#(decided to answer these in reverse order since 11 got super long)

[fellstcr]

canon questionare. / @bloodymoonxvampire​ / ACCEPTING!        ↳  13.  Are there any other characters from the franchise you’d like to play?

        ||. Yaknow, I’ve been considering picking up one of the lettuce fam? Maybe Seteth. I doubt I will though. Come August I’ll only have the energy for 1 muse. And that should be Byleth. But when I was first considering applying I was also turning in my head Dimitri and Rhea lol. I’m so glad I went with my gut! seirosu and areadri are such wonderful partners. The entire castmates list from FE16 are so wonderful, I couldn’t ask for anyone better ;;v;;       OUTSIDE of FE16? Robin. Hands down male robin. He is lingering in the back of my head like the little vessel of an evil dragon-creation boi is. I just... you know. Have to get through the actual rest of Awakening first. RIP

↳  11. Are there some things you dislike about how the show/series/etc. portray the character you have picked up? If so, what?

            ||. Not especially? At least not in the classic sense. Unfortunately, one thing about Byleth being robbed of her voice proper is that a lot of what makes her interesting gets overlooked and swept under the rug. Or misconstrued entirely. Or overshadowed to make way for the infamous (and equally as misused) “player pandering” complaint. Basically what I mean is that her actions/dialogue are either left too vague, or in the case of CF versus every other route,  not explained at all so it doesn’t make a lot of sense — at first. I’ll try to give an example of each. 1. Overlooked          ↳  Byleth’s being a silent protagonist means her efforts to sway her respective lord (not counting SS. She is the lord of that route. God Bless You Seteth you wonderful retainer.) tends to get pushed to the side bc.... “player pandering”, supposedly. (Which is different from what I’ll mention later, promise.) The most I see this come up is with Azure Moon and her influence on Dimitri. Most people say Byleth did absolutely nothing and didn’t deserve to have the last word when it comes to Dimitri’s character arc. I vehemently disagree with this. Player character she may be, but that doesn’t stop her from consistently talking to him during the map exploration days, disagreeing with him during event-cutscenes, and ultimately being the exact person Dimitri needs to hear from to finally live for himself. Felix can’t do it, because Felix isn’t over his own Dimitri-related Trauma (and his dad just died for Dimitri so he’d be especially harsh about.) Rodrigue (Felix’s DAD) is dead, Gilbert (Dimi’s other surrogate dad &. retainer)  can’t stand up to Dimitri for crap and Dedue is too complacent. Not to mention, too, that in every. single. support, event, etc. between Dimitri and Byleth tthe narrative is building up to their moment in the rain. Their Goddess Tower may be optional (which I think in this case is dumb), but when the comment of     “No matter how hard someone begs to be saved, she would never so much as offer her hand. And even if she did, we lack the means to reach out and grasp it.“     Is paid off with  not ONE. but TWO SCENES??? Cos. You know. She IS the goddess. She’s RIGHT THERE. She cares and she’s standing right by one of the 2 people who need her the most out of this entire cast. (The other being El)            Yeah sorry but Byleth not only is her own character but she is a necessary one. And it is done WELL in AM at least, from a writing perspective.

2. Misconstrued         ↳  For... some reason there’s a very... commonplace hot-take that Byleth dislikes the Church, and Rhea, doesn’t care for the doctrine whatsoever and her absolutely loathes her destiny as goddess inheritor. I... genuinely don’t understand that... because 3/4 of her routes are Byleth being pro!church. She may be desperate for answers, and she may be consumed with an intense bout of imposter syndrome , and I would say, yes, she does harbor some misgivings towards Rhea for pushing it all onto her the way she has (and really only then when she thinks about it too long.) but... again. 3/4 routes are pro!church. She either becomes the Archbishop, becomes Queen and does NOT get rid of the church. In the case of CF - the only route where she is not pro!church - she ends up wandering aimlessly in her solo card unless you romance Edelgard or one of the others so... yay? I guess? (Also note: in every route where she ascends to a position of leadership she does go out of her way to help reform the church. It’s explicitly stated a couple of different times.)       TLDR with this one: her lack of voice means her opinions and consistent character traits can and will be up to the respective player to pick and choose from. Even someone who tries to be entirely impartial to bias ultimately will fall into this trap, myself included. (I do try, however, to genuinely keep an open mind to each route. She’s the same person in all of them, so I actually found the challenge of “how to get to CF” a ... difficult but satisfying challenge. You can read those thoughts HERE.)

3. Player Pandering       ↳  This one is about actual instances of player pandering, but there are some decisions you can make in the game that are... kinda strange in context. Romancing Rhea, for one. Like. Actually romancing her, instead of having her S support be... you  know. parental. Or something. Being entirely unable to constantly question Edelgard’s motives in the CF route despite the fact that there’s a chance that people might not play El’s route first, OR maybe only stumbled into the CF route on HAPPENSTANCE rather than by deliberate choice. There are plenty players who might actually like the church, and not necessarily want to lean into the whole “villain route” thing. (For that matter the player pandering in this case leaves it all to outside NPCs to  remind you that. yes. it’s the villain route. I love El because it’s the villain route. She’s wonderful when she’s nuanced.)         There’s probably plenty instances  in AM and VW but it’‘s been a year or so since I’ve played both routes so I can’t confidently give examples but. You get the point.

[vvivacious101]

Long Live The Queen

Okay, I have now watched this episode twice more and I have so many more thoughts.

On the Second Watch:

1. Maybe I'm not thinking this whole Dean and Cas thing, in Purgatory, through. They have to get a Leviathan Blossom, do they even know what it is? I think not, which indirectly means we are definitely going to be catching up with someone in the next episode. It could be a new character but given that this is the last season I am more inclined with the former view.

Also, there is something else in Purgatory that hates both Cas and Dean's guts, Leviathans which would make it extra special if Dick Roman makes it back on the show which is unlikely because I believe he is dead dead. But still cool thought. Anyhow, I can't wait for thirty-one flavours of bottom dwelling nasties.

2. I can't imagine I forgot to mention Lilith makes a reappearance on the show and Michael just dusts her, like how could we ever forgot how powerful archangels are. But the short second life of Lilith means that ie one player off the chess board.

3. This entire episode I couldn't shake the feeling that Eileen was going to die but somehow I still managed to not connect it with Chuck. I fear for Eileen's life. Fingers crossed. I hope I'm not right.

4. Do Sam and Dean have the power of God seems to be a subtly veiled question? After all what will it take to take down God.

5. I am still loving Donatello's performance in this one. He is so good.

What is it with you people? Can't anything you do be easy?

Donatello literally runs out of the bunker. God, was he always this funny. This guy is so good!!!

6. Can we also talk about the fact that team free will gets trounced by Demons who haven't even been scary since season 6.

Like Dean's “anyone of us winning” is a good indication of how increasingly Sam and Dean find themselves on the wrong sides of fight. In fact they seem to be consistently loosing on that front especially when they are going up against supernatural creatures. The one exception being Dean vs the MOTW last week which was an off screen battle but since Dean comes out of it uninjured it probably went really well considering Dean was tied up and had just managed to get loose when the creature set itself free. They lost against the witches in Golden Time and Eileen was the one who saved them that time. In Proverbs 17:3 they only managed to survive because Andy decided to kill his brother and himself. In Atomic Monsters there was no fight. There seems to be a trend here were fights seem to be turning uglier than usual for Sam and Dean even if it's just demons.

