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luci-in-trenchcoats · 4 years

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Unspoken

Summary: Dean is cursed with the inability to speak unless a cure can be found. It begins to wear on him in more ways than one...

Pairing: Dean x reader

Word Count: 1,800ish

Warnings: language

“Stay down,” said Dean, aiming his gun at the witch.

“Why don’t you shut up,” she said, throwing something at Dean. You both shot and she was dead like that but Dean had a hand on his throat, turning to you with a bit of panic in his eyes.

“Dean!” you said, expecting him to start gasping that he couldn’t breathe but it never came. Dean only continued to claw at his throat, opening his mouth and staring at you. “What’d she do?”

You watched him move his lips and even his tongue but not a whisper came out, no sound at all. He looked like he was trying to shout but there was nothing, Dean spinning around.

“You can’t talk?” you asked, Dean nodding as he found a piece of paper and a pen, jotting something down quick.

Can breathe. No talking though. Find spellbook.

“Alright. You look down here. I’ll take upstairs.”

About an hour later, Dean was poking his head in a room, tossing a notebook at you before walking away.

Found it. Doesn’t mention anything. I dealt with the witch. I grabbed the book so let’s go home. Maybe Sam can figure it out.

“Well, I’m sure this will be an enjoyable drive home.”

“Wait. So you can’t talk?” said Sam. Dean rolled his eyes and rested his head on his hands. “Really?”

“Yes, Sam. He’s cursed or under a spell. Help me figure this out, alright?” you said. Sam held up his hands, chuckling a little. “Sam.”

“Hey, compared to the usual crap that happens to us, at least this isn’t so bad, right? It’s not trying to kill him at least,” said Sam.

Dean sighed but gave a half-hearted smile and nodded. He waved and you followed after to the library, each one of you heading off to do your own research.

Hopefully you could find a cure soon.

Four Months Later

Sam was off on another random lead that probably wouldn’t pan out. You’d managed to find a nice and easy ghost hunt but you couldn’t even drag Dean along with you. That was your rule. It was too dangerous to bring him along when he couldn’t talk. It was strange how everything around him seemed to mute. Plates didn’t make noise when they stacked together. Chairs didn’t scrape along the floor. The shower was silent whenever he took one.

He was like a ghost. Except those made sound on occasion.

“Dean. Let’s get out of the bunker, go do something fun,” you said, poking your head in your room. Dean was nowhere to be found. You checked the garage next, Baby still parked in there, no sign of him. “Dean! Where are you?”

You hoped that didn’t make him mad. He’d been having a bad week. Worse than normal which was saying something. You knew he was reaching his breaking point even if he kept it to himself.

“Dean,” you said again, wandering to your old bedroom, finding him sat on top of the bed, staring at you when you walked in. “Baby. What-”

He tossed his little whiteboard across the room and you took a seat beside him, Dean turning his head away.

“I love you,” you said, wrapping your arms around him, giving him a kiss. “I know this is hard and I miss talking to you. So let’s talk, okay?”

He tilted his head and moved to stand but you kept him in place.

“Maybe the conversation is going to be a bit one sided but we can still talk, can’t we?” you asked. He nodded, looking over to where he’d thrown his whiteboard. He went to grab it but you shook your head.

“What?” he mouthed. You pressed your lips to his, gently laying the two of you back. He blinked when you moved away, eyes watching your hand slide up into his hair. Your fingers ran through his stands, green eyes flickering up and back to your face. He was thinking, trying to understand as you grabbed his shoulder and moved his head, resting it closer to your own. You smiled as he kept watching you, still thinking.

“For all the things I hate about this situation, you know what I love? Whenever I tell you how amazing you are, how wonderful and good and handsome and strong and intelligent and witty and awesome you are, you can’t make that tsk noise or scoff or sigh or grumble or interrupt to tell me I’m wrong. You have to sit back and take it,” you said.

He gave you a bitch face, rolling his eyes as you kept playing with his hair. He started to nuzzle into the touch though, his face turning soft.

“I love you,” you said. He nodded and pecked a kiss on the top of your nose, big green eyes staring softly. “I know you love me too, Dean.”

He let out a silent breath of air, pulling you flush to him.

“I don’t care what happens. I’m with you,” you said.

He smiled and grabbed your hand, pressing it flat against his chest and over his heart. You felt his heartbeat and smiled.

Two Months Later

“Dean! Lunch is ready!” you shouted from the kitchen. “Bacon lettuce tomato with extra bacon for you!”

You waited a beat, no tuft of brown hair coming around the corner. You grabbed his plate and drink, carrying them out to the library where Dean was researching again.

“You want to eat in here?” you asked. Dean lifted his head and shook it, waving you over. “You don’t want bacon...okay. That’s not concerning or anything.”

He tapped his book and you set the food down, peering over his shoulder.

“A transference spell? You want to transfer it to someone else?” you asked. Dean nodded, tossing his whiteboard at you.

We can’t break it so let’s move it. Move the spell to someone it won’t affect, like someone in a coma that’s never going to wake up. You think that would work?

“Actually, that’s not a half-bad idea,” you said. “Lunch first and then we’ll see if it’s possible.”

“It was a good try,” you said that night. Dean was in the gym, smacking hits against the punching bag. “We’ll get your voice back.”

He looked around the bag, taking deep pants, hitting it once more.

“Dean,” you said, his face scrunching up as he swung again. Hard. He did it a few times, the bag bouncing around, Dean not letting up until he was breathing hard, falling down onto his butt. He shut his eyes and put his head between his knees.

You sat beside him, Dean letting you pull off his boxing gloves. You frowned when you saw he’d cut up his knuckles.

“Let’s clean this up,” you said when his breathing was more even. He followed you to the kitchen, his head low as you wiped down the cuts and dried it off. “I can’t imagine how hard this is. I can’t. But if you need to go and let your anger out, you will do it the right way. Tape up your hands next time, Ali.”

He nodded, glancing up through his eyelashes.

“What would you like for dinner?” you asked. He shrugged. “Pizza?”

“Uf,” you heard him say, both of you wide eyed. “Igaf!”

“You can talk!” you said. Dean did a fist pump and jumped up and down, his sneakers making the cement floor smack. “Sammy! I think the curse is broken!”

“Really? That’s awesome!” he shouted back, wandering into the kitchen after a moment. Dean was still making baby noises though and he was quickly frowning. “So it’s been about six months. Could have been a timing thing.”

“Yeah,” you said, staring at Dean.

“Ea,” he said, pouting. “Ea icese.”

“I have no idea what he’s trying to say,” said Sam.

“Dean,” you said.

“Ea,” said Dean, finding one of his white boards laying around.

I’m trying to say Dean Winchester. That’s all that comes out. It’s like my mouth doesn’t know how to make the sound.

“Y/N. This may sound strange but...I think I know what the witch did,” said Sam. “I read about it like, years ago.”

“Don’t keep us in suspense, Sam,” you said, Dean throwing up his hands.

“Infantiliccum curse. Six month initial period,” he said.

“Well what is it?”

“I think Dean is very lucky that witch only decided to mess with his voice,” said Sam. “It basically reverts whatever the witch chooses in the afflicted to become that like an infant. Babies can’t talk right? Dean couldn’t talk. The other sound thing might have been a side effect.”

“Yeah but he knows how to talk. Why-“

“Yeah, he does but this is the part Dean’s gonna be pissed about. There’s another six months before it fully wears off,” said Sam.

“Ic uns!” said Dean, his face scrunched up. “Fff mfh uc afh!”

“Pretty sure there was an f bomb in there somewhere,” you said. Dean nodded, glaring at Sam.

“Hey, I said fully reversed. Maybe now you can like, learn to talk again in the meantime,” said Sam. “Get some phrases back.”

Dean growled but he still smiled at being able to make sound.

“I think that’s a good idea. I’m sure you’ll pick it up fast.”

“I know this one’s hard,” you said about a week later, holding up a flash card.

“Owiop,” said Dean, opening his mouth wide. “Owiop. Uckin etter. I ate tat etter.”

“L’s are hard. Come on. Tongue up behind your teeth, narrow your cheeks in and drop your jaw. Lollipop.”

“Ollipop,” he said with a bit of a smile. “Oll...Lol...ipop. Loll...ipop. Lollipop. Uck it L’s. I ot tis now.”

“You want to take a break? We’ve been going all morning,” you said.

He just smiled and stared at you.

“I love you,” he said, no struggle this time.

“Been waiting a long time to hear that again,” you said, kissing him for a few long moments.

“Tank you,” he said. “Th...ank you.”

“Thank you for trying. We keep working it and you’ll be back to your old self in no time,” you said.

“Love you,” he said, kissing you again.

“I love you too, Dean. Even when you couldn’t say it, I knew baby. I always knew.”

#supernatural #spn #dean x reader #dean winchester #supernatural fanfiction #dean winchester x reader #dean #winchester #dean spn #dean supernatural

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thesmilingfish · 3 years

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Just figuring out my work trip stuff.

If I’m right, they should reimburse me $255.05 on expenses for food and gas for the rental car. If I’m right, I should be paid for 40 regular hours of work and 15.5 hours of OT at time and a half. We’ll see.

I work closing today, have tomorrow off, Wednesday drive 90 miles to work at another store where I’ll be until Friday when I drive home after my opening shift, Saturday off and Sunday closing at my store. I’ll get paid for my time driving, but I don’t know if they’ll reimburse me for mileage too.

My cousin asked me if I’d go on more of these trips and I said I didn’t know; that I was so tired. She replied that I’m tired all time, which is true. I think I’ll wait and see how these two trips pan out money wise before I make a decision. I’m certainly not doing this for the joy of travel; I was at work when it was light out and didn’t see much of anything while in Utah. But also, in the Utah store the new hires are making $17 an hour, while I make less than $1.50 more than that as a supervisor. I have a feeling I’ll encounter the same thing in the next store I help at. Honestly, I should be making at least the minimum of what the person in my position makes when I’m working in these stores. It’s not gonna happen, which is probably why I’ll end up saying no in the future.

#personal

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popculturebuffet · 3 years

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Ducktales Treasure of the Golden Suns Reviews: Wronguay in Ronguay (Paid for by Patreons)

Hello all you happy people and welcome back to the genesis of magillicutty Ducktales with the second part of my months long look at Treasure of the Golden Suns, the mini series that kicked off the series. These reviews are a result of me hitting my first patreon stretch goal. I just did a LONGGG post outlining those here on tumblr so hit that up and help join my patreon so I can reach them and make some more moolah to help keep this my primary job.

So speaking of that job we’re back to The Treasure of the Golden Suns and the first chapter, while not bad, was a tad disappointing, especially since I really liked it on first viewing. So will the second chapter fair just as bad or be a massive improvement? The only way to find out is under the cut.

Previously on Ducktales: Donald shoved off with the navy leaving the boys with Scrooge, with both growing to care about one another... both out of nowhere

The boys ended up embroiled int he Beagle Boys theft of a wooden ship for a mysterious gentleman named El Capitan whose preferedd method of dealing with enterlopers.. was to use a chair like a lion tamer. After being falsely blamed for the theft, the boys ended up chasing the beagles to Scrooge’s candy factory, were vindicated and fought them off with Scrooge’s help , ending with the boys getting covered in choclate. while El Capitan escaped vowing to find the gold. Now knowing the wooden ship was a map, the family prepared to set off

And that’s where we pick up. The reporter from last episode comments on the beagle bust and while the Beagles are hauled off, with Burger asking if they have any milk after eating his chocolate prison. Because his only character trait is that...

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The camera does linger on an impression the ship made in the chocolate... hmmmmmm.

Meanwhile we meet FLINTHEART GLOMGOLD. As I said with Catch as Cash Can, he’s not BAD, just not NEARLY as memorable as the triumphantly insane 2017 version. He’s sitll a good villian and we’ll see why soon, he just has the unenviable task of competiting with a far more iconic versoin made decades later whose far more my type of bad guy. El Captian calls him and offers to make him the richest duck in the world, which he naturally is happy to hear him out on. El Captian as a character i’ll get into more.. but for now let’s talk about his weird fucking voice. For some reason, Jim is doing a Dr. Claw impression, to the point I thought this was Frank Welker. I will grant it’s better than a horrible latinx sterotype, and given the grand kishke and a minor character in this very episode, they were NOT above those, but its’ still just.. weird. He just sounds like he’s possesed with about 80 or 90 demons for no explained reason.

Back at the mansion, Scrooge and the Boys are both preparing to go after the treasure on the boat map: Scrooge is practicing vacuming it up using the pool and a sea safe vacum likely invented by Gyro, while the boys find the right coordinates to the treasure. Scrooge naturally.. is a bit of a dick about it, refusing to take them along despite them having found it, and saying they can stay with Duckworth. Duckworth’s response is about what you’d expect:

However before they can argue about this, there’s a bang at the door: It’s Flinty and here’s where the parts of this Glomgold I DO like, that do make him standout, if not as much sa his succesor shine: He plays scrooge, offering him 2 million for the Candy Factory. Naturally not realizing what Flinty’s getting out of the deal, Scrooge jumps at a quick and easy 2 million, since he knows it’ll cost MORE than that just to fix up the place. Flinty then proposes a contest: the two of them try to make as much money as possible from scratch in two days. No rules, no barriers, just whoever dosen’t have more money than the other by the end has to eat Flinty’s hat. Scrooge accepts.. but then realizes he has to eat crow and allow the boys along. With Scrooge sufficently blackmailed, the boys reveal where the treasure is: Ronguay, a made up south american county. Why they did so.. well just wait a second. And no it’s not just for the tile... but your close.

No we find out why as they take the cheapest flight avaliable to Ronguay, only for the boys their going the Wrong way to Ronguay.

Yeah I love a good pun but I draw the line at desinging an ENTIRE COUNTRY for a really obvious one. I have standards on this blog! Standards that include thirsting after Keith David , DBZA refrences up the whazoo and posting this gif of David Byrne at every given opportunity.

Look my standards are weird, but their still standards. I draw the line at making a stupid pun when there’s a rich number of countries in South America. I’m not saying Carl Barks was ever against making up a country, he probably did, could be wrong, but more often than not he did his homework instead, as did his succesor Don Rosa. It feels lazy to just make up a country when you really don’t have to and could’ve just found one with a massive rainy season for your children’s cartoon. It’s not hard. I mean it’s harder than now: now I could just google “what south american countries have torrental rains”.. but it’s not like you guys could’n’t just go to a bookstore and buy a refrence book or a library and rent one. I mean if they ran out of time to do anyresearch fine, but even for the 1980′s it wasn’t that difficult to at least TRY.

Regardless it turns out the pilot is a robot pilot.. who looks amazing but as it’s a flintheart glomgold company joint is purposfuly tring to keep them off path. Look they didn’t have to unplug the poor guy. I know what he wants.

So now on the right way to Ronguay our heroes lan only to find the locals all fleeing in terror of something. Scrooge heads in for suplies anyway and finds... a VERY racist sounding clerk. Seriously just to picture this.. picture say .. Michael Scott trying to do an mexican accent. You good and cringing? If not, adapt that to your doofus sitcom character or republican senator of choice There you go. You see my point. It’s not the WORST i’ve seen.. but only because I sat through the Rediculous 6 with my best friend, one of three, Cory, for a podcast we tried doing a year or two ago. I’ve seen Rob Schinder do this for an entire movie. In 2015 no less. So my threshold for HORRIFCALLY offensive is vast and deep. But this is still garden variety racist and should not have been okay then or now.

And it really SHOULD have the warning label on it. I’m fully in favor of the content warnings Disney started using, and it’s why I got so fucking annoyed during all the talk about it when it happend to the Muppet Show, ESPECIALLY when the republicans got a hold of it and accused them of “Canceling the muppets”. This is NOT fucking cancelation, this is a way to have the past there for posterity, while acknolding it sucked and was NEVER okay. It’s the best way to do this in my opinon, and it bothers me a LOT that a bunch of jagoffs coopted it and threw a hissy fit about Disney trying to do the right goddamn thing. And i’m also okay with leaving some media out. Disney + is a family platform. While keeping classic movies and shows on there with a proper warning is one thing, it’s another to not put song of the south or that episode of the muppets where the host later turned out ot be a pedophile on there. Some things just don’t have nearly enough worth to outpace the harm they can do. And it’s up to companies and consumers to figure out what fits where.

Anyways our heroes find a llama for transport and that the map is seemingly a dead end to the desert. But Scrooge is determined to press on... and while he does El Capitan and Glomgold are following him, though the two clearly don’t agree on whose in charge, or if El Captian sounds like dr claw or not. They followed with their own copy of the map taken from the chocolate.

As things progress the rain starts.. and our heroes find out via the JWG that this is what the citzens were all running from. They loose the llama, though are able to salvage some of their suplies it was carrying, and Scrooge nearly gives up to dispair. It’s a good, if sudden, character moment: Scrooge genuinely laments that he was worried one day he’d loose his step.. and stop being one step ahead of everyone. It shows some much needed vunerablity.. that beneath his boisterious and cantankerious usual personality he’s deathly afraid his age will eventualy mean he’ll have to stop..and having to stop adventuring and stop working and stop doing eveyrthing that makes him Scrooge McDuck is a fate worse than death.

Thankfully he dosen’t as via a figure on the ship, Huey, Dewey or Louie figures out, in a REALLY amazing twist, that the desert itself was the ocean: the ship that has the treasure simply sailed here and hid it. So while our heroes reflect, Glomgold decides to take them out NOW while he has the chance over El Captian’s protests, as the good captain only cares about the gold. But Glomgold is right.. from a villianous point of view at least. leaving them alive is a waste.. granted he does so.. in a way that makes my brain cry out in pain and want to run. He lights a stick of dynamite. In a torrential rainstorm.

I mean i’d expect 2017 Glomgold to try it and have it fail.. not to have the actually clever 87 version not only try something this stupid BUT HAVE IT WORK. THE FUSE LIGHTS. IT’S READY TO GO OFF. HE ONLY STOPS IT BECAUSE HIS MAP GETS EATEN AND THEY NEED SCROOGE’S IN TACT. JUST HOW DO YOU WHY DO YOU AUGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-

Okay i’m.. i’m good now. So after that bit of nonsense and some taking my medication, our heroes take shelter in a cave. The grusome twosome try to sneak in while their asleep.. only to trigger the alarms the boys set up using their pots and pans, a “junior woodchuck alarm”. Clever little bastards.

The tables quickly turn though as Thing one and Thing Two trap our heroes in the cave.. as i’ts flooding. Scrooge has them press on in hopes of finding a way out, and it rises further and furthe ran excenelty tense scene. But eventually our heroes manage to find somewhere safe in time: the shipwrecked boat with all the gold. Scrooge even puts on a nifty golden conquestador’s helmet.

Naturally since we have minutes left in the episode the bad guys show up and have a gun... they never had before.

Regardless our heroes are lowered into the lifeboat at gunpoint as the ship goes out to sea and i’ts revealed el captain worked on teh ship as he knows the full manifest.

However both villians personal flaws end up doing them in: Glomgold’s need to gloat means he gives Scrooge a golden coin as he mocks him about winning the bet... only for El Captain to fly into an insane rage demanding he swim out and get it despite just how LITTLE he really needs the coin. He and Glomgold struggle over the ships canon, both no longer needing the other and eventually fire off a ball that capsizes the ship. El Captian seemingly drowns while Glomgold is forced onto the life boat with the McDucks.. and finds out he lost as while he and Scrooge both lost the treasure the coin he tossed scrooge means Scrooge still has made more money. So Glomgold prepares to eat his hat and El Captian prepares for vengance and to get his gold back.

