#eric stout

[baseballjerseynumbers]

Spring Training:

Mark Leiter Jr. assigned 30

Luis Torrens assigned 32

Dom Nuñez assigned 37

Mike Tauchman assigned 40

Esteban Quiroz assigned 43

Vinny Nittoli assigned 48

Nick Burdi assigned 49

Roenis Elías assigned 52

Nick Neidert assigned 58

Sergio Alcántara assigned 60

Brailyn Marquez assigned 61

Eric Stout assigned 62

Jordan Holloway assigned 64

Tyler Duffey assigned 65

Jared Young assigned 74

Ryan Borucki assigned 77

Ben DeLuzio assigned 78

[amazingpetenclosures]

Emerald tree boa enclosure by Eric D Stout

[nuagederose]

Dark Roots of Earth | Chapter Six: Where the Wild Roses Grow

ao3 link

“I cannot believe we did that,” Christine chuckled.

“‘We’?” Alex burst out laughing.

“Hey, you talked me into it.”

“Yeah, and you got a lot more chutzpah than I realized, too,” he said, still laughing.

It was two weeks after the incident happened, and after Alex had begun teaching summer school as well, and thus, he had money filtering in from that point onwards. As a result, he took her out to dinner out on Long Island, and she resisted the urge to tell him about what Nelly did for her in the wintry months before then. In fact, it had been quite some time since she had even thought about Chris, as her thoughts of him had subsided away while she and Eric were out in California together. Christine sipped on her milkshake and locked eyes with him from across the table, and all the while, Alex would lean back every so often so she could see his body.

She had also stopped thinking about Ann as well, as her memories had faded out with the passing of time. Her time with Alex, and she had let her own ghosts fall away for the last couple of weeks, and after she had promised to tell him about it as well.

Perhaps she could move on after all. She wanted to move on, anyway.

“I've been meaning to ask you this, too,” he started again as he set his glass of stout back down on the table, “how’s Eric? Was he at all excited to be out in California?”

“Oh, he’s been great!” Christine replied. “And yeah, he absolutely loved California. For him, it was all about being down by the water most of the time.”

He chuckled at that: those deep eyes never left her gaze for one second right then. It was like a flash of light as she thought back to that night in the snow, and she had her hand on Chris' tombstone. Where before she saw the ocean, she could feel the cold of the stone.

“I should also tell you that I have another few gigs coming up here,” he reminded her.

“A few?” She raised her eyebrows at him.

“Yeah, one right after the other, if you can believe that,” he said, and his face lit up at the sound of that. “Yeah, I have two with the trio, another with another kinda... let's call them a 'fusion' band, and another one that's a little more rock n' roll. All within days of each other.”

“Wow-ee. And I'm guessing they're all taking place over the Fourth of July weekend.”

“And you would be correct,” he declared, and he chuckled again, that time a nervous chuckle. She could see it in his eyes. She could only hope that Captain Howdy hadn't suspected anything with him, especially when, as far as she knew, she never saw either of them out there on the street.

“You wanna pull another prank on her?” he asked her.

“If it's nothing that's not going to get us killed,” she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. “How's that sign doing, by the way?”

“Oh, some people in the apartment complex were like 'hurray! Someone finally broke that damned thing!' but she was livid, though.”

“I would imagine.” She chuckled.

“And now, she's having it put back up again, but now—” He leaned forward with his hands folded before him on the table. “—get this. Apparently, that sign has set her back some... three grand, I think is what she said. I wasn't properly paying attention, but it's costing her a bunch of money to have the glass replaced and also to have it moved so it's facing more towards the street as well as the synagogue. Because of that, it's costing her company more money out of pocket, money that they can hardly keep up with now just to keep their heads above water. She hasn't asked me for anything... yet, anyways.”

“You know she will,” Christine followed along.

“Oh, absolutely. You know, I just keep expecting to get a call from her asking me for a thousand bucks or something like that. So—”

“If we're going to do another prank, we're going to have to do something that's not going to make you possibly inadvertently tighten your belt at some point,” she followed along some more.

“Exactly! And to make matters even worse, she actually wants a piece of my world music project.”

Christine gaped at him.

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah! She and I were talking about it... last week, I think it was. And she practically begged me to get onboard with it.”

“Did you accept?”

“I told her I would think about it,” he replied with a pursing of his lips. He locked eyes with her again. “Do you want to be a part of it?”

“What would I do?”

“Well, I've seen you become a bit of an artist lately,” he noted, and Christine shook her head. “What're you shaking your head for?” He couldn't resist chuckling again.

“I'm not that good,” she protested.

“Oh, but you can be,” he assured her with a wag of his finger. “If you're willing to go ahead and make a freaking graphic novel by hand, I reckon you can do some album art for me. Or—” He snapped his fingers and his face lit up again. “You can do illustrations that go along with the music. You know, like an accompanying piece or something like that.”

“But that would require me to do good art, though,” she pointed out as she brought the straw of her milkshake back up to her mouth.

“Christine, art requires courage—and as I've seen, chutzpah. You've got a great deal of it. You can do it. If I give you a deadline, you can do it. If you did it for me in a scholastic setting, you can probably do it here, too.”

“Well, I'd have to listen to the songs you've done, though,” she insisted with a little gyration to her head.

“Now, that can be arranged,” he promised her with another wag of his finger and a wink; he then leaned back in the seat again so she could see his body.

“Shifting gears, when’s the first day of fall term?” she asked him, and then he paused with his attention directed off to the side for a moment.

“September the... sixth, I think?” he gingerly replied. “All I know is it's the day after Labor Day. You know how it usually goes with us.” He flashed her a wink before he sipped on his stout. “How's your milkshake, by the way?”

“It's delicious,” she told him, and she offered him a sip. “Nice and chocolatey and decadent. Care for a taste?”

“After my beer?” He raised his eyebrows and looked on at the chocolate ice cream within the frosty glass as well as the remainder of the dollop of whipped cream on top: she did offer him the cherry on top before then, however. “It's so tempting but I worry about the aftertaste. Maybe next time, though.”

No sooner had he said that when their food finally came. Christine thought about a next time in which Alex would help himself to something as tasty as a milkshake, or maybe something else hearty and filling. She thought back to her trip out to California, and the night where Eric helped himself to some fresh slices of pie courtesy of the diner they had visited: he wanted more than one, and she was happy to share a second slice with him. Now, they were in another diner, and they were seated right near the counter which held the display of all the pies and cakes they had made for that day. It was a busy day prior to then, so she thought about suggesting some apple pie to him and seeing his reaction to it.

It was a crazy thought but she pictured herself tying him down to a chair and feeding him some pie. She shook her head at that, to which he looked on at her slightly baffled. It kept slipping through, however, the thought of the two of them donned in black leather together and she would be the mistress and the dominant over him. She continued to shake her head at the suggestion as it seemed to come out of nowhere.

“You okay?” he asked her with a chuckle.

“Yeah, I just... think I got some water in my ear is all,” was all she could think of. She hated the idea of having to lie to him, but it was either that or tell the full scoop going on behind her eyes out in the open like that. But then again, when he finished his pasta, he leaned back and rested his hands on his belly to relish the feeling.

“God, that was good,” he said in a low voice. “Filling, too.”

“All those veggies,” she remarked as she finished off the rest of her French fries. “All that cream sauce.”

He gave her a chef's kiss and downed the rest of his ice water. Christine couldn't help but let her eyes wander on him, and more so when they walked outside to the warm evening and the growing shadows around them.

“Not gonna lie, that Reuben you had looked utterly delicious,” he confessed to her. “But... I love my Italian food, though.”

“Even when it's not that cold out,” she remarked.

“Even when it's not that cold out, exactly!”

“By the way, would it be alright if I sat in on a class session?” she asked him.

“You’d have to get a guest pass from the registrar's office but, yeah, you absolutely can,” he assured her with a hiccup. “Do you remember where we parked?”

“I think we shared a cab,” she told him, and she grimaced at the thought of him driving after he had had a few too many to drink. The wind fluttered his black hair back from his shoulder and the side of his neck, and even though they were out in public in Bedford, she couldn't resist it for any longer. She put her arms around his body and rose up on her toes so she could kiss him on the side of his neck.

“I’ve always loved you,” she whispered right into his ear.

“Whoa…” he breathed. He turned his attention to her and showed her a little smile. “Let's go around the corner here.” But she was quicker than him: Christine led him around the corner of the diner into an alleyway so they would remain out of sight. She couldn't hold it in for a second longer as she shoved her tongue inside of his mouth. He seduced her with the taste of Alfredo sauce and stout while she wanted to tempt him, and constantly tempt him like the kiss of chocolate and the taste of pastrami. Her hands glided down the small of his back as if she wanted to peel off his pants for him, but she would have to go through his belt, however.

Meanwhile, his hands found their way up the inside of her shirt and to the hooks of her bra. His body was so warm and welcoming, even in the thick of a warm summer's evening; he unhooked her while she undid his belt for him. Nothing more than the shadows to protect them from any passersby on the street next to them.

Her fingers crept down inside of his pants just to feel him.

His fingers meanwhile crept inside of the cups of her bra to feel her.

“Chr—Alex—” She choked out the words, and all the while, she stopped herself from saying the wrong name.

“Christine—my strawberry girl—” He breathed the words right into her ear.

It was right then she realized that Alex never received her letter.

He never saw her confession. He never saw her tell the truth. He never saw any of it. And she wondered what exactly had happened to it if it had been lost in the post or if Captain Howdy had something to do with it.

Either way, she knew right then that he never learned about her past. And she held back from the softness of his cherry lips and his body.

“What happened?” he asked her, slightly worried. Christine could feel her throat close up at the sight of him and at the thought of it all.

Chris. Ann. The ghosts of her past. The skeletons in her closet.

Alex frowned.

