#( it's equally good for offense and defense because he's not only intangible but trying to touch him will actually harm you )

[windsfavored]

scaramouche  does  his  whole  teleporting  schtick  pretty  flawlessly  (  though  it  isn't  actually  teleporting  so  much  as  he  is  turning  himself  into  electricity  like  an  alternate  sprint  )  but  i've  always  liked  to  imagine  there  was  a  time  when  that  WASN'T  the  case  —  and  when  he  was  first  growing  accustomed  to  it,  he  definitely  smacked  into  a  walls  /  trees  /  furniture  /  etc.  or  he  would  return  to  his  normal  form  and  trip  over  his  own  feet  from  the  momentum.  he  will  NEVER  actually  acknowledge  that  era  of  figuring  out  how  his  power  worked,  but  it  happened  and  it  was  embarrassing.

[thelewdprincereborn]

Magnus the red vs Doctor Strange (Part 2)

So hi guys im back! And here with a part 2 showing off the crimsons king opponent! Doctor strange!

Sorcerer Supreme of the Earth dimension, Doctor strange, Stephen Strange.

The Doctor known among his allies and friends is one of the strongest magic users in the known marvel comic franchise as his powers and feats show his is truly worthy of the name Sorcerer Supreme. He’ll show why he this name in the first place.

Also like Magnus, The doctor is not one to go hand to hand combat or melee but would rather deal with you from a distance or shut down his opponents with clever tricks. 

Strength: Now unlike our boy Magnus the doc ain’t as strong physical wise as the red primarch, he has never really shown any pure strength feats except maybe lifting to were he’s peak human but striking at someone he could take down the every day thug but we haven’t seen things against like captain america.     

Speed: Now unlike strength the doc’s speed is on a WHOLE other level as this boy is pretty fast not only in travel speed but in reaction speed and attacking speed. 

If we did scaling with magnus as we compared him to Angron then the same should be said for the doc. As to we shall compare him to his teacher, the ancient one who once did a feat like this. 

Considering from where he was at the time and how fast the ancient one reacted to the beam in the exact “micro-second” this already makes doctor strange in the FTL reaction speeds since he’s been confirmed to be stronger then his old teacher.

Or the other time were Adam Warlock (you know the guy who always is seen with thanos at times?) had literally FLUNG him to the edge of the universe and the good doctor just returned within SECONDS. Boi that is some saint seiya levels of speed right there easily over 1,000,000 times in travel speed. 

Also btw he could become the avatar of ENTIRETY or DEATH itself so he’s then EVERYWHERE at once. And if anyone knows who those two are within the marvel multiverse, you know how big of a feat that is.

Stamina:The good doctor has fought with very strong being with hours at the time, while no where near Magnus levels of stamina he has never had to fight upon days or weeks because his magic was that strong he could deal with opponents. 

Durability: What? You think just cause he’s magic he hasn’t survived insane shit before? Look at this

He survived and tanked this attack from the The In-Betweener. You know the guy who works for lord chaos and lord order and is PHYSICALLY Embodiment of the Duality of Concepts. So he survived an attack from that mother fucker to which that mother fucker could easily create and destroy universe’s. He also fought that guy on an almost equal level and manged to seal the guy.

Or the time he survived this attack from the demon Dormammu 

An attack not which only killed ENTIRETY but also with the doc’s force fields he tanked the attacked until he was rescued from his universe falling apart.

Or how about the time he literally resisted DEATH trying to kill him.

Yeah that’s pretty insane to survive not only DEATH itself but within it’s own realm, this could also show a feat for just how fast this guy can go at times.

Range: Can go up to dozens of meters at weakest to multiverse levels of range as he Crossed an infinite number of dimensions by using Mordo's power to which that in itself is pretty insane if i say so myself. So range is no problem for this guy.

Equipment: (this comes vs battle wiki)  Many magic artifacts, such as the Eye of Agamotto, which draws power from the cosmic being of the same name and can pierce through any illusion, gives him massively upgraded senses, open dimensional portals, and many other effects. The Cloak of Levitation allows him to fly (he can fly without it, but using the cloak doesn't consume any energy) He can also control the cloak remotely, like Surfer does with his board. The Wand of Watoomb, which can control "cosmic winds" allowing him to reach anywhere in the universe very quickly, or banish others to the far reaches of the universe, and the Ring of Full Power, which allows him to access all of his power while in his astral form. Has the Soul Gem, but will virtually never use it. The Purple Gem. 

So this man carries many things on him at times. 

Intelligence: (also comes from Vs battle wiki)  The most powerful sorcerer in the universe, fought for thousands of years in a magical war, created his own forms of magic and mastered nearly every form of magic in existence, the leading authority on magic and mystical related subjects, highly skilled in HtH combat, a vast amount of experience battling nearly every conceivable type of foe.

The doc ain’t no stranger when it comes combat, maybe not as much as magnus but can hold his own very calmly and with mastery.I mean he’s gone against the in-betweener, Nightmare, Shuma-Gorath, Dormammu and even other enties like them which have a whole SHIT ton of more experience then him but he’s still has beaten every single one of them.

Powers: Where to even start with this guy. 

Here’s the main powers of this guy. (this comes from vs battle wiki)

Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Master Martial Artist, Flight, Mastery of Many Forms of Magic including ones he developed himself, Supernatural Senses, Telepathy (Both offensive and defensive), Illusion Creation, Mind Manipulation, Memory Manipulation, Sleep Manipulation, Empathic Manipulation, Soul Manipulation, Astral Projection, Intangibility, Time Manipulation (Can slow, accelerate and loop time), Time Reversal (On a universal scale with the Cosmic Wheel of Change), Time Stop, Time Travel, Dimensional Travel and Manipulation, Pocket Reality Manipulation, Law Manipulation (can affect laws of reality and concepts such as direction, dimensionality, mind etc inside Null Space), Reality Warping, Portal Creation, BFR, Sealing, Teleportation, Telekinesis, Power Nullification (temporarily nullified Borgo's (Silver Surfer clone) power cosmic and Modred's powers), Power Absorption (has absorbed powers of Arioch, Shadowqueen, Shuma-Gorath etc), Can survive in outer space, void and other hostile environments, Is immuneto any diseases and does not age due to making a pact with Death, Immortality (Type 1, 3 and 4), Regeneration (Low-Godly, Regenerated from death after both Dormammu and Strange shattered each others essence across multiple realms), Can create forcefields, Black Hole creation (trasnmuted Stygyro to a supernova which collapsed into a Black Hole ), Psychometry, Can travel between universes, Shapeshifting, Can summon many powerful cosmic beings and their power, Necromancy, Possession, Energy and Matter Manipulation, Energy and Life-Force Absorption, Transmutation, Automatic defenses, Gravity Manipulation, Resistance to Void Manipulation (resisted Dormammu's void attack which erased Eternity , can exist in a void outside of Space-Time ), Resistance to Fire and Heat Manipulation, Resistance High-Tier Reality Warping from beings as strong as The In-Betweener, Resistance to Illusions/Mind Manipulation, Resistance to Death Manipulation and Sealing, Resistance to Spatial Manipulation (resisted Stygyro's attempt to turn Strange into a 2-D character )

So yeah, that a whole FUCK ton of powers to him, oh did i hear someone wants feats? Well here you go.

https://www.reddit.com/r/respectthreads/comments/30yg2b/respect_dr_strange_the_sorcerer_supreme/

You can judge this for yourself.

Flaws: So to be excepted the doc ain’t the most physical fit to fight to hand and without his items he’s far weaker. And other beings of powerful strengths have over powered him before.

Strength: 6 Speed:10 Stamina:6 Durability 10 Intelligence:8 Powers: 10

So next shall be deciding who shall win this epic battle!

[junker-town]

Why Derrick Brown was worth the No. 7 pick for the Panthers

Derrick Brown could be a top-five pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Retired defensive end Stephen White thinks Derrick Brown is the most exciting interior pass rusher since Aaron Donald.

The Carolina Panthers selected Derrick Brown with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Here’s what Stephen White had to say about Brown ahead of the draft.

I’ve seen ridiculously strong defensive tackles and I’ve seen ridiculously athletic defensive tackles. But it is rare to see both in one guy, especially one Derrick Brown’s size, at a shade under 6’5 and 326 pounds.

Y’all already know I’m a sucker for a dude who goes hard all the time anyway, but Brown is a hustler’s hustler. He doesn’t run hard to the ball “for a big guy.” He runs hard to the ball, period!

Wherever he is going on the field, he’s always trying to get there in a hurry. It’s a damn near inspiration to an old-school defensive lineman like myself. Brown busts his ass play in and play out, and out of all the impressive things I saw from him on tape, that was what jumped off the screen the most.

He plays the game with the kind of effort that is sure to be contagious in the NFL. You won’t want to be the one getting called out for getting smoked by the big fella. Then again, with as fast as I saw Brown run a few times, maybe they wouldn’t have anything to be embarrassed about.

Even when it doesn’t look like he will have a chance to get in on a tackle, Brown still turns and runs to the ball. He is truly relentless and that’s reflected in his on-field production. There’s a reason why I credited him with 28 tackles, including three tackles for a loss, in the four games of his I watched. You don’t make that many plays by just standing around and waiting for the ball to come to you. You make that many plays by going out and making shit happen.

What Brown does well: He’s got power

Brown’s physical gifts are not limited to his uncommon speed for a man his size. His excellent technique also helped Brown get in position to make a lot of plays at Auburn.

Did I mention that he’s also as strong as a damn ox and can ragdoll men much bigger than him? Because honestly? The way Brown was tossing 300-pound guys around like they were a mere nuisance was probably what had me cussing the most when watching his film. And believe me, my swear jar is overflowing at this point.

And I want to remind everybody that these weren’t Arkansas School Of Underwater Basketweaving offensive linemen he was dominating like that. Brown was able to overpower a bunch of Power 5 offensive linemen like it was nothing.

Of the four teams, I’d say Alabama’s offensive line probably gave him the biggest challenge when it came to physicality. He did get pushed around a few times, but by the end of the game, he had put his stamp on it. He even ended Alabama’s last-gasp attempt at a comeback by knocking a pass down at the line of scrimmage after once again winning a one-on-one matchup.

To top it off, he plays with a pretty salty attitude.

Nothing dirty, but I did see Brown giving a few offensive linemen the business right up to the whistle several times, even when he might’ve been better off trying to get to the ball. In that Oregon game to start off the season, he played like some of the offensive linemen owed him money.

You need guys on defense who straddle the line like that, and that’s another reason why I feel like teams will covet him not only for his talent, but also for his leadership.

What Brown does well: Defend the run

In general as a run defender, Brown is so big and strong that it almost didn’t matter who he was going against. Brown usually rendered blockers irrelevant by jacking them up and then locating the football while keeping the would-be blocker at arm’s length. Then once he found the ball, Brown would simply discard the blocker quickly and, usually, violently.

When Brown was singled up, the only question was whether the ball carrier would run on a path close enough for Brown to tackle him at or behind the line of scrimmage, or if Brown would have to run to get to him.

Hell, that even applied when he was fighting double-teams sometimes.

Brown would be chilling with a blocker hanging off of him, just waiting for the right time to pounce on the ball carrier. And once you see it, you can’t un-see it. It was just really shocking to see a college player who was that much better than the dudes he was facing.

Speaking of double-teams, they didn’t much slow Brown down, either. He would focus on one of the two blockers, shoot his hands into their chest, and really hunker down with his shoulders turned to prevent the second blocker from having much of a surface to hit. Then, whenever the second blocker came off, say, to try to block a linebacker, Brown would spring into action.

Of course, sometimes he said to hell with it and just blew up everything in the backfield.

You look at all of the athletic traits that Brown displayed on tape, add in his power, versatility, and football IQ to go along with his motor? It doesn’t get much better than him as a defensive line prospect. It really doesn’t.

What he does well: Pass rush (and he’s got some moves!)

Here’s the rub: he might be an even better pass rusher than he is a run defender.

In fact, I don’t think I’ve been this excited about an interior pass rush prospect not named Aaron Donald. And I say “interior” pass rusher, but I also saw Brown win one-on-one matchups on offensive tackles as well.

No cap.

That big joker got busy no matter where Auburn lined him up on passing downs. The main attraction in his pass-rushing arsenal was a heavy helping of power rushes. He was also damn good at them. In particular, he showed the ability to consistently get push on either guard upfield; then, at about the level of the quarterback, he would rip right through their outside shoulder like a hot knife through butter.

Brown also has some nice inside counter moves off those power rushes to keep opposing offensive linemen honest. The fastest route to the quarterback is always going to be a straight line, and Brown is well equipped to be a pocket collapser in the league from day one.

It would be mistake to assume he is just a bull rush guy, however.

A huge mistake.

While Brown will make most of his hay with his power, his finesse moves were just about equally impressive. One thing I love about Brown as a pass rusher is that he has good hip turn as he runs, no matter what kind of move he is going for. That helps him to turn a tight corner when he tries an outside rush, and it helps him fight force with force when he is trying to work through the blocker.

It isn’t normal to see a guy Brown’s size as a pass rusher, but he looked like very polished in the games that I watched.

And let me say this is where statistics can be very misleading if you don’t watch the tape. Brown “only” had one sack in those four games, but for one reason or another, he still wasn’t credited with a sack or a pressure on certain plays. On one, he used one of the best inside spin moves I’ve ever seen any interior defensive lineman execute since I’ve been doing these breakdowns.

Brown beat the Alabama right guard so quickly and thoroughly with that spin move that the center didn’t even have time to help. And what did Brown get in return for making such a magnificent move? Alabama’s backup quarterback threw a touchdown as Brown was bearing down on him.

Yeah ...

I would bet none of those Alabama offensive linemen are sorry to see Brown leaving, that’s for sure.

Where Brown can improve: Staying upright more often

As for concerns, Brown was on the ground a little too much for my liking. Most of the time he was either a little too overextended when trying to shove an offensive lineman backward, or he was simply playing with pad level that was too high. I know it’s not easy for 6’5 cats to stay low for a whole game, but bending his knees more consistently would probably help Brown stay upright a little more.

My gripe is probably nitpicking somewhat. It would help if he played a little lower, but he is still going to make plays regardless. He’s just that good.

Brown’s NFL future: Defensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner

I totally understand why a lot of people are high on Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young. I am too, for that matter. But if I were picking at the top of this draft, it might be a coin flip between him and Derrick Brown. I don’t really think you can go wrong with either guy, but I see more intangibles in ways that won’t necessarily show up on a stat sheet from Brown than I do from Young. And that’s not a knock on Young as much as it is giving Brown his well-deserved props.

As obviously talented as Donald was when he came out, he didn’t have the same kind of motor as I saw from Brown, and still doesn’t for that matter. No, Brown isn’t the same class of athlete as Donald, but he can have a similar kind of impact on games, just with a different approach.

I thought Brown tested out fine at the combine, and I was really impressed that he was able to get 28 reps of 225 pounds with arms that stretch out more than 34 inches in length. That will help with some power rushes. His 5.16 in the 40 is more than respectable for a man his size, but I have to tell you he moves faster than that on the field. More importantly, you will rarely see someone 320+ pounds running 10 yards down the field, let alone 40.

However, the bonus you get with Brown is he does hustle downfield consistently, so you are going to get every bit of that 40 time every play. I would imagine nobody wants to be on the receiving end after he has built up a full head of steam.

I have only watched a total of three players for this year’s draft at this point, but it’s hard for me to believe Brown will get drafted any later than the top five because he looks like a guy who would go top five in any draft. Barring injury, I think we will see greatness from Brown sooner than later after he makes the transition to the NFL. I’d bet him against the field for Defensive Rookie of the Year, right now, today. That’s just how much potential I see in him as a prospect.

We will see if the teams at the top of the draft agree come the end of April.

Be sure to check out my other scouting reports on Chase Young and Jerry Jeudy.

For the purposes of this breakdown, I watched Brown play against Oregon, Florida, Alabama, and Minnesota (Outback Bowl).

[kylorengarbagedump]

Unprofessional Services: Chapter 2

Read on AO3. Part 1 here. Part 3 here.

Summary: Your first meeting with Commander Ren goes just as well as you would have expected. Okay, no, that's a lie. You expected it to go at least three times better than this.

Words: 2500

Warnings: Kind of angsty maybe?

Characters: Kylo Ren x Reader

A/N: Yay! New chapter up! I want to see if I can do a thing where I publish chapters of my fics alternating weeks. One week, Little Bird, the next, Unprofessional Services. We'll see! I'm feeling a lot better, recently, but I am starting a second job, so... YEAH!

Anyway, that's my second chapter! Thanks so much for your feedback on the first one. It made me happy! <3 Love y'all.

You breathed in.

Two minutes until the Commander was to arrive. Dammit--you hadn’t meant to check. Every glance at the chronometer sped the pace of your heart. There’d be no quick closure, as you’d hoped. Hux had made it clear in the message delivered to your datapad that neither you nor Fent would be eligible for departure until the progress of your newest and, now, only client, was determined satisfactory. It was, therefore, important that this first meeting go well.

The chronometer hit 10:00. You stiffened, eyes trained on the door. Any second now, and it  would slide open, and you would stand and greet him, hello, Commander, and you would begin your session. Intake questions first, of course--his personnel file was classified, and you’d have to create your own. What would he look like? You knew he had a mask. A lightsaber. A temper. Not much else.

Another minute passed, and then another. The tension in your body released, emptying into the room like heavy heat. Your fingers rapped over the cool, barren surface of your desk, counting the seconds with tiny thumps. The lateness was intentional, you were certain--a display of power, a demonstration of the malleable value of time. Already, you could sketch an image of this man in your mind: older, most likely, given his position and apparent gifts. And with the knowledge of his weapon, the already blatant abuse of his rank--perhaps compensating?

For internal insecurities, of course. Not anything, well, lewd.

Stars, you should have had some caf. He hadn’t even entered the room and you were already curious about his sex life. But then--who wouldn’t be? Being such a high-ranking officer bore mystery enough--it was human curiosity to ponder about the private lives of those in control. Hell, you’d even wondered if the snivelly ginger had ever managed to refrain from pissing off someone long enough to--

The blast door parted with a whirr, and you stymied the urge to scramble to your feet out of embarrassment. You definitely hadn’t just been thinking about his dick. Clearing your throat, you stood--and words were robbed from your throat.

Commander Kylo Ren was tall--frighteningly tall, even while you were standing--and cloaked entirely in black robes, like a hulking assassin. Even underneath the layers, though, you could see the swells of muscle, the broadness of his body, the power contained within his carefully concealed figure. It was alluring--fascinating. More fascinating still was the helmet, the mask of which you’d heard murmured mentions. The design was an imitation of a face, a brief allusion but not full acknowledgment of the living being underneath it. Instead, it was a collection of sharp lines and hard, shiny metal, the eye slot vacant and the mouth muzzled.

There was someone here, the mask said. But that someone is dead.

Blinking, you stretched out your hand, shaking off the impressive aura he’d just inspired in the air. You needed to solidify your position, too.

“Hello, Commander,” you said, just as you’d practiced--but he didn’t stop, not even to look at your hand. Instead, he took the seat across from you, in silence.

Body language was the primary indicator of a client’s mood, disposition, compliance. Crossed arms was a signal of defensiveness. A clenching fist indicated silent irritation. The position of the torso--leaned back in the chair, or bent forward--demonstrated, typically, the client’s willingness to participate. And of course, there was the face, something that you’d think most wouldn’t need assistance interpreting--and yet you’d met those who were oblivious to even a repetitive roll of eyes. Even still, the production of body language was universal. Intrinsic.

Commander Ren’s body language, for example, was very clear. Hunched back, wide feet, leather hands tight over one another, like clamshells. Even with his face obscured by his mask, it stated, with no uncertainty: Get me the fuck out of this room.

Nodding, you sat again, introducing yourself with a smile. Always meet the client at their level. “Well, let’s get started, then.” You opened a new intake document on your datapad. “I do have to ask… are you going to insist on wearing the helmet?”

“Most likely.” The sound leaving the mask was dark and distorted, like the gnashing in the back of a person’s brain, the rumbling underneath their humanity. It made your stomach churn. Made your spine chill. And, oddly: it made your heart flip. “I see no circumstance that would require me to remove it.”

You shrugged. “There might not be. But therapy is a two-way street. It isn’t only my job when we’re in this office.” Grinning, you leaned forward. “It’s as much your job to give as it is mine.”

In your head, this had been a good line. Well, it normally was, to be honest. Most clients relaxed when you stripped away the mystery of expertise. The introduction of collaboration was an important piece of your work--establishing you as equals on the journey to recovery. But this was not recovery. And Kylo Ren was not convinced. He tilted his head, the blank slate of his gaze regarding you with a piercing, unsettling impunity.

Forcing another smile, you glanced at your pad, putting on your warmest, most welcoming Therapist Voice. “I suppose I’ll briefly take care of these intake questions, since our work will be a bit different. I need a little demographic information, first. So…” You prepared for data-entry. “Your age, sir?”

“You’d prefer to waste time on questions rather than the work you’ve been assigned.”

You raised a brow and cracked a half-smile. “If you’d classify me trying to get to know more about you, the person I’ve been asked to work with, a waste, then, yes.”

“I would.” He was statue-solid. “I’m interested only in following the request of the Supreme Leader.”

“That’s fine,” you said, “and I’d love to help you with that. But like I said earlier, this is going to be really difficult if we aren’t building a partnership.”

He huffed. It almost seemed like derision. “A partnership.”

“Well, yes,” you replied. Your palms were sweating. “I can’t begin to accomplish anything if we aren’t working together.”

Kylo Ren leaned back in his chair, hands still clasped. “I see nothing that you can offer me outside of the services Leader Snoke has prescribed.”

This resistance was typical, especially among higher ranking officers--your Commander was no exception. But there was something particularly irritating about the fact that you’d been denied your escape because of this jackass, and now he was acting like he didn’t even want to do the damn thing he was told to do. Yet he invited an important question. How the hell were you supposed to accomplish this, anyway? There weren’t any manuals or trainings or even guidelines on anything remotely resembling “anti-therapy.” Was Snoke expecting you to just… yell at him, or something?

“Let me ask you this, Commander.” You lowered your datapad onto your desk. “What exactly do you want to get out of this?”

It was strange and awkward, staring across the room into a faceless being whose breathing seemed in rhythm with your own, like watching a hologram whose prompter had malfunctioned, or a droid that knew only to imitate what was directly in its line of sight. You hadn’t expected the question to silence him--if anything, you’d been expecting more sarcasm--but then a minute passed, and he still had said nothing.

“Have you thought of something?” Your question failed to prompt a response. But this too, was typical. “Ignoring me won’t get you any closer to your goal.”

“So you assume.”

“Stop deflecting,” you said, sighing. “I can only handle so much deliberate avoidance in one day.”

Kylo Ren shifted--his slight movement thinning the air and tightening your chest. The Force, you feared at first, until you realized you could breathe just fine and the issue was something intangible, hovering just out of your grasp, something you wanted to name but couldn’t even identify. You blinked, trying to will it away, wanting to stare at him with the clear, even eyes of a professional, but your body responded against your will. Through the black barrier of his mask, you felt his stare, focused now, like a beam, burning through walls you hadn’t even known were there, seeking you, finding you, singeing the stray threads that poked like errant hairs from your brain, setting them alight, fuses to the center of your vulnerability--

“Really.” His voice was gravel through gears. “Deliberate avoidance.”

You drew in a breath, long and secretly shaky, through your teeth. And you shrugged. “Oh, yes, Commander.” He could not scare you. He wouldn’t. Even if now, you somehow felt like his prey, you’d do everything you could to make him yours, instead. “You’ve done nothing but deflect and avoid since the moment you walked through this door, honestly.”

“Hm.” The mask, its human impression mocking you, tilted. “Do tell.”

“You want me to tell you?” you asked. You hadn’t expected that. But he asked for it. “Sure. First, you were late. That’s like, avoidance technique number one.” You held out your hand, counting his offenses on your fingers. “Second, your demeanor when you entered was--well, less than excited. Clear sign that you are trying to reject anything that might come from me, especially anything trying to pry into your personal business. Third, any questions I asked you were immediately ignored or responded to with impersonal sarcasm. Actually, maybe the sarcasm could be its own point.”

You were up to four, now, and slowly released your fifth finger, returning his laser-stare. Or, at least, that was your hope. “Last of all, we come to your helmet. I asked if you would insist on wearing it. You, out of fear for me seeing your face and, perhaps, your vulnerability, said yes.” Raising your eyebrows, you glanced between your hand and his mask. “All that in less than ten minutes.”

He shifted again, pausing. “You think yourself an expert.”

With a smile, you replied, “Yes, Commander. I most certainly do.” Leaning back in your chair, you folded your hands over your lap. “Now. How do you think this should work?”

“This.”

“Yes,” you said. “Our working together.”

You could almost taste the delight on his tongue as he spoke. “Why would you ask me? Aren’t you the expert?”

Had he been any other client, you might’ve laughed, given your canned response, if I am, you’re still the expert on your own life, and rephrased the question. But your cheeks were hot. And you felt him staring again. Ridiculing you. Barring you from the only chance you’d have to get off of this stupid ship and maybe, finally do something fucking right for fucking once in your fucking life--

“You know, I imagine there’s a reason you don’t want to talk.” The words were coming out before you could plug them. “A reason why you wear all those clothes and the helmet and everything. You probably have trouble opening up to others. Hell, you probably can’t! I wonder why, really. Is there something you’re afraid I’ll find, Commander? You don’t want to look weak?”

A pause. “You’re irritating.”

“And you have emotional regulation issues. Oh, and you use intimidation as replacement for inspiring true respect in others--”

“Enough.” He stood, looming over your desk in a single stride. “Attempting to get inside of my head is the last thing you should be doing.” He pushed your datapad to the side and pounced, planting his palms on your desk, his mask inches from your face. “I assure you--it’s a game I’ll win.”

Was your chin trembling? You hoped it wasn’t trembling. “That’s too bad, Commander,” you replied, ignoring the quaver in your voice and the goosebumps on your neck. Your breath grew a cloudy film on his muzzle. “It’s what I do best.”

“Provide me with what I need, officer.” He pulled back. His fists were balled. “Because I can ensure that you never leave this ship.”

Before you could reply, he was gone, through your door a black wisp. When it shut behind him, you thought you might breathe, gather your things, and head back to your quarters to check on Fent. But your muscles were frozen, your eyes locked, staring into a nothingness that was swallowing the edges of your sight. He knew you wanted to leave. How did he know? Did it matter? Did he know about Fent, too? Would he hurt him?

That wasn’t how this was supposed to have gone. How would you get anything done with Kylo Ren acting like this was a service you could provide without his cooperation? You weren’t even sure what the hell you were supposed to be doing, anyway--it should’ve been figured out between the both of you. Instead, you’d fucked up again. Again.

Tears stung your eyes, your mind racing with ribbons of thought--fuck-up you fucked up again you ruined it you’re stuck here Fent will never get better he’s sick because of you he fucking hates you why are you even here--

Face cracking, you slammed your fist onto the unforgiving surface of your desk, and whimpered when the dull ripples of pain echoed up your wrist. Another slam, and the resonance sharpened, waves rattling the bones in your hand. Growling, you hit the desk a final time, tears slipping over your cheeks as you pinned your lips together, trapping the shuddering whine that fought its way through your throat.

No. You wouldn’t let this defeat you. You’d figure this out. Even if you had to stay up through the sleep cycle, work through meals. You were getting off of this ship.

[basketballandbs-blog]

The Finals: The Preview: Cleveland vs. Golden State: The Threetening

Okay y'all, we're FINALly (sorry about that I couldn't resist) here. After 2,460 regular season games and just about two and a half months of playoffs we now have our two combatants that will be battling it out for basketball supremacy. Annnnnnd it's the same two combatants that have battled the previous two championships. Don't worry, I'm not one of those silly blowhards that will try to convince you that having the same two teams meet for a third consecutive Finals is a bad thing although I will say that I find it ironic that the same folks that are pushing this line of thought grew up romanticizing the Celtics vs. Lakers rivalry of the 80s. Anyway, there I go again getting sidetracked. In all honesty, what more can you ask for? The best basketball player on the planet going against a team stacked with two former MVPs and one of the best defenders in the game. So please excuse me if I'm not willing to buy into the potentially boring Finals talk.

Cleveland and Golden State took almost identical paths to get here. Cleveland was a bad LeBron game from completely sweeping the East as they ran through Indiana and Toronto in the first two rounds unscathed before dropping game 3 in the Eastern Conference Finals before closing Boston out. Golden State caught the break of a lifetime (ew, poor taste?) in San Antonio losing arguably their top two guys in Kawhi Leonard in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals in addition to Tony Parker who had been out of the playoffs since Game 2 against Houston in the previous round. This made them a lock to dispatch the Spurs after first and second round sweeps of Portland and Utah respectively. There are some quality opponents here people. Here's the thing though, both the Cavs and Dubs are playing at the top of their games and so high above everyone else that it made their already inadequate opposition look downright incompetent. Folks, don't listen to the hype, this is gonna be a blast of a series.

Cavs will win if they……….

Can get LeBron to not only repeat his performance from last year’s Finals but surpass it. This is by no means downplaying his 30-11-9 line he put up in the series last year (especially those final three games) but facing a team hellbent on revenge armed with…….oh I guess you can say a little extra firepower he's going to have to in the words of a well known TV chef kick it up a notch. And it's not to say he can't, As I stated earlier he's torn through the East throughout the playoffs averaging 32-8-7 shooting 56% from the floor and 42% beyond the arc. If he can shoot like this and more or less control the pace of the game we may be in for one of if not the finest performance in Finals history. I know, blasphemy but as a huge MJ fan and a guy that romanticizes that era and particularly the era before his rise game just has to recognize game (sorry JB). His ability to read the floor and when to flip the dominate or facilitate switch will be the very thing that all of Cleveland's success will be built on. Hey, but we all know that you can't win a championship completely on the back of one person, right?

So this is where the play (most importantly the shot making ability) of the rest of the Cavs comes so heavily into play. After struggling with his efficiency in the first two rounds Kyrie Irving got back on track in the ECF reminding folks that he's a closer too he comes in averaging 24 points and 6 assists on 46% shooting and a decent 35% from deep. Kevin Love has quite possibly been the most consistent Cav next to Lebron putting up 17 and 10 per contest while nailing almost half of his threes. Tristan “TrashGawd” Thompson has been well…….effective averaging almost a double double and has improved his free throw shooting making him slightly less of a liability late in games when the Cavs will need someone in the middle.

After that, it's all about dudes hitting shots. Luckily, this has been far from a problem for them especially on the bench. J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, Kyle Korver, Channing Frye and Deron Williams have all hit well above 40% of their triple during this offseason. However, this is the part where I have to mention that it'll be a bit harder to accomplish this go around. Also, the Finals has to be a time were you shore up any weaknesses you may have or at least try to gameplan around them. With that said it hard to believe Cleveland has a chance in this if they can't make a huge leap on defense. You know, because the team they're facing? Yeah, they can kinda shoot the rock too. This rarely has presented a true issue for them as they have been so damned good at simply outscoring their opponents up until now. Excuse me for stating the obvious but that ain't gonna work here. An emphasis must be placed on stopping Golden State here. Either by scheme (most likely) or by brute force (least likely) they have to get this done because a failure to do so not only jeopardizes their ability to repeat as champs it may result in this getting ugly.  

Warriors will win if they……….

Will continue to play as confident, controlled and cohesive as they have most of the season and completely throughout the playoffs. Normally this would be where I state where (or should I say who) this would start and end with. But here's the thing about the Dubs, they have three guys who can take the reigns while you run yourself silly trying to stop the bleeding from all the daggers being hurled into your chest. So, let's play a game of Pick! Your! Poison! First up we have Stephen Curry, who you may recognize as a 2-time back to back MVP. During this postseason Mr. Curry is averaging 28 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists while currently being apart of the ever so coveted 50-40-90 club with his shooting splits of 50-43-90. Known to many as the baby faced assassin, when he gets rolling he can absolutely eff your night up! Second we have a NEW edition to the group but please don't mistake that for a lack of ability to obliterate you team at a moment's notice. Kevin Durant comes to the Bay Area after a very celebrated stint in Oklahoma City (sorry Celly) where he was the recipient of an MVP himself. He's checking into the Finals clocking a line of 25-8-4 while within sniffing distance of the club that Mr. Curry is currently apart of with splits of 55-42-87. Mr. Durant is arguably the most lethal all-around scorer in the league and with his long 6'9” frame he can make scoring on him equally as difficult as it is to stop him from scoring. Last but not least we have Draymond Green, who boasts the most impressive all-around game not only on this stacked squad arguably in the entire league. A defensive juggernaut with a sweet shot Mr. Green will go heads up with the Cavs averaging 14-9-7 with a pair of steals and blocks. And about that sweet shooting Mr. Green's shooting splits for the playoffs has been 50% from the floor and 47% from deep. So what's it gonna be? Door 1, 2 or 3? Either way thanks for playing Pick! Your! Poison! For you are fucked!

Yeah, pretty rough isn't it? Now look back on those numbers and factor in that two of these series were against teams that boasted top 5 defenses (okay, I know the Kawhi thing definitely slowed the Spurs down but their defense is still pretty gotdamn good). And we haven't even started to talk about the cadre of role guys that is one of the only groups in the league that can match up with Cleveland's second unit on both sides of the ball. I definitely hate to mention him here but Klay Thompson despite struggling mightily on the offensive side of the ball has been an ace defender throughout the playoffs for the Dubs. Andre Iguodala, while slowing a bit is still their best bench defender and is still effective on that end for extended minutes as he is playing 25 per night in the postseason. Also still providing quality minutes off the bench is David West averaging 4-3-3 and Shaun Livingston chipping in 4-3-2. But what's probably the biggest boon for them off the bench has been the production of the newer guys. Ian Clark has wowed not only me but many with his play of late. His 8 points per night and 40% from deep has provided a much needed spark while the Dubs spell their main guys. Patrick McCaw is not to be left out here either. The rookie has been great for them as he has been good for 5 points per night and nearly 40% from deep. However, the young McCaw has especially been recognized for his defensive prowess. And last but not least we have JaVale McGee. Despite still being pretty lunk headed and lost at times it would appear the his rehabilitation project has been quite the success. When Zaza Pachulia isn't lurching around and doing goon stuff McGee has provided a more mobile and better offensive option in the post as he's tallied 7 points per night on a whopping 74% from the floor.

So this is where we get real and talk about Golden State's need to nail all of the intangibles. That they can't afford to look aloof, stunned then overwhelmed which was the tenor of the final half of last year's series with Cleveland. And there is the high probability that chasing Cleveland off of the three point line and putting in so much work at the rim to defend them will surely tire the Dubs' main guys possibly making them a little less effective on the offensive end. They have the bodies for sure but they will need to be very deliberate in how and who they choose to defend James. And for heaven's sake try to find the perfect balance for Draymond Green to be the scenery chewing irritant that he's the best as opposed to the easily frustrated dude that catch an ejection or worse a suspension that may end up costing them the series. But it's not like anything like that has ever happened before. My point is, last year's result was almost as much mental as it was physical. And this is not to that Golden State is not a mentally tough team, all I'm saying is that if they can completely win it on the court they should.

H.B. says…………..Warriors in 6

[policeslime35-blog]

NFL Mock Draft Roundup: Defensive line is the obvious popular pick for the Eagles

The 2019 NFL Draft will be here before you know it. Mock draft season has already begun and there’s no shortage of opinion as to whom the Philadelphia Eagles might select with the No. 25 overall pick. Let’s take a look at which players the experts have the Eagles taking this week.

Defensive end is an obvious need with Brandon Graham and Chris Long potentially not returning to the Eagles in 2019. Polite was also the best player available on the board in this situation. Add in Howie Roseman’s #GatorBias and that checks all the boxes. The 20-year-old Polite finished his junior season with 45 total tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, six (!) forced fumbles, and four pass deflections. The Eagles’ defensive end rotation could look something like this in 2019: Derek Barnett, Michael Bennett, Josh Sweat, and Polite.

The Eagles could go in many directions here, but any time you can add a speedy edge rusher; you gotta do it. Brandon Graham is likely on the outs as a free agent, Derek Barnett is returning from injury and the team will need someone to rotate in with Michael Bennett at defensive end. Polite has sky high potential and instant impact ability. The Eagles might entertain getting a cornerback here, but with Polite on the board they should sprint to the podium.

Maybe this is too reactionary, but the Sunday’s playoff loss to the Saints showed that the Eagles need a true lead running back. Don’t forget that Jay Ajayi, who tore his ACL this season, is a free agent. If there’s a first-round back in the 2019 draft, it is Jacobs.

The storybook run of Philadelphia back through the playoffs was truly something to behold — but like all good things, it finally came to an end. And when it did, we noticed that, while DT Timmy Jernigan came back from a back injury to start meaningful reps, his quality of play decreased. His contract now non-guaranteed due to the non-football injury, and the depth behind him laughable, Jim Schwartz will look to add pass-rush juice with Wilkins, a 3-tech next to Fletcher Cox and a 1-tech stopgap when Cox isn’t on the field. In 2019, Philadelphia can now rush Cox, Wilkins, Michael Bennett, Derek Barnett, Josh Sweat, and Brandon Graham if he’s retained. That’s a whole lotta oomph.

With free agents Brandon Graham and Chris Long potentially moving on, Philadelphia could add some pass-rush help here. At 6-foot-6, 241 pounds, Sweat is a rangy prospect who is athletically gifted. And he produced, racking up 22 sacks the past two seasons. Receiver is also a position to watch, as Golden Tate and Mike Wallace are both on the free-agent market.

This would be the steal of the draft for the Eagles. Wilkins is a top-10 talent.

Polite had a breakout season for the Gators in 2018 with 45 tackles (19.5 for loss), 11 sacks, and best of all, 6 forced fumbles. He is one of the funnest prospects in this draft to watch, because of his combination of speed, pass rush feel, and relentlessness. Polite is a game-changing playmaker, and in any other draft, I would say there’s no way he could possibly make it to pick No. 25. However, in a draft that Howie Roseman called “historic” for it’s overabundance of defensive line prospects... maybe? I do also think that a trade up for a high-level, immediately-contributing defensive lineman prospect is possible, as the Eagles potentially have some outgoing pass rushers this offseason: Brandon Graham will be a free agent, and he is going to test the market. Michael Bennett was a good player in 2018, and he’ll be under contract in 2019 at a reasonable cost of $7 million, but he’s 33. Chris Long is also under contract, but he’ll be 34 in March, and he almost retired last year. Beyond that trio, the only defensive end on the roster with any legitimate NFL production is Derek Barnett. A defensive end in the first round is, in my opinion, by far the most likely position to be addressed. If there’s any concern with Polite, it’s that he’s undersized, at 6-foot-2, 242 pounds. If bigger offensive tackles get a hold of him, they can drive him back in the run game. That said, he plays with a violent, nasty demeanor, and is far from passive as a run defender. He’ll make his share of plays for loss, which is what Jim Schwartz prioritizes.

The Eagles’ safety group could use a youthful member. Thompson wasn’t a consistent play-maker for the Crimson Tide in 2018 ... but he’s very rangy and equally as impactful stopping the run as he is in coverage.

Adderley made a name for himself over the final months of the season and the FCS standout could find himself among the first 32 players taken. He’ll have a chance to prove himself at the Senior Bowl and the biggest question might be his size -- is he big enough to play safety over the course of an NFL season -- because every other aspect of his game checks all the boxes of what teams look for in a defensive back.

Harmon has the physicality to win at the catch point and over the middle, adding another outside weapon to the Eagles offense. He graded at 83.3 overall last season while winning 17 of his 30 contested catch opportunities.

The Philadelphia Eagles secondary is much better than most would assume given the lack of huge names on the depth chart, but there is still a need for cornerback upgrades and depth, as seen in the divisional round loss to the New Orleans Saints. Washington’s Byron Murphy is only around 5’11”, but he’s a feisty cover man with excellent instincts and closing speed. He showed off his ball skills all season for the Huskies and was a thorn in the side of Pac-12 quarterbacks. Some scouts might see Murphy as a slot cornerback, and that’s a possible destination for him in Philadelphia. But no matter where he’s lining up, he has the skills to make a major impact immediately.

Well, “The Magic Run” is over, Philly fans. Many Eagles’ faithful have moved to the stage of grief where they can accept this loss, and appreciate the good memories. Not me. My throat is still sore from screaming at the TV during the final drive, hoping Doug Pederson would hear me telling him there’s no need to rush or panic...that with a mere 27 yards to go, with two full minutes remaining, and time outs in your pocket, you could take your time, milk the clock, and get the winning TD with 20 seconds left. CERTAINLY there was no need to spaz out and inexplicably try to squeeze ONE MORE PLAY in before the two-minute warning when there was an eternity of time left and NO NEED to increase the chance of a mistake by rushing a play off when... OK wait: Serenity Now. As I was saying, the 2019 Eagles’ season has officially begun. There will be a lot of personnel decisions that will be made in the coming months. With OT Jason Peters likely retiring, the Achilles injury to OG Brandon Brooks, and even C Jason Kelce mentioning retirement...what will this O-Line look like next year? The D-Line, with the uncertain futures of Brandon Graham and Michael Bennett, has its own question marks. Multiple running backs may be needed. And, with all due respect to Nelson Agholor and Golden Tate, a field-stretching WR is also needed. The Eagles were a middling 16th in splash pass plays (20+ YDS) in 2018, and that needs to improve. Wolfpack WR Kelvin Harmon may not be a true burner, however he is very effective at all levels of the route tree. Coaches will love his attitude, work ethic, and the mean streak he brings to the table when blocking for the run. Harmon may not be the true complementary speedster the Eagles need right now, but he could be a legit #1 WR when Alshon Jeffery’s days are over in Philly. Plus, he’s just REALLY good at football.

Imagine how poorly a 30th-ranked pass defense would have fared without a capable line to mask its shortcomings. Dropping in the Jim Thorpe Award winner would be a step in the right direction.

Montgomery (5-11, 216 pounds) has emerged as a strong prospect because he finishes run strong and has shown some good hands and wiggle as a receiver. The Eagles have been a committee team under Doug Pederson, but injuries and ineffectiveness should make them consider one back who can do it all and complement Carson Wentz on every down.

There’s no question that the secondary needs some help, but there are a few promising pieces already in place that could turn into better players with a bit more patience and another season of development. The offensive tackle situation needs somewhat of a makeover. Jason Peters has been a staple of the front for nearly a decade, but injuries seem to slowly be taking a toll on his body. It’s unclear if the team will part ways with him this offseason, but an heir apparent needs to be in place due to his injury history. Cajuste is a very solid option to fill that void.

Protecting Carson Wentz has to be Philly’s primary objective, and finding a long-term replacement for Jason Peters should be a huge part of that. Cajuste is still smoothing out the rough edges in his game, but he’s got all the talent to be a stud blocker in the NFL.

It was a nightmare season for the Eagles secondary, with injuries and lackluster play equating to one of the leagues worst pass defenses. Needless to say that is not a good place to be in this pass-heavy age, so those issues on the backend must be resolved. Any plan to do that will likely include the addition of at least one high-quality cornerback or safety to the mix. Abram is a big, physical, aggressive safety with superb instincts who is at his best playing downhill, whether it’s against the run or even as a blitzer. Despite being an explosive athlete with decent ball skills who runs relatively well, Abram has some struggles in coverage but to his credit has made strides in this area. Abram also earns positive reviews for his intangibles such as toughness and leadership, showing the ability to anchor a secondary.

DE Jachai Polite - 3 DT Christian Wilkins - 2 OT Yodny Cajuste - 2 WR Kelvin Harmon - 2 S Deionte Thompson - 1 S Johnathan Abram - 1 S Nasir Adderley - 1 RB David Montgomery - 1 RB Josh Jacobs - 1 CB DeAndre Baker - 1 CB Byron Murphy - 1 DE Montez Sweat - 1

DE - 4 S - 3 DT - 2 OT - 2 RB - 2 CB - 2 WR - 2

Offense - 6 Defense - 11

We’re going to see a ton of mock drafts that have the Eagles taking defensive linemen this offseason. It’s a big need and the 2019 NFL Draft class is loaded with DL talent.

There’s a good chance Polite and/or Wilkins don’t even fall to the Eagles. Philly might luck out on the DL class being so deep, however, that someone unexpected falls in their laps at No. 25. Both of those players would be great additions to this defense.

Getting Cajuste would make me feel better about the Eagles’ offensive tackle situation. I really don’t love the idea of Halapoulivaati Vaitai entering the 2019 season as the undisputed starting left tackle if Jason Peters isn’t back. (Click here to read more about Cajuste).

I don’t really expect the Eagles to go with a wide receiver but maybe that changes depending on what happens with Nelson Agholor ($9.4 million cap hit in 2019, zero guaranteed), Mike Wallace (free agent), and Jordan Matthews (free agent).

I can’t see the Eagles taking a first-round running back. They haven’t done it in 34 years. I’ll believe it when I see it. With that said, the team does need to make some kind of significant addition(s) in the backfield.

I don’t see first-round cornerback happening, either. The Eagles have a lot of youth there already: Avonte Maddox (22), Sidney Jones (22), Rasul Douglas (23), Jalen Mills (24), and Cre’Von LeBlanc (24). We’ll also see what happens with Ronald Darby (25), who is set to be a free agent.

Safety is an underrated need with Rodney McLeod (9.9 million cap hit) coming off ACL/MCL injuries and Corey Graham (free agent) potentially retiring.

Who is your favorite for No. 25?

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2019/1/19/18189479/nfl-mock-draft-roundup-2019-defensive-line-eagles-jachai-polite-end-tackle-pass-rush-philadelphia

[topmixtrends]

IN HIS FASCINATING linked novellas The Garbage Times and White Ibis, Sam Pink exposes the absurdity hidden just below the surface of everyday life. In The Garbage Times, this takes the form of a deep dive into society’s underbelly to reveal the grime most people turn away from when walking down the street: homeless people defecating, rats scurrying, pigeons eating dirty food, drug addicts having illogical conversations. It is all there, and Pink won’t allow the reader to ignore it.

The Garbage Times is an homage to the randomness of life, the inevitability of shit, scum, and death, and the beauty that glimmers amid the filth. The story’s unnamed narrator is a man who deals with all manner of absurd behavior as he loads garbage, plunges toilets and sinks, and works as a bouncer at a bar. Despite the character’s peculiarities, readers will likely find his barrage of thoughts, explosive emotions, fantasies of violence, and bursts of tenderness easy to relate to. Most of us, Pink implies, are more like this “crazy” garbage man than we would like to admit as we “plunge” our way through life trying to get rid of the shit — pun intended.

The narrator is diligent in his job. Surrounded by rats and pigeons, he takes on each clog with vigor and an absence of fear or disgust, and this endless drive to clean up the messes of others — shit seems to be everywhere — takes on a hilarious cast. Throughout, Pink’s profanity-laced prose feels fitting, as it places the reader deep in the minds of characters choking on the so-called civilized world’s muck.

In counterbalance to the crassness and moments of violence that punctuate The Garbage Times, Pink’s narrator shows a deep, humanizing love and respect for women and animals. For example, when he returns home to his cat Rontel, one of his main companions, he thinks,

Inside my apartment, Rontel was lying on the stove — his eyes half closed, wagging his tail.

He went to meow but didn’t make a sound.

He stretched, knocking a metal burner off the stove.

“Come here, my little shithead,” I said.

I picked him up and kissed his head four times real quick.

In a really deep and gravelly voice, I said, “Rontel, you a handsome baby!”

He was blinking a lot and licking his snoot, staring up at the ceiling.

Sun lit my room.

Pink’s fascination with animals continues in White Ibis, in which there is a sad, profound moment where the narrator sympathizes with a lizard trying to defend itself against the housecat Dotty, who is slowly killing it by batting it around:

This lizard was for real.

It looked up at her, gill things puffed out, like “All right, all right yeah, big tough guy, let’s have it. [wipes nose] You wanna pick on someone? Yeah ok, all right, pick on me, tough guy, go ahead and — ” but Dotty just mangled it some more.

She left it broken and mostly dead, on its back, barely breathing.

Since the lizard is suffering, the narrator’s girlfriend pressures him to kill it, and he does:

I smashed the lizard’s head with the heel of my boot. Its guts came out its side. Fuck. You tried. You tried. I get it. Sometimes you just gotta pick a place and say, “Right here. Here’s where it happens. Right here.” Gills out, boss, gills out. R.I.P.

The power, humor, sadness, and tenderness in Pink’s writing is haunting when he is at his best, as in this observation of a turtle at a laundromat aquarium in The Garbage Times:

Short bookcases with aquariums on them — turtles swimming in shallow water.

I watched this one turtle trying to swim through the aquarium wall as I dumped a garbage bag of my clothing into a washer.

The turtle made the same sideways swimming motion with both arms.

The same tap of the head against the glass.

Same tiny wave of water bouncing off the glass and coming backwards.

Each time.

Fucking shit.

This is the beauty of Pink’s work — he shows the simple devastations of containment, of beings (in this case animals) living without dignity but still striving toward hope, over and over again, as we all do, wanting things to come out all right. This is the heart of his message, the essence of his book: we will never stop trying to keep moving no matter how confined we are. No matter how random life is, we press on toward something intangible in the distance with only the will to live fueling us.

In this quest for life and dignity is an equally powerful desire to succumb to death. Its inevitability curls underneath each page, hides in each scene. Morbid readers will really dig this book. As will lovers of the absurd, though the magic of Pink is that he turns the absurd to a purpose. The novellas are hilarious and unabashedly honest in showing how bizarre life is, how unpredictable people are, and yet how each person craves love, dignity, freedom — the fundamental needs we all share. In its surreality and sadness, The Garbage Times leaves readers with an impression of characters living in the grime of the world, amid constant violence and despair, yet striving to rise above and make sense of it all.

Pink is a master of dialogue. He nails slang and the odd way people often misuse or mispronounce words, particularly folks who have been traumatized in some way or just talk funny. For example, in The Garbage Times, the narrator frequents a bar where he has a strange affection for the female bartender, who has a bizarre accent that he imitates good-naturedly:

“Stahhp! Quit maykin me laugh! Oh hey, watch [Regular] over dair. He’s doing the hair ting.”

[Regular] was a Vietnam vet who came in every day

[…]

he was whipping his long hair around, and hiking his pants over his huge belly, sitting at the corner of the bar with a group of people behind him.

His face was totally red and he was talking to himself.

The look on his face was so evil.

I laughed.

The novellas, as eccentric as they are, are grounded in scenes with a powerful sense of authority. And some of Pink’s lines are pure gold, encapsulating some universal truth or humorous insight, or both: “And all the animals headed back to their corners, to wait for tomorrow. Hiding from the things with real teeth and power.”

At the same time, Pink can get carried away. There are moments of overindulgence and repetition where the narrator will pick up a thought and run with it too long. But Pink’s audacity in taking risks is admirable. His style is purposefully messy — he is having fun writing and playing with how obsessive the brain can be. He thrills in breaking convention.

The conversational tone only adds to the humor of these novellas. Despite its odd formatting, the book becomes very readable once the reader adapts to its strange, galloping style. Pink takes the reader on an adventure, and there is a mysterious momentum at work in the voice-driven narrative, a Murakami-like invisible hand that guides these characters with a purpose to press on and preserve dignity, preserve authenticity, through a seemingly sordid, artificial world.

In White Ibis, the unnamed narrator admires the strange, titular bird that walks to and fro at the end of his driveway in Florida, the way it shoots judgmental glances and avoids direct contact with anyone or anything. It serves as a symbol for the narrator’s desire to be free of domestication, of playing along, but he’s torn because he wants to keep his girlfriend and maintain some sense of normalcy. So, while he struggles to get a job, attends parties, and carries on normal conversations, the pull of the white ibis strutting around and doing its own thing perpetually calls to him. When he sees it, he thinks, “I really wanted the white ibis to like me and to be my friend. And to its credit, it — seemingly — did not. Ok. Well. Hell, I understood.”

In pondering the nature of the ibis and all creatures that fight for survival, he articulates the theme that links the two novellas beautifully:

The peacock and other weird non-bad-ass birds like the white ibis seemed hilarious, given evolution.

I imagined all creatures at the beginning of time, right before it all begins, in private, devising their offenses/defenses and then coming out into an open field and revealing them.

Into the field of existence with means to survive.

Like hey, check this out, got a big horn on my face!

In the hands of a lesser writer, the narrator would rebel against being in a relationship and the story would implode with bickering. Instead, the young couple in White Ibis seems genuinely happy and in sync with one another, and she accepts his social anxiety as his to deal with.

White Ibis ends on a tender note. A Girl Scout troop holds a sleepover at the couple’s home, and while the narrator at first resists he ultimately enjoys the girls and their exuberance. He empathizes with their fears about being ugly as he is pressured into drawing their portraits (he is known as “the artist”), and as a result finds unexpected meaning and beauty in connection with other alienated humans.

Reading Sam Pink is an unpredictable experience. He hits varied tones and moods, and readers never know where he is taking them next. He’s been labeled “experimental,” but these novellas are just good fiction. He sucks readers in and makes them see the world as his narrators do. His stories are unique and true and impossible to put down — what more could anyone want?

¤

Taylor Larsen is the author of the novel Stranger, Father, Beloved (Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster, 2016). She teaches fiction writing for Catapult and the Sackett Street Writers Workshop and is co-editor of the literary website The Negatives.

The post The Things with Real Teeth and Power: Two Novellas from Sam Pink appeared first on Los Angeles Review of Books.

from Los Angeles Review of Books https://ift.tt/2HIzASl

[junker-town]

Why Derrick Brown would be worth a top-5 pick in *any* NFL Draft

Derrick Brown could be a top-five pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Retired defensive end Stephen White thinks Derrick Brown is the most exciting interior pass rusher since Aaron Donald.

I’ve seen ridiculously strong defensive tackles and I’ve seen ridiculously athletic defensive tackles. But it is rare to see both in one guy, especially one Derrick Brown’s size, at a shade under 6’5 and 326 pounds.

Y’all already know I’m a sucker for a dude who goes hard all the time anyway, but Brown is a hustler’s hustler. He doesn’t run hard to the ball “for a big guy.” He runs hard to the ball, period!

Wherever he is going on the field, he’s always trying to get there in a hurry. It’s a damn near inspiration to an old-school defensive lineman like myself. Brown busts his ass play in and play out, and out of all the impressive things I saw from him on tape, that was what jumped off the screen the most.

He plays the game with the kind of effort that is sure to be contagious in the NFL. You won’t want to be the one getting called out for getting smoked by the big fella. Then again, with as fast as I saw Brown run a few times, maybe they wouldn’t have anything to be embarrassed about.

Even when it doesn’t look like he will have a chance to get in on a tackle, Brown still turns and runs to the ball. He is truly relentless and that’s reflected in his on-field production. There’s a reason why I credited him with 28 tackles, including three tackles for a loss, in the four games of his I watched. You don’t make that many plays by just standing around and waiting for the ball to come to you. You make that many plays by going out and making shit happen.

What Brown does well: He’s got power

Brown’s physical gifts are not limited to his uncommon speed for a man his size. His excellent technique also helped Brown get in position to make a lot of plays at Auburn.

Did I mention that he’s also as strong as a damn ox and can ragdoll men much bigger than him? Because honestly? The way Brown was tossing 300-pound guys around like they were a mere nuisance was probably what had me cussing the most when watching his film. And believe me, my swear jar is overflowing at this point.

And I want to remind everybody that these weren’t Arkansas School Of Underwater Basketweaving offensive linemen he was dominating like that. Brown was able to overpower a bunch of Power 5 offensive linemen like it was nothing.

Of the four teams, I’d say Alabama’s offensive line probably gave him the biggest challenge when it came to physicality. He did get pushed around a few times, but by the end of the game, he had put his stamp on it. He even ended Alabama’s last-gasp attempt at a comeback by knocking a pass down at the line of scrimmage after once again winning a one-on-one matchup.

To top it off, he plays with a pretty salty attitude.

Nothing dirty, but I did see Brown giving a few offensive linemen the business right up to the whistle several times, even when he might’ve been better off trying to get to the ball. In that Oregon game to start off the season, he played like some of the offensive linemen owed him money.

You need guys on defense who straddle the line like that, and that’s another reason why I feel like teams will covet him not only for his talent, but also for his leadership.

What Brown does well: Defend the run

In general as a run defender, Brown is so big and strong that it almost didn’t matter who he was going against. Brown usually rendered blockers irrelevant by jacking them up and then locating the football while keeping the would-be blocker at arm’s length. Then once he found the ball, Brown would simply discard the blocker quickly and, usually, violently.

When Brown was singled up, the only question was whether the ball carrier would run on a path close enough for Brown to tackle him at or behind the line of scrimmage, or if Brown would have to run to get to him.

Hell, that even applied when he was fighting double-teams sometimes.

Brown would be chilling with a blocker hanging off of him, just waiting for the right time to pounce on the ball carrier. And once you see it, you can’t un-see it. It was just really shocking to see a college player who was that much better than the dudes he was facing.

Speaking of double-teams, they didn’t much slow Brown down, either. He would focus on one of the two blockers, shoot his hands into their chest, and really hunker down with his shoulders turned to prevent the second blocker from having much of a surface to hit. Then, whenever the second blocker came off, say, to try to block a linebacker, Brown would spring into action.

Of course, sometimes he said to hell with it and just blew up everything in the backfield.

You look at all of the athletic traits that Brown displayed on tape, add in his power, versatility, and football IQ to go along with his motor? It doesn’t get much better than him as a defensive line prospect. It really doesn’t.

What he does well: Pass rush (and he’s got some moves!)

Here’s the rub: he might be an even better pass rusher than he is a run defender.

In fact, I don’t think I’ve been this excited about an interior pass rush prospect not named Aaron Donald. And I say “interior” pass rusher, but I also saw Brown win one-on-one matchups on offensive tackles as well.

No cap.

That big joker got busy no matter where Auburn lined him up on passing downs. The main attraction in his pass-rushing arsenal was a heavy helping of power rushes. He was also damn good at them. In particular, he showed the ability to consistently get push on either guard upfield; then, at about the level of the quarterback, he would rip right through their outside shoulder like a hot knife through butter.

Brown also has some nice inside counter moves off those power rushes to keep opposing offensive linemen honest. The fastest route to the quarterback is always going to be a straight line, and Brown is well equipped to be a pocket collapser in the league from day one.

It would be mistake to assume he is just a bull rush guy, however.

A huge mistake.

While Brown will make most of his hay with his power, his finesse moves were just about equally impressive. One thing I love about Brown as a pass rusher is that he has good hip turn as he runs, no matter what kind of move he is going for. That helps him to turn a tight corner when he tries an outside rush, and it helps him fight force with force when he is trying to work through the blocker.

It isn’t normal to see a guy Brown’s size as a pass rusher, but he looked like very polished in the games that I watched.

And let me say this is where statistics can be very misleading if you don’t watch the tape. Brown “only” had one sack in those four games, but for one reason or another, he still wasn’t credited with a sack or a pressure on certain plays. On one, he used one of the best inside spin moves I’ve ever seen any interior defensive lineman execute since I’ve been doing these breakdowns.

Brown beat the Alabama right guard so quickly and thoroughly with that spin move that the center didn’t even have time to help. And what did Brown get in return for making such a magnificent move? Alabama’s backup quarterback threw a touchdown as Brown was bearing down on him.

Yeah ...

I would bet none of those Alabama offensive linemen are sorry to see Brown leaving, that’s for sure.

Where Brown can improve: Staying upright more often

As for concerns, Brown was on the ground a little too much for my liking. Most of the time he was either a little too overextended when trying to shove an offensive lineman backward, or he was simply playing with pad level that was too high. I know it’s not easy for 6’5 cats to stay low for a whole game, but bending his knees more consistently would probably help Brown stay upright a little more.

My gripe is probably nitpicking somewhat. It would help if he played a little lower, but he is still going to make plays regardless. He’s just that good.

Brown’s NFL future: Defensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner

I totally understand why a lot of people are high on Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young. I am too, for that matter. But if I were picking at the top of this draft, it might be a coin flip between him and Derrick Brown. I don’t really think you can go wrong with either guy, but I see more intangibles in ways that won’t necessarily show up on a stat sheet from Brown than I do from Young. And that’s not a knock on Young as much as it is giving Brown his well-deserved props.

As obviously talented as Donald was when he came out, he didn’t have the same kind of motor as I saw from Brown, and still doesn’t for that matter. No, Brown isn’t the same class of athlete as Donald, but he can have a similar kind of impact on games, just with a different approach.

I thought Brown tested out fine at the combine, and I was really impressed that he was able to get 28 reps of 225 pounds with arms that stretch out more than 34 inches in length. That will help with some power rushes. His 5.16 in the 40 is more than respectable for a man his size, but I have to tell you he moves faster than that on the field. More importantly, you will rarely see someone 320+ pounds running 10 yards down the field, let alone 40.

However, the bonus you get with Brown is he does hustle downfield consistently, so you are going to get every bit of that 40 time every play. I would imagine nobody wants to be on the receiving end after he has built up a full head of steam.

I have only watched a total of three players for this year’s draft at this point, but it’s hard for me to believe Brown will get drafted any later than the top five because he looks like a guy who would go top five in any draft. Barring injury, I think we will see greatness from Brown sooner than later after he makes the transition to the NFL. I’d bet him against the field for Defensive Rookie of the Year, right now, today. That’s just how much potential I see in him as a prospect.

We will see if the teams at the top of the draft agree come the end of April.

Be sure to check out my other scouting reports on Chase Young and Jerry Jeudy.

For the purposes of this breakdown, I watched Derrick Brown play against Oregon, Florida, Alabama, and Minnesota in the Outback Bowl.