Final Thoughts on Wronguay in Ronguay: The iffy bit with the store clerk aside.. this episdoe is easily the best 87 Episode i’ve seen. It captures the spirit of barks perfectly with plenty of intresting twists that kept me engaged the whole time, some great jokes, and two great villians who are done in soley by their own greed and neurosusi> it’s really great stuff and what I expected more and remember more from the 87 Series: top notch adventure in the barks style but wiht it’s own unique touches. While the pilot was a bit rough due to all the ground it tried to cover, this episode, now having the basic formula of the series pretty much set, is allowed to just be a fun, daring adventure story that brilliantly builds off the last episode but can be wholly enjoyed on it’s own. Hopefully this momentum keeps because I don’t remember being the fondest of the next two episodes.. and given that content warning I think we’re in for a rough time next month.

If you liked htis join my patreon, etc etc, I went into that mor eup top. Till All Are One, See you at the next Rainbow.

#ducktales #wronguay in ronguay #ducktales 87 #scrooge mcduck #flintheart glomgold #huey duck #louie duck #dewey duck #el capitain #duckworth #reviews #disney plus #the disney afternoon

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throwingideasatthewall · 4 years

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Star Wars Episode 4;

Destroy malevolence

Didn’t we just do that?

I’m assuming this is going to be focusing on the aftermath of the destruction of the malevolence

And the preceding unraveling of general grievous’s net work

[And several acquaintances probably trying to break him out,]

Anyway...

On with It!

Quote;

“A Plan is only as good as those who see it out,”

Odd I’ve Stopped giving much stock into the quotes

Consider ing the last one had a relatively good one

And Is on the lower end of my expectations

My criticism of this Is a Short Plans can be good But People flawed

The narrator sounds a bit more enthusiastic

Weirdly drawn out pause

But it does get the point across

Allows enough time

“ Grievous in retreat,” Honestly Is this where we’re going to start

Like no disrespect- (I have the patience) But are we honestly going to spend the whole entire time watching Obi-Wan fuck up catching Grievous?

That would work with the theme of Jedi Masters

They make it seem a lot less stupid

[Recap

Also I really like the movement on the ship

Much more real istic

Continuing to Hold on it not so much

This is like someone continuously kicking someone when they’re already down

Or like a fire

After a while it just gets sort of boring

Or worrying

And you realize they could just take them into custody

Or that the fire is starting to envelope nearby forest With everyone having a bucket of water

Obi wan, why

Do you torment so?

He can’t even die

If so; He’d be dead

I love how Plo Koon and him are just watching the shit show like “Bitch”

You know they could both take him

But are just that dedicated to being sandry old man

“Commander, how much damage to the enemy ship?”

Have they suffered enough?

Also, geez dude’s been demoted it to commander

I mean I know he’s just Comms Guy But geez. (He probably deserved it)

Oh no, Random dude On The ground

Why?

“ She’s lost primary shields and stabilizers,”

So shooting at it is doing minimal damage

“ It can take all the fire our cannons can manage,”

Okay, time to get you two down there

“ we must summon reinforcements,”

Plo is slowly becoming that we “need reinforcements” guy

Like he can’t do anything by himself

(Except for last episode)

“ That’s why I’m here Master Plo,”

That’s not the right tone

And..... I was kind of hoping we’d get a Master Plo and Obi-Wan episode

This time around

Never mind the fact that Anakin can’t take on grievous

“ what are you able to contact Master (Liam Niara) (That’s how voice text spells it) (I have no idea)

“ Yes, master,”

That’s better

“She’s busy with a bunch of separatist reinforcement’s nearby,”

Bit too much eye movement but otherwise good

“ she won’t be able to give us support till she’s turn ing them away,”

Meanwhile you’ve already pretty much kill ed him

Guess just play poker?

Then we’ll have to do with what we have

Oh now with the teenager around you’re so brave

How’s that going to help?

Burning

On fire

Really, no mercy

Poor droid jerking around

Ex ploding

Perfect balance of kar mic pay back

“We’ve lost our primary weapon,”

Shit just continues to get worse and worse

General grievous is just there with his hands in his head

Not looking too great

“ The hyper drive is dis -abled,”

It’s been disabled since last episode but good repeating

Good to re-iterate

“Argh,”

“ General general,”

The forward engines are shutting down

“ im poss ible,”

Dude, look around

That’s pretty - heavy denial

You should just sur -render

More Sho -oting

This is going to be a sl -ow ep i sode

Ahsoka Managing systems

A not bad role for her

Certain-

“ Admiral Status- Re port,”

Shit’s fucked once again

They’re hyperdrive must be damaged

What you didn’t figure out the first time will Obi won must’ve checked

Compulsively For the 170th time in the last hour

“This our chance”

It wasn’t a few seconds ago?

“all ships target the bridge maximum fire power,”

Dude, what do you think that’ll do

Grievous is made out of pure titanium

It’s like.. a slightly long fall for him..

Generals.. really don’t wanna deal with Grievous’s shit today

Episode is 22:40 Long Left

All they’re doing is shooting at him

Grievous Called Dooku

“Dad I crashed the car,”

Sustained advanced damage

“ I know,”

Just dead panned

“ I have arranged a trap,”

Oohh! Interesting

But Also completely bullshit

Guess this is his punishment

Being used as bait

“To give you an advantage over the Jedi,”

“ I assure you,”

Please no

You’re not compound your failure this day,”

Ah, there’s the chewing out I was looking for

Perfect

Continue

“ war ship to fall,”

Oh so it wasn’t going to be a - get them sent to prison- thing

So how are you planning to unfuck the situation

Cause this looks pretty bad

They will never catch me or this ship

Bless him he’s trying

The expression just says ‘I have no idea how’

Like He knows what’s expected of him but has no idea

How?!

Heading towards you is a very important galactic senat or,”

In the middle of a war zone

Seriously not a good time for a photo op

“ With her as a hostage,”

“call off the attack,”

Ok no one is calling off an attack this important for a senator

Nor should be letting her get captured ....

*Bowing down*

*Assumed authority*

Blue

It looks remarkably better this episode 👍 Also of course it’s Padme Amidala Couldn’t be any of the 4000 other senators we know nothing about

Really getting into the love triangle stuff right away, aren’t we?

Like why couldn’t we slow burn it

(I know she was in the movie) But

I wouldn’t mind “Are you sure the infor mation from the chan cellor Palpatine is reliable?”

Fore shadowing!

Good job authors you get a cookie

“ it was secretly given to him by the leader of the Bank-he Clan, himself!”

Okay Amidala’s tone kinda works

Could use a little more monotone but it works

I gave Anakin like three tries so I’m not gonna be too harsh

There is still time for the minimal improve ment it needs

“ if they leave the separatist alliance it will go along way to shortening this war,”

Er- Okay it makes sense for her character

She’s sup posed to be around the same age as Anakin

“Beep, Beep,”

“ We’re approaching the system now,”

“Oh shit,”

Crud

“ my goodness,”

Best Droid

“This isn’t right,”

Then Move!

That’s a droid warship

“We’re in the middle of a battle!”

Hey, that’s a smart character

Hyper drive out of there

“ we’re scanning a small ship off our bow,”

Get out of there “ Good,”

Yeah, how are you going to get her?

Seeing as how like a million warships are belting your bow?

I know those must be like raindrops to him

But come on

Don’t go into the burn -ing wreckage

And towards enemy fire

Then again she was probably heading towards the Jedi ship

So (as a civilian) that makes sense

“Master I’m picking up a signal near the enemy vessel,”

Tone

Enemy reinforcements

That’s- A Good Call

Respectively

“ it looks like-”

“A Naboo ship”

“Gunners stand day,”

Hey everyone’s competent today!

(Not that there’s anything wrong with enablers being stupid)

This just requires more brain power

“ what in Blazers are they doing out here?”

A valid response

But weren’t they the ones that pledged transport ships?

Like oh yeah stupid going out into a war zone

But not completely out of the question

“ Ahsoka contact that ship,”

Bit too much energy

But still resp ect able

Literally coming from fiery hell

Identify yourself

“Padme what are you doing out here,”

Cringe

That line sounds like boomer. What boomers think high school jocks sound like

And we’re like no

“ I was sent on a special mission,”

Good job Writers

The ‘Bang he Klan Wanted to negotiate a treaty

Good reason

“Get out of there,”

Too Force ful

Better Idea; Have Obi-Wan try to calmly explain the situation to her

Possibly distracting her for general grievous to kidnap

“ Activate the tractor beam,”

Damn we’re going back to old old sci Fi- with tractor beams and shit

I was expecting like a hook and chain, a harpoon

Was not expecting that

That made me laugh

WTF

Tell them some nonsense is going on!

“i’m afraid it’s much worse than that,” Gunners Do Something?!

it’s a beam; it can be broken

“ Padme what’s happening?”

A go- decent response

“ i’m being pulled inside the droid cruiser by a tractor beam,”

Good Commun ication

Whelp, Done

So at 22: 40 Rest of the episode is hostage situ ation?

Inter es ting

Much Better Than Just Shooting at it for an hour

“I will not be made a separatist bargaining chip,”

Initiative

Though Less Emo -tion

Should be recited like something she had to read off a paper

Guessing I’m not Padme I’m Padme’s handmaiden thing only works once

Continue your attack

You must continue-

I hope she get some actual action

Nothing too intense because she’s still a kid

But like a surprise attack on General grievous

Destroy this monstrous ship

That’s kind of like-

How-

I saw the next frame

Wtf-

WTF

HIS FACE JUST-

CON-torts

You are not Romeo and Juliet movie

You are two kids reinacting Romeo and Juliet clumsy

Get it right

“Admiral, order our ships to stop firing,”

No one’s gonna stop this

No one‘s gonna comment...

Okay....

Obi-Wan And Plo Koon are just gone

Left when Anakin started acting unchild like

Never mind still there

Nothing suspicious *Rubs beard*

Whelp

It does not look safe out there my lady

Screw with the tractor beam and leave

No one can stop you

Droid Related

“I see now this whole thing was a trap,”

The Bang’he Clan Works With The-

I can’t even make that joke because the bang’he clan are working with the separatists

Good writers you out joked me

“ we walked right into it,”

Pressing buttons isn’t going to help lady

Sir the republic cruisers have halted their attack

Bit too much emotion for a droid but it works

“Jedi are so predictable,”

Hit him with a gun

Get the repair team up here

“ i’m going down to the main hanger,”

The arm motion was a little weird... for ‘I’m going down to the main hanger’

Street Railways?

Are we getting *tour the inside of the ship??

Nice

This ship must be returned to Count Dooku intact

Nice little interaction

Rail ways

There’s no room for failure

Hard Moral

One on fast speed ing train

Moves over to another pad

Don’t think that’s gonna help

“Come on I’ve over loaded the power system,”

THAT’S actually really clever

Good job whoever gave that order

General grievous goes boom

Fighter door opens

Find a Fighter

And fly out

* Anakin walks away*

You know this would be a good idea if Obi-Wan had ordered him to do so when feeling the emotion of ‘love’, miscommunicating the concept of love, and didn’t realize that’s what he was doing - what clues him in

“ where do you think you’re going,”

“ someone’s got to save her,”

Still too much emotion

“I thought you might say that,”

Did you give him that, did you give him an order relevant to that?

There he goes again

Yeah Someone should really check up on that

Or get Obi-Wan to lay off the suicidal orders

“Craving adventures and excitement,”

No, orders

“ You get used to it”

Could be just a response

But too much reaction And Person ality

Oh, Shit’s On Fire

“Come on 3PO hurry,”

Flaming wreck lady

“not sure this is such a good idea,”

Neither is being held captive

You’re made of like solid gold

Timing

[also the announce in the background like a train station - just cracks me up]

Time to get blown up

“ Mind the gap”

“Mind the gap”

Haha

You two come with me

Command

That droid’s-

No, wait- It’s Amidala

And C3PO

He’s trying to help

Looks Inside

Beeping

Timer

Look like the engine- Are Set To -

Timing

“Destroy themselves,”

He really needed them to say that

Get out of my way

“Ow,” You don’t want to die

That’s just rude

So is death

You should get out of there

He’s going to come back around

Geez

Fire squad is a train wreck

They’re Trying

Crud if this gets back to Skywalker and he thinks she’s dead

After That Speech

Who knows what toxic morals of love Obi-Wan taught him could activate

This could become a train wreck

Ahhh!

It got worse

Seriously who made the droids that have to with stand high water pressure Light weights

Oof

Even high water pressure cannot kill him

Even running away cannot save him

Wonder what that attack would’ve done

Sound the alarm

“We have stowaways,”

Or...

She was never on that ship

Seriously no one besides the republic saw her

I’d go with “she isn’t on board,”

Run

Back to the republic ships

Who are doing nothing while grievous rebuilds

Like, The medical station is right there

You might want to get back on moving them

Just Saying

“ i’ve trusted you already formulated a brilliant plan to rescue the Senator,”

“ as a matter of fact I have,”

Umm,

Weird How to Code that

“ what do you have a Plan B Every good plan has a back up,”

Stop forcing his dependence on you

“ I don’t have a back up yet,”

Too much emotion

Really

Questioning

Not really helping his self-esteem

Really “ we’ll sneak behind them and dock at the emergency air lock,”

So I’m guessing this is going to set up Padme going there

“ That’s your plan?” Discouraging

“Fly land,”

That’s literally what all maneuvers rely on

Also it sounds like something out of a fairy book

Which might explain Anakin toxic behavior

“ Walk in the door,”

“Basically,”

Too much emotion

“Oh Brilliant,”

Dick

Firey Wreck

“ Might I suggest we keep moving?”

Bit Loud There It

“ I think I hear battle droids approaching,”

Talking is not helping

“But we also need to contact the fleet,”

Getting out is the prerogative

They don’t know where you are

And you can’t stay in a constant location

If I can just keep this com panel working

Ahhh!

Well just disappeared

“The Damage to the hyper drive was not as bad as we first thought,”

How?!

It’s been damaged for about two episodes

Also, Good for Her

“ We’ll be able to get underway again shortly,”

With this mess of a ship

Hyperdrive would send half of it flying

It’s barely holding together by a string

You’re screwed

I must inform count Dooku

Seems oddly suspic.

Continue the search

Find the stowaway

How does that change anything in Amidala’s eyes

Getting to know the boss isn’t worth it

Just be more careful

Roger, roger

Commander

Intimidating

*Spark*

Oh She Was In A Cabinet

Thought she made it in

C3PO Looks creepy in one frame

Shit’s Constantly on fire

“If they spot us we’ll be pulverized,”

With what guns??

You’ve been doing all the hitting this entire time

They’ve been sitting Geese

“They’re too busy repairing the ship,”

Thank you

[also Obi-Wan complainers rules]

“ They don’t have time to notice us,”

Cocky

Subtlety has never been one of your strong points Anakin

Neither Yours Person who orders him!

“ Everything I know I learned from you master,”

Point Yes Attitude? No

Oh if only that was true

Should Be

Might be a side jab at how he took orders from the Chancellor

There we go

Only Obi-Wan was worried

“Didn’t You Hear It,”

Your circuits are loose

Or maybe you’ve lost your hearing

From the impact

“ No one’s crazy enough to do that,”

Cut

“Anakin”

Perfect

“You’re Crazy,”

You groomed him this way

“ spinning is not flying”

“But it’s a good trick,”

Too much emotion

Do not want to be spotted

Good job

You’re standing more in the doorway than he is

“I knew it it’s them,”

That droid is just having a day

Aww But his friend came down to check with him

That’s adorable

Oh no

They’re backing off peacefully

ASSHOLES!

Obi-wan specifically

You stay here R2

Again why did you bring him

Another bold strategy by -

Say Skywalker

‘Skywalker’

Ordered

“I presume,”

No, Obi-Wan’s

When it’s not Palpatine’s

“That’s my master”

Children don’t show preference for handlers

“ once they rescue the Senator we will need to reinforcement to finish off the enemy

Sounds nonsense but OK

Dude really Likes enforcement’s “ i’m on my way,”

“Master Plo”

“ We’re receiving a transmission,”

Padme

Weird distance to start a conversation at

Running for some reason

“ Master we found the senator,”

Good

“ We’re patching Her through,”

Helpful...?

What is it with Skywalker and becoming a Barking over- animated Puppet Every time senator Amidala gets involved ?

“Anakin where are you,”

Better; where are your coordinates

“ On lower levels,”

Better but where

“I don’t know,”

Give a better location

For how long

Problem with this whole plan

Give Landmarks

Get to the rendezvous point

“Obi won and I are on board too,”

Better; get to the ship on level ____ on your ___ side Optional; Closest landmark ____

We’ll meet you there

What what are you doing?

Not the best point to argue

Ahsoka, how can we get to the senator

Better how can we both get to the escape pad?

In case we both get separated

Taking longer to coordinate that complicated-

How long till they get separated?

Center of the ship

Half way between the two of you

Neither Ahsoka gave neither

Bad instructions

“ we’re on our way

To a very unspecified point on not specified level at a not specified time

Let the hijinks commence

“ Did you hear that Padme?”

You’re on the same com

“ i’ll be there,”

Some-how

The question to my answer was 22:40

When do the Hijinks begin?

Let’s See

Marching Intimidated

“we just detected An unauthorized communication Coming from within the ship,”

Shouldn’t he be making a phone call?

“ what did it say?”

Interesting

Well we don’t know

That’s how encoding works

We didn’t catch it in time

Off

Droid winces

Monitor all internal communications

Like they’ll do it again

I want that senator on this bridge

Good luck with that

You haven’t even saw her

Rail-ways

Nice

Busy

Should be a cakewalk

Is Not a cakewalk

All the way up there

“I do not see her,”

Yeah, that’s the problem-

She’s here master

I sent it

Or you got the wrong port

(So you heard her voice so she’s clearly somewhere on this ship)

He’s probably late again

But we do have company of another sort

Oh She has a gun

And somehow none of that hits her

And of course that gets the attention

I’m honestly glad they didn’t go with miscommunication Causes fake stand up scenario

Even if this is faux Romeo and Juliet

Good job

Lots of jumping

Look Jedi

Good job nice guy

No wait That one guy had common sense

“I knew that was a bad idea,”

Mercy

That you didn’t show on the other guys

Who were far more hesitant

And you took out that one guy

Who didn’t do anything

Just wasn’t as vocal

Dicks

Jump The peashooter isn’t doing the job?

Jump

He tried

Power Thrust

Ana kin

“ There. they are!”

Bull shit

No way

he saw those guys

On all those Packages

Also ‘the i knew It was a bad Idea Guy Got New Friends

“Fire!”

Fuck

The bridge is out

“Jump to me,”

Try it with a little bit more disinterest

“ I’ll use the force”

Even she realizes it’s not that intense

“ You have to trust me,”

Good Luck

OMG

It looks like she just falls

Also Obi-wan’s in the back like it’s none of my business

Like dude came on a rescue mission And has become completely useless never helped once Complained the whole way there

Manages

“Got you,”

“ NICE CATCH,” Obi -Wan from the sidelines

10/10 Hilarious

“ I’ll fetch the droid,”

What??

This isn’t cute

Disgusting

“Oh the things you do to get me alone,”

KIDS don’t-

Ack-

Please no more smoopy-

nope

I’m putting it in the “bad” corner Till it stops trying to ship children

Bad Movie

That’s Not Cute

Obi-wan Sucks

Can’t even levitate A Droid

“Stop me please”

Poor Droid

Blast You’re Weak

“ That’s not good”

Yeah you’re weak

“Anakin I got separated from your droid,” Thank God

I’ll take care of it

Better “ We’ll meet you back at the Twilight”?