“What did I do?” he asked her. In the dim light, she could see the look of concern on his face. The concern that turned into pain as if he had done something wrong.

“It's not you,” she assured him with a shake of her head. “It's not you. I promise, it wasn't you. I just—” She shook her head again and brought her hands to her face.

“Christine?” he asked her, and she could feel the tears welling up. “Christine, what happened?”

She turned away from him, towards the street so he wouldn't have to see her.

“Christine—”

Her mind was going a mile a minute as she knew that she was going to have to untangle everything from thence forth. She caught the sound of his jeans rustling through her own tears and racing thoughts. He rested a hand on her shoulder; she could smell the stout on his breath and the cologne on his neck as he brought his face closer to hers.

“Maybe there is in fact something that I don’t know about you,” he confessed to her, and she shuddered at the thought of that. “Was it Eric?”

“No,” she whispered, and shook her head. “It wasn't.”

Alex lightly stroked her back. “Take your time with it,” he coaxed her. “You don’t have to tell me anything right now if it’s really that heavy.”

“And it is heavy,” she replied in a gentle whimper. He put his arm before her chest and turned her around so she faced him again. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and held his face close to hers again; she could feel his comfort again.

“The scars on your heart tell me everything, but your lips need to carry them,” he whispered over the noise of the street next to them. She sniffled and a tear streaked down from her eye.

“Be brave, Christine,” he said. “Your strength is formidable.”

“I don’t know, Alex…” she confessed with a shake of her head. “I’m weak and I know if I go back to it, I’ll just tear myself apart.”

He lightly kissed her neck. “You aren’t weak,” he whispered into her ear. “You chucked a brick from thirty feet away and destroyed the sign on the outside of the office building belonging to my fiancée, and then I pulled the fire alarm, and we ran off. You have been staring at your own insecurity and began taking art classes. You are anything but weak.”

More tears streaked down her face, and she struggled to catch her breath. But he still kissed her again, that time on her lips and with the most passion she had ever felt from him. She was the one who gave out the passionate ones, but he proved to her that he could do it himself. He was willing to spoil her while keeping one foot back with his relationship. He was willing to spoil her and see her for what she kept in the wings, and yet she worried about him finding out the entire truth, all of the shades of gray she withheld in the wings, away from his already wounded heart.

Alex put his arms around her, and she followed suit with him. Christine lay her head on his chest to hear his heartbeat and his steady breathing; even with her bra unhooked, she pressed her chest against his belly to feel his warmth. She gripped onto her wrist, right at the small of his back: she could feel him doing the same with her.

She didn't want to let him go.

She wanted to let the skeletons rest in the graveyard, but she needed to bury them first. And yet she didn't want to let Chris go. She didn't want to let him go, and she didn't want Alex to know about it, either, simply because he was buried way out on Long Island.

And yet she didn't want to let Alex go. Chris needed to rest before she could be inside of Alex's warmth for a second longer.

“You are anything but weak,” he repeated to her, and he tucked another lock of hair behind her ear again. They locked eyes again, and that time she could see the ocean with him again.

“Come on... let's share a cab and I'll take you home. I'll give you my schedule on the ride back so you can come and sit in with me in a class. If anyone gives you any looks, I'll give 'em hell. And most of all, I'll make sure you and Eric have front row seats for the trio shows.” He kissed her forehead, and she curled her toes inside of her shoes at the feeling.

How she wanted to keep his warmth all to herself.

But at the same time, she knew that she had to bury Chris again, and something told her she could do it without Alex knowing. She could do it without any question about it.

She could do it through art, and she hoped that he was right and she was brave enough to bring it forth.

[feverinfeveroutfic]

flowers for alexander | chapter twenty-five

and my romantic sci-fi world is back after three months in torpor! i feel like i’m just gonna hang around here for the foreseeable future: everyone is… crazy right now to say in the least. i can’t see my dash from a side-blog, so consider this my little safe haven from all the hate and negativity.

Testament's airship had never been more comfortable to her than right at that very moment. Florence hunkered down next to Eric, who kept his arm around her shoulder and his head leaned up against her, and they bunked out in the lower atrium together with Exodus. Francine had all the while stayed near Alex and Gary, the latter of whom smelled of pine, and Florence couldn't help but think of the opium. She hoped that Alex would stay off that, and that Francine would avoid it as well. 

A mere plant in a pipe, but she still had her concerns, however.

There was no way that she could think about either of them without feeling as though they were slowly killing themselves with the plant. She turned her attention to Eric and the smooth skin like porcelain on the side of his face and stout neck, and he turned his attention back to her.

“Are you warm enough?” he asked her. “You’re shivering an awful lot.”

She gestured for him to move in closer to her face; out of the corner of her eye, she watched Gary and Zetro light up a pipe of opium resin, to which they turned away from Florence and Eric. Francine and Alex were nowhere to be seen.

“What’s the matter?” he asked her, concerned.

“It’s like they’re poisoning their bodies with it,” she whispered to him, and he turned his attention over to Gary and Zetro and the pipe filled with the opium resin.

“With what, opium?” he asked her.

“Yes.”

“It’s to help them sleep,” he explained. “A tiny bit of it helps with the insomnia that comes with touring. It’s why Alex tried it, and it’s why Exodus try it out for themselves as well. It’s either that and sleeping well on a flight on an airship that can sink to the ground when we least expect it. It’s something to help them all chill out and enjoy the ride, dare I say.” He ran his fingers through his inky black hair and shook his head about to rid of any extra ashes that had fallen over the crown of his head.

“You know, it could be far worse,” he assured her. “It could be shit to help keep them awake. The opposite of opium.”

“And what would that be?” she asked him, to which he shook his head.

“You don’t want to know,” he promised her. “Believe me, you don’t want to know.”

“Has Alex ever had it before?”

“Oh, no. Heavens, no.”

He then took a glimpse over his shoulder to the rest of the room behind them.

“Where is Alex, by the way?” he asked her.

“I don’t really know, to be honest,” Florence replied as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Why?”

“You know, I just think about the fact that we’re witnessing an invasion and we could probably lose everything in the mix of all of this…” He turned his attention back to her with his lips pursed together and his facial expression concerned.

“What?”

“Maybe we should kind of… even things out before something happens to either of us. If we survive this, then we should try it just to rectify things before Nathalie is born.”

“And what do you suggest?” she asked him.

“Go have sex with him,” he suggested.

She gaped at him.

“Eric, I will do no such thing,” she told him off, and she inched away from him.

“Hey, you can get anyone out of a jam with the swipe of a wrench. I think you can get us out of a jam by getting intimate with him.”

“Eric, no. I can’t. I can’t do it to us. I can’t do it to her, either.” She rested a hand on her belly, to which Eric nibbled on his bottom lip.

“Florence, it’s either that or die with an unclean conscience or live on and harbor an unspeakable secret from our daughter. Are those two things really what you want?”

She opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. He reached out for her, and she lingered closer to him.

“Maybe we should,” Florence whispered to him, and she felt her heart sink at the mere suggestion.

“I'll allow it,” Eric vowed to her. “Really, I will genuinely totally allow it.” But then she shook her head. “What's the matter?”

“I don't know, Eric... two wrongs don't make a right,” she pointed out.

“Of course, of course. But... I feel that things would be right even if you slept with him, though.”

“And where exactly am I going to do this?” she demanded. “There's too many people in the ship right now, like I feel nervous even with Gary and Steve across from us, out of earshot, and not even listening, anyway. Add to this, I don't want those boys downstairs to see me and him together. And I especially don't want you to see me and him, either.” “But why?” Eric asked her with a knitting of his eyebrows. “I've fucked him before. It wouldn't make much a difference to me if I watched you and him get together for a little good time.”

“You think so?” she asked him in a small voice, and he leaned in closer to her face as if to kiss her, but he merely gazed into her eyes.

“Florence,” he began in a near whisper, “whatever you do, I will always love it and I will always love you as well. You are already mine to begin with, and especially now with Nathalie within you. No matter what you do with Alex, remember it's always going to be to give him closure and to give you and I both the peace of mind that we need right now. Having sex with him will not only save us, but it'll clear the air between you and him as well.” He leaned in for a kiss on her lips, the softest one by far. “Bite the bullet. Tienes que morder la bala. You have got to bite the bullet. Give the mule what he wants, or rather give our Jewish boy what he wants.”

Zetro coughed at the feeling of the resin in the pipe, and Florence waved her hand before her face to rid of the stench of the smoke, even though they were clear across the floor from them.

“Have you guys seen Alex?” Eric asked them.

“I think he’s in his room, Eric,” Gary replied as he took the pipe for a few puffs of the resin.

“Go see him,” Eric then told Florence in a low voice, to which she nodded her head. She stood to her feet and made her way out of the atrium and towards the dorms.

The door to his room hung slightly ajar. She sighed through her nose and gently knocked on the panel with the edge of her knuckles.

“It’s open,” he called out, and she held back for a second.

“Alex?” she greeted him through the crack in the door. He raised his gaze from the book he was reading: he had already climbed into bed and stripped off his shirt, and his hair sprawled down his chest from over his shoulders. He raised his eyebrows at her.

“Yes?”

“Can I talk to you for a second?”

“Of course. Have a seat.” He gestured to the foot of the bed, and she sank down next to his feet.

“May I ask why you’re in here and not downstairs?”

“Well, I figured that if the world ends, I should die like a noble Jew: with my body intact and my brain in harmony with it. And if it means being in my bed by myself with nothing more than a book to read, I’ll take it for myself.”

Florence sighed through her nose and she leaned in closer to him: she could feel her bump pushing against the tops of her thighs, but she had no qualms about acting on his residual feelings for her. Alex raised his gaze to her once again.

“What’s going on?” he asked her. “What are you doing?”