7. MVP of this episode is Donatello hands down.

8. Castiel and Michael are very interesting. So while rewatching season 1 I had this realisation that Sam leaving hurt Dean more than John purely because in a way the most consistent parental figure in Sam's life has been Dean. This dynamic can be extrapolated to Cas and Michael while Castiel's real father is God the most consistent fatherly figure that he has followed is Michael. I mean they weren't following God's orders in Season 4, they were following Michael's but this doesn't quite fit because Cas and Michael are not at all close. Yet he still answers Cas' prayer it has been a long time since he has been able to answer anybody's prayer but he chooses to answer Cas' which begs the question why? Why did Michael choose to answer the angel who he only seems to remember as the being who doomed him? Which brings the question that maybe Michael isn't so bad he has always had good intentions and they definitely paved his way to Hell but still the intent has never been purely malicious unlike AU Michael this one still hasn't lost his faith or maybe he just seems to have the right guide in Adam, who is ready to forgive Sam and Dean.

9. Sue Barrish is an interesting character especially as Chuck is basically moonlighting as her. I like how he gets Eileen to participate with the key words ‘do you have to ask for permission’ because prior to that part Eileen is maybe  thinking it’s not the right time considering they have a walking talking WMD in the bunker but that gets to her. Chuck at his manipulating best. Then he throws the cherry on top.

How did I not notice this the first time? Eileen sees that Sue is alright and she says “Thank God” which is exactly when Chuck breaks cover as Sue to come back with “Anytime”.

10. This is seriously not right. How can Michael open a rift between the Earth and Purgatory while the handcuffs still on. Exactly what do the handcuffs prevent, only him flying out, then he could just kill everyone, get the key and get out like that has got to be a major flaw right? Right?

I mean shaking the bunker I get he is distraught emotions seem to make them stronger like when Jack gets super jacked when he breaks out of the box at the end of Season 14 because he feels betrayed and he gets angry though how he can get angry without a soul is still subject to debate. But opening rifts that has got to be super specific and powerful magic which Michael can still perform with the handcuffs on, like how powerful is this guy and what does putting him in handcuffs truly achieve.

11. I loved how they didn't have Ruth's name in the beginning so that her return would be a total surprise because at times the actors names can give away plot points because I remember seeing Samantha's name in the beginning seasons and freaking out every time because I knew that met Sam and Dean were up for a tumultuous time.

12. So generally the mid season finale is the point where the characters are at there lowest like they make a gamble to defeat the big bad and it fails, like in Season 5 where the mideseaon finale is literally title “Abandon All Hope...” But this episode doesn't do that. Infact it isn't self contained at all from the ending we can tell that it is like the first three episodes which were like a self contained little arc but even they had endings. This episode really doesn't its got a big TBC at the end that they just forgot to put there. So they are not at there lowest which should mean that they have either already been there or this time the low point is going to come later in the season which is scary because the emotional burden of a low point near the end might kill me but they really seem to be going all out this season. They are going to rip us to shreds.

Then I watched it again:

a) Basically this episode begins with a subliminal message - Chuck always wins.

b) Okay I can't get over the fact that Rowena just tells Cas that no one ever gives you anything you have to take it. 😏

c) Let's talk about Sam and Dean's conversation it's basically a rehash of a similar convo in season 8 except with the roles of Sam and Dean reversed. I feel like I can read more into that but right now I am just cautiously optimistic. Dean also agrees he was in a bad place because of Cas and God and now Cas is back on the job and he atleast feels better. Dean being in a bad place is a loaded statement I'm actually surprised Sam doesn't want to talk more about it especially considering he picked up the earlier tension between Dean and Cas but that might just be about him respecting Dean's boundaries. Also I feel like in this particular conversation Sam feels put on the spot truly reversing their roles from season 8 he tries to say something to that effect but Dean interrupts. Right now I really want to know what's going on with Sam the last good look we had at Sam was in Atomic Monsters and I want another one.

d) Next up is Dean and Cas’ conversation which has to be the only conversation they have ever had where they don't make eye contact like at all. So I was thinking that some of Dean's dialogues could be interpreted as his own as compared to Michael's or maybe at this point he empathizes with him. But Cas repeating Michael's words was so epic.

“Leave. Go out. I want you dead.”

Kind of similar to what Dean said to Cas.

“We didn't bond.”

This episode just keeps on giving. I loved it!

[jackintheponeyofdiamonds]

✧ Apprentice asks ✧

 So I’ve found this a m a z i n g Arcana Apprentice Ask Meme created by @gooddoctorjules and ofc i had to fill it because i like to talk about my OCs and omg this questions were so GOOD!  Answers under cut cause some of them were pretty long

 1. What is their full name? What does it mean? Do they go by any nicknames/aliases?

His name is Morpheus Rhiannon. “Morpheus” is the Greek God of Dreams and “Rhiannon” is one of the Celtic Goddesses of the Moon (I have a thing for naming characters after mythological figures). When he was younger people used to call him “stormy” due to his spitfire personality and impulsive behavior. He didn’t change his ways, but he lost touch with the people who nicknamed him that. During some years he ran his exoteric shop under a pseudonym, “Felis” (named after the cat constellation). But nowadays everyone just call him Morpheus.

2. Do they have a familiar? What is it?

Morpheus has a small Egyptian Fruit Bat called Boo. She is tiny and scared of everything and everyone. Boo likes to hide in Morpheus scarf sometimes. Also, not a familiar but Morpheus has a lot of cactuses. All named George. All. Of. Them. Don’t question it.

3. What type/s of magic do they specialize in?

I’m not really sure how magic works in The Arcana. Besides from fortune-telling (he used to read runes before Asra taught him his tarot skills) and a very strong sixth sense, I believe Morpheus would be an Oneiromancer (a mage who interprets dreams) and have a few lightning-related attack spells.

4. Which of the major arcana best represents them?

I guess all the apprentices are meant to be The Fool card, at least in the beginning of the story, since it means, among other things, “Set forth on a new journey, one that is completely unknown and will take you to uncharted territories”, pretty fitting. But I think Morpheus can also be represented by a Reversed Moon card: It means he’s living in a moment of unhappiness and discomfort but he doesn’t know what he can do about it. Past experiences made him doubt himself, doubt if he is able to move forward. The Reversed Moon also means he is in a more intuitive phase than a reasoned one, though his intuition feels confusing which leads to possible misinterpretation.

Also, if I had to pick a future card for Morpheus, it’d be The Judgement: “With its theme of awakening to new life, the Judgement card suggests that you have reviewed and evaluated your past experiences and have learned from them. All the pieces of the puzzle of your life are finally coming together to form one, integrated picture of your life story. This integration has healed any deep wounds and you are now in a position to put the past behind you.”  

And since I’m super into runes, I’d like to add that Morpheus runes are Perthro (Secrets, mystery, occult abilities. Determining your path in the future.) and Algiz (Awakening, connection with higher powers. Follow your intuition. A desire to protect yourself or others.)  

