#i know we know next to nothing about him and sen but this feels significant to me

[sparksly-mage-of-light]

Hey, did any Touchstarved people notice that "Elyon" is a Hebrew epithet of God? It means something like "Most High."

Maybe I'm late to the party, but I haven't seen anyone mention what I think is a major detail.

[aqvarius]

I hope the rmd mc for kasumi is a bit different cuz she rly be hittin on my last nerve and I don’t think she would rly v✨i✨b✨e with kasumi in her current given state

i’ve decided i need to play matsunaga and cc before getting a better sense of the eicu guys but honestly some of these recent asks feel like my own brain jumped out of my head and started sending me anon asks lmao bc i totally agree. anyway i know it’s a controversial opinion to not like the rmd mc and i’m TRYING to be fair and put aside my bias against her and try to analyse what exactly it is that i don’t like, but yeah i just don’t really find that she has romantic chemistry with the characters (that i’ve read, i.e. takado and hosho). not that anyone ever asked for this, buuuuuut this ask has basically triggered yet another mc rant so stop reading here or get ready and settle down with some popcorn lmao.

DISCLAIMER: this is all just my personal opinion! and i’m sure many of you will disagree with me. please place a “i think/believe/feel” before every claim i make as everything i say here is just my own feeling towards her. i also need to disclaim that i have only properly read takado and hosho’s routes (bc i’m still...mad at sen’s route, and i’ve only made it through one chapter of matsunaga so far) and i understand (and fully subscribe to) the idea that mcs read differently depending on the route as well. and as always, please don’t let my opinions affect your own enjoyment of any characters or titles that you love!

ALSO as i was writing this, i went back and read my previous rant about her and i realised that i’m more or less reiterating the same points i made there but in a (hopefully) more structured and slightly more developed manner whoops. 

so here’s almost 3000 words and a whole bunch of screenshots under the cut because i don’t want to spam everyone’s dashboards with my unprompted Opinions(tm).

so anyway i’ve been thinking it’s a translation/tone thing. when i have the time/energy, i might sit down and really try to analyse the actual language, but just going off my intuition, i think maybe it’s because:

1. sometimes they choose to express something idiomatically and so that tone doesn’t come across as sincere. this isn’t a real example, but let’s think about the difference in tone between “oh no!” and “yikes”. because of modern day vernacular, we kind of associate “yikes” with a sarcastic and judgmental tone, whereas “oh no!” might connote a more genuinely concerned reaction. so sometimes i think that the use of very contemporary vernacular (which, lbr, trends towards a more sarcastic tone in general bc us gen z kids are mean) results in a lack of sincerity which makes the mc come across as a little more callous and less... actually kind and nice? i did get the feeling that hlitf mc has recently swayed towards this sort of tone as well and suspected that they had the same translator (which was confirmed later in a voltage Q&A). i’m definitely #biased but i can forgive this more because we had a good amount of content with her being adorable before the tone switch so i have a pre-established impression of her in my mind. 

by the way, i just want to say that while i do have this critique, i do really admire and respect the voltage translation and localisation team (and am... super indebted to them) and i do think they do fantastic translations generally. 

anyway, i believe this linguistic issue is at least partially responsible for my personal perception of the rmd mc’s personality that i expand on in the succeeding points, but my next point has more to do with the writing and characterisation of the most recent wave of mcs.

2. rmd mc has very few visible vulnerabilities. i think this is one of my biggest qualms with the new title mcs like rmd, destind and mk but i think stories are at their best when you get to see the mc fail and be vulnerable and wallow. the reason why i love certain mcs - particularly the ones whose titles and storylines centre around their careers (hlitf, irresistible mistakes, my last first kiss, scandal, celebrity darling, kiss of revenge, sleepless, otbs, arguably msb, etc.) - is because we get to see them fail and then grow. not only that, but you often get to see the relationship between the mc and the love interest deepen in these moments. but if you have a ‘perfect’ mc, then there’s no room for growth, so plotlines are forced to fall back on drama and trauma on the love interest’s side which... is exactly what rmd and mk do. 

this is not to say that rmd mc doesn’t make mistakes, because she certainly does, but i don’t find that they’re ever genuinely serious mistakes. for example, think about hlitf mc’s repeated mistake in season 1 of going after small crimes without seeing the bigger picture and thus potentially messing up an entire investigation. they allow her that space to mess up and be completely wrong for public safety. then they give her the time to be self-reflective and run away back to nagano really think about what her mistakes are, and where to go from there. she is confronted with humbling failure, and is forced to address issues about her own pride/ego, and matures into someone who has a more nuanced idea about justice. on the other hand, rmd mc never has to (consistently, afaik) go through a genuinely humbling experience, so she her pride/ego/arrogance never gets seriously called into question. maybe this is because the premise of rmd has to do with life and death and they don’t want to make it seem like she’s directly responsible for someone’s death, but hlitf also deals with life and death issues and the mc learns that if she messes up to save one civilian, she may actually be jeopardising the lives of tens or hundreds or more. 

anyway, taking takado’s route as an example, because this was our exposure to her as a character, the most frustrating thing is the way that she tries to lecture takado that he’s wrong about his attitude towards amputations, and never actually has to personally experience the potentially disastrous consequence of putting her ideology into practice. i think i would have enjoyed the route a lot more if she had gone over his head and naively made the decision not to do an amputation and then the person ended up dying or having to have a larger section amputated all because she was like uwu we can’t just cut off people’s limbs without waiting. i think if that situation had happened, we could have seen her actually have to confront her own naiveté and realise that she’s a noob and too idealistic and that reading a lot of medical journals does not translate to having actual field experience and intuition and who is she to question him like that when she knows nothing. she only realises that omg... we may have to consider some things with something called nuance... basically when more of takado’s backstory is revealed.  

(maybe this is because i work in academia so it extra-frustrates me, but omg if i had to one-on-one mentor a student like her, i would genuinely go nuts. she reminds me of some students that some colleagues and i have had where they  “well, actually” at everything you say bc they read some stuff on reddit or twitter that has absolutely not been proven through practical application of, or research conducted through the lens of, their theory. like imagine i told my advisors “despite being experts in [their respective fields] and having written numerous very important books, you’re wrong because i don’t agree but i have never myself conducted proper research to counter that!!”)

basically i wish they treated takado’s route like kaga’s routes (bc lbr takado and kaga are maybe... the same person?). look at the self-reflection here:

and here:

she does get down on herself at times, but look at the way that she humbly accepts her mistakes. sometimes she wallows on her mistakes, as anyone would, but look at the way she examines her failures and turns that feeling of inadequacy into motivation to work harder and smarter. 

by the way, these screenshots are from his ms1 and ms2 - so pretty early on - and we get to see her learn from these mistakes because she’s allowed to make them. we also get to learn more about kaga’s strictness and his kindness because of these mistakes.

i don’t know if the whole refusal to allow rmd mc to make significant errors is a response to readers who are like “omg.... why are voltage mcs so weak, why can’t they be perfect women who never get anything wrong” but ANYWAY i just feel like they never confront or address her hubris properly. 

3. following on from point 2, i find her one-dimensional. i’ve mentioned this before in a rant, but i don’t find her to be a very deep character bc to me, she reads as mostly surface level sass. i said: “her dialogue with them often reads as like they put 100 points in “snark” and 0 points in any other personality trait” lmao. so she’s great in one-off screenshots where you can see her bite back with a very screenshottable one-liner, but i find it tiring to have 30 chapters of her just literally running her mouth. because of this constant tone that they keep giving her, i find it really difficult to see any emotional depth in her character. because she’s the perspective character, her internal dialogue is just as, if not more, important as the love interest’s external dialogue in terms of carrying the emotional weight of falling in love, and i just don’t understand how there’s any sense of two people falling in love and getting to know each other when every sentence out of her mouth is just sass. can you imagine you meet someone and you get to know them but never have any genuine conversations bc every line out of your mouth is sarcastic? like your date is opening up and telling you about some difficulties he’s going through (which i’m sure you all know is a very vulnerable and scary thing to do) and instead of being empathetic and kind and understanding, you’re just like “sucks to be you dude”. and instead of saying “you don’t need to carry everything on your shoulders”, you say “you’re STUBBORN and i’m RIGHT”. OF COURSE i’m being kind of hyperbolic here (not even that much tho, see screenshots below) but that’s basically the tone she constantly takes. 

so when takado opens up about the rina thing, instead of being like “oh shit i’ve been judging him all this time and i’m genuinely sorry because i didn’t know a thing about you and yet i’ve been running my mouth”, she says “your head is as hard as a rock ya know?” and then KEEPS GOING. 

where’s the empathy sis? where is it? i’m looking but i can’t find it.

EVEN TAKADO WAS LIKE “I WAS TRYING TO TALK SERIOUSLY ABOUT IT”

and then the writers just push off her rudeness as like “it’s okay it’s chill!! takado laughed about it afterwards and it made the issue sound insignificant!!” even tho it’s obviously an extremely traumatic thing? WHY does he even fall in love with her??? i don’t UNDERSTAND alsdkfjs she has NO FEELINGS!! i just want genuinely romantic moments... is that too much to ask... it’s called romance md...

once again, let’s compare that to hlitf mc, when she finds out about kaga’s trauma. literally the FIRST reaction she has is to consider his feelings.

without even hearing his side of the story, she defends him because she trusts him and immediately empathises with him and the first thing she does is try to understand him and where he’s coming from. 

later on, when she hears him just dismissing things and playing callous, she actually cries on his behalf, which shocks him because he’s not used to people caring about him:

isn’t that a MASSIVE difference in reaction to essentially the same character opening up about their trauma? which do you find more conducive to developing emotional intimacy? in my opinion, it’s so much easier to fall in love with someone who supports you and has your back and trusts and believes in you and tries to understand you and can have a genuinely caring conversation with you when you need it. by the way, it’s not like kaga’s mc doesn’t sass him either! they have great bantery chemistry and she shit-talks him ALL THE TIME (a lot of the time under her breath and he’s like HUH? it’s great). 

and yet... we still actively see her caring about him... instead of being like WHOOPS my tongue slipped, i can’t help that i’m naturally insubordinate ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

by the way, i’m not trying to put the onus on female characters/heroines to be caring/empathetic/kind/loving. i’m putting the onus on ALL characters to be caring/empathetic/kind/loving in their own ways if we’re supposed to be convinced that they’re falling in romantic love. sure, kaga’s mc is exceptionally loving but kaga returns that love with his own ALL the time ;~~; anyway i’m gonna stop talking about them for now bc otherwise i would just completely derail and keep going on and on about them. 

anyway, back to takado, i actually find him to be more caring and loving than his mc? i actually genuinely like takado as a character and i think that real life me and him would be great together so i’m like extra offended that he’s with her rather than ME??? i would treat him so much better. 

i consider this lack of emotional depth to actually be a bigger hindrance on my enjoyment of the game than the lack of flaws thing. voltage’s recent wave of mcs with the love choice titles have been trending towards the ‘perfect woman’ type of mc, but while i have some Thoughts(tm) here and there about the other protagonists, none of them strike me as being as hard to get along with as rmd’s mc. so i’ve mentioned my issue with the masukisu mc’s weird moral boundaries (more an overall voltage issue that manifests the most strongly in her character), but i also do find that they don’t let her make big mistakes and they present her as this perfect superwoman figure with no weaknesses which like... unrelatable. but at least her banter is flirty banter and there’s a lot of chemistry there (even if it’s sometimes lacking emotional depth, as in some of kazuomi’s scenes - and that’s not her fault, that’s 100% on kazuomi lol). you can definitely understand why they’re attracted to each other at least, and you can definitely see real, deep love form between her and yuzuru the most. even though the masukisu mc is a ‘perfect woman’, the premise is designed to spark relationship conflict and the writing really helps us understand the emotional turmoil of falling in love with a target because of how much it lets the mc dwell on it. destind too basically has a perfect mc in terms of work/career, but they let her have her very glaring weaknesses and, once again, the premise forces her to address her shortcomings with regards to her idealistic view on soulmates/destiny and explores the head vs heart thing where she has to really examine her emotions and how they potentially come into conflict with her preconceptions of and preoccupation with numerical compatibility. 

thinking about it objectively, i feel like takado’s mc and mlfk ayato’s mc have a couple of similarities in the way that they don’t realise they’re in love for the longest time (although obviously childhood friends to lovers provides a better context for not realising that love - same with my boi natsume), but there’s just something lovable about mlfk’s mc that i don’t see in rmd. without going too deeply into it bc (1) i’m tired and (2) i’ve been going on about this for WAY too long now, i think that comes back to tone or writing (and possibly translation) style. i think at some point, i might actually go and compare the language in the “omg am i in love...?” scenes between takado’s mc, ayato’s mc and natsume’s mc but uh... not tonight haha. 

actually, at some point, i genuinely wondered if rmd mc was aromantic. i really just thought she did not experience romantic attraction because i literally got no sense of it through her internal monologue bc they kept pushing the whole like “i only relate to people’s ~aesthetics~” thing. and then i wondered how they were going to make an aromantic mc fall in romantic love...? because... it’s an otome game? (btw i’m not saying that aro people can’t enjoy otoge, i definitely know people who do! but there’s a big diff between someone playing an otoge vs someone being a character falling in romantic love in an otoge. but please call me out if i’m misunderstanding aromanticism!). anyway, long story short, rmd mc (takado’s especially) falling in love is absolutely unconvincing to me because i find her dialogue - both internal and external - rather unfeeling. 

these three points (1. translation that favours colloquialism over communicating emotional tone; 2. characterisation of a hubristic mc who doesn’t need to overcome significant challenges; 3. lack of emotional depth and empathy/understanding) are basically why i don’t think that she has good romantic chemistry with the love interests in romance md that i’ve read so far. i also have some very petty personal gripes (sekai...........) but they’re not relevant to this particular topic and frankly just... really petty so i don’t want to get into them here.

so anyway, long story short: i agree that i don’t think she would really vibe with kasumi in her current given state. like, they could be friends, maybe.