“ I overheard grievous,”

Annnnnd

“ They’re hyper-drive is nearly fixed,”

Soooo, He better get you back to the ship so we can start blasting it with Cannon balls again?

“ i’m already headed in that direction,”

Soooooo, don’t do it, Obi-wan?

Or have Anakin and take the extremely important senator And come back for you later?

“ i’ll make sure the hyperdrive stays off line,”

By shooting it with more cannon-balls?

Ha ha Ha ha ha

We’ll see about that

What?! Person who can do nothing!

Like seriously if they just go back to the ship-

That Jedi

“I’m getting you out of here,”

Good decisions

“I need you to help me find 3PO,”

How?

“ I know I know he does,”

Padme’s expression

“And i’ll be there soon,”

That’s almost adorable

Oh like that

‘Someone stop this contraption,”

Careful Words

Yeet

There We Go

Into those boxes

“ I suppose I did ask for that,”

Ha-he

That got a small giggle out of me

Stomping

Bait

Murderous Intent

Get Fucked Obi Wan

Really rolling out all the stops

Hahaha

“ Hello there,”

[Took a pause. a long break]

General Kenobi

“ kill him,”

Straight. To. The. Point.

More in line with the characterization we’ve seen up so far, not that much for conversation

Dude’s just rolling

There went the others

Bowling pins they are

Oh grievous has a gun

And hiding behind the enemy

Thought he sent both those guys flying

Apparently I was wrong

Must’ve Been a Third

Didn’t Work

Yeet

That poor Droid...

Spark*

That was impressive

Nah he ran around things

It really set up your forces for a brawl among them selves

“Argh,”

Dude, how insecure

“ Guard the hyperdrive,”

Oh yeah he did shit to it

Also sending basic level mooks to deal with it

Shooting Things

Again how did Anakin and Padme end up in the situation?

They were at the train station last

Now they’re at??

And have agroed every enemy

Who should be focusing on Obi-Wan because

That was their last order

Grievous has just completely ignored Anakin

Hiding

You aggroed Them!

Why are you calling Obi -Wan

“Come in Obi-wan,”

Get her to the shuttle

“ i’m afraid grievous is onto us,”

“We noticed,”

Hey you guys Aggroed those guys completely on your own don’t blame Grievous for this

“Ack,”

Those are Tanks

You’re peashooter isn’t going to do much

Also, Anakin shouldn’t be able to take them either

This should be a properly terrifying moment

“ We’ll meet you back on the twilight,”

Good plan

“Obi- Wan!”

Writers don’t screw this up

“Come In,”

His communicuff clearly got damaged

What’s wrong?!

They’re jamming all communication

No again it’s far more likely that his communicuff Got Damaged (Especially with Grievous listening in,”

Not everything is jammed communi cations Yeet, yeet Yeet

That should not work Those are tanks

Anakin is a lightweight

His skill set is unspecified

But he shouldn’t be able to cut more than butter with that knife

Light wieght clankers should pose a challenge

Due to the amount of energy

“That might buy us some time

Unlikely

I suppose you have a plan Yeah, Get to the escape pad

Follow Me

...To the escape pod

C3PO I do believe I’m lost

Seriously you haven’t found this guy

Enemy Territory

And all alone

You’re a service droid

Probably wouldn’t notice anything

“Ah,”

Dude, they’d probably just adopt you into the clan

“ I surrender,”

Again I really want to see the C3PO and battle droids conversation

(When not aware of the other side)

It’s a projector... R2 D2

“ you are a sight for old eyes,”

A nice interaction

“ Master Anakin sent you to find me,”

“ what kept you then?”

He does have a point

Dude got thrown off the train about an hour ago

R2′s just been messing with him

“ follow me,”

“ The general is demanding a status report,”

Oh some driod on droid interactions (without the general)

Nice

Is the hyperdrive re-paired Yet

From there?

“ i’ll give him the good news,”

This isn’t the escape pad

Did you take a wrong detour?

Also no one guarding the super important one panel repair

Just Light weight clankers

Also that’s not good news

(Especially considering it’s one panel)

Surprised this goes so well

Also; now there’s tanks

Surprised you think that peashooter can do anything ma’am

Like seriously should’ve grabbed a bigger gun

The droids have some

And you can’t tell me there hasn’t been artillery laying around this entire time

Yeet

That almost- Turned into murder This is why not going to the escape pods immediately was a bad idea

Again this should be a stressful fight

But turning your child soldier Into an all powerful can never lose child soldier

Is bullshit movie

Opened Door

“Ever since I’ve known you you’ve been playing with droids,”

Ack

“I used to put them together,”

Alright...

Now I only take them apart Child soldiering...

It sucks

So, where do we start

GETTING TO THE ESCAPE PAD!

Obi-Wan supposed to be here any minute!

With whole lot of bullshit!

Move!

First we need to get one of these droids so they don’t know we were here

No destroy the thing and go

They’ll figure it out in like five seconds

When they go to start the thing up!

Running is a good option

“I’m gonna hot wire this ship,”

How does this make anything better?

He’s already down and in kicking position

Everyone’s waiting for Amidala

You’re not helping, good sir!

(In fact I’m pretty sure you’d have to fix something To make it go,”

Secondly, This is a HUGE -ass ship

As a reason it has an electrical team

Squeezing two little wires

Isn’t going to do much

It requires continuous effort to different parts of the ship To make a dent

And I truly doubt such a large ship is going to have such a non-complicated Start-up compared to hotwiring a car

Point being; this shouldn’t work

Give Grievous a little surprise

Again if it’s anything less Then a bomb

Dude isn’t gonna have much trouble

And this is a waste of time

I’ll guess I’ll clean up the droids then

LITERally im possible

That’s a tank!

You carry light weaponry!

Back to the fleet

Plo Koon Is doing nothing

Having tea and cookies with Ahsoka

Our ships are in attack position

So... nothings changed

“Master Skywalker,”

No one else either

“No,”

Deadpanned

“ The droids are jamming our transmissions,”

(More likely reason for that on a -damaged ship)

But Ergh-

“We need to give him more time,”

Opinion!

“ i’m sure we can,”

I’ve been sitting on my ass-

[Plo’s Head Moves -Railway]

We’re back here again?

Obi-Wan should be at the station by now

Everything is behind him

Yeet

Make it to the Coms center

Break Some Shit

Oof Those Poor Droids Good Pa rell els

Splat!

Obi won looking back-and-forth

Obi-Wan you are a Jedi master this shouldn’t be hard

Run

Tum ble

I was fully planning on him stacking it

Roof

Also, Obiwan

Stop fecking Around

Get to the place

Woof

How

Did you end up falling over?

Ironically Obi-Wan shows less emotion than Anakin

* Slashing the train*

Okay... what did I do

Snarky little shit

Could be snarkier

“That oughta do it,”

Ana -kin Doing Obi-wan’s Job

Also Oh shit is he plugging in the location of that supposed fight with master-

How’s the house cleaning going-

Im-

That dude made out of -metal

He is FIVE times your bodyweight!

HOW?

Done?

You MOVED a Tank??

HOW-

That’s-

What ever

* Guys coming in*

Oh yeah that’s a door

I guess repairs are finished

Or they went on lunch break

Prepared to charge up the hyperdrive

Right on it

“Roger, Roger,” -famous last words

Sparking

Driving

Are we seriously waiting on these two

“Are you quite sure the ship is in that direction?

He’s basically a GPS

That way looks potentially dangerous

All of them do

“Haz ardous,”

Better Example beeping irritatedly

“I know the whole place is dangerous,”

Thank you R2- D2

“ I suggest we stay here and let master Anakin find us,”

Bad idea

A better idea than anyone in the ‘let’s meet up in an undisclosed location’ came up with

Good idea

3PO

Fecking Irony

“Don’t just stand there,”

See?

“Let’s get back to the ship,”

Irony

Power up the engines R2

You know Obi-Wan’s likely going to screw up your shit right

*obi-Wan comes around the corner,*

Dude you have shit to screw up

Did you forget?

There shouldn’t be an escape pod for you

What

Hold the ship

No, you didn’t do anything...

Then again he could just cannonball it

How’s that-

Okay Very light bullshit

“ i’ll contact the fleet,”

It’s the most you’ve done this entire time

Focus On The chair

Do cking Clamp

There We Go

Off We Go

It’s still Burning

Grievous Off

Why?

He doesn’t know

Obi-Wan’s off the ship

Last saw him on the train...

(Not followed up on directly)

Flighters, Where I thought they all got destroyed?!

All batteries open fire

Again Plo Koon does not give a shit who dies

(Until sitting on his ass gets too boring)

Also this isn’t his fleet

They shouldn’t listen to him

(Especially after he got his last one killed)

More Shooting at the burning wreck

Turb ulence

And Obi-Wan still didn’t do his job

Guns

You can shoot back at any time

“ I wa-”

Obi-wan being completely useless

Anakin having too much emotion

“I got it,”

Shoo ting stuff

Somehow doesn’t go down immediately

Hit

“ She seems to know her way around,”

Gross

Hit Something

The Hyper Drive

-repaired

Also Obi-Wan didn’t fuck up shit

Dis appointed

Also it certainly as frick isn’t now

After they’ve been shooting

Should we retreat to friendly space?

If You can make there it with it in one piece (Which was the qualifications)

Engage the hyperdrive

With me not on it

“Secret base sector four,”

Interesting

“Prepare-”

Enthus iastic

“Yes, Sir,”

Fighters still chasing

Intense

“Nice Shoot,”

Gross

“Beginners luck,”

Beeping

“Pardin-”

“Hyperdrive is activating,”

Obi-Wan

“ Oh-shit Caught in a lie.”

“-what”

-They’re getting hit with cannonballs Anakin what did you do ?!

(What Did I order you to do?)

Coordinates are locked

“Hyperdrives engaging,”

Shit’s about to go-

Ar-

Sp- arking

Glitzy display Base

“ I think there’s a problem,”

“General I think there’s a problem with the hyperdrive,”

Yeah The ship got refired upon it’s probably re broken

Seriously

“ I thought the hyperdrive was fixed,”

And then it got shot again...

The navigate computer is heading a straight into the moon

What ??

Fools reset the Navi computer

“Quick,”

Tech Support

Dooku

Worst time to call

(Don’t think it could’ve gone more sideways)

Also good job Anakin You crash landed them on a planet with significantly larger surface area and resources that they can use to re-build

Aka you made things harder than they needed to be

Obi-Wan, what are you ordering this kid

Narrowed eyes

-No reset it

“General,”

Harsh

But I’m interested in where this is going

Since Grievous has had a lot of shit thrown at him

Doesn’t matter which side of enablers he still enabling

But I suppose over involved positivity Would be kind of a nice change for him

Over over involved negativity

Speeds off

“Trans -mission Has been cut,”

Intentionally

* also smart droid

“ We’re Gonna die

[Explosion]

How?!

Whelp Obi-Wan has to have a sit down talk with Anakin. about the ‘ Drive the ship into the moon,’ order

Also I realized (thanks to Obi-Wan) they know nothing about what just happened Grievous either decided to just end it

or they’re all dead

Obi-Wan

Dick move

“ I imagine you had something to do with that,”

WTF- orders

“ all part of the plan,”

Obi-Wan schooled Anakin in extraterrestrial terrorism

Cheering at least the ion cannon isn’t coming back

Nice shot

...So Destroy Malevolence

I have to say I really like this episode

Despite the plot stretched thin

There was a noticeable increase in the quality of animation

The child characters were good

The other characters were a lot more consistent And a lot smarter

0 notes

365daysofsasuhina · 5 years

Text

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Three Hundred Thirty-Eight: No Remorse ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: A Light Amongst Shadows ] [ AO3 Link ]

It’s one of the questions he’s asked most often...to the point where he’s become - quite frankly - rather exasperated with it.

“Do you regret it?”

‘It’ being a rather vague term, but one way or another, the word typically refers to any or all events from the time he left Konoha, to when he was dragged back. From the moment he’s back within the village, it seems to be the one thing anyone really cares to know about the time he spent outside it.

The simple answer is...no.

But most people aren’t satisfied with that. If he tells them no, and doesn’t explain...they get that look. One that tells him that he really should regret it. That he should be ashamed of the things he did.

At first, such a response doesn’t really bother him. He honestly couldn’t give less of a shit what anyone in Konoha thinks about him, really. Their blind loyalty to a place that’s - in actuality - committed a number of crimes, not just those regarding his clan, leaves him with a rather unfavorable opinion of most of them. Granted, your typical shinobi - let alone civilian - hardly knows about Konoha’s wrongdoings. But even those who do - his team, primarily - don’t really seem to have much concern about confronting them.

Something he isn’t going to let slide.

But that’s to be handled later. For now, he’s still stuck dealing with the dredge of the villagers’ opinions.

Because in reality...he doesn’t regret a single thing he did. Some things he might have done differently given his knowledge...but he also knows there’s no point in such thoughts. There’s no changing the past. And even if there were...the unknown outcomes of such changes may very well be even harder to cope with than his current circumstances.

He does, admittedly, regret killing Itachi. But he also knows it was his brother’s wish: his attempt to keep the peace, keep Sasuke blinded to the dark truths of their village...and end his own suffering. But the elder brother’s death - and the revelations Sasuke received after, from both Obito and Itachi himself - led him to the truth. To his current path.

And he can’t bring himself to regret that.

He doesn’t regret killing Orochimaru. Or his later decision to revive the snake sannin. Getting his teacher out of the way was necessary...just as much as it was to later revive them. Part of him may very well think that having the serpent alive is a risk...but it also was one that, overall, panned out in their favor. Orochimaru has done despicable things...but so too were they instrumental in overcoming obstacles.

Taka...is a difficult subject. Despite his best efforts to remain neutral toward them, there was no fully killing his need to protect people - to connect with them. As much as Karin annoys him, as much as Suigetsu prods at him, and as closely as he has to watch Jūgo...he couldn’t have done what he did without them. They aren’t exactly...friends. He can’t bring himself to call them that, but friend is a difficult subject for him. They’re an odd...in-between.

He certainly doesn’t regret killing Danzō. While he knows the rest of the council won’t receive the same fate - and maybe they don’t quite deserve it like the head of Root did - their actions were the direct allowance of the massacre. Danzō’s greed for their power and his want to remove them from his path was something Sasuke could never forgive - never let go unaddressed.

He had to die.

So, in truth...while some things have been harder for Sasuke to accept than others...he’s had to, really. He’d go mad overthinking it, doubting it all, asking ‘what if’ whenever it gets too quiet. He made his bed, and he’ll lie in it. There’s no getting his clan back. His brother back. His life back.

This is his reality. Regretting it will bring him no peace...no justice.

All he can do now...is move forward.

“Ah -!”

Dragged into a group outing, Sasuke pauses and glances over as one of their troupe seems to stagger. It’s currently him, Sakura, Naruto, and Hinata. The Hyūga has been hanging around the rather-fragmented team seven as of late. And it’s she who seems to crumple mid-step.

Being the fastest among them, it’s Sasuke who reacts first. With an arm around her waist, he keeps her on her feet, dark brows furrowing. There’s a rather violent ripple in her chakra.

Something’s wrong.

“Sakura,” he barks, bluntly but not unkindly.

Noticing as much herself, the rosette wastes no time in approaching. As Sasuke eases Hinata to sit (a bit difficult to do, given their position in the crowded shopping district), Naruto follows up.

“Hinata-chan! What’s wrong?”

“I...I’m fine,” she insists, tone a bit wispy as Sakura puts a hand to her chest, chakra shifting to a jade shade. “It’s just...m-my chest.”

“Your heart? Or your scar?”

“Heart…”

“When was your last cardiology appointment?” Sakura asks, immediately in medic mode.

Sasuke, serving as a bit of a chair at the moment, lets his brow furrow. Wait...her heart? She’s only seventeen, why would she -?

...oh...now he remembers. Their chūnin exams. Her spar against Neji. The blow to her chest that stopped the organ and required her to be evacuated to the hospital. He remembers hearing about her extensive hospital stay, and the weeks of therapy it took to strengthen her heart.

She’d nearly died that day.

“About, um…” She pauses to think. “...two months ago. Everything’s fine. It just f-flares up sometimes. I’ve been told it’s normal, I just need to rest.”

Sakura doesn’t look fully convinced, but relents. “...we better get you home.”

“But -?”

“We’re not about to keep dragging you around when you feel like this!”

“I don’t want to r-ruin it…”

“...I’ll take her home,” Sasuke then offers. “I’m not contributing much as it is. You two stay and finish up. I’ll make sure she gets there safe.”

For a brief moment, something flickers across Sakura’s face. “...all right. But if anything happens, you take her straight to the hospital! No ifs, ands, or buts!”

Hinata almost seems to pout, but doesn’t argue. “...I’m sorry, Sakura-chan.”

“Oh, please - a little outing is a lot less important than your health. Go get some rest. We’ll see you again soon, okay? Take it easy!”

“...I will…” Letting Sasuke carefully haul her back to her feet, Hinata starts leading the way back to her clan’s grounds.

Sasuke keeps his gaze on her from the corner of his unveiled eye, watching for any signs she’s worsening. She seems a bit out of breath, but otherwise passable enough. “...is this from the chūnin exams?”

With a small, weary sigh...Hinata nods. “...my heart is healed, but every so often I have a bout of arrhythmia. It’s never been anything serious, not since my therapy ended. It’s just something I have to deal with. Everyone always makes it so dramatic…”

“People worry about you. And if Sakura’s worried...there’s surely reason to be.”

“It’s been four years. I r-really don’t think I’m going to relapse. My primary medic says I’m fine, and she’s as diligent as they come. I keep up my appointments...everything else is just unnecessary fuss.”

“...all right, then.” He’s not about to argue. But then the other part of Sakura’s questioning surfaces.

“...Sakura said something about a scar…?”

To his surprise, she actually pauses. “...yes.”

He too slows to a stop. “...what was that from?” He likely has no idea - he was gone for quite some time, and odds are he just wasn’t around when it happened.

“...when Akatsuki attacked Konoha, I interfered with Naruto-kun’s fight against their leader.”

Subtly, his eye widens.

“I knew I wasn’t any match...mostly I just w-wanted to be a distraction. Maybe help free him so he could continue the fight. But I was overpowered before he could get loose, and the enemy impaled me with one of his black rods.”

At her words, a memory surfaces: that of Madara turning Tobirama into a pincushion with rods like that. Right before he -

“It went into my side, and...caused a lot of damage. Due to the rush, it was healed over very quickly, and I had a few c-complications that had to be fixed later with further surgeries. The scarring is a bit tight, so...sometimes I have trouble t-twisting my torso. I do yoga and kata to help with flexibility, but...it twinges sometimes. Sakura-chan likely thought that might have been what had me flinch.”

Sasuke considers her for a long moment. They’re still stopped in the middle of a road, currently empty beyond the two of them. “...you got that trying to help Naruto?”

“...yes. After I was stabbed, he flew into a rage...utilized his bijū and got free.”

“...I didn’t realize he cared about you that much.” It’s a blunt statement, but an honest one. From what he can remember...Naruto always called her strange. While Sasuke (and just about everyone else) could see it was due to her crush on him...the blond was always blind.

Hinata, however, doesn’t flinch. Instead, her head bows slightly. “...that was the day I told him I loved him. I don’t k-know if that had anything to do with it. He never mentioned it after that.”