 5. What animal best represents them?

Either a raccoon or a peacock. Raccoon because he is small (kinda, he is 5’7/171cm), has dark circles under his eyes, looks cute but will fight you and peacock because he’s super flamboyant. As for his spirit animal, I think the one that fits him best is the bat (maybe that’s why he has a pet bat). The bat represents people that are aware and sensitive of their surroundings, that can have high psychic levels, have high chances of have prophetic dreams and are not easily fooled by illusions.

6. Describe their grimoire profile.

The spitfire apprentice who’s trying to find meaning to his life. ♐

✧Favorite food: Plum Pie ✧Favorite drink: Iced Tea

✧Favorite flower: Night-blooming jasmine

 7. What is their Myers-Briggs type?

INTP – (Introversion, Intuition, Thinking, Perceiving)

8. What is their natural alignment (lawful/neutral/chaotic good/neutral/evil)?

Chaotic Neutral leaning towards Chaotic Good.

9. Which Hogwarts house would they be in?

Probably Slytherin. Morpheus personality is loosely based on mine, and I’m a slytherin, so…

10. Of the nine intelligences (logical-mathematical, existential, interpersonal, intrapersonal, kinesthetic, spatial, naturalist, musical, linguistic), which is their greatest strength? Their greatest weakness?

In order of the greatest strength to the weakness: Linguistic, Spatial, Existential, Musical, Naturalist, Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Logical-Mathematical, Intrapersonal.

Basically he is great at writing, loves books and sucks at understanding his own feelings.

11. What did they think of Asra leaving? Of his gift? 

Morpheus relationship with Asra is… complicated, as the baker said. Morpheus likes Asra, he really enjoys his company. But every time he feels they are getting closer, Asra leaves. In the beginning, he didn’t mind the secrecy around Asra’s travels but as the time passed, it started to bother Morpheus. A lot. He doesn’t understand why his master doesn’t trust him after all this time. So when Asra said he was leaving again, Morpheus got really pissed. About the gift, well… It’s not like Morpheus wasn’t marveled by the tarot deck but his sixth sense tells him that cards are trouble. He didn’t really want to accept the deck, he doesn’t need it, he can very well use his runes for guidance. Plus, the fact that it’s the first time Asra leaves that bloody cards behind is suspicious.

12. What do they think of Nadia’s request that they go to the palace?

First of all, Morpheus doesn’t like Countess Nadia at all. He thinks she is tyrant who doesn’t care about her people. So when she shows up in the middle of the night demanding that he goes to the palace his first thoughts are “Who does she think she is? I mean she is the Countess and all but still??”. He was planning in ignoring her request, but after the card telling him she has a plan in motion he got curious about it and decided to give it a chance. When he actually went to the palace and heard what Nadia had in mind he was like “Nope. I don’t want to be a part of it. Nonononono NO”. However, even though Morpheus made it very clear he wouldn’t cooperate with the Countess, she didn’t really care, so… yeah. Let’s just say “curiosity killed the cat” is a very fitting proverb.  

13. What do they think of the various animals they encounter at the palace?

MUST. PET. THEM. ALL. Yes, even the vampire eels. Seriously now, Morpheus really like animals, but knows how to respect them. He has plenty conscience that some creatures are only to be admired from a distance, which seems to be the case with most of the animals he encountered in the palace, unfortunately.

14. What is their day-to-day outfit? What do they wear when the dress up (such as for the masquerade)?

In his day-to-day Morpheus likes to wear comfortable clothes, usually tapered harem pants and a tunic or a gypsy shirt, with flats on his shoes. His clothes are mostly in shades of purple and black, with some sea-green accessory. In a fancier meeting, he’ll go more flamboyant. The pants would be less baggy, the shirt would be more open with the classic Arcana Tiddy Window™ and he’d probably wear a shawl around his waist. He would wear lace-up boots with a short heel. The color palette would be the same but more sparkly. In his head he’ll use a silver circlet, and some bracelets with fake coins.   As for the masquerade, I picture him with a very open dark red shirt, which pretty much just covers his shoulders and arms, matching colors with an asymmetrical sarong skirt, over the shirt and skirt he wears a purple corset with some jades decorating it. Bellow the shirt he wears a light brownish flare pants. As for shoes, he wears bright red ankle strap high heels. And last, but not least, he wears a bright red choker on his neck, to match the shoes.

15. What is their favorite type of weather/environment?

Morpheus likes cold and rainy weather. He hates when it gets too hot, it makes him grumpy and even lazier than he usually is. Also the earthy smell after the rain reminds him of home.

16. Do they have any prized possessions?

Even though Morpheus is not the type to get attached to things, he has two very prized possessions. One is a small and rusty green dream-catcher with a single agate stone stuck in the middle. When Morpheus was younger he had terrible nightmares every night, he’d wake up screaming and crying and had a really hard time going back to sleep. So his mother made that dream-catcher to help him out. He never find out if it was actually enchanted at that time or it just helped ease Morpheus mind. The second thing is his set of runes. His older brother made it to him out of red wood once they started noticing Morpheus had a gift for fortune telling. Morpheus used those runes to read the fortune to some people in his home-town, earning a few extra coins for his family. Nowadays he uses another set, made of tourmaline stones, but every time he needs guidance to himself, he runs back to his old redwood runes. 17. Do they collect anything?

Yes, he collects cactuses, heartbreaks, and untrustworthy friendships.

18. What sort of first impression do they make?

Looks wise most people mistake him for a woman. Not that he minds, he’s fine with it. Morpheus has a very androgynous face, wears quite feminine clothes and a lot of make-up, so it’s easy to get confused. Now, about his personality, people often think he is cocky, they think Morpheus thinks he is better than anyone else. This is totally not the case. Morpheus is quite shy, so sometimes his answers may sound a bit cocky due to being short. I mean, he can be sassy sometimes and talk without thinking but he usually tries to be nice with strangers and costumers.

19. How do they deal with conflict?

He throws bottles at them. Morpheus is extremely impulsive, he acts before he thinks, and it applies to conflict as well. When it’s a physical conflict, he’ll attack even if the odds of him winning the fight are very unlikely. I mean, he did throw a bottle at Julian even though the doctor is like 17cm/3inches taller than him. In verbal conflict, he says everything that comes to his mind without paying much attention to what he’s actually saying, which may ended up being more harmful than he intended or, sometimes, he may accidentally let information slip. 20. What are their principal goals?

Morpheus believes that everyone comes to the world for a reason; everyone has one meaning in life. He just doesn’t know what his reason and meaning are. He wants to figure out what is his role in the world.  

[travisandersondatingblog]

What to Talk About With a Guy: 18 Things That Keep Him Interested

So it’s been a while since you had to figure out what to talk about with a guy.

Maybe until recently, you were married and your discussions in your relationship centered around finances and the fact that he never took the garbage out. But now you’re dating again, and you’re like a deer in headlights on a first date.

You need witty banter! Intellectually-stimulating conversation!

Help!

Not to worry, ladies. This is kind of my area of expertise. You see, before I started coaching women on how to find amazing love, I coached men to help them find the courage to walk up to Sexy Confident women like you and start talking. So I gave them all kinds of proven tips on how to talk to women. Now I’ll just reverse this advice to help you figure out what to talk about with a guy!