[exyjunkies]

“Well, damn, I think we’re playing this Seven Minutes in Heaven game a little wrong, are we not?”

Between the both of them, Ronan had spoken first. The silence for the past half-minute had been deafening, with the noise of those outside the closet an almost distant thrum. With the gap of two years since their last encounter, the whole situation was uncomfortable. And terribly awkward.

Adam wasn’t sure whether he wanted to kill him, or...

“Why did you go here tonight?” Adam hoped that Ronan flinched. “You knew I was going to be here.”

“Ah,” Ronan sounded mildly offended. “Because I’m the kind of ex that just knows where you’ll be every day of the week. Of course.”

“Not like that, dumbass. If you don’t already know--”

“I do know. You’re dating Chris, the best friend of the host of this party, and part of the rowing team. Yeah. I got it.”

It sounded like the drone of class recitation. A significant part of Adam really wanted to punch him.

“Then why are you here?”

“Gansey dragged me along. Said it was about time I stopped being single.”

An ache made its way into Adam’s chest, and Adam thanked his stars that the closet was relatively dark on his end. He didn’t know whether or not he should correct what Ronan just said about Chris, who had broken things off just this afternoon. The only reason he was here was because the bars near campus were all full, and he seriously needed a drink.

Very unlike him to seek alcohol, especially when his classes this semester were particularly demanding, but exams weren’t for another two weeks anyway.

Adam, you know I absolutely love that you’re so school-oriented. It’s just...

Just what?

Chris had fiddled with his phone, not wanting to look him in the eye. It’s just... I don’t think we fall on the same spectrum. Y’know. In terms of priorities.

Adam had braced himself for a fight. Hmm. Fine. And you think I should be the one to adjust. Cool.

No, you wouldn’t have to do that. I think... for both our sake, we should break up.

Adam had said nothing, merely gave a huge enough sigh that Chris had thought he was absolutely devastated.

Adam wouldn’t go so far as to say that he expected it. It was just that...by now, he had thought that Chris already understood that he wouldn’t be able to move up from his spot on the priority list, which went academics and then everything else.

But I mean, we can still be friends, yeah? Chris had pulled Adam into a hug, and Adam had barely registered how he felt about the whole thing as he nodded dumbly on Chris’ shoulder. In that moment, all he could think about was getting back to the paper he had been writing.

Chris wasn’t at the party later that night, which gave Adam the hint that he was genuinely sad about the whole thing. And Adam was too. Only a little bit, but he really was. Chris was a great guy, and they’ve been dating for almost three months. Chris was opinionated and good-humored, and was able to keep an intellectually stimulating conversation with Adam around half the time.

Also, he was gorgeous.

A few hours after the breakup, after Adam had done his paper and then a bit of processing, he found that he couldn’t tell when he had stopped.

Stopped putting as much effort as he was expected to, to make things work. Stopped looking forward to seeing Chris. Stopped caring about when Chris told him how his day was, stopped being excited to tell Chris about his.

At the end of everything, Adam had realized that he was just... tired.

And that things with Chris, as much as he had tried (and oh, did he try), could never be the same as--

“And yet you’ve landed yourself in here. With me.” Adam knocked his head back, closing his eyes. The bottle just had to point itself at Adam, not at the guy next to him. Some guy named Dan. Maybe if it were him, Ronan’s time in here would’ve been more worthwhile. Stupid beer bottle.

“Well, we can just... sit here and do nothing, if that’s what you want. We’ve got around five minutes more.”

The closet was big enough that they didn’t need to stay close to each other. It smelled of dust and fabric softener. Adam found a wall to lean back against, and slid down to the floor, bringing his knees up and hugging them.

There was a few seconds of fumbling on Ronan’s end, until Adam’s eyes burned against the light bulb above. He blinked up against the brightness and frowned.

“Found the stupid switch,” Adam heard Ronan mumble, then he heard a thump, not too far from him. Ronan had decided to sit next to him.

And for the next half minute or so, they sat in silence. Adam looked down at his shoes, swallowing the lump in his throat. Even with the space of years between them, Adam wondered if this was how he wanted things to go. If he wanted the both of them to sit there and do nothing. His body was so, so heavy with fatigue, and he wanted nothing more than to go home.

To go home and feel like it was home.

“Um--”

“Ro--”

Ronan’s surprised laugh was muffled by his hand. He tilted his head up and against the wall. “You first.”

“I...” And Adam could’ve said many things.

There were so many things he needed to get out.

Instead, he went for, “I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.”

Ronan’s head rolled sideways to look at him. And that patience, that understanding, the part of Ronan that had made the biggest hole in Adam’s heart when Ronan had left, was clear as day.

“It’s our senior year, and I still hold that sentiment, Parrish.”

“It’s not like me, you know? I’ve always... always been... been me. And nothing, not any class, not any bully, not even any bad relationship, had gotten in the way of that. And that worked out fine for me.”

“You still hold top spot in all your classes. Probably.”

Top two in his physics class, but Adam wasn’t about to admit that. “But then I’ve never felt this... this helpless. I’m just so...? Done with it all. Nothing in my life feels worth it anymore. It’s hard.”

And maybe Adam felt something tug in his chest when Ronan inched closer, sliding against the wall, until they touched shoulders. He didn’t even know if they were past seven minutes already.

“Listen, Adam,” Ronan said, voice a little rough. “I know I may not be the best person for this type of crap, but I know you have it in you to get back up and make things better for yourself. It’s what I’ve always admired you for, you know? Being able to do that. You have other people around you who believe in you. Gansey and Noah and Sargent. Maybe Cheng, if you get to see him around. Your teachers, because I’m sure as hell you’re buddy-buddy with a lot of them. Those guys on the decathlon team.” He cleared his throat a bit. “And of course, there’s that one person who keeps you together every step of the way.” Ronan shook his head, a small smile on his face. “You can’t forget that.”

He probably meant Chris. Adam sighed, closing his eyes again. His next words were so soft, and yet it seemed like they filled the closet.

“Chris and I are done, Ronan.”

A beat of silence followed, which felt a lot longer than it actually was.

Then, Ronan’s voice was low and dark. “Did he hurt you?”

“No.”

“Then why?”

A tear had left Adam’s eye before he could help it, and it felt onto his jacket sleeve. He sniffled and shook his head. Ronan shot him a concerned look.

“It was--ah, God--many things, I guess. He broke it off. Said he didn’t have the same priorities as I did. Which was... fine. I’m not sad about it.” Adam stared straight ahead. “It was probably a long time coming.”

Ronan was silent after that, and Adam understood. It was because in this moment, he didn’t know his place with Adam yet.

“I don’t think I loved him,” Adam continued, answering one of the questions Ronan was probably itching to ask. He felt Ronan tense beside him. “We never said the words to each other either. He was great, but... I don’t think there was ever that pull. We were together for quite a bit, but it never got to that point.”

“How long?”

“Almost three months.”

“Shit.”

“I know. I don’t know how I even made it past one.”

And Ronan laughed then, loud and true, and hearing it made Adam’s heart jump. Just a little. 

But enough that Adam had laughed a bit too.

“You are many things tonight, Adam Parrish, and one of them is a complete asshole.”

“I deserve a prize or some shit for my level of tolerance.”

Ronan shook his head in amusement, and looked up at the ceiling again. The tension between them had eased considerably, a huge weight falling off of Adam’s shoulders. Adam wondered if this was what it felt like to be removed from everything he had to do, everything he had to be.

“You deserve so much better, yeah?” Ronan said, knocking his head once against Adam, and Adam felt that tug again, a little stronger this time. “You’ll be okay.”

Relief flooded Adam’s system, and Ronan was near him, was so close to him that the cogs in Adam’s brain were starting to malfunction. He was just broken up with a few hours ago, for fuck’s sake. He shouldn’t be feeling like this.

It shouldn’t feel this right.

“Guys?” Two knocks on the door came, and Adam mentally cursed. Fucking seven minutes. “Time’s up. I know you guys must be enjoying, though, but hurry up.”

Laughter came from the rest of the people outside, amidst shouts of Get a room! and Aren’t you guys broken up already, anyway? Ronan exhaled steadily.

“I guess we’re done here,” he said, and Adam felt all the peace drain from him as Ronan moved away and stood up. Ronan offered a hand, then withdrew it when Adam shook his head.

“Suit yourself,” Ronan said, turning around, and Adam just couldn’t take it anymore.

“Wait. Ronan. Stop. I--” Adam did his best to scramble to his feet, his legs not taking kindly to being suddenly held upright. He held onto the wall for leverage.

“Something wrong?”

Adam was frustrated now, as more knocks came from outside. “Okay. It can’t just be me.”

“What--”

“Do you not feel it too? Ronan. Ronan. I get it now. Or... at least I think I do. It’s been too fucking long. And you’re finally here.”

Ronan crossed his arms. Something moved along his features, as if he was trying to make sense of the matter. “But you broke up with me. Why should there be anything--”

“I don’t know, okay? I don’t know why I’m feeling something. But it feels right, Ronan, it feels like we fit. And we might’ve ended on one of the worst possible notes back then, but believe me when I say that ours was the last time I ever tried to fight for a relationship.”

Adam had taken too much out of himself with that monologue, and he slumped back against the wall, barely holding himself up. He was breathing a little heavily, but he wasn’t done.

“The others that followed, they all went as easily as they came, because I never tried to make them stay. There was nothing compelling me to do so. But you, Ronan. We fought so much, and each time, I was so, so scared I was going to lose you. It did get to a point where we had to go our separate ways. It really was too much to handle back then. But now. Now I see why the others didn’t mean as much. As much as I tried to forget about all of it, I don’t think I ever stopped feeling the way I felt about you.”

Ronan’s hands were clenched into fists as Adam finished, chest heaving a little.

Then, Ronan surged forward, cupping Adam’s face with his hands as he kissed him.

It was a mix of grief and relief and anger and happiness and pain and regret, and Adam wrapped his arms around Ronan, holding him as close as possible. Ronan’s tongue licked into Adam’s mouth, and it was everything Adam had been missing since all those years ago. Adam’s face was streaked with more tears now, because he didn’t realize he was holding onto so damn much. Now, he was more than ready to let everything go.

They pulled apart after a few minutes, Adam resting his forehead against Ronan’s and Ronan wiping Adam’s tears away. The knocks became louder, more insistent.

“Go the fuck away, asshole!” Ronan turned to shout at the door.

“Heh. Classy.”

“You’re one to fucking talk.” Ronan’s arm slipped around Adam’s body.

And as much as Adam wanted to continue the kissing (because the drought had lasted so long and he was here, he was here), they still needed to finish talking.

“Ro’, if we do this again, I... I wouldn’t know what to do if we fucked up again.”

Ronan looked Adam in the eyes, a determined look on his face. Adam’s heart was beating hard against his chest, and he took a deep breath to calm himself down.

“I can’t promise that we won’t, Adam.” And Ronan’s other hand went up to cup Adam’s jaw. “But I swear that I will be with you to fix things if we do.”

It was honesty, brutal and real, and Adam held onto it like a lifeline. He nodded, closing the space between them and kissing Ronan again, a little slower this time around. 

Because if Ronan could admit to their shared humanity, their similar capability to make mistakes, then maybe this time around, everything will be alright.

[mrnerdteacher]

3 Spoiler-Filled Times “Captain Marvel” was Sly AF, and the 1 Time It Painfully Wasn’t

“Captain Marvel” is breaking box-office records, Rotten/Rigged Tomatoes scores be damned, and I for one am all for it. While it is far from my favorite MCU movie, I found its run-time to be tight, its characters likable, and most importantly, the script a little more clever than people are giving it credit for. Here, in order of appearance, are the moments where I saw what they did there (including the one time the film made me smh).

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD

Honorable Mention: The Her/Hero Trailers

In a political climate that is the most divisive in my lifetime, it was so refreshing to see the marketing department double-down on the feminist messaging in this movie. Not very subtle, but appreciated nonetheless.

1) The “Cock”pit Jock

Spliced in with countless recollections of being knocked down or belittled for her “tomboyish” nature, Carol has a distinct memory of some nameless dude-bro telling her that the Air Force is no place for a woman. “You do know why it’s called the cockpit, don’t you?” While all the kids will probably just think this is a memory of a rando jerkface (played by the uncredited Connor Ryan), I posit that this “throw-away” scene has way darker and more serious/important implications.

If you go rewatch the movie, take special note of the way this shot is framed. It’s in a dark, bar-like atmosphere. The man is looking down at the camera at a slight, unnerving angle. And the line, while undeniably condescending, is also overtly sexual and delivered in a somewhat predatory tone. She even makes a point to blast the monitor when it gets replayed, suggesting a somewhat painful significance for our titular heroine.

I’m not trying to say that this implies Carol Danvers was the victim of sexual assault, or even necessarily harassment, but this is the heartbreaking reality for a huge percentage of servicewomen, and I think this movie wanted you to remember that it takes a special type of bravery to be anyone other than a cis man in the armed forces. It almost certainly struck a chord with Sen. Martha McSally, and controversial or not, it's something that needs to be discussed more openly if it ever has any hope of improving.

2) Skrullian Refugees

Can we be honest for a second? I kinda didn’t like the first half of Captain Marvel.

It was just kinda boring, and yet another military power fantasy with a woman instead of a man blasting faceless monsters and sporting cool leather jackets. So when the Skrulls were revealed to be actually the victims of the Kree military complex, I actually audibly muttered, “Oh thank god…” NOW Carol was fighting for something the audience could get behind. What was once a cliche boogeyman was now a misunderstood family man fighting for the sanctuary of his loved ones.

It taught kids in the audience to question labels and look past appearances. It reminded adults how easily the term ‘terrorism’ can manufacture consent in those that feel threatened. And finally, and most timely, it showed the world that refugees are, by definition, victims, even if a select few can pose a threat in dire circumstances.

3) “Prove to Me that You’re Worthy of-ZAP.”

If the first half of this movie was a little dull, Jude Law’s character Yon-Rogg is practically the embodiment of its troubles. He’s a cookie-cutter mentor archetype, spouting vague and uninspired mantras about “controlling your emotions” and sparring just a little too rough, but in a tough-love kinda way. Shoulda been spelled Yawn-Rogg, honestly.

Which is precisely why I love his final “battle” so much. It’s set up to be the scene you’ve all seen a thousand times before. The student has become the master, and now they face off in the desert, one-on-one. And despite Carol’s now God-like superiority, Rogg DEMANDS that Carol “turn off the light show” and fight him on his terms.

Eyes bulging, he SCREAMS at her to prove her worth to him. And Jude Law’s performance made a thousand memories flash before my own eyes.

Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

R. Kelly’s interview.

Every man on the internet who fancies himself a fair minded individual while tearing down every woman that fails to meet his ridiculous double-standards.

In this moment, Jude Law is all of them, and Carol blasts him into the next time zone with a flick of her wrist. Because she has nothing to prove to him. And that felt way more empowering than any slow-motion fight scene could have ever accomplished.

Dishonorable Mention: I’m Just a Girl

One of the best things about “Captain Marvel” is the way it embraces powerful, progressive themes without beating the audience over the head with them. Which is why the movie’s absolute low point is the fight scene set to Gwen Stefani’s “I’m Just a Girl.” It’s so on the nose it’s cringe-worthy, and it’s blaise fight choreography is outshined moments later by the far more fun and uplifting scene where Carol goes all super-Saiyan and wipes out an entire space army single-handedly. It took the Guardians of the Galaxy an entire movie to defeat the person that Carol dunks on in about two minutes. 

Thanos should be nervous, no doubt. ;-)

[sparda3g]

My Hero Academia Chapter 206 Review

This is what happens when I jumped to the conclusion about this battle being the best one yet. While it doesn’t hold much value since the rest are just fair, it doesn’t help that this chapter provided an unnecessary stalling for the result that already established from the last chapter. Instead of ending it on a high note, it ended underwhelming. I’m not a fan of this chapter and while I won’t say it’s a bad one, it got me thinking, “Can we end this arc already?”

The last chapter ended with everyone on-panel throwing everything they got and it resulted to everyone down and out. This could have been troubling, knowing how a draw doesn’t benefit much for Tenya and Shouto, rather undermine the significant value of their growth. While they saved themselves with the later moment, the overall battle was not. Not to mention, it sets up for a draw for both team and while this is not a real contest, it could leave an empty reward.

The beginning shows the reason for Tenya being weakened before saving Shouto in which seems unnecessary. It’s easy to buy in with the falling tower on him and having his left limbs damaged by the destruction. I get that it tried to add “depth” by stating Sen weakened him during the struggle; therefore, Tenya’s left limbs already taken enough toll. Perhaps if it was shown before the destruction or display other symptoms from the struggle, this would have been fine. Yes, it does stop him from doing work, but again, just saying the debris did the job is enough.

By this point, the chapter was stalling time for the result. Then, Mina reminds the fans that the battle result is determined by those who is imprisoned. That means Team A would win with 1 captive. When I heard this, I was glad that this was the case as well as the battle not concluded just yet. It gives other characters the time to do their part and perhaps add more depth to them. When it finally concluded, I only thought, “So what was the point…”

Basically, the battle continues since other characters are still battling. Before the end, it did have some tension, even though none of the characters offer any care for me to invest in. So long there’s a result, I’ll be fine. Ojiro takes the fall and the score is 1-1. Shoji is pretty much playing cat and mouse with Pony as she is hurrying out to escape and save her comrades. She realizes the score is equal, so instead of trying to capture and potentially lose, she grabs her comrades and float in the air until the time ran out. I honestly don’t remember being a time limit. The battle ends with a draw. What was the point?

The last chapter ended with a better and significant note than here. If it was going to end with a draw, why not just ended with the last chapter. Instead, it went back to characters that I have no investment, considering none of them were portraying anything relevant. There’s no backstory, no flashback, no motivation, nothing. If anything, it would have been better to have the time limit expires while Tenya keeps struggling to return. It would have make us feel bad easily, rather than what happened there. Yes, it more or less shows it here, but it’s overridden by the other aspects, so it’s like watching filler mixed with canon materials.

I understand that Team A had one captive, so if it does end on a time limit, they would have won. That’s true, but this is where planning is key. Kohei could have skipped the battle sequence and surprise the audience with Team B captured one off-panel, resulting to a draw. Either that or do it before the last chapter’s sequence. Even so, a draw is not the decision I would call for. It feels rather a copout to the overall endgame, and with Team B hardly shows character and more of an obstacle, there’s no reason to be happy for them.

The part that helped the chapter is the aftermath. It’s a bit laughable how Tenya and Shouto got a moment of characterization over the last two battles’ contestants, indicating how little they meant in compare. As stated before, Tenya is the real MVP of the battle and it’s a good thing he shows frustrations. He actually felt bothered by it. Seriously, other characters didn’t show anything, so it left me thinking, “I shouldn’t care then.” Shouto, despite weak showing, also feels the need to improve while thanking Tenya. This is what I was hoping for this arc to show in the first place.

To give Team B credit, at least Juzo and Tetsutetsu got into the mix of characterization. Well, it’s more like they want a rematch one day, but at least it’s something. Plus, they do compliment them for a good battle, so it has some merits. It shows good sportsmanship. Is it that hard to ask for? It’s a bit odd to take the blame when it didn’t end with them, but it is what it is.

The fourth battle is about to begin and yes, this is where Bakugou steps in. Once again, it’s been a while since we last seen him in action, so here’s for a good showing. As for Team B, the panel didn’t present their names, so I have zero clue who they are; well, save for one. Monoma hypes up the battle because apparently, there’s a “kryptonite” to Bakugou in the team. Her name is Setsuna Tokage and like Juzo, she’s another student admitted through recommendation. Apparently, this is the series’ way to call them “National Treasures” or raise the difficulty. Well, we’ll see.

Overall, I thought it was a slight above average chapter. The battle could have ended strong, but decided to prolong the inevitable, even if it needed a justified result. It was not bad, but not good as well. The saving grace was the aftermath with actual character’s frustrations. Seriously, was everyone cool about getting one-shot by Mirio a long time ago? The next battle is starting soon and apparently, it’s back to 13-page chapter. Only Shouto could earn more pages. Good to know.

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 13 - OTT - Pommer 1000

This game was Jason Pominville’s 1000th game in the NHL. It was pure happenstance that it occurred in Ottawa who just so happen to be the recipients of what is, by his own admission, Pominville’s favorite goal. It was the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Buffalo Sabres, reborn after the lockout by way of a bevy of great players, matched up against the heavily favored Ottawa Senators in the second round. In the same Canadian Tire Centre the two teams faced off in tonight, (then called the Coral Centre) in a tight game five overtime Jason Pominville streaked in along the boards and scored the series-clinching goal. Pommer was 23 then. That Sabres team eliminated the Senators before losing in the Eastern Conference Final to the Carolina Hurricanes. The following year, after the Sabres put together their best season in franchise history (Yes, the 1975 team went the Final after another 113 point season but let’s not pretend the year doesn’t matter here) and won the President’s Trophy they made it all the way to an Eastern Conference Final matchup against a reinforced Sens team that, coupled with a few other variables, beat the Sabres in the same number of games they were beaten in the playoffs prior. This is all to say that not only was this a significant game because of Jason Pominville or even where the Sabres are in the standings at the moment, this is a significant game because it’s the Ottawa Senators and fuck the Sens! Yea, the Sens went onto lose in that Stanley Cup Final to the Anaheim Ducks but the damage was done and although it wasn’t the end of that Sabres golden age it was the last time Buffalo looked poised to win a championship.

This kind of history is what makes up real rivalries. This is arguably the only rivalry in recent history that means anything to Sabres fans. I for one always get into these Sens matchups, perhaps more than I get into the Leafs matchups. So without further ado, I give you the Burn Book, why to hate division rival Ottawa Senators: 2007 and its fights, the way it ended and the aftermath: that is the reason to hate the Ottawa Senators. You guys are the Buffalo of Canada in so many ways but that just means one of us needs to do it better. Beating you is routine and expected. Those third jerseys with the O gives anyone who can see color a migraine, I can’t imagine wearing it. Going into the shite management you have now seems like overkill but I think I speak for many hockey fans when I say I hope you get a new arena if it means staying in Ottawa. All kind feelings aside: Buffalo doesn’t import Canadian tires, you are actually the city that eats Toronto’s trash and nowadays your serving up your trash team roasted over a hot tire fire that is only getting stronger. Oh, you got Thachuk on your team now? I can’t wait to see how he ends his ELC asking for a fair amount of money and gets shipped out of town. Fuck the Sens! Now, onto the matchup tonight.

Having watched the game… or even read the boxscore you can tell all this talk was for nothing. Almost seven minutes into this game Ryan Dzingel cut through the Sabres defense like hot butter and threaded one past Carter Hutton. There were a few token chances for the Sabres in the opening frame but they played sloppy and got penalized twice to the Senators once. Dzingel scored on that powerplay, the Sabres didn’t on either of theirs. Defenseman on the Senators are producing better than any other D-Core in the league right now which, barring their four game losing streak going into this game, maybe why the Sens are starting hot: secondary scoring. Remember three games ago when we were talking about our defenseman doing that? Ok, so a one goal deficit going into the second isn’t all that bad. One minute into the second Dylan DeMelo, part of your return for Erik Karlsson… sigh… scored a wild bouncer that went off the bar then bounced off Hutton’s back and in. OH GOD, THE SABS ARE BACK! You know I was so frustrated at this point I had to hold back swearing at the TV. Not only were the Sabres getting buzzed like a cloud of bees was attacking them but every bounce that could have gone wrong went wrong. Then Kyle Okposo got penalized for DELAY OF GAME (puck over the glass) and I said you know: FUCK IT. My wife wanted to watch Coco (2017) today on the Day of the Dead so I said why not! Turns out that was a fantastic choice: not only because Coco is watershed film for both representation in children’s cinema and a tour de force in the animation department enough to win an Oscar, but BECAUSE THE SABRES WERE GIVING US NOTHING!

Colin White scored after I left to put the Sens up 3-0 through forty minutes. It was only 59 seconds into the final frame however when the man of the hour Jason Pominville sauced in a Jack Eichel shot to get Buffalo on the board. I respect the hell out of Pommer but I was deep in Coco at this point. The Land of the Dead is really an animation marvel: even for Pixar. Well three or so minutes later Jeff Skinner similarly guided in a shot from the line by Ristolainen and the Sabres were within one. Again, I was deep into unraveling the complicated family drama of Coco at this point, getting into third act but I won’t spoil any of it for you. I will spoil this game if it hasn’t already been for you: the Sabres didn’t complete the comeback. With twenty seconds left in regulation Bobby Ryan sunk an empty netter to wrap this game at 4-2 Ottawa. I talked a lot of trash to start this game because I sincerely hate the Ottawa Senators but damn, the way Sens fans honored Pominville, the guy who ruined their 2006, that’s pretty awesome.

You would hope the Sabs had moved into the Land of the Dead. Unfortunately the one bad period against Columbus and the bad 30 minutes in the Calgary game were omens that on the third game the Sabs would return and consume a whole game! All awesome Pixar imagery aside, the Senators rocked the Sabres harder than Pommer’s 2001 Draft haircut. Look it up, he looks like he was a dancer for the Backstreet Boys. Rasmus Dahlin looked good in this game but Marco Scandella fucked him up at every turn. Rasmus Ristolainen didn’t do Buffalo any favors in their own zone. Even Jake McCabe, the man driving the defense this season, looked poor, at one point just about taking his own goaltender out of a play. Since the d-men didn’t go through where was the secondary scoring to come? Insert It’s Nothing gif here. No secondary scoring and the sad part is that supposedly that’s what Jason Botterill (one of Pominville’s teammates in Rochester back in the day) got with all his offseason moves! I don’t even know what to do with these Sabs after this game: this club was 8-1-3 in their last twelve games against the Sens; that last regulation loss was the last matchup they had in the garbage pile that was last season! I just don’t know what to say outside of congratulations Pominville about this game… I guess… I recommend Coco; it’s a fantastic movie pretty much all the way around.

The show goes on for a Saturday matinee back in Buffalo against the Sens. I’ll be seeing a movie with family but lord knows if I come out of that theater and the Sabres don’t have a W there will be hell to pay. I shouldn’t have to repeat the absolute necessity of winning these next four games before the schedule gets harder. I hope this helped you cope. Writing these isn’t always fun, especially when the Sabs show up, but if Coco taught me anything it’s all about not being forgotten. Don’t forget about New Look Sabres! Share it, comment and hit that little heart for remembrance. Congratulations Jason, you’re the only player on this team who knows what golden age Sabres hockey looks like: hopefully we all see some more of that soon.  

Thanks for reading.

P.S. Fun fact: Jason Pominville has worn the most different Sabres uniforms in his career. On top of the current ones and the old red butter knives in the post image here, he wore all of the goat-heads, Buffaslug, 40th anniversary, retro jersey and Winter Classic jersey last season. I’m sure I missed a few but this is already my longest P.S. yet.  

[wanderingaxiety]

Peasant Quotes

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He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Peace

Home

King

All men are by nature equal, made all of the same earth by one Workman; and however we deceive ourselves, as dear unto God is the poor peasant as the mighty prince.

Plato

Nature

God

Men

Every marriage tends to consist of an aristocrat and a peasant. Of a teacher and a learner.

John Updike

Teacher

Marriage

Aristocrat

A peasant becomes fond of his pig and is glad to salt away its pork. What is significant, and is so difficult for the urban stranger to understand, is that the two statements are connected by an and not by a but.

John Berger

Difficult

Stranger

Pig

I want there to be no peasant in my kingdom so poor that he cannot have a chicken in his pot every Sunday.

Henry IV

Chicken

Poor

Kingdom

Scratch a Russian, and you'll find a peasant.

Milla Jovovich

Find

Scratch

Russian

They're thinking of turning the peasant into an educated man. Why, first of all they should make him a good and prosperous farmer and then he'll learn all that is necessary for him to know.

Nikolai Gogol

Good

Man

Thinking

I mean, my people were very, very simple. They were peasant people, you know?

James Earl Jones

Simple

People

Know

I believe in reincarnation. In my last life I was a peasant. Next time around, I'd like to be an eagle. Who hasn't dreamed they could fly? They're a protected species, too.

Lee Trevino

Life

Time

Fly

The peasant must always be helped technically, economically, morally and culturally. The guerrilla fighter will be a sort of guiding angel who has fallen into the zone, helping the poor always and bothering the rich as little as possible in the first phases of the war.

Che Guevara

War

Angel

Rich

My wife was the first art collector in the family, and I didn't become interested until around 1973. The first important artwork we bought was a Van Gogh drawing of two peasant houses in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.

Eli Broad

Family

Art

Wife

They eat the dainty food of famous chefs with the same pleasure with which they devour gross peasant dishes, mostly composed of garlic and tomatoes, or fisherman's octopus and shrimps, fried in heavily scented olive oil on a little deserted beach.

Luigi Barzini

Food

Famous

Pleasure

What motivated me? My mother. My mother was an immigrant woman, a peasant woman, struggled all her life, worked in the garment center.

Al Lewis

Life

Mom

Me

I cook a little bit. I make a Hungarian dish called chicken paprikash that's out of this world. I'll give a heads-up to all of your readers that it doesn't have to be between Thai and Mexican every night. Toss some Hungarian in every once in a while. You will not be sorry. Good, solid peasant food.

Adam Carolla

Good

Food

Night

You know most of the food that Americans hold so dear - things like hamburgers and hot dogs - were road food, but even before they were road food, they were peasant food.

Alton Brown

Food

Hot

Road

We must always remember that the Chinese revolution was not a peasant's revolution, but one of the extreme Right.

Salvador Dali

Remember

Always

Revolution

We want to overthrow the imperial power not because it is Manchurian but because we want republicanism... We republican revolutionaries can never have the notion of becoming emperors after the revolution, like all the peasant rebels did in the past.

Sun Yat-sen

Power

Past

Never

There is but one stage for the peasant and the actor.

Henry David Thoreau

Stage

Actor

I don't ever want to be like a peasant. I want to always be all right. But motivation is fans - not your kids, your mum, none of that. All of that matters, but number one is your fans.

Young Thug

Fans

Always

Right

That a peasant may become king does not render the kingdom democratic.

Woodrow Wilson

King

Kingdom

Become

I am an African-American woman of dark skin tone, and there are very specific roles that are usually given to African-American women of a darker hue. Let's start with 'Once on This Island': peasant girl. Let's go to 'The Color Purple': young girl, beaten. Let's go to 'Ragtime': Her baby's taken.

LaChanze

Women

I Am

Skin

The earth is the earth as a peasant sees it, the world is the world as a duchess sees it, and anyway a duchess would be nothing if the earth was not there as the peasant sees it.

Gertrude Stein

World

Earth

Nothing

For an Italian peasant a telegram from anywhere is a wondrous thing; and a cable from the terrestrial paradise of America is not lightly to be disregarded.

Howard K. Smith

Paradise

America

Anywhere

I come from a long line of below-stairs maids and gardeners. Good ol' peasant stock. My mother and her sister made a quantum leap out of that life. Then I made another quantum leap.

Julie Andrews

Life

Good

Long

Remember the valiant Iraqi peasant and how he shot down an American Apache with an old weapon.

Saddam Hussein

Remember

American

Down

I am a peasant from the Auvergne. I want to keep my farm, and I want to keep France. Nothing else matters now.

Pierre Laval

I Am

Nothing

Want

The poor peasant here hives under conditions quite different from those of Russia. Though often terrible, they are not as appalling as they were there.

Herman Gorter

Poor

Russia

Terrible

If ever there was a slamming of the door in the face of constructive investigation, it is the word miracle. To a medieval peasant, a radio would have seemed like a miracle.

Richard Dawkins

Face

Door

Radio

I like army boots, I like peasant skirts - sometimes together! So I do know that I have odd taste.

Mayim Bialik

Together

Sometimes

Know

I like Sicilian food. It's real peasant food.

Raymond Kelly

Food

Real

Like

I do not have voice for Russian music; I cannot be cute little peasant like in operas of Glinka or Rimsky-Korsakov. I am now never in Russia; I am Austrian citizen. But definitely I am Latin!

Anna Netrebko

Music

I Am

Cute

There aren't many great passages written about food, but I love one by George Millar, who worked for the SOE in the second world war and wrote a book called 'Horned Pigeon.' He had been on the run and hadn't eaten for a week, and his description of the cheese fondue he smells in the peasant kitchen of a house in eastern France is unbelievable.

Sebastian Faulks

Love

War

Food

I am for poetry that is admired by peasant and aristocrat alike.

F. Sionil Jose

Poetry

I Am

Aristocrat

To me, the most critical thing in agriculture is investing in the peasant agriculture, transforming peasant agriculture.

Jakaya Kikwete

Me

Agriculture

Critical

The whole world feels that it knows Francis, not so much because he follows Francis of Assisi but because he is always himself. We have seen him pay his own hotel bill and heard that Francis called Buenos Aires for a pair of ordinary black shoes, like John XXIII, who preferred stout peasant shoes to the traditional papal footwear.

Eugene Kennedy

Black

World

Shoes

The Breton peasant is said to have a hard head. He is obstinate and resists outside pressure to alter his creed or his customs.

Sabine Baring-Gould

Pressure

Hard

Outside

I remember I once went to a nutritionist who said I come from good Russian-Jewish peasant stock, which means I can hold a potato in my body for a week, if need be.

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Good

Remember

Body

Border collies predate the British Kennel Club. They've been bred consistently for 100 years. They're the last working dogs in the world, with some minor exceptions. Bench shows, dog shows have ruined the other breeds, like the hunting dogs. Border collies are peasant dogs, and that's protected them.

Donald McCaig

World

Dog

Bench

The knish is a classic example of peasant food evolving into comfort food and even sophisticated fare.

Gil Marks

Food

Comfort

Comfort Food

You go to Europe, and they have their very wealthy elites, and then everybody else is, you know, a couple of steps above a peasant, basically.

Ann Coulter

Know

Go

Europe

There are two classes of women in Soviet Russia. There is the professional class, which has taken the place of the nobility and includes government officials, artists, doctors, composers and writers as well as former members of the old nobility whose sympathy is with the Soviets, and also the peasant class.

Elsa Schiaparelli

Women

Government

Sympathy

Tolstoy didn't know about steampunk or cyborgs, but he did know about the nightmarishness of steam power, unruly machines, and the creepy half-human status of the Russian peasant classes. In 'Anna Karenina,' nineteenth-century life itself is a relentless, relentlessly modern machine, flattening those who oppose it.

Elif Batuman

Life

Power

Know

Most people, throughout history, haven't learned one language to the exclusion of another. You learn to speak differently to a peasant and to a shoemaker. You speak differently to your mother, who comes from Burgundy, and to your father, who comes from Swabia.

[gorocult]

Pensieve

Hidekane Week 2017 - Day 1: Honey/ Mixed Up The Recipe/ Sweet Shop AU/ Author: ayainu Summary: Kaneki recalls the fun times he spent as a Ravenclaw in Hogwarts with his Honey Badger of a significant other. (Basically used Honey as an excuse to make a Harry Potter au.) Warnings: Just senseless fluff, mentions of Kaneki being uncomfortable with the Asaoka household, it’s kind of a mess because I had a lot of ideas and too little time. Rating: Teen Title: Pensieve

Accompanying art

Out of all his classes in his final year at Hogwarts, Kaneki found himself thinking he’d miss History of Magic the most. Yes, that notorious for its boring nature class. Even though got to take Alchemy due to the heavy demand the previous year. Alchemy was really fun, and he shared it with a lot of his friends, including the snoring honey badger next to him.

He’d known Hide since even before they enrolled into Hogwarts. It used to be one of his biggest worries since he discovered his ability that he’d have to leave Hide behind for Hogwarts.

He had been so conflicted because he honestly wanted nothing more than a golden chance like this to leave the hellish Asaoka household, but Hide was important. So important he knew he’d have discarded his letter had Hide reacted the least bit negatively.

He’d asked him to meet up at their park and found him waiting, perched easily on their whale hill. His heart fluttered in a way it still does to this day, only his eleven year old self had no way of knowing what he did today about the nature of his feelings. Kaneki precisely remembered the warm breeze that surrounded them that day, how he felt like he was breathing icicles in the middle of the summer despite that. He’d been so nervous approaching Hide, his letter cradled in his shaking hands, hidden out of view behind his back.

“Hide..” Kaneki swallowed through the lump in his throat. “I…”

Hide turned to him and cocked his head curiously.

Kaneki took a deep breath to calm his wild heart. He must’ve taken too long because the next thing he knew Hide was standing right in front of him, his palms cushions for Kaneki’s pale cheeks.

“Is everything alright Kaneki?” His tone was so full of his gentle concern that Kaneki found tears prickling at his eyes.

“Yes Hide, everything is okay, more than okay, it’s just..-” I might have to choose between you and my dreams, he was too choked up on his emotions to say.

“Then why do you look like you’re about to cry? Hey, Kaneki what’s the matter?”

“Hide I.. It might sound insane but I was born with magical powers, I just got the letter today, that I’ve been chosen for this super elite magic school, I am happy but…- Hey Hide why are you laughing? I’m serious!”

“Ah- Sorry Kaneki,” Hide wiped mirthful tears from his eyes. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just-” Hide was cut off by another fit of laughter.

“Hide are you in hysterics? I won’t go if you don’t like it I promise!” Kaneki was confused and panicking, and thank whatever lucky stars he had that Hide collected himself at that moment in an abrupt pause from his laughter.

“No! You absolutely must go Kaneki!” Hide exclaimed too loudly.

“What?” Hide might’ve stopped laughing but it didn’t at all help with Kaneki’s confusion.

“Well you see..” Hide fidgeted with his scavenged his jacket’s pocket for a bit. “You see it’s an odd coincidence but I’ve been meaning to bring this up today..” He brandished a letter identical to his own, and when Kaneki’s sight caught up with his brain he let out a soft gasp and scrambled to tackle Hide in a hug.

“I’m so happy I didn’t want to have to give up anything I’m so happy!” Kaneki’s voice was a string of murmurs against Hide’s shirt.

Hide chuckled and ran his fingers through Kaneki’s hair, ever so gentle.

“So, want to explain?” Kaneki looked over to him, a relaxed smile on his face. They’d settled down after getting over the initial shock on top of their whale hill to piece together what it all meant.

“My family.. They’re all purebloods.”

“Purebloods?”

“That means they’re all pure wizards and witches, no muggle marriages. Only magicians. It’s a given I’m a wizard too.” Hide laughs quietly. “Even if my mother was a muggle..”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, mudblood is the right term for someone like me, at least to them.”

“My mom.. She was human too.”

“To hell with opposites attract huh?”

Kaneki laughed.

***

It was such a relief to have Hide by his side on the train ride to Hogwarts, heavens knew there would’ve been no way for him to run headfirst into a wall if he hadn’t had Hide’s hand clasped tightly in his own.

They had met the others on the train.

The second year Nishiki, his beautiful girlfriend Kimi, the second year Shuu with his expensive clothes and bag, the goddess among mortals Rize and jellybrain Naki.

It was the usual case of Nagachika Hideyoshi’s infectious smile and approachable nature that drew them all in. What surprised him though was that on that train a beautiful girl approached him as well.

“Hi, my name is Rize!” She smiled prettily.

“H-Hi, I’m Kaneki, nice to meet you..” he could feel Hide’s eyes bore into the side of his face. Somehow he felt uneasy.

“The book..” she motioned to the book that was now lying face down on Kaneki’s lap. “I was thinking about reading it too, I really like this author. Is it good?”

Kaneki willingly took the bait and started talking in length about how amazing that book was from what he’s read so far. They discussed the author’s other works too and when the author’s name came up Hide let out a small sound of surprise.

“Hide?” Kaneki looked at him quizzically, concern in his tone.

“Oh it’s- hello by the way I’m Hide!” He smiles easily at Rize and she smiles back. “If it’s Takatsuki Sen then you’ll meet your idol at Hogwarts..”

Both Kaneki and Rize looked at him with excitement that was almost palpable.

“What do you mean Hide?” Kaneki’s voice shook with the force of his anticipation.

“Well she’s a family friend, we go way back. She teaches at Hogwarts,” Hide scratches his cheek bashfully. “She’s actually one of the reasons I’m so excited about Hogwarts..”

“Oh?” It was very immature and irrational for Kaneki to feel a tinge of jealousy at that. Not of Hide because he had personal relations with his idol. Rather, it was because there was someone else other than him that was close to Hide, that Hide was excited to see. It was completely nonsensical of him really.

When the train screeched to a halt, all his worries dissipated and the air in their cart was buzzing with anticipation and excitement.

Kaneki was brought back to the present time when their teacher’s voice raised a notch. He was worried he got caught for zoning out but luckily the teacher’s attention was trained on the other side of the room, where Naki was making a scene as usual.

Trust Naki to keep the teacher’s attention away from Hide’s snoring corpse.

Kaneki let his mind drift back to its reminiscing daydream. Maybe it was the fact that they would say goodbye to Hogwarts soon that got him all emotional and nostalgic.

He’d been absolutely hopeless at flying. Hide on the other hand, was amazing, had it not been for all his “moves” he would’ve been a prodigy. But he insisted he didn’t care about doing it properly as much as he did about doing it with style.

“What’s the point of flying if I’m not going to do it in style? That’s boring!”

Hide had always been incorrigible. Well, at least Rize was there to mellow it out.

Rize was a great friend, after meeting her on the train, he and Hide formed strong bonds with her. They were absolutely inseparable, their duo became a trio and they were both happy about that.

To put it simply, Rize was a fucking badass. She was, in Hide’s own words, awesome and super cool. It was fun to hang out with her and she seemed to genuinely enjoy their company.

Kaneki had been so sure at the sorting ceremony that she’d join him over at the Ravenclaw table but was surprised when the sorting hat proclaimed her a Gryffindor. Looking back on it now Kaneki knew she couldn’t have been anything else, her daring nature and adventurous spirit and sometimes cunningness fit the house description to a T.

But he wasn’t as surprised as the head of the Slytherin though, when the hat had announced Hide a Hufflepuff. The poor man looked absolutely horrified, and Hide’s expression was, in simple terms, shit eating. He loved this, he loved going against all his family’s traditions. He broke their spotless pureblood Slytherin streak and he reveled in the fact.

Hide admitted later that he didn’t believe Slytherin was a bad house, and he thought that he belonged in it to some extent. It wasn’t the house he was going against, it was his family.

Kaneki never trusted Slytherins at all, he was quite shocked to find out Takatsuki Sen, or as he found out, Yoshimura Eto was a Slytherin.

Eto was the person who taught them that Slytherins are only villainized unfairly all the time because a common enemy was needed. She taught them a lot, and continues to. He’ll forever be in her debt for all the help she’d given them with that hopeless mess she called hair that framed her face, pink mouth constantly pulled in a smile, and her signature round glasses perched on her small button nose.

Kaneki glanced over to their teacher when he was snapped back out of his reverie once more. This time it was at the mention of their final N.E.W.T.S. He diligently wrote down what their teacher told them to focus on and put a note to tell Hide later.

They had met the second batch of friends when they were in their second year. The feisty Touka, gentle natured Yoriko, Hairu the madonna of Hogwarts, and Karren the cool beauty.

Touka and Yoriko had been inseparable from the very start, it was only natural that they’d end up befriending Kaneki and Hide. Childhood friends quartet was what they were known as. Karren found home in Shuu’s shadow, and Hairu ended up being the covergirl for the Gryffindors. Yoriko ended up with Hide in Hufflepuff and Touka in Gryffindor with the third year power couple Nishiki and Kimi. Karren also ended up in Gryffindor, luckily the same house as Shuu.

It was all fun times really, with all the new meat. Hide had been overly excited about being an upperclassman and it was kind of adorable to watch.

Around their third year was when Kaneki realized the nature of what he felt. It’d taken him a while, and the insistent prodding of Rize, but he did eventually.

“Rize I think I like Hide, like like, you know?”

“Took you long enough.”

“What?”

“I’m going to make some major money that’s what.”

“You bet on us?”

“No, that was obvious to everyone, we bet when you’d realize and when you’d get action.”

“I can’t believe you guys..”

“Touka gave you two too much credit and said you’d end up together by the end of second year, poor girl lost some big money.”

“I can’t believe this.. even Touka-chan?!”

“Especially Touka-chan, she knows first hand how being with someone your whole life is bound to make you develop some feelings.”

“Wow, so Touka-chan and Yoriko-chan..?”

“I only know that Touka has feelings for her, I haven’t talked to Yoriko much, and Touka seems adamant on never telling her.”

“Wow..”

“Which leads me to you, when do you plan to confess?”

“Ah I- it’s not simple Rize.”

“Of course it’s simple, Hide is a sweet boy he won’t cut off ties with you over something like that. You have nothing to lose, you tell him and he says yes, then good for you and I call best woman, if he doesn’t reciprocate your feelings and wants to stay friends then sorry for you, but good on Hide for being a great person. These are literally the only two turns of events possible I don’t see why not get it over with it’s either win or nothing changes.”

“How much did you bet on us getting together this year Rize?”

“I bet my entire Takatsuki Sen collection’s worth in money, please get on with it.”

“Can’t make you sell the books you love so much, I guess,” Kaneki chuckled, Rize as cunning as ever.

Rize just laughed, her voice a lilting melody.

As a third year, Kaneki didn’t feel invested in befriending the newcomers as he was the year before, but Hide was as relentless as ever. Kaneki was glad for that, the newcomers that year were the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to Hogwarts, no offense to anyone.

Saiko and Shirazu from Hufflepuff, Urie from Slytherin and Hinami the sweet soul and Mutsuki from Ravenclaw. They brought so much life into the dull old school. Even professor Arima ended up becoming friendlier.

Rize had won the bet, Kaneki listened to her and confessed, around a week after he learned about the nature of his feelings.

“.. Hide I need to talk to you..”

“Is something wrong?” Hide, forever the worrywart, panicked immediately. “If it’s about that jellybean prank I already said I’m sorry, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes for you to forgive me!”

Kaneki, despite his nerves, found himself laughing. “No no, Hide I’m okay. Not that I encourage your pranks but I wasn’t actually mad, I found it quite funny actually.” He grinned.

Hide grinned back. “Whassup then?”

Kaneki knotted his fingers together. “Hide I…” he took a deep breath. “Hide I like you! Like like you.”

“Like?” Hide’s eyes were wide and his lips was slightly parted in silent shock. A soft pink dusted his cheeks and nose.

“Like I want to date you..” Kaneki’s face was beet red and he swallowed thickly. “It doesn’t have to change anything between us, I just thought that it’s best to get this out as soon as possible so I don’t have to keep thinking about all the possibilities. I’m sorry if it’s a burden to know.”

“No! Kaneki it’s not a burden at all. Actually I…” Hide cut himself off and took a deep determined breath. “Let’s date.”

“What?” Kaneki sputtered. “It’s not like you have to or anything!”

“No, I want to. I’ve liked you for a while actually, I was shocked when you suddenly confessed but I was really happy.” Hide smiled sweetly at him and Kaneki’s heart hammered in his chest.

You’d think the spark would’ve been gone by now, the flame extinguished. As Kaneki looked over to the little trail of drool at the corner of Hide’s mouth and the way his hair fell in honey-gold waterfalls over his freckled face, he realized his heart thumped as hard as ever, never weakening.

“Hey Hide..” Kaneki whispered but only got a grumble in response, something that sounded suspiciously like ‘hamburger’.

Kaneki shook his head fondly, what an idiot.

They’ve had their ups and downs, their relationship got rocky at times but overall he could only look back on every experience with a smile. Their bonds were strong, and even when their friends teased them about being a lovey dovey couple, they only found pride in that. He’d never forget the first time they held hands for everyone to see in the dining hall. His heart had been thumping, delightful at holding Hide’s hand with an inexplicable dash of nervousness.

His heart would’ve exploded had their first kiss been similar. Thank Hide’s common sense, however scarce at times, that when he pulled him in for a kiss they’d been in the privacy of the gardens, hidden behind the curtain like drooping leaves of a willow.

‘Idiot..’ Kaneki thought fondly as stared some more. In the soft lighting of the class, Hide’s hair looked fluffy and soft. His goldish brown locks reminded him of the color of honey. Almost unconsciously he found his fingers buried in Hide’s hair, and every time he moved them the sweet scent of honey filled his nostrils.

Would he go that far?

Kaneki felt a hand rest over his own and he looked back down at Hide to find his warm brown eyes trained on him, a smile on his lips.

“I take my honey badger pride seriously.”

“No kidding,” Kaneki snorted softly.

“Were you awake the whole time?” Kaneki moped.

“It’s fascinating watching you think. But to answer your question I was only conscious after ‘hamburger’”

Kaneki blushed. “You’re an idiot, you missed some important information about the N.E.W.T.S.”

“Fine, I’ll get you a prerelease copy of Takatsuki’s new work.”

“Signed?”

“With a blue pen, I gotcha.”

“Here then.” Kaneki passed his notebook to him and Hide proceeded to copy the test related notes.

Kaneki yawned. “What’s on next?”

“Alchemy, let’s get moving or Mr. Marude will kill us,” Rize piped from the seat right in front of theirs.

“Oh shit!” Hide grumbled under his breath and collected his things. “Let’s go.”

Kaneki laughed at Hide’s panic and proceeded to collect his things as well.

Ah, he really was going to miss this. But he was also excited. He looked down at the promise ring, a reassuring weight resting against his chest. He and Hide decided to live together after school. Their friends wouldn’t be too far away and could always visit.

He looked forward to the future, even if the past was a sweet series of memories in this place that he had to bitterly leave behind. The past was beautiful, but he couldn’t wait for the amazing things the future has in store for them.

[desertshake9-blog]

The Linc - Nick Foles to the Jaguars for Leonard Fournette?

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

2019 NFL Mock Draft: Jaguars trade Leonard Fournette for Nick Foles, Bengals replace Andy Dalton - CBS Sports One problem here: I don’t think the Jags are going to give up No. 7 overall in exchange for Nick Foles. You could work out a deal where the Jags send No. 7 and No. 69 to the Eagles for Foles, No. 26 and No. 54 (the trade value basically makes Foles worth the 28th overall pick, which is probably a reasonably fair swap), but Jacksonville is going to likely lose high-end, expensive talent to free agency as a result of salary-cap issues. Jacksonville would like to use the seventh pick to either replace the talent or to secure another young quarterback for the long haul. How about we make both front offices happy instead? The Jaguars can send Leonard Fournette -- their former top pick and a very talented player who has struggled with injuries and hasn’t meshed well with the front office -- to the Eagles for Foles and a throw-in pick down the road. There are some contractual issues here that might hold things up on both ends. Foles is either going to have his option picked up or will be given the franchise tag and traded. So he won’t be cheap. Fournette isn’t cheap either -- he has a top-10 salary over the next two years at the running back position. Philly might not be willing to spend at the position, but Fournette is a better pass catcher than he gets credit for, and he could excel in Doug Pederson’s scheme. The Eagles were at their best with LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi running downhill.

2019 NFL Mock Draft Roundup: Eagles add interior pass rush - BGN Six out of nine picks are linemen. We all know the Eagles are not shy to invest premium resources in the trenches.

Offseason Talk - Iggles Blitz There is a feeling in the Tampa media that the Bucs could cut DE Vinny Curry and/or DT Beau Allen. Hmm. The Bucs are expected to play more of a 3-4 under Todd Bowles. That could make both guys expendable. If so, the Eagles could talk to one or both about coming back to add depth to the DL. While both players loved their time in Philly, price would be an issue. While neither player had a good season, they aren’t likely to come crawling back to the Eagles for peanuts. They’d want reasonable money. Keep an eye on this.

Projecting which Eagles player is next to make the Pro Bowl - NBCSP Alshon Jeffery: His last Pro Bowl appearance was in 2013 when he was still with the Bears, but Jeffery clearly has the talent of a Pro Bowler, although his numbers in his first two seasons with the Eagles have been modest. In the two years, he’s averaged 61 catches, 816 yards and 7.5 touchdowns per season. Another year like that and he won’t be a Pro Bowler. But he played through a torn rotator cuff in 2017 and then missed three games to start 2018 because of it. If he can stay healthy and play a full season with a healthy Carson Wentz, there’s a good chance he could take a spot in the annual All-Star showcase.

1-On-1: Joe Douglas - PE.com Vice President of Player Personnel Joe Douglas joins Fran Duffy at the Senior Bowl to discuss what he’s seen from some of the nation’s top college prospects and what he’s looking for from this year’s stellar crop of underclassmen.

10 Biggest Winners Of Senior Bowl Week - The Draft Network 1. Penny Hart, WR, Georgia State. Nobody went from as unknown to as intriguing as Penny Hart, who eviscerated defensive backs for three straight days during practices. I called him my biggest winner of the week on the Draft Dudes podcast, and nothing has changed even though he had a quieter Senior Bowl game — his roster was filled with slot receivers.

Best of Senior Bowl week: QB rankings, NFL draft risers, biggest takeaways, more - ESPN In$ider Which prospects’ draft stock rose the most this week? Montez Sweat, DE, Mississippi State. At 6-6 and 252 pounds, Sweat is an explosive speed rusher who is strong enough to go through offensive tackles and athletic enough to work the weave when they take away the edge. He is on the leaner and lighter side for a defensive end, yet he’s stout setting the edge against the run. He gets off the ball, he shoots his hands inside and he has the length (35⅝-inch arms) to keep blockers off his frame.

Bang for their Bucs: Wide Receiver, DeSean Jackson - Bucs Nation One could argue Jackson gave up on his team. There were times where it certainly appeared that way on the field, and on Instagram. However, looking at some of the usage numbers compared to the way other teams use receivers of similar talents, and maybe you can start to understand why he was so frustrated. Without stepping into the locker room, it’s hard to know exactly why his numbers became skewed in the way they did. No matter how you slice it, Jackson had more targets 20-yards or more downfield than he did 10-yards and less. For a receiver facing off coverage as much as Jackson does, those numbers shouldn’t be like that. Was it Winston? Was it Koetter? Was it Monken? We don’t know. I’d love to have Jackson on the Locked on Bucs podcast to discuss it - honestly and openly - but I don’t know that he feels there’s anything worth talking about. For now, we have the numbers and our perceptions.

Valentine’s Views: The Kansas City Plan sounds like a winner - Big Blue View I have suspected for a while that the New York Giants would like to emulate that plan, and a report Saturday evening by Paul Schwartz of the New York Post confirms that “More and more, this appears to be the scenario about to unfold for the Giants.” There is a lot to unpack from Schwartz’s report. The upshot, though, is that if Schwartz is correct — and as well-connected as the veteran Post writer is there is no reason to doubt his reporting at all — Manning will be back in 2019. A highly-drafted heir apparent could well be alongside him. If the Giants can find that guy.

Cowboys’ in-house OC search only shines brighter light on one of the biggest indictments of Jason Garrett’s tenure - SportsDay The addition of Jon Kitna means there have been 19 coaches to work under Garrett on the offensive side of the ball in his eight full seasons as head coach. Name the assistants who have left his staff to oversee the offense of another NFL team. None. Former wide receivers coach Derek Dooley is currently the coordinator at Missouri. Garrett’s brother, John, was the coordinator at Oregon State and Richmond before landing a job as the Lafayette head coach. But not one assistant has left the Cowboys offensive staff for a better job in the NFL since Garrett has been the head coach.

NFL owner’s superyacht catches the attention of a Presidential candidate - PFT When it comes to keeping up with the Joneses, Daniel Snyder continues to fall short. And the competition regarding which man has the biggest five-letter thing (yacht, or otherwise) has caught the attention of one of the umpteen candidates for the Democratic nomination for the Presidency in 2020. Elizabeth Warren has taken to Twitter to call out the Washington owner for his purchase of a very big boat. “This billionaire NFL owner just paid $100M for a ‘superyacht’ with its own iMax theater,” Warren said. “I’m pretty sure he can pay my new #UltraMillionaireTax to help the millions of yacht-less Americans struggling with student loan debt.”

8 ways Saints fans are overreacting hilariously to NFC Championship loss to Rams - The Falcoholic And hoo boy, are they ever mad. Harry Connick Jr. is boycotting the Super Bowl and shared the mad online letter he wrote to Roger Goodell on Instagram. And a church in New Orleans is offering the opportunity for disgruntled Saints fans to work through their frustration by throwing a penalty flag during services on Sunday. But these fine folks aren’t satisfied with tossing flags around and being mad online. They’re also doing a bunch of absurd things in real life in their quest for justice, and today seems like a great time to revel in it and laugh at all of this ridiculousness.

The Saints really didn’t need Sen. Bill Cassidy to argue on their behalf in Congress - SB Nation It was a Friday in Congress with no significant votes on the docket, just a discussion about sending money and weapons to the Middle East. The U.S. Government was in the midst of a shutdown — the announcement of our government’s temporary re-opening had yet to come. That made it the perfect possible time for one senator to ... pander to the home crowd with a little discussion about football. Yup. The growing wave of complaints of Saints fans cheated out of a Super Bowl 53 appearance crested to a logical escalation Friday. In the span of five days, New Orleans has leveled up from punched televisions to billboards to change.org petitions to class action lawsuits, and now, a debate on the floor of the United States Senate.

...

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Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2019/1/27/18199324/eagles-news-nick-foles-trade-jaguars-leonard-fournette-philadelphia-quarterback-jacksonville-draft

[bountyofbeads]

There’s trouble for Trump and the GOP’s future

By Jennifer Rubin | Published October 21, 2019 9:45 AM ET | Washington Post | Posted October 21, 2019 |

PRRI’s 10th annual 2019 American Values Survey released Monday paints a picture of a highly polarized electorate. Though health care is the highest rated issue overall (65 percent), followed by terrorism (54 percent), Democrats and Republicans do not share any of the top policy concerns. “Democrats are most likely to regard health care (77%) as critical. But Democrats rate climate change (72%) and foreign interference in presidential elections (63%) as the next most critical issues. By contrast, Republicans’ top three critical issues are terrorism (63%), immigration (60%), and crime (50%).”

Support for impeachment continues to increase, although the partisan divide is sharp. “Prior to the launch of the House impeachment inquiry, 47% of Americans said that Trump should be impeached and removed from office, compared to a majority (53%) of Americans who disagreed.” While “Republican white evangelical Protestants (99%) and Republicans who say Fox News is their primary source of news (98%) oppose Trump being impeached and removed from office,” an increasing share of Democrats and independents support impeachment and removal.

Trump is an effective party recruiter — for Democrats. “More than one in four (27%) say they have become more likely to think of themselves as Democrats, fewer than one in five (17%) say they have become more likely to think of themselves as independents, and only 13% report they have become more likely to think of themselves as Republicans.”

While Trump’s approval remains underwater, Democrats should exercise caution in their choice of a presidential nominee. “Almost two-thirds (65%) of Americans say they are certain about the candidate they will support in November 2020. Nearly four in ten (37%) say they will support the Democratic candidate over President Donald Trump no matter who the Democrat is, and nearly three in ten (28%) say they will support Donald Trump no matter who becomes the Democratic nominee. Notably, one-third (33%) of Americans say their vote will depend on who wins the Democratic primary.” Moreover, opposition to Trump is more intense and fixed than is his support, “with three in four (75%) saying there is almost nothing Trump could do to win their approval. … Americans who approve of Trump’s job performance are more open to the idea of changing their mind: Two-thirds (66%) say he could do something to lose their approval.”

The good news for Democrats is the high percentage of Americans overall who agree with their progressive policy stances — “making college tuition free at public institutions (68%), making recreational use of marijuana legal (67%), and a ‘Medicare for All’ plan that would replace private health insurance with government-backed health insurance coverage for all Americans (63%). About one in three Americans strongly favor each of these proposals.”

Right now, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) leads the Democratic field in net favorability among Democrats and Democratic leaners with 55 percent. He is followed by former vice president Joe Biden with 46 percent and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) with 43 percent, then Sen. Kamala D. Harris (31 percent).

Whatever the issue (favorability, impeachment, personal conduct, stirring white nationalism), white evangelical Christians remain far more supportive of Trump than any other subset of the electorate. For example, “Nearly two-thirds (63%) of white evangelical Protestants say Trump has not damaged the dignity of the office. Majorities of all other major religious groups agree that Trump has damaged the dignity of the presidency.” Likewise, “Majorities of nearly every demographic group, with the exception of white evangelical Protestants and Republicans, say Trump’s conduct makes them less likely to support him.”

White evangelical Christians are much more likely to reflect male resentment (e.g., society is too feminine, society punishes men for being men) than any other group. In short, Trump (his personality, his prejudices, his anti-immigrant sentiment, his climate change denial, etc.) almost perfectly matches up with white evangelicals but runs counter to other groups in American society (e.g., nonwhites, non-Christians). His cultlike status among these voters contrasts with the animosity he engenders among most other segments of the population.

Opposition to child separation runs high (about 75 percent), although evangelicals are far less averse to it than are other Americans. “Nearly four in ten (39%) white evangelicals support this policy, compared to 57% who oppose this policy. By contrast, only 28% of white mainline Protestants, 22% of Hispanic Protestants and 18% of black Protestants.” A majority of Americans favor more restrictive immigration policies, but “white evangelical Protestants (85%) are more likely than white mainline Protestants (66%) to be in favor of placing restrictions on immigration, and both groups are remarkably more supportive of restrictive policies than are Hispanic Protestants (53%) and black Protestants (45%).” Big majorities think immigrants are hard-working and family-oriented, but white evangelicals are much less likely to believe so.

There are a few takeaways from the survey.

First, Trump (along with those who espouse his brand of right-wing nativism and know-nothingism) is hugely dependent on the overwhelming support of white evangelicals, but in doubling and tripling down on positions and conduct that pleases this core part of his base, he winds up turning off more of the electorate.

Second, that makes evangelicals out of step with the majority of Americans on everything from immigration to climate change to impeachment to beliefs about gender and race. If they feel like a minority on issues ranging from gender to climate change, they are. Their burning resentment toward “elites” masks a more fundamental alienation from a majority of all Americans.

Third, Trump and the GOP’s hyper-dependence on white evangelicals is an electoral problem, given the declining number of white evangelicals who are aging and seeing significant drop off among millennials. Each election it becomes harder to win outside deep red environs.

In sum, we may be “two Americas,” but they are not equal. Trump and Republicans’ segment is smaller than the rest and is shrinking over time. Republicans are playing a losing hand as the electorate as a whole becomes more diverse and identifies with progressives on policy and cultural issues. It turns out, math matters.

*********

Want Trump removed? New data shows Fox News is a huge obstacle.

By Greg Sargent | Published October 21, 2019 9:57 AM ET | Washington Post | Posted October 21, 2019 |

As the impeachment inquiry marches forward, President Trump is closely watching the Republicans in Congress, particularly in the Senate, who constitute his last line of defense against removal.

In that regard, Trump has a very powerful ally: Fox News.

Trump pulled the plug on his corrupt scheme to host the Group of Seven summit at his Doral resort after getting informed that some moderate Republicans — the ones he needs to keep in line on impeachment — didn’t want to defend it, amid indications that it would become part of the case for impeachment. He also witnessed some Fox News personalities disapproving of it.

That’s when Trump concluded the jig was up on Doral, the New York Times reports. Trump issued two tweets nixing the plan, but took a break between them to watch Jeanine Pirro on Fox — another indicator of how closely he’s monitoring the network as he assesses the holding power of his defensive ramparts.

A new study just out from the Public Religion Research Institute sheds light on this dynamic in a remarkable way: It shows that rank-and-file Republicans who watch Fox are far more loyal to Trump than those who do not.

The poll, which surveyed more than 2,000 Americans, finds that an astonishing 55 percent of Republicans who watch Fox News as their primary news source say there is almost nothing Trump could do to lose their approval. By contrast, only 29 percent of Republicans who don’t cite Fox as their primary source say this.

What’s more, 98 percent of Fox-citing Republicans oppose impeaching and removing Trump — opposition that’s “essentially unanimous,” as PRRI puts it. By contrast, 90 percent of non-Fox-citing Republicans oppose impeaching and removing him — which is overwhelmingly high, but suggests that among this group, at least, Trump could suffer losses on the margins as the inquiry turns up worse revelations.

And here’s another real doozy: In response to my inquiry, PRRI tells me that 71 percent of Fox-citing Republicans strongly approve of Trump, while only 39 percent of non-Fox-citing Republicans strongly approve of him.

“The numbers show that Republicans who watch Fox News tend to be much more pro-Trump,” Natalie Jackson, the research director for PRRI, told me. “Fox seems to be a powerful vehicle for Trump support.”

Of Republicans overall, 44 percent say Fox is their primary source — meaning we’re talking about a very large chunk of the GOP base. “What Fox is putting out there is really impacting Republicans’ opinions,” Jackson said.

On impeachment, Fox News figures have put out nonstop disinformation. They regularly claim the inquiry is invalid absent a full House vote (which is baseless); that Trump did nothing wrong in the Ukraine scandal (he pressured a foreign leader to help him rig our election by investigating potential opponent Joe Biden); that the whistleblower has been discredited (his complaint perfectly captured what Trump actually did); and that Biden did the same or worse (which is based on a fabricated narrative).

The Fox effect

It’s difficult to say whether Republicans watch Fox because they’re already in lockstep with Trump, or whether they’re inclined that way because of what Fox tells them. But these things seem to reinforce one another — and that may prove a significant factor in keeping GOP lawmakers in line behind him.

“His core constituency seems to be these Fox-watching Republicans,” Jackson told me, adding that such strong numbers among those voters mean that “Republicans in Congress are going to be less likely to turn against Trump.”

Of course, some GOP lawmakers will remain behind Trump because they actively approve of his efforts in this matter. But this is probably related to the Fox effect as well. Trump has adopted the unabashed posture that demanding the sham investigation of Biden is the affirmatively correct thing to do under the circumstances, and some GOP lawmakers are with him on this.

Fox is pushing similar messages — Trump is absolutely within his authority to call for an investigation of Biden, the truly corrupt figure in this situation; Trump is the real victim here (of the “deep state”). This hermetically sealed-off universe has created a space in which Republicans are backing Trump because he’s only done right.

This isn’t the 1970s anymore

There’s an additional perversity here that could have a major impact on how all of this unfolds.

A debate is stirring over whether the only plausible way to get the Senate to remove Trump after the House impeaches is through massive popular mobilization, a case originally made by Brian Beutler. The idea is that things are vastly different than in Richard Nixon’s day.

Back then, the two-party system was less rigid, and the far-less-fractured media environment was dominated by a few major networks. The prospect of party defections driven by principled reactions to empirically determined misconduct was more realistic. As David Leonhardt notes, “the elite institutions that helped bring down Richard Nixon” are “weaker today.”

But what makes this worse is that, even as our institutions are weaker, there is simultaneously an institution of sorts lined up forcefully behind Trump — Fox News — which is carrying out a self-assigned institutional role with reasonable success. Historians have noted that Nixon had nothing like it at his disposal. This both underscores the case for a popular mobilization and suggests how overwhelming it would need to be to move the required 20 GOP senators.

Nobody understands this better than Trump, who has aggressively attacked Fox when it occasionally strays from that role. But on impeachment, Fox has largely stuck to it, and it’s hard to see that changing. These new numbers suggest it’s having a real impact, and could even help Trump survive.

*********

[thisdaynews]

Impeachment takeaways: Another week of big developments

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/impeachment-takeaways-another-week-of-big-developments/

Impeachment takeaways: Another week of big developments

What stood out to you as the biggest development of a crazy week?

Natasha Bertrand, national security reporter:Definitely that two associates of Rudy Giuliani who are in many ways at the heart of this Ukraine scandal — Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman — wereindicted on campaign finance charges.The indictment could shed more light on the pair’s campaign, alongside Giuliani, to discredit former Vice President Joe Biden and remove the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Masha Yovanovitch. It also signals an intensifying crackdown on illicit campaign contributions, at a moment when Trump’s inaugural committee is under criminal investigation for potentially receiving donations from illegal foreign sources. Parnas and Fruman, born outside the U.S., are alleged to have funneled up to a million dollars in foreign cash into political action committees and campaigns, including Trump’s.

Darren Samuelsohn, senior White House reporter:The news about the Giuliani associates was definitely big. But I’ll throw a curveball here and go with someone we hadn’t been thinking much about of late: Robert Mueller. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Beryl Howell’s questions and commentary during a hearing Tuesday suggested she’s leaning toward ordering the release of the special counsel’s grand jury materials. If that happens, she’d be handing House Democrats a bounty of new information in their impeachment inquiry — the kind of stuff that would become ammunition in an expanding probe beyond Ukraine. The Justice Department would also be all but certain to appeal a ruling from Howell that goes against them, thereby setting up a much bigger fight that seems headed to the Supreme Court.

Andrew Desiderio, congressional reporter:The biggest development of the week, in my book, came at the tail end when the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld House Democrats’ subpoena for eight years of Trump’s financial records from his accounting firm, Mazars. It’s a huge loss for the president, after having lost a bid to quash the subpoena in a lower court. Trump has done everything he possibly can to avoid his financial records and tax returns from getting into the hands of his political enemies — and he may have no further recourse this time. But even beyond this specific battle, Friday’s ruling from a three-judge panel gives a big boost to congressional oversight authority. “Contrary to the president’s arguments, the committee possesses authority under both the House Rules and the Constitution to issue the subpoena,” one of the judges wrote.

Kyle Cheney, congressional reporter:In a week of big developments, the one I think will be most consequential is former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch’s decision to defy the State Department to testify in the House’s impeachment investigation. With her decision, she set a template for other witnesses to come forward even if they’ve been ordered not to — and already a second State Department ambassador, Gordon Sondland, is preparing to follow suit. Yovanovitch’s testimony itself was significant, too. She obliterated some of the conspiracy theories that led Trump to oust her and revealed that she was given a word of support from John Sullivan, the deputy secretary of state, even as Trump pulled her from her post in Ukraine.

Josh Gerstein, legal affairs reporter:I’m going to go off the board (is that allowed?) and say that the most significant impeachment development of the week was Trump’s decision to have U.S. troops stand aside as Turkey invades Syria. Of course, it has nothing directly to do with the current grounds Democrats have asserted for impeachment, but the move shook many of Trump’s key supporters to their core.

People who have stridently defended Trump at some cost to their own reputations, like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), were caught completely off guard by the president’s decision to abandon the Kurds — longtime U.S. allies. Other Trump backers even popped up in unexpected places like MSNBC to denounce the move. Why anyone in the political fight of his life would piss off his closest friends is hard to fathom. The impulsive, widely criticized move and the scramble to clean it up also undercuts arguments from Trump that that his unorthodox telephone diplomacy is as consistently “perfect” as he maintains.

Democrats aren’t giving any kind of official timeline yet for their plans. Is there really any clock here they need to be worried about?

Natasha:I think some Democrats are wary of the inquiry going too deep into an election year, and forcing an impeachment battle into the middle of the presidential primary contests. It also risks creating sympathy for Trump if it drags on too long. On the other hand, an impeachment inquiry and an election year have never coincided before, so the consequences are tough to predict.

Darren:It sure feels like the unofficial schedule that’s been kicking around — House impeachment vote around Thanksgiving and Senate trial circa Christmas — is a tad bit unrealistic. That would suggest the House will do all its investigating, questioning and document gathering over the course of the next five weeks before the Turkey Day break. Sure, that’s possible. But Trump and company are also putting up plenty of roadblocks to slow things down. While their obstinance could just be another impeachment article, it would seem like Democrats may try to do even more due diligence to make sure they’ve got what they need. And that’s especially the case if they think there’s any kind of realistic chance of convincing House Republicans to come along on an impeachment vote, let alone find the 20 Republicans for conviction. I’d also just say that the Democrats at this point are all-in on impeachment and they’re probably calculating that it won’t hurt them on the turnout front once Iowa, New Hampshire and other states start voting in the primaries and caucuses next year.

Andrew:Before the Ukraine scandal blew up, senior Democrats were saying they wanted to reach a decision by the end of the calendar year on whether to recommend articles of impeachment. But with Ukraine now the central focus of their inquiry — and the near-certainty that Democrats will draw up articles — that timeline is very much in flux. Moderate and swing-district Democrats have indicated that they don’t want to rush the process, in part so that they could obtain as much evidence as possible to convince both the publicandRepublicans. They are very wary of the perception that this is a partisan process; and the more evidence they have, the more likely it is that they can convince holdouts to support them. These lawmakers will have 2020 on their minds the entire way, even if they won’t say it publicly.

Kyle:The plan right now is there is no plan. House Democrats are operating with the wind at their back for the first time — polls show their impeachment inquiry is gaining public support and they’re actually generating new information for the first time all year and getting witnesses to testify about substantive episodes that could feed the articles of impeachment they eventually craft. Though some Democrats say they want to turn this momentum into articles as quickly as possible — perhaps even by early November — there are more cautious lawmakers who want to make sure they have beefed up their case against Trump enough to maintain public support all the way through the process.

Josh:The bombastic Tuesday letter from the White House declaring plans to stonewall the House impeachment probe and the unexpected arrests of the two Giuliani associates contributes to the growing momentum for impeachment in the House.

The timeline for impeachment and for the slew of court fights involving the White House will ultimately diverge. Even as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other House leaders hailed key legal victories this week, they seemed to be treating Trump’s continuing resistance as an admission of guilt that leaves the door wide open to voting on impeachment without final resolution from the courts. More information could be useful to Democrats in the impeachment process, but it doesn’t seem essential at this point to a process that appears to be moving to an inexorable conclusion — at least in the House.

Are we any closer to a Trump conviction in the Senate?

Natasha:Republicans still expect the impeachment process to play out along entirely partisan lines — i.e., House Democrats vote to impeach, and Senate R’s decline to convict and remove. But as my colleagues Darren Samuelsohn and Burgess Everettwrote on Friday, the political landscape could change quickly depending on what is revealed over the course of the inquiry.Several Republican governorshave already come out in favor of an impeachment inquiry, and while they can’t participate directly in the process, it’s at least a signal that GOP support for Trump might not be impenetrable.

Darren:Maybe a tiny bit. Someone I’d always been watching — Mitt Romney — is now on the record criticizing the president for pressing both the Ukraine and China to help his 2020 reelection bid. Pretty much everyone else is keeping their powder dry, save an occasional comment from the likes of Ben Sasse or Susan Collins. That’s just about to be expected given we still don’t know what the House will even send over on articles of impeachment. They’ve got no incentive to change that — for now. And yeah, as Natasha said, I’d definitely recommend our story on this from Friday, which teed up the idea that Trump world is starting to feel a bit nervous even as the president does his best to appear confident the Senate will save him.

Andrew:Ever since Democrats have been contemplating moving forward with impeachment, I’ve thought that Republicans would only break with the president under one condition: if the public turns against Trump so forcefully and overwhelmingly that it’s no longer politically tenable for Republicans to stick with him. Will we reach that moment? Probably not; the president will always have his base voter bloc that will stick with him no matter what. But with public support for impeachment rising steadily in recent weeks, I wouldn’t completely close the door on a Senate conviction. That being said, I would not put money on it.

Kyle:Conviction is still a pipe dream in the current political climate. A handful of Senate Republicans are openly critical of Trump, but nowhere close to 20 — and even the small number who think Trump’s actions are worthy of scrutiny have stopped far short of calling for impeachment proceedings and trial. Politics can change quickly, and Trump picked a strange time to infuriate his allies by rescinding support for Kurds in Syria, but it’ll take several seismic unforeseeable events for the dynamic to change.

Josh:I’m still not seeing overt signs of a collapse in Trump’s Senate support, but it’s worth keeping in mind that when these things happen they tend to happen quickly. Everything looks hunky-dory until the moment that it doesn’t. There’s very little incentive for a GOP senator to go wobbly right now. But the list of prominent GOP officials endorsing an impeachment probe grew a bit longer this week asMaryland Gov. Larry Hogan said he believes some House investigation of Trump’s Ukraine diplomacy is necessary. Every Republican who makes a comment like that makes it easier for the next one to follow, which has to worry the White House.

Can Rudy go on as Trump’s lawyer?

Natasha:He’ll probably try — but there’s a good chance Trump will try to distance himself from him given the indictment of Parnas and Fruman. Giuliani also doesn’t have many allies among congressional Republicans, whohave souredon him recently.