“...wait.” Disbelief slackens his face. “...you confessed to him, risked your life for him...and he said nothing?”

“T-there was a lot more to consider - Akatsuki, the village, and -”

“But even after all this time...he hasn’t answered you?”

“...not directly.” Her tone quiets. “...but I t-think his reply is rather...o-obvious.”

“...that stupid prick,” Sasuke mutters.

“It w-wasn’t his -”

“You don’t regret it?”

His interruption makes her hesitate.

“...nothing? No remorse? I saw what you did during the war...you tried to do it again. All this effort doesn’t feel...wasted?”

She stares at him, expression unreadable. “...Naruto-kun doesn’t feel how I felt. And I h-hardly want him to force it, or...or lie. That doesn’t mean I regret doing what I did. I wanted to protect him. I w-wanted to prove I was strong enough to stand beside him. I might not love him anymore...maybe I never did. Not truly. But I can’t regret risking my own life for someone I care about. Even if we aren’t right for each other...I still care. I still want him safe, and happy. If the choice came up again...I wouldn’t hesitate. Naruto-kun is precious to me. I might not be what I wanted to be to him...but I’m still his friend. His comrade. So no...I don’t regret my choices.” Unblinking, she doesn’t censor herself. “...I thought y-you of all people would understand.”

For some reason...her words sting in a way he doesn’t expect. But rather than feel a need to lash out, or reply with snark...he recoils, suddenly unsure. He never thought her capable of such a remark.

When it’s clear he isn’t going to rebuke, she sighs. “...I’ve given a lot for other people. But I’d never take any of it back. Just because it’s left me in a deficit doesn’t mean I should regret it. I still feel like I made the right choices...even if others might disagree. They’re mine to make...and mine alone.”

“...fair enough.”

A pause.

“...you don’t have to walk me back, I’ll be fine. You probably want to go home.”

“It’s not that far.” And he isn’t about to walk away from her rather bold statements. “Besides, Sakura will skin me alive if she finds out I left.”

“...all right.”

They don’t exchange any more words on the way, and Hinata turns back as she passes through the compound gate. “...have a good evening, Sasuke-kun.”

“You too. Get some rest. Remember, doctor’s orders.”

To his surprise, she manages a smile. “I will.” With that, she turns and soon disappears.

Mind full of thoughts he had no intention of entertaining, Sasuke eventually sighs...and turns back toward home.

.oOo.

This isn't QUITE what I want it to be, but...it's late and I don't have time to redo or tinker xD Sasuke, in my mind, fully accepts all of his decisions. Maybe a bit less out of actually finding them to be the best he could have done...and more just doing so for his own peace of mind. Sure, he has things he know he could have done better, but...only AFTER seeing how they played out. For his sanity's sake, he can't regret them. Hinata, on the other hand, feels that she DID do the best she could. And while others might criticize her, especially her actions concerning Naruto, she doesn't regret them. Just because their bond didn't pan out how she'd wanted doesn't mean she'd NOT do her best to help him. He still matters. Her feelings still matter. They've just...changed. But that doesn't change the past, or how she views it. So, two different interpretations. And I think that's an interesting comparison between them! ...but it's also 3 am and I'm tired so maybe that's the only reason I'm so rambly xD Either way, that's all I've got for now, and it's WAY past bedtime lol - thanks for reading!

#sasuhina #uchiha sasuke #hyūga hinata #uzumaki naruto #haruno sakura #a light amongst shadows [ canon verse ]#365daysofsasuhina

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hockeybabestars · 5 years

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break up with him - brayden point

song: break up with him by old dominion

a/n: apparently i like the players pov so that’s what’s up, also i made up a middle name bc i could not for the love of god find his middle name and then came to the conclusion that he doesn’t have one... also also, (y/n/n) = your nick name

enjoy!

“Brayden?” That sweet voice picked up on the 4th ring, sounding tired and groggy.

It was 2 in the morning her time. But I knew she would pick up. She always does.

“(y/n/n)!” I whisper yelled once I got outside the club. I could picture her holding the phone away from her ears as I did it, and it made a stupid shit-eating grin appear on my face as she replied.

“Brayden you’re being so loud! Darren will probably hear you and he’s asleep!” She laughed and at that I frowned rather largely. “Let me go in the living room.” I could hear her feet padding down the hall softly in the background and I assumed she was on the couch when she got a little more awake and excited.

“I didn’t think you would call! Congrats, I’m so proud of you! You played amazing! Who would’ve thought, ” She trailed off, “my best friend is a freaking Stanley Cup Champion!!!”

“Thank youuuuu! Thank you verrrry muchhhh!” I slightly slurred, proud that she congratulated me.

It was a little chilly in San Jose, and the brisk night air combined with a Game 7 OT win for the cup made for a pretty exciting night. And the boys wanted to celebrate. We found the club with the best ratings and immediately went ready to take on our new Stanley Cup status and flaunt it to the citizens of San Jose because… Why not?

“Are you drunk?” She laughs, causing me to go slightly defensive but maybe a little confident and flirty as well. Now’s probably as good of a time as any.

“NOOooo, maybe?” I played. I was definitely buzzed, but not as much as she thinks as I am.

“Braydennn!” I could just see her smile and it made me wish she was here with me and not back in Tampa.

“Okay… I’m just a *little* buzzed.” I laugh.

“Brayden Michael Point!” She exclaims.

“What?” I laugh again, finding an empty bench a few feet down the street. The town was buzzing and there were people walking up and down the strip I was on.

“Just be careful please, God I hope Stammer is within walking distance of you.” I know I should be offended that she wants Steven to be hovering over me like I’m a child, but the fact that she cares for my well being is enough to make me blurt it out.

“Break up with him.” I say.

“What?” She sounds taken aback.

“Break up with Darren.”

“Brayden what are you-”

“You can’t deny that there’s something between us anymore (y/n/n). I feel it every waking moment of the day.”

“B-Brayden you’re just drunk-”

“I’m not drunk honey. I’m just calling it as I see it. You’re not in love with him. Break up with him.”

“This is a conversation we need to have in person when you’re not drunk off your ass at whatever time it is in San Jose. We’ll see if you still feel the same way. I better be seeing you asap when you get back.”

“I know you think I’m just drunk but just remember that old saying… In Vino Veritas.” It was silent for a second. “Just think about it, you know we’d be good together.”

“I’m hanging up now B.”

“Okay whatever you say (y/n/n). Goodnight.”

Her voice was shaky as she said it back, “Goodnight.”

- - - - - -

“Heyy B.” She says as she opens the door. I wrap her in a bear hug as I drop my bags down on the floor of her apartment. “You just land?”

“Yeah I came straight from the plane. I missed you.” I saw her blush a little bit and noticed how her dimples came out when she smiled.

“I missed you too. You must be on a high after that game, I can’t believe you got the OT game winner! I’m so freaking proud of you.” She walked into the kitchen, getting the ingredients out to make my favorite waffles as I walked up right behind her.

She turned around surprised at how close I was as I trapped her against the kitchen island. “You know what would’ve made it better?”

“What?” she said, eyes cast downward. If she would just look up I could see those (y/e/c) eyes.

“If you were with me.” She put a hand on my chest, slightly pushing me backwards and out of her space and I let her, only because I knew she was still with Darren.

“So were doing that now huh?” She turned around, putting the ingredients together in a bowl and mixing them up, back facing me.

“I wasn’t joking you know.” I said softly as I leaned over the counter next to her, forearms bracing myself on the cold hard surface.

She sucked in a breath as she threw the chocolate chips in the batter. “I thought about what you said.”

My heartbeat sped up as a little hope crept into the back of my mind, “Yeah?”

“You’re right.” I think my heart just stopped. “We do have something, something pretty incredible that’s too hard to deny. I broke up with Darren the next day.”

I don’t think I’ve ever been more exstatic in my entire life. I grab a chocolate chip and pop it in my mouth trying to seem casual and nonchalant. She swats my hand away and I say, “Oh really? You wanna give us a shot someday?”

As she pours the batter into the waffle iron I hear her say “Someday?”

I grab her hips and slowly spin her to face me, leaning us up against the counter. She looked gorgeous, and I tried not to smirk as I said, “Oh you wanna give us a shot now?”

She nods smiling, but slaps my arm, still pressed firmly up against me, “Don’t make me regret it Point.”

“Trust me I won’t.” I say genuinely. I duck my head down and connect our lips, hers gliding smoothly against mine. She squeezes my bicep and I pull her in closer to me. She fits perfectly against my chest and I savour the feeling of being like this for the first time. The moment is short lived when the timer goes off for the waffles for probably the third time. She pulls away and I try to reel her back in but then we see the smoke rise up.

“Oh shit!” I say laughing as she opens the griddle to see a black waffle. Smoke rose up and she hurriedly grabs a magazine trying to fan it out.

“Brayden? Don’t be a good for nothing boyfriend and just stand there! Help me!!!” I chuckle to myself as I see her cute little ass run to try to open some windows before the fire alarm goes off. I go to throw away the burnt waffle and try again.

“Did I hear you say the B word?” I ask smirking as she sauntered back into the kitchen.

“Brayden?” She asks.

“Nope,” I pour new batter into the pan and smirk, “Boyfriend.”

#brayden point #tampa bay lightning #hbsimagine #masterlist #hahah i wrote this before the lightning choked #sorry if ur a lightning fan #ill still love u just not ur team #also don’t come for my throat with these tags #all in good fun #hockey imagine #hockey one shot #nhl one shot #hockey boys #nhl imagines

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peeppeephellofatface · 6 years

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I’ve been kind of thinking of kink stuff again but just not felt the need to post here since I know the interest isn’t really there. Most people came here for a certain sort of content and my brain just seems to have suddenly shifted to somewhat different one this past month and idk why or how. My tastes were pretty consistant for years and now this.

#idk if i ever end up feelingg too bottled up i actually may make a whole seperate blog #we’ll see how ot pans out

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valorousimperial · 7 years

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> Kankri, Tyfora: Gossip

sugaryexcess I sink I'm like, growing as a person and stuff in really big and significant ways~

valorousimperial Oh, yeah? Talk to me about it! I love hearing when you have good feelings about yourself!

sugaryexcess I've got low standards about my progress sometimes so it mig)(t not be like, excellent~ But Cae's been doing pretty bad lately~

valorousimperial He has?

sugaryexcess And even t)(oug)( we're kinda dating rig)(t now, I can't visit )(im in convalescence becod I'm me, )(e lives on Prosperity, and it's a secret~ O)(, yea)(~ I'm not s)(aring personal stuff, it's all public now~ You know )(ow t)(e Alternian part of )(im was a slaver?~

valorousimperial You're dating???? Also, yeah.

sugaryexcess Only kind of, commitment is )(ard and I R-EALLY don't want to jinx it~

valorousimperial I didn't know you guys were kinda dating!

valorousimperial What's your leaning?

sugaryexcess Reddis)(, concupiscent, but )(e's a quadsmeary kinda guy~ It's not pale t)(o, obvs, I would've told you t)(at one~ We went on like two dates, we're not moving particularly fast~

valorousimperial I'm so interested in this stuff. I didn't know you were polyquad!

sugaryexcess I mean, we did fuck~

valorousimperial Nice!

sugaryexcess But as far as frequency of romantic outings~ Yea)(, I've always tended t)(at way but some timelines find it more illegal t)(an ot)(ers~ I've just got lots of feelings~

valorousimperial Same.

sugaryexcess It's a R-EALLY BIG S-ECR-ET so please be careful, I know you will be but y'know~ I know!!!~ It's your best feature and your one flaw~

valorousimperial Anyway, personal growth, and stuff!

sugaryexcess Well, )(is Psii got )(is permission to get a clown to put Psii's memories of t)(e kinda questionable stuff )(e did in Cae~ So now )(e's got trauma related to )(is own face and is just now coming to grips wit)( )(ow bad stuff was~ So )(e's doing really bad~ And I can't see )(im~ But I'm not creepily trying to find ways to get in t)(ere anywave, or get )(im away from )(is real quads so )(e can come find me~ And I'm talking to )(im and )(e says I'm kelping and I keep being all weird and emotionally mature and smart~

valorousimperial That's a step in the right direction!

sugaryexcess And I've been talking to Nadaya!!!~

sugaryexcess )(e doesn't know t)(e extent of our reeloceans)(ip but I've been really mature and cool and excellent about it, and )(e's not visibly disgusted and s)(owed sympat)(y for my not being able to be t)(ere!~

valorousimperial Oh, shit, sweet!

sugaryexcess Yea)(!!!~ Idk I'm just I would've never been like t)(is wit)(out you And otter people too

valorousimperial Mostly Xanthe, but I'm really glad that you would credit me in this whole thing.

sugaryexcess It's ebberyone You all did t)(is and I love you so muc)(

valorousimperial I love you so much, too, oh my gods.

sugaryexcess 38*

valorousimperial *:B !!! I've been flirting with a Darkleer lately, myself. And also I kissed Xanthe the night before last.

sugaryexcess Oo)(~ O)( MY COD T-ELL M-E ABOUT T)(-E S-ECOND FIN FIRST If you're inclined to s)(are, I mean~

valorousimperial Okay, so??? I've been flirting with him for like. A long time. But he's a goddamn dumbass and hasn't noticed? Gods, he stresses me out.

valorousimperial So for human christmas he gave me this little goofy looking flute thing, and it's very cute. He taught me how to play it a bit, I taught myself how to play it some more.

sugaryexcess )(e's sooo like t)(at omfg~ Aw!~

valorousimperial So I wrote this song, and it's a long one, and I just called it Xanthe. It's a five minute musical description of our entire relationship, from start to now.

sugaryexcess You're so fucking romantic~

valorousimperial So I played that for him, and he was like. "It was very pretty, I loved the end of it," which was the part where I was like trying to communicate "I'VE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH YOU, YOU BASTARD!" And I told him that the song's not finished, but I need his help with how the rest of it goes

valorousimperial And he's like "I don't get it"

sugaryexcess COD COD!!!!!

valorousimperial So I had this television monitor, and I turned it on, and it played some music I wrote for my *cello,* and showed a big black spade!!! AND HE GOES FUCKING GET THIS HE GOES "I already told you it's fine that you and Lil date!"

sugaryexcess XAAAAANT)(-E AAAAAAA

valorousimperial AAAAAAA!

sugaryexcess I'M LOSING MY FUCKING MIND

valorousimperial THAT'S WHAT I SAID, WAS "AAAAA!!!"

sugaryexcess CODDDDDDDDDD

valorousimperial Like! While walking toward him, I was going AAAAAAAAAA because my pan had just!!!! Shut down! And I climbed in his lap and kissed himm! And THEN he got it! And I kissed him again and he kissed back a little, but then he made me stop because he wasn't *sure* he felt the same, because he spent so much time thinking THAT THIS WAS JUST NORMAL BEHAVIOR FOR ME!!!!!

sugaryexcess I wouldn't )(ave been surprised if )(e was just like "O)(, t)(is is for Lil, rig)(t?" XANT)(-E

valorousimperial I'M LOSING MY FUCKING MIND WAITING FOR HIM TO GET BACK TO ME! AND LAST NIGHT HIS MOIRAIL HIS!!!! MOIRAIL!!!! MESSAGES ME! AND APOLOGIZES THAT XANTHE IS A DENSE FUCKER! (That's what Lil called him) And I have to be cool about it, right? I have to be like "oh, you know, I've been flirting with him this long, I can wait for his answer!" But like!! I don't feel that cool!

sugaryexcess You really do~ It'll be okay, my love~

sugaryexcess Do you want to )(ang out or somefin?~

valorousimperial Yeah. That Darkleer's coming over tolight and I'm going to tease him til he screams, but I would love to see you right now.

sugaryexcess Distractions are good~ I'm sorry about Xant)(e!~

valorousimperial Corvin says he thinks we'll be fine? Which is encouraging? But Xanthe on his blog said, uh Let me grab it, valorousimperial sent a post i mee... The last thing is me.

sugaryexcess )(u)(~

sugaryexcess Do you know w)(at's up?~

valorousimperial Corvin said very ominous things But I don't know specifically? Like, it's something to do with Corvin. Corvin has to go somewhere, and he's taking Xanthe with him, and he doesn't know if he'll be back?

sugaryexcess )(m~

valorousimperial And he says I can hug him if he comes back.

sugaryexcess )(M~ Yea)( okay let's let )(im manage t)(at first~ 38(

valorousimperial Yeah, no kidding.

#Posted ooc #Mentions of #caepaecaesurae #hereticalsym69ls #tv2tatiic #crepuxulum #roseredmutant #In which Kankri and Tyfora talk about a bunch of junk #But mostly about Kankri confessing to Xanthe

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andrewuttaro · 6 years

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New Look Sabres: GM 75 - NJD - Don’t Skip

Instant Family is a heart-warming little family comedy I recommend a lot; truly another great job by Mark Wahlberg. I am just a sucker for those kinds of movies. I have been skipping out on Sabres games lately for obviously more enjoyable nights with my wife and Instant Family was a great movie choice for another one of those nights. As much as it is a smart thing to worry about your own mental health and take a breather from the things that stress you out I was wrong to skip the Sabres tonight if for only the fact that they’re the Buffalo Sabres of March 2019. It’s over, that is the competitive part of the season. It’s over and we’re all adjusting to the familiar reality. But I’m saying don’t skip the Sabres because tonight’s performance against the New Jersey Devils was another flash. It was another flash of the growing excellence of this team. I know it was a loss, three in a row again now. I know the amount of losses they’ve accumulated, and I even now know that there is a decent chance their 2018-2019 second half of the season is going to be worst than their 2017-2018 second half of the season when they fell ass-backwards onto one of the shittiest seasons in franchise history. I know all the disappointing shit. I was thinking about how I wrote about this team last night. I was thinking maybe my optimistic side is featured a little too prominently on this blog. I started thinking maybe I am too optimistic, and it actually hurts the quality of this blog for being blind to certain facts. It was at this point I was driving home from work and listened to the first segment of Mike Schopp and the Bulldog on WGR 550 and a discussion about what losing Jeff Skinner this offseason would mean to the fanbase and the business that is the Buffalo Sabres. Skinner leaving or staying is a conversation for later or another post, but it was the epiphany that I hadn’t realized something that half of Sabres twitter is grappling with already that really hit me: at this juncture if he doesn’t go to Free Agency it would be more surprising. Why hasn’t he signed yet? If the two sides are as close as we’re led to believe than why no pen to paper? It wouldn’t be in Skinner’s best interest to not test free agency at this point. It was in this really scared state I allowed myself to become truly pessimistic about the Sabres. I avoided the game tonight at first feeling like I was protecting myself.

Then I saw the first period highlights. By the time the movie was over the final score was rolling in and then I saw the shots total. After wrapping the night’s fun with the wife, I watched the clips. I saw Sam Reinhart’s wonky center-ice goal and Jack Eichel’s almost goal on the powerplay. I looked at that shots total again and even took another look at the available highlights. Buffalo outshot and out-defended the Devils in the back two frames and some of the skill I saw on display made me think. I thought about how I was prepared to disavow my optimism from last night’s Montreal New Look Sabres. I had the day’s second epiphany: I’m not the GM of this team so I shouldn’t worry about the Skinner contract too much; but, and this is a big but, that does not mean optimism isn’t as insightful or important to fans as the stats and more realistic/pessimistic insights. Look: I agree that whether or not Skinner signs the offseason should be approached in a way of underestimating everyone because that’s smart team-building. When Patrik Berglund didn’t pan out as a second line center for very good reasons Casey Mittelstadt more or less took on that role we all knew he wasn’t ready for yet. Smart GM-ing is preparing for all those situations. That is all well and good and I agree but look at this team that played in blue and gold (actually mostly white) in New Jersey in this game. I am so optimistic not because of some stupid blind faith. I am so optimistic because this club already has sparks of what is a bright, beautiful future. Yeah, I chuckled a little bit reading back yesterday’s post where I called the 2020s the decade of the Buffalo Sabres. I was going a little over the top there. But it’s not for a lack of reasons to believe that might be true.