Notes for What to Talk About With a Guy Via Text

Before I start giving you ideas on what to talk about with a guy in person, I want to point something out: texting is a different game from phone or even in-person conversations. I’ve written several articles with tips on texts you can send a guy you like, but let me give a few tips here.

1. Keep Them Short and Funny

Texting isn’t email. It isn’t a conversation. It’s designed to be short and functional. Yes, we’ve all been guilty of having actual conversations via text, but man, don’t your fingers get tired? If you start to get into a conversation that warrants more dialogue, suggest a phone call.

2.  Ask Questions, but Also Let Him Do Some Asking

It’s also easy to fall into the trap of the one-sided questions. You ask a question and he answers. You ask another…and he answers. Before long, you’re feeling like the leader of the Spanish Inquisition! Pull back before you freak him out.

If he doesn’t ask you questions naturally, say something like, “Whew! I’m asking a lot of questions. Your turn!”

Here’s What to Say to a Guy You Want to Ask You Out

via GIPHY

I’m going to go through several different scenarios where you might need to figure out what to talk about with a guy. Each one is unique in that you either don’t know him at all, you know him a little, or you know him slightly more. It will get easier to know what to talk about with a guy the more you know him.

So let’s start at the beginning. You are interested in a guy, whether you spotted him across the bar or maybe have known him from your friend group for a while. You want to transition from either being strangers or being friends into being something more.

3. Ask Him His Name

Obviously, this is a tip for a guy you don’t know at all. Sometimes you’re stumped for what to say because you want to come off as super cool, but in reality, simply starting with an easy question like “what’s your name?” can get the ball rolling.

From there you can comment on his name if it’s unique (“Duffy? That’s an interesting name! What’s its origin?”), tell a funny story about someone with the same name (not an ex!), or just tell him your name.

4. Ask if the Drink He’s Got is Good

Men are pleasantly surprised when women walk up to them and start talking, so just know that you cannot fail, no matter what your opening line! If you’re at a bar and he’s sipping on something, ask what it is. Pretend to be considering ordering one yourself and want his input on it.

If you’re bold (and you should be), ask to try it. If he’s willing to let you drink from his glass, he’s definitely not going to let you walk away!

5. Find Out if He’s Single

This can be a tricky topic to approach, but it’s better to find out up front that he’s taken and not waste your time further!

If you’re talking to someone you met at a bar or party, you could ask, “are you here with your girlfriend?”

You could also listen for clues in conversation. If he mentions going on vacation, you could ask if he went with his family or partner. That’s his opportunity to say, “nope, I’m single!”

You could also mention a dating app and see if he picks up that thread. If he’s single, he’ll either also be on dating apps or have a strong opinion about them.

6. Tell Him About a Cool Event You Want to Go To (Hint! Hint!)

If the guy you’re interested in is one you already know, you want to see if he’s interested in spending some one-on-one time with you away from your circle of friends. If you know he’s really into whiskey (and so are you), bring up a cool whiskey-tasting event happening next weekend and see what he says.

If he says, “that sounds cool!” then put on your confident hat and ask him to go with you. Just make it clear that it will just be the two of you before he invites the rest of the crew!

7. Ask if He has Plans for the Weekend

He has no plans…

You have no plans…

Why not make some plans together? If he’s interested, he’ll make a point of mentioning some free time he has. Maybe he tells you he’s going out with his boys Friday, but will be puttering around the house on Saturday. There’s no point in him mentioning this unless he wants to let you know he’s available. Tell him you don’t have anything planned either (except that whiskey-tasting thing) and see if you can make plans together.

What to Talk About With a Guy on a First Date

Cat got your tongue on a first date?

Okay, so you made it this far and are actually on a first date (possibly the first one in a very long time). Don’t panic about keeping the conversation flowing! Here are a few pointers for what to talk about with a guy on a first date.

8. Ask Questions About His Interests

Don’t you love it when men ask you what you’re into? Talking about your (and his) interests on a first date is a great way to break the ice. It also helps you predict whether you will be compatible: in a study on marriage by The PEW Research Center, 64% of married couples said that having shared interests is key to a successful relationship.

Whether you have shared interests or not, asking what makes him happy and what he does in his spare time is a great conversation-starter.

9. Share Funny Stories from Your Childhood

Here’s another tip for what to talk about with a guy that doesn’t involve you peppering him with questions. Share a hilarious story from your childhood. Maybe you’re at a restaurant, and on the menu is a drink with fresh pressed apple cider. It reminds you of the time you climbed the apple tree at your grandparents’ house and fell out and broke your ankle! Share the story and have a good laugh. He’ll likely respond with his own childhood story.

10. Play the “Would You Rather” Game

Here’s another fun one based on a kids’ game called “Would You Rather:” the idea is that you ask your date which of two choices he’d rather do. Here’s an example:

Would you rather lose your sense of smell…or your sense of taste?

The questions can be silly and nonsensical, or you can use them to get to know him a bit better:

Would you rather never fall in love in your life…or have your heart broken over and over?

Take turns and see what comes up!

11. Find Out About His Dreams

While “what do you do” always comes up as a question on a date, it doesn’t always accurately explain who a man is. If he crunches numbers for a living and just does it to pay the bills, you don’t get a real sense of what drives him, what he’s passionate about.

Instead, ask what his dreams are. What did he always want to do as a kid? What would he do if money were no object?

This kind of free-form conversation can really open him up and let you get to know him faster.

12. Inquire About His Job

Okay, I’m not completely taking the whole job thing off of the list of what to talk about with a guy, because obviously work plays a large role in all of our lives. But once you get past finding out what his job title is, ask more questions:

What does a typical day look like?

What do you like best about what you do?

What do you like least?

Do you like the people you work with?

Even if he detests his job, he will likely perk up and find some good points to share.

13. Talk About Music or Movies

Another softball subject is popular culture. What types of movies or music does he like? And while you don’t have to be aligned exactly in the types you like, you might be dismayed to hear he’s really passionate about heavy metal music. Better to know now than later!

This conversation can, if you’re lucky, lead to the two of you deciding to go to a movie or concert if your interests are aligned!

14. Talk About Food

Another subject everyone loves talking about: food! Find out what types of cuisines he likes. What he would never ever try (bugs?). The most adventurous thing he’s ever eaten. Then share your stories. Maybe even dare each other to get out of your comfort zones by planning an ethnic meal for the next date!

How to Keep the Conversation Going as You Date

It takes effort to keep the spark alive.

The longer you date a man, the more the conversation changes. Once you become a full-fledged couple, it becomes easy for things to stay centered around mundane topics (laundry, what’s for dinner). You have to make an effort to engage in intellectual conversation to keep that spark going.

15. Talk About Something You Read or Saw on the News

What better topic to talk about than a trending news issue? Whether it’s the study you read about on orangutans or the current political climate (Trump is always good for a robust dialogue, no matter how you feel about him), find something that will engage you and your love in meaningful conversation.

16. Read the Same Book and Discuss it

Here’s a fun activity you can do together: take turns picking a book and having your own two-person book club. When you’re done, discuss it over dinner and drinks. Feel free to pick books you don’t think your boyfriend would have picked just so you can have a little opposing dialogue.

17. Explore Your Memories Together

The longer your relationship, the more memories you’ve made. Look back at shared adventures and reminisce together about it.

“This time last year, we were in Sardinia together!”