Giuliani may also have some legal exposure himself. For example, his dealings with Ukraine may have been a violation of the Logan Act, which aims to prevent private citizens from conducting foreign diplomacy on behalf of the U.S. He could also be vulnerable if he conspired with the president to extort the Ukrainians. Mimi Rocah, a former federal prosecutor from the Southern District of New York, argued ina recent op-edthat DOJ now “has more than enough basis to open a federal criminal investigation into the former New York mayor.”

Darren:Rudy’s lawyer, Jon Sale, told me on Friday that Giuliani is indeed still representing the president. I do think the relationship may be a bit strained right now. And it’s possible we’ll be seeing less of Giuliani on cable TV in the coming weeks — one would think, right? — as the feds circle him via the indictments against his associates. But Trump and Giuliani do goway, way, way back— “My Rudy” is thepresident’s nicknamefor his lawyer — and it’s hard to imagine they wouldn’t still be talking and strategizing in private.

Andrew:Republicans on Capitol Hill have been privately fuming over Giuliani’s involvement and his penchant to make things worse for the president. There has also been some reporting in recent weeks that even members of Trump’s inner circle within the administration are also frustrated with Giuliani. I’m going to slightly disagree with my colleagues here and say that if those people can convince the president that Giuliani is hurting him more than he’s helping, he could very well cut off Giuliani.

Kyle:Trump may need him to. Rudy knows everything about everything and he’s intertwined with all of Trump world. Though I wouldn’t expect to see Giuliani on TV quite as often as the president’s emissary, it’ll be hard to excommunicate him from the inner circle completely, even if his commentary has alienated other Republicans and seems to embroil the president in more legal trouble every time he speaks.

Josh:I think Giuliani will be more or less silenced within a matter of days. No one wants a lawyer who is himself under criminal investigation, according to multiple reports. And someone facing that kind of investigation suddenly has all kinds of conflicts in all his or her cases because it is very hard to negotiate with prosecutors about your own potential liability while doing your best by your clients.

Another prediction: His talk of testifying before the Senate will devolve into a court battle over that testimony. I can’t imagine Giuliani’s lawyers will want him being publicly grilled by Democrats and be open to potential charges over those answers, when he’d be entirely within his rights to take the Fifth or just claim everything he knows is protected by attorney-client privilege. Those arguments get harder to make when you’re on TV all the time talking, so that’s another reason we will see less of that.

What can we expect to see next week?

Natasha:I’ll be watching for any new information that comes out of Fiona Hill’s congressional testimony on Monday. Hill was the special assistant to the president and senior director for European and Russian Affairs on the National Security Council — aka Trump’s top Russia/Europe adviser — until just before the infamous Trump-Zelensky call. Hill was crafting policy on Ukraine, Russia and Europe while Giuliani, Sondland and Volker were conducting what was essentially a shadow foreign policy campaign on Ukraine, and she and her team noticed. They were apparently unnerved by it, sources told me, so Hill could probably fill in some blanks for Democrats about what was going on in the NSC at the time — including the practice of concealing Trump’s calls with foreign leaders on the NSC’s top secret codeword system.

Andrew:Depositions, depositions and more depositions. Democrats are rapidly gathering evidence in the form of documents, communications and witness testimony in order to establish that Trump abused his office by soliciting foreign interference in the 2020 election. And next week, they’re talking to a few more key witnesses who could contextualize the full extent of Trump’s and Giuliani’s efforts to push Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden.

In addition, the House is back in session on Tuesday after two weeks back home, so we should have a better idea of how the political landscape has shifted ever since Pelosi declared formalized the impeachment process. Pelosi could also face new pressure to hold aformal voteauthorizing an impeachment inquiry — something she has been hesitant to do amid complaints from Republicans. Democrats largely believe such a vote is unnecessary, but some of the court decisions we’re expecting in the coming days could weigh on Pelosi — namely, the Mueller grand jury case, in which a federal judge is hearing arguments that center on whether the House is engaged in a formal impeachment inquiry and therefore can access Mueller’s grand jury secrets.

Kyle:Lawmakers return from recess for the first time since their impeachment push began in earnest, and since polls began to reflect the changing mood of the country in their favor. I’d expect a frenzied atmosphere on Capitol Hill as lawmakers hash out a timetable to turn their investigation into actual articles of impeachment. It’s going to get messy, especially with a slew of court deadlines that could result in teams of new information landing on Capitol Hill connected to the House’s impeachment efforts.

Darren:Hard to fathom there are technically only four business days next week given how much stuff is indeed packed onto the calendar. There are too many depositions and subpoena deadlines to count, and if many of them are ignored, as expected, the Democrats will have even more impeachment fodder to run with. Just having members of Congress back in Washington is going to amplify things as well. They’ve been scattered around the country since Nancy Pelosi added propellant to the impeachment fire — and now they’ll be followed at every turn by reporters looking for a comment about where things stand. Rest up this weekend, everyone.

Josh:I predict more talk among returning Democratic lawmakers about a vote to explicitly authorize impeachment proceedings. Don’t think that actually happens next week, but consensus among Dems for that could build. Also continued focus on Giuliani’s role in the Ukraine affair. His clients might enter pleas to the charges next week, which would engender a New York media scrum. And the press will be on to out the Ukrainian official said to have bankrolled and directed their alleged scheme to make straw donations to gain influence in D.C. and with Trump.

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The Linc - Nick Foles to the Jaguars for Leonard Fournette?

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

2019 NFL Mock Draft: Jaguars trade Leonard Fournette for Nick Foles, Bengals replace Andy Dalton - CBS Sports One problem here: I don’t think the Jags are going to give up No. 7 overall in exchange for Nick Foles. You could work out a deal where the Jags send No. 7 and No. 69 to the Eagles for Foles, No. 26 and No. 54 (the trade value basically makes Foles worth the 28th overall pick, which is probably a reasonably fair swap), but Jacksonville is going to likely lose high-end, expensive talent to free agency as a result of salary-cap issues. Jacksonville would like to use the seventh pick to either replace the talent or to secure another young quarterback for the long haul. How about we make both front offices happy instead? The Jaguars can send Leonard Fournette -- their former top pick and a very talented player who has struggled with injuries and hasn’t meshed well with the front office -- to the Eagles for Foles and a throw-in pick down the road. There are some contractual issues here that might hold things up on both ends. Foles is either going to have his option picked up or will be given the franchise tag and traded. So he won’t be cheap. Fournette isn’t cheap either -- he has a top-10 salary over the next two years at the running back position. Philly might not be willing to spend at the position, but Fournette is a better pass catcher than he gets credit for, and he could excel in Doug Pederson’s scheme. The Eagles were at their best with LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi running downhill.

2019 NFL Mock Draft Roundup: Eagles add interior pass rush - BGN Six out of nine picks are linemen. We all know the Eagles are not shy to invest premium resources in the trenches.

Offseason Talk - Iggles Blitz There is a feeling in the Tampa media that the Bucs could cut DE Vinny Curry and/or DT Beau Allen. Hmm. The Bucs are expected to play more of a 3-4 under Todd Bowles. That could make both guys expendable. If so, the Eagles could talk to one or both about coming back to add depth to the DL. While both players loved their time in Philly, price would be an issue. While neither player had a good season, they aren’t likely to come crawling back to the Eagles for peanuts. They’d want reasonable money. Keep an eye on this.

Projecting which Eagles player is next to make the Pro Bowl - NBCSP Alshon Jeffery: His last Pro Bowl appearance was in 2013 when he was still with the Bears, but Jeffery clearly has the talent of a Pro Bowler, although his numbers in his first two seasons with the Eagles have been modest. In the two years, he’s averaged 61 catches, 816 yards and 7.5 touchdowns per season. Another year like that and he won’t be a Pro Bowler. But he played through a torn rotator cuff in 2017 and then missed three games to start 2018 because of it. If he can stay healthy and play a full season with a healthy Carson Wentz, there’s a good chance he could take a spot in the annual All-Star showcase.

1-On-1: Joe Douglas - PE.com Vice President of Player Personnel Joe Douglas joins Fran Duffy at the Senior Bowl to discuss what he’s seen from some of the nation’s top college prospects and what he’s looking for from this year’s stellar crop of underclassmen.

10 Biggest Winners Of Senior Bowl Week - The Draft Network 1. Penny Hart, WR, Georgia State. Nobody went from as unknown to as intriguing as Penny Hart, who eviscerated defensive backs for three straight days during practices. I called him my biggest winner of the week on the Draft Dudes podcast, and nothing has changed even though he had a quieter Senior Bowl game — his roster was filled with slot receivers.

Best of Senior Bowl week: QB rankings, NFL draft risers, biggest takeaways, more - ESPN In$ider Which prospects’ draft stock rose the most this week? Montez Sweat, DE, Mississippi State. At 6-6 and 252 pounds, Sweat is an explosive speed rusher who is strong enough to go through offensive tackles and athletic enough to work the weave when they take away the edge. He is on the leaner and lighter side for a defensive end, yet he’s stout setting the edge against the run. He gets off the ball, he shoots his hands inside and he has the length (35⅝-inch arms) to keep blockers off his frame.

Bang for their Bucs: Wide Receiver, DeSean Jackson - Bucs Nation One could argue Jackson gave up on his team. There were times where it certainly appeared that way on the field, and on Instagram. However, looking at some of the usage numbers compared to the way other teams use receivers of similar talents, and maybe you can start to understand why he was so frustrated. Without stepping into the locker room, it’s hard to know exactly why his numbers became skewed in the way they did. No matter how you slice it, Jackson had more targets 20-yards or more downfield than he did 10-yards and less. For a receiver facing off coverage as much as Jackson does, those numbers shouldn’t be like that. Was it Winston? Was it Koetter? Was it Monken? We don’t know. I’d love to have Jackson on the Locked on Bucs podcast to discuss it - honestly and openly - but I don’t know that he feels there’s anything worth talking about. For now, we have the numbers and our perceptions.

Valentine’s Views: The Kansas City Plan sounds like a winner - Big Blue View I have suspected for a while that the New York Giants would like to emulate that plan, and a report Saturday evening by Paul Schwartz of the New York Post confirms that “More and more, this appears to be the scenario about to unfold for the Giants.” There is a lot to unpack from Schwartz’s report. The upshot, though, is that if Schwartz is correct — and as well-connected as the veteran Post writer is there is no reason to doubt his reporting at all — Manning will be back in 2019. A highly-drafted heir apparent could well be alongside him. If the Giants can find that guy.

Cowboys’ in-house OC search only shines brighter light on one of the biggest indictments of Jason Garrett’s tenure - SportsDay The addition of Jon Kitna means there have been 19 coaches to work under Garrett on the offensive side of the ball in his eight full seasons as head coach. Name the assistants who have left his staff to oversee the offense of another NFL team. None. Former wide receivers coach Derek Dooley is currently the coordinator at Missouri. Garrett’s brother, John, was the coordinator at Oregon State and Richmond before landing a job as the Lafayette head coach. But not one assistant has left the Cowboys offensive staff for a better job in the NFL since Garrett has been the head coach.

NFL owner’s superyacht catches the attention of a Presidential candidate - PFT When it comes to keeping up with the Joneses, Daniel Snyder continues to fall short. And the competition regarding which man has the biggest five-letter thing (yacht, or otherwise) has caught the attention of one of the umpteen candidates for the Democratic nomination for the Presidency in 2020. Elizabeth Warren has taken to Twitter to call out the Washington owner for his purchase of a very big boat. “This billionaire NFL owner just paid $100M for a ‘superyacht’ with its own iMax theater,” Warren said. “I’m pretty sure he can pay my new #UltraMillionaireTax to help the millions of yacht-less Americans struggling with student loan debt.”

8 ways Saints fans are overreacting hilariously to NFC Championship loss to Rams - The Falcoholic And hoo boy, are they ever mad. Harry Connick Jr. is boycotting the Super Bowl and shared the mad online letter he wrote to Roger Goodell on Instagram. And a church in New Orleans is offering the opportunity for disgruntled Saints fans to work through their frustration by throwing a penalty flag during services on Sunday. But these fine folks aren’t satisfied with tossing flags around and being mad online. They’re also doing a bunch of absurd things in real life in their quest for justice, and today seems like a great time to revel in it and laugh at all of this ridiculousness.

The Saints really didn’t need Sen. Bill Cassidy to argue on their behalf in Congress - SB Nation It was a Friday in Congress with no significant votes on the docket, just a discussion about sending money and weapons to the Middle East. The U.S. Government was in the midst of a shutdown — the announcement of our government’s temporary re-opening had yet to come. That made it the perfect possible time for one senator to ... pander to the home crowd with a little discussion about football. Yup. The growing wave of complaints of Saints fans cheated out of a Super Bowl 53 appearance crested to a logical escalation Friday. In the span of five days, New Orleans has leveled up from punched televisions to billboards to change.org petitions to class action lawsuits, and now, a debate on the floor of the United States Senate.

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Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2019/1/27/18199324/eagles-news-nick-foles-trade-jaguars-leonard-fournette-philadelphia-quarterback-jacksonville-draft