Yeah, tonight isn’t a normal one of these New Look Sabres. I guess you got a tiny little recap early in that last paragraph if you’re really into that. I’m not the numbers guy if that isn’t totally clear after that stream of consciousness you just read. I have nothing against the numbers guys, I love them in fact. Those guys are advancing the sport. However, Alex Nylander on the best stretch of his career is a fucking miracle! It’s like when Jesus raised Lazarus from the tomb, and he smelled like shit because he had been dead in the cave for three days and everyone called him a bust because the guys who went around him in his draft were so much better so much faster. Okay, I conflated two entirely different stories there but what I’m trying to say should be getting clearer here: the stuff we’re dragging on is only half the picture. The other half of the picture is all the stuff that’s clicking! The win streak was so much fun not just because it was the first such win streak since that golden era ’06-’07 team or that it seemed like the team had finally gotten fun after what seemed like an eternity of mediocrity; no the part we don’t talk about is that it was in part so fun because for a couple shining, snowing weeks in November we thought the corner had been turned! We all know it: we got the pieces. There are more pieces needed but the frames are all in and maybe even some of the electrical and insolation! That was a metaphor straight out of Instant Family. Watch that movie, it’s on Redbox right now fyi. What I’m saying is we choose to be pessimists and point out the pain first because that’s easier and it feels like that’s safer considering all the shit we’ve been through as Sabres fans the last few years. I can worry about Jeff Skinner signing or I can think about the corner getting turned real good real soon. Tonight’s game made me not worry. Tonight’s game was another flash of what we got a prolonged sneak-peak of back in November: The Buffalo Sabres team that is going to rock our worlds real soon. I guess what I’m saying is don’t skip like I did. Instant Family was a great movie but one day we’ll look back on these times for all the suffering and not be able to see the sparks that revealed what would soon be. I’m going to remember the good and the bad together because I want this whole team, not just the fun parts. Rant over.

Believe it or not I did not sit down thinking this would be a big pep talk. I did not mean to make what I just wrote. It just kind of… flowed out of me there. I mean every word of it and you should share this blog with your friends because they’ll get this and the more normal, fun stuff that I like to think defines this blog. Share but also comment and tell me if I’m the right balance of optimistic and realistic. I know I’m not, but I want to hear what you think. Drop a heart/like well you’re at it. Whatever is coming next after these next seven games is what it is. I don’t know if something will happen after locker cleanout and exit interviews. What I do know is that there is too much good here to be able to easily screw it up. The Sabres are not a lost cause, they’re not even lost yet. I wore my Rasmus Dahlin Draft shirt to work today and I felt the joy of Jack and Dahlin. Let’s feel some joy with this team. Take some of that joy to Senators fans tomorrow: imagine being where they are. Let’s Go Buffalo!

Thanks for reading.

P.S. I have gone far too long without mentioning the incredible season the Buffalo Beauts had. Losing in OT in the Final is a feeling only the Beauts can give you right now in this City. Once more: it is unreal to have any team in this City so dominant to have gone to four straight Isobel Cup Finals.

#buffalo sabres #hockey #blog #nhl

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auburnfamilynews · 5 years

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Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Hey, we finally got a huge weekend of impact games!

Whoa! Week three’s in the rearview mirror, and Auburn is 3-0 with a huge showdown at Texas A&M Saturday afternoon. HOWEVER, there’s a ton of other good college football including a top ten showdown in Athens. How do we think these games are going to turn out? Let’s see...

Michigan @ Wisconsin (-3) (O/U 43.5)

I can’t quite figure out Wisconsin. Consecutive shutouts are good, but that offense? Ugh. Then again, Michigan has had their own struggles this season. I really thought Army would pull off the upset. Wisconsin 24, Michigan 17 - Josh Dub

I saw Wisconsin buzzsaw through USF in the opener while the only Michigan game I’ve seen was them nearly losing at home to Army. In addition to the game being in Madison, I’m gonna take the Badgers to win and cover. Wisconsin 27 Michigan 14 - Will McLaughlin

This is a fascinating matchup. I know we all got a kick out of laughing at Michigan going into OT to beat Army but you have to remember Oklahoma did the same thing last season and went on to win the Big 12 & land a bid to the College Football Playoff. Granted, Oklahoma absolutely shredded Army’s defense when they got the ball but could not for the life of them get a stop and were forced into having only 8 possession all game scoring touchdowns on half of them. A little different than Michigan’s performance.

Wisconsin, on the other hand, has been dominant out the gate. All the fancy maths LOVE them some angry Badgers right now with Wisconsin ranked 7th by SP+, 10th by FPI and 10th by Sagarin. The Badgers, unsurprisingly, feature another dominant rushing attack lead by Heisman hopeful Jonathan Taylor. With this game also in Madison, you REALLY have to like the Badgers chances.

But this might be the most important game in the Jim Harbaugh era. While Michigan has not been bad under their former QB, they haven’t been championship calibre which was the expectation when hiring Harbaugh. They still can’t beat Ohio State and are something like 1-14 vs top 10 opponents. If the switch is to flip, it feels like maybe this is the weekend for it to happen.... Nah... Go Badgers. Wisconsin 31 Michigan 20 - AU Nerd

Talk about a one sided rivalry. Blue leads this series 51-15-1. This time should be one of the ones that goes to the Badger-Badger-Badger-Badgers. Shea Patterson really hasn’t panned out like the fans and Jim Harbaugh would like and I don’t see any reason how he figures things out in Camp Randall. Take the Badger and go with the over. Sconny 31-17 - Drew Mac

Man, can you imagine thinking Wisconsin was going to be favored in this game in the preseason? Wisconsin has been downright dominating through three games, winning their two games 110-0 so far. Michigan has been one of the best defenses in the country so far, but their offense behind Shea Patterson has been real bad. Like 74th in SP+ bad. My head says Michigan will pull this one out, but my heart says go with the Badgers to make Michigan an early favorite to finish #3 in the Big 10 East. Badgers it is, 20-7. - Ryan Sterritt

Wisconsin can run the ball and Michigan has identity issues with their offense and a madman for a head coach. These are the kinds of games we forget when we see Wisconsin in the B1G Championship game at the end of the season. Wisconsin 35 Michigan 17 - Josh Black

Oh yay, an early morning B1G snoozefest. I’m not going to dwell here too long. Cheese 27 - Khakis 17 - AU Chief

Something something real men something leadership something prestige. Sconny 30 Michigan 10 - Son of Crow

Wisconsin is about one standard deviation ahead of Standard Wisconsin so far, but that hasn’t been against anyone with a pulse. Michigan really hasn’t cut loose yet, but they’ve had a week to plan. I think this one stays close, and both teams lean on their defenses. I’ll take Wisconsin to cover, but not by much. Wisconsin 19, Michigan 14. (Wisconsin wins and covers, UNDER) - James Jones

‘Scuse me while I go spend a few hours in the library reorganizing the card catalog. Michigan’s the miserly old librarian shushing people, and Wisconsin’s the high school sophomore who thinks he’s cool because he brought McDonald’s with him to work on his school paper. Badgers cover easily, 31-10 - Jack Condon

Tennessee @ Florida (-14) (O/U 49)

Tennessee isn’t dead yet. I think they’re just good enough to test Florida and put some things on film for Auburn to use. Dan Mullen will survive…this week. Florida 28, Tennessee 20 - Josh Dub

This game always produces some weird games even though most end up in Florida wins. Florida moves on without Feleipe Franks at QB and we’ll see who emerges at that position for the Gators. I would love for Tennessee to make this a game but I just don’t see it. Florida 27 Tennessee 10 - Will McLaughlin

Florida won in the most predictable of fashion vs Kentucky last weekend after being predictably outplayed for a good portion of that game. That series is just the same tragedy played out over and over made even more harmful by UK winning last year. Now Kat fans truly believe those games will go their way. You poor, said, obnoxious Elite 8 losers....

Anyway... I can’t explain why. Maybe it’s what I ate last night or my nerves for Auburn’s game this Saturday but there’s just this feeling that maybe Tennessee pulls the stunner. I mean it would be a very Dan Mullen thing to lose this game. But given the Gators disruptive OL, an offense that honestly looked better with Trask at QB and the general suckiness of the Vols, I don’t have the stones to pull the trigger. I do think Tennessee covers which they can kinda take as a win I guess? Florida 38 Tennessee 27 - AU Nerd

NOON KICK! Ugh! I love the people that say ‘Remember when this was a real matchup?’ No...I remember Spurrier beating Phil and Peyton around like rented mules but no...I don’t remember this being a matchup. Which brings us to this year! Florida has their backup QB who is better than Felipe Franks (sad that he got injured, but Trask is a better QB for this offense) and that doesn’t bode well for Tennessee. However, the Vols are better than their first week showing that 14 is a big number so I will take the Gators to win but will take the Vols and 14. Also, go under. Gatas 23-14 - Drew Mac

The trap has been set perfectly for this upset. Tennessee is in shambles, but maybe has a ray of hope after beating down an average FCS team. Florida, after stealing a come from behind win with their backup quarterback, is on the highest of highs right now. If only the Vols didn’t have Jeremy Pruitt, I might pick them in an upset here, but I can’t trust him to pull this one off. Florida is going to probably be down or tied at half time, but Gators win this with a few late scores 31-14. - Ryan Sterritt

Y’all are going to think I’m crazy but Tennessee didn’t just win last weekend, but showed that they’re still willing to get after it. Pruitt still has this team engaged and this is a game that could completely change the current narrative in Knoxville and I am so tempted to pick Tennessee. Florida’s front 7 on defense is why I’m not. Florida 27 Tennessee 13 - Josh Black

Hey, Tennessee finally go them one against he Mighty Moc’s of Chattanooga. Florida nearly blew it against Big Blue. They are apparently planning on running out both back-up QBs this week. That smells like a disaster, but who knows. Both these coaches can take a long walk off a short pier as far as I’m concerned but I guess I’ll go with the Hunchback of formerly of Starkville. Jorts 33 - People That Only Know One Song 17 - AU Chief

Hey I think Florida is gonna lose you guys. I mean, I don’t really, but I need to start picking against the grain because otherwise I’m not going to win. Tenn 21 Florida 20 - Son of Crow

SP+ does not know Franks is out and likes the Gators by 19. Do we really think Franks to Trask/Jones is a 5 point drop? I don’t. I also don’t think Tennessee figured anything out enough to go on the road and keep this one within two scores. Florida 34, Tennessee 17. (Florida wins and covers, OVER) - James Jones

Here’s Cam Newton clowning Tennessee while in a different shade of orange and blue. Glad we got him in the end. Vols are about to be 1-6. A new losing streak starts here. Gators 34-13 - Jack Condon

Notre Dame @ Georgia (-13.5) (O/U 56.5)

I am looking forward to this. Georgia is my least favorite team, by a very wide margin, but Notre Dame is my third or fourth least favorite team. I think Notre Dame will get exposed. This one will be over before halftime. Unfortunately, CBS threw all their eggs in one basket. Now we get to listen to Gary and Brad filibuster. Georgia 42, Notre Dame 14 - Josh Dub

Okay, this is where I know for darn sure I’m going out on an island. Look, Georgia is great but they have played Vanderbilt, Murray State and Arkansas State. No offense to those teams, Notre Dame is a much better football team than those 3 teams. While Georgia’s run game seems to be a huge advantage in this one, I just have a gut feeling that Notre Dame is going to rise to the occasion. Give me the Irish in a huge upset! Notre Dame 37 Georgia 34 - Will McLaughlin

Preseason I had this down as a loss. I just thought with the pieces needed to be replaced at WR, some question marks surrounding the Dawgs pass rush and UGA’s general ability to piss away golden opportunities that maybe the Fighting Irish would roll into town and pull the stunner.

But there’s one hitch in that plan. Notre Dame can’t stop the run...

Per Cole Cubelic the Irish have allowed 19 run plays of 10+ yards or more. They are one of 13 teams to do so. Those other 12 have played 3 games. ND has played 2...

You can beat the Dawgs if you can stop the rushing attack and pressure the QB. Not sure ND has those pieces. I think this turns into a romp with Kirby having circled this as his showcase game all summer. The Dawgs are bringing an enormous amount of elite prospects to campus, college gameday is in town and it’s UGA’s first opponent with a heartbeat. I expect a bludgeoning leading to more UGA hype and more 5* commits. Life is pain. UGA 42 ND 20 - AU Nerd

FINALLY! Georgia gets someone with a shot at actually scoring double digit points. The Irish have looked dominant in their 3 wins just as Georgia has, however the bookies don’t think this one will be close...and I agree sadly. Nothing would make me happier than seeing Georgia get run at home (especially if they put on those blood clot black jerseys) but it wont happen here. I think of ND as the Not Ready for Primetime Players of the college football world. Georgia proves me right because they hate me. Georgia and the Over. DAAAAWGS 45-20 - Drew Mac

I’ve never rooted harder for the Irish, including last year when UGA went to South Bend. After all of the shit they’ve talked in the last calendar year, Georgia deserves to get it handed to them at home, with Gameday in tow. They won’t, though. UGA is going to gash these poor Catholics on the ground, and even if the score is close, the game won’t be in doubt. 31-21 Georgia. Ugh. - Ryan Sterritt

Look y’all no one likes Notre Dame. But would I be willing to break out my old football jersey and helmet from playing days for the Briarwood Lions (look just like Notre Dame) for the sake of celebrating a Georgia loss at home? YOU BET I WOULD! Sadly this Georgia team is going to run through Notre Dame the same way Clemson did last season. Georgia 41 Notre Dame 17 - Josh Black

It’s hilarious to me that people are playing up this game like Notre Dame has a chance to win. Give me a break. Grown Men Barking 37 - Team That Won Their Last Title Less Than Thirty-nine Years Ago 24 - AU Chief

Guys I think Georgia might destroy this Notre dame team. I am shocked this line is so low. Maybe Vegas knows more than me, but maybe also Georgia just blows them out and you win money. Dwags 55 irish 4 - Son of Crow

Lol we get this at 13.5? It’s currently shooting up near 16 or 17. Fuck Georgia, but they’ll blast the Irish. Georgia 38, Notre Dame 16. (Georgia wins and covers, UNDER) - James Jones

Sadly, leprechauns aren’t real, and I think Georgia’s got their magic flute and armor to ward off spells. Bulldogs 45-23 - Jack Condon

Oklahoma State @ Texas (-5) (O/U 74)

Texas ain’t back, still. They’ll win, but they ain’t back. Texas 41, Oklahoma State 35 - Josh Dub

Well we learned 2 weeks ago that Texas wasn’t quite back yet. The Cowboys have won 4 straight in this series. Make it 5! Oklahoma State 41 Texas 35 - Will McLaughlin

In terms of most fun to watch, it’s hard to pick against this matchup. OKST features one of the best players in the country no one is talking about (or weren’t talking about) in Chubba Hubbard who I think was briefly an AU target. He’s been insane to start the season averaging 7.9 yards a carry and scoring 7 TDs. On the other side, Sam Ehlinger did all he could to go blow for blow with Joe Burrow but fell just a bit short. However, I think this time he gets it done in a wild but entertaining affair. Gotta go with the over. Texas 42 Oklahoma State 38 - AU Nerd

Sam Ehlinger has been an absolute beast this season, physically taking this Texas squad on his back and trying to drag them to victory. If it weren’t for getting Burrowed, they would have done it against LSU. Mean while Okie State has quietly been very efficient at gutting opponents offensively while having a not so terrible defense. This one will be fun, but Okie State has won the last 6 in the series and while the Horns have looked good, I still need them to win one of these game before I truly believe the hype. Okie State straight up and under. Cowboys 42-31 - Drew Mac

Time to hop back on the “Tom Herman can’t win as a favorite” train. SP+ even has this game as a pick’em, so yeah, give me the Cowboys to come in and pick off Texas for, let me check, THE EIGHTH TIME THIS DECADE. Pokes 40-34 in Overtime. - Ryan Sterritt

I think Texas is a legitimate top 10 level team this year and may end up splitting the OU games again because I believe they’ll play twice. Texas 48 OSU 38 - Josh Black

I like the Cowboys. Always have. I would love to see their superior color of orange roll into Austin and and show the world that, Texas is indeed not back. And that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Men of a Certain Age 35 - Town Full of Weirdos (And Keep It That Way) 34 - AU Chief

Okie State is a fun team to watch yet again. I genuinely believe in this Texas team, though. They torched a really good LSU secondary and won’t see ANYTHING like that again the rest of the season. Look at that O/U man, the big 12 is W I L D. I think Ehlinger is a good QB, and the Horns have weapons all over that offense. We are beginning to see Tom Herman’s stamp on this team, and I think Texas runs away with this win. UT 42 OKState 31 - Son of Crow

There’s an SEC angle to this one: is LSU really that good throwing the ball now, or is Texas just a standard Big 12 defense? Oklahoma State has looked good under new OC Sean Gleeson. I think they keep things close in an absolute barn burner. Texas 45, OK State 42. (Texas wins, OK St covers, OVER) - James Jones

Texas is strutting into DKR with the Ted Nugent t-shirt and the cigs rolled up tight in the sleeve. They got a job, workin’ for the city (workin’ men, huh?). Keep a little money in their pocket. Still thinkin’ about getting back in JC or somethin’ though. Horns in a fun one, 40-37 - Jack Condon

Cal @ Ole Miss (-2) (O/U 44)

Cal is sneaky good, folks. Maybe? Hard to say. All I know is Ole Miss is sneaky bad. Maybe not even sneaky bad, maybe just plain bad. Cal 27, Ole Miss 14 - Josh Dub

I was trying to figure out how in the world Cal became ranked in the Top 25? Well a win at Washington would certainly help matters but have been fairly unimpressive in wins over North Texas and UC Davis. This will be a 9AM kick Berkeley time but keeping with my theme of picking games this week, I’m picking the underdog straight up. Cal 24 Ole Miss 21 - Will McLaughlin

This will be a bizarre game. Cal seems to be trying to copy the Michigan State philosophy of playing smother defense but frustratingly bad offense only to beat you in the most hair pulling of ways. Of course, it also makes them VERY susceptible to being upset.

Ole Miss’s brief flirtation with great defense is over having surrendered 29 points to Southeastern Louisiana. But this game is basically a toss up per the math folks I trust. Given it’s at home and Cal’s penchant to not be consistent at all, I actually do think Matt Luke gets it done. It won’t be pretty and will have you questioning your sanity by the end of the game but the Rebels defense the SEC’s honor. Ole Miss 28 Cal 21 - AU Nerd

Wow....um....so Cal beat Washington and Ole Miss lost to Memphis and squeaked by Piggy....alright. Bears (the west coast ones) straight up and over. Cal 34-24 - Drew Mac

Ew, gross. Two top 20 defenses and two bottom 40 offenses. Exactly what everyone thought when this series was scheduled! I would say I expect Cal to win this one, but I’m not sure I can really trust them to 4-0 to start the season. Then again... the Pac 12 has to beat someone, right? Golden Bears over Black Bears, 20-18. - Ryan Sterritt

Ole Miss is catching 2 points because they’re at home. Ole Miss is a very bad football team. Cal 27 Ole Miss 21 - Josh Black

Both these teams may stink, but this is a matchup I might actually tune in to watch, just because it’s not one you see every day. Berkley and Ole Miss might be the two most contrasting places in this great nation of ours. It’s one of those things that reminds me what makes college football so fun. Unfortunately, the fun stops on the field. By virtue of it being a road game for Cal, and Ole Miss still being a school that recruits SEC talent to a a degree, I’m going with the that school up north. Admiral Akbars 24 - The Other California Bears 13 - AU Chief

This game seems super gross. Cal is good on one side of the ball: Defense. Ole Miss is good on 0 sides of the ball and is categorically terrible on defense. This game is the football equivalent of potty training. It’s going to go terribly, and even the successes won’t feel worth it at the time because of all the hours you’ve spent washing poop off your hands. Cal 15 Ole Miss 10 - Son of Crow

SP+ likes Ole Miss because the recruiting rankings aren’t totally fazed out. That, the weather (hot as all get out), and Cal’s body clock really has me leaning Ole Miss. HOWEVAH, I just can’t get past how terrible Ole Miss looked against Memphis, and Cal’s defensive line is legit. I think that unit carries them through in a low-scoring game. California 17, Ole Miss 10. (Cal wins and covers, UNDER) - James Jones

Ole Miss ain’t gonna be able to lie their way through this affair. Cal’s fairly salty, and I don’t think the Rebels have the guns. Yella Bears 28-9 - Jack Condon

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2019/9/19/20874938/staff-picks-college-football-week-4

#IFTTT #Blogger #auburn #auburn fast #wareagle #AuburnFamilyNews #war eagle #sec #football news #aubu

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icharchivist · 5 years

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Now that I got my KH3 fix, I'm very happy to see news on FF7 remake. FF7 was one of my first FF (first being 10). It holds a special place and I can see why it's getting so much love poured into it. Pre FF10 (cause that and above doesnt need a remake) are there any other FF games you'd love to see a remake like this for? I don't see it happening (since nothing comes close to 7 in fame) but I'd totally love a FF6 one. I loved Terra and Celes and all the characters. The world was fascinating -

2 the story was deep, compelling, fun, heartbreaking, mysterious and positivity well earned. Kefka is one of the best FF villains in the entire franchise. We also have Ultros. If you knew him, you'd never forget that crazy octopus. I'd LOVE to experience the story in a new way (but I heard it's not the MOST popular out there so... I'll still hope someday).

Aa omg i’m glad you’re excited about it

tbh I didn’t play nearly enough FF. i’ve played 7 and the begining of 9, 2, 3 and 15. which i have all dropped because i’m so. so lazy. Also I own the 13th too and hadn’t started ot and I think i have.... the sequels for the 12. Hadn’t touched it yet though orz. Most of my ff knowledge comes from playing some of the crossover games like dissidia (012 and nt although i didn’t advance any of them) and record keeper.

6 is probably the one that intruigue me the most in the previous ones, Kefka does have something that grabs your attention completely, and Terra had always been a character i’ve wanted to know more about. I’m sure a remake could do it a lot of justice.

I do think 6 is one of the most popular though? It is at least in Japan as such if i recall so with luck! *crosses fingers* if 12 got a remaster while it was panned originally (which i believe is underservely so but i generally hate how people put the games of the saga against each other) and 3 did get a DS remake, so like, anything can come out of it right?

9 would probably loo stunning but tbh it is one of the games who benefits the most of its PS1′s graphism and is stunning on its own accords without having to be all HD about it. So on one hand i would wish more people paid attention to it, on the other i wonder how much an HD remake could bring to it per se.

8 seems like one who would deserve at least a revamp with remplacement of some characters models i think? This one is apparently very underused by Square from what i’ve heard, it would be nice to have a revamp about it.

But yeah as far as remakes go, I would be mostly curious for the 6th one.

7 is the safest bet right now though in general. Obviously bc they know they can capitalize on it, but also because the rest of the ff7 compilation is with at least advanced graphisms, so the OG does seem out of place in the middle, so i can see also the desire to upgrate it to put them all on the same level.

So... we’ll see how it goes and if they keep making remakes or sorts. In the meantime, hey square if you have an idea for ff16 pray tell? ;O

#ichafantalks ffvii #Anonymous #ichareply

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popculturebuffet · 4 years

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Blacksad: Arctic Nation Review: Digging Two Graves

Welcome you beautiful technicolor rainbow. And today I continue my black History Month coverage, this time with one that was suggested by Kev, my patreon on patreon and the blog’s biggest supporter, who sent me a bunch of things I could review for Black History month and, loving this comic and feeling given the events of last year with George Floyd that have had rightful shockwaves ever since, it was perfect.

For those needing a refresher Blacksad is a spanish produced french released comic series about John Blacksad, a grim private detective in a 1950′s set world full of anthromphized animals. It has gorgeous art, endless atmosphere and utterly captivating stories. Last month I covered the first story, Somewhere in the Shadows, since this one was only number two and I could track the series evolution better, and I loved the series and could make room on the schedule so there was no real reason NOT to do it. And since i covered most of the series background that time, I can dive in quicker to this one. So join me under the cut to see how the series evolves and to see a black cat take on white supremacists with the help of a smelly weasel.

First things first.. the cover, which is from the original version and was lovingly reprinted in my copy, is goregous and simple: John grimly and camly carrying a scared child through a bilzzard past the wreckage of a plane. It’s instantly eye catching, our black furred hero in a bilzzard of white.. and also serves as a great metaphor for a story dealing with white suprmacy as well as our hero trying to find the child he’s trying to keep safe on the cover. It’s just perfect.

We open in the Line, a city in the arctic, with Blacksad morosely narrating how one day he’ll write his memoirs, as he figures they’ll sell well given the public’s grim fascination with murder. We soon find out why tha’ts on his mind as the comic “pans out”... to show a black bird with a long neck horrifcally and publicly hung in a hate crime. It’s an utterly ghastly sight I will not be sharing, but needless to say it sets the tone and the setting in one horrific image.

John’s interuptted though by the introduction of Weekly. Weekly is a local journalist who true to his name, only takes a bath once a week and immidetly pisses off john by being nosey, assuming john is also a journalist and casually remaking about this horror show being a hate crime. Despite this terrible first impression.. Weekly goes on to be John’s best friend and sidekick, providing some levity in his grim world for the audience, while as we’ll soon see being FAR more useful and competent than his demeanor and lack of hygine lets on.

For now though, John has to go meet his client: Miss Grey, a schoolteacher whose hired John to find a missing girl, Kaylie, one of her students. Those around the neighborhood are relcutant to look into it, including Kayle and the police, who as we’ll learn very soon are white suprmacists, simply blame it on the Local Black Claws gang. Miss Grey also fills us in on the line’s backstory: it was once a propserous suburban place.. until the local plane plant closed down, leading to a rise in crime and unemployment with the place slowly but surely falling into decay. Despite this she’s determined to stay and fight.. and John is touched by her noblility and tells her he will do everything he can. And while that’s a natural thing to tell your client.. it feels genuine, that John senses this woman’s deep resolute will to keep going, and feels for her as the ONE PERSON who cares a small child went missing and isn’t either ignoring it or simply being a racist dickhead about it. John may hide it under lairs of cynsim and grumpus... but he’s good man and as we see he’ll go to hell and back to do the right thing.

We soon properly meet the titular Arctic Nation... who are as you would expect, a white suprmacist group, calling yesterday’s lynching a necssary thing and spouting your usual horrifying rhetoric about a white world and stuff. The Arctic Nation are also made up almost entirely of Arctic Animals.. and honeslty that’s a way to do a white supermacy metaphor I never thought of, simply having the fur be black and white, and using the fact most arctic animals are by nature predators to give us some naturally intimdating looking antagonists. One of them also is clealry not Happy John’s around, nor that John rather than be afraid or look nervous in the slightest... is simply pissed as he should be and simply dosen’t give a shit.. and given assholes like this love attention and pissing people off, it probably makes him even madder. Good.

John runs into Weekly again, and while still not happy to see him, Weekly is nothing but friendly and offers peace and a warm drink in a cold land.. and John takes him up on it noting in narration that since they are clear outsiders here... why not? Any port in a storm and given the blizzard of white supramcey just outside, John can’t help but take refuge in a diner. There’s also a really nice touch in their drinks with John having a simple .. alchohol ( I don’t drink sue me) and Weekly having something called a burobon mlikshake . Weekly outlines that the Line is about to explode with racial tension with two diffrent suprmacist groups: The arctic nation , who he freely and rightly mocks and the aformentioned black claws.

Before they can continue though two of the goons from outside come in and harass an old black bird at the counter, saying can’t he read the sign.. before he’s revealed to be blind. They confront John next... who gloriously takes NONE of thier shit, wirly pointing to his patch of white fur, which indicates him as mixed race in this unverse and says does this count.

The racist asshole dosen’t take the hint that maybe this isn’t going to work and tries provoking john by threatning ot turn him into a coat.. and john insults his, and his whiteness and we cut over to the head of the white suprmacist rally asking the owner to call the police, the owner only relcutantly agreeing when we see the supremacist asshole fly into the bar.

So naturally we next see our heroes in the office of Karup, the local police chief, polar bear and not even hiding it white suprmacist who talks proudly about his confederate saber on the wall and asks if John knows who it belonged to. His response is priceless.

Damn.. it takes balls of fucking platinum, on both of them, to be called into an unapolgetic white suprmacists office and roast him to his fucking face. It’s what we should all do granted but still, props to both of htem. it also shows Weekly, desipte being kinda sketchy.. is every bit as brave as his friend, and takes these fuckers every bit as seriously. That is to say they both KNOW their in danger.. they just don’t CARE, feeling rightly that simply cowtowing to Karup like he wants is not worth thieir damn time, and that he deserves no fear, no respect and nothing he wants. Just mockery for clinging to an outdated and horrific set of ideals like all white supremacists then and now. Karup is forced to let htem off with a warning as his wife shows up.. and Weekly wolf whistles at her because awesome he may be he is not a class act and this is still the 1950′s where that was okay for some reason.

We next catch up to John that night where he’s taking in a driving movie involving giant ants.

He’s naturally here not to take in a good b movie, nor is he being forced to watch it by mad scientests, but here to find Kaylie’s mother Dinah, who agrees to talk to him after her shift.. and John grabs a peak at her ass while she walks away.

Dinah has good reason for not calling the cops though... as she puts it, she has no faith in white justice, and given the police chief had a fucking confderate flag in his office, and many STILL do today, yeah fair point. We also find out she used to work for Karup, so she knows damn well he won’t be helpful at best or use looking for as an excuse to lynch more innocent black men at worse. Of course John, while symaptehtic brings up something about Oldsmill, and gets rightfully slapped for it.

We next see John talking to weekly, who he’s just kind of accepted is his sidekick now. Their grocery trip is interupted by the claws, who show up, beat up the racist shopkeep.. and then harass our heroes, beating up weekly to get him to say their innocnet of the kidnapping. This however.. shows that while not AS bad as Karup, clearly.. their still not good people. Weekly GLADLY would’ve printed what they asked if they’d actually asked, and instead they beat him up to do so, and the person who did so dosen’t endear himself further by asking john “What happened to your snout brother?”. As with last time, his response is fucking perfect

He wisely backs off though is still confrontational about it. Weekly wonders if john really was going to shoot him, and my response is...

He absolutley would’ve. John asks if he’s really going to print that crap.. and of course Weekly is. That’s where the story is, and he points out he’ sa star reporter and his name apparently comes from coming in with a big story once a week. John isn’t amused.. but could use Weekly’s help and tell shim to keep an eye on Karup’s household for him since he can sneak in there and be far less notecable. And he agrees. I’ll go ahead and say it.. weekly was an invaluable addition to the story and a missing peace for Blacksad they needed: like robin to batman, he provides someone for him to talk to, a bit of badly needed levity, an dprovides blacksad an ally no matter the case or situation, and one who has every reason to help both because hteir friends.. and because it’ll get him a good story, and his background as a reporter gives good reason as to why he’s good at this.

Something else to note is John has also taken on more of a sarcastic streak as you can tell and I love it: instead of being grim all the time it gives a human touch to him.. while still making him utterly badass as he usually uses it to disarm an asshole flexing their power over him. It simply adds some shades to his already wonderful personality.

We finally meet Oldsmill who denies having anything to do with it, as the rumor is his heavily inbred son is Kaylee’s father and Oldsmill belivies it was karup since he was apparnetly married to a black woman once. Oldsmill is also a racist ass blaming the downturn in things on black people instead of you know, the plant closing. John has what he needed.. and has a good shot at oldsmill pointing out if he actually mixed races his son might of turne dout okay instead of a braindead inbred moron.

Weekly hides in the bushes at karups.. and soon finds his wife plowing the head of the arctic nation we met earlier, huk, behind his back. “I love this job!”.... dude.. no just.. no. Don’t watch people have rough sex that’s just.. no. But he found out more as tailing them afterwords, he found them at a table with Kaylee’s mom, clearly wanting her to keep quite for some reason with Dinah not wanting her to suffer. Naturally she’s John’s next stop.. but instead he finds her brutally murdered, her body twisted and him lamenting that someone so full of life.. has lost hers and even if he achieves his goal now.. Kaylee lost her mother. And involved in whatevers’ going on or not.. she clearly loved her kid and whatever she got caught up in she died.. simply for proioritzing her daughte’rs own saftey and wellbeing over it. She was also stabbed with what John suspects to be.. a saber. Hmmmm.

John has no proof.. but decides fuck it, and goes to confront Karup anyway. His wife speaks up against him as does Huk... but given Weekly told john about her taking Huk in through the back door yeah... that dosen’t go great. And after Choir practice, Karup beats the every loving piss out of Huk for it, and tells him before that that, now weekly's’ actually printed the story he said he was going to, it’s open season on him and blacksad.

So unsuprisingly, Blacksad suspects he’s been kidnapped when we catch up with John and interogrates the blind bird from earlier, whose trying to sell weekly’s camera, and successfully batman’s him into taking him to where Weekly is. Menawhile Karup confronts his wife.. who mocks him and has no sympathy and accuses him of being a pedophile like everyone else has. He takes it badly and tells her to get out and to no one’s suprise.. has an arctic nation flag in his drawer. I do not get what this was supposed to prove as we know he’s a white suprmacist piece of shit and that previous scene with Huk showed that he’s directing the nation from beihind the scenes.

While the Bird brings john through and John laments his time as a vetran, we find their headed for a nation meeting, complete with Klan style robes.. and Karup getting ambusehd. someone having put bloody children’s clothes in his trunk. Karup is hunt and while he clearly IS innocent, given Huk both presented the evidence and let’s face it it was either him or Karup’s wife jezebel, and I have no sympahty because not being a pedophile does not make him any less of a horrible abusive piece of shit.

Someone we DO actually care if they live or die next is weekly, whose terrified, the defiance from earlier gone.. which is fair as he knows he’s about ot die and dosen’t know John.. is right there, revealed via his paws as he prepares weekly to escape and has infilrated the nation in the robes. John’s next action is also utterly badass as he SWINGS FROM THE NOOSE, KICKS OVER THE BURNING CROSS THE NATION SET UP.

Huk escapes and unsuprisingly is behind the kidnapping.. and the Magpie from earlier knew it and tires to stop him and gets shot. John kills one of the white suprmiacists and makes his wya out, finding Weekly, who escaped as john instructed and the two find the bird man.. is not dead and he takes htem to Kaylee. He dies in a really tearjerking scene, clearly senile and clearly talked into this.

Naturally the next day, John reveals via narration that the Line’s remaining police didn’t give a shit about what happened, a racist paper actively comended it as “how justice should go” and that Huk escaped... and naturally John isn’t going to let that shit slide down the glass. Huk however is dead when he finds him having gotten his but clealry this dosen’t quite satisfy john.

John listens to the song “Strange Fruit” while dressing up all fancy and looking damn good I must say. He’s preparing for a funeral and Weekly tries to help his pain.. by offering him the shots of Huk and Jeezebel.. only John spots something and tells weekly to get all he can on Karups first wife.

Turns out the funeral is Karups... and John confronts the widow who tries to brush him off.. before tearing her shirt open to reveal a black spot.. which while a neat reveal.. GOD that’s fucking creeptastic. Seriously while this story is moving, brilliant and all sorts of things i’ll gush about.. it has some REALLY creepy undertones at times with John’s treatment of Dinah, Weekly taking pornographic pictures of two people without their consent, and now this.. I mean it’s not exactly unsuual for the time but you may want to not make your heroes look like sex monsters is all i’m saying.

We finally get the full story: Dinah and Jezebel are Karups children the product of his first marriage that was geninely loving.. until Karup turned bitter and racist and upon finding out she was pregnant drove his wife out to the middle of nowhere in the middle of winter and left her to die. ...... sorry I was just fondly remembering him getting his neck snapped by the noose. Anywyays their mom did surivive long enough to give birth but the sheer pain of well.. everything collapsed on her and she eventually passed when they were young. Both sisters wanted revenge and since Jeez could pass for white, she married her own dad, and got some satstifactoin over not letting him touch her, and got Kaylee into the house. So she seduced Huk, even if clearly by the panel sleeping with that piece of shit greatly hurt Jez to do, and used him to set up the fake kidnapping scheme to frame Karup as a pedophile.

As for why Dinah died.. if it wasn’t obvious by now Huk did it not realizing Jez and Dinah were sisters and took Dinah’s udnerstandable worry about her daughter.. as concern she’d squeal. His death and who did it should be obvious and given he’s almost as big a piece of shit as karup, only barely avoiding that because his murder wasn’t his own PREGNANT wife. Jez assures John it’s all over and her mother and sister can rest in peace.. but John cuts through this with one simple fact: “What about Kaylee?” Sure Karup deserved it.. but going so far int heir revenge cost a girl her mom, and the weight of this finally hits Jez who merley collapses saying “i’m cold” knowing that in the end.. her revenge wasnt worth it. And really that’s the center of the story: Revenge.. and how it’s ultimately hollow. To quote Mr. Miyagi from the karate kid on revenge, as I feel it’s UTTERLY relevant to this story “You might as well dig two graves”. The sisters COULD’VE had a decent life on their own, living as who they were in spite of karup, leaving the line behind when they could and taking Kaylee with them. Instead? While Karup and Huk rightfully died and those deaths are a good thing.. the arctic nation shows no signs of slowing down and likely didn’t losoe EVERYONE in the factory fire, a child is orphaned, Jez wasted her life as someone she wasn’t to get revenge on a man who didn’t even know she existed. While two very bad men died.. it cost two other lives and a child’s innocence to do so.

So we close at Miss Greys, having taken Kaylee in for obvious reasons. John encourages Grey to keep going, that maybe with someone like her.. this region might get better. While the adults are lost... maybe the children can be better. Though John sadly looks at Kaylee, after she pelts week with a snowball, and i’ts clear from both of their faces the events haunt them. While john saved her.. he still couldn’t save Dinah. We end though on a very lovely scene: as John and Week prepare to get the hell out of dodge their job done, Weekly, seeing John’s very haunted by the events reveals the real reason behind his name: the boys only think he changes his underwear once a week. And this gets a hell of a laugh out of john... and ends a very dark story with a very grim resolution on a hopeful note: Things may of ended terribly.. but with the nation weak.. there’s some hope at least things might get better... and sometimes a little hope is all you need. It’s also a nice show of how far the two have come: From John really destesting week.. to the two being the close friends they’ll be from here on out, there for each other no matter what. And it really shows in the endings: Last album ended iwth John morosely sinking back into the shadows. Here while not much happier.. it ends with him at least.. not alone.. and with some hope things will get better. They have to.