You can look back on the early days of dating, trips you’ve taken together, even stressful things you overcame together.

18. Talk About What You Want in Your Future Together

Just like the longer together, the more memories you have in your past, the longer you’re together, the more you’ve got to look forward to in your future. What does your future together look like? You can make real and fantasy plans. Maybe you talk about what you want to do when you retire (sail the seven seas) or what you’d do if you won $5 million in the lottery.

The point here is: it doesn’t matter what you talk about…as long as you keep talking to build a solid communication foundation in your relationship!

Conclusion:

No matter what stage you’re in with a guy — from meeting him for the first time to a first date or even years down the road — it can take effort to know what to talk about with a guy. Above all, be genuine. Don’t talk about things just to impress him, particularly if they’re things you don’t really know anything about. Talking about what you do know about and have an interest in is a better strategy to get his attention!

Now that you’ve tackled the whole “what to talk about with guys” thing, why not work on improving your Emotional Attraction Formula? My special program is designed to help you find and attract emotionally available men. Sign up today!

The post What to Talk About With a Guy: 18 Things That Keep Him Interested appeared first on Sexy Confidence.

from Meet Positives SM Feed 3 https://ift.tt/2CoX2ld via IFTTT

[fayecallasdatingblog]

What to Talk About With a Guy: 18 Things That Keep Him Interested

So it’s been a while since you had to figure out what to talk about with a guy.

Maybe until recently, you were married and your discussions in your relationship centered around finances and the fact that he never took the garbage out. But now you’re dating again, and you’re like a deer in headlights on a first date.

You need witty banter! Intellectually-stimulating conversation!

Help!

Not to worry, ladies. This is kind of my area of expertise. You see, before I started coaching women on how to find amazing love, I coached men to help them find the courage to walk up to Sexy Confident women like you and start talking. So I gave them all kinds of proven tips on how to talk to women. Now I’ll just reverse this advice to help you figure out what to talk about with a guy!

Notes for What to Talk About With a Guy Via Text

Before I start giving you ideas on what to talk about with a guy in person, I want to point something out: texting is a different game from phone or even in-person conversations. I’ve written several articles with tips on texts you can send a guy you like, but let me give a few tips here.

1. Keep Them Short and Funny

Texting isn’t email. It isn’t a conversation. It’s designed to be short and functional. Yes, we’ve all been guilty of having actual conversations via text, but man, don’t your fingers get tired? If you start to get into a conversation that warrants more dialogue, suggest a phone call.

2.  Ask Questions, but Also Let Him Do Some Asking

It’s also easy to fall into the trap of the one-sided questions. You ask a question and he answers. You ask another…and he answers. Before long, you’re feeling like the leader of the Spanish Inquisition! Pull back before you freak him out.

If he doesn’t ask you questions naturally, say something like, “Whew! I’m asking a lot of questions. Your turn!”

Here’s What to Say to a Guy You Want to Ask You Out

via GIPHY

I’m going to go through several different scenarios where you might need to figure out what to talk about with a guy. Each one is unique in that you either don’t know him at all, you know him a little, or you know him slightly more. It will get easier to know what to talk about with a guy the more you know him.

So let’s start at the beginning. You are interested in a guy, whether you spotted him across the bar or maybe have known him from your friend group for a while. You want to transition from either being strangers or being friends into being something more.

3. Ask Him His Name

Obviously, this is a tip for a guy you don’t know at all. Sometimes you’re stumped for what to say because you want to come off as super cool, but in reality, simply starting with an easy question like “what’s your name?” can get the ball rolling.

From there you can comment on his name if it’s unique (“Duffy? That’s an interesting name! What’s its origin?”), tell a funny story about someone with the same name (not an ex!), or just tell him your name.

4. Ask if the Drink He’s Got is Good

Men are pleasantly surprised when women walk up to them and start talking, so just know that you cannot fail, no matter what your opening line! If you’re at a bar and he’s sipping on something, ask what it is. Pretend to be considering ordering one yourself and want his input on it.

If you’re bold (and you should be), ask to try it. If he’s willing to let you drink from his glass, he’s definitely not going to let you walk away!

5. Find Out if He’s Single

This can be a tricky topic to approach, but it’s better to find out up front that he’s taken and not waste your time further!

If you’re talking to someone you met at a bar or party, you could ask, “are you here with your girlfriend?”

You could also listen for clues in conversation. If he mentions going on vacation, you could ask if he went with his family or partner. That’s his opportunity to say, “nope, I’m single!”

You could also mention a dating app and see if he picks up that thread. If he’s single, he’ll either also be on dating apps or have a strong opinion about them.

6. Tell Him About a Cool Event You Want to Go To (Hint! Hint!)

If the guy you’re interested in is one you already know, you want to see if he’s interested in spending some one-on-one time with you away from your circle of friends. If you know he’s really into whiskey (and so are you), bring up a cool whiskey-tasting event happening next weekend and see what he says.

If he says, “that sounds cool!” then put on your confident hat and ask him to go with you. Just make it clear that it will just be the two of you before he invites the rest of the crew!

7. Ask if He has Plans for the Weekend

He has no plans…

You have no plans…

Why not make some plans together? If he’s interested, he’ll make a point of mentioning some free time he has. Maybe he tells you he’s going out with his boys Friday, but will be puttering around the house on Saturday. There’s no point in him mentioning this unless he wants to let you know he’s available. Tell him you don’t have anything planned either (except that whiskey-tasting thing) and see if you can make plans together.

What to Talk About With a Guy on a First Date

Cat got your tongue on a first date?

Okay, so you made it this far and are actually on a first date (possibly the first one in a very long time). Don’t panic about keeping the conversation flowing! Here are a few pointers for what to talk about with a guy on a first date.

8. Ask Questions About His Interests

Don’t you love it when men ask you what you’re into? Talking about your (and his) interests on a first date is a great way to break the ice. It also helps you predict whether you will be compatible: in a study on marriage by The PEW Research Center, 64% of married couples said that having shared interests is key to a successful relationship.

Whether you have shared interests or not, asking what makes him happy and what he does in his spare time is a great conversation-starter.

9. Share Funny Stories from Your Childhood

Here’s another tip for what to talk about with a guy that doesn’t involve you peppering him with questions. Share a hilarious story from your childhood. Maybe you’re at a restaurant, and on the menu is a drink with fresh pressed apple cider. It reminds you of the time you climbed the apple tree at your grandparents’ house and fell out and broke your ankle! Share the story and have a good laugh. He’ll likely respond with his own childhood story.

10. Play the “Would You Rather” Game

Here’s another fun one based on a kids’ game called “Would You Rather:” the idea is that you ask your date which of two choices he’d rather do. Here’s an example:

Would you rather lose your sense of smell…or your sense of taste?

The questions can be silly and nonsensical, or you can use them to get to know him a bit better:

Would you rather never fall in love in your life…or have your heart broken over and over?

Take turns and see what comes up!

11. Find Out About His Dreams

While “what do you do” always comes up as a question on a date, it doesn’t always accurately explain who a man is. If he crunches numbers for a living and just does it to pay the bills, you don’t get a real sense of what drives him, what he’s passionate about.

Instead, ask what his dreams are. What did he always want to do as a kid? What would he do if money were no object?

