#that are usually made in a rush to profit off another game's success

[northern-passage]

this video is wild. even if you don’t want to watch the entire thing, the conclusion is really good and really highlights some of the issues faced in game preservation and the failure to recognize contributions and properly credit artists that work on these games.

[dimensionsunited]

Q2 2021 DIMENSIONS ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULES & REVIEW

Members may earn up to 18 points for writing, by the end of June 30 KST:

Up to three solo paras of 400+ words based on their quarterly schedule (does not count toward your monthly limit). (three points each)

Up to three threads of eight posts (four per participant, including the starter) based on the monthly schedule. (three points each)

Threads and solos do not have to take place directly during an important date listed on the schedule, but must be related to what the muse is mentioned to be doing in the paragraph explaining their schedule/the company’s schedule and/or their thoughts on the mentioned activities or lack thereof.

These schedules may be updated if new information needs to be added.

Reminder: Please do not post schedule posts in the fmdschedule tag.

Schedule posts for this quarter can be tagged with #fmddmsq221.

OVERALL COMPANY

Most of the groups under Dimensions are making comebacks this quarter, which hopefully means good things for the quarter’s profits, but also means a higher stress atmosphere among workers. Staff that overlaps between groups under Dimensions, such as stylists and recording engineers, might be pulled thin over the course of this quarter, leaving interactions with them potentially more tense and brief when they do happen, and schedule mishaps aren’t impossible, with practice rooms and recording studios potentially accidentally double-booked.

Important dates:

June 8-13: Triple Fantasy Festival in Indio, CA, USA.

GAL.ACTIC

In April, the members of Gal.actic wrap up comeback preparations ahead of their new release. While its release might not be a high-charter for the group, it earns a certain amount of favor with those who keep up with new releases for showing a side Gal.actic hasn’t been showing as much with their recent comebacks. Album sales aren’t anything standout for the group either, in spite of several fan signs being held, but it gives Gal.actic a fun summer song they might be able to book some festival performances of next quarter, and the charity walkathon performance they book in June at the tail end of promotions is good publicity and positive media karma, which they could always use more of.

Important dates:

April 10: Fri. Sat. Sun. photo book shoot.

April 25: “Fri. Sat. Sun.” M/V filming.

May 1: MISSHA fansign in Gangnam, Seoul.

May 13: Release of “Fri. Sat. Sun.” & Fri. Sat. Sun. mini-album + press showcase, music show promotions continue through June 13.

May 14: Fansign in Yongsan, Seoul.

May 16: Fansign in Gimpo.

May 31: Fansign in Busan.

June 1: Fansign in Gangnam, Seoul.

June 13: End of music show promotions.

June 19: Performance (Fri. Sat. Sun & B.B.B.) at 1m1won Charity Walkathon (also performing: Chroma Crystal and 7ROPHY).

ALIEN

After Alien finishes music show promotions in April, they’re given the rest of the month before they return in May to begin work on their next comeback. Once they come back in in May, it’s straight into concept meetings and then eventually recording their next single album, which will include double title tracks “Bling Bling” and “B-Day”. They continue to work on their new comeback in the beginning of summer, with choreography [2] and wardrobe fittings being the focus for June. Though their fan signs for their latest comeback were kept to a minimum this time around, they’ll get two chances to meet with fans this quarter during fan signs in their roles as ambassadors for sportswear brand Kappa.

Important dates:

April 5: Fansign in Gangnam, Seoul.

April 9: End of music show promotions.

May 8: Kappa fansign in Yongin.

June 19: Kappa fansign in Busan.

June 20: M/V [2] and stage outfit [2] wardrobe fittings.

MARS

Now that their active Japanese promotions are behind them and left mostly to pre-recorded clips and behind the scene videos here and there managed by Dimensions to lure in anyone still pondering a purchase, it’s time for MARS to turn their attention more fully to their Korean comeback. April brings with it fittings, photo shoots, and music video filming on top of continued practice of their stages. The company gets those preparations completed by the end of April so as to allow the group to concentrate on their performance ahead of their comeback at the end of May. The comeback is met with what could be considered a more lukewarm reception for MARS — it’s what they’re known for and good at, but doesn’t seem to be a gigantic standout for most fans in comparison to the sexier “Chained Up”. Nonetheless, promotions are successful enough to turn a profit and they’re already looking ahead to a looming second Korean comeback of the year by the time the quarter comes to a close.

Important dates:

April 5: M/V and stage outfit wardrobe fittings.

April 17: Light Us photo book shoot.

April 20: “Valkyrie” M/V filming.

May 26: Release of “Valkyrie” & Light Us mini-album + press showcase, music show promotions continue through June 26.

May 27: Relay Dance video filming.

May 31: In&Out Dance video filming.

June 1: Fan sign in Yeouido, Seoul.

June 3: Guesting on Arirang Sound K radio show.

June 4: Fan sign in Yongsan, Seoul.

June 7: “Eye Contact” self-cam M/V filming at Dimensions HQ.

June 16: Fansign in Yeungdeongpo, Seoul.

June 21: Fan sign in Gimpo.

June 26: End of music show promotions.

June 28: Jambangee fansign in Songpa, Seoul.

7ROPHY

The quarter begins by finishing off promotions for “Oh My God” and before the quarter ends, they’ll be through almost an entire round of promotions for an entirely different comeback. Dimensions was quick to get to work as soon as “Oh My God” started showing charting comparable to their best digital success “Latata” and, instead of holding on to the era and milking it for all its worth, they’ve instead made the decision to aim for a summer hit with two more comebacks over the span of only a few months. The first is “Uh Oh”, which they’ll rush to record and learn the choreography for in April before completing the bulk of their comeback preparations in Ma so that the can make a comeback in the first week of June to get themselves in as one of the first large contenders for song of the summer. The comeback doesn’t end up being that, but it does benefit in the run-off of “Lion” and “Oh My God”, already making 2021 a more successful year for 7ROPHY than the previous one when it comes to making their name more known with the public.

Important dates:

April 5: Fansign in Gimpo.

April 10: Elle Song Association video filming.

April 12: Fansign in Incheon.

April 15: End of music show promotions.

May 1: M/V and stage outfit wardrobe fittings.

May 14: Teaser photo [2] shoot.

May 15: “Uh Oh” M/V filming day one.

May 16: “Uh Oh” M/V filming day two.

May 26: 100sec Choreography video filming.

June 2: Release of “Uh Oh” + press showcase, music show promotions continue through July 2.

June 19: Performance (Uh Oh & Oh My God) at 1m1won Charity Walkathon (also performing: Chroma Crystal and Gal.actic).

June 20: Try-lingual Live video filming (to be released: June 27).

UNITY

This comeback involves a lot that the members of Unity have to film. Not only do they have to film the video for their title track in April after completing wardrobe fittings and photo shoots in March, but they also have a concept video, a track video, and a music video for another song off of the album to film. All of the hard work pays off, though, as their comeback album hits it out of the park with over a million sales after its release and the digital charting of the title track is pretty impressive for a boy group as well. If anyone had still been questioning Unity’s position within Dimensions, there’s not much ground left to do so anymore after this comeback. They’re one of the top boy groups of their generation, and that’s something Dimensions will be proud to mediaplay in the aftermath of this comeback’s success.

Important dates:

April 2: Unity : The Past & Future : Ether video filming.

April 11: “Misfit” Track Video filming.

April 18: “Make A Wish (Birthday Song)” M/V filming.

April 26: “From Home” M/V filming.

May 1: “Make A Wish (Birthday Song)” M/V reaction video filming.

May 3: Release of “Make A Wish (Birthday Song)” & Unity Resonance Pt. 1 album + press showcase, music show promotions continue through June 3.

May 7: Fansign in Gangnam, Seoul.

May 10: Fansign in Jongno, Seoul.

May 11: Fansign in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul.

May 31: Fansign in Goyang.

June 3: End of music show promotions.

↳ CHAMPION

Near the end of the month, the CHAMPION members will fly out to Japan to hold their concert at Tokyo Dome. Decipher and Knight have played Tokyo Dome before, but Unity hasn’t. Regardless of history, it’s a pretty big deal that a fresh sub-unit is playing such a venue, so BC and Dimensions wants to make sure it goes off without a hitch. After the concert ends, the unit members will begin working on a comeback as they go in to record a single in the studio in June.

Important dates:

April 29: We Are The Future Concert at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.

LUCID

Lucid spends most of April preparing for the fanmeeting they’ll be holding in May. In addition to performances of their releases so far (leaning heavily into their “normal realm” concepts, they’re informed), as it’s a fanmeeting, they’ll have talk sessions they also have to prepare for. Other than the usual ments, the members will be expected to answer fan questions and requests and give advice to fans (all of these messages will be pre-approved by the company). They’ll also play games on stage with each other. Their fanmeeting isn’t all the have to occupy their time, though, as they’ll make making another comeback at the end of the quarter with a return to form with the normal realm concept instead of an intersection like their last release was. They’ll record the mini-album in April and begin learning the choreography a little earlier than usual within the same month. (The choreography for b-side “One Half” will need to be learned as well.) May brings in the focus on promotional materials, although rehearsals continue behind the scenes at a higher intensity than usual to guarantee the members have the choreography nailed down for this comeback. Finally, they make their return in June with a warm reception that’s expected by many due to adhering conceptually to their most successful releases.

Important dates:

April 7: Performance at Nonsan Strawberry Festival in Nonsan (also performing: Chroma Crystal).

May 2: Dear. Reverie fanmeeting at Olympic Hall in Seoul.

May 1: M/V and stage outfit wardrobe fittings.

May 9: Parallel photo book shoot.

May 30: “Love Whisper” M/V filming.

June 15: Release of “Love Whisper” & Parallel mini-album + press showcase, music show promotions continue through July 15.

June 16: OMG Live video filming.

June 17: Guesting on SBS Power FM Cultwo Show radio show, Relay Dance video filming.

June 18: Fansign in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul.

June 19: Fansign in Mapo, Seoul.

June 20: Fansign in Gangnam, Seoul.

June 23: Guesting on SBS Power FM Power Time radio show.

June 24: Guesting on MBC Starry Night radio show.

June 27: Fansign in Gangnam, Seoul.

June 30: Guesting on KBS Cool FM Kiss The Radio radio show.

[professorspork]

i know I always say this, but, last night REALLY WAS the BUSIEST OF DAYS in the Reaper War

before I get into yesterday’s gameplay, I realized I forgot to react to the fact that Jacob got Brynn pregnant, which -- again, I suppose that wraps up everything about his backstory in a nice little bow, lad of the bad dad gets to be good dad, but like... it still gives like they gave his character incredibly short shrift. so. humbug to that.

but I have bigger fish to fry (ha ha, literally, see what I did there?) because ALL OF THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE, AND ALL OF THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. I rescued Ann Bryson, and learned that -- shocker -- she had a bad relationship with her dad. I uh may have condoned her getting a bit of a nasty nose bleed in order to track the Leviathan to Despoina, where as ever I got to read a bunch of people’s weirdly specific sad diaries. my jump into the depths was very cool and scary (does no one get the bends in the future???) and I enjoyed my The First-style body swapping conversation with the Leviathan in which I tried to prove I’m ~special and this time is ~different. on the one hand, I don’t know why I expected the origin of the Reapers to be anything other than yet another story of AI gone wrong, but this whole cinematic parallels thing is starting to edge out of “everything matches up and is of a piece” territory and into the murkier waters of “we kind of only had one idea, actually.” to reveal that the Reapers’ plan is just stray AI code to ‘preserve life’ is at once very chilling and a bit of a let down; when I think back to when I talked to Sovereign for the first time and I had my initial “GOD IS A MACHINE THAT WANTS TO KILL US” freak out, I was in fact very on board for an evil plan too broad and complex for a human mind to fathom. for it to be this feels kind of predictable and pedestrian.

that said, watching the Leviathan take down a huge-ass Reaper capital ship with its pulse signal was very satisfying.

oh no this is going to get very long, now that you’ve had this fun teaser i’m gonna put the rest under a cut

then we kicked it on over to Thessia and I highkey traumatized my girlfriend. I feel like I should have seen the reveal that the asari were more advanced because they were hoarding prothean tech coming, but I didn’t. hearing and seeing all the asari commandos helping me get wiped out was a real gut punch, but didn’t hold a candle to my frustration at the confrontation with Kai Leng. I’m not mad that the game wouldn’t let me beat him, per se (though I still think it’s ridiculous that I’ve taken down a Reaper by myself and I’m supposed to be afraid of a dude with a knife), but I am pissed that it all happened with combat cut scene magic. this game has given me difficult combat before! if, in fighting Kai Leng, I’d genuinely felt outmatched, I think I would have tolerated it better -- or if the combat had been me fighting the Harvesters and then Kai Leng sneaked around me because that’s what he does, he sneaks. but to have such a relatively easy combat sequence with him that felt very much like winning just to have it snatched away from me... maddening. WHY CAN’T I BEAT THIS ONE GUY AND HIS KNIFE? I don’t want to be all “Kai Leng is a Mary Sue” but like... he got to murder Thane and then beat me in overtime, and his entire vibe is I exist to sell action figures even though that’s not, as far as I know, any part of Mass Effect’s profit model. so it’s just frustrating. and for them to then rub salt in the wound and have him EMAIL ME to be like “lol snowflake r u triggered” was just. MY PATIENCE IS THIN, ME3. DON’T PUSH ME.

seeing Shepard have to admit to failure was a gutting scene, though, and a necessary one. and watching Liara fight with Javik was highkey satisfying, too. 

so anyway, because i was BIG MAD at Cerberus I tracked them first to that one N7 communications mission-- 

(Sample dialogue: Helen: Why aren’t you using cover? You’re going to die! Use cover! Me, jumping out of cover and rushing Cerberus goons trying to melee them to death: BECAUSE I’M MAD)

-- and then to Sanctuary, and HOO BOY WAS THAT A LOT OR WHAT. from the second I heard Oriana’s voice I had a pretty good idea of what was going on here, but seeing in in practice was still creepy af. and like. i’m just gonna go out on a limb and say INDOCTRINATION BAD. I AM NOT A FAN. shout out to that one capitalist volus on the Citadel who was like “lol sanctuary is a scam don’t waste your money” i guess

additionally, last night was significant because I picked not one but TWO ENTIRE renegade convince options, because I saw no reason to be nice to terrorist daddy the illusive man or actual terrorist daddy Mr. Lawson. after I got through all that, Helen explained to me how difficult it apparently is to keep Miranda alive by the end of that confrontation, so I got to do some WHAT LIKE IT’S HARD? preening at how Nice Sheps Finish First sometimes. 

but as usual, the real highlight is getting to know my crew better and talking with them. I finally got some prime flirting in with Liara during Leviathan. it was VERY cute when she was like “man what’s with you rescuing damsels from dig sites? if you end up teaming up with her to save the world and bring down the shadow broker i’ll be very jealous. ... and concerned” and WEIRDLY CUTER when she was like “hey the only tentacled alien who gets to mess with your brain is ME” because Liara is like 115 by now considering how slowly i’m getting through these missions and she still does not know what romance is. 

[no but seriously, Liara does not know what romance is. half the time I’m still going WE’RE STILL DATING, RIGHT? every time she refuses to talk to me. and even after Thessia, when everyone was like “go talk to Liara, she needs you” and even JAVIK of all people was like “you’re dating Liara, right? it’s so obvious” our interactions did not feel particularly... romantic? it’s a tricky needle to thread, obviously, I’m not looking for sloppy makeouts right after millions of her people died, but it still reads as very odd to me. anyway.]

Javik’s story about how he once had a ship like the Normandy and a crew of friends like mine and they all ended up indoctrinated and he had to personally slit their throats went way harder than I ever expected it to. even just the IDEA of having to do that as my Shep upsets me. i’m legit enjoying getting to know Javik, even though i’m still GuessWhoJustGotYelledAt.jpg every time I leave his room. I HAD ENOUGH OF THAT FROM KREIA, JAVIK, YOU’LL NEVER PUSH ME AWAY.

I was surprised by how hard Tali took Miranda’s successful challenge of Mr. Lawson, though in hindsight it makes sense -- with the geth war still happening on top of everything else, I don’t think Tali ever did get the chance to process her anger at her dad being a war criminal and all. and her whole “emergency induction port” bit about the straw was cute as hell tbh. her friendship with Garrus over the comms continues to give me life. 

(in other quarian news, I AM SAD ABOUT KAL’REEGER.)

and jeff. JEFF. after Thessia i literally ran to the bridge and said aloud “Jeff, make me feel better” as I clicked interact with him, and then he made that dig about asari dancers, and i was like NO NOT LIKE THAT. (I mean, what Shep literally said was “now’s not the time for jokes” which is ironic considering she, unlike me, still calls him JOKER) but then he was all DAD ANDERSON SAID I’M SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH, I’M SORRY, I’M DOING MY BEST and like. what a fucked up little family we are. he feels guilty that I died saving him, still! apparently he asks EDI about my stress levels and they are BAD and he feels BAD! im crey. OH AND ALSO THE FACT THAT PTSD ASARI LAURA BAILEY WAS TALKING ABOUT HIS FAMILY ON TIPTREE AND I CAN NEVER TELL HIM BECAUSE THE GAME DOESN’T LET ME DO THAT???? V UPSETTING.

and then of course EDI had to TRIPLE DOWN on all these feelings i was already having by telling me about human resistance and selflessness on Earth and how she wants to turn off her self-preservation code because she’s not about that. I’M SUCH A TOASTER FUCKER HALP.