Final Thoughts:

Arctic Nation is a masterpice. While the sexist comedy bits have not aged well the story is THROUGHLY relevant, a story of revenge, prejudice and standing up to prejudice, and after the last four years of having a president blantly favor white suprmacists and corrupt cops while things only got worse.. seeing John stand up to that flavor of monster with bravey, wit and most importantly no fear, was UTTERLY cathartic. It’s a captivating story that keeps you hooked the whole time.

And while on it’s own the story is very good and stands firm, as the second adventure for john.. it improves on somewhere in the shadows in every way except the art, which was already perfect last time and is just as excellent this time and is easily some of the best comic book art period. But the narrative is far more intresting this time going from a pretty standard noir setup to a fairly unique one as while “hero is stuck in a town where he’s an unwelcome outsider” isn’t new, having that blended with white supremacy is brilliant and provides an unyileding wave of tension over the story, as our hero is ONLY not lynched right away because his enimies are being careful and trying to appear resonable when their just bigoted bullies with delusions of grandeur like all whit esuprmacists. Our hero is not safe, he is not welcome, but he WILL NOT give up on a child whose been lost and needs his help. It’s a far more gripping setup and the payoffs including the awesome warehouse climax and the huge reveal at the end, all feel oh so worth it but the journey is never boring. THe additoin of Weekly was also easily the best move, as while he probably wasn’t intended to be permenant, his goofball demanour, skill beneath that, and great dynamic with John add some levity to the grim nature of blacksad’s world, and give him someone to work off of so we don’t get all the exposition via the narration, allowing it to breathe and come about when needed rather than be a constant presence. While Somewhere in the Shadows was good.. Arctic Nation is a masterpiece, and teh series would keep that level of quality and nuance from here on out.

I’ll be taking a break from blacksad for a while, so I’m genuinely not sure when i’ll be getting to red soul as I have other projects I deserpately need to get back to in april first, but i promise he’ll return some day. For now if you liked this review, follow me for more including weekly reviews of ducktales and amphibia, a lena sabrewing retrospective and if you really like this you can chip in a buck or two a month on patreon. The more contirbutions I get, the more likely i’ll hit my stretch goals and I have some pretty neat ones so check it out, there’s a link on my blog. And see you at the next rainbow.

#blacksad #john blacksad #arctic nation #weekly #comics #furry #anthro #noir #darkhorse comics #french comics #black lives matter #black history month

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ad7000 · 7 years

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transcripts:

Not yet, but it’s, it’ll be right in front of you in the middle of the road. Just a bit further here. Thought you’d have seen it by now, maybe not. It’s all the bushes and trees, they grow up, so you’ll see it in a minute, well, you ought to. There it is, there, see it there, love? That’s Locachurch, that’s the end of it just there. You shall see it on the slope on the sand, that’s where it gets pushed downhill. I want you to look to your right in a minute, over here, and you’ll see a sand dune that’s at the end of it. That’s where everything was moved to save the church. I mean loca church is not in a.... there is a village of loca but it’s stood absoloutley on its own, the normans built it oh god, well, it’s after 1066, i think its a but 800 yeears old, i’m not sure... This is low Morrisby there, i’m going to turn left in a minute to go up to the top. Can you see where it’s been flattened out and that sand dune up there has got an unnaturally shaped end that very abrupt tats where we had to cut it back to to stop the church being shoved down the hill. I’m going to turn left here to take you up to the golf course. It;s very steep up here but this is the way to the old Morrisby open cask, i was engineer for, when i was with colebaord i was engineer for all this round here. I’m sorry you didn’t get much of a look at locachurch, you might be able to see more from the top of the hill. Ah bluey, get up here!

Yeah I was just thinking, she’s pulling well isn’t she?

Oh aye, aye aye. There used to be a big gateway up here, half way up this hill, that used to take us onto it... there’s absoloutly no sign that there was ever a bloody open cask here. You might get a beter view of loca, we’ll be coming back the other way, not here. Now then, where’s the golf course? Oh baby, whether we find the golf or whether we don’t, you ain’t going to see nothing. Bloody awful isn’t it?

Beautiful weather to go camping in.

Is this it? whitehaven golf course? That’s the boy, that’s the bishops knickers.

Look at them playing golf in the rain.

Nah theres nothing to see mate, usually you can see, you know what I mean? Sorry mate. You see all this at one time, all this was where the golf course is here, this was all open cask, and to do whats been done here where they’ve turned it into a golf course, ot was cheaper for the bloody coleboard and what not to just give it to them as a golf course and say here just do what you like with it, like.

So this used to be open cask mines?

yes this was, yeah and all round here. All round here, it’s massive. All up the hill where you’ve been, all this along here.

You can now, just over there, just see the top of sellafield, okay? It’s bloody massive.

I didn’t realize just how big it was untill i seen it on the television.

Oh christ, it’s massive. I worked for Stevens when we did the land clerance, for the thrp plant, and that was frd kia, built the bloody thing. Bloody hell fire, I left Stevens in 91, so what des that make it? 91, 2001, 2011, nearly 50 years isnt it? And it was built before that, it’ll be built just over 30 years, it was built purley for processing the nuclear waste.

The road, at some time in the past 40 years, has been moved, becuase it used to run right the was past the past the pan, so they’ve shifted this road.

n/a

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junker-town · 7 years

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NFL draft grades 2017: Which teams won the draft?

Steals earned high grades while panicking on quarterbacks get knocked in way-too-early grades

The 2017 NFL draft is in the books and now it’s time to unfairly give out way-too-early grades that will undoubtedly enrage some of you.

The top drafts this year, right now, belong to Minnesota and Washington. Both got steals with their first picks while adding solid picks after them.

Most of the truly critical grades this year came for teams that panicked to get quarterbacks in a draft where the position was panned by many.

Arizona Cardinals

In the first round there was a run on quarterbacks, and even though the Cardinals need one they stood at No. 12 and took linebacker Haason Reddick. He’s yet another movable part for a defense that has positional ambiguity. They then ignored the quarterback in the second round, trading up up for safety Budda Baker. He’s a good Tony Jefferson replacement. The Cardinals gave up a fair amount to get Baker but recouped the picks later by trading back in the third round. There they took Grambling State wide receiver Chad Williams. He was a surprise pick going ahead of receivers like Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson of Michigan.

The other pick they got in the third round trade back turned into guard Dorian Johnson. He’s one of the more pro-ready players in the draft and could push for playing time as a rookie.

Grade: B

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons jumped up in the first round to take pass rusher Takkarist McKinley instead which filled one of the team’s bigger needs. He gives them another edge player to get after the quarterback and should line up at end and linebacker. He keeps some attention away from Vic Beasley.

The Falcons followed that up by dropping out of the second round and getting two extra picks in the fifth round. In the third they selected linebacker Duke Riley. He’s a three-down linebacker who can move around with ease. Atlanta finally got an interior blocker in the fourth round with Sean Harlow of Oregon State. I thought they should have targeted a guard earlier in the draft. Getting San Diego State cornerback Damontae Kazee getting in the fifth round was my favorite pick by Atlanta. He’s not going to be a No. 1 cornerback, but he doesn’t need to be in Atlanta. He’s got excellent instincts and should be really good working the slot.

Grade: B-

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens went defense and then they went beef. The first four picks by Baltimore were on defense starting with cornerback Marlon Humphrey at No. 16 overall. The Ravens needed to get better in the secondary and didn’t have to move up to get the draft’s second-best corner. His has impressive tools and could develop into a shut down player on the outside.

The Ravens needed an edge rusher, and picked two in the ultra-athletic Tyus Bowser in the second round and blitz specialist Tim Williams in the third. I had Williams rated as one of the 30 best players in the draft. He’s limited in what he can do, but his ability to get after the passer is incredible. Bowser has good developmental potential and has a better all-around game. Between them the Ravens picked Michigan defensive lineman Chris Wormley who is a good system fit. The Ravens needed to improve their pass rush and got players who can do it.

On the third day of the draft Baltimore picked two guards in Nico Siragusa and Jermaine Eluemunor. They should push for the left guard job. I thought the Ravens needed to get a wide receiver in this draft and they passed on the position.

Grade: B-

Buffalo Bills

Bills general manager Doug Whaley took advantage of the quarterback feeding frenzy and traded back to No. 27 in the first round while also acquiring a 2018 first-round pick. At 27 they brought in cornerback Tre’Davious White, one of the more pro-ready players in this year’s draft. He’s a nice replacement for the departed Stephon Gilmore.

Buffalo followed one pro-ready player with another one in the second round with wide receiver Zay Jones. The productive East Carolina wideout has great hands and runs good routes. He pairs nicely with Sammy Watkins. Then the Bills traded back into the second round. It wasn’t to get a quarterback – which maybe they should’ve done – but to get offensive lineman Dion Dawkins. He’s a powerful and physical blocker who will be a good fit in the cold weather climate in Buffalo.

The Bills were thought to be after a quarterback at some point this draft and found one in the fifth round in Nathan Peterman of Pittsburgh. He doesn’t wow you with size or arm strength, but he’s a solid player. He was held back to some degree by the Pittsburgh offense that used the short game a lot.

Grade: B-

Carolina Panthers

2-40: Curtis Samuel, WR/RB, Ohio State

2-64: Taylor Moton, OT, Western Michigan

3-77: Daeshon Hall, DE, Texas A&M

The Panthers doubled up on all-around offensive threats in the first two rounds with first-round pick Christian McCaffrey and second rounder Curtis Samuel. They’ll make the Carolina offense a lot of more dynamic and fun to watch, but they’re somewhat redundant. McCaffrey was obviously the player Carolina coveted in this draft and he can change their run game and special teams.

Carolina has needed talent on the offensive line for a couple years, and they got a talented and experienced player in Taylor Moton with the last pick of the second round. Moton is a fit, but I thought that pick could have been used on a pass rusher. Instead the Panthers got one in the third round with Texas A&M end Daeshon Hall at No. 77. He could be a factor early in his career.

Grade: C+

Chicago Bears

My grade on the Bears is lower than some might like because I don’t think they needed to move up to take quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Obviously if it works out, he’s a franchise quarterback and my opinion is totally irrelevant. But to me they unnecessarily gave up a third-round pick in a deep draft.

Chicago smartly then got some draft capital back moving back from No. 36 in the second to 45 to get Ashland tight end Adam Shaheen. Although he played against inferior competition, I like pairing Shaheen with Trubisky. They could develop a Tony Romo/Jason Witten-like rapport in Chicago.

Alabama safety Eddie Jackson was a nice pickup in the fourth round, assuming he’ll be fully healthy. The Bears had to find talent in the secondary and he should help at safety. Running back Tarik Cohen will have value as a special teams player who can spell Jordan Howard. The Bears needed to get a cornerback and passed on the position totally.

Grade: C

Cincinnati Bengals

Everyone expected the Bengals get come out of this draft with speed at receiver and boy did they ever. Their draft started with Washington speed demon wide receiver John Ross with the No. 9 overall pick. If he can stay healthy he adds a new dimension to the offense. The Bengals got another speed receiver in the fourth round with Tennessee’s Josh Malone. Cincinnati should be fine if A.J. Green gets hurt again.

The Bengals dropped a bombshell in the second round by picking Joe Mixon. On the field he’s one of the draft’s three best running backs. If he stays out of trouble, he could be one of the steals of the draft. The Bengals waited until the 73rd overall pick to get the pass rusher they needed in Jordan Willis of Kansas State. Then they doubled up on edge rushers by taking Auburn’s Carl Lawson in the fourth round. If even just one of the two becomes a viable starter I like the strategy.

Cincinnati took the first specialist of the draft with Memphis kicker Jake Elliott. This was a pick the Bengals had to make. Whether or not they should have gone with Zane Gonzalez of Arizona State we’ll see.

Grade: B-

Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns could have gone full Browns in the 2017 NFL Draft by rushing a pick at quarterback and they didn’t. It was smart. The Browns stood at No. 1 and took the unquestioned draft’s best player in defensive end Myles Garrett. In Gregg Williams’ defense he should be a superstar.

Then the Browns do what they’re getting known to do by acquiring future assets by trading off No. 12 and moving to 25 and getting Jabrill Peppers. He’s extremely talented and could answer Cleveland’s problems at safety. Cleveland then jumped back into the first round to take tight end David Njoku. After releasing Gary Barnidge the Browns will need to get production out of Njoku in a hurry.

Then in the third round the Browns got their quarterback in DeShone Kizer. He’s obviously talented, but he was wildly inconsistent at Notre Dame. If he doesn’t show a lot as a rookie he shouldn’t stop Cleveland from taking a quarterback next year.

Defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi in the third round was a decent pick, but I thought this should have been a cornerback. Cleveland instead got one in the fourth round in Howard Wilson of Houston. Cleveland then moved back up in the fifth round to get offensive tackle Roderick Johnson. He was once considered a first-round player but his technique needs a lot of work. The pick of Caleb Brantley was strange. The Browns said if htey’re not comfortable with him he’ll be cut. Can a 1-15 team be afforded that type of luxury?

Grade: B

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys had to come out of this draft with a pass rusher and some help in the secondary. They mostly did filled those needs. In the first round Dallas went with end Taco Charlton. While he may not have had a first-round grade by Dallas, he fills a premium position and fits perfectly in the system.

Dallas followed that up with cornerbacks in their next two picks with Chidobe Awuzie at No. 60 and Jourdan Lewis at No. 92. The pick of Awuzie was a great one. He can do everything. He can press, he can play off, he can stuff the run and he can blitz. Lewis has some off-field issues, but on the field he was incredibly productive at Michigan. Dallas then took slot receiver Ryan Switzer in the fourth round. He’s a solid player but I’m not sure how many targets he’ll see in that offense. This team needed to pick a safety and waited until the sixth round to get one in Xavier Woods. He could be their new Barry Church.

Grade: B-

Denver Broncos

Everyone knew the Broncos would take an offensive tackle in the first round, so it wasn’t a real shock when they pick Utah’s Garrett Bolles. He’ll give the offense an edge blocking at left tackle.

The next three picks – end DeMarcus Walker, wide receiver Carlos Henderson and cornerback Brandon Langley – didn’t do a lot for me. I thought each was a reach. Walker is a good fit in the system in Denver, though.

My favorite pick of the entire weekend for Denver was Michigan tight end Jake Butt. He may not be a big factor early in the 2017 season but in the future he should be a dependable player in the pass offense. With the last pick the Broncos snuck in quarterback Chad Kelly. I understand why he fell. He’s had a bunch of injuries and off-field stuff. On the field he was spotty. But boy some of his throws at Ole Miss were special. He’s definitely worth the flier.

Grade: C+

Detroit Lions

In the first round the Lions got a certain starter in linebacker Jarrad Davis. He’s a three-down linebacker who can come up and stuff the run and do a little bit of everything else well.

Throw the testing numbers on second-round pick Teez Tabor away. He’s a good player who should also start for the Lions. Third-round pick Kenny Golladay was a surprise selection but he has good size. The Lions got him via a trade back where they acquired an extra fourth-round pick that turned into linebacker Jaylon Reeves-Maybin. He’s a good weak-side linebacker when healthy. Tight end Michael Roberts doesn’t have a lot of flash in his game but he should be an excellent No. 2 tight end behind Eric Ebron.

The issue here is no pass rusher, whether its coming from inside or the edge, until the sixth round.

Grade: C

Green Bay Packers

Green Bay smartly traded out of the first round. They knew they could because they depth of the draft this year at cornerback is what they needed. So instead of picking 29th the Packers dropped back to 33 and got Washington’s Kevin King. He’s a great system fit and has size. He should push for a starting spot as a rookie. The other pick they got from the deal turned into linebacker Vince Biegel who should at the least be good depth and a quality special teams player. He has some potential as a pass rusher.

Between them the Packers got safety Josh Jones at No. 61 and defensive lineman Montravius Adams at No. 93. Jones is a great pick. He played at safety and corner at North Carolina State and should give the Packers the type of versatile defensive back that many teams want right now. Adams was hot and cold at Auburn, but he gives the Packers a player on the defensive line who can get into the backfield after the quarterback. My knock on this draft is skipping out on a running back until the third day when they got Jamaal Williams of BYU and Aaron Jones of UTEP.

I thought the pick of Malachi Dupre in the seventh round was a smart one. The quarterback play at LSU was terrible.

Grade: B+

Houston Texans

Houston is another team I knock a little bit for giving up a ton to get a quarterback in the first round. Houston gave up a 2018 first-round pick to Cleveland out of necessity to get Deshaun Watson of Clemson. Again, if it works out my opinion doesn’t matter. If it doesn’t it could really set the franchise backward. It’s a good landing spot for Watson, though.

Getting linebacker Zach Cunningham in the second round was a great pick. He’s a three-down player who can move around nicely and drop in coverage. Running back D’Onta Foreman is a solid player to take in the third round, but he might not get a ton of carries behind Lamar Miller.

Offensive tackle Julie’n Davenport was my favorite pick for Houston. He’s a developmental player but his tools are really, really impressive. Fellow fourth-round pick Carlos Watkins adds good depth on the defensive line.

Grade: C+

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts got one of the steals of the first round in safety Malik Hooker. I know he’s a liability as a tackler, but his ability dropping in coverage is special. If Chuck Pagano wanted a new Ed Reed, he found it. The Colts followed that up with another defensive back, taking Florida cornerback Quincy Wilson in the second round. The Colts had to fix their secondary and did so with their first two picks.

Indianapolis also had to find an edge rusher and did so with end Tarell Basham. He plays with good burst and power. Massive blocker Zach Banner should help the Colts’ running game, as should fellow running back back Marlon Mack, a fellow fourth-round pick. He could pick off carries from Frank Gore early in his career. The other picks for the Colts are decent depth pieces.

Grade: B

Jacksonville Jaguars

With Blake Bortles having an up-and-down career, the Jaguars started their draft by taking running back Leonard Fournette who can be the focus of the team’s offense. Fournette can be a force for Jacksonville. That, of course, is assuming the offensive line and open holes for him. That’s why I love the pick of Cam Robinson at the top of the second round. If he’s playing hard he performs like a first-round player. That’s especially true in his run blocking.

Because Dante Fowler has struggled, getting Dawuane Smoot of Illinois was a smart move in the third round. Dede Westbrook was a solid fourth round pick but he’ll need to figure out how to stand out in a crowded wide receiver group in Jacksonville. Linebacker Blair Brown was a nice depth addition in the fifth round. I’m surprised they didn’t get a tight end or quarterback at some point.

Grade: B-

Kansas City Chiefs

My grade on what Kansas City did in this draft is due to my opinion that they gave up way too much to trade up for quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the first round. Again, if he works out, I look dumb and it doesn’t matter. But to give up pick Nos. 27 and 91 this year and a first-round pick in 2018 is a lot. The Chiefs are a team that I think could have used this draft to find a player in the first round who can push them over the top in 2017 and make a Super Bowl push.

Second-round pick Tanoh Kpassagnon should start his career as a good depth piece, but he has work to do as a football player. He’s a massive super athlete but he’s raw. Running back Kareem Hunt should provide the Chiefs with the most immediate help. He’s a good all-around player who slid some in the draft because he doesn’t have great top-end speed. The Chiefs gave up several picks to get him, and then gave another extra pick to move up in the fourth round to take wide receiver Jehu Chesson. The Michigan receiver should push for targets early in his career.

Grade: C

Los Angeles Chargers

When the Chargers took wide receiver Mike Williams in the first round, I thought it was early for the Clemson wide receiver, But given the top 10 run at the position the NFL seemed to love receivers high more than those who cover the draft. If getting Williams was early, the Chargers stole guard Forrest Lamp with the 38th pick. He’s a great player and should get into the starting lineup immediately.

I criticized the pick of Dan Feeney in the third round because he’s another interior blocker. But then the Chargers made up for it by getting defensive backs Rayshawn Jenkins and Desmond King on the third day of the draft. King is a particularly intriguing pick. Like Teez Tabor of Florida, throw away the size and measurables, he just makes plays. Jenkins can be a good enforcer safety for the Chargers. I may not like the order in which the Chargers filled needs, but they filled them all successfully. The knock on this draft is not finding a defensive lineman until the seventh round.

Grade: B

Los Angeles Rams

This draft for the Rams was all about finding help for second-year quarterback Jared Goff. That’s what Los Angeles did taking tight end Gerald Everett and wide receiver Cooper Kupp with their first two picks. The team then brought in Texas A&M wide receiver Josh Reynolds in the fourth round. None may be superstar No. 1 lead receivers, but they’re all solid targets. Kupp in particular is a nice pickup. He catches everything thrown his way. Everett can be a nice weapon to move around the entire field.

My favorite pick for the Rams was seventh rounder Ejuan Price. He’s undersized and has had some injuries in the past. But he knows how to get the most out of what he has and has the will to stick.

Grade: C

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are a team that came into the draft understanding their needs. Miami didn’t get fancy and trade around, they just went down their needs list and checked each one off. That started in the first round with pass rusher Charles Harris. He might start his career as a rush specialist, but he fits on a team that added run-stopping specialist William Hayes.

On the second day of the draft they continued on defense getting linebacker Raekwon McMillan of Ohio State and cornerback Cordrea Tankersley of Clemson. Both could develop into starters. My grade would be higher if they picked up an interior offensive lineman earlier in the draft, but they still found one in Utah’s Isaac Asiata in fifth round. Defensive linemen Davon Godchaux and Vincent Taylor provide solid depth.

Grade: B-

Minnesota Vikings

Without a first-round pick, the Vikings were put in a tough spot in the draft this year. They still managed to get first-round value in running back Dalvin Cook. I think he can be a star in the NFL, and trading a fourth-round pick to get him was worth it. On the field he’s a playmaker who runs with speed, shiftiness and enough power.

Minnesota needed help on the offensive line, and they got it in Ohio State’s Pat Elflein. Whether it’s guard or center he’s a starting on the line. He’s a tough and instinctive blocker who could become one of the leaders on the team.

Fourth-round pick Jaleel Johnson is good insurance if there are issues with defensive lineman Sharrif Floyd. He’s a good run stopper and can split a gap. Inside linebacker Ben Gedeon, at worst, is a solid depth addition. He could push for playing time on the weak side and on special teams. Fifth-round pick Danny Isidora of Miami provides good depth on the offensive line. Sixth-round pick Bucky Hodges was a nice pickup as a movable weapon on offense.

Grade: A

New England Patriots

Despite not having a pick until the third round, the Patriots had a solid draft. Some thought third-round pick Derek Rivers might go in the first round. The Patriots needed to get a pass rusher, and did so with Rivers. They doubled up on defensive ends by taking Deatrich Wise of Arkansas in the fourth round. He only had nine starts, but he played in 50 games all along the defensive line.

Between the two pass rushers the Patriots traded up to get offensive tackle Antonio Garcia in the third round. If Nate Solder leaves New England after this season, he’s a logical replacement thanks to his quick feet and ability to pick off speed rushers on the edge. New England finished off their draft trading up to get offensive tackle Connor McDermott in the sixth round. McDermott has really good potential. Don’t be surprised if he sticks on the roster and gets developed into a starter.

Grade: B+

New Orleans Saints

The Saints had one of the best picks of the entire draft getting cornerback Marshon Lattimore with the 11th overall pick. Lattimore was rated as a top five overall player and fills the biggest need the Saints had on draft weekend. The Saints got not only the best cornerback in the draft but arguably the best offensive tackle in Ryan Ramczyk of Wisconsin. I don’t see a lot of need in an offensive tackle for the Saints, but you can’t fault the value.

In the second round the Saints got a coverage safety to go with Lattimore in Utah’s Marcus Williams. The three-year starter at Utah is at his best in single-high coverage. Normally I’m not a fan of trading future picks, but that’s what the Saints did to get running back Alvin Kamara in the third round. He’s got good speed, can be put in the slot and is a nice foil for starter Mark Ingram. Third-round pick Alex Anzalone is a solid linebacker who moves well and is a sound tackler. As much as I loved the picks of Lattimore, Williams and Kamara, I thought the Saints needed to find a better pass rusher and a quarterback at some point. The future replacement for Drew Brees will have to come another year.

Grade: B

New York Giants

I wasn’t a big fan of the Giants taking Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram in the first round. He gives the Giants more production from the position, which they need, but I viewed him as a second-round player. Second-round pick Dalvin Tomlinson also filled a need on the defensive line, but I thought No. 55 was somewhat early for him as well.

After that, I loved what the Giants did in this draft. The Giants were aggressive finding the successor for Eli Manning in Davis Webb in the third round. There was some thought Webb would go much higher so to get him at No. 87 was smart. Wayne Gallman is a good power running back who could split carries with Paul Perkins. He doesn’t have a lot of flash, but he’s hard to bring down and rarely has bad plays. I liked the pick of end Avery Moss, who fills a need as a system fit pass rusher. New York’s last pick, offensive tackle Adam Bisnowaty, is going to stick as good depth, at least.

Grade: B-

New York Jets

The Jets fixed their safety unit in this draft by picking Jamal Adams in the first round and Marcus Maye in the second round. That could spell the end for Calvin Pryor and Marcus Gilchrist in New York. Along with free agent Morris Claiborne, the Jets have put resources into the secondary. The Adams pick was great. I viewed him as a top three player in the daft. No. 39 was a little early for Maye for me.

After them the Jets doubled up on wide receivers ArDarius Stewart and Chad Hansen. Stewart is a really good athlete and Hansen has reliable hands. Fifth-round tight end Jordan Leggett might get more targets than the both of them. He fits perfectly with new offensive coordinator John Morton who likes to flex tight ends out to create mismatches.

Grade: C+

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders were another team that came into the draft needing to fix their secondary and they did so with their first two picks. First-round pick Gareon Conley surprised many because of his current ongoing legal issue. But if he’s in the clear, the placement fits the value. Safety Obi Melifonwu is a classic Raiders pick in that he’s a big athlete. Melifonwu has excellent range for a safety and was productive at Connecticut.

After those two, it’s hard to see immediate help from this draft class. Defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes once had the potential of a first-round pick, but because of injuries and stamina issues he dropped to the third round. If the Raiders can keep a fire lit under him he could help the run defense in a big way. Offensive tackle David Sharpe, the team’s fourth-round pick, is a good fit in the system.

Grade: B-

Philadelphia Eagles

One of the most obvious needs for any team in this year’s draft was the Eagles needing a cornerback. The Eagles waited to target the position taking defensive end Derek Barnett in the first round. It was something of a surprise to see him available with the 14th pick. He’ll help the team’s rush up front.

The Eagles waited until the second day to get corners getting Sidney Jones in the second round and Rasul Douglas in the third round. Had Jones been healthy he would’ve been a first-round pick. Douglas is a good physical cornerback with measurables.

Mack Hollins in the fourth round was a sound choice. The third day of the draft can be about finding special teams help, and Hollins is an ace specialist. Running back Donnel Pumphrey could move to wide receiver where he can take advantage of his agility in space.

Grade: B-

Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh’s big need in the draft was getting an outside linebacker, and that’s what they got in T.J. Watt of Wisconsin. He’s a solid outside pass rusher who can come up and stop the run. With James Harrison nearing retirement, Watt can be his understudy while also stealing some snaps on run downs.

There were moments at USC where second-round pick JuJu Smith-Schuster looked like a first-round pick. He’s a physical pass catcher who is a little bit like Anquan Boldin after the catch. The issue with the pick is how many targets Smith-Schuster might see in a packed wide receiver group in Pittsburgh.

Cornerback Cameron Sutton has some potential as a third-round pick. He doesn’t have great speed or athleticism, but he has good instincts. Fourth-round pick Josh Dobbs will get a shot at some point to succeed Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback. At the least he could be an improvement at backup quarterback.

Grade: B-

San Francisco 49ers

First-year general manager John Lynch had a notable first draft for the 49ers. He fleeced the Bears to move down a pick and still get the player he wanted in defensive lineman Solomon Thomas. The move was crafty, and the 49ers got a player who can use power and quickness to get into the backfield. Lynch then packaged his second-round pick and a fourth-round pick to get back into the first round to get free-falling linebacker Reuben Foster. The Alabama stud should develop into the leader on San Francisco’s defense.

Third-round pick Ahkello Witherspoon has some good physical skills in his game and has good growth potential. He’s a little spotty right now, but his size and skill combination is too intriguing. Fellow third-round pick C.J. Beathard was a shock pick at No. 104. He’s a player head coach Kyle Shanahan wanted, but it came much higher than most expected for the Iowa quarterback. Fifth-round pick George Kittle could push for playing time early at tight end. This team needed a higher-caliber quarterback at some point, and a more dynamic receiver.

Grade: B-

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks traded out of the first round of the draft and ended with a large class of 11 players. It began with defensive lineman Malik McDowell, whose biggest knock was his inconsistent effort. But if there’s some team that can get the most out of him, it’s Seattle. He has top 10 ability because of his size, athleticism and ability to play all along the defensive line.

Offensive lineman Ethan Pocic is a perfect system fit in Seattle where he’ll remind Seahawks fans of Max Unger. He’s incredibly smart and athletic for a blocker. Of the team’s four third-round picks, I liked defensive tackle Nazair Jones of North Carolina and Amara Darboh the most. Jones, like McDowell, has great potential. Darboh runs good routes and has nice hands. Fourth-round pick Tedric Thompson was an interesting selection. He should provide really good depth for the Seahawks. The Seahawks grabbed two other safeties – Delano Hill in the third round and Mike Tyson in the sixth – and that should tell you they’re looking to the future in the secondary.

The Seahawks didn’t take an offensive tackle until the sixth round with Justin Senior of Mississippi State. If there’s a flaw in this class, that’s the one that stands out first.

Grade: B-

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The draft for the Buccaneers was about finding help for Jameis Winston. They did that in the first round getting an absolute steal in tight end O.J. Howard with the 19th pick. He should see a lot of passes thrown his way in Tampa Bay. They got another target for Winston in wide receiver Chris Godwin. Like Mike Evans, he’s a wide receiver you can throw it up high to and he can come down with it.

Between the two pass catchers the Buccaneers got safety Justin Evans. He plays a lot like Tanard Jackson did. Hopefully Evans can stick around a little longer. I thought pick No. 50 was a little too high for him. Running back Jeremy McNichols was a great pickup in the fifth round. He could get some carries while Doug Martin is suspended, and he has the talent to keep them.

Grade: C+

Tennessee Titans

Everyone – the media, fans and other teams – knew the the Titans were going to come out of the first round of the draft with a cornerback and wide receiver if they kept the picks. They did, but the order in which they took them surprised. Taking wide receiver Corey Davis at No. 5 overall seemed early, but it may have been smart considering two other wideouts went in the top 10 and he may not have been around at No. 18. With that pick the Titans drafted cornerback Adoree’ Jackson. I might have preferred a cornerback like Tre’Davious White over him, but teams like Jackson more than draft analysts.

The Titans got more receiving threats in the third round with Taywan Taylor and Jonnu Smith. Taylor can be an excellent player out of the slot. Smith is a movable tight end that will be lined up all around the field. If the goal was to get weapons for Marcus Mariota, then mission accomplished. Tennessee also needed depth on the offensive line and found it with Corey Levin and Brad Seaton late in the draft.

Grade: B-

Washington

Washington is another team that got one of the biggest steals in the entire draft with first-round pick Jonathan Allen. If he stays healthy, I love the pick. He was my second overall selection and will help Washington’s pass rush and run defense. In the second round Washington went for another Alabama front seven player with linebacker Ryan Anderson. He can play inside and outside with his ability to use power and leverage.

The team needed a cornerback and found one with first-round talent in UCLA’s Fabian Moreau of UCLA. He dropped because of health, but he’s a high-end No. 2 cornerback for Washington.

The pick of running back Samaje Perine in the fourth round was one of the best on the third day of the draft. He could take over as Washington’s lead running back. Washington also smartly brought in two more safeties in Montae Nicholson and Josh Harvey-Clemons. It might be overloading the position, but Harvey-Clemons in particular brings something a little different.

Grade: A-

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andrewuttaro · 6 years

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New Look Sabres: GM 49 - CBJ - Blizzard Puns

It seems like it was a whole different world back when the Buffalo Sabres took on the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 11 this season. That was a narrow 5-4 loss for the Blue and Gold to an Artemi Panarin OT game-winner. That was before the win streak when we were all content to just look for signs of improvement. Oh times have changed! In past years these teams would meet for Wednesday Night rivalry on nights NBC should’ve been airing a couple Canadian teams god forbid and we would joke about the intense history between the clubs, our breaths full of sarcasm. Then each team would go on their merry way; Columbus to a first round exit (narrower and narrower every year) and Buffalo onto miss the playoffs. To each his own it was. Now the Sabres need some W’s in these eleven post bye-week games against beatable opponents as Chad DeDominicis at Die By the Blade recently noted. Now I look at Columbus with actual aggression. Not only that but if the Sabres do pick it up again down the stretch for these next two months leading into the playoffs there is a chance these teams play in the first round. Oh yes, let’s do some playoff trash talk: Columbus, you’ve rallied behind this team and every season they’ve looked like a deep playoff contender while the next calamity was waiting around the corner. Sabres fans don’t need to remind you that you’ve never won a playoff series because we know that’s why the trash talk in this series is a one way street. Your club can probably go win the Eastern Conference if your two best players didn’t demand out of town. Buffalo cannot imagine being afraid of the Jackets in a playoff series and the facts of the matter is there’s no compelling reason to be: Sabres in 6! That felt a little mean but it’s been tough times lately for the Sabres so deal with it. Game on!

I had the good vibes coursing through my veins to start this game! I sincerely missed this team and they didn’t make me regret those feelings. The second line of Sheary-Mittelstadt-Rodrigues came streaming into the Blue Jackets zone and went right to the net. Casey Mittelstadt’s shot didn’t get through but Evan Rodrigues was right there behind him to clean up the rebound and get Buffalo up 1-0. That goal was a little over two minutes into the first. Hardly a minute later Columbus has their go in the Sabres zone when Ryan Murray took a shot from the blue line that Pierre-Luc Dubois redirected in. 1-1 game. It was at this point my early concerns about the Sabres possession game began to disappear like the green grass under the blizzard. The Sabres took over O-zone possession and began to push their luck on the O-zone chances a bit more. Rasmus Ristolainen got a puck from the wall over to Sam Reinhart parked right in the slot all alone and 23 sunk it past Sergei Bobrovsky. 2-1 Sabres and it’s worth mentioning this period was looking like a return to form for Carter Hutton as Columbus returned the chances with some consistency. Tage Thompson got the puck from a marauding Rasmus Dahlin and looked like a tower smacking home the 3-1 goal for the visitors. On another night of questioning why Lawrence Pilut is benched once again it’s nice to be refreshed by another questionable Housley deployment from earlier this season. Don’t worry; we’ll get back to that later.

Speaking of Tage Thompson, he got penalized late in the first for goaltender interference. The play actually looked like what you want from Thompson, crashing the net and all, but it gave the Jackets a powerplay bridge into the middle frame where Nick Foligno cashed in. I didn’t see it because my stream crashed but the replay looks like he got a sausy tap in. Don’t take time to complain because before the cannon blast dissipated the Sabres responded on a Jeff Skinner race to the back of the net. It’s 4-2 now only a minute into the second and I feel great if this is the Sabres team we’ll see down the stretch here. Then the game turned into a shooting gallery: the nightmare of any goalie’s save percentage. At this point the shots from both teams totaled less than 35. Halfway through this game that changed, perhaps more from a Columbus angle. Brandon Dubinsky put a puck on Hutton up close and somehow it trickled in. The floodgates seemed to open then for the home team and Hutton is suddenly under siege as the defense in front of him got sloppy. Cam Atkinson got a charitable deflection off Reinhart and stood all alone face to face with Hutton. Atkinson won the stare down and this game is 4-4 through forty minutes. Yikes. In past years the Sabres are scared now in this situation. Personally I two just wanted them to hold the line and be conservative. This team needs wins now! The beautiful thing about the final period is that it showed this Sabres team doesn’t get scared. The pressure poured out from the Blue and Gold like the heavens had an ocean of snow to drop. Yes, I’m doing a lot of blizzard metaphors today. Just like how scoring opened, it closed with a Sabres second line we’ve criticized a lot for being nonexistent when it was needed. Evan Rodrigues goes in on Bob and it bounces off the pads. This time it was Conor Sheary there to pick up the rebound: 5-4 Sabres. The rest of the period was stressful; I made the mistake of blasting workout music and nearly soaking my shirt through with sweat. Columbus pushed hard, especially in the last two minutes with an empty net behind them but Hutton stood tall. The Jackets made their losing streak three games though and it ended 5-4 Sabres.

As we talked about briefly at the start of tonight’s blog the Sabres need to get on a roll and win some games out of the bye week to get back into the thick of the playoff race. There is a unique little window we find ourselves in right now where most of the teams ahead of us in that race are on their bye-week while Buffalo is playing games. This win tonight helps close a gap between the now 56 point Sabres and the final wildcard spot at 58 points. Most notably Montreal is not playing games right now and that is probably the team you need to peel out of there. Purely on a head-to-head basis the Sabres have been a better team than our surprising friends up in French Canada but games in hand and clutch wins in tough games make the difference in a race as tight as this. For such a tight race one might wonder why Lawrence Pilut, a rookie to North American ice whom has better advanced stats than a certain Kings defenseman who just got traded into the division, was scratched. I am not going to defend Housley’s decision to not play our favorite Press Box Pilut but I’m willing to be patient in the light of the memory of how the Thompson experiment panned out. You may be yelling saying the Thompson experiment was playing him not benching him but of all the shit Housley has to fix right now I am not going to waste energy bemoaning a game-to-game deployment choice over say… the consistently bad powerplay. I’m picking my battles; this stretch ahead of us is going to take a lot of my emotional energy and trust me, I love you Pilut, but your time will come.

The Sabres played an aggressive, pressurized game tonight and that’s encouraging going into Dallas tomorrow night and a super busy February to follow. We’re not used to a genuine playoff race here in Buffalo so let’s save our energy for the slugfest that lay ahead. Drop a like on this blog for my mental energy and a share/retweet too if you really need me to keep it up going into this stretch. Comment too if you got some chirping to do. I let some snarls rip on our boys tonight too; it wasn’t a perfect game by any means. That maybe something we’re apt to remember going forward here: it doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to work. Points! Points! Points! Make them rain down like this endless column of snow!

Thanks for reading.

P.S. I don’t regret not writing on the NHL All-Star Weekend. It’s been three days and I still can’t come up with takeaways. I guess that’s the point… that it’s all pointless.

#buffalo sabres #hockey #nhl #blog #cbj

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