This kind of free-form conversation can really open him up and let you get to know him faster.

12. Inquire About His Job

Okay, I’m not completely taking the whole job thing off of the list of what to talk about with a guy, because obviously work plays a large role in all of our lives. But once you get past finding out what his job title is, ask more questions:

What does a typical day look like?

What do you like best about what you do?

What do you like least?

Do you like the people you work with?

Even if he detests his job, he will likely perk up and find some good points to share.

13. Talk About Music or Movies

Another softball subject is popular culture. What types of movies or music does he like? And while you don’t have to be aligned exactly in the types you like, you might be dismayed to hear he’s really passionate about heavy metal music. Better to know now than later!

This conversation can, if you’re lucky, lead to the two of you deciding to go to a movie or concert if your interests are aligned!

14. Talk About Food

Another subject everyone loves talking about: food! Find out what types of cuisines he likes. What he would never ever try (bugs?). The most adventurous thing he’s ever eaten. Then share your stories. Maybe even dare each other to get out of your comfort zones by planning an ethnic meal for the next date!

How to Keep the Conversation Going as You Date

It takes effort to keep the spark alive.

The longer you date a man, the more the conversation changes. Once you become a full-fledged couple, it becomes easy for things to stay centered around mundane topics (laundry, what’s for dinner). You have to make an effort to engage in intellectual conversation to keep that spark going.

15. Talk About Something You Read or Saw on the News

What better topic to talk about than a trending news issue? Whether it’s the study you read about on orangutans or the current political climate (Trump is always good for a robust dialogue, no matter how you feel about him), find something that will engage you and your love in meaningful conversation.

16. Read the Same Book and Discuss it

Here’s a fun activity you can do together: take turns picking a book and having your own two-person book club. When you’re done, discuss it over dinner and drinks. Feel free to pick books you don’t think your boyfriend would have picked just so you can have a little opposing dialogue.

17. Explore Your Memories Together

The longer your relationship, the more memories you’ve made. Look back at shared adventures and reminisce together about it.

“This time last year, we were in Sardinia together!”

You can look back on the early days of dating, trips you’ve taken together, even stressful things you overcame together.

18. Talk About What You Want in Your Future Together

Just like the longer together, the more memories you have in your past, the longer you’re together, the more you’ve got to look forward to in your future. What does your future together look like? You can make real and fantasy plans. Maybe you talk about what you want to do when you retire (sail the seven seas) or what you’d do if you won $5 million in the lottery.

The point here is: it doesn’t matter what you talk about…as long as you keep talking to build a solid communication foundation in your relationship!

Conclusion:

No matter what stage you’re in with a guy — from meeting him for the first time to a first date or even years down the road — it can take effort to know what to talk about with a guy. Above all, be genuine. Don’t talk about things just to impress him, particularly if they’re things you don’t really know anything about. Talking about what you do know about and have an interest in is a better strategy to get his attention!

Now that you’ve tackled the whole “what to talk about with guys” thing, why not work on improving your Emotional Attraction Formula? My special program is designed to help you find and attract emotionally available men. Sign up today!

The post What to Talk About With a Guy: 18 Things That Keep Him Interested appeared first on Sexy Confidence.

from Meet Positives SM Feed https://ift.tt/2CoX2ld via IFTTT

[alexballracing]

Elise Trophy 2018 - Round 1 @ Snetterton 300

Our racing year started at Snetterton on the 300 layout, but this time it was forecast snow. It was likely that the event may be cancelled, but since we'd re-built the car especially to get it back on track and ready for the first round, we were not going to take the risk and travelled up for the races.

We arrived at the track at lunchtime on Friday and spent the sunny afternoon testing the car, making sure it was tip-top. We were using old tyres which had seen racing, testing and trackday action, but the pace was clearly in the car from the off, which was a great sign considering it was a brand new build. With the sessions finished, we gave it a clean and affixed the race series stickers provided by the LCUK guys.

The only issue I had with the car was a familar smell.. The same smell I had in the final round of 2016, which turned out that time to be a failing clutch release bearing. I asked Nicky to drive the car around the paddock to see if I was going mad, and when she returned the news was bad. She smelt it too.

After an hour of trying to decide if I had the energy to stay at the track and fix it, the decision was taken to whip the car apart and change the clutch to prevent a failure on race day - even though it was now dark, sub-zero temperatures and my 9 year old was already tired. We bought a clutch kit from Datum Motorsport who kindly offered it from their spares pile, and set about taking the car apart. The work was finished at 11:50pm, and we were shattered. I've done many clutches on the car, but this one was a real pig - probably not helped by the fact that I'm still recovering from my hurt back over the xmas period. Whilst the clutch and pressure plate were in relatively good knick, the bearing was shot, and literally fell apart in our hands when we removed it - changing it was certainly the right choice, and would have been a DNF. It had only done 4 race weekends (one of which was only qualifying and a crash) so that's a bit disappointing.

With the car back in one piece we gave it a quick clean and left for the evening. I'd like to say now how awesome the paddock is, without Datum offering advice and the parts, and Ben for lending us another trolley jack and a big fucking hammer, we'd never have been able to complete the job as I'd forgotten a few tools after 9 months away from the track. Also, obviously, mega thanks to Nicky, who got stuck right in and got the job done.

Race Day

Saturday morning came, and after looking out of the window we saw that it had been raining all night, and had just started to snow. Whilst it wasn't settled yet, it was bloody freezing and starting to get a little frosty in places. We headed to the track and Nicky got the car ready for scrutineering while I headed off for the driver briefing. It was great to see so many familiar faces, and also a whole crowd of new ones eager to get going.

9:30am. Qualifying

The track was wet and cold, but the racing season was just about to start and that's always an exciting feeling. Assembly was full of cars, with a great grid for the first race of over 25 cars. We headed out, on the Avon Race Wet tyre, and set about doing some laps. I couldn't get my head into it at first, but the times slowly fell and despite not having the ABS or TC of the newer cars, I managed to bag fourth on the grid, and managed to pip John LaMaster by less than 1 tenth of a second to be fastest K-series. Craig Denman was on pole in his S3 Cup R, Joe Taylor was second in an S2 Exige, Simon Oakley third in another Cup R.

11:10am. Race 1

The first race of the triple header was a rolling start, and I was sat just behind Joe's gorgeous white Exige. The race started with the waved union flag, and we raced around the snowy wet Snetteron circuit. Whilst I tried, I couldn't get confident on the brakes and had no answer for Craig, Joe or Simon up front - I kept locking the inside front wheel and weirdly it would stay locked after I totally released the brake pedal. I had a great fight with Mackenzie Walker and John, and ended up in fourth position after being sat in fifth behind Mackenzie for most of the race. I managed to sneak past on the last lap after a do-or-die late brake into turn one and making the move into the Montreal hairpin.

14:00pm. Race 2

Our call to be in assembly was early, due to the snow. Luckily the car had behaved well so far and other than the normal bolt-check it required no work between sessions. The track had dried a lot, and despite a little bit of damp here and there, it looked good for the ZZR dry-tyre so that was what the majority of the grid chose. The race was again a rolling start, and the grid was ordered by our finishing position from the first race meaning I again started 4th. This time I was behind Simon. The race started, and immediately Simon and Craig buggered off up the road. I felt more confident and started battling with Joe to try and pinch third, which I managed after a nice battle, and then just eased the gap open until the race ended, as the snow was getting heavier and heavier and the track was super greasy. I finished in third position, and it was nice to get the first podium for the newly rebuilt car.

