR lighting in certain area, such as the density of PAR light at 12″ from the LED grow light. We use PPFD to measure the PAR output of LED grow lights.

Red Light vs. Blue Light

Red (620nm -- 720nm):

Light in character helps to promote all-around growth and the flowering process. Basically red light comes out from the sun during late summer and fall, which may explain part of the reason buds shape up phat afterward (the other part is light hours). Red-heavy grow lights do promote hefty and flowering, but this doesn't mean that you should use light for your plants.

Balanced with blue light, red light May Be Used throughout the course of a Plant life -- from seed to harvest. Colour light is required by plants. Interestingly enough, plants create the maximum amount of energy during photosynthesis from reddish light.

Do not be fooled by the color you see -- even MH(metal halide) lights that Are don't look very reddish supply a decent amount of light. Most LED grow lights are red-heavy.

Although plants could be grown with pure light, also much red light that was only Will not help vegetative growth. Light is also required in good quantity for plants!

Blue (400 nm -- 500nm):

Blue lighting is important that plants don't know where to target Their leaves without it for absorption.

Plants flourish with adequate levels of spectrum in their early stages light. In the outside, blue lighting is present throughout the spring and long-day summertime, as crops are in this"vegetative" process of growth naturally -- it's easy to understand how this all works together...

Without blue light, vegetating plants Appear to stay small and stunted -- Resulting in a prestige and short stems. Many LED grow light users add blue light fluorescent lighting to the room through a plants early stages to find an extra boost of light.

Crank up the quantity of blue lighting and, if you want plants that are tall and leafy You'll get that. Particular LED grow lights are designed with flexible light and red light dials.

Ultraviolet(UV) Light

Ultraviolet(UV) light beneath 400nm include three Chief rays:

UVA (315--400nm)

UVB (280--315nm)

UVC (180--280nm)

The brand new LED grow lights have a few bulbs in the UV range for a Few reasons.

In nature, plants are naturally exposed to the and are exposed to sunlight Radiation which sunlight contains. We produce saliva to shield against the rays of the sun, when UV radiation is absorbed by people.

Cannabis on the other hand produces tric homes Full of cannabinoids, Including the favorite Δ 9THC and CBD to protect the plant from UV radiation. Essentially, UV is used to excite THC production.

Outdoors, the sun at elevations provides more UV exposure to plants. The growers that reside in the hills swear their substance is powerful due to the UV exposure making the plant produce more cannabinoids.

We've seen in Hawaii the bud in high-elevations gets super frosty and Stony, though does not yield as much as the low-elevation herb. More anecdotal evidence can be located in this hashish book composed in 1965 about the best quality hash being obtained from crops in high altitudes.

This is why many growers swear that it's beneficial to utilize a UV light that is little To grow the plant's production of THC which is why you see LED grow lights with UV bulbs added.

But do note that UV radiation overexposure has been proven to degrade Plant that is different processes, such as damage to damage and DNA to bodily processes. Too much UV radiation has shown to induce plant mutations. And is bad for people.

Infrared(IR) Light

Infrared (IR) and near infrared light consists of wavelengths over 700nm. Invisible to the eye lighting is sensed as heat.

PAR would tell us that deep red (short-wavelength, 680nm), much Red(>680nm) infrared are at big liberally by plants for photosynthesis. Only one photoreceptor, phytochrome, is proven to respond to far red wavelengths. Phytrochrome helps plants modulate such as when to initiate the blossom process photo-sensitive changes.

As we heard from the Emerson Effect, research conducted by Robert Emerson showed that plants simultaneously given these wavelengths grew at much higher rate than the amount of the red light and far red light independently.

This gave reason to think that crops may have two photosystems -- one for using another and mild for using long-wavelength light.

[ramajmedia]

The Crown: 10 Hidden Details About The Main Characters Everyone Missed


The whole point of the Netflix historical drama, The Crown, is to shed light on the hidden details of some of the most public figures of the 20th century: The Royal Family. So much of the series details the backdoor conversations, scandals, and controversies that plagued the denizens of Buckingham Palace, not to mention those in 10 Downing street and beyond.

RELATED: The Crown: 10 Things To Know Before Watching Season 3

That being said, there is a lot left to be uncovered about the actors who brought these main characters to life. While audiences might know a good deal about the real royals, it's their fictional counterparts and performers where the secrets lie.

10 Churchill Was Much Shorter Than John Lithgow

The visage of Sir Winston Churchill is unmistakable. The stare, underbite, hunch, and accessories have become signature aspects of the iconic figure. The task of bringing such a figure to life is daunting, to say the least. Luckily, American actor John Lithgow's performance is a knockout, capturing the former Prime Minister in all his flaws and accolades.

One thing that most audiences might not realize though is the sharp differences between the two men. For one thing, John Lithgow is way taller than Sir Winston Churchill, clocking in at 6'4" while the prime minister was a measly 5'6". Because of this, the recognizable front door of 10 Downing Street had to be increased in size to a ridiculous amount, to keep the portrayal accurate.

9 Churchill Had A Specific Accent

Almost more iconic than his appearance is Churchill's voice. The gravelly yet nasally accent of Winston was one of the first immediately recognized the world over thanks both to the increasingly common use of radio, and Churchill's boisterous personality.

Lithgow had to delve deep to capture the iconic voice. The voice coach on the production assisted all of the actors, not just Lithgow. This was due to the ever-changing British Accent through the decades. Lithgow took it one step further though, stuffing cotton up his nostrils to assist in his vocal characterization.

8 The Age Gap Between Elizabeth And Margaret

Some of the best casting in the series has to go to the duo behind bringing both Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret to life: Claire Foy and Vanessa Kirby. This duo couldn't feel more opposite, with one portraying the practical queen and the other the royal radical.

RELATED: 10 TV Shows That Were Incredibly Expensive To Make

The two give some of the best performances in the series. What many fans might not know though is they share an aspect of the real sisters' relationship. Claire Foy is four years older than Kirby, which is also the same age gap between the real Elizabeth and Margaret.

7 Churchill Was The Only British Character To Be Portrayed By An American

When it comes to the British series, there are scant Americans to be found. If the role can be filled by a Brit, they will almost always fill it.

While there are Americans throughout the series, Michael C. Hall as JFK for example, only one played a British figure from history. John Lithgow, the beloved American actor, brought Winston Churchill to life. While many fantastic Brits had done so in the past, this Yank did one of the best.

6 The Duke Of Windsor Or The Prince Of Wales?

The Duke of Windsor is one of the most divisive figures in the history of the royal family. Not only did he bring it shame after abdicating the throne for a divorced woman, but he also brought a storm of controversy when his Nazi connections were uncovered.

Alex Jennings brought the disgraced prince to life in the Netflix series, embodying the elitism and complications behind the figure. But, it is not the only royal figure that Jennings has played. He also portrays Prince Charles in Peter Morgan's The Queen. Morgan is the lead writer of The Crown, so it's no wonder there is a bit of spillover in the casting department.

5 Vanessa Kirby Almost Didn't Get To Play Margaret

It is hard to imagine anyone else playing Princess Margaret at this point (even though we can't wait to see Helena Bonham Carter take on the role in Season 3). But, Vanessa Kirby almost lost the part due to some bad skincare choices.

During her screen test, Kirby had applied self-tanner to her ankles. Later, during her audition, she had changed into a skirt that showed off more of her leg, along with the tan lines. The choice almost cost her the job according to Peter Morgan, since it was beyond distracting.

4 Are Those Real Cigarettes?

One of the defining features of Margaret's appearance is her constant smoking. Where Elizabeth is strictly refined, embodying a rigid and disciplined personality, Margaret is the exact opposite. Margaret is the image of 20th-century beauty and sophistication.

RELATED: 5 Movies Netflix Saved From Development Hell (& 5 Movies We Hope They Save)

From her outfits to her smoking, she is that aesthetic. Only one issue: Kirby doesn't smoke. To keep the aspect included, Kirby smoked herbal cigarettes. This is a fairly common practice. Since smoking is less common nowadays, many actors have to use false cigarettes for may period pieces.