“This is going to... sound so weird but—Eric and I were talking, and he said that it's okay for us to sleep together.”

He fluttered his eyelids at her, bewildered.

“Huh?”

“It's to... give you and me peace of mind, and it's to give me and him peace of mind as well.”

He swallowed and glanced around the room.

“Florence, I—what?” She moved in closer to his face for an open kiss on the lips, to which he jerked his head back from her.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You think I'm going to give that up so easily? After what you did to me?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don't you remember our breakup? Don't you remember what happened after you and Eric got together? You really hurt me. You made me feel terrible about myself. You made me feel so ugly and gross.”

“Yes, I know, I know, and—I want you to know that I want to apologize for it.” She rested a hand on his thigh: the only thing that separated her from him was a thin bedsheet. “I know I hurt you. I know it stings still. But... we need to do something to heal these wounds and to cleanse things and move on together. I know how you feel about me, too. You still feel for me.”

He placed his hands on her shoulders and careful not to upset her or the covers of the bed, he nudged her back away from him. He remained gentle with her, but no amount of gentleness from him could keep her from wanting to act upon it all, for her marriage and her new baby as well. He bowed his head and shook it in shame.

“I won't do it,” he proclaimed in a near whisper. “I'm sorry, but—no. I can't do that to you, and I can't do that to him, either. I'm not going to sleep with his wife.”

“Alex, please—” she beseeched.

“I’m sorry, I can’t do that. I still love you but I can’t do that to you or him.”

“Alex!”

“No!” he snapped. “I'm not going to do it. You're going to have to commit adultery with someone else to release any hang-ups you might have.”

He let go of her and leaned back against the headboard: his expression had never been icier in the whole time she knew him. Florence held back as well, all the while with hot tears lining the rims of her eyes. No amount of desire to clear the air would be enough, as long as he abode by it. She shook her head and brought a hand to her mouth.

“Listen,” he began again, and he never rose his voice for a second. “I’m sorry, but I just… I have to stand to my principles. I get the point but I need to go about with it all peacefully.”

“I don't believe you,” she said in a low voice. “After all I did for you.”

“And what exactly did that constitute? Having sex with me in a mechanic's garage? Yeah, you did a lot for me there.”

“I was your first time,” she hit back. “I taught you how to kiss. I helped show you what you like.”

Sniffling, Florence stood up and stalked over to the door, and she let the tears fall down from her eyes.

“Actually, you weren't my first time,” he confessed. She whirled around to face him, right as a tear fell onto the floor. She could tell he wasn’t crying himself, but she could see the pain in his eyes, however.

“And who was?” she demanded.

“The guy you're married to and having a kid with as I say this. In fact, you're lucky neither of us are gay.” He sniffled as well, and then he closed his eyes and bowed his head. Florence fetched up a sigh, and then she ducked out of there and headed back to her and Eric’s room for a moment alone to let the tears fall.

[fideidefenswhore]

By [1527], her name was beginning to pass along the diplomatic grapevine as Henry VIII's inamorata. In England her stock was soaring and Anne could 'look very haughty and stout [self-confident], having all manner of jewels or rich apparel that might be gotten with money.'

The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn, Eric Ives

[squawkoverflow]

A new variant has been added!

Lined Antshrike (Thamnophilus tenuepunctatus) © Eric Carpenter

It hatches from black, dense, eastern, female, handsome, humid, identical, male, nasal, similar, single, stout, and white eggs.

squawkoverflow - the ultimate bird collecting game          🥚 hatch    ❤️ collect     🤝 connect

[josiebelladonna]

nsfw alphabet (eric peterson)

same as before with mr. skolnick except this one is, uh... um... rather interesting

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

the definition of a cuddler. he just looks like a cuddler, too. that stout body will press against your own, in all of his softness and roundness. much like alex, eric will want to smell you, be it your hair or your neck.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

eric’s favorite part of his body is his arms. strong and stout, long and lanky and decorated with tattoos. strong enough to hold onto you forever, wield a sword for the next dragonlord video, and play a rapid-fire riff for dragonlord and for testament, but gentle and soft enough to put them around your waist and for you to cuddle them.

his favorite part of your body is pretty obvious: your tits. he’ll put his face down in them and motorboat them. he won’t stop looking at them. when you wear something snug complete with one of your sexy lacy bras, he won’t be able to keep his hands off of them. yes, expect tons and tons of nipple play from him: lots of tongue action and wanting to caress them like crazy. a tight little pinch on his part is enough to send sparks flying.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

where alex goes to great pains to keep his load off of you, eric is more than happy to cream you up and put his babies inside of you. he’ll also jizz on your belly, too, just to behold how much of a pretty li’l mess you are. in a pinch, he’s one of those guys who use it as lube as louie will tell you.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

not really dirty, but he likes tomboys and humor. you’re a girl who likes to get your hands dirty and “get your hands dirty” and it’s utter euphoria for him. you ask him about his swords or anything that pertains to dark fantasy and he’ll converse with you about it for hours and hours on end.

he also likes it when you touch his ass or his legs. you run your hand down the back of his thigh and he’s like putty in your hands.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

the man was married to rebecca hammett and they had a couple of kids together, for cripes’ sake, of course he’s experienced. far from an angel of any kind, too, being in this whole business since the mid-80s, nearly forty years.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

cowgirl, baby (or “dragon lady” as he calls it). his brown eyes locked onto yours and his long inky black hair fanned out from his head as you’re dominating him. expect him to top from the bottom, though: he’s a bit subtle about it, though, like he won’t show it right away. maybe a touch here, a caress there, but he’s the one in charge, though. like alex, he’s bit of a switch, too: he’ll want to top when you least expect it and he’ll keep at it ‘til the cows come home (that’s the taurus life for you).

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

goofy as they come. eric will tease the shit out of you and crack jokes. but he’s gentle about it, though, like if you fall off, he’ll help you back up to your feet. but when he’s serious, you’ll know it. the darkness of the realm of the dragon around you, the eerie inhabitants around you and taking you under in a wave of immense euphoria. it’s very emotional with him.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

if he can play for hours and hours with testament and dragonlord, and he can walk away from both gigs without a single bead of sweat or a tangle in his hair, he’s pretty well-groomed. oh, it goes without saying that the carpet matches the drapes.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

eric is very romantic, and you wouldn’t expect it, either. when he’s in love, you’ll know it even by first glimpse and he’ll want to be so close to you.

he’s mr. social, too, always wanting to be friends with everyone in the room, but he always finds his way back to you, though. he always finds his way back to your lap for a caress and a half and something to eat, too. it’s probably why after all of this time, eric has never sprouted a single gray hair about his head: he’s the kind of guy who just loves, but he always comes back to the one he loves the most, though.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

what kind of dumb question is that eric jacks off whenever he steals a moment: it’s usually a modest touch and a half, but it counts, though. when you treat him to some dirty talk over the phone, while he’s away on tour, he will not hesitate. hell, you wear a top that accentuates your chest or your figure, he’ll want to go nuts (no pun intended).

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

do not let that round boyish baby face fool you: the man is a freak.

food kink (oh, my, YES!). praise kink. daddy kink. hair kink. role play, him being the sorcerer or the knight. light bondage with nice rope. lots and lots of textures and feeling like nice silk and leather (again, that’s the taurus life for you). switching - big time, i should add. more of a violence kink here with him, knife play and a blood kink.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed bed. maybe the “dragon lair” down in his basement, too, if you’re willing.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

tell him he’s as beautiful as the moon, or something poetic: you like to treat him to poetic and artistic things. he isn’t nearly as intense as alex but he does feel very deeply: you like to touch his heart in some way. you like to kiss his neck, too. a couple of those alone will get things moving downstairs. a kiss on the neck and your hand down his jeans for a little job there.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

keep away from the whole “degradation” thing. it has to do with his desire for control, but you know in your heart that sometimes words hurt and degradation is one of those things.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

with a thick neck like that, you know he’s bound to be good at giving it. he wants to know how you taste, “like eating the world’s best cherry pie” as he calls it. he likes a lot of touches and feeling during a beej, too.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

oh, so sensual. from all the nice textures to the fact that he’s as heavy as he is. your fingers through his black hair and down the sides of that thick neck. your lips on those full ones. his pale skin with such a gentle olive tone to it that you can’t help but kiss him. a sweet little meeting of sweden and mexico right under your fingertips.

but beware, though. you want to go fast and rough, and he won’t hesitate. he is much faster than you might think, too.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

eric can take or leave quickies: to him, it’s like blowing out a matchstick right as you get it lit. but if you’re in the mood, if you’re feeling needy, he’ll get down with it.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

more or less? he’s a bit traditional this way but sometimes, it’s best to mix things up.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

like alex, don’t let his weight problem and hefty appetite fool you: eric will go the distance like you can’t believe (he’s a gym rat, too: he can get moving like you don’t believe). typical taurus, too, once he gets going, it’s hard to stop him. so, yeah. he is definitely, without question, a more-than-one-round kind of guy.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

toys to him are pointy so you learn to watch your step almost immediately because you’re walking a fine line of danger here, but that’s part of the thrill. if you got one, expect his untapped willingness to experiment to come on out here.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

teasing to eric consists of whispering sweet nothings in your ear when you’re standing all alone on the other side of the room with no one else around you, and also innocuous things like telling you look nice or that you’re so good at it (whatever “it” is). it’s more innocent flirting than teasing with eric. the biggest flirt, like the king of flirts.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

another quiet one for the most part. soft groans and moans, but every so often, he’ll come so hard that he’ll tilt his head back and make a noise akin to the black metal screams in dragonlord or in testament’s harder songs, albeit at a lower volume.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon)

he feels powerful with gloves on, especially those leather ones that he and louie wear together during the souls of black era. as he gets older, it transfers over to white leather pants (!!!!!) and then to a red leather jacket (!!!!!!!!!!!), and with each and every manifestation of it, the more powerful he feels.

he also likes being taken care of: when he fell down the stairs and broke his legs and disbanded testament for a year so he could properly heal, you were more than happy to care for him, make him dinner and help him exercise and rehabilitate his legs as part of the healing process.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

6.5 inches and pretty thick. when you got intimate the first time, it hurt but it felt so good at the same time. the first time you gave him a handjob, you had to use two hands. the first blowie you gave him, you almost choked. but both of those incidents only made him all the more aroused by the feeling.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

oh, it’s through the roof. like his stamina, his appetite cannot be stopped once it’s out in the open. he wants you all the time. he’s your neighbor and your lover all at the same time. he’s as underrated as alex of course his drive is going to be immense.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

he’s often still awake by the time you fall asleep. if you’re still awake, he’ll stay up with you. sacramento is an art town and sometimes, all he feels like doing is eating chips and watching tv, and he’ll do that with you if you so wish. eat chips and watch tv, and then wake up the next morning for a cup of coffee and some eggs, and then go to the shooting range together.

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 12.1

Beer Birthdays

William Krug (1857)

Randy Mosher (1952)

RJ Trent (1968)

Susan Boyle

Five Favorite Birthdays

Morris; Belgian cartoonist (1923)

Mary Martin; actress and singer (1913)

Jeremy Northam; actor (1961)

Jaco Pastorius; jazz bassist (1951)

Richard Pryor; comedian, actor (1940)

Famous Birthdays

Andrew Adamson; New Zealand film director (1966)

Woody Allen; comedian, writer, film director (1935)

Carol Alt; model. actor (1960)

Micheline Bernardini; French dancer and model (1927)

Eric Bloom; rock guitarist (1944)

Jan Brett; author and illustrator (1949)

Candace Bushnell; writer (1958)

Richard Carrier; author (1969)

Billy Childish; English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and painter (1959)

Jonathan Coulton; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1970)

Julee Cruise; singer-songwriter, musician, and actress (1956)

John Densmore; rock drummer (1945)

David Doyle; actor (1929)

Étienne Maurice Falconet; French sculptor (1716)

Matt Fraction; comic book writer (1975)

Steve Gibb; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1973)

Sophie Guillemin; French actress (1977)

Judith Hackitt; English chemist (1954)

Annette Haven; porn actor (1954)

DeSean Jackson; football player (1986)

Tahar Ben Jelloun; Moroccan author and poet (1944)

Jonathan Katz; comedian and actor (1946)

Clark Kent; fictional character, Superman

Richard Keith; actor and drummer (1950)

Martin Klaproth; German chemist (1743)

Zoë Kravitz; actress, singer, and model (1988)

Jerry Lawson; electronic engineer and inventor (1940)

Jimmy Lyons; saxophonist (1931)

Emily McLaughlin; actress (1928)

Bette Midler; actor, singer (1945)

Bart Millard; singer-songwriter (1972)

Julia A. Moore; poet (1847)

Emily Mortimer; actor (1971)

Sandy Nelson; rock drummer (1938)

Jim Nesbitt; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1931)

Eligiusz Niewiadomski; Polish painter (1869)

Gilbert O'Sullivan; pop singer (1946)

Isaiah "Ikey" Owens; keyboard player (1975)

Billy Paul; soul singer (1934)

Chris Poland; guitarist and songwriter (1957)

Chanel Preston; porn actress (1985)

Lou Rawls; singer (1933)

Martin Rodbell; scientist (1925)

John Schlimm; writer (1971)

Karl Schmidt-Rottluff; German painter (1884)

Dick Shawn; comedian, actor (1923)

Sarah Silverman; comedian, actor (1970)

Rex Stout; English writer (1886)

Robert Symonds; actor (1926)

Malachi Throne; actor (1928)

Charlene Tilton; actor (1958)

Lee Trevino; golfer (1939)

Jane Turner; Australian actress (1960)

Marie Tussaud; wax modeler-maker (1761)

Mihály Vörösmarty; Hungarian poet (1800)

Treat Williams; actor (1951)

Vesta Williams; singer-songwriter and actress (1957)

Minoru Yamasaki; architect (1912)

[baseballjerseynumbers]

Jonathan Bowlan takes 62. Last worn by Eric Stout in 2018.

Anthony Veneziano takes 69. Last worn by Albert Abreu in 2022.

[kult-of-tol-in-gaurhoth]

THE FIRST PERSON TO PLAY BLUES ON AN ELECTRIC GUITAR -- THE FIRST GUITAR HERO IN THE HISTORY OF RECORDED MUSIC.

PIC INFO: Spotlight on Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker (1910 – 1975) American blues musician, pioneer and innovator of the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds. Artwork by William Stout for his "Legends of the Blues" portraits series.

LEGACY & OVERVIEW: ""How significant was T-Bone Walker to the evolution of the blues?" he repeats the question. “Well,” he says after a long pause. “You look back at everyone who’s ever stood in front of a band playing the guitar and it all traces back to one man. T-Bone Walker was the first person to ever play blues on an electric guitar: How significant is that?”

But Vaughan knows Walker’s contributions go deeper than having access to new technology. Leaving it at that is like lauding a brilliant author for being the first to write a book using a word processor.

“T-Bone created a whole new language for the guitar,” says Vaughan, whose concise leads and impeccable sense of swing and rhythm show that his guitar speaks T-Bone fluently. He reaches for his 1951 Gibson hollow-body electric on the couch in his manager’s office on South Lamar; axe in hands he seems more comfortable talking about Walker, whose work in the 1940s was as major a musical influence as Texas has produced. Vaughan starts playing riffs you’ve heard on records by the Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton and Vaughan’s former Fabulous Thunderbirds and the conversation comes alive.

"You’ve heard this one a hundred times before,” he says, playing the driving intro to “The Crawl,” a T-Bird mainstay. “That’s a T-Bone lick. Here’s another,” he says, strumming the harmonic chords that open Walker’s most enduring composition, “Call It Stormy Monday.” Vaughan then hits a note and sustains it with a finger wiggle a la B.B. King, performs a jazz-billy run like the ones Scotty Moore used to play with Elvis Presley, executes the bent-note double stops identified with Chuck Berry, then apes the choppy rhythms of nascent funk guitarist Jimmy Nolen of James Brown’s band. These licks all started with Walker, who was born in Linden and raised in Dallas. The electric guitar has been the defining instrument of the past 50 years and T-Bone Walker was the first guitar hero.

“You know how everyone was blown away when they first heard Jimi Hendrix?” Vaughan asks. “Well, imagine what it must’ve been like to hear T-Bone for the first time, when those riffs were brand new.” Hendrix had contemporaries who were doing amazing things — Clapton, Jeff Beck, Link Wray, Buddy Guy — but T-Bone was on an island. He was the template for so many great guitarists who would follow. In Texas, a Mecca of electric blues guitarists, you had Rockdale’s Pee Wee Crayton, Orange’s Gatemouth Brown, Beaumont’s Johnny Winter. Dallas gave us Freddie King and the Vaughan brothers and Houston could boast Albert Collins, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Johnny Copeland and Billy Gibbons, all carrying T-Bone’s torch."

-- MICHAEL CORCORAN, "T-Bone Walker and the Language of Electric Blues," c. April 2020 (Texas Music History)

Sources: www.michaelcorcoran.net/t-bone-walker-and-the-language-of-electric-blues and www.budsartbooks.com/product/more-legends-of-the-blues-card-set-by-william-stout.

[nuagederose]

Dark Roots of Earth | Chapter Ten: Since I’ve Been Lovin You

ao3 link

Christine was more than eager to have her sketchbook open for them, and her heart pounded at the mere thought of putting the graphite down on the fresh sheets. All she could hope for was the most perfect drawings that she could show to Alex if and when she had the chance. Valentina kept her hat on as she perched herself on the stool before the window: a warm breeze wafted through the screen behind her, and her hair fluttered about over her shoulders as if she was a model of sorts. Chuck and Eric were both on the couch, the latter of whom had propped up his chin in the palm of his hand and leaned against the arm as if he belonged in the centerfold of a magazine. The former let his curls, the same color as freshly-brewed molasses.

Christine gripped onto her pencil as if she was holding onto a magic wand, and she let the graphite find its way onto the grains of the paper. It was trickier than she had imagined, given the lighting in her apartment and the fact that she was drawing three different people, one right after the other. 

Chuck held still with one hand rested upon the arm of the couch, and she was amazed that he kept still for as long as he did as she added texture to his curls and the crests of his shoulders. She raised her gaze to his face and locked onto his eyes, luminous and striking even with his sun-kissed complexion. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Eric with his legs knitted together at the knee, again like a centerfold.

Something told her to draw him in the style of a magazine when she got to him, but she had to finish the shading on Chuck’s squarish face and stout neck first. The graphite was soft enough that she could go dark enough with the underside of his hair, but she only let the graphite glide over the paper for the highlights at the crown of his head. She held the paper back a bit, and all the while, she flashed a glimpse up at Chuck to ensure that she had drawn him well enough.

She then turned the book around for him to see, to which his face lit up. Eric gaped at the sight of it as well; Valentina leaned towards the book for a look herself.

“Oh, my god, Chris, that looks just like him,” she declared in a hushed voice.

“Yeah, I’d put like… some kind of fixative on that so it never smudges,” Chuck suggested with a running of his fingers through his hair. “I can move now, can I?”

“You sure can!” Christine assured him as she carefully turned the page for another clean one. “Onto Mr. Peterson now.”

All the while, she wished that Alex was there. She wished that she could talk with him about all manner of things, especially pertaining to the drawings on her lap. She kept on thinking about him even as she made Eric into a cartoonish drawing straight out of Playboy magazine with the bold outline and the thick shading on his head of fine, smooth black hair.

She drew Valentina in a similar fashion, especially with her back to the window and her black hair billowed over her shoulders. Once Christine reached the brim of her hat and the shading on her bangs, she fetched up a yawn.

“What time is it?” Eric asked right then, also with a yawn.

“Almost midnight,” Chuck replied after a quick glimpse to his watch. Christine signed her name at the bottom of the page and then closed the book.

“What, you’re not going to show us the one of Valentina?” Eric teased her.

“In the morning during our cup of coffee,” Christine assured him with a wink. She padded down the hallway with Valentina behind her, although she wanted to have all the privacy to change her clothes. She glanced over at her phone resting upon the desk, right next to her lamp, and she thought about calling him.

It was late, and there was no way that he could even be willing to talk with her about just anything. As she put on her shorts and her camisole, she never lifted her gaze from the narrow little strip of a screen on the face of the lid facing her. She peered over her shoulder to the hallway behind her, and she spotted the golden glow of the bathroom light across the way.

Valentina would tell her to go for it. Nelly would tell her to do it as well. Chuck and Eric were unknowns to her, however. She had no memory of the last time she had a late-night conversation with someone, and thus, the thought seemed crazy to her. But she picked up the phone and tucked it into her back pocket.

She returned to the living room and right as Chuck lay down on the couch with Eric down on the floor. Valentina surfaced from the bathroom, changed into her pajamas, right when her phone rang.

“I’ll get that,” she assured the three of them. “You guys can turn off the light and sleep tight for me—don’t worry about what happens to me.” She then looked on at the little sliver of a screen on the back of the phone itself. Alex’s number appeared, and her heart skipped a few beats. It was as if fate had known all along and it nudged her towards him.

Christine ducked into the safety of her bedroom and closed the door. She cocked her hip out to the side a bit as if flirting with him despite his absence, and she opened the phone. She licked her lips, and she wished that she had some cherry lip gloss right then.

“Hello, my dear Christine,” his voice crackled on the other end; he sounded exhausted, as if he had done so much over the course of the day.

“Hi,” she greeted him, and she couldn’t resist the smile on her face. “Never thought I would be hearing you ring me up at such a late hour.”

“I’m just kind of… bored right now,” he confessed with a slight cracking noise on his end. “I’m alone here at my place and I’ve got no one to talk to, either.” She moved her fingers underneath her top to feel the softness of her skin: his voice was gentle and husky, as if he breathed the words right into her ear. She pictured him laying there next to her with his shirt lifted up to show off his skin to her, and his hair spread out from the sides of his head. His hooded eyes and parted full lips, and she couldn’t resist the touch of her own fingers. “What’s going on? Is this a bad time?”

“Well, the gang just went off to bed and I don’t feel like sleeping, so… let us have a little fun after dark,” she suggested with a clearing of her throat. She turned behind her to the door right as the living room light switched off and the apartment engulfed in darkness. The gang had gone off to bed after all. 

Christine kept the phone close to her ear as she took her spot on the edge of the bed; she leaned back towards the pillow and the wall, and all the while, she kept her legs open. She was alone in the room with nothing more than the phone up to her ear: the boys were quiet, and Valentina seemed to have had fallen asleep with haste as well.

“A little fun of sorts… you know I am always down for that sort of thing without any kind of strings attached. And more so with it being so late at night as well.” 

She pictured that little smirk on his face as he said that. It was almost unfair that he was all the way over there and she had no way of heading out of her place to visit him, at least not without a lot of questions from Chuck and Eric.

“I think it was last night when I started thinking about getting together with you again,” he started. “Thinking about treating you to something special. A few glasses of wine and I could potentially put my hand up your top.”

“Hey, now, you don’t get to touch my chest until I say so, big boy,” she teased him.

“You say ‘big boy’ as if you have your hand on me,” he retorted.

“I wish I did have my hand on you right now,” she confessed with one hand down in between her legs. Her fingers crept over the crotch of her shorts as if she was tempting herself.

“Christine… I wanna take you to Coney Island tomorrow,” he said with another clearing of his throat. “I wanna take you there and then take you to your dad’s place. I want you to go and visit him while it’s nice and sunny tomorrow. You know, not like last time.”

“There was something so romantic about all that rain, though,” she recalled. “You and me getting all wet like that. You were so wet…” Her voice trailed off.

“We stand in a sweet shower of the sunshine,” he suggested. “And you know, right as I say that, I just wish I was with you and Eric out in California.”

“I wish you were, too,” she confessed. “I remember thinking about how you would have loved it out there.”

“I do love it out there,” he said with a clearing of his throat. “I mean, I love New York, but California has always treated me well. Did you guys go to Santa Cruz?”

“We thought about it, but Eric saw it was too expensive,” she recalled. “He promised me next time, though.”

“And next time, I want in on the fun,” he insisted. “I don’t know as to how I’m going to pay for it but I promise you that when there’s a will, there’s a way. There is always a way with me.”

“Always a way to go out and feel all of the things in your heart,” she told him.

“All of the things in my heart and…” He cleared his throat. “…somewhere else.” He almost breathed the words, such that a wave of warmth swept over her, and she thought about undoing her shorts just to feel herself. She resisted the urge given she didn’t know how the three of them in the next room were sleeping on such a short notice.

“So… go to Coney Island and lay down in the sand at one point?” she suggested.

“Lay down in the sand and feel the ocean on our faces,” he continued. “Feel the sweetest caress of the ocean on our faces as I kiss you with the feeling of a thousand butterflies in my stomach.”

“Where is all of this coming from?” she asked him in a hushed voice.

“It’s late. I’m drinking a small glass of wine right now, too.”

“You’re drinking?” She raised her eyebrows at that.

“Not a lot. It’s enough to loosen my bullets a bit. It’s like taking off my belt and letting my pants hang off my hips a little bit.”

“Ooh, you just put a really sexy image in my head,” she confessed. “Your pants hanging off your hips and letting your little belly out loose for me.”

“You tempt me, Christine Sixteen,” he breathed. “You tempt me the way the devil would tempt me with an apple. You gave me an idea of sorts.”

“You wanna do that for me when we get together tomorrow?” she asked him with a little smile on her face.

“Maybe not tomorrow,” he said, and he hesitated for a moment, and she realized that he was in fact drinking from a glass of wine. “But I do wanna do that for you, though.”

The wave of warmth continued to sink over her as she relished the full, husky timbre of his voice.

She began to wonder as to how much he was willing to do for her.

“I’m gonna put on one of my button-up shirts and I’m going to let my chest hang out in the open,” he told her. “I know how much you love seeing my chest.”

“Would you wear that white shirt?” she asked him.

“That one silk shirt that I have? It might be a little bit tight but I’d love to wear that for you, though.”

“I’ll wear that pearl necklace you gave me,” she said. “I haven’t been able to wear it much because I have to admit that it gets pretty hot this time of year. I wore it out to California, though. A lot of people told me it looked really cute on me. And now, I can come and be with you, and I’ll wear it and… let it shimmer in the summer sun.”

He made a sound that made her think of laying in bed next to him after a night together.

“I wish I was there with you,” he confessed. “There and… laying in your bed next to you.”

“And I wish you were here with me, too,” she said, and she let her fingers dangle down over her crotch again. “I could cuddle up next to you and hold you. I could have my hands down the shape of your body to feel how gorgeous you are.”

“And I could have my hands on the shape of your body, too,” he added. “I don’t know if it’s the wine talking or the fact that it’s late at night, but I really, really want to touch and feel you.”

Christine curled her fingers once again. That time, she undid the button of her shorts and let her hand glide down under the thin veil of fabric. Because her legs were wide open, she was able to let her fingers creep down over that delicate skin. The feeling rose up almost immediately, and she slithered her fingers in under her hood.

“I want to kiss you,” she whispered to him. “I want to kiss you and love every inch of you. I want to give you everything that she could never give to you.”

“Phew…” he breathed. “Mmm. Oh, my dearest Christine, I hate to tell you this but I’m starting to nod off. But… you know. Thinking about all of that and I’m gonna go to sleep feeling really sexy. I want you to go to bed feeling that way, too.”

“I have my hand down my shorts,” she confessed with a lick of her lips.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I—I can’t stop thinking about very slow lovemaking with you,” she confessed.

“Oh, my. Very slow, you say?”

“Low and slow. We don’t just feel each other but we feel each other and come so close to one another that we become one another.”

“Wow…” Alex breathed out. “Should I light some candles as well?”

“Please—” Christine gasped as she gave herself a little climax. “Light some candles and then flirt around with the hot wax. You did say I tempt you like the devil, after all.”

“Man, you’re good,” he remarked with a yawn. “God, I can barely keep my eyes open. Wanna do more at Coney Island tomorrow?”

“Please,” she said as she slipped her hand out from under her shorts. “Alex?”

“Hm?”

She pursed her lips and swallowed, her face still warm from the feeling.

“I love you,” she whispered to him.

“I love you, too,” he whispered back to her. “You are the love of my life. I want you to go to sleep and I want you to wake up with the sun.”

“I want the same for you,” she whispered to him. “Good night, baby.”

“Good night, my sweet,” he once again nearly breathed the words, and he hung up right then. Christine followed suit, and she sighed through her nose. She set her phone down on the desk again, and she switched off the light as well. She rolled over onto her side with the bedsheet over her body and the gentle sounds of Chuck and Eric snoring in the next room acting as an impending wall of white noise.

“Please let me feel him again,” she whispered to herself as she closed her eyes. She kept that on her mind even as she drifted off to sleep.

[feverinfeveroutfic]

blood & chocolate

chapter twenty-one: raspberry beret

Alex put his shirt back on over his body but he seemed to struggle with putting it on. I stayed there on the floor and watched him tug at the bottom hem, much to my amusement. The way that the hem hugged his waist in such snug fashion: he looked so full and cute, especially since he had a belly full of donuts right then. I could make out the shape of his belly button under the fabric as well: he was so round and thick there, as if he was made for my kisses down around there.

“That's really adorable,” I confessed to him, to which he frowned at me.

“What, the way my shirt is tight on me?”

“Yeah. It looks really cute. You look really sexy, all well fed and round like that. Makes me want to see just how much you can stuff down your gullet while keeping your clothes on.”

“And ruin my clothes?” he scoffed.

“Not if you stay with some little starter chub here,” I said with a gesture to his soft little belly. He clasped his hands to his hips as if to accentuate the softness around his waist.

“If you keep feeding me the way you've been, Eric, I won't just have a little starter thing here for much longer,” he pointed out in a singsong voice.

“Wanna watch the sunrise, big boy?” I offered him.

“Ooh, yes, please,” he said as he hitched up his jeans. The button was a bit snug on him as well, and when he tugged on his shirt again, I could see that full little muffin top. Indeed, I couldn't stop wanting to poke him as we walked on out to the grassy area right out in front of the apartments. Though it was the middle of fall, we could still lay down on the grass and let the sun bask over us like a couple of princes of the Bay Area. Indeed, the sky over the hills on the other side of the valley was already painting it that soft milky color right at the crests. The grass lay on a slight slope down towards the street, so we would be washed in sunlight within the next hour or so.

Alex took a step onto the grass and, through the light from the street lamps, I could make out the stout shape of his muffin top. I reached out to poke him, and he lurched away. I showed him my tongue before I plopped down on the ground by the front sign of the apartment complex. I watched him hitch up his jeans some more, and then he sank down onto the grass next to me.

“This is really tight—” he grunted out.

“It's very cute,” I told him. He took his spot there to the left of me, where I was able to see his little belly as it spilled out over the waistband. He pressed his fingertips onto his flesh, in all its plushness and tenderness. In the dim golden light, I could see the look of utter disgust on his face.

“Look at me,” he groaned. “Look at me, Eric! Look at me!”

“I’m looking,” I assured him.

“I’m getting so fat. And it’s all because you just have to stuff me silly.”

“You look really cute, though, Alex,” I insisted. “Very cute and sensual. I mean, face it: there’s a bad boy inside of you.”

He shifted his weight there on the grass as if he struggled to find a sweet spot with his muffin top, but I knew there wasn’t as fat only worked in the way that it wanted to and that was to hang out in the open.

“God damn, this is so tight,” he grumbled.

“Unbutton your pants,” I suggested. “Let that cute little roll roam free.”

“I'm not unbuttoning my pants,” he scoffed.

“Why not?”

“Because once I do unbutton it, I won't be able to button it up again.”

“Try laying down,” I suggested.

He swallowed and lay down flat on his back. He put his hands behind his head and adjusted himself there on the grass next to me.

“Comfy?” I asked him.

“Yeah, except—” He rested one hand upon his belly, which I could tell was starting to rise up from his body and obscure his view. He had a ways to go before he was as big and chubby as me, but given he lay flat on his back, I could tell he was already beginning the struggle.

“Welcome to my world, big boy,” I teased him with a light pat there. “At least you don't have a big potbelly yet.”

“Yet?” He was taken aback by that.

“Again.” I ran my fingers through my black hair. “There’s a bad boy inside of you. A bad, hungry boy who’s not afraid to let his tubby tummy go for the sake of his appetite.”

He hoisted himself up onto his elbows, and he gave his hair a toss back with the flick of his head. The way the light from the lamps as well as the incoming sunlight caressed over his head and shoulders made me think of the statuesque marble busts of ancient history.

He bowed his head towards his chest a bit, and a part of me wanted to lift off his shirt and tickle his belly followed by his hipbones. If it felt good on me, I only wondered as to how it felt on him.

“Hey, maybe you could whip me up a little omelette or two when we get home?” he suggested. I glanced back at him with my eyes wide.

“Two?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you know how many eggs go into just one?”

“I do, I do. It’s just… two is sometimes better than one.”

Sometimes. I wondered what he meant by that as the light over the crests of the hills brightened and changed colors from that soft milky white to a more golden tone. The light washed over his face, which in turn only made him appear lovelier and more like a marble statue: his round face only seemed rounder because of the light, and I knew it was because of the car that rolled up before us with the window down.

I shivered and was about to lay down next to him to absorb his warmth when I caught a glimpse of John’s face in the driver’s seat.

“The hell?” Alex quipped, and John snapped a photo of us, reclined back on the grass and snuggled down together.

“Ahhh, yes, there we are!” He cackled like a madman as he drove away from us, and Alex tilted his head back and groaned.

“We've got to do something about him,” he declared.

“Yes, but what?” I demanded. He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. At best, we could hope that the dim light from the sunrise and the street lights gave him the worst photo imaginable, but then again, I could see Alex’s face as clear as day right there next to me.

He then cleared his throat and rested a hand on the front of his shirt as if he was about to take it off right then.

“Do you have Dave's number on hand?” he asked me.

“Dave?” I echoed him. “Which Dave? There's like fifty of them that we know here in the Bay Area alone.”

“You know. Dave.” He raised his eyebrows at me. “The one we know all too well.”

“Oh, that Dave,” I followed along. “Why should we call him?”

“Have you seen him at a dinner party before? He's quicker than a thief. He could turn him into jelly.”

The sunlight only grew more golden and, once the first rays of sunlight peeked over the hill crests, he ran his hand over the shape of his belly and pulled his shirt up. The sun caressed over the smooth, silken skin on his belly and his face: he gave his hair a toss back again, and he closed his eyes part of the way.

So gorgeous.

“Part of me wants a milkshake,” he confessed.

“A milkshake?” I demanded, and I resisted the urge to laugh at that. “Alex, you just ate a bunch of donuts plus I’m about to make you a big pesto omelette. Surely, your belly's gotta be feeling like it's about to pop as is. Put some eggs and veggies on top of that, plus a thick shake and you’re gonna be as fat as a pig soon enough.”

“Not exactly,” he said. “I mean, I had the donuts but it was a couple of hours ago.”

He got me there, and he got me by making me lick my finger earlier. I sighed through my nose, and he picked himself up into an upright position to make that roll hang out over his waistband yet again, that time in all its bare naked beauty.

I turned my attention to his face, right as he loomed in closer to me. His lips beckoned me, silky smooth and gently plump in all of their purity. The tip of his nose hung right before the tip of my own, as if he was about to kiss me there on the grass.

I could see it. I could feel it.

He puckered his lips at me, and his eyes burned into me like the cherries of cigarettes.

I swallowed as I prepared to move in for the kiss when he set a hand on his belly again.

“Oof…”

“Hungry?” I asked him.

“Very much so. And suddenly, too.”

“Okay…”

I took him by the hand and led him back to my apartment for a round of coffee and a veggie omelette. When he closed the door behind him, he reached for me, but I tugged back.

“Don’t be giving me the pullback, now,” he scoffed.

“The pullback?” I looked into his eyes as he lingered by the edge of the counter right next to me. He cocked his hip to the side and let his chubby belly hang out in the open in all its shameless glory.

“Oh, no,” I groaned.

“Yeah.” He cracked me a smirk.

“Oh... no.”

“Yeah. Yeah, you created a complete monster out of my stomach, Eric.” He chuckled at that.

So delicious. So deliciously evil.

“You bad boy,” I teased him. “You are a bad, bad boy. So very naughty.”

He shifted his weight right at his spot, such that his little belly spilled out some more from under his shirt, this cute little muffin top that was somewhat on the snug side from all of the tasty food he had eaten. Stray tendrils of his black curls spilled over his collar bones like from the inside of an inkwell. He showed me his tongue, like the well-fed serpent he was to me.

“You know what?” I began again, but then I had no clue where to begin with this. “Just for that. I ought to spank you.”

“Spank me?”

“Yeah. I want to take you over my knee and spank that little ass of yours.”

He licked his lips. “Carefully. You could upset my stomach with that.”

I lowered my gaze down to his belly, and I crouched down in front of him as if I was about to blow him.

“Not if I—do this.”

I lifted his shirt, puckered my lips, and blew on his skin. He yelped out from the feeling; when I did it again, he tried to lunge away from me like a little fat piglet.

“Shit! That tickles!”

“As it should!” I declared. I did it a third time and he shrieked with laughter, and I hoped Lou wouldn’t wake up right then. A fourth time and he lost his balance and nearly fell onto the floor.

“Stop it! Stop it! Please! I beg you!”

He slid down the front of the cabinet and I stood before him with my hands on my hips.

“Oh, my god... oh, my god,” he gasped. “I'm hard as a rock right now.”

“What?” I sputtered.

“I'm hard as a rock right now. Feel me.”

“Feel you?”

“Yes, feel me. Feel how hard I am below the belt, Eric.”

I licked my lips at that. It was a trap, I just knew it.

I shook my head at that and turned to the stove for a skillet and some butter.

“No way. You’re getting breakfast, big boy—”

And he let out a whistle and shook his head at that. There was something really sexy about that little twinkle in his eye, too, and I hoped he would have it all the way through breakfast.

[goalhofer]

2022 MLB NL Central Division All-Names Team

Pitchers

#11 Todd Smyly; Jr. (Chicago Cubs)

#20 Wade Miley (Chicago Cubs)

#23 Junior Fernández (Pittsburgh/St. Louis)

#25 Brad Boxberger (Milwaukee)

#29 Robert Stephenson (Pittsburgh)

#31 Mike Minor (Cincinnati)

#34 Drew VerHagen (St. Louis)

#35 Frank Banda (Pittsburgh)

#38 Kodi Whitley (St. Louis)

#39 Corbin Burnes (Milwaukee)

#41 Jason Alexander (Milwaukee)

#43 Robert Gsellman; Jr. (Chicago Cubs)

#45 Kenton St. John (Chicago Cubs)

#46 Eric Stout (Chicago Cubs/Pittsburgh)

#48 Tyler Beede (Pittsburgh)

#49 Yerry De Los Santos (Pittsburgh)

#50 Rowan Wick (Chicago Cubs)

#51 Hoby Milner (Milwaukee)

#52 Reiver Sanmartín (Cincinnati)

#55 Dauri Moreta (Cincinnati)

#57 Scott Effross (Chicago Cubs)

#59 Roansy Contreras (Pittsburgh)

#60 Mychal Givens (Chicago Cubs)

#61 Jandel Gustave (Milwaukee)

#62 Johan Oviedo (St. Louis/Pittsburgh)

#64 Erich Uehlman (Chicago Cubs)

#67 Matt Swarmer (Chicago Cubs)

#68 James Naile (St. Louis)

#69 Beau Sulser (Pittsburgh)

#73 Adbert Alzolay (Chicago Cubs)

#74 Kervin Castro (Chicago Cubs)

#75 Raynel Espinal (Cincinnati)

#84 Jerad Eickhoff (Pittsburgh)

#93 Génesis Cabrera (St. Louis)

#98 Yohan Ramírez (Pittsburgh)

Catchers

#7 Víctor Caratini (Milwaukee)

#33 Aramis Garcia (Cincinnati)

#40 Willson Contreras (Chicago Cubs)

Infielders

#2 Nicholas Hoerner (Chicago Cubs)

#4 Ildemaro Vargas (Chicago Cubs)

#6 Jonathan India (Cincinnati)

#12 Spencer Steer (Cincinnati)

#13 David Bote (Chicago Cubs)

#14 Jace Peterson (Milwaukee)

#15 Oneil Cruz (Pittsburgh)

#16 Patrick Wisdom (Chicago Cubs)

#18 Keston Hiura (Milwaukee)

#19 Andrelton Simmons (Chicago Cubs)

#27 Willy Adames (Milwaukee)

#77 Ke’Bryan Hayes (Pittsburgh)

Outfielders

#1 Esteury Ruiz (Milwaukee)

#3 Reinaldo Almora; Jr. (Cincinnati)

#5 Travis Swaggerty; Jr. (Pittsburgh)

#24 Narciso Crook (Chicago Cubs)

#28 Tommy Pham (Cincinnati)

#30 Tucupita Marcano (Pittsburgh)

#32 Franmil Reyes (Chicago Cubs)

#44 Aristides Aquino (Cincinnati)

#66 Bligh Madris (Pittsburgh)

#71 Bae Ji-Hwan (Pittsburgh)

#92 Canaan Smith-Njigba (Pittsburgh)

[govandalsncaa]

#2 Vandals avoid disaster beat Boise State 28-0.

Rivalry games are like a box of chocolates, you just never know what you're going to get. On Saturday, the #2 Idaho Vandals 12-0 (9-0) were heavy favorites against their in-state rival boise state broncos 0-11 (0-8). Despite the experts predictions, this game was a one score contest with 3:10 left in the 4th quarter. In an incredible final flurry, Idaho put up 22 points in the final 3:09 to win the Battle of Idaho 28-0.

In the first half, both defense were stout. Idaho was stopped short of the goal line on two different 4th and Goal scenarios, while Boise State failed to gain much momentum at all, offensively. As the Vandals faced a third goal-to-go situation with 1 second left on the clock, Coach Idaho Coach opted for the safe route, settling for a Carlton Richard 27 yard field goal and a 3-0 halftime lead.

The third quarter would prove to be more of the same from each team. The Broncos came up with a miraculous interception on a sustained drive by Idaho. The play was reviewed by the replay booth and showed the bronco defender was able to scoop the ball up before it hit the ground, after it had bounced off the ankle of a Vandals receiver.

Idaho also lost its starting quarterback, Dustin Coleman to injury early in the third quarter, forcing backup Freshman, Akim Mills into relief duty, in a one score, road, rivalry game.

Following another Idaho field goal, this one a season long for Richard, of 46 yards, Idaho held a tenuous 6-0 lead with 6:51 left to go in the 4th quarter.

Boise State, feeding off of their home crowd, had the ball down just 6 points with a little over 3 minutes remaining in the game. That is when Idaho's Senior, defensive end, made the play of the day. He came off of the edge, shed his blocker, got to the quarterback, stripped the ball and then rumbled home for a 17 yard touchdown. A 2 point-conversion from Mills to Ungerer put the Vandals up 14-0 with 3:09 remaining and allowed the Moscow faithful to finally breathe again.

Idaho was not done. Mills found Ungerer for a 29 yard touchdown pass, and another to tight end Tim Givens with no time remaining to cement the final score at 28-0.

The Vandals starting quarterback, Dustin Coleman completed 10 of his 16 passes for 118 yards, before leaving in the 3rd quarter due to injury. In relief, Freshman Akim Mills completed 13 of 18 for 172 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Dylan Thigpen was held to perhaps his lowest output of the season, rushing for just 57 yards on 17 carries. David Ungerer, had his third straight 100+ yard day, hauling in 9 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown.

Idaho's defense dominated the football game. Defensive End, Eric Hale had a career day with 7 tackles, with 4 sacks and another for loss. All told the Idaho defense racked up 7 sacks on the day and 13 tackles for loss.

Coach Idaho Coach spoke with the media following the game.

"I'm proud of our guys. Our defense was absolutely fantastic today. Credit to them and our coaching staff, that was one heck of a performance. On offense, it just felt like we couldn't find that mojo. It really wasn't that we played poorly, credit to Boise State their defense showed up, and we couldn't solve it for much of the game.

I was really impressed with Akim Mills coming into that situation and playing as well as he did. He gave us a spark that we needed and helped lead us to victory. Also I thought our kicker, Carlton Richard was huge today. He made. both of his field goal tries, including his season long, and he did a great job on kickoffs and punts as well. In a tight game like that, he was a big factor.

I know that the Boise coaching staff wasn't happy about us continuing to score on that last possession, even though the game was already out of reach. Our program philosophy is that we are always going to play until the clock hits zero. It's a rivalry game, and we want to make our mark. If they have a problem with it, they can try and do the same thing next year in Moscow."

Final Score:

Vandals - 28

broncos - 0

[hawkvalley]

Denver Broncos Regular Season Game 13

Hawk Valley Regular Season Week 14 December 11, 2022

Denver Broncos vs Chiefs

Quick Review

The Broncos lost to the Ravens 10-9. The Ravens were trailing until the final 31 seconds.

The conference part of the schedule is now over. The Broncos won 33% of their conference games. The Broncos defense played their best in the first third of conference play, they only allowed 11 points per game. They won one game during this period of time. They were at their worst during the second third of conference play when they allowed 17 points per game. They won one game during this period of time. The defense finished out the last third of conference by allowing 14 points per game. They failed to win a game in this time period.

The Bronco’s offense followed a similar path. They were best in the opening third of conference play at 13 points per game and finished the season at their worst, 10 points per game.

A longer review

This game took place on December 4 at 11 am MST. The temperature at the start of the game was 45 degrees.

The Denver Broncos first drive of the day started from the 17 yard line. On first down, Latavius Murray #28 ran to the left for three yards. On second down, Russell Wilson #3 faked a hand off then rolled to the left before connecting with Greg Dulcich #80 for an eight yard gain. On first down, Murray ran up the middle for seven yards. Murray picked up two yards on second down. On third down, Murray followed Eric Saubert #82 up the middle for two yards. On first down, Marlon Mack #37 carried the ball on a sweep to the left for four yards. With 11:50 left in the quarter, Russell connected with Dulcich over the middle for a nineteen yard gain. Russell pitched the ball back to Murray for a three yard gain up the middle. Murray ran to the left and picked up two yards on second down. With ten minutes left in the first quarter, Mike Boone #26 came in and lost one yard. On fourth down, Brandon McManus #8 kicked a 52 yard field goal.

The Ravens started their first drive from the 23 yard line. On first down, Gus Edwards #35 ran to the left for a one yard gain. On second down, Lamar Jackson #8 connected with Devin Duvernay #13 over on the left side for a four yard gain. On third down, Jackson’s pass was IN-COM-PLETE. On fourth down, with 8 minutes left, Jordan Stout #11 punted.

The Broncos second drive of the day started from the Denver 20 yard line. Murray ran to the left for four yards. On second down, Russell connected with Dulcich on a tight end screen, over on the left side, for a five yard gain. On third down, Murray was stuffed at the line of scrimmage. With 6:10 left in the quarter, Corliss Waitman #17 punted on fourth down. The punt was 39 yards.

The Ravens second drive of the day started from the 32 yard line. On first down, Jackson scrambled up the middle for nine yards. On second down, Edwards ran up the middle for three yards. On first down, Jackson was sacked by DeShawn Williams #99 for a four yard loss. On second down, Jackson connected with DeSean Jackson #15 for a gain of five yards. On third down, Jackson dumped the ball off to Duvernay for a gain of two yards over the right side. Essang Bassey #34 blitzed on the play. With 2:30 left in the quarter, Stout punted on fourth down.

The Broncos third drive of the day started from the 19 yard line. On first down, Russell rolled to the right and then threw an IN-COM-PLETE pass. On second down, Murray ran up the middle for a five yard gain. On third down, Russell scrambled to the left and was stuffed for no gain. With 60 seconds left, Waitman punted on fourth and five.

Edwards ran to the right for three yards on first down. On second down, Jackson was sacked for a six yard loss by Jonathon Cooper #53. That play ended the first quarter at 11:35 am.

The score after one quarter in Baltimore, Broncos 3, Ravens 0.

When play resumed in the second quarter, Tyler Huntley #2 replaced Jackson as the Ravens quarterback. On third and thirteen, Huntley connected with Duvernay for a gain of eleven yards over the right side. Stout punted on fourth and two.

The Broncos first drive of the second quarter started on the fourteen yard line. Murray ran to the left for a gain of seven yards on first down. On second down, Russell pitched the ball to Boone and he gained six yards running over the left side. Murray gained only one yard on first down running up the middle. On second down, Murray picked up six yards running to the right. On third and three, Russell found Dulcich in the left flat for a gain on one yard. With 11:07 left in the half, Waitman punted on fourth and two. The punt was 35 yards.

The Ravens started this drive from the 30 yard line. On first down, Kenyan Drake #17 ran to the right for four yards. On second down, Huntley connected with Mark Andrews #89 for a gain of twenty-two yards up the left sideline. Huntley found Demarcus Robinson #10 for a gain of five yards on first down. Huntley scrambled up the middle for two yards on second down. With nine minutes left, Duvernay ran to the left for ten yards. Huntley found Jackson on the right side for a five yard gain. On second down, Huntley threw an IN-COM-PLETE pass but there was a flag on the play. Cooper was flagged for roughing the passer. On first and ten from the Denver 11 yard line, Huntley completed a pass to Duvernay for a one yard loss. On second down, Huntley found Robinson over the middle for a two yard gain. On third down, Huntley scrambled to the right for a two yard gain. With 6 minutes left in the half, Justin Tucker #9 kicked a 26 yard field goal.

The Broncos started this drive from the 24 yard line. On first down, Russell hit Mack for a six yard gain over the middle. On second down, Mack lost one yard. On third and five, the Broncos tried a tight end screen to the right, but Russell’s pass was tipped and the ball fell to the ground. IN-COM-PLETE. With 4:30 left in the half, Waitman punted.

The Ravens started this drive from the 29 yard line. On first down, Huntley’s pass was almost picked by Pat Surtain #2. IN-COM-PLETE. On second down, Huntley found Robinson for a six yard gain over the left side. Justice Hill #43 ran to the left and gained two yards on third down. Stout punted with 3:20 left in the half.

Denver started their final drive of the half from their seven yard line. On first down, Russell connected with Jerry Jeudy #10 for a gain of 40 yards. Murray picked up two yards on first down. On second down, Russell was flagged for a false start. That play took us down to the two minute warning.

When play resumed, Russell dumped the ball off to Murray for a two yard gain over the left side. On third and eleven, Russell connected with Dulcich for a twenty-two yard gain. With 57 seconds left in the half, Russell rolled to the right before throwing an IN-COM-PLETE pass. Russell found Jeudy for a two yard gain on second down. With 45 seconds left, on third and eight, Russell rolled to the right and connected with Jeudy for an eight yard gain. This play was reviewed and Jeudy lost a yard on the catch. Denver called a timeout with 41 seconds left. When play resumed, McManus kicked a 41 yard field goal on fourth and one.

The Ravens started this drive from the 25 yard line. On first down, Robinson was flagged for a false start. On first and fifteen, with 37 seconds left, Huntley connected with Mark Andrews #89 for a ten yard gain. With 31 seconds left, Baltimore called a timeout. On second down, Huntley threw an IN-COM-PLETE pass. With 25 seconds left, Huntley found Isaiah Likely #80 over the middle for a nine yard gain. Baltimore called a timeout with 21 seconds left. When play resumed, Huntley threw an IN-COM-PLETE pass. Denver called a timeout with 16 seconds left. Huntley connected with Andrews for a gain of sixteen yards over the middle. Huntley tried to spike the ball before the half ended, but he failed.

At halftime the score was Denver 6, Baltimore 3.

Edwards carried the rock to the right for four yards to start the Ravens off in the third quarter. On second down, Huntley hit Duvernay for a five yard gain over the middle. On third down, Huntley called his own number and he picked up two yards running over the left side. Dre’Mont Jones #93 appeared to be injured on the play. Drake ran to the left and picked up two yards. On second down, Huntley connected with Robinson for a five yard gain over the right side. On third down, Duvernay ran to the right for a one yard loss after the Ravens ran a fake jet sweep to the left. With 11:20 left in the third quarter, Stout punted.

The Broncos first drive of the second half started on the 18 yard line. On first down, Boone ran to the left for ten yards. The Broncos called the exact same play on first time, but Boone only gained two yards this time. On second down, Marlon Humphrey #44 was flagged for holding. Denver called a timeout with 9:47 left in the quarter. On first down, Boone gained one yard running to the right. Murray came in and was stuffed for no gain. On third down, Russell completed a pass to Murray for a six yard gain. With 8 minutes left, Waitman punted on fourth and three.

The Ravens started their drive from the 12 yard line. On first down, Huntley completed a pass to Robinson for a three yard gain. On second and seven, Huntley found Duvernay on the left sideline for a thirteen yard gain. On first down, Drake ran up the middle for 12 yards. With six minutes left in the quarter, Huntley facing pressure from both ends, threw a pass that was intercepted by Justin Simmons.

On first down, Russell dumped the ball off to Murray for a two yard gain. On second down, Murray was tackled for a two yard loss. On third down, Russell found Boone for an eight yard gain over the left side. On fourth and two, with 4 minutes left in the quarter, McManus kicked a fifty yard field goal.

Huntley completed a pass to Patrick Ricard #42 on the left side for no gain. On second down, Huntley scrambled up the middle for fourteen yards. Edwards came in and gained a yard. On second down, Huntley connected with Robinson for a ten yard gain over the left side. With 72 seconds left, Drake ran over the right side for three yards. With 50 seconds left, Huntley completed a pass to James Proche #3 for a two yard gain. That play ended the third quarter.

At 1:01 pm, the third quarter ended and the score was Denver 9, Baltimore 3.

On third and five, Huntley found Likely for a gain of four yards. On fourth and one, Huntley ran up the middle for two yards. On first down, Huntley connected with Robinson for a ten yard gain. From what looked like a triple I-formation, Drake ran to right for three yards. On second and seven, with 12:30 left, the Ravens tried a flea flicker and Proche’s pass was intercepted by Justin Simmons #31 in the end zone.

Murray ran to the right for five yards on first down. On second down, Russell found Kendall Hinton #9 on the right side for an eleven yard gain. On first down, Murray was stuffed for no gain. On second down, Boone was stuffed for no gain. On third down, Russell was sacked by Odafe Oweh #99 for a five yard loss. On fourth down with 9:20 left, Waitman punted.

Drake ran to the right for four yards. On second down, Huntley was sacked by Baron Browning #56 for a six yard loss. On third and 12, Huntley scrambled to the right for seven yards, but there was a flag on the play. Kevin Zeitler #70 was flagged for holding. With 7:43 left, Stout punted.

On first down, Murray caught a swing pass to the left for a four yard gain. On second down, Russell connected with Dulcich for a gain of 30 yards. On first down, Montrell Washington #12 ran to the left and lost one yard. Russell then threw two straight incompletions. Waitman punted with 5:10 left in the game.

On first down, Huntley scrambled to the right for four yards. On second down, Huntley completed a pass to Likely for a five yard gain. On third and one, Edwards was stuffed for no gain. With 4:22 left, on fourth and one, Andrews ran up the middle for one yard. On first down, Huntley completed a pass to Proche for a seven yard gain. On second down, Daniel Faalele #77 was flagged for ineligible downfield pass. On the second, second down, Alex Singleton #49 was flagged for a personal foul. The Ravens gained 15 yards. With 3:04 left, Huntley was sacked by Williams for no gain. With 2:35 left, Huntley connected with Justice Hill #43 for a five yard gain. Hill fumbled out of bounds. That play took us to the two minute warning.

When play resumed, Huntley threw an IN-COM-PLETE pass, but there was a flag on the play. Surtain was flagged for pass interference. The Ravens gained 17 yards. With 1:56 left, Huntley completed a pass to Hill for a one yard loss. On second down, Huntley connected with Likely for a gain of twelve yards over the middle. On first down, Huntley scrambled to the left for three yards. On second down, Huntley dumped the ball off to Drake for a four yard gain. On third down, Drake ran to the right for a one yard gain. Baltimore called a timeout with 66 seconds left in the game. On fourth and two, Huntley rushed over the left side for a three yard gain. With 35 seconds left, Huntley connected with Drake for a gain of 13 yards over the left side. Baltimore called a timeout. With 31 seconds left, Huntley rushed up the middle for a touchdown.

The Broncos last hope started from the 18 yard line with 28 seconds left. On first down, Jeudy gained 16 yards over the right side. Denver called a timeout with 16 seconds left. On first down, Russell scrambled up the middle for 17 yards. Denver called a timeout with 9 seconds left. Russell scrambled to the right for a four yard gain. With two seconds left, McManus attempted a 63 yard field goal and failed.

The game ended at 1:59 pm MST. Final score Baltimore 10, Denver 9. The game lasted two hours and 59 minutes.

Roster moves

Bronco players that that are out: TE Andrew Beck #83, ILB Dakota Allen #59, WR Courtland Sutton #14.

The Broncos that are questionable: ILB Justin Strnad #40, NT D.J. Jones 97, LG Dalton Risner #66.

The Broncos have signed WR Kaden Davis #86 and QB Jarrett Guarantano #11 to the practice squad.

The Broncos have released OLB Zach McCloud.

The Broncos have signed DL Elijah Garcia #71 to the active squad.

I forgot to mention that the Kansas City Chiefs signed x-Bronco RB Melvin Gordon to their practice squad.

Outlook

Mahomes is 9-0 against the Broncos.

The Broncos have not won a divisional game all year.

The only good bit of news for the Broncos going into this game is that Mahomes was visibly limping in his last game.

Game Time

Sunday, December 11 @ 2:05 PM MST