15:45pm. Race 3

The track was now dry, but it was snowing. I was struggling to choose a tyre, and had nicky running up and down the paddock trying to work out what others were doing. There was a mix - some chose the wet 'safe' tyre as it was still a bit damp, and others were fitting the dry ZZR as they believed it would dry out. The trouble was, it was still super cold, and I didn't know if I could switch the tyre on properly. The lap times we were doing in race 2 were actually slower than we did in qualifying in the wet, showing how slippery it was.

I chose the wet tyre with 5 minutes to go before the race was due to start, and headed to the assembly area quite late. On the drive down the paddock I bumped into Stephen Docherty, who looked at my tyres and grimaced. I stopped and asked what he had done with his cars, and he said they were on wets, but he advised against it. I thanked him for his advice, and carried on still in two minds. I parked in Assembly in my spot, and looked over at Craig, who looked back, glanced at my tyres, and mouthed "you p***y" and gave me the wanker sign. That was enough to spur me on - I started the car, drove back to the garage and set about the fastest tyre change ever, from the wets to the drys, and headed back to assembly arriving just as the cars departed for the grid.

The green flag started and it was clear straight away that this was the perfect tyre to be on - whilst it was snowing and bloody cold, the track was dry and the green flag lap warm up showed there was grip to be had.

The reverse top ten grid race would be started with a standard standing start. We sat on the grid waiting for the Cup cars to be started by the lights, and our Trophy cars in grid 2 by the union flag, but Craig decided he didn't want to wait and set off with the lights and clipped the rear of my car. He stopped, the flag was dropped and we all set off together.

The car felt great on the correct tyre and by the exit of turn 1 I had moved up from 8th to 5th, and by the exit of turn 3 I was in second. After a brief battle with David Alexander I moved up unto first place, but was soon dispatched by Craig who drove around the outside of both of us at the end of the back straight. I followed him around Corum, but then he vanished into the distance. I tried to keep up the pace after Nicky told me via the pit board that he had received a 10-second penalty for the start, but he was a full second quicker on every single lap and despite my best efforts, I could not keep with him. He won by 14 seconds on track, which read as 4 seconds on the timing screens, with me in second position and David Alexander joined us on the podium 33 seconds behind. Not the most exciting of races, but a nice result.

With that all finished, we loaded up the car, and made the long drive home in the snow. The first race weekend was out the way, the car behaved brilliantly and we'd got a couple of good results, even if I can't see a way to beat Craig at the moment.

Watching my videos back shows that I am clearly rusty. I'm not sure how much more racing we'll do this year as I've totally run out of money to fund it, but if we do, it'll have to be along with more testing to get my eye in - I drove better in the last few laps of the last race than at any other point of the weekend - which is not good enough.

As normal I'd like to thank a load of people. Firstly, Nicky, who is just the best - my team manager, coach, support and fan club, all in one. I'd like to thank Neil at Kraftwerk Tools UK for his support regardless of the crash, and the Oakleys for taking on and running the series.

A big thanks must also go, again, to Dan Jude and Phil Peak, without which the car wouldn't have been repaired, and I'd never have made it back on track.

If we can scrape together the funds the next round is at Donington in 4 weeks.

[yahoo-shutdown-corner-blog]

2017 NFL Preview: A Super Bowl hangover hit the Panthers hard

Shutdown Corner is previewing all 32 teams as we get ready for the NFL season, counting down the teams one per weekday in reverse order of our initial 2017 power rankings. No. 1 will be revealed on Aug. 2, the day before the Hall of Fame Game kicks off the preseason.

Since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, only two teams have experienced a 10-loss drop from the previous season: 1994 Houston Oilers and 2013 Houston Texans.

The Carolina Panthers avoided joining that list last season. Barely. They won nine fewer games than they did in 2015. As great as the 2015 season was for the Panthers – at least until Von Miller ruined Super Bowl 50 for them – that’s how rough 2016 was.

The Panthers went from 15-1 to 6-10. Every other team in NFL history that won at least 15 games in a season had double-digit wins the following year. The Panthers posted a double-digit loss season. Even if you thought the 2015 record was a bit of a fluke fueled by a friendly schedule and Carolina was in for the time-honored Super Bowl hangover, it was still hard to predict a nine-win dip.

We go into 2017 not really knowing if the Panthers are closer to that 15-win NFC championship team or last season’s team that suffered close losses early on and was an injury-riddled mess by the end. I think the Panthers are better than their 2016 record. They won’t go 15-1 again anytime soon, but it’s still a team capable of being a contender.

A rebound rests heavily on the Panthers’ two best players being healthy and playing like they did a couple of seasons ago.

Quarterback Cam Newton’s MVP encore didn’t go as planned. His passer rating dropped from 99.4 to 75.8. His rushing total went from 636 yards to 359. He went from 40 total touchdowns to 24. In every meaningful stat Newton declined, sometimes to a startling degree. It was Newton’s worst season as a pro.

It was a weird season for Newton. In the opener against the Denver Broncos he took a lot of punishment, often on illegal hits. That continued through the season, causing Newton to complain he didn’t get calls other quarterbacks usually get (which is true) and he talked to commissioner Roger Goodell about it. He suffered a concussion as he slowed up before crossing the goal line on a two-point conversion against the Atlanta Falcons. He was benched for the first series of a game against the Seattle Seahawks because he didn’t wear a necktie on the team flight (I’m still baffled by Ron Rivera’s decision there). He finished it out by playing through a shoulder injury, which he had surgery on after the season. It was a total nightmare.

Linebacker Luke Kuechly is just as important to the defense as Newton is to the offense, and he had his own nightmare season. After suffering a scary concussion against the New Orleans Saints, Kuechly missed the final six games of the season. His concussion history is such a constant concern around the Panthers that Kuechly said he wasn’t talking about it with the media anymore. Hopefully Kuechly never experiences another concussion and the 26-year-old linebacker never has another issue in what looks like a Hall-of-Fame career. But the concussion concern will never go away.

In a perfect world Newton’s shoulder is healthy and he rebounds to his 2015 level, Kuechly never has another concussion and the Panthers make us forget about 2016. They won’t go 15-1 again, but it’s hard to believe a team that good could completely disappear from relevance so quickly.

After winning an MVP award in 2015, Cam Newton suffered through his worst season in 2016. (AP)

We’ll talk more about first-round pick Christian McCaffrey later on, because he deserves a larger discussion. But the highlight of the Panthers’ offseason was that pick. The Panthers’ biggest addition in free agency was former Minnesota Vikings left tackle Matt Kalil, who got a five-year, $55 million deal. The Panthers needed offensive line help, but Kalil has struggled the past few years. He has talent, but that’s a risky signing. Carolina also got some veteran secondary help with cornerback Captain Munnerlyn and safety Mike Adams. Mostly the Panthers’ budget was used on a long-term extension for defensive tackle Kawann Short, which had to be done. The biggest loss might have been receiver Ted Ginn, but second-round pick Curtis Samuel could replace some of Ginn’s big-play ability. It’s hard to say the Panthers got a lot better, though McCaffrey is intriguing. Grade: C

At his best, Cam Newton is one of the league’s best players. He’s not without flaws, but he can carry a team. He was underrated for a long time, then got more than enough attention two seasons ago. Last season was so far off Newton’s career norms (he had never posted a rating lower than 84.5 before last season’s 75.8) that you have to discount it and move on. Newton doesn’t necessarily have to repeat 2015. If he’s at his 2011-14 form, the Panthers are a dangerous team again.