3 Elizabeth & Phillip Had Particular Ways Of Speaking

If Winston Churchill's voice is recognizable, The Queen's is iconic. Nearly anyone can do a decent impersonation of the Queen, embodying an aristocratic aura in a pretty hokey English accent. But to actually capture her definite speech patterns, the cast needed the help of William Conacher.

Conacher, who also assisted Helen Mirren in Peter Morgan's play The Audience, had a specific challenge for Foy and Matt Smith. Even with simple terms such as was, the pair struggled to capture the definite mannerisms. The large vowels, in particular, were a specific challenge.

2 Too Many Queens

It seems like everyone thinks that Britain only has a handful of actors who appear in every single show and film. Well, The Crown certainly doesn't help against that statement. All of The Crown's royal queens have almost all played queens in previous projects.

Claire Foye herself played Anne Boleyn in the series Wolf Hall, wife to Henry VIII. Victoria Hamilton, who portrays the Queen Mother on The Crown, also played Queen Victora in Victoria and Albert, while Eileen Atkins played Queen Mary of Teck before in Bertie and Elizabeth. This tradition will continue with the inclusion fo Olivia Colman, who won the Oscar for her portrayal as Queen Anne in The Favourite.

1 The King Looked A Little Too Sick

One of the most heartbreaking arcs of the series was the slow death of King George VI. The late king died from a battle with laryngeal cancer, one which debilitated his ability to speak. Jared Harris portrayed the monarch on the series, adding a deft and subtlety to the role.

Harris took method acting to a whole other level though with his portrayal. When playing the sick monarch, Harris was suffering from a terrible cold, adding a bit of reality to his ill performance.

NEXT: 10 Music Biopics You've Probably Forgotten About (That Aren't Rocketman)

source https://screenrant.com/crown-hidden-details-main-characters-everyone-missed/

[nivalvixen]

Framed, pt 3

Also on AO3

Stiles had a day of tactical driving which ended up being more monotonous than he'd expected. He was used to Roscoe's heavy handling, so being in a far smaller automatic car with all-wheel drive, cruise control, and a reverse camera was a little daunting.

Who needed a camera to reverse, anyway?

After his first drive, knocking over every single traffic cone in sight, his instructor spent a good five minutes yelling at Stiles. The man butchered the pronunciation of his first name but Stiles didn't want the evil man to have the honour of using his nickname anyway.

When it was his turn again, Stiles sat behind the wheel and imagined the traffic cones were baby werewolf cubs. He came to an abrupt stop next to his peers and instructors, the former with their jaws open in surprise at his sudden ability to avoid the cones.

"Not bad, Stilinski, but you can do better!"

Stiles' eyebrows shot up at that; he hadn't missed a single cone and his time was mere seconds from his peers who had hit the cones. He was tempted to do the course in reverse, just to prove that he fucking could and his instructor was an asshole, but Stiles forcefully reminded himself that if he fucked up here, he wouldn't get any further with Derek's case.

The thought made him feel sick to his stomach; if Stiles wasn't at the FBI, he wouldn't be able to solve the case, his peers would hunt Derek down, he'd probably end up in prison, and then Stiles would end up becoming an accomplice and going on the run because there was no way he was letting Derek rot away in prison. The martyr would probably think he'd deserved it, even though he hadn't deserved anything life had thrown at him. Sometimes literally.

"Focus on what matters, Stilinski," he muttered to himself, getting out of the car so the next person could get behind the wheel.

...

Again, at lunch, Agent McAsshole came to their table to talk to the recruits. One of Stiles' peers mentioned how he'd been the first to pass the intensive driving, and Rafe looked straight at him for the first time in ten minutes.

"Congratulations, Mr. Stilinski. I'm sure your family and friends would be very pleased to hear that you're doing well here," Rafe said, the words far too nice and his eyes sharp.

Stiles clenched his jaw and couldn't bring himself to reply; not without his usual sarcasm, not without wanting to hurt the man who'd hurt Scott.

"How are you all enjoying the case so far? I could request a different case, if you'd like?" Rafe asked, looking between the recruits.

Stiles heard the threat in his question and under the table his hands clenched into tight fists. What the hell did he want? Everyone wanted something, and Rafe obviously wanted something from Stiles or else he'd take the case - Derek's case - away from him. A hundred possibilities ran through his mind; Stiles was pretty certain that if McCallous didn't want him at the FBI, then he wouldn't be there. Stiles thought back to their last encounter, to Scott's last encounter with his father, and he suddenly knew what the man wanted.

"My best friend is going to UC Davis," Stiles blurted out.

Rafe relaxed. It wasn't obvious to everyone at the table as Stiles' peers were looking at him like he was crazy - why would Agent Rafe McCall care about his best friend?! - but Stiles, who had spent a summer watching Derek Hale for the slightest bit of emotion, the way a tilt or raising of his eyebrows could convey entire sentences, saw Rafe's shoulders lose a hint of tension, the twitch of a smile at his mouth. He was right.

"I'm sure his parents are very proud," Rafe said, again with words that seemed simple and nice, but conveying another message for those who knew where to look.

Stiles had received 99% on his accuracy test (he lost a percent for writing a paragraph that detailed the history of one of the ink blot tests; they were lucky it was only a paragraph), so he knew exactly where to look.

Agent McNutsack wanted Stiles to be a messenger boy to Scott since he couldn't get the balls to do it himself, and to make sure he complied, he was using Derek as leverage.

Stiles nodded, his jaw clenched, and ignored the agent for the rest of the lunch break.

...

"You spoke to my dad? Willingly?" Scott asked, surprised.

"Yeah, he's currently at Quantico, heading up his own division; it's surprisingly difficult to avoid him," Stiles muttered, rolling his eyes. "He's proud of you for going to UC Davis," he added, pulling a face.

"He is?" Scott asked with a smile.

"Yeah. About that, he's basically bribing me to provide info on you so I can keep working on Derek's case. Can I feed him a bit of random crap until he gets the balls to talk to you again?"

"What's Derek's case?"

"Oh. Uh, he's being framed for mass murder. It's a total set up 'cause he was either in BH for most of it, de-aged by Kate, or fighting the Nogitsune."

Scott took a moment to breathe before he answered, both of them silent at the memory of the Nogitsune, of Allison, of the darkness still inside them. "Tell him whatever you want. Just... no embarrassing stories from primary school, okay?"

Stiles snorted. "I'd be embarrassing myself right there along with you, so no problem, Scotty. Now; when were you going to tell me what was going down? There was an attack at the station, Parrish got hurt, what else aren't you telling me?"

Scott winced; he'd forgotten to talk to the Sheriff about not telling Stiles what had happened. "Wait. You're not coming back to deal with this?"

"Dude, I'm stuck with the FBI for four months; if I leave now with no warning, I'll never get this chance again. But I'll help as much as I can from here, I promise. Now, spill every detail," Stiles said, pulling out his notebook and eyeing the opposite wall as a new board.

He didn't really need to hang his clothes up, did he?

Scott was still a little surprised, but he dutifully relayed everything he remembered. Then he called Lydia to add her input to the call. She was re-packing Malia's suitcase for France, who had decided to go rat hunting with Liam and Mason in some of her nicer clothes.

"You weren't going to tell me, Lyds?" Stiles asked, sounding more hurt than he'd intended.

"I don't want to lose you again. I refuse to lose any more best friends," Lydia replied, her stern voice slipping and breaking at the end.

There was a long moment of silence.

"I'm your best friend?" Stiles asked, grinning.

"If you have to ask -"

"Nope, I'm good. I'm your best friend. Huh, cool. Hey, is there like, a legal limit of how many best friends you can have?"

"Stiles, you're at the FBI now, you're a grown adult, please act like one," Lydia said, rolling her eyes.

"Ha, no chance of that! You knew what you signed up for, bestie," Stiles teased, grinning.

Lydia made a noise that sounded as though she regretted every decision she'd ever made in her life.

"Can we, uh, get back to the hellhound terrorising town?" Scott asked.

"Sure thing, Scotty. Parrish said the hellhound's hunting for something or someone, didn't he? Can you just ask him what it is?"

"What?" Scott and Lydia said at the same time.

"Y'know, be an adult and actually ask the hellhound who or what they're looking for? Within a safe distance, of course."

"What exactly is a safe distance when a hellhound is concerned? Mountain ash doesn't work on them. Or me, remember?" Scott pointed out.

"Oh, yeah, I know. I think I've got a spell for that, actually. Well, it's in one of Deaton's books that I might or might not have illegally copied..." Stiles added, trailing off with a cough. He opened a file on his laptop that was hidden away, password protected, and encrypted. Even his porn folder had less protection. "It's a spell to keep both parties stuck in their separate areas, and it lasts for a good two hours or something, so be careful with it," Stiles added. "Also, check with Deaton in case there's another spell that can let you out before the hellhound or something. I don't want to modify it and get you stuck somewhere for two weeks or something."

"This is surprisingly mature of you, Stiles. I'm very proud," Lydia said, teasingly.

"Good. Don't tell anyone," Stiles said with a laugh. "Okay, there; I've sent the spell to both of you. Let me know how it goes, yeah? And stop keeping secrets from me, dammit," he added.

"Sorry, buddy," Scott said, wincing.

"Sorry, Stiles. We only hid it because we were worried you'd come back," Lydia said.

"Yeah, I know. I'd probably do the same thing if you were here and I was there," Stiles said, knowing it for the truth. "I've gotta study for tomorrow. We're working on Derek's case again."

"Hey, say hi to my dad for me? Y'know, if you can. He didn't exactly leave his number when he left last time," Scott said.

"Sure thing, Scotty; that won't be awkward," Stiles muttered. "Let me know what happens with the hellhound, okay?"

Both Scott and Lydia agreed, then said goodbye and hung up. Stiles set his phone down, sighing heavily before moving the wardrobe out of his way.

...

End of the third chapter.

Next parts: four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty

[packernet]

New Post has been published on https://www.packernet.com/blog/2019/07/15/the-nfl-north-packers-or-the-bears/

The NFL North  - Packers or the Bears?

Another take on the division…

Even though NFL teams haven’t even started full training camp, we feel as though the NFL season is fast upon us!  Much has changed since the 2018 season ended and every team—even the Lions—has high hopes for the upcoming season.

We’ll go over the great expectations for each team and a reasonable assessment of their true chances to get to the Super Bowl.  We feel like we are embarking on a journey to a jackpot casino: the challenge is daunting, the unknowns are many, and the outcome is out of our hands but we hope for that one great moment when the forces of football heaven smile upon us!

The NFC North

A lot of people think that this is the strongest division in the league.  If that is so, then playing six games within the division might mean that the second place team won’t make the playoffs.  With that in mind, we examine each team’s chances of winning the division.

Detroit Lions

The schedule is tough for every NFC North team.  The Lions play the Chargers in week two and the Eagles in week three.  These early games will test the offensive line primarily.  Without good pass protection, the Lions can’t hope to score enough points to win against strong opponents.

Matthew Stafford has suffered from uneven offensive line play in the past.  The big question for him is whether last year’s regression is a sign of more regression to come or does he have enough left to get the Lions to the playoffs?  He doesn’t have enough mobility in the pocket to compete in this division.

The Lions’ defense will be good but not great but it is not a scoring defense.  In fact, only the Vikings and the Bears have scoring defenses and they make the difference in this division.

By their bye week, the Lions might have a 1-4 record with all four losses coming after a win on opening day against the Cardinals.  If that is the case, there may be a massive overhaul mid-season for the Lions.  We don’t see Detroit in the playoff picture.  The only caveat is that they are quite capable of winning divisional games so the Packers have to be more than fully prepared for that first game after the Lions’ bye week.

Minnesota Vikings

This is a snakebit franchise.  They went to four Super Bowls in the Bud Grant era and lost all of them because they became too passive in the big game.  They traded away a full decade of competitiveness in the Herschel Walker trade.

The days when teams went to Minneapolis in December or January and suffered with below zero temperatures are gone.  This was once the team’s greatest advantage.

Last year they signed Kirk Cousins to another long term contract.  Cousins is a quarterback who needs great coaching to succeed.  He may be the new Jay Cutler, a quarterback who can’t do it on his own, needs great play from his teammates, and great coaching, none of which Cutler had in Chicago and Cousins didn’t have last year in Minnesota.  Furthermore, he is already 30 years old.  Minnesota certainly reached when they signed him.

The Vikings defense was very good last year but not as good as the year before.  Here again there is the question of regression.  Football is such a taxing sport that regression is always a problem.

The Vikings could win the division.  Or they might finish 8-8.  Once again, as far as the Packers are concerned, the divisional games will probably tell the tale of which team goes to the playoffs.

Chicago Bears

This is the team that has everyone worried.  They got a new coach last year who seems to know how to relate to his players, how to run a modern offense, how to teach, how to organize a team, and how to delegate authority.

He is the Kurt Warner of coaches having had his greatest success in the Arena League before landing a spot on Andy Reid’s staff in Kansas City.

The Bears had the best defense in the league.  Regression is entirely not an issue with this defense.  Everyone is either young or in their prime.  Everyone is back from last year except Adrian Amos who the Packers signed.  He is being replaced by Ha Ha Clinton-Dix who underachieved with the Pack.  He has a lot to prove.

The Bears’ defense has superstars, near superstars, and established stars.  Their new defensive coordinator is Chuck Pagano who has a much more aggressive defensive philosophy than did Vic Fangio last year.  Fangio is now the head coach in Denver.  When Pagano lets this defense loose, it could make people remember the great defenses of the past.

The quarterback is the big question mark for the offense.  You really have to throw out his first year in the league under John Fox.  In his second year, last year under Matt Nagy, Mitch Trubisky progressed from week to week.  The Bears started out 3-3 and finished 12-4. 

He is still far from being an elite quarterback but he is genuinely on the cusp of greatness.  He has the right coach, the right offensive philosophy, a great offensive line, excellent wide receivers, a revamped running game with runners who can both run and catch, and tremendous running ability of his own.  In addition, he is the most elusive pocket quarterback in the division by far.

From the Packers point of view, the best thing about this year’s Bears is that they have one of the hardest schedules in the league.

The Packers

Last year, we saw many signs of regression.  The defense was no longer up to the challenges of a long season.  The offense also lacked depth. 

The Packers drafted ten players and hope many of them will help the team from the earliest games.  The team will certainly be younger this year than it was last year.  It is impossible to evaluate the Packers in terms of their new rookies.

The Pack signed two edge rushers: Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith.  Za’Darius had a breakout season last year.  He is a fast, powerful OLB but can he sustain last year’s success?  Preston Smith has less raw talent than Za’Darius but he is still a formidable OLB.  Together, the Smiths bring a massive edge rushing upgrade to the Packers defense.

They will need a lot of backfield penetration to offset Mitch Trubisky’s elusiveness at quarterback.

The addition of Adrian Amos at safety is more a plug-in change than a push for a big improvement.  Amos is a solid player but he is decidedly not spectacular.  He won’t make any interceptions unless the ball is thrown right at him and is uncontested.  Still, he fits into the system well, follows his assignments, and makes very few mistakes.

On offense, the key is always Aaron Rodgers’ health.  If he’s healthy, the offense will score points.  Davante Adams is a top level receiver and Aaron Rodgers has the ability to make lesser receivers seem much better than they really are.

The Packers have a new head coach in the mold of modern offensive-minded head coaches.  If Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers can establish the chemistry that was lacking in the last few years between coach and player, the offense may thrive.

Conclusion

This is a Green Bay Packers fan site so we won’t predict that the Packers will fall in 2019.  It is very clear that the Bears pose the greatest challenge to the Packers in the battle for the NFC North title.

Realistically speaking, the Bears have by far the most upside of any team in the division.  They also have a very tough schedule.  And the NFL is still the NFL.

For the Packers to win the division they will have to win both games against Detroit and Minnesota and at least split with Chicago.  If they do, the Packers have a real chance to win the division.