Garrus being all “well sometimes your best friend gives you a pep talk” speech was cute as hell, and I was strangely charmed when Kaidan was like YOU CAN TELL I’M EXTRA MAD BECAUSE MY VOICE HAS GOTTEN SO DEEP grumbling.

next up: shore leave, and then going after Cerberus will trigger act 3! i may one day finish mass effect after all!

[darkmindsthinktwistedthoughts]

Devil’s Temptation pt18

Warning: Mob styling warlords

Masterlist

---

Chapter 18- Breadcrumbs

The luxurious boutique that Takahiro had brought her too was impressive on the outside but when you walked inside it. That was when the real wow factor hit you. This was the stuff dreams were made of for brides all over the city, it was a one-stop, shop till you drop haven for everything and anything in bridal couture. Each item was also able to be customised on site and that made this boutique unique.

A giant crystal chandelier was suspended in the epicentre of the building the natural light from the upper glass windows hit it at multiple angles and it sparkled like someone had exploded a rainbow. Rooms were open plan, the only doors were on the fitting rooms. And the whole building seemed to just expand and go on forever in every direction.

After a few hours [Name] knew that it was only an illusion. A lot of the walls in the rooms had reflective surfaces and mirrors. This did not relieve her of the feeling that she had just taken part in a marathon that she was unaware she was taking part in. Takahiro had reserved the entire boutique. All staff were in attendance but there were literally no other shoppers. The sheer cost of such a thing must have been a small fortune and that made her head spin without adding in all the dress changes and fittings with accessories being placed on and off her while she stood still to avoid being impaled with pins like a living mannequin.

The first hour had been Takahiro dragging her around all the different rooms that were clearly allocated for each part of the bridal dress experience. He did ask her what she thought of each thing but the minute she pointed to simpler designs of something more classical and not overly flashy, he gave her a look that could have curdled milk and rejected her choices. Feeling even less motivated to even look at things around her [Name] allowed herself to be dragged up to a small pedestal stand surrounded by large mirrors and had staff members strip her and change her at Takahiro’s request.

“Mr Yasui. This is the final combination you requested. Is there anything you would like to change?” A senior member of staff addressed Takahiro who had been thumbing his way through a catalogue whilst sipping champagne on a sofa. He looked over at the radiant creation that was [Name] and gave such a warm and soft smile it easily convinced the members of staff that he was a man hopelessly in love.

“No. I think she looks perfect. Thank you. Apologises for causing you trouble.”

“No trouble at all Mr Yasui. This is all part of the service, Sir.” The senior staff member gave a little bow and the other staff followed the example. While they were not looking Takahiro’s mask fell away as he saw the look on [Name]’s face.

“Might I have a few moments with my beautiful bride?”

“Of course. We shall be just outside should you need anything.” The staff all filed out of the room to leave the “happy” couple.

“I get the feeling you are in a rush.” [Name]’s barbarous tone echoed her totally pissed off expression. She had been patient, she had done as he had “ordered”. Her patience was at its limit and even if she didn’t think she could get out of this easily she wanted some answers.

“Is it a crime to want to be together as soon as possible?” Takahiro walked closer, he was smiling and the eerie thing was it felt like he was trying to cast some sort of spell as he did it. He had always used his charm to win over particularly difficult negotiations. It never failed him, yet she seemed unaffected. Still, this was all part of the game, the performance that played out till the last act brought the curtain down.

“I think that would be great… But someone already told me there would be no love in this arrangement. Just as someone had already told me it would not get this far.” [Name] got off the raised plinth she was on with a slight wince as she felt the tightness of the corset on the dress squeezed the air from her lungs.

“Oh [Name]. At times like this, you remind me of that sweet little girl that used to chase fireflies.” Takahiro placed a hand on her shoulder and looked her over from a much closer perspective. The crystals shone on her rivalling the chandelier in the building. She was a beautiful accessory in her own right and that was something he could appreciate. He encouraged her to turn and face the mirrors and look at herself. “This will be the best marriage. I will get everything I want and you… well, you will be free of that fear and have whatever you desire. Win/Win, right? Now that outfit looks perfect on you.” He pressed closer behind her, placing his hands on her hips, resting his chin on her shoulder gazing at their reflection in the mirrors.

Whatever I desire huh?

---

His head was pounding as he replaced the receiver on yet another phone call. I’m going to have to ask Ieyasu for some painkillers later. Hideyoshi had been working closely with Nobunaga fielding phone calls on top of the standard enquiries that arose from a new rumour about company information being leaked that someone had placed among the press like birdseed among pigeons. It was beyond something that the other members of staff could deal with it required the CEO and Vice President to answer the questions directly in order to squash them from an official stance. The share prices in the company must not be allowed to be affected more by such troublesome bits of gossip.

Since the system went down thanks to the cyber attack the company buildings were in a mess. They had lost one day’s business which translated into close to losing 3.5 million in profit. It was not something they wished to continue so a manual system was put in place that felt rather like being transported back in time. People were contacted via phones, staff that were not usually busy were allocated to a phone line and were manually processing orders and figures by hand onto papers that were then sent with the office gophers to the appropriate departments to be processed. It took a lot more work and a lot more time than the digital system but the point was it worked and they could still operate and trade while this cyber issue was dealt with.

“Was that the last one?” Nobunaga asked as he came back into the room.

“It seems so.” Hideyoshi answered as brightly as he could and his eyes fell on Nobunaga who was carrying two bottles of water. “Sir, if you had said I would have gone and got that for you.”

“You were busy and I was not. I am not totally incapable of doing tasks Hideyoshi.”

“No of course not. I didn’t mean to imply…”

“We found it!” Yukimura burst into the room interrupting Hideyoshi. Sasuke and Mitsunari came into the room as well.

“You ever heard of knocking?” Hideyoshi asked hiding none of his irritation. Not only was he interrupted but Yukimura acted like he was little more than a wild animal. There was no common courtesy in his actions and that lack of manners got on Hideyoshi’s nerves very quickly.

“Sorry.” Yukimura went back to the door rapping his knuckles on it “Happy now?”

“Not really no.”

“Quiet Hideyoshi let them speak.” Nobunaga would have gladly let the entertainment continue had the situation not been so important. “You said you found what you were looking for?”

“Yes, it was exactly as Sasuke had said. A small server hub had been added to the mainframe network.” Mitsunari answered first. His eyes sparkling as he looked at Kenshin’s right-hand man in admiration.

“And you managed to remove it?” Hideyoshi pressed asking the one thing that he hoped would have been the complete stop to all this.

“Well, I managed to prevent it from connecting and making any more damage. We can put the main system back online again by tomorrow. There is something encrypted on the hub, and I was concerned that if I simply removed it that encryption and any possible links to who put it there would have been lost.” Sasuke took his glasses off and began cleaning the lens on them carefully before replacing them on the bridge of his nose.

“Can you crack it?” Nobunaga understood the ramifications of what he was being told. Losing the links and evidence to the one responsible was not something he desired. He wanted hard evidence that could be used to lean on Esshu and maybe even get a bargaining chip out of it if there was enough.

“I can try but there are seem to be multiple layers to the code so there might be…” Sasuke began explaining that this seemed to be a multi-faceted issue. Just because you can get past one layer doesn’t mean that is all there is and technically it could be an infinite layered code. Sasuke could not deny the fact that he felt a little excited to be presented with a problem that was effectively the biggest electrical puzzle box he’d seen. It was going to be enjoyable to solve this.

“I didn’t ask size. I asked if you could do it.”

“I shall do my best… Sir.”

---

The unearthly grinding screeching sound of the metal buckling under the efforts of his once captive target still felt like it was travelling up his spine in an unnerving shockwave. Those two yellow eyes locked on him seemed to be alive with manic energy, and yet they never once left him.

“Well, Mr Takada… Are you ready to play a game?” That smile threatened to crack Mitsuhide’s face in two. It was like he was inhuman. His movements were fast and sure, Shin had fast reactions but even he could feel the fine hairs on the back of his skin bristle at just how close each attack came to making contact.

Finally, after what felt like hours but was probably only actually one-hour Shin managed to land his first real punch. It was quick and precise. He felt his fist pushing against the firm abdomen of Mitsuhide and curled his arm to raise it into the diaphragm. The sense of success was never allowed to be felt as in the next instance Mitsuhide wrapped his hand around the back of Shin’s head dragging him face first into a very solid knee cap. Shin felt like his head was exploding. His nose was broken the blood was pouring from it. He didn’t have time to think up ways of stopping it as he was pulled back into another hit.

The broken nose was just one more point to chalk up to Mitsuhide and his challenge. The man was a monster. This was nothing like a normal fight. Neither man had a weapon. This was one on one, pure and unadulterated bare hand combat. It was messy, it was not in any way organised and it was a million miles away from anything Shin would usually take part in. He was always cool and calculating with clinical efficiency.

The jobs he did were eloquent. Arbitration was just one part of his daily life thankfully it rarely got “messy”. But this… this was a whole different animal. The man attacking him had not just flipped the situation in his favour he was also attacking like a demon in the dark. Rather than appearing to be tiring he seemed to be energised. You’re enjoying this? Each time he made contact it was like he gained something from that and moved faster. That evil smile never left the man’s face it only seemed to get larger. Mitsuhide Akechi… I once asked who you are. I’m beginning to think I should have asked What you are instead.

Mitsuhide blocked the approaching fist with his forearm, using his other arm to push away a foot that was attempting to take advantage of his undefended flank. Gonna have to try much, much harder than that if you think that is all it takes to get me to go down Takada. Mitsuhide could feel the rapturous buzz coursing through his blood like a wildfire. It was enjoyable playing with a toy when it was all tied up but this. This was a buzz he rarely got to enjoy. He could let loose and really get the air blowing through his hair with this. 

Usually, his targets were not as well trained. Some had been but they also hadn’t had a chance to fight back by the time he caught them. This was definitely different and it was something he wanted to enjoy as long as possible. He didn’t need information from this one, not really. This was personal and he planned on making this his show stopper. Each attack that made contact on Shin felt like a release. Everything from his past, Emica... that time in the warehouse with Kennyo all that stuff with over the years he had suppressed. It was like the dam had finally broken, the float gates could not hold this back.

“You really are one like me aren’t you Akechi?” Shin was out of breath as he tried to speak, spluttering blood. By now Mitsuhide had calculated that the man had a probable three ribs broken, his nose was certainly broken along with maybe the cheekbone on the left side. The fact he was still able to remain standing was a testament to the other man’s endurance and training. Mitsuhide liked that. It meant he could still push him and he wouldn’t break until Mitsuhide made him.

“Assumptions are dangerous. I am not like you…” Mitsuhide pounced like a coiled spring and managed to get such a good grip he brought Shin down hard into the floor of the factory. “I’m better.”

---

[randombtsprincessa]

Absinthe || 6

Author: Randombtsprincessa

Characters: Jung Hoseok x Reader

Chapters:  01  02  03  04  05

Warning: Explicit Smut Scene Ahead!

If there was one thing that Hoseok was, it was persistent. The date after the ice rink was spent in lavishly courting me. He took me on a small picnic near the hillside, took me on a library date, and to a small Chinese restaurant where we spent the time trading stories.

It was a fortnight later that he brought me to his and Yoongi’s shared apartment. It was stark, almost cold. The only sign of warmth was in the kitchen. We sat on his couch eating ice cream and watching movies as he began to ask me more of my private life. It almost felt like an interrogation.

“What about you?” I asked finally.

“What about me?” he asked.

“Tell me about your life. We only ever talk about me. What about your parents?” I asked.

There was a pause as Hoseok stared at the screen. The atmosphere tensed as I watched his gaze sharpen and his jaw clench.

“My parents are dead, Y/N.” he spat out finally.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t kill them.” He said.

“I can still convey a sentiment.”

He let out a scoff and I turned to him in alarm as he straightened up. “You wouldn’t need to if you hadn’t asked.” He turned to look at me. “Don’t ask about my life, Y/N. I don’t like talking about myself for a reason.” His eyes were cold as they bored in mine.

For a moment, I was back in my class, the first time I’d seen him playing back…his aura was dangerous, hiding secrets and dripping with mystery.

“Ok,” I said softly, looking back at the movie, wrapping my fingers around each other.

His eyes softened and he wrapped an arm around me again. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just…I’ve done a few things to survive that are not something you’d…understand. Please, let’s just leave it at that.”

I nodded and from then on, every topic of conversation was me and I never dared breach my boyfriend’s boundary again.

Her lips tasted of her usual vanilla chap stick as his lips wrapped warmly around them. Her hands buried in his hair, he himself tangled his own fingers in the long strands of her mane.

Just as he felt her tongue brush against his top lips, a small pang went through his chest.

It felt uncomfortably like guilt so he backed away, putting on a mischievous smile on his face as he watched her huff. “What, did you want more, Princess?” he asked but she smirked right back.

“Oh, we wouldn’t want you getting uncomfortable, would we?” she asked.

Hoseok laughed, trying to hide the strain in his vocals as she bid him goodbye, shutting his car door gently behind her as she slipped inside her house.

With a whirr of smooth wheels, he quickly pulled out of her mansion gates. He always tried to not linger, not to show his face too much in case one of them caught him about. It wouldn’t end well for him.

He sighed as he glanced at his rearview mirror, watching the Y/L/N estate grow smaller.

His mind drifted to the dossier he’d been allotted on both her and her father, wondering if his added notes could be cause for concern.

They were both loving people. It was clear that Mr. Y/L/N loved his daughter very much, having gone to so much trouble to protect her from people who would take advantage of her. People exactly like him.

Thing was, there was no one like him. He operated silently and even if people saw his face they would never put him up to what happened to them later. He was always given a while to disappear before the Master brought about his real goal.

This was the only mission he was running where he had more of a risk of recognition but till now he had not seen them about again and he was glad about it. Not only would the mission be in trouble so would Y/N.

When he entered their shared apartment, Hoseok knew Yoongi was lying in wait. He sighed, switching on the lights, illuminating a cold gazed Yoongi on the armchair, legs and arms crossed.

“Yeah Yoongi, you totally pull off the Godfather look. Very suave and creepy,” he commented drily, kicking off his shoes and dropping in the opposite chair.

He didn’t answer, which was cause enough for concern.

“We have another appraisal tomorrow. With the clients,” Yoongi said before getting up and leaving for his bedroom, leaving Hoseok to grind his teeth in worry and anger.

This was not going to go well.

Hoseok drummed his fingers on the polished wood impatiently, his fingernails tapping out an erratic rhythm that he knew was irritating Yoongi but at that moment he just didn’t care.

He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to be sitting in the darkened conference room with his partner next to him, in a suit that cost more than the damn table he was sitting at.

He wasn’t surprised at that particular thought. He hated appraisals and this was one more than he had ever attended in his entire career.

What he was surprised at was the fact that he would rather be with the one person who was the source of this misery. He would rather be watching a movie with her or maybe have an ice cream sitting at the park.

His fingers stuttered in his pursuit of mindless tandem.

That was exactly when the door flung open and a bunch of men walked in, each looking disgruntled. Hoseok and Yoongi exchanged a glance, finally standing up with the entrance of their boss.

The Master was in a similar suit as Yoongi and Hoseok, waving a hand to indicate for them to take their seats. He didn’t seem concerned much about this appraisal. Maybe because Hoseok had already weaved his way into Y/N’s life. He was just waiting for him to finish his job now.

“So,” he began first and the first man to Hoseok’s right burst out.

“It’s been months! We’re losing too much money!” He spluttered.

The Master raised an eyebrow. “I see; well, you have already fulfilled your side of the payment so I have no problems. After that, the fact that your business is losing profits is no concern of mine. You need signatures from Y/N Y/L/N and that is all I am to give you.” He said.

“Where are those signatures though? Your best man here is riding about as that silver spoon’s boy toy and we’re the ones suffering!”

Hoseok turned his head to the right, fixing the stout man with an unnerving glare. The man met his gaze, his cheeks flushing at the obvious displeasure in Hoseok’s eyes and looked away.

“That’s what he does and Hoseok’s work has a hundred percent success rating, unlike your down trodden and backward business. Since you’re our clients, we’ll be polite but if you insult my employees and our methods again,”

He didn’t have to complete the threat.

The clients stood up one by one. “If we don’t have results by the end of this week,” one of them said slowly, trailing off as he looked at his co conspirators.

“I will be happy to let you go.” The Master smiled pleasantly.

“With full refund,” the first man said.

“Which is definitely not possible,” The Master said.

There were protests immediately as the boss leaned back in his plush leather chair. “The money has already been invested; if you would like to take it up with law, I will be happy to provide a statement that you came to a law abiding establishment with plans to kidnap the daughter of the man who pays most of their salaries.”

The protests died down as the clients reluctantly filed out.

After the conference room emptied, the smile faded off the Master’s face.

“Hoseok, you should go tend to Miss Y/L/N,” he said, his voice leaving no room for argument. Even as Hoseok rushed out, the Master reached out and gripped Yoongi’s wrist as he made to follow his friend.

“Sit; I want to have a word.”

“Let’s play something,” I suggested bored finally, dropping my pen on my book. I spun in my chair to look at Hoseok who was lounging in his bed with no care, watching the small flat screen mounted on his wall. He glanced at me once before diverting his attention back to the screen.

“Don’t you have studying to do?”

“I’ll be leaving in a few days anyway, besides I’m sure I won’t need,” I turned to read the title of the book, “Etiquette and Concierge Management in this life time. I already got through all that in France.” I slammed the book shut, smiling as I clambered onto the bed.

His position didn’t change, one arm curled under his head with legs bent, one leg tapping out a beat as he watched the news.

“What’s so interesting about that channel?” I asked.

He shrugged, “It’s nice to stay in the loop.”

“Hoseok, please,” I whined.

He sighed in annoyance, sitting up and turning the volume down on the news channel.

“Why do you want to play something? Can’t we watch a movie?” he asked.

I bit my lip. “That’s all we do, Hoseok. I want to do something different.”

He stared at me for a bit before sighing again, this time one of resignation. “What do you want to play?”

“Truth or Dare,”

His eyes lit up with confusion. “Truth or Dare…?” he asked again, making sure he heard me right. I nodded and he groaned and dropped his head. “What are you, seven?”

I just giggled at his worn out expression. To be honest, I was only playing the game hoping he’d pick truth and I would get to quiz in – discreetly of course – on his life.

“Fine, you go first.”

“Hang on; we need rules, don’t we?” I asked.

He raised his head slowly to look at me, a smirk breaking out on his gorgeous face. “Rules…? Oh baby, what fun is a game if there are rules involved?”

I shrugged. “Ok, truth,”

“Have you ever thought about the first time we kissed?”

I paused, looking at him with a frown. “Um…why would I?”

“So, you’ve never thought about it? It wasn’t worthy to be thought about, was it?” his voice dipped.

“That…that’s not what I meant, I mean. I just had a lot of things on my plate.”

“Hmm,” he reached up to place his thumb along his lower lip, attracting my eyes to it. “Would you like to brush up your memory?”

“That’s more than one question. It’s my turn.” I said quickly.

He swept his hand in a ‘go on’ gesture. “I pick Dare,”

Damn it.

“Um, dance with no music on,” I said, eager to get him to move through his dare so he could pick truth next time.

His face fell but he stood up obediently, seeming as eager to get it over with. He bopped his head, swaying his body to the left then right, snapping his fingers before doing a spin and flopping back down. “Your turn,”

“Truth,”

Hoseok pouted. “Come on, you’re boring me with this game,” he chastised and I rolled my eyes.

“Fine; Dare.”

“Kiss me,”

I pursed my lips, leaning forward to give him a peck on the cheek but at the last moment he turned his head, letting our lips crash together.

It was less messy than our first kiss, lips moving almost synchronized as he raised his hand to cup my face, bringing me in closer to him.

I moved away from him, watching his eyes flutter open; his pupils dilated and playful.

“I have a better game for us to play.” He said.

“What would that be?”

He smirked, “Too hot,”

I backed away, my turn to raise my eyebrows. “Are you serious? What are you, fifteen?” I asked, mocking him in the same tone.

“Come on,” his voice dropped seductively. “Let’s see how resistible you find me, shall we Princess?”

I huffed, reaching out to pull him in by the collar.

He reciprocated the action enthusiastically, grinning against my lips, even chuckling as I delved into his laughing mouth, making sure to keep my hands off of his skin as he placed his own firmly on the mattress to keep his off mine.

Soon the light din of the new channel faded into silence as the sounds of slight intakes of breath, soft pants and lips smacking against lips filled the room.

He broke away suddenly, his eyes smoldering as he looked at me, almost warring with some thought. “Fuck it,” he said finally before reaching out and grabbing my shoulders and smashing our lips together again, a deep grunt falling from his lips as he nibbled harshly on my bottom lip.

“Wait, wait,” I said backing away from him. “What about Yoongi?”

“He’s out, won’t be back till tomorrow,” Hoseok said, lunging forward to capture my lips as his hands slipped in slowly under my shirt, his fingers licking up my skin, barely touching, the feather light pressure of his cool pads against my increasingly heating skin raising goose bumps in its wake.

I shivered as he finally reached the back of bra before he pulled away to pull his own shirt off.

I sucked in a breath as my eyes trailed down the smooth, toned torso. He smiled at my stare, grabbing my hand and placing it on his sternum, just under this throat before dropping his hand, encouraging me to move with his eyes.

Slowly, licking my lips, I trailed my hand down the centre of his chest, the tips of my fingernails gently raking at the flicker of happy trail leading into his tight black jeans which showcased his long legs.

He jumped at the sensation, eyes rising to look at me with hot desire. His hair was ruffled, falling and darkening his eyes as his nostrils flared. His hands were soon on my own chest, unbuttoning the crimson blouse with hasty and nimble fingers.

He pushed the two free flaps of fabric aside, his body already reaching up on his knees to tower over me, devouring me with his eyes.

“Damn,” he said, his index finger running against the strap of my bra before sliding and flicking it off my shoulder before his mouth clamped down on the delicate skin. My back arched into his warmth as his teeth gently sunk in while his tongue laved over the sting, leaving a wet trail right up to the edge of my ear.

His hand moved the other strap down roughly, making the cup slide down from one breast just until the nipple was barely visible. He let go of my neck with a last suck, looking down at the almost exposed mound before looking into my eyes. Slowly, very slowly, he bent down, neck craning as his warm tongue swiped against the skin, before his two fingers hooked into the front clasp of the expensive bra, unsnapping it with ease.

His nose nudged down to the hardened nipple and his mouth engulfed it, sucking long and hard on it. I keened, a loud moan erupting from my throat as his other hand came up to my other breast, his thumb pressing into the bud, rotating the digit, small pricks of tantalizing pleasure running to the centre of my body.

He was leaning over me, pressing his weight into me and my hands reached out desperately to get some traction and my fingers hooked into his waistband, nails digging in just around his hip bones.

He grunted again, the suction on my breast vanishing as he looked down at my hands.

He looked up at me with an inflamed expression on his flushed face as he reached down and undid his belt, the dull clang of the buckle unhooking making heat pool slowly down my stomach and abdomen.

He unbuttoned and unzipped his pants just enough for the band of the Balenciaga brief to peek through. “Go ahead, baby, easy access,” he smiled as he returned his lips to mine as I hooked my fingers into his underwear, pulling it away from his skin before letting it snap back against the sensitive skin around his pelvis.

“Fuck,” he growled, breaking away and pushing the shirt and bra off my body as his arm hooked around my waist, pulling my lower half closer to his as laid me down on the bed.

As I stared up at him, I smiled slowly, watching lust pool into the darkness of his eyes as he glanced down at my fingers still on his waist.

“So, are you going to undress me or what?” he asked.

I blinked at how suddenly he was foregoing his dominance and I smirked, more than willing to pick up the gauntlet.

I pushed him to sit up before yanking down the skinny jeans he was wearing. He kicked it off all the way off the bed before he reached for mine. I swatted his hands off, taking the jeans off on my own.

“You wanted me to undress us, didn’t you?” I cooed, rolling over so that Hoseok was on his back, looking up at me with a hint of amazement as his lips quirked with amusement.

I slowly let my weight press just shy of his growing bulge, the silk cotton cool around my thighs as I grinded at an excruciating pace, torturing both him and me.

“Goddamn it, Y/N. Sit on it,” he ordered, hands curving around the edge of my ass, trying to physically pull me onto his clothed cock.

“You wish,” I giggled before running the nail of my index fingers right into the boxer, teasing the skin just at the beginning of his member. “Jesus,” his head buried right into the pillows as he felt the wetness seep from me onto his leg.

“Want me to ride you?” I asked mirroring his smirk as his eyes hardened just slightly.

“How about you sit on my face first?”

I paused just a second before starting the roll of my hips again. He was just trying to get back control and while I desperately wanted to give it to him, I knew he wouldn’t let me live it down for a long time.

“You…fucking…wish,” I growled back, pulling the boxers down to his thighs, trapping them as I sat on his shins, grinning up at him. “Y/N,” he said in warning but I ignored the warning as I captured just the tip in my mouth, sucking on it with the same hard drags that he had employed on my nipple.

His back arched as I let it pop back out and nibbled down the length with my lips sheathing my teeth, playing with the skin near his balls. “I see France agreed with you,” he let out a breathy laugh, rubbing his hands down his face before hiking himself up on his elbow while his free hand went to my hair, stroking it back.

“Look at me,” he said, his voice low and husky and I shot him a smug look, making a show of slurping around the member, making it push against my cheek and he groaned deep in his throat. I moaned right back, creating vibrations around his length while using my nails to draw patterns around the flushed delicate skin.

“Do it again,” he growled and I giggled, pulling away from his cock to give him a coy look while innocently scratching a trail down his hips.

“Shit,”

“Do you have a condom?” I asked. His eyes flew up to me, a wildness growing in them. “I’m clean. What about you?” he asked, his voice laced with frustration.

“I got a shot just last week, should be good for three more months,” I said.

Without another word, his hand was wrapped around the back of my neck, pulling me up to kiss him, his tongue delving against mine to taste himself. I finally sat on his cock resting rigid on his stomach, rolling my hips to coat him with my slick and he maneuvered himself straight as I sunk down on it.

Hoseok let his head fall back as his girth went deeper into me and with a downward thrust he nestled inside me to the hilt.

“Fuck,” we both muttered then laughed as his head dropped back, lips raw from biting it, a feverish look on his face.

“Move, Y/N,” he said and I began to grind down at the same slow pace as before but he let out a complaining moan at that, moving his own hips to rush at me.

“Shh,” I pressed down against his chest, increasing my pace till my eyes closed at the burning heat setting aflame in my lower stomach, pulsing and tightening, just waiting to burst at the seams.

“Yes, yes, Princess, you feel so good,” he whispered as he gripped onto my waist, fingers digging into the skin, surely leaving bruises as he bounced me faster on himself.

Sweat dripped down his forehead, our chests shining with the thin sheen as he brought one hand to rake his trimmed nails into the valley between my breasts.

“Play with them,” he said, his eyes fixed on them and I teasing pressed them closer and he let out a low whimper, before he sat up and pushed me back flat on the mattress.

He threw my legs over his shoulders before ramming harder into me, setting a bruising pace. He reached down, his thumb pressing onto my engorged clit as his eyes fixed on mine, watching me climb up to my high.

“Come for me, Princess. Let go,” he panted and I dug my nails into his forearms, cries of his name spilling out as his own eyes closed, muttered praises worded as he chased his own high.

His mouth fell open, before he was pulling out, hand wrapping around his base to jerk himself hard and fast. His eyebrows were scrunched; breaths coming out in harsh pants before with a deep resonating groan erupted from deep within his chest.

His head thrown back his expression cleared out as his hot seed spilled over my core.

His hand shot out to catch his weight as he looked into my eyes, something playing behind his eyes as he leaned in and very gently placed a kiss on my forehead.

Yoongi watched with narrowed eyes as his best friend and partner leaned forward, one hand braced on a locker as he captured Y/L/N’s lips in a kiss, watching her reciprocate with a heady sigh.

His eyes widened.

He might not be a field worker per say but he was so familiar with Hoseok’s work by now that he could recognize his tells from miles and this one particular tell was the easiest to differentiate.

He’s done it. He’d slept with her, taken the relationship to the next level, and established a form of bond that women so easily believed to be one of commitment. He was so close to his goal.

Something was off though…

Maybe it was the way he didn’t pull away from the kiss quickly…teasing and leaving the victim wanting more. No, he pressed in, before finally breaking away, his eyes soft and a gentle smile of his mouth.

Yoongi’s eyes narrowed again as he marched forward, latching onto Hoseok’s arm harshly.

Y/N and he both jolted, looking at him with wide, surprised eyes before he gritted out, “I need to talk to him,” and dragged him away with him.

“What the hell, Yoongi?” Hoseok grumbled when they were near the student lounge.

“Do you have feelings for Y/N Y/L/N?” he asked bluntly.

Hoseok paused before raising his eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t act dumb with me, Hobi. Do you fucking like her or not?”

There was a pause in which Hoseok glared balefully at his handler. “What will you do if I say no?”

Yoongi shrugged. “Obviously, let you get on with your work.”

“And if I say yes…?”

“Follow protocol,”

“You mean you’re going to get me off the case and get someone else? No way in hell,” Hoseok crossed his arms.

Yoongi pursed his lips, “So, what’s the answer?”

“I don’t like her, which is exactly why I will not let you get one of the others anywhere near her.”

Yoongi sighed, pinching his nose bridge, “Hobi, be practical; I can tell you like her, you’re compromised. If the Master finds out,”

“He won’t because there’s nothing to find.”

“I’m on your side, buddy. You get yourself the girl but the clients…”

“The clients can leave as they please. They want her signature. I will get them her damn signature. They will get a share in her company and they will kiss our ass but no way am I letting someone like Wang get anywhere near her. I’m fine Yoongi. Someone like Y/N Y/L/N isn’t going to get me to settle, no matter how good a lay she is.”

With that he spun on his heel and strutted off.

Even as Yoongi hurried to keep up with his long legged stride, two boys stared at each other just around the hallway bend, stunned into silence.

“What the fuck?” Jungkook cursed.

Taehyung shook his head, too shocked to even say anything.

They looked down at their shoes before looking back at each other before nodding solemnly.

Y/N needed to know.

[taeulips]

collide

THE WORLD WE KNOW IT IS FULL OF PAIN AND LIES. In the movies, it's so simple to tell the bad guys from the good guys. But, in reality, the bad guys don't always wear black and the good guys don't come riding on the back of a horse with a white cape. Sometimes the bad guys wear expensive suits and Rolex. They can even be the person in which you poured all your trust into. They can be the ones you'd never expect. Yet, even the good guys can be twisted, and the bad guys can have soft spots. The world isn't as black and white as we think. It's painted in the most complex facade that even the world itself doesn't know what it has become. When Noh Minah gets deployed in her hometown, things take all kinds of twists and turns and she's put on a bumpy roller-coaster. With a recent death, and old friends paying a visit, Minah will have to fight her way out as the black and white world finally collides into vision.

❝You spend your whole life saving other people and trying to save the world, yet you don't stop to think about yourself. Then when it comes around to it who's going to be there to save you when you can't save yourself? ❞

pairing: childhood friend! jungkook 

genre: uh childhood best friend/bts in a gang AU 

warnings:  Strong Language, Alcohol Abuse, Drug Abuse, Emotional Abuse, PTSD, Graphic Violence, Graphic Sexuality.

cast

CHAPTERS: 01, idk how many yet

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

Jeon Jungkook. Troublemaker. Two words should be enough to describe the twenty-two-year-old man.

If the trouble didn't find him first, Jungkook would sure as hell go and find it himself. Yet, even if he was the epitome of trouble, he had his ways of never getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

But, that should be expected from the youngest CEO in the history of Seoul South Korea that hid being an undercover gang member so well.

B.T.S. Enterprises was their pride and joy.

The company is a technology company that develops and manufactures advanced weapon and defense technologies. Which was also what their gang would trade and sell. With such advanced technology weapons, B.T.S. Enterprises were profiting. And, getting caught was the least of their worries thanks to Kim Seokjin.

In a lot of ways, Jungkook was even thankful BigHit turned them down. Because of that, it led him down this path of gold and riches.

Adding to his luck, BigHit even helped him meet the six other boys who he'd come to know as his brothers. When all the rest of the five boys weren't doing so well financially either, the seven of them devised a plan. Jin, who was the son of a successful CEO agreed to help them build their own company, that they'd fund. The only catch was they need to rack up on money to help build this company. Everything had fallen into place for them. Once they got their company started they took no hesitation to vote Kim Namjoon as their chairmen while the rest of them settled for being CEOs.

So, because of Jin BTS got to play "Batman"; Rich CEO's to the public, and undercover most wanted gang at night.

B.T.S. gave Jungkook power, authority and most importantly he had money. Jeon even had everything money couldn't buy- strength, stamina, agility, lots of plan B's, and of course, he had luck.

He and the rest of the boys had sold drugs on the street for years to help build up B.T.S Enterprises. Now, the small sweet boy next door disappeared, he exchanged him for a dangerous good-looking man.

"Master Jeon," Their male secretary, Lee, interrupted Jungkook as he sat lounging on their Sky House's couch, staring off into his thoughts. Still dazed in a trance of his glory days Jungkook hummed in response. "Detective Won is here to see you, young master."

Jungkook finally popped out of his daze. Clearing his throat, he nodded, "No one saw him come in, correct?"

"Yes sir, I made of sure of it. He's waiting in your office." He nodded, "Good man. That'll be all Lee-"

Before Jungkook could rush off Lee stopped him, "Sir, I also came because Master Namjoon has already started a meeting and sent me to inform you. So, I'd advise you to make it quick, the meeting sounded urgent." Jungkook nodded before dashing towards his office.

...

The six founders of B.T.S. Enterprises sat in their conference room, in distress. "They stole some of our weapons?" Taehyung was in disbelief. The leader of them all, Kim Namjoon sighed as he unbuttoned his suit coat.

"Someone stole from us?" Jungkook was confused as he walked into the conference room while stuffing the documents Detective Won had given him into his coat. Namjoon nodded "Don't worry I already have a plan-"

Yoongi opened the office door. No one dared to miss the flashing anger in his eyes.

"What's up Yoongi? Is there another problem..." Namjoon trailed off already feeling flustered, but he made sure to mask his anxiety of their situation.

"No, I have good news," The anger in his eyes was replaced with a mischievous glint paired perfectly with a side smirk. Namjoon eyed him suspiciously and sighed, "Tell us."

"I tracked down those aśsholes that stole from us."

All six of the boys shot their heads towards the one CEO founder who was nowhere to be found earlier, which they now knew why he'd been absent.

The group of boys flashed a satisfied smile to Yoongi.

"Okay, then Jin and Taehyung will stay here, and the rest of us will go get back what we own," Namjoon ordered. Jin sighed in content, "Sounds good you already know I'm not too much a fan of handling our gang affairs... I just got named 'worldwide handsome CEO' I can't risk anything happening to my face!"

The group rolled their eyes, but they know their oldest Hyung meant well. "Aish, my father just messaged me, I need to run over to his company," Jin was already gathering his laptop into his suitcase before quickly buttoning his blouse.

"Lee, go ahead and bring our car around. This is going to be the plan since they're an amateur gang we should give them a good warning." Lee nodded, "I'll call you when the car is ready."

Jungkook couldn't hide his victorious grin. He was surprised to find out that the rival gang wasn't as advanced as he had thought.

"Let's go and celebrate afterward," Jungkook suggested. Before Jin walked out of their meeting office, he nodded, "Sure I'll meet you guys there. Try not to get hurt!" Then he finally walked out the door with Lee.

Jeon Jungkook was lucky to have good relations with police and politicians which is why they never worried about those type of things. He had people everywhere which were even more in their favor. Jungkook helped a bunch of people and as an exchange, he sometimes also asked a favor of them anytime the gang would need something. That was what he had brought to the table because he had a role to play just like the rest of the six boys did. It was also going to be a big help tonight as well. "Jungkook, make sure you've got us covered with the police," Namjoon ordered as he listed off everyone's jobs for their small mission. "Already on it," He nodded already messaging his police buddies. He had never considered prison being in the cards for them.

"Dress however you guys wish, just remember to wear your masks, gloves, and bulletproof vests."

"Yoongi, you'll play bad cop, while I question them. So, get whatever weapons necessary." Yoongi gave a nod to Namjoon before walking out. "Jimin call your spies and see where this amateur gang's location is. You and Jungkook will also take out the guys in the entrance, so prepare yourselves for that."

Jungkook finished messaging the police and they gave the all clear. Both him and Jimin stood and gave a curt bow, "Yes sir!"

"Hoseok you'll be on sniper watch so, you might want to choose dark clothing, while Taehyung you'll be our eyes and ears from home since all your best technology equipment is here."

They both copied the exact same gestures as Jungkook and Jimin did. "Alright, the rest of you guys go ahead and set up or do whatever you need to prepare. And we're not stopping again for a restroom," Namjoon gave a pointed look toward Hoseok who immediately whistled innocently, "So take care of that now as well."

...

Jungkook and the rest of the five men went out to a strip bar for their celebration, the location was, of course, Namjoon's idea who even rented out the place for the night. Jeon's eyes were distant as usual, as he and Jimin sat down on the front couch. Jimin noticed this and nudged his friend.

"Lighten up Jungkook, having a little... fun, wouldn't hurt you," Jimin said as he was amazed by the women dancing provocatively. Everyone had called Jungkook a playboy, but contrary to that popular belief he wasn't. Jeon Jungkook wasn't terrified of women either though, he was just more focused on his work more than anything.

Every now and then he'd get a girlfriend, but lately, Jungkook made the company and undercover gang his top priority. Besides he knew all too well that his job and lifestyle was far too dangerous for a healthy relationship, that's why he preferred to just be alone.

Namjoon sat down on the other side of Jungkook, leaving Yoongi and Taehyung to play a game of pool themselves. "Jimin's right Kookie, just go have a little fun!" It was obvious he was drunk.

Namjoon couldn't hold his liquor well so after a couple of drinks he'd be doing lots of aegyo and then out the next minute. But he deserved to get loose since Namjoon was the leader who always did above and beyond.

"Is Jin Hyung on his way?" Jungkook tried to change the subject.

Jimin laughed, while Namjoon waved him off.

"He's taking over his father's company pretty soon, so he had to deal with some things," Namjoon slurred. The three boys face twisted as Hoseok got on the stage and began dancing to girl group songs with the strippers.

Yoongi scoffed, but couldn't hide his small smile, "He's drunk again." Taehyung who like Jungkook wasn't drinking laughed his aśs off as if he were drunk.

Yoongi began to try to get Hoseok off the stage, which had become his designated job.

Jungkook had recorded the whole fiasco, while the rest of the boys gathered around the front row seat laughing at the scene before them.

A good ten minutes had passed, and they were all recovering from Hoseok's little show he put on in his drunken state.

Jungkook looked down at his golden watch to see he was about to be late. He stood and buttoned his jacket suite, without realizing he still had his phone on the seat next to Jimin.

"Yah! Where are you going I just got here?" Jin asked as he walked into the strip club. "Wait, Namjoon why'd you even suggest a place like this!? There are dongsaengs here!" Jin did a double take.

Namjoon gulped, while Jungkook laughed as he walked out.

...

As Jungkook walked down the streets he couldn't help but get lost in thought. He felt commitment wasn't his style but sometimes he couldn't help but imagine himself as someone who had everything - a loving wife, children, and a happy home.

"You know, it's dangerous," Jimin told him in disbelief cutting Jungkook's thoughts off.

For the past couple of minutes, Jimin had followed Jungkook out since the dongsaeng had left his phone behind. "Oh, Hyung I didn't notice you. Besides I wanted to take a walk," Jungkook knew the exact reason he was walking instead of driving today.

Jimin caught up to him and passed him the phone. Jungkook thanked him with a nod.

"Why?" Jimin asked, earning a smile from the Dongsaeng.

"I've got a reunion to attend."

...

Noh Minah was walking home from her small internship at the doctor's office. She had just got back from her time in the military and was enjoying her freedom or at least her year of it until she had to return back to be stationed elsewhere.

As Minah hummed happily home swinging a bag of corner store snacks, she heard steps following her.

She shook it off, after all, she knew it may be her paranoia. Minah was walking on a Main Street people were bound to be walking even at this time at night.

Then a man jumped in front of Minah and causing her to automatically swing her free fist forward as hard as she could. The thug looking guy didn't seem to like the fact he now had a bloody nose.

None of his two buddies seemed to like that either.

Minah found herself trapped between two dangerously looking men, and even though she's encountered many situations like this in the military she felt herself tremble from adrenaline.

Minah's shaky hands quickly reached into her small purse and pull out her trusty pepper spray. Without warning, she screamed and sprayed the attackers then proceeded to kick them so hard they may have not been able to produce children after that.

The dark-haired woman turned around to see someone finish off the guy who was about to catch her off while she attempted to run away.

The two guys who she had pepper sprayed scattered out of the alleyway they cornered her into.

A hand touched her shoulder which triggered Minah causing her to almost pepper spray him as well if he hadn't moved her arm in time.

She watched as the pepper spray just barely dodged the man holding her arm away and instead spray the side of the building behind him.

"Easy there..." Jimin said walking up cautiously toward Minah, and put the pieces together of Jungkook's "reunion" he talked about.

"What the hell let go of me!" Minah immediately began to panic.

"To think you'd remember me," Jungkook down at her and smiled. Minah squinted her eyes and gave a confused expression.

Jungkook let go of her wrist and stepped out of the dimly lit alleyway under a street lamp.

"Jeon Jungkook?"

[sportsnewsss]

Top 10 Highest Earners in the MLS 2020 Season

MLS has been a retirement base for a portion of the world's most capable footballers in the past few years. Andrea Pirlo, Kaka, and  David Beckham are only a couple of prominent stars to have spent their last years of career after a famous football career in Europe. At the point when such players despite everything keep on rushing to the division, the MLS is likewise turning into a sought-after place for soccer players in their prime, especially footballers from South America. Including an ever-developing number of native gifted players and it implies the division is gradually starting to set up itself as a rising power in world football. in any case, as it developed the costs are the case and specifically, the salaries of its footballers. As Zlatan Ibrahimovic has left MLS, the 2020 season despite everything looks an energizing prospect. Lots of new sides and players have entered, all set to win the title immediately. Maybe the most interesting new player is Javier Hernandez, otherwise known as 'Chicharito'. While beginners in MLS Nashville SC and Inter Miami would like to demonstrate their value immediately. Everyone's considering will be on the latter particularly, as David Beckham's side. In spite of the fact that his side has bought no famous names. Matias Pellegrini and Rodolfo Pizarro will be of great help to the team. MLS turning out to be a fascination for LA Liga, Premier League, and Serie A top soccer players. In 2020, Javier Hernández and Michael Bradley presently lead the most generously compensated Major League soccer players list. The MLS has a wage regulation which allows each side to spend close to $4.035 million on its salary bill for the campaign, anyway since 2007 and the presentation of the Beckham Rule, each side is permitted 3 players to whom the limitation doesn't have any significant bearing. Since the standard's beginning, there have been 144 players in the league, 65 of whom play in the division right now. Here’s a look at the top 10 highest earners in MLS this campaign. - 1-Javier Hernandez - LA Galaxy ($7.2 million per year) :

Hernandez is a Mexican expert soccer player who plays as a striker for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy and the Mexico national side. He left West Ham football club to join LA Galaxy. An amazing goalscorer, Hernández has been portrayed as a "goal poacher", because of some of his goals being netted from the box. His run off the ball, pace, and capacity to discover space inside the box has additionally been admired. He joined LA Galaxy on 3 years contract and turned into the most generously compensated player in MLS $7.2 million ensured wage as announced by football sources. Weight will be tremendous on Chicharito's shoulders as he offers to do the unimaginable undertaking of filling Zlatan's boots. In spite of the fact that the Mexican striker is no amateur to such responsibility, having played for a portion of Europe's greatest sides. He earned two PL titles with Red Devils and delighted in progress at Santiago Bernabeu.

2-Michael Bradley - Toronto FC ($6.5 million per year):

Michael Sheehan Bradley who was brought into the world on July 31, 1987, is an American expert soccer player for Toronto FC. He has joined the Toronto FC in the year 2014 in the wake of leaving AS Roma. Since then he is playing for the Toronto FC and his agreement with the club worth of million dollars. He showed up 163 times for the team and scored 11 goals in the games. Bradley's wage detailed up to $6.5 million in the year 2019. As of late, he signed another agreement with the club. Toronto FC skipper has played in the top divisions of Netherlands, England, Germany, Italy, which means he is one of the most seasoned footballers in the MLS. A clever and genuinely forcing right-footed soccer player, Bradley is fit for assuming the responsibility in numerous midfield positions and has been featured in the center, as a holding player, box-to-box midfielder, even in flanks as well as a profound playmaker. He came back to the division where he started in 2014 and assisted Toronto to lift the MLS Cup three years later. He's additionally been an MLS top player in 3 of the 5 full campaigns he's been with the club. The skipper was vital in their late-season to ascend to complete season fourth in the Eastern Conference. In spite of the fact that the club may profit by having a revived Bradley for the end of the season games. They ordinarily progress admirably, having arrived at the MLS Cup last 3 times in the last 4 campaigns.

3-Jozy Altidore — Toronto FC ($6.33 million per year):

Josmer Volmy "Jozy" Altidore born on November 6, 1989, is an American expert soccer player who plays as a striker for Toronto FC and the United States national side. Jozy Altidore is the third most generously compensated MLS player. He is right now holding an agreement with Toronto FC. He has scored 56 goals in all tournaments in 110 games for Toronto FC. His yearly pay detailed $6.33 million which incorporates reward and prize share. With Sunderland AFC in his last full campaign in the Premier League, Jozy Altidore netted only two goals in 39 appearances. That performance in 2015 earned him a single direction ticket out of Premier League and back to the MLS with Toronto FC, where he's found himself once more, scoring 72 goals and 24 assists in 139 matches. A fast and truly ground-breaking forward, because of his pace, finishing, and work-rate Altidore is fit both for scoring goals and connecting with his teammates. His physic, quality, and skills are noticeable in the air likewise empower him to hold up the ball with his back to the net and go about as a strider, he is additionally equipped for playing on the wing, or as a second striker. Following 7 years of European career, Altidore came back to the MLS and immediately regrouped. In any case, Injuries constrained his game time in the last two campaigns. Should he stay fit for 2020, be that as it may, there is no explanation Altidore can't assist Toronto with earning their title in the wake of three years.

4- Alejandro Pozuelo — Toronto FC ($3.8 million per year)

in March 2019, Alejandro Pozuelo had a difficult job as a successor for Sebastian Giovinco when he left Belgian side Genk to join Toronto FC. Up until now, he's done an entirely great job, scoring 12 goals in only 22 matches as an attacking midfielder. The previous Real Betis player delighted in a strong first season in Canada and will seek after business as usual in 2020. Pozuelo's inventiveness and work-rate and qualities made him an important figure from Toronto's side. He could establish the pace during his matches and even scored 12 league goals. Furthermore, subsequent to losing the MLS playoff to Seattle Sounders a year ago, Pozuelo intends to go one better this time.

5- Carlos Vela — Los Angeles FC ($4.5 million per year)

Carlos Alberto Vela Garrido brought into the world 1 March 1989 is a Mexican expert soccer player who plays as a winger for Los Angeles FC and the Mexico national side as a skipper. Vela is was the MLS' top scorer last campaign having netted a noteworthy 34 goals. He's additionally provided 15 assists, making him the second-best playmaker in the league. Considered as a promising footballer in his childhood, talented with abilities and athletic characteristics, previous Arsenal director Arsene Wenger portrayed Vela as a player who seems to be " Naturally skilled, fast, wise and with generally excellent technique". He additionally marked him as an "uncommon ability", expressing "I like Vela's insight and his pace. He scores goals however he can likewise create them." The previous Arsenal man surpassed Zlatan Ibrahimovic last campaign to complete the season as the MLS' best goal scorer. A record 34 goals in only 31 matches came to his direction. In this way, Vela scored forty percent of Los Angeles FC's goals toward the Western Conference title. Be that as it may, even Vela wasn't sufficient to win Los Angeles FC the Major League Soccer title following a playoff loss against Toronto. The 31-year-old who has always lost MLS title in his football career is resolved to change that this season.

6- Josef Martinez - Atlanta United ($3 million per year)

Josef Alexander Martínez Mencia brought into the world 19 May 1993 is a Venezuelan expert soccer player who plays as a forward for American club Atlanta United FC and the Venezuela national side. Josef Martinez scored 35 goals last campaign as Atlanta United lifted the MLS Cup without precedent for its history. Basically a forward, Martinez is an aggressive and ground-breaking player, who typically assumes the role of a central striker, however, he is likewise equipped for playing as on flanks. His pace, dribbling, finishing with either foot just as his head, joined with his skills to make aggressive runs off the ball from behind and get into great positions, make him a perilous attacking danger in the box. he's proceeded with that noteworthy from in the current campaign as well, scoring 28 goals, scoring for a further eight matches in succession. The Venezuelan forward rose to fame in the MLS during the 2018 campaign with champions Atlanta United by netting 35 goals in 39 matches. The 26-year-old demonstrated it was no accident the next campaign by netting a further 32 goals. Be that as it may, his great record couldn't defeat Carlos Vela and Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the MLS' top-scorer position. All things considered, Martinez has demonstrated his scoring ability and is resolved to repeat his records in his fourth season in MLS.

7- Nani - Orlando City SC ($2.333 million per year)

Luis Carlos Almeida da Cunha ComM brought into the world 17 November 1986, usually known as Nani, is a Portuguese expert soccer player who plays as a winger for MLS team Orlando City SC. Nani is one of the MLS' most decorated footballers of all time, having earned 17 significant titles with the Portuguese national side, Sporting Lisbon and Manchester United. In the beginning times of his football career with Red Devils, Nani's skills and playing style regularly welcomed correlations with the international teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, but Nani's style formed more that of a conventional winger than Ronaldo's advancement into a striker. While the 33-year-old has been brilliant since his appearance at Orlando City in February 2019, it's improbable that he will include the eighteenth title to his honors at any point in the near future. The previous Manchester United winger's arriving at Orlando a year ago was a shock for everybody. In any case, he before long found himself in a strong first season. Nani completed the season with 12 goals and five assists in 30 MLS matches notwithstanding Orlando completing 11th in the Eastern Conference. In this way, he lost a season playoff and title. The Portugal international will seek after a better position this time in 2020.

8- Diego Valeri — Portland Timbers ($2.32 million per year)

Diego Hernan Valeri is an Argentine soccer player who as of now plays as an attacking midfielder for MLS club Portland Timbers. Diego Valeri has shown up in the American league more than two hundred times since joining Portland Timbers in January 2013. The Argentine is a talented and inventive footballer and is known for his expertise and skills to give assists to his teammates, and normally plays as an attacking midfielder. In spite of the fact that he normally plays as a playmaker for his sides, he is likewise fit for scoring goals himself. The 33-year-old is a potential danger outside the box and has a decent header like his couple of goals he scored in the 2019 campaign. In 2015, Valeri assisted the Timbers to earn the MLS Cup. In 2017, he was named the division's MVP and has additionally been an All-Star in three back to back seasons Subsequent to frustrating spells with Porto and Almeria, Diego Valeri has developed himself into one of the MLS' greatest player. Valeri will plan to assist Timbers onto more prominent things in 2020 after their first-round exit in the last campaign's playoff games.

9- Carles Gil — New England Revolution ($2.1 million)

Carles Gil de Pareja Vicent brought into the world 22 November 1992 is a Spanish expert football player who plays as an attacking midfielder for New England Revolution in MLS. In January 2019, the 27-year-old turned out to be New England Revolution's record signing from Deportivo La Coruna with a $2 million contract. Up until this point, Gil has demonstrated a sensible profit for that money, scoring 10 times in 34 matches.

10-Jonathan dos Santos - LA Galaxy ($2 million every year)

Jonathan dos Santos Ramirez born on 26 April 1990 is a Mexican expert soccer player who plays as a midfielder for MLS club LA Galaxy and the Mexico national side. The more youthful of the two Dos Santos siblings Giovani, Jonathan started his football close by his brother with Catalans both having risen of La Masia.

Dos Santos is portrayed as a flexible midfielder, with LA Galaxy he regularly plays as a central midfielder. He is famous for his hard-working, dribbling ability, defensive awareness, vision, and skills to provide assists in space.

The 29-year-old joined Major league soccer club LA Galaxy On 27 July 2017. Villarreal sold Jonathan for a fee reportedly around €5–6 million. Since then he has scored 5 goals in 62 matches in all competitions.

[creativesage]

(via Why We Should All Consider Taking a Midlife Gap Year)

By Kate Torgovnick May, at TED

When Caroline Harper suddenly found herself jobless in her mid-40s, she decided to step off the corporate ladder and travel to all the places she’d always wanted to go, from Antarctica to Egypt. Here’s how it changed her life — and her career.

Caroline Harper loved her work negotiating big contracts in the oil and gas industry. “I liked the almost Games of Thrones strategic feel of it,” she says. “You’d stay up for three nights in a row and do the difficult work at 3 AM on that last day. It was a stamina test, an intellectual sparring match with the other side. It was very exciting.”

But in February 2002, Harper’s company sold the part of the business that she’d built and run. “I was made redundant,” she says.

She was in her mid-40s and could have used her connections to find a similar role at a different company. Or, because she was lucky enough to receive a good severance package, she could have taken time off to sit on a beach. Instead, she did something less expected. “I’d worked all my life and never did a student gap year,” says Harper. “I thought, ‘I’m going to go see a bit of the world.’” But she planned to do her gap year in two parts: she’d travel for six months, return to the UK, work as a consultant for a while, and take off for another six months of adventures.

Harper had an extra motivation to seize the chance to travel. Both of her parents had passed away relatively young — her father at age 64 and her mother at 56. “They’d both hoped that when they retired, they’d go off into the world and do all these things. And they didn’t get there,” says Harper. “I had money and time — usually you have one or the other. So I thought, ‘I’ve got an opportunity to do it now, when I’m healthy and I don’t have any dependents. Why not?’”

The time spent traveling was transformative for Harper. In fact, it led to her leaving the corporate world altogether and joining a nonprofit, Sightsavers, which works to end preventable blindness around the world and promote the rights of people with visual impairment. Below are six reasons she believes, if circumstances permit, we should all consider a midlife gap year.

You’ll get to see all the places you always dreamed of.

It didn’t take Harper long to make her itinerary. She used a simple question to guide her: What places had sparked her imagination over the years? Her list tended toward natural wonders and archaeological treasures — Machu Picchu in Peru, a cruise down the Amazon, the Galápagos Islands, Egypt, a trip to China to see the Forbidden City in Beijing and the terra cotta warriors in Xi’an. Her favorite stop? Three weeks in Antarctica, retracing the path that explorer Ernest Shackleton had taken from 1914 to 1916. “It was just beautiful — the penguins, the seals, the whales. It’s just genuine wilderness,” says Harper. “There was a hurricane at one point, and we had to hide behind an iceberg. We were in this big research vessel with sonar and GPS, but even then, it was quite scary. I kept imagining, What was this like in a rowboat? What was it like to lead people through this?” It was a humbling experience that helped jolt her out of the status quo.

You’ll discover skills you never knew you had.

Harper knew what made her so good at her corporate job: her knowledge of physics and energy use, her ability to understand legalese, and her aptitude for high-pressure negotiations. In traveling, she began noticing softer skills she’d never thought much about before. “I discovered that I’m quite good with sorting out logistics when things go wrong,” she says. “I also discovered that I was fascinated by more things than I thought I was. My career had been entirely focused on the UK, which had never bothered me. But I realized then that my world was way too narrow. I wanted to be more international.” Harper found she was surprisingly good at connecting with people. “I could talk to villagers in the middle of Pakistan the way I could talk to presidents of companies,” she said. She wasn’t sure what all of this added up to, career-wise, but she knew she wanted to find something that could tap these newly identified skills.

You’ll see things that will make you want to take action.

Harper found further clarity in some of the most heartbreaking moments of her travels, such as seeing people with leprosy begging on the side of the road in China. “You see these things on documentaries, but it’s just not the same as seeing people there in front of you,” she says. “You realize what a large proportion of the world doesn’t live the way we do [in wealthy countries]. That had a big impact on me.” She realized she wanted to do something that would help people, and not just lead to bigger profits.

You’ll notice themes in your life you may not have recognized before.

After Harper’s father passed away, she had gone to the library to return books that he’d borrowed. When she opened them, she noticed the type was incredibly large — while she’d known he was losing his eyesight due to diabetes, his vision loss was worse than she thought. Her uncle had also experienced blindness — after taking a drug to treat arthritis when he was in his 50s, his retinas detached and he could no longer see. Harper saw how this affected both men. “With my father, it was a loss of independence that led to depression,” she says. “And I saw the impact it had on the marriage between my uncle and aunt — she turned from being a wife to being a caregiver. There just weren’t a lot of services available at the time. Many people back then assumed blindness was the end.”

Harper herself is very short-sighted and is fully reliant on glasses and contact lenses. “I can’t see the big letters on the top of the optometrist’s board without them,” she says. But she’d never actually connected the dots between all these experiences until she opened up The Sunday Times in late 2004 — toward the end of her two-part gap year — and saw that a UK-based nonprofit called Sightsavers was advertising for a new CEO. “When I saw the ad, I thought, That’s me,” she says. “I want to do that.”

You’ll open yourself up to taking other big changes.

Over the course of her travels, Harper had begun to suspect that she wanted to work at a nonprofit. She applied to a few such positions and reached out to headhunters she’d worked with in the past about finding this kind of role. They were not encouraging. “One even said, ‘You’re too old to make a career switch,’” Harper recalls.

But she decided to go ahead and apply for the CEO position at Sightsavers. She felt it was a role that would benefit from her business acumen and from her abilities to work with logistics and to talk to anyone. And it was exactly the kind of job she knew she wanted — international, purpose-driven, and related to a cause that she cared deeply about. After a series of interviews with trustees and with the outgoing CEO, Harper was offered the job. She started there in April 2005 and instantly loved it.

“When I first told people I was joining Sightsavers, the guys in the corporate world were all, ‘Oh my god, why are you going into the charity sector? It’s all sandal-wearers and people eating oats. You’ll hate it,’” Harper says. “But in the charity sector, it was, ‘Oh my god, how have they hired a corporate woman? She’ll be evil and money-grubbing.’” After making her career transition, she realized how wrong both sectors’ impressions of the other were. “Things are not as different as everybody says,” she says. “People are people in both sectors — they like to support one another and have success. The only difference is the end product: is it that you made profits, or that you restored people’s sight?”

You’ll realize that there’s no time limit on trying something new.

During her 13 years (and counting) as CEO at Sightsavers, Harper has focused on expanding the organization’s reach. Sightsavers now works in more than 30 countries, and among other goals, it has resolved to take on trachoma — an intensely debilitating but curable eye disease — with the support of TED’s The Audacious Project. Harper believes we can end trachoma, which has been blinding people for thousands of years, within our lifetimes.

Even though her gap year was well over a decade ago, those experiences may send her in new directions yet. When Harper was five years old, she remembers, she and her family went to see Tutankhamun’s treasures at the British Museum. “I queued for hours and hours to see them,” she says. “I was utterly blown away.” That led her to visit Egypt during her travels. “It still captures my imagination,” she adds. “I’m wondering, when I leave Sightsavers at some point in the future, whether I’ll go back and do a degree in archaeology.” Harper is no longer scared of making such a big change.

Perhaps that’s the most important reason for a midlife gap year if you can, Harper says — while you may think that your days of taking bold choices are behind you, you’ll see that it just isn’t true. “The personal situation has to fit, and that can be very difficult,” says Harper. “But the advice I give people is, ‘Don’t feel like your life has to follow a predetermined path.’ Employers don’t expect you to have a tram-line CV.”

Harper believes that her gap year helped her author her own fate rather than just react to what happened to her. “Taking it helped me not to rush decisions,” she says. “If I had rushed, I probably would have gone back into the private sector. I might have earned more money, but I just wouldn’t enjoy my life as much.”

Want to join Harper in ending preventable blindness? Become a champion of Sightsavers’ drive to end trachoma — one of the first ideas funded by TED’s The Audacious Project — and receive regular updates on how you can participate.

[Entire post — click on the title link to read the article at TED, and to view a video of Caroline Harper’s TED Talk.]

[cchie]

Wright Hook (Duke) Questionnaire

does your character have siblings or family members in their age group? which one are they closest with?      Wright has no siblings or family! He grew up in foster care.

what is/was your character’s relationship with their mother like?      He never knew her. He is not sure if he ever wants to.

what is/was your character’s relationship with their father like?      He never knew him. He is not sure if he ever wants to.

has your character ever witnessed something that fundamentally changed them? if so, does anyone else know?      Upon entering the Nonary Games, he witnessed several things that made him change. The people he was with knows. Smack Jackson apologizing for accusing him of murder helped soften him up to everyone else a bit.

on an average day, what can be found in your character’s pockets?      Bandages, his keys, his wallet, and some dog food

does your character have recurring themes in their dreams?      He has recurring nightmares of being bullied. He also has one in particular where he beats his primary bully to a pulp until he dies. And that one he wakes up screaming to.

does your character have recurring themes in their nightmares?      See above.

has your character ever fired a gun? if so, what was their first target?      No. He doesn’t really ever want to use any weapons against anybody, including his fists. 

is your character’s current socioeconomic status different than it was when they were growing up?      Not really. He grew up in poor areas and households but profited off of his ability to fight. Now he lives in a secluded apartment and has a solitary ranch nobody knows about.

does your character feel more comfortable with more clothing, or with less clothing?      It doesn’t really matter to him when he’s home. When he’s out and about, he prefers to wear more clothing. He doesn’t like catching people’s attention.

in what situation was your character the most afraid they’ve ever been?      Probably the Nonary Games and being accused of murder. He wasn’t close to anybody and everybody ganged up on him, just like the children in foster care.

in what situation was your character the most calm they’ve ever been?      When he first found Rocky and took him to his ranch. And they just layed in the grass with the sun shining.

is your character bothered by the sight of blood? if so, in what way?      It doesn’t bother him anymore since he’s so used to seeing it.

does your character remember names or faces easier?      He remembers faces easier than names. He can forget those often.

is your character preoccupied with money or material possession? why or why not?      Duke is not. Although he likes money for keeping him alive and stable, he knows he could do without. He likes hoarding animals but that’s as far as his occupation with��“material possessions”. 

which does your character idealize most: happiness or success?      Happiness. He doesn’t care much about his success. As long as he is left alone and happy.

what was your character’s favorite toy as a child?      The foster care he was in gave him a stuffed dog plush that he took everywhere with him, until the kids ripped it apart and threw it away. It was a stuffed Dalmatian and he named it Pongo.

is your character more likely to admire wisdom, or ambition in others?      Ambition. If somebody is smart, that’s great. But he loves to see the drive in other people.

what is your character’s biggest relationship flaw? has this flaw destroyed relationships for them before?      Wright has major trust issues. He has paranoia and is afraid people are out to get him even if they seem to have good intentions. He doesn’t really try to have relationships, he just keeps to himself.

in what ways does your character compare themselves to others? do they do this for the sake of self-validation, or self-criticism?      He’s hard on himself for every punch he throws. Wright is aware of his ability and tries to use it to the best of his ability but doesn’t necessarily like it. He’s also hard on himself for being weak when he was younger and not being able to open up to people as easily.

if something tragic or negative happens to your character, do they believe they may have caused or deserved it, or are they quick to blame others?      Oh, it is almost always him blaming himself for it. Being abandoned at a young age and being abused really makes him blame himself for a lot of things.

what does your character like in other people?      He likes compassion and kindness towards animals. If they are kind and caring, he’ll open up only a tad bit easier than usual.

what does your character dislike in other people?      Violence, ignorance, and apathy.

how quick is your character to trust someone else?      Oh boy. Wright doesn’t really trust anybody. He trusts himself, animals, and veterinarians but that’s about it. He puts a lot of walls and defenses up.

how quick is your character to suspect someone else? does this change if they are close with that person?      He is very quick to suspect. However, he isn’t quick to take action until he’s sure or mostly sure of his suspicions. If they are close, he’s torn and would most likely snoop due to his trust issues.

how does your character behave around children?      He doesn’t like them and tries to stay away from them. However, in situations where he must be around them, he’s kind of like a Zuko. He can come off as annoyed but he treats them kindly and will play with them.

how does your character normally deal with confrontation?      He doesn’t. If he must, he will come right up to the person and threaten them or demand answers.

how quick or slow is your character to resort to physical violence in a confrontation?      Very slow. He uses his strength to break things when he must. He doesn’t like using his Ultimate Boxing ability unless he has to.

what did your character dream of being or doing as a child? did that dream come true?      He wanted to be a veterinarian but plans changed when he became the Ultimate Boxer. It didn’t come true but he did take in a lot of stray animals and that alone has helped.

what does your character find repulsive or disgusting?      Bullies.

describe a scenario in which your character feels most comfortable.      The rays of the sun beat down on his face as his bull terrier sniffs his right ear. “Rocky, what are you doing?” he says between giggles.       Rocky responds by promptly licking the redhead’s cheek and sprinting off, his tail wagging. Wright sits up and brushes the grass off his backside. “Oh, that’s it, huh? You wanna play, then?”      He takes off in a run towards the dog, almost matching him in speed. Rocky halts still, and Wright follows suit. The terrier sort of boofs ever so softly and shakes his head. Wright flashes a smile and suddenly darts towards Rocky      However, the dog knew this was coming and full on heads towards Wright, jumping up into his arms. Being taken by surprise, Wright falls back on the grass and holds tightly onto his best friend. Rocky pants heavily and nuzzes his head into Wright’s chest.       A small smile finds its way onto Wright’s face as he lies there, happy and comfortable. But not alone.

describe a scenario in which your character feels most uncomfortable.      With groceries in one hand, and his keys in another, he struggles to open his apartment door. He sighs and sets the groceries down.     “Ohmigod, you’re Wright Hook aren’t you?” a shrill voice pipes up from behind him.      Startled, he drops his keys. He turns around quickly and is face to face with a blonde girl and what appears to be her stocky boyfriend.      “Oh uh, I think you must have me confused with-” he rushes out but it’s too late.      “Oh my god selfie!” she promptly snaps a picture and drapes herself over Wright. “Oh my god you’re even stronger in person!” she gushes.      “Listen, please leave me alone. Please don’t tell anybody where I live, please-”      “What? You just tell my girl to leave you alone? Think you’re so big and famous, you can tell us what to do?” the bigger man spits. His brow is furrowed and a grimace creeps over his face.      Wright gulps. “Please. That’s not what I meant. Uh, please just go?”      The boyfriend steps up and takes a swing at Wright. Having calculated his opponent’s movements and size, Wright predicted this would happen and broke left. In one swift movement, he sent a jab to the man’s face and knocked the man out.      “Ah, oh dear. Look at what you’ve done now. I need you two to leave. Now,” Wright says, angry and uncomfortable. There is no mercy in his voice anymore.      The girl looks horrified as he rushes to open his apartment door and heads in. He watches through the peephole as the boyfriend wakes up and leaves off in a huff.      Rocky senses his discomfort and comes to his feet, cocking his head and wagging his tail. Wright looks down at him, and gives a sad smile. “God, I hate people sometimes. We might have to leave here, Rocky. But I’m glad I have you.” 

in the face of criticism, is your character defensive, self-deprecating, or willing to improve?      With criticism, he gets defensive but also self depricating.

is your character more likely to keep trying a solution/method that didn’t work the first time, or immediately move on to a different solution/method?      He actually does both depending on what it is. He gets frustrated easily so if it doesn’t work he tries to move on to another solution.

how does your character behave around people they like?      He’s nervous and kind of a goof but still awkward. He’ll try and make them smile and laugh.

how does your character behave around people they dislike?      Oh, they will know. He won’t talk to them or look at him, and depending on the situation, he’ll threaten them.

is your character more concerned with defending their honor, or protecting their status?      Defending his honor if he had to pick from the two, but he’s not very concerned about either of those things.

is your character more likely to remove a problem/threat, or remove themselves from a problem/threat?      He’s more likely to remove the threat. He knows that if it’s a threat to multiple people, he will take them out himself.

has your character ever been bitten by an animal? how were they affected (or unaffected)?      Wright has been bitten quitea few times by strays, and he’s okay with it. He expects it but endures it to get them to trust him so he can take care of them.

how does your character treat people in service jobs?      He treats them very well. He knows that they have to endure every day and leaves amazing tips.

does your character feel that they deserve to have what they want, whether it be material or abstract, or do they feel they must earn it first?      I feels he must earn it. With some things though, he does feel as if he deserves it since his life has been kind shitty up to this point.

has your character ever had a parental figure who was not related to them?      Not really.

has your character ever had a dependent figure who was not related to them?      There was this kid in the foster care named Sam who he looked after for a while.

how easy or difficult is it for your character to say “i love you?” can they say it without meaning it?      Oh my god is it so hard for him. He’s like one of those people that’s like “I....lo....l...lov...LIKE dogs.............” and just can’t do it

what does your character believe will happen to them after they die? does this belief scare them?      He would like to believe in an afterlife so that way he can still be around those he loves.

[rehlander-blog]

Over his last nine games

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[pokerwebs1]

Ways To Get going in Online Poker

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[waynekelton]

The Best Card Games on Android & iOS

Modern digital card games combine the cerebral appeal of tactical play with the adrenaline rush of random loot and top-decking. It might seem like they’re dime-a-dozen, but the games detailed below are all absolutely worthwhile, judged on their own terms.

Some are cutthroat tests of supremacy, others bucolic come-as-you-may types, but all are thoughtful and ingenious in sundry ways. There's two flavours of card games that currently dominate the niche - highly competitive TCG/CCG multiplayer battlers derived from Hearthstone, and more cerebral or casual affairs, often translated from physical card games that already exist. We've woven the two types together into one supreme list.

What are the best iOS & Android Card Games?

Gwent

Age of Rivals

Shards of Infinity

Miracle Merchant

Meteorfall: Journey

Reigns: Game of Thrones

Hearthstone

Exploding Kittens

Plants vs. Zombies: Heroes

Frost

Card City Nights

Star Realms

GWENT

Developer: CD Projekt S.A. Platforms: iOS, Android Price: Free-to-Play (IAPs)

It took its sweet time, but the official spin-off of the The Witcher 3 card game has finally made the jump from PC to mobile. It's quite different from what it was like at launch and it's gone through several updates and revisions, meaning that us mobile jockeys get a game that's tight and quite unique compared to some of its contemporaries. It's a power-struggle between two people, but it's less about pounding each other's cards into dust or attacking life-points - it's simply a best-out-of-three bout to have a bigger number than your opponent at the end of the round.

This simple concept can inspire a surprising about of cunning and card combos, with card advantage being a very important concept. As a free-to-play game there are IAPS and micro-transactions, but it's pretty tame for the most part and you can still get access to a lot of cards through gameplay. One potential draw-back is that the meta can shift quite a lot, so knowing which cards to purchase out-right may be problematic. Still, this is a pretty great card game and a wonderful breath of fresh air for the mobile CCG market. Check out our GWENT tips guide if you want to help with getting started.

Age of Rivals

Developer: Roboto Games Platforms: iOS & Android Price: $1.99

How we forgot about this one for so long is anybody's guess, but we've fixed it now. Released in 2017, this strategy card game takes a lot of inspiration from physical design but is very much a digital game. It's more drafting than deck-building, with five phases repeated across four rounds and a game can last as little as ten minutes.

It's minimalist, but with a touch of flair as you try and draft along specific themes and build your board up as the game progresses. While it was in a bit a state when it first launched, the years since release has seen this one mature into an excellent game worth checking out if you want a break from deck-building, but still like that creativity that comes from making the best of what you draw. Check out our Age of Rivals review for more.

Shards of Infinity

Developer: Temple Gates Games Platforms: iOS & Android Price: $7.99

Ascension is a house name in deck-building card games, especially on mobile. While Playdek were responsible to bring that light into our world, Temple Gates Games have the honour of bringing the spiritual successor to Ascension to mobile - and it's one of the best card games we've played to date. The game itself is slick, well designed, and has some very interesting twists on the deck-building formula. This isn't Ascension  with a new skin, but a new game in its own right.

As for the app, Temple Gates have done a brilliant job. The game is colourful and brought to life with very few technically concerns. Everything is cross-platform and multiplayer is competently designed. If you're looking for a new card game to occupy you in 2019, look no further, and our Shards of Infinity review can tell you why.

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Mystic Vale (iOS | Android) - A very similar game to Shards, Mystic Vale is another deckbuilding game that uses the same base premise, just with a different theme and a different twist on the usual proceedings. This one was developed by Nomad Games, and while entertaining in its own way it doesn't really shake up the genre as much as it needs to really stand out.

Miracle Merchant

Developer: Arnold Rauers Platforms: iOS & Android Price: $1.99 / Free with IAP

Tinytouchtales' Card Thief has been a staple on this list since its inception, but there are other great card games the developer has made. Their most recent release was Miracle Merchant, a game about trying to craft potions for customers in need of a remedy or other liquid solution. You must juggle the competing but equally important needs of satisfying customers (by brewing exactly what they asked for) and maximising profits (because making potions is expensive and that Porsche won't pay for itself).

Miracle Merchant is solitaire card-gaming at its finest. The art style is impeccable, and the tactical decision making is incredibly deep. Assembling a potion of four cards sounds easy, but actually with negative cards to consider, and the fact that if you fail to make a potion you will lose the game, you have pick and choose your battles in terms of how 'good' to make the potions for customers, especially considering you need to maximise profit as well. Read our Miracle Merchant review for more.

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TinyTouchTales have done plenty of great card games, from Card Thief and Card Crawl, to Potion Explosion.

Meteorfall: Journey

Developer: Slothwerks Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $2.99

Challenging and Stimulating: In the happier sessions, Meteorfall ends with a successful final showdown against the aptly-named Uberlich. Working backwards from that ultimate battle to the four starting characters is much more challenging than the squidy art and breezy interface might suggest.

This is a game that's been wonderfully supported post-release, with several major content expansions at the time of writing. What's better, it's all been given away for free! There's a reason this won our Reader's Choice Game of the Year 2018 award, and our Meteorfall review can tell you why.

Reigns: Game of Thrones

Developer: Devolver Digital Platforms: iOS, Android Price: $3.99

The Pinnacle: The meme/phrase "living your best life" is not often one you hear applied to a videogame, but we can think of no title that's more applicable than Nerial's licensed Game of Thrones version of their hit card/monarch simulator Reigns. As Brittany mentions in her review, this is hands-down the best version of the Reigns formula, and it helps that it involves and engaging and popular IP.

The typical Tinder-style swiping mechanics coupled with the usual medieval hilarity and tough choices is coupled with some subtle new twists, where players get to try and rule the Seven Kingdoms as one of nine iconic characters from the show (which are unlocked over time). All this is enabled through the guise of Melisandre - you're essentially playing out her visions of how these characters might get on sitting atop the Iron Throne. Licensed games often get a bad rap, but they can now look to this game to wash away all their sins. This is how you do it, folks. Read our Reigns: Game of Thrones review for more.

Hearthstone

Developer: Blizzard Entertainment Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free (IAPs)

The Gold Standard: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a rogue, a priest and a warrior walk into the bar. Players struggle to reduce the opponent life to zero as players get more mana (read: energy) to fuel stronger minions and more devastating spells. The power curve and rarity drop rate are a little punishing, but later expansions and patches have remedied this somewhat. Hearthstone’s card battles unfold on a tavern table, in the middle of the hub-bub and merriment of a chaotic Warcraft scene, usually narrated in a dwarven brogue.

Yes, the card game itself is solid and as stripped-down as it can be without being simplistic, but Hearthstone flashes of creative genius and setting go well beyond the card base. The animations and sound design have been polished to a mirror sheen, and the gameplay, love it or hate it, is the standard because of its sterling quality and undeniable fun factor. Just don’t sweat the meta or top-tier competition, because then the grind will eat up your life.

Exploding Kittens

Developer: Exploding Kittens Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $1.99

Outrageous fun: A game of hot potato with a nitroglycerine-infused feline escalates until every player save one has met their maker. Fiery kitty death and simple humor belie a take-that game which puts everyone immediately at each other’s throats. Hostility and sabotage are the name of the game, because each player has only one life to live, and one defuse card to keep that hairball from becoming a fireball.

The game is a childish, cartoonish pastiche of obvious joke made too hard too often, but despite the unapologetic unrefined everything, it remains one of the best guilty mindless pleasures around. If you ever need a reason to froth at the mouth and fling spittle at your fellow humans over fictionally threatening cats, look no further: Exploding Kittens is simply an excuse to have a good time, a cheeky pretext. Irksome, shameless and perfect it its base way.

Plants vs. Zombies: Heroes

Developer: Electronic Arts Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free (IAPs)

Food for thought: This franchise has reinvented itself several times since the original’s premier success. The sequel to the tower defense titan dallied with free-to-play energy timers and premium unlocks, then the series experimented with the FPS arena shooter, releasing Garden Warfare. Along the way, some of the magic and charm was lost. Plants vs. Zombies Heroes is an inspired and refreshing late entry into the game series, translating the original tower defense themes to a CCG with some nifty changes. Perhaps the coolest single defining feature of PvZ: Heroes is the asymmetry: one player represents the zombies shuffling forward for a quick bite while the other coordinated the plants fighting to repel the undead.

The power dynamic between the two sides is unusual and distinct, recalling Netrunner more than Magic or Hearthstone. The flow of new cards into eager players hot little hands, the balance between card strengths and their relative availability as well as the overall strategic robustness of the game are all top-notch. This core gameplay shines along with the visual polish and jazzy flair the series has come to be known for. Plants vs. Zombies Heroes is a fun late entry that deserves more love.

Frost

Developer: Jerome Bodin Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $3.99, $4.49

An evergreen choice: This one stands out from the other members of this list on two fronts. Firstly, for its palette, which is as frigid as monochrome as you’d expect. Secondly, because its gameplay is survival-based, not just thematically but actually. Gathering supplies, fending off nasties and keeping the elements at bay take every possible trick the cards will give you. Better performance will net you better tools, but unlike other games, Frost’s best rewards are a sense of security and temporary respite.

In other words, the game won’t see you chasing exhilarating high score or excitement, but rather staving off the undesirable. Loss aversion, the fear of breaking a fragile equilibrium, the game daring you to take only appropriate risks when the phrase is a hollow oxymoron. The game rewards you with the chance to keep playing, keep exploring its stark dangers and bag of tricks. Read our Frost review for more.

Card City Nights

Developer: Ludosity Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $0.99

Solo-play stalwart: The characters are idiosyncratic, the game-within-a-game conceit a little cheeky but still refreshing, the consistent tone humor-ish, deadpan. Beating certain keystone characters unlocks their signature, ultra-powerful cards whose effects even jive with that character’s personality. In other words, there is a correspondence between writing, characterization and deck archetypes between. Never quite a rollicking good time or agonizing head-scratcher, the deckbuilding and collecting (yes, there are boosters, no nothing is truly ultra-rare) of Card City Nights makes for an easily enjoyed and easily binged experience.

Star Realms

Developer: White Wizard Games Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: Free, with content parcelled out as IAP ($4.99 for the full set)

Interstellar Deck-Building: This game marries the level of expansion and customization of a TCG with the bite-sized crunchy decision-making of a deckbuilder. Its combat elements and faction-specific combos make for a serious nostalgia trip for those looking to revisit memory lane without first collecting, collating and crafting a custom deck just for the occasion. Star Realms’ many expansions, rapid-fire gameplay and clear iconography make it a compelling addition to the game enthusiast’s roster and an easy must-have.

We have a Star Realms review if you want to know more.

Other iOS & Android Card Game Recommendations

We're keeping the list pretty tight at the moment, but there's way more than twelve card games to celebrate, with more on the way all the time. Every now and then we'll rotate games out for other games, but we don't want those past greats to be forgotten:

Knights of the Card Table

Race for the Galaxy

Calculords

Card Thief

Ascension

Lost Portal CCG

Pathfinder Adventures

Solitairica

Flipflop Solitaire

Guild of Dungeoneering

Lost Cities

Eternal Card Game

Pokemon TCG

Reigns: Her Majesty

Shadowverse CCG

What would your list of the best card games look like? Let us know in the comments!

The Best Card Games on Android & iOS published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

[placetobenation]

As King Corbin aptly said on Friday Night Smackdown, NXT is all anyone can talk about! It’s true, it’s damn true to quote the man that Corbin retired, Kurt Angle.

Who’s going to attack who. Who’s going to show up where. Who’s going to face each other at Survivor Series. There are plenty of storylines to answer those questions. And the interest is growing! Just look at NXT’s ratings for Wednesday night as they pulled almost even (822,000 to 813,000 according to Nielsen) in viewers for the Wednesday Night War with AEW. My question is will it only be NXT taking shots at RAW and Smackdown or will over the next two weeks, will we also get RAW taking shots at Smackdown as well in traditional blue vs. red rivalry.

WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!?!?!?@AJStylesOrg @FinnBalor #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/HY6x5hgBt9

— WWE (@WWE) November 7, 2019

This week, we get a nod to the Bullet Club with an AJ Styles – Finn Balor stare down at Full Sail University. We also get more into what could be the end to Seth Rollins’ babyface days. Days that have seen Seth fighting for, yet failing it seems to capture any and all the major titles in the WWE. At what point will Rollins just lose it? I’m looking forward to it.

This means war.@NXTCiampa, @SuperKingofBros, @RealKeithLee, and ??? will battle #UndisputedERA in #WarGames at #NXTTakeOver! #WWENXT https://t.co/5NnDh0SZKS

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) November 7, 2019

One spot left. Who's ready to go to war? #WarGames #WWENXThttps://t.co/DoNCsRZ7L4

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) November 7, 2019

What we’re also looking forward to is War Games! Are we headed towards a War Games between the brands? We already know we have two NXT War Games to look forward to and after all of this week’s excitement and tryouts, 14 of the 16 contestants have been announced. On the women’s side, we’ve got Rhea Ripley, Tegan Nox, Mia Yim, Candice LeRae vs. NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler, Io Shirai, Bianca Belair and TBD. For the men, it’s the Undisputed ERA vs. Tommaso Ciampa, Matt Riddle, Keith Lee and TBD.

Finally, we have a pair of matches set for the upcoming Survivor Series with the RAW vs. Smackdown vs. NXT having a championship theme.

Women’s Champions: NXT’s Shayna Baszler vs. Smackdown’s Bayley vs. RAW’s Becky Lynch

Tag Team Champions; NXT’s Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Smackdown’s The New Day vs. RAW’s The Viking Raiders

Plus, the WWE Championship is on the line with champion Brock Lesnar facing Rey Mysterio, Jr.

What’s next for The Fiend and the Universal Championship? We may get a clue from across the pond!

Color me a traditionalist, but I’d love to see Survivor Series come back to Thanksgiving Day Night, but I know that will never happen.  

MONDAY NIGHT RAW

RESULTS

Non-Title Match: Charlotte & Natalya defeated Women’s Tag Team Champions The Kabuki Warriors (submission Natalya over Asuka)

Buddy Murphy defeated Cedric Alexander

Andrade & Zelina Vega defeated Sin Cara & Carolina

Rusev defeated Drew McIntyre (DQ when Bobby Lashley interferes)

The OC defeated The Street Profits & Humberto Carrillo

Non-Title Match: RAW Tag Team Champions The Viking Raiders defeated the East Hampton Polo Boys

NXT Title Match: Seth Rollins defeated NXT Champion Adam Cole (DQ when Undisputed ERA interferes)

What we loved:

.@QosBaszler and @BeckyLynchWWE have an INTENSE meeting on #RAW ahead of #SurvivorSeries.@WWENXT continues to make their presence felt! pic.twitter.com/1Fe4OVvWG9

— WWE (@WWE) November 5, 2019

Becky vs. Baszler – If you missed it, go back and watch it! In what could be one of the best pieces of business this week, the RAW Women’s Champ goes face-to-face with the NXT Women’s Champ in a verbal spat not to be missed.

Natalya & Charlotte – As we’ve said in the past, the pairing of these two veterans is a great thing for the Women’s Division. Putting them over in a non-title match over the tag champions means that soon we’ll get a tag team title match between them and The Kabuki Warriors. My question is will we see Paige come back to exact revenge on her former tag team.

Adam Cole – What’s not to like about the NXT Champion? Who else could main event back-to-back shows that aren’t his brand? First, taking out Daniel Bryan on Smackdown and then going toe-to-toe with Seth Rollins on RAW. Well done, BAY BAY!

Rey Mysterio, Jr. – Viva la little man! Mysterio strikes back with his trusty partner, a lead pipe, to exact revenge on WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. And to boot, he should get a title match at Survivor Series.

Dio Maddin – Sticking up for the King, Jerry Lawler is never a bad thing! Unfortunately, Maddin paid the price courtesy of the WWE Champion.

The BRAWL continues between #RAW and @WWENXT! pic.twitter.com/PdqIe03tfL

— WWE (@WWE) November 5, 2019

BASK IN HIS GLORY. @RealKeithLee#SurvivorSeries is for the taking. #RAW #WeAreNXT pic.twitter.com/p45PxGZYxR

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) November 5, 2019

High flyers – Keith Lee flying high replicating Ricochet in a post-main event melee! Love it!

What we didn’t love:

Another loss for Humberto Carrillo – At some point, Carrillo has to win a match on TV, right? It’s great to face Seth Rollins, AJ Styles and now the OC. But if you lose every match, what does it get you? You have to start building him up with some victories or else it becomes a losing streak like Curt Hawkins.

Another loss for Sin Cara & Carolina – See above. For a feud to be successful, it can’t be one-sided. Yet, this one is.

NXT

RESULTS

Pete Dunne defeated Damian Priest (submission)

Taynara defeated Santana Garrett

Non-Title Match: Champion Shayna Baszler defeated Dakota Kai (submission)

#1 Contender’s Match For The Cruiserweight Title: Angel Garza defeated Tony Nese

Dominik Dijakovic defeated Isaiah Scott

Keith Lee, Matt Riddle, and Tommaso Ciampa vs. The OC (no contest)

What we loved:

Absolute respect to #TheOC who came to “our house,” walked through the front door and tore the place down. The #USChamp and Best Tag Team in the World can hang with @WWENXT. Anyone else who wants to walk through our door better be ready to go. #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/HZDkpWJ52I

— Triple H (@TripleH) November 7, 2019

Welcome to Full Sail, The OC – Way to start the show! AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson delivering a beatdown to the NXT roster reminiscent of The Outsiders using Rey Mysterio, Jr. as a pinata into a production truck. Then, to lay down the challenge to NXT after a week of NXT taking charge of RAW and Smackdown was needed and well played. And remember, The OC completely got to skip going to NXT before joining the main roster.

Tommaso Ciampa – To the OC: “Welcome to the main roster.” Well done Goldie!

The NXT response – Keith Lee and Matt Riddle are easily making themselves into main event talent every week on NXT. Throw in former champ Tommaso Ciampa and you’ve got a dramatic six-man main event against The OC that ends in a wild melee to a returning Finn Balor.

Welcome to Survivor Series Finn Balor – After a week of wondering where Finn Balor stands on the whole NXT vs. RAW vs. Smackdown rivalry, we now have a slight glimpse into that picture. Balor seemingly came out to help his NXT mates in the main event only to deliver a knockout pele kick to Ciampa, a kick that AJ Styles acknowledges with a “two-sweet” gesture, a nod to their Bullet Club days in Japan. And yes, I love that Mauro Ranollo referenced that on the broadcast, something not usually done since it was pre-WWE days. Could Balor be strattling both sides of the battle?

War Games Build – A heavy concentration on who Shayna Baszler & Rhea Ripley would pick for their team in War Games, including a match between Baszler herself and Dakota Kai – a quality non-title match that made Kai look good and established her into the War Game mix. That match leads to a full out brawl with Ripley’s team and a Mia Yim’s kendo stick save of Team Ripley. With Yim getting the final spot instead of Kai, could we see a turn in Kai’s future after being shunned? Also, how come Baszler doesn’t have her sidekicks, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir on her team? Right now, we’ve got Rhea Ripley, Tegan Nox, Mia Yim, Candice LeRae vs. NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler, Io Shirai, Bianca Belair and TBD.

Angel Garza – A win over Tony Nese nets him an NXT Cruiserweight Championship match next week against Lio Rush. Way to get some heel heat too after the match by slapping Rush instead of shaking his hand. It gives us more than just a match thrown together. Emotion and storyline added to athleticism is always a productive method!

What we didn’t love:

Santana Garrett vs. Taynara – A bit clunky at times, I expected a bit more considering what else we’ve gotten from what is red-hot, stacked women’s division in NXT week after week. Call it an average, albeit short – just four minutes – match and possibly just an off-night.

No update on Johnny Gargano – He is the emotional soul of NXT. Don’t let a week go by without updating his situation after being put out by Finn Balor. Maybe, we’ll just see him as the fourth member of War Games and they’re just waiting for that surprise in a week or two.

FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

Smackdown Tag Team Title Match: The New Day defeated The Revival to win titles

Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Ali and Shorty G

Sasha Banks defeated Nikki Cross

Carmella and Dana Brooke defeated Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville to gain spot on Women’s Survivor Series team

King Corbin defeated Roman Reigns

What we loved:

THEY DID IT FOR WOODS!@WWEBigE & @TrueKofi have made #TheNewDay 7️⃣-TIME #TagTeamChampions! #SmackDown @XavierWoodsPhD pic.twitter.com/b3o5AWnBbm

— WWE (@WWE) November 9, 2019

It’s a New Day, New Champs – Kofi Kingston is a champ again as Kofi and Big E reign supreme as Smackdown champions once more. Of course, this will only fuel the IWC rumors that The Revival are headed out in 2020 to AEW or elsewhere.

King Corbin’s heat – Easily the top heel heat on Smackdown. Corbin draws it and the crowd loves to dish it. Having Dolph Ziggler and Bobby Roode help him out could point towards a Survivor Series team grouping in a few weeks.

Walter and The Imperium – As you know, we’re big fans of WALTER from NXT UK and NXT. It makes sense to unleash them at a Smackdown in Manchester, England to further the NXT vs. Smackdown vs. RAW feud. Getting them some TV time with new tag team champs, The New Day and Heavy Machinery makes a lot of sense for the NXT UK Champion WALTER,  Fabian Archer, Marcel Barthel and Alexander Wolfe

Will he stay or will he join – Sami Zayn’s continued pursuit of Daniel Bryan has some legs and some intrigue to it, especially with all of the chaos and uncertainty headed towards Survivor Series. Plus, add in The Fiend attacking Bryan backstage and we could find out our next feud for the new Universal Champion. A Global Faction of Cesar, Nakamura and Bryan led by Zayn mixing with the Firefly Fun House could very well be worth watching.

Different week, same result – NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler attacks Smackdown Women’s Champion Bayley. After a confrontation on RAW with Becky Lynch, Baszler is becoming must-see TV on every show to see who she’s going to take out next.

What we didn’t love:

Fire and Desire Fail – Since when did Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville become jobbers? It seems like they lose every week in some form or fashion. Yes, I realize that’s an exaggeration, but I think they are better than what they are being portrayed. Maybe Sonya Deville would work well as a member of Shayna Baszler’s War Games team? Hmmm…..

Fury and Strowman – So, now we’re supposed to just accept them as a team? We know that Tyson Fury isn’t going to be around much due to his boxing commitments. But after hating each other for a month-plus, they just team up to beat up The B Team of Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas. We’ll chalk it up to a taping in Manchester, England for a fan pop and see where it goes from here.  

LOOKING AHEAD:

Since RAW was taped Friday in Manchester, England after the Smackdown taping, we know there are some things set to unveil Monday night on Veteran’s Day. All we can say, as to not spoil things, is that it could be a K-O of a night.

Thanks for letting us share our thoughts! Shoot me an email at jcrowe567@gmail.com. We’d love to hear you comments and suggestions! You can also check out my blog, The Crowe’s Nest as we delve into more pro wrestling, sports entertainment and the World of Sports. My apologies ahead of time – I AM a Patriots and Red Sox fan! If you’re not down with that, I’ve got TWO WORDS for you… NEW ENGLAND!

[zenruption]

13 Profitable Industries in the US

by Sharon Jones

It has never been easier to start a company, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should. This is advice that you don’t always hear, but it’s true and important: some industries have a bleak future, and it’d be unwise to begin a business if you don’t know for sure whether it’s going to be viable in the years to come. Fortunately, while there are some sectors that are best avoided, there are others that have a brighter outlook. If you’re going to enter the business game, then it’s recommended that you take a look at some of the industries outlined below, all of which offer a strong potential for generating profit. 

Pexels - CC0 Licence

Accounting and Bookkeeping

Some of the most profitable and robust businesses are the ones that help other companies focus on what they do best. A company doesn’t want to waste their time taking care of myriad corporate tasks that distract from their primary goal. But they have to be handled in one way or another, so they usually outsource the work to a third-party company. Accounting and bookkeeping companies work with other businesses to handle their financial matters, and because they’re so valuable to companies (they help save money), they can attract a sizable fee. Profit margins are in the region of 20%, which is among the highest available. 

Offering Legal Services

They say that money makes the world go around, but this isn’t really true -- the law makes the world go around. If you can successfully argue something, then it’s yours. And this makes it easy to see the attraction of quality legal services for businesses and individuals. Sometimes, this is because they need to react -- say, they face a legal challenge and need to defend themselves. But most of the time, it’s proactive, such as making sure that everything about their legal setup is watertight, strengthening their brand and trademarks, and so on. As the world becomes ever smaller, there will be a lot of work available for lawyers who can understand international trade laws. 

Car and Home Repairs

They say that robots and automation will take over jobs, and that is most definitely true for certain positions, but there will be some things that robots can't do -- not until many decades into the future, at least. Take, for example, car and home repairs. This is something that most everyone requires at some point or another, which makes it a steady business, and there’s little that a robot could do about, say, a leaking roof. If you’re technically minded, good with your hands, and want to be your own boss, then something related to repairs could be a good option. 

The Manufacturing Game

The world will always need manufacturing, which makes running a manufacturing business a solid option. Indeed, even if there comes a day when robots do most jobs, there will need to be a company making the robots and the machines they use. But even that’s a long way off: just think of all the items in the world, they’re all made somewhere. One reason why people shy away from setting up their own manufacturing company is because of the prohibitive costs and networking that’s required to get contracts, drum up sales, and so on. But there is another way. You can work with a manufacturing business broker, and buy an existing manufacturing company. It’s a smart way to get into the industry since all the systems are already in place. 

Real Estate 

People speculate about real estate, if property prices are going up and down, the long-term view, and so on -- and you'll likely have heard of people who have gambled on the property market, and lost everything. But all these narratives mask something that is as true today as it was a hundred years ago: that property and land ownership is always a smart way to build wealth. The problem is that some people think that real estate is guaranteed success, but it’s not -- and how could it be? Nothing is guaranteed, least of all success. If you have experience in the field, and know what you’re doing, then it’s more than possible to make handsome profits through buying, selling, or other businesses connected with the real estate industry.

Personal Healthcare Growth

We’re entering into uncharted territory. For the first time in perhaps human history, there is now more people in retirement age than there are people under the age of five: that has never happened before. And the market is going to shift to reflect this change -- in the coming years, companies that offer personal and home care will be in great demand. And this is on top of increased profits for medical companies. Whenever you’re thinking about starting any business, it’s always recommended to keep the target audience in mind. When it comes to all things medical, there’s no shortage of people who will need those services. 

Company Designs 

You can argue that we’ve moved past the age where companies make things, the big companies we mean. Nike, for example, doesn’t really sell shoes: they sell a lifestyle. As such, their branding is hugely important -- indeed, it’s what the success of their business depends on. All the manufacturing of their products is outsourced, they don’t do any of it. If the 20th century was dictated by companies who made things, the 21st century is about image -- the branding. As such, all modern companies put great emphasis on their designs -- and since they don’t have an in-house designer, they outsource the work. If you’re a talented designer, then you’ll find plenty of opportunities for work, and even more so if you can set up your own agency that offers other services, too. 

Pexels - CC0 Licence

Supplying Energy

The world is changing in various ways, sometimes by choice, other times by necessity. For the latter, think about energy. It has become crystal clear that we need to move away from fossil fuels as the source of our energy. It is simply doing too much damage to the earth. In the not too distant future, the majority of the world will be powered by low-impact, renewable energy -- there have already been giant strides forward made in this department in certain countries. With the costs of these energy sources coming down all the time, most and more people will use them to power their home, making it an especially attractive business opportunity. 

Outsourcing Companies

Businesses are beginning to change the way that they’re working. The costs of having a full team of staff to handle every issue mean that companies are increasingly looking to alternative options, which means outsourcing work to third-party companies. If you have experience in a field that can be outsourced by companies (such as marketing, legal matters, and IT), then you could look at setting up a company that specifically offers services to other businesses. The growth potential for these businesses is high, especially in the coming years. 

Online Connectors 

Some of the largest companies in the world don’t have any assets. Uber, AirBnb, and other online companies have a lot of potential for making a revenue purely because the investment needed to get the venture off the ground is minimal. Of course, the difficult part is coming up with a business that operates in this way, those that do will find a lot of potential, especially since it’s a trend that consumers like and want.

Tech Suppliers

We tend to think of the digital revolution as being in full swing, but this isn’t really true. Tech might be everywhere, but it’s still in its earliest stages, compared to what the future will be like. In the not too distant future, tech will touch all aspects of life, especially in business. Because companies know the value of technology, businesses that supply companies with custom tech built with their specific needs in mind are increasingly profitable. 

Personal Training

If you want to find out what businesses are profitable, it’s best to look at first, what people want, and second, what businesses are relatively cheap to get off the ground. One such example of a venture that fits both these models is personal training. While the amount of money that can be made isn’t astronomical, in terms of profit percentage, it’s one of the better ones there. Also, not for nothing, this is routinely cited as one of the most rewarding companies to run out there.

Food Trucks

The food truck looks as if it’s here to stay. After an initial rush that some people thought was unsustainable, food trucks have shown that they have staying power, because consumers like them so much. While there is a significant startup cost to consider, the money that food trucks can charge means they can be hugely profitable, especially if they’re in the right location. 

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a business with bags of potential for making money, then consider one of the industries outlined above, all of which have a bright future ahead of them.

[sportsnewsss]

Top 10 Highest Earners in the MLS 2020 Season

MLS has been a retirement base for a portion of the world's most capable footballers in the past few years. Andrea Pirlo, Kaka, and  David Beckham are only a couple of prominent stars to have spent their last years of career after a famous football career in Europe. At the point when such players despite everything keep on rushing to the division, the MLS is likewise turning into a sought-after place for soccer players in their prime, especially footballers from South America. Including an ever-developing number of native gifted players and it implies the division is gradually starting to set up itself as a rising power in world football. in any case, as it developed the costs are the case and specifically, the salaries of its footballers. As Zlatan Ibrahimovic has left MLS, the 2020 season despite everything looks an energizing prospect. Lots of new sides and players have entered, all set to win the title immediately. Maybe the most interesting new player is Javier Hernandez, otherwise known as 'Chicharito'. While beginners in MLS Nashville SC and Inter Miami would like to demonstrate their value immediately. Everyone's considering will be on the latter particularly, as David Beckham's side. In spite of the fact that his side has bought no famous names. Matias Pellegrini and Rodolfo Pizarro will be of great help to the team. MLS turning out to be a fascination for LA Liga, Premier League, and Serie A top soccer players. In 2020, Javier Hernández and Michael Bradley presently lead the most generously compensated Major League soccer players list. The MLS has a wage regulation which allows each side to spend close to $4.035 million on its salary bill for the campaign, anyway since 2007 and the presentation of the Beckham Rule, each side is permitted 3 players to whom the limitation doesn't have any significant bearing. Since the standard's beginning, there have been 144 players in the league, 65 of whom play in the division right now.

Here’s a look at the top 10 highest earners in MLS this campaign. 1-Javier Hernandez - LA Galaxy ($7.2 million per year) :

Hernandez is a Mexican expert soccer player who plays as a striker for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy and the Mexico national side. He left West Ham football club to join LA Galaxy. An amazing goalscorer, Hernández has been portrayed as a "goal poacher", because of some of his goals being netted from the box. His run off the ball, pace, and capacity to discover space inside the box has additionally been admired. He joined LA Galaxy on 3 years contract and turned into the most generously compensated player in MLS $7.2 million ensured wage as announced by football sources. Weight will be tremendous on Chicharito's shoulders as he offers to do the unimaginable undertaking of filling Zlatan's boots. In spite of the fact that the Mexican striker is no amateur to such responsibility, having played for a portion of Europe's greatest sides. He earned two PL titles with Red Devils and delighted in progress at Santiago Bernabeu.

2-Michael Bradley - Toronto FC ($6.5 million per year):

Michael Sheehan Bradley who was brought into the world on July 31, 1987, is an American expert soccer player for Toronto FC. He has joined the Toronto FC in the year 2014 in the wake of leaving AS Roma. Since then he is playing for the Toronto FC and his agreement with the club worth of million dollars. He showed up 163 times for the team and scored 11 goals in the games. Bradley's wage detailed up to $6.5 million in the year 2019. As of late, he signed another agreement with the club. Toronto FC skipper has played in the top divisions of Netherlands, England, Germany, Italy, which means he is one of the most seasoned footballers in the MLS. A clever and genuinely forcing right-footed soccer player, Bradley is fit for assuming the responsibility in numerous midfield positions and has been featured in the center, as a holding player, box-to-box midfielder, even in flanks as well as a profound playmaker. He came back to the division where he started in 2014 and assisted Toronto to lift the MLS Cup three years later. He's additionally been an MLS top player in 3 of the 5 full campaigns he's been with the club. The skipper was vital in their late-season to ascend to complete season fourth in the Eastern Conference. In spite of the fact that the club may profit by having a revived Bradley for the end of the season games. They ordinarily progress admirably, having arrived at the MLS Cup last 3 times in the last 4 campaigns.

3-Jozy Altidore — Toronto FC ($6.33 million per year):

Josmer Volmy "Jozy" Altidore born on November 6, 1989, is an American expert soccer player who plays as a striker for Toronto FC and the United States national side. Jozy Altidore is the third most generously compensated MLS player. He is right now holding an agreement with Toronto FC. He has scored 56 goals in all tournaments in 110 games for Toronto FC. His yearly pay detailed $6.33 million which incorporates reward and prize share. With Sunderland AFC in his last full campaign in the Premier League, Jozy Altidore netted only two goals in 39 appearances. That performance in 2015 earned him a single direction ticket out of Premier League and back to the MLS with Toronto FC, where he's found himself once more, scoring 72 goals and 24 assists in 139 matches. A fast and truly ground-breaking forward, because of his pace, finishing, and work-rate Altidore is fit both for scoring goals and connecting with his teammates. His physic, quality, and skills are noticeable in the air likewise empower him to hold up the ball with his back to the net and go about as a strider, he is additionally equipped for playing on the wing, or as a second striker. Following 7 years of European career, Altidore came back to the MLS and immediately regrouped. In any case, Injuries constrained his game time in the last two campaigns. Should he stay fit for 2020, be that as it may, there is no explanation Altidore can't assist Toronto with earning their title in the wake of three years.

4- Alejandro Pozuelo — Toronto FC ($3.8 million per year)

in March 2019, Alejandro Pozuelo had a difficult job as a successor for Sebastian Giovinco when he left Belgian side Genk to join Toronto FC. Up until now, he's done an entirely great job, scoring 12 goals in only 22 matches as an attacking midfielder. The previous Real Betis player delighted in a strong first season in Canada and will seek after business as usual in 2020. Pozuelo's inventiveness and work-rate and qualities made him an important figure from Toronto's side. He could establish the pace during his matches and even scored 12 league goals. Furthermore, subsequent to losing the MLS playoff to Seattle Sounders a year ago, Pozuelo intends to go one better this time.

5- Carlos Vela — Los Angeles FC ($4.5 million per year)

Carlos Alberto Vela Garrido brought into the world 1 March 1989 is a Mexican expert soccer player who plays as a winger for Los Angeles FC and the Mexico national side as a skipper. Vela is was the MLS' top scorer last campaign having netted a noteworthy 34 goals. He's additionally provided 15 assists, making him the second-best playmaker in the league. Considered as a promising footballer in his childhood, talented with abilities and athletic characteristics, previous Arsenal director Arsene Wenger portrayed Vela as a player who seems to be " Naturally skilled, fast, wise and with generally excellent technique". He additionally marked him as an "uncommon ability", expressing "I like Vela's insight and his pace. He scores goals however he can likewise create them." The previous Arsenal man surpassed Zlatan Ibrahimovic last campaign to complete the season as the MLS' best goal scorer. A record 34 goals in only 31 matches came to his direction. In this way, Vela scored forty percent of Los Angeles FC's goals toward the Western Conference title. Be that as it may, even Vela wasn't sufficient to win Los Angeles FC the Major League Soccer title following a playoff loss against Toronto. The 31-year-old who has always lost MLS title in his football career is resolved to change that this season.

6- Josef Martinez - Atlanta United ($3 million per year)

Josef Alexander Martínez Mencia brought into the world 19 May 1993 is a Venezuelan expert soccer player who plays as a forward for American club Atlanta United FC and the Venezuela national side. Josef Martinez scored 35 goals last campaign as Atlanta United lifted the MLS Cup without precedent for its history. Basically a forward, Martinez is an aggressive and ground-breaking player, who typically assumes the role of a central striker, however, he is likewise equipped for playing as on flanks. His pace, dribbling, finishing with either foot just as his head, joined with his skills to make aggressive runs off the ball from behind and get into great positions, make him a perilous attacking danger in the box. he's proceeded with that noteworthy from in the current campaign as well, scoring 28 goals, scoring for a further eight matches in succession. The Venezuelan forward rose to fame in the MLS during the 2018 campaign with champions Atlanta United by netting 35 goals in 39 matches. The 26-year-old demonstrated it was no accident the next campaign by netting a further 32 goals. Be that as it may, his great record couldn't defeat Carlos Vela and Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the MLS' top-scorer position. All things considered, Martinez has demonstrated his scoring ability and is resolved to repeat his records in his fourth season in MLS.

7- Nani - Orlando City SC ($2.333 million per year)

Luis Carlos Almeida da Cunha ComM brought into the world 17 November 1986, usually known as Nani, is a Portuguese expert soccer player who plays as a winger for MLS team Orlando City SC. Nani is one of the MLS' most decorated footballers of all time, having earned 17 significant titles with the Portuguese national side, Sporting Lisbon and Manchester United. In the beginning times of his football career with Red Devils, Nani's skills and playing style regularly welcomed correlations with the international teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, but Nani's style formed more that of a conventional winger than Ronaldo's advancement into a striker. While the 33-year-old has been brilliant since his appearance at Orlando City in February 2019, it's improbable that he will include the eighteenth title to his honors at any point in the near future. The previous Manchester United winger's arriving at Orlando a year ago was a shock for everybody. In any case, he before long found himself in a strong first season. Nani completed the season with 12 goals and five assists in 30 MLS matches notwithstanding Orlando completing 11th in the Eastern Conference. In this way, he lost a season playoff and title. The Portugal international will seek after a better position this time in 2020.

8- Diego Valeri — Portland Timbers ($2.32 million per year)

Diego Hernan Valeri is an Argentine soccer player who as of now plays as an attacking midfielder for MLS club Portland Timbers. Diego Valeri has shown up in the American league more than two hundred times since joining Portland Timbers in January 2013. The Argentine is a talented and inventive footballer and is known for his expertise and skills to give assists to his teammates, and normally plays as an attacking midfielder. In spite of the fact that he normally plays as a playmaker for his sides, he is likewise fit for scoring goals himself. The 33-year-old is a potential danger outside the box and has a decent header like his couple of goals he scored in the 2019 campaign. In 2015, Valeri assisted the Timbers to earn the MLS Cup. In 2017, he was named the division's MVP and has additionally been an All-Star in three back to back seasons Subsequent to frustrating spells with Porto and Almeria, Diego Valeri has developed himself into one of the MLS' greatest player. Valeri will plan to assist Timbers onto more prominent things in 2020 after their first-round exit in the last campaign's playoff games.

9- Carles Gil — New England Revolution ($2.1 million)

Carles Gil de Pareja Vicent brought into the world 22 November 1992 is a Spanish expert football player who plays as an attacking midfielder for New England Revolution in MLS. In January 2019, the 27-year-old turned out to be New England Revolution's record signing from Deportivo La Coruna with a $2 million contract. Up until this point, Gil has demonstrated a sensible profit for that money, scoring 10 times in 34 matches.

10-Jonathan dos Santos - LA Galaxy ($2 million every year)

Jonathan dos Santos Ramirez born on 26 April 1990 is a Mexican expert soccer player who plays as a midfielder for MLS club LA Galaxy and the Mexico national side. The more youthful of the two Dos Santos siblings Giovani, Jonathan started his football close by his brother with Catalans both having risen of La Masia.

Dos Santos is portrayed as a flexible midfielder, with LA Galaxy he regularly plays as a central midfielder. He is famous for his hard-working, dribbling ability, defensive awareness, vision, and skills to provide assists in space.

The 29-year-old joined Major league soccer club LA Galaxy On 27 July 2017. Villarreal sold Jonathan for a fee reportedly around €5–6 million. Since then he has scored 5 goals in 62 matches in all competitions.

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Premier League 2018/19 Tactical Analysis: Liverpool vs

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Premier League 2018/19 Tactical Analysis: Liverpool vs

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Following consecutive draws against Leicester City and West Ham, Liverpool found themselves nudged off the top of the table for the first time in two months. However, with rivals Manchester City not playing until Sunday, Jurgen Klopp’s side had the opportunity to return to the summit, even if only for 24 hours. Bournemouth, meanwhile, were looking to improve on their lacklustre away record.

In the end, the home side ran out comfortable winners, showing invention and composure in their pursuit of the title. This analysis will show how the Reds managed to break down their latest challengers.

Lineups

Liverpool lined-up in a 4-3-3 formation for this fixture, although Georginio Wijnaldum was given a fluid role to link the midfield with the attack. Furthermore, the front three rotated throughout the game, with Sadio Mane often the central striker. Full-backs Andy Robertson and James Milner were deployed high and wide, with Fabinho and Naby Keita in front of the defence.

Bournemouth were without key attackers David Brooks and Callum Wilson, with Eddie Howe setting up in a 4-1-4-1. Josh King was left to lead the line on his own, with the support coming from wingers Jordan Ibe and Ryan Fraser on the counter-attack. Jefferson Lerma was given the role of stifling the home side’s progressions between the lines.

Bournemouth deep and compact

The image below shows the Premier League home and away tables for the season so far. While Bournemouth would sit in a European spot based on their form at Dean Court, they would be languishing just a point above the relegation places based on their performances on the road. Heading to title contenders Liverpool on Saturday, very few expected the seasiders to return south with any points in the bag.

In light of these struggles, and compounded by notable absentees, Eddie Howe elected for a conservative approach at Anfield. Despite having a squad recognised more for their technical abilities than their defensive nous, he appeared to see no alternative option but to sit deep and defend with a compact unit.

Recognising the threat of Liverpool’s front three, Bournemouth looked to close out the space centrally with narrow spacing. They tried to keep the distances between players short both horizontally and vertically, hoping to force the Reds out wide before dealing with any subsequent crosses. They rarely applied pressure before the ball came into their block, choosing instead to play a more passive game.

The image below represents a typical shape formed by Bournemouth in their established defensive phase. One bank of four formed behind another of five, while Josh King provided the out-ball up front. The defender closest to the Liverpool player on the ball was often tasked with pressing, as can be seen by Surman in this instance.

On the occasions when they did have the ball (34%), they didn’t build through their usual methods either. No doubt concerned by Liverpool’s track record of forcing mistakes with high pressure, the away team chose to play it long more often than not in the first half.

The aim was to move the play as far away from their own goal as possible, before getting on the end of second balls. However, given the height disadvantage that their attackers had against the likes of Matip, Van Dijk and Fabinho, they didn’t enjoy much success in this regard.

In the attacking transitions, Bournemouth did display more of a pattern. Wingers Ryan Fraser and Jordan Ibe were given license to carry the play upfield with their dribbling qualities and pace. On the occasions when they managed to do so, they would look to dribble diagonally before combining with supporting teammates to create an opening. Chances were few and far between, however, and Liverpool were generally very effective in their defensive transitions.

With Robertson and Milner hugging the touchline on either side of the opposition’s penalty area, they were tasked with making secondary recovery runs to support the holding midfielders on either side. Whenever Ibe tried to carry via the flanks, Keita rushed across with angled pressing, blocking off any potential forward passing lanes.

Robertson chased back to support his teammate in closing out the space and forcing a turnover. The same applied on the other side, but neither Van Dijk or Matip found themselves in many one-on-one scenarios in the channels. The image below shows how well Liverpool managed Bournemouth’s attempts to counter.

Overall, Bournemouth failed to show much going forward, with Liverpool outnumbering them and coping well with the attacking strategies posed. The away side managed just two shots on target all game, with the closest effort well-saved by Alisson in the second minute. Additionally, their defensive approach was to prove ineffective, as we will discover.

Liverpool’s strategies to disorganise

With many already labelling them as bottlers for surrendering a seven-point lead in the space of a month, the pressure was on Liverpool to show otherwise. Bournemouth’s decision to deploy a deep defensive unit wasn’t expected to aid these efforts and was likely to test the Reds’ patience under the spotlight.

They managed to pass the test with flying colours, storming into a 3-0 lead within 48 minutes. They deployed numerous methods for shifting the away team’s defensive block, displaying their ability to adapt to different opponents once again.

Their positional setup saw Salah, Firmino, and Mane swap roles throughout the game. However, Salah’s tendency was to either cut inside from the right to shoot from range, or make runs into the limited space behind Bournemouth’s defence. Firmino favoured the inside-left position, but enjoyed relative freedom between the lines. Mane played mostly from a central berth, hoping to continue his recent goalscoring run.

Despite each leaning towards these positions, their movements were varied in an attempt to draw defenders out of space.

The positional play of Wijnaldum was also crucial in their attempts to create openings, with the Dutchman drifting across the space between lines, dropping off to link play, and arriving in the final third from deep. The image below shows their fluid positional lay-out in central areas.

Milner has taken up the advanced half-space on the right, with Salah moving out to the touchline. Mane drops off the front-line to drag Adam Smith out of the space, while Firmino attempts to stretch the Bournemouth back-line further.

Keita and Fabinho looked to feed the attackers with penetrative passes through Bournemouth’s defensive lines. They also often tried to draw opposing midfielders out with dribbles into the crowd before releasing the ball quickly in the hope that their teammates would be able to exploit the vacated space. In general, the pair sat in front of the defence to circulate possession and manipulate the opponent’s shape.

They were also important in protecting against the counter-attack. Keita in particular enjoyed a hugely impressive performance, as highlighted by the pass map below. He made 63 passes overall, with a 91% rate of completion. As well as helping to build the play, he also used his dribbling qualities to carry the ball into the final third at times.

In order to stretch Bournemouth’s backline horizontally, Robertson and Milner took up the most advanced wide positions. As Klopp’s system of play at Anfield has evolved, the full-backs have experienced a change to their usual starting positions. Rather than starting high and wide, they often start deeper before arriving onto the play and supporting the attack, making them more stable in transitions. Saturday called for a different approach.

With the away team playing narrow, the space existed on either side of their defensive block. Robertson and Milner were tasked with stretching the Bournemouth backline, as well as forcing Fraser and Ibe to stay back. Furthermore, their crossing would be an essential route to goal.

The image below shows the positioning of Liverpool’s full-backs. The wide midfielders face the dilemma of whether or not to follow Robertson and Milner, or cover the half-spaces and prevent passes between the lines. Either the full-backs or the central players were able to profit depending on the marking decisions of Fraser and Ibe.

For the most part, Bournemouth dealt well with crosses from the full-backs. However, the first goal came during the second phase following a corner. After the first delivery was cleared, Liverpool recovered possession once more before shifting the ball back out wide.

Bournemouth’s attempts to reorganise their marking were destabilised, leading to a mistake from Dan Gosling. The midfielder stood on the wrong side of Sadio Mane, who headed past Boruc. It was another example of how Liverpool tried to capitalise on any moment of disorganisation with quick actions.

Another way in which Liverpool planned to break their visitor’s resistance was by moving the ball quickly. This was especially true in the transitional moments, as they looked to capitalise on their opponent’s openness, as well as not wanting to give them time to re-organise.

For the second goal, an exceptional lobbed finish from Wijnaldum, Robertson instantly looked for a forward pass following a turnover. On a rare occassion when Bournemouth tried to build through the thirds, Liverpool pressed to dispossess Jordan Ibe. With the Cherries now lacking organisation, Wijnaldum makes a darting run into the gap between defenders, before Robertson picks him out with a perfect lofted pass. The finish from the midfielder is likely to go down as one of the best of the season.

Overall, it was an impressive first-half display from the home side, and they were well prepared to break down Bournemouth’s defensive block. The away side showed little in the way of sustained attacking, and also failed to produce an effective resistance out of possession.

Liverpool protect their lead

With a two-goal lead to protect, Liverpool decided to adjust their set-up going into the second half. Both full-backs reverted to their usual roles of arriving onto the play, as opposed to occupying high and wide starting positions. Meanwhile, the defensive line retreated slightly and the pressing from the front three reduced in intensity.

Bournemouth attempted to build sustainable attacks, with strikers Dominic Solanke and Lys Mousset both entering the fray during the second half. It didn’t result in much of an improvement, however.

Just three minutes after the break, Mohammed Salah got in on the goalscoring act following some quick combinations down the right. The Egyptian broke through to get on the end of an excellent backheel pass from Firmino, scoring his 17th of the season and cementing his bid for a second consecutive golden boot.

The image below highlights the speed of their attack to cut through Bournemouth’s defence. With the back-line pushing further up at the start of the second half, the space exists to exploit in behind. An excellent through ball from Keita finds the run of Firmino, who is supported by eventual goalscorer Salah.

For the rest of the game, Liverpool continued to attack in a controlled manner, with Bournemouth trying to mount a comeback. Despite a few opportunities falling both ways, the match ended 3-0. The home side showed their ability to adapt to the game state, altering their positional play depending on what was required. Their discipline to see out the victory with a clean sheet was impressive, but their opponents didn’t produce enough threat going forward.

Conclusion

With Manchester City winning 6-0 against Chelsea on Sunday, Liverpool remain second on goal difference. For Bournemouth, meanwhile, a ninth straight away defeat leaves them outside the top 10. Relegation isn’t much of a concern, but their form on the road will be for manager Eddie Howe.

While getting to the finish line ahead of Guardiola’s Sky Blues represents a sizeable task, Liverpool do look set to take the race all the away to the end of the season. Tougher tests will come at Anfield, but their ability to change tack in response to their opponents is encouraging in their fight for a first league title in 28 years.

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