The offensive line, which was a mess last season, would be a fine answer here. But let’s look at the other side of the ball. The Panthers’ pass defense wasn’t very good last season. That was apparent by Week 4, when Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw for 503 yards and Julio Jones had 300 yards receiving. The Panthers gave up 4,291 yards and 27 passing touchdowns. They had too much youth at cornerback (Carolina shouldn’t have dumped Josh Norman for no benefit whatsoever, but that’s last year’s discussion) and there’s a good chance those corners are better with a year experience. Veteran additions to the secondary should bolster depth. The return of Luke Kuechly, a tremendous cover linebacker, will help too. In a division with some very good quarterbacks, the Panthers need to find some way to improve against the pass.

Cam Newton played the final four games last season with a partially torn rotator cuff in his right throwing shoulder. It was a bad decision by the team to let its banged-up quarterback keep playing in a lost season, but what’s done is done. Newton had surgery and didn’t resume throwing until late June. Let’s assume he’ll be fully healthy by the season opener, though it’s worth monitoring through August.

Will the Panthers use Newton differently? Everyone knows a shift away from using Newton as a dual-threat player has to happen. Newton can’t get 100 rushing attempts per season and have a long career. He had at least 100 rushing attempts in each of his first five seasons, and 90 last season in an injury-filled 15 games. Drafting a running back eighth overall seems to indicate the Panthers know they have to ease back on Newton’s workload. However, part of what has made the Panthers’ offense so dangerous is Newton’s ability to run. It makes them very tough to defend. Ron Rivera has said he wants to get the ball out of Newton’s hands quicker – that’s why the team drafted lightning-fast playmakers Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel – and not have him run as often. We’ll see.

There weren’t many moves this NFL offseason more interesting than the Panthers drafting running back Christian McCaffrey eighth overall. The Panthers have generally been an old-school team, and McCaffrey is about the opposite of an old-school player. McCaffrey is the NFL in 2017: He’s able to line up anywhere in the formation and do about anything asked of him. He’s not the prototypical 20-carry-per-game back, but can be a great gadget player for the Panthers. There’s good talent on offense, including tight end Greg Olsen and receiver Kelvin Benjamin (assuming he’s in shape), but McCaffrey could give the Panthers a dimension they haven’t had. Also, being able to get rid of the ball fast to a playmaker like McCaffrey could help Cam Newton avoid punishment. While McCaffrey has obvious talent, he’s still a rookie. He still needs to learn what is sure to be a complicated role in the offense. The Panthers didn’t draft McCaffrey that high to line him up next to Newton every play and take simple handoffs; his value is in his versatility. There’s a wide range of outcomes for McCaffrey his rookie season. If he’s great right away, the Panthers offense should be too.

From Yahoo’s Liz Loza: “If the Kelvin Scale is used to measure heat then Benjamin is close to zero. More telling than the addition of dynamic pass-catching weapons Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel to the offense is that fact that Benjamin’s snap share decreased by over 11 percent in 2016. Averaging fewer than 1 red zone look per outing, the team’s perceived WR1 struggled with efficiency, as evidenced by his catch rate (53.8 percent). Between jabs about his conditioning to the team’s new look, Benjamin’s stock is trending downward. Heavily reliant on touchdowns, he’s just outside of my top-thirty-six WRs.”

[Fantasy Football is open! Sign up now]

Throughout the previews, I often note if a team had an extreme record in close games. Well, the Panthers lost six games by a field goal or less last season. They won two three-point games as well, but losing six such games is rare. The Panthers’ luck changed for the worse from two seasons ago. In 2015 they were 7-1 in games decided by a touchdown or less, counting playoffs. Then that over-corrected and they were really unlucky in 2016. One reason I like the Panthers’ record to improve this season is I doubt they lose that many coin-flip games again.

IS THE FIRING OF GENERAL MANAGER DAVE GETTLEMAN SOMETHING TO BE WORRIED ABOUT?

The Panthers firing Gettleman one season removed from an NFC championship was strange, but teams make unexpected changes like that, especially when the win total drops by nine games. The weird part is they waited until mid-July. The Panthers watched Brandon Beane leave for the Buffalo Bills’ general manager job in May, then fired their own general manager two months later. It doesn’t make a lot of sense. It’s the kind of move impulsive, shaky franchises make. For this season, I don’t think it makes a big difference. Most of the front office’s work on this season’s roster is done, and former Panthers GM Marty Hurney (what a strange reunion that is) can guide the team through the next few months. But it’s a weird 180 that good organizations don’t usually make. Was it a power move by coach Ron Rivera? He denied that’s the case. It’s confusing, especially because Gettleman did a good job aside from the Josh Norman fiasco. It probably won’t affect the Panthers this season, but it will be interesting to see what the team’s next move is.

Many of the pieces from the 2015 team that made a Super Bowl still remain. Is isn’t crazy to believe the Panthers could make another run like that. If Christian McCaffrey plays at an offensive rookie of the year level, Kelvin Benjamin dedicates himself, the offensive line isn’t in shambles again and veterans like Luke Kuechly, Kawann Short, Greg Olsen and Cam Newton play like we’ve seen them play, this can be a really good team. Winning the NFC South is a realistic goal, especially if you assume a Super Bowl hangover for the Falcons (the Panthers can tell you all about it). And if the Panthers win the division, it’s not like there’s an unbeatable team elsewhere in the NFC.

While “15-1” has been mentioned often in this preview, if you want to point out the Panthers have had losing records two of the last three seasons – and five of the last seven – that’s accurate too. Newton has been a good quarterback since his rookie year, and basically since he was at Blinn Junior College, but he might never repeat his MVP season. I don’t anticipate Newton being as bad as he was last season, but if he’s not great and other things like Luke Kuechly’s health don’t cooperate, the Panthers could post another losing record.

The NFC South race will be a lot of fun. I’m still picking the Falcons to win it, Super Bowl hangover and all, but I think the Panthers will be much better than last season. I have a hard time believing 2015 was a fluke. Every other NFL team that has won 15 or more games remained a contender for a while. The division is tough and the NFC is deep, so a return to the playoffs won’t be easy. However, the Panthers will look much more like the NFC championship team than last season’s disappointment.

32. New York Jets 31. Cleveland Browns 30. San Francisco 49ers 29. Chicago Bears 28. Los Angeles Rams 27. Jacksonville Jaguars 26. Detroit Lions 25. Houston Texans 24. Buffalo Bills 23. Indianapolis Colts 22. Baltimore Ravens 21. Los Angeles Chargers 20. Minnesota Vikings 19. New Orleans Saints 18. Washington Redskins 17. Philadelphia Eagles 16. Miami Dolphins 15. Cincinnati Bengals 14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13. Arizona Cardinals 12. Denver Broncos 11. Tennessee Titans

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab