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brideofedoras · 4 years ago

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Under Covers, pt 2

Rating: 18+

Warnings: mentions of masturbation, arousal and sex dreams

Word count: 2900+

Under Covers

Thank you all for the lovely responses to Under Covers, I know that surprise twist was evil of me (but I don’t regret it, it just felt right!). I received a few requests for a part two, and a suggestion for it to be Cooper’s POV.

So... here is Uncer Covers, as told by Cooper...

And, because I’m just as horny for William Cooper, there will be a part three! Mwuah! Love all of ya!

@urban-trek-thru-middle-earth @emily-strange @nora-hewlett @to-boldly-nope @pandaqueen7799 @bakerstreethound @portals-to-a-new-world @below-average-fangirl @writerdee1701 @ladyreapermc

Cooper reached for the travel mug in the console… but his fingers curled around nothing. A quick glance away from the early morning traffic showed an empty cup holder. “Well, that’s just typical,” he snarled grumpily.

His morning was off to a fan-fucking-tastic start, with a burnt Hot Pocket, his much-needed second cup of coffee forgotten on his desk at the office, and a restless night filled with some incredibly hot dreams of the only person he could one-hundred percent trust at work.

Ember.

She was a blessing, whether she knew it or not. Quiet, intelligent, efficient, with an uncanny ability to anticipate his needs. Beautiful. Sexy. A big flirt who had done a lot for his ego and self-esteem these past few months, and making him remember he was still a red-blooded man.

Last night’s solo sex on the back deck with a cigar and bourbon, fantasizing about having her on the glider swing or spread out on the patio table… bent over the deck railing…

“Down, dammit,” he glared down at his crotch when he felt that familiar stir.

Evidently that quick wank in the shower earlier hadn’t helped.

God, he hated waking up horny.

It was going to be a dreadfully, painfully, long weekend, he thought as he signalled to pull into the parking lot for Ember’s apartment building.

When the file detailing the op landed on his desk he had immediately known he would assign Ember as his partner. She did not have a lot of field experience, and had zero undercover experience, but she was a quick learner and self-sufficient. He’d seen her wipe the floor during hand-to-hand combat training under Kordesky (he was supposed to be teaching that course, but at the time he’d been recovering from busted ribs from an op gone wrong). Men three times her size hadn’t stood a chance.

It had both terrified him and turned him on.

But an entire weekend, maybe a tad longer, pretending to be a couple on a romantic getaway to nail a bad guy, with her…

Fuck, I’m screwed.

With a frustrated sigh he plucked his phone from the holder on the dash (strictly for GPS reasons) and pulled up the last text thread.

I’m outside.

His hazel eyes flickered to the old limestone building built in the ‘30s and remodeled, what, twenty years ago, into an apartment complex, wondering which part of the structure her apartment was in.

His phone chirped in his hand.

Be down in a minute.

He groaned, his eyes dropping to his zipper once more. I won’t.

If he survived the weekend, it would be a miracle.

He started to put the phone back on the clip when he realized he needed to tell her he wasn’t in his SUV.

Black Mercedes sedan.

Her response popped up a second later. No Porsche?

He chuckled. “No, no Porsche,” he mused out loud. He’d thought about it, the sweet little Roadster the CIA had confiscated a while back. Gorgeous car… but not ideal for a six hour drive to North Carolina.

Didn’t want to look like a man going through a midlife crisis, he texted back.

A classic sports car and a sexy young woman would most definitely make him look like he was. Well… so would the Mercedes, but it drove like a dream and wouldn’t kill his back or ass for the long trip.

You’re too young for a midlife crisis.

“Oh, you’re flirting, Sweetheart,” he groaned. He shook his head to clear it before pressing his hand hard against his crotch. “Behave, dammit, stay down.”

He had no idea when he’d find the opportunity to handle that particular issue. The little bungalow on the beach they’d be calling home for the next few days only had one bedroom. Light, airy, lots of windows and a door opening out onto a veranda, a king size bed--

He pulled himself from his thoughts when he saw Ember step out of the building.

“Fuck.”

God damn was he screwed.

Ember was dressed in a snug, scoop neck tank top and cutoff shorts that showed off her long legs.

Legs he’d dreamed of wrapped around his hips. Draped over his shoulders. Hooked over his elbows.

“Now is not the time to rehash your favorite fantasies, William,” he scolded himself as he climbed out of the car. He took the opportunity to adjust himself and straighten his plaid shirt to try to conceal the ridge in his jeans before he walked around to the trunk to open it.

Did she nearly trip over her own feet?

He kept that question to himself as he took her suitcase from her and stowed it next to his. He carefully shut the lid before turning his attention on Ember.

“Get in the car, Kid.”

She immediately bristled before storming off.

Oh shit, he sighed heavily as he watched her yank open the passenger door. He quickly rounded the car to climb into the driver’s seat. “Easy there, Tiger,” he looked over at her. “You okay?”

She shut the door and buckled up before taking in a deep breath.

Yeah, Cooper, you hit the wrong damn button by accident, he realized. Better salvage this and fast!

“Yeah. Sleepless night.” Her smile was faker than the phony IDs his buddy had made for them in high school.

Yup, wrong button.

He frowned in sympathy. “Worried about the op?” He was giving her a bullshit excuse for her temper flareup and he knew it, but he also knew Ember would not admit him calling her “kid” had upset her.

Her smile fell, allowing him to see how tired she was. “You could say that.”

“You’ve got the easy job,” he reminded her as he started the car. “Look pretty, flirt, be coy.”

Inwardly he flinched. Wow, Cooper. That was smooth.

“You call that easy?” The blush staining her cheeks was downright adorable. “I can’t flirt my way out of a paper bag if I tried!”

He grinned. Either she’s in denial about flirting or she’s clueless that she’s a natural.

“‘Your tie brings out the gold in your eyes, Boss’ ring a bell? Or ‘You’ve got a bit of powdered sugar on your cheek’?”

God, he could still feel her hand cupping his jaw and her thumb brushing over his cheekbone.

Her blush grew brighter. “A compliment and a gentle warning before a meeting are hardly flirting!”

“You were flirting,” he grinned even more. “And the plate of extra cookies left over from your Christmas dinner?”

“Figured your kids would like some cookies, and I had more than enough left over!”

Uh-huh. A whole plate piled high with monster cookies, his favorite fucking kind?

“That’s what break rooms are for,” he couldn't help but chuckle. “Pretty sure Sanderson would ask you to marry him if you bring baked goods in.”

Please forgive me.

Ember shuddered and turned a little green. “Pretty sure he lives in his parents’ basement.”

“Yeah, he has that personality,” he slowed for a stoplight. “Not your type, then?”

Please say no. You deserve so much better than him. Or me.

“Have you ever heard me flirt with him?”

He busted out laughing at her sassy rebuttal. There’s my girl, he struggled to get the mirth under control so he could speak again. “No, no, I haven’t,” he shot her a look. “You can give Wilkes a run for her money in the ice queen department when you’re dealing with him.”

She finally smiled. “I hope you’re giving me a compliment and not calling me a frigid bitch,” her own voice was laced with a touch of humor.

“She’s the frigid bitch and she wears that badge with pride,” he pointed out. “She made Sanderson cry a couple of times. You’re at least polite.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t be,” she mused. “And I don’t flirt.”

Oh, Honey.

“‘You’re too young for a midlife crisis’?” He struggled to keep another grin at bay.

“Not flirting!” She twisted away from him.

But not before he glimpsed the splotching blush dotting her chest.

His mind went south before he could stop it. Does she blush like that after an orgasm?

God dammit.

“What is it, then?” He mentally shook himself to get his mind back on the conversation. He winced when her head thumped against the window.

“The truth. Thirty-five is still young,” she sighed. “Age is only a number. What matters is how you feel inside. Take Grandpa-- er, Henry, for example. He’s eighty-five, still working downstairs, running circles around the younger desk jockeys.”

“I need to find out what his secret is,” he joked. Sometimes he needed more energy to make it through the day.

“No!” Her voice squeaked. “You don’t want to do that!”

His jaw dropped as he looked at her. “Wait, he really has a secret? What is it?” He needed to know.

She blushed again. “Nope,” she shook her head as if she were trying to shake off an unpleasant thought. “It was bad enough overhearing it. I’m not telling you.”

Oh.

Must’ve been something dirty if she was blushing like that.

“H-how long of a drive is it again?”

Did her voice just crack?

“Six hours if the traffic isn’t bad,” he answered.

“Straight through, no stops?”

He chuckled. “I’ll make a couple of stops, I’m not a monster. You have breakfast yet?” He glanced over to see her shake her head.

“There’s a coffee shop up ahead,” she pointed out. “They have donuts and breakfast sandwiches.”

His stomach grumbled quietly. “Any recommendations?”

“The omelette sandwiches are to die for,” she paused to cover her yawn. “They come with sausage and cheese. You’ve already had their donuts.”

His mind tripped back to the massive powdered sugar donut that had led to her soft touch that fateful afternoon. His unintentional groan at that memory bordered on sinful. “Might have to order a dozen for this weekend.”

“Better make it two dozen. I’m not crawling out of bed before ten a.m. this weekend.”

No, down, he stubbornly told himself off at the images popping into his head. “You’ve already claimed the bed, huh?” He inwardly grimaced at the husky and teasing tone in his voice. Who’s flirting now, Cooper?

“Figured it was a given since I’m a woman and you seem like the kind of guy who would take the couch.”

She had his number. Damn, she really is good. “Sweetheart, my back can’t take sleeping on couches even for a little catnap anymore,” he signaled to turn into the lot for the coffee shop.

Liar, he ratted on himself. He’d spent too many nights on the couch before Michelle asked for a divorce when she finally decided she couldn’t take being a CIA agent’s wife anymore. If it weren’t for his kids he would not have gotten the couch for his new place.

“The bed’s a king, isn’t it? We could share it. I promise to be on my best behavior.”

He coughed to cover a strangled groan. Share a bed with Ember? All weekend?

Fuck.

“What?” She asked.

“You’re flirting again.”

“No, I wasn’t,” she frowned at him. “My brain loses its filter when I’m running on very little sleep.”

“Always an excuse,” he rolled his window down. “What kind of coffee?”

“Just ask for the Emberleigh special, they’ll know.”

Cooper was pretty sure the barista, Tomer, was eye-fucking him. Not the first time that had ever happened, but it sure as hell was the first time a guy was so bold about it. And the not-so-subtle looks he was giving Ember were poorly hidden.

Oh, yes, I’m gonna be the topic of conversation the next time she stops in, he chuckled to himself. It was both amusing and flattering.

By the time they hit the freeway his two breakfast sandwiches were demolished and she was barely finished with hers. He shifted to get comfortable. Long trips by car were never fun, the miles monotonous and the seat unforgiving.

Flying had not been an option. The department could not justify using the jet for a weekend op, which left commercial flights. He personally hated that option. Checking weapons and other tools of the trade through security was a headache he did not want to deal with. It was easier to drive.

“Should we go over the parameters again?”

It never hurt to go over plans a few times, and with this being Ember’s first undercover op he wanted her prepared.

The breathy “no” from her caught him off guard.

He shot her a quick glance. “Seat reclines if you want to take a quick nap,” he swallowed the groan at the mental images of her stretched out on her back in that leather seat, him leaning over her… He shifted in his seat when his jeans grew a little tight again. “If you want to turn the radio on, go for it,” he cleared his throat (and his head). “I listen to just about anything. Except for the new crap.”

“Yeah, I can’t listen to that stuff, either.”

Thank god.

“I can Bluetooth my phone if that’s okay?” She asked softly.

“Go for it,” he nodded.

When the opening guitar licks for one of his favorite songs began to play he grinned.

God, if this song wasn’t the ultimate euphemism for sex. And the tempo. Jesus Christ.

And the fact that Ember had the Scorpions on whatever playlist she had? His crush on her grew that much more.

It reminded him of his high school days, his first car, T-tops off and cruising the strip rocking out to AC/DC, pretty girl in the passenger seat.

Sometimes he missed those days, not having any responsibilities other than keeping his grades up for football.

He drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel and sang along off-key. He found himself really getting into the music and tried to tone it down, but after catching Ember trying not to stare he decided to put his all into it.

And all bets were off when his favorite Def Leppard song came on.

They played random road trip games when he wasn’t rocking out. Counting state license plates. Slug bug (or punch buggie as his little Katie loved to holler, especially when she saw the blue ones). Billboard alphabet. Count the road kill (gruesome but it worked). I spy.

When she yawned for the tenth time in about as many minutes he realized why she was playing the games. She was trying to stay awake despite repeated suggestions to recline the seat back and take a nap. He even threatened to sing her to sleep.

She stubbornly insisted she needed to stay awake to help him watch traffic.

Somewhere along the way she did fall asleep. He smiled to himself when she sighed in her sleep and shifted to get comfortable in her seat. As carefully as he could he reached over to slip her sunglasses off and laid them on the dash.

No way was he waking her up any time soon. She needed to rest up.

He was humming along to “In The Air Tonight” and miming the drum solo above the steering wheel (it was a federal offense to not perform the drum solo) when a soft whine came from the passenger seat. He quickly glanced over at the distressed sound. “You okay over there?” He pressed the button on the steering wheel to turn the volume down even more for the radio.

She shifted in her seat, head lolling toward him before a quiet snore reached his ears. He chuckled and shook his head before he turned back to watch the road. They were ten minutes from the nearest fast food restaurant and despite still being full from breakfast he needed to go to the bathroom and stretch his legs. He just didn’t have the heart to wake Ember up quite yet.

A few minutes later she drew in a deep breath and moaned.

That moan sounded suspiciously like his last name.

His grip on the steering wheel tightened.

Ember shifted and moaned again. “We… shouldn’t…”

He felt his cock begin to stir at the soft little sounds coming from her. Sounds he had fantasized about more than once.

“Oh… god…” she squirmed.

Fuck, his jeans were uncomfortably tight. Cooper flipped the turn signal and checked his mirrors before exiting the freeway.

Her moans and gasps were more frequent now, with his name whined out a few times. He drew in a shaky breath, that last guttural moan damn near making him cum right there.

It would be cruel to wake her up, he thought as he pulled into McDonald’s parking lot. But he could not sit in the car and listen to her have a sex dream about him.

“Oh… god… Cooper…”

The way she was panting.

The way his cock was throbbing dangerously.

He hated himself, for having no choice but to listen to her pretty little sex dream sounds and for waking her up before she could…

No. Do. Not. Think. About. It.

“Ember,” he gently squeezed her shoulder before he chickened out. “Wake up, Sleepyhead,” he murmured gruffly when she blinked her eyes open. “We’re stopping for lunch.”

She looked disoriented, and he kicked himself for interrupting that dream.

He pulled away, breaking contact before his body could overrule his brain and pounce on her. “I’m surprised you fell asleep with my singing. Never worked on my kids when they were little.”

When she remained quiet he looked over. “No comment?”

“No!” Damn, that blush was beautiful on her. “N-no, I… I guess a smooth car ride combined with a sleepless night put me to sleep.”

“Yeah, that’ll do it,” he agreed as he pocketed the keys. “Come on, I’ll buy you lunch.”

#william cooper #william cooper x ofc #red #sex dreams

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ace-t-fic · 4 years ago

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This a Peter si fic I started (its purely 'feel good' no eye roll moments) but never found out what I wanted to do with it. This hasn't been grammar checked ethier.

The yearly trip to science industries (after the fiasco concerning OC labs) was heavily guarded by the gpa efficiency minimum and it was usually 123 Seniors at Midtown high each year. That only left less than 30 who had the gpa needed in order to attend the field trip. But with detentions and tardies that often brought it down to 25 added in with the people who actually turned in their permission slips drop that number down to a solid 13. That usually meant the whole decathlon team, one jock, the Sat acres and people with tiger parents.

So when the paper was only passed to Peter and Flash in their homeroom he wasn’t surprised who qualified for the field trip.

Last year's field trip the students all got to go to Tesla and returned the day after. Liz said it was a fun experience and even one of the kids was later offered an internship available to him after their graduation. Liz herself wasn’t all that interested in the company herself but she said the experience was an enjoyable one. So Peter would have been lying if he said he wasn’t practically buzzed for when his senior year trip came.

He wondered if they would be able to tour the new labs Wakanda had set up. He wanted to go for a while but their outside personnel was strictly limited to certified personnel and those with names that ended with Stark or Banner or Avengers. But the name staring back at him was just laughing at him, “congratulations, you have qualified for this year's exclusive Senior trip to SI inc.” an all paid expense to visit his work. Now instead of taking the City bus he could just catch a ride on a big ugly yellow one.

Not that this was a let down it was still an amazing opportunity many would kill for. He thought gazing behind him to stare at Flash who fist bumped the air. The attention caught his attention and he made brief eye contact with Peter with a smug little smile on his face. Peter only flashed back his before the flash rolled his eyes and no longer paid him attention.

Flash still didn’t partially believe Peter's internship-neither did anyone else really- but flash was the most put out about it. He would be lying if he says he wasn’t rooting for Peter the night of his junior year party. He even helped Diana, the maid clean and dust just in case Spiderman really did show up. And when he didn’t show up he told Peter exactly how he felt about it with a new string of nicknames. Added on to the occasional passive agressive shoulder shove but nothing more or less beyond that. Sure he was a dick but he wasn’t a good fighter, just richer than Parker he was beating him in the fight of life.

Peter only rolled his eyes back, shoving the paper into the back of his class notebook.

The minutes ticked by steadily as Peter waited to meet Ned at his locker. He’s almost deadly positive Ned received one too and is waiting to shake the life out of his shoulders. Peter may work at Si but Ned’s never been and the experience in itself is quite entertaining. Things are always different when best friends are involved.

“Anyone who received a field trip paper will have to have it signed and returned to me, the office, or Mrs. Meyers up to five days before the date of the field trip. Other than that we will continue on with the stock market Tomorrow!” The teacher screamed over the rustling papers and scraping chairs as he let them out a minute early, if you ask anyone on campus that made him the cool teacher.

Petter grabbed his folders, having lost another backpack he was sure laid webbed to the building and exited the room. He easily made it to his locker before Ned did and even got to close it before he was approached

“Dude you can show me your lab.” he whispered to peter.

“Actually I can’t, my lab is Tony’s and that's only because Bucky has been keeping him away from the lab.” Peter announced before he got his hopes up. “We’re probably gonna tour below mid level, I don't think they allow anyone without a permanent badge into any of the labs.”

“Do we get to meet any of the avengers?”

“Probably Bruce, he’s usually chilling with all the other scientists. It’ll be cool though you know i haven’t actually met him? The dude has to be dumb smart, you know Tony scraps ideas if he can’t get Bruce to sign off on them.” Peter gushes, before an arm is roughly swung around his shoulder. “Ow-no.”

Flashes pffts, “give me a break i hate this as much as you but apparently since I’m friends with idiots i have to slum it with you and- I’m sorry what's your-”

“Ned”

“Yeah Ned, that sounds familiar for the trip. I asked more about it and this might be a good time to turn in our submissions for the upcoming Intern conference. We get in ahead and we can probably impress him enough for our stuff to actually be looked at. Peter, I know your tech smart, I do numbers and possibilities and Ned we’ve been in coding since middle school together so we can definitely do that.” Flash rambles.

“What are you talking about?”

“We’ve been coding together for 6 years and you just barely remembered my name?”

“What I’m talking about-Peter is welcome to the winning team. Listen your smart parker you may or may not have an internship although its kinda sketchy that out of nowhere you a loser 17 year old defies all social laws and pops on the popularity chart” Understandable he still cursed Ned for saying anything right before he asked Mary jane to prom god that was embarrassing.

You know that fancy stuff doesn’t bother me Peter. If I wanted to solely date you for your internship I’d hope someone would’ve knocked sense into you to get over me.

“But I honestly feel as if we wow at least one impressionable person. They'll seek us an audience with Stark before the rest of the crowd.” Flash continues.

“You know that honestly doesn’t sound bad?” Ned finishes unsure over the look of alarm on Peter's face. Because yeah it’s not a bad idea and that expo meant the world to the real science losers around the GLOBE. And Ned really did want to be involved beyond the guy in the chair way before Peter turned into Spiderman. Peter would probably still be hands deep in his theories if he hadn’t gotten bit by some escaped lab spider. This expo at one point in his life -sophomore year- was the only thing that was gonna get Aunt May out of the nearly slumps.

And flash…. Well he’s just a fucking nerd to put it lightly he was just rich, and since he was rich and gushes this much about being a intern of all things meant he might’ve been worse then both Peter and Ned when they first envisioned running coffee for Tony stark.

Plus it would be kinda unfair to see if he could pull strings for Ned instead of proving that he was capable of it far more on his own. “Fiiiinn-”

“Whoop! You might actually not be so bad penis.” and with a clap on his shoulder disappearing with the ringing of the bell.

Peter clenched his jaw shooting a ‘why’ look at Ned, “Oh don’t give me that look, you think I want to work with him. He has money and resources and he is good at real numbers not technical of coding, look you're an spaceship mechanic, he does the landing the thrust or whatever they do and I’m the guy who counts down which is honestly better then both of those jobs-”

“Please Ned you're embarrassing me '' Peter laughed as he and Ned made their way through the day. 2 months until the field trip that was more than enough time for three geniuses to at least come up with a concept and a prototype for something cool.

Scrap that they’re screwed.

“I almost died.” Ned said, sitting in a shock of foam. “You guys just sat there, you were gonna watch me die.”

“Don’t be dramatic.” Ned reared back at Flash's comment, “Dramatic! I just went up in flames!”

“Hey, it was your boy Peter who made it. Plus maybe if he didn’t bail early last Monday we could’ve caught that our numbers weren’t matching up with his” Maybe if some assholes weren't trying to rob F.E.A.S.T after their charity event he wouldn’t have had too.

“I told you things happen Flash, I do in fact have a life.”

“MJ tell you that”

“-oo burn”

“Ned!- ok listen in order for this hoverboard to work we have to make sure everything is matched up. It shouldn’t have done that so something else must’ve gone wrong too.” Peter explained grabbing the notebooks and tossing them on the Flashes workbench. Hoverboard and back to future stickers on the covers.

“Might be the fact that it isn’t Hovering. But that's just me.”

#peter parker #flash tompson #ned leeds #si feild trip

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crackedoutgiraffe · 5 years ago

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To the Moon and Back

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14

A/N: Chapter 15

“What’s wrong?” you asked.

“There is a robbery in progress, they have hostages,” you heard sirens along with his voice.

“I’ll be there in 20.” You hung up the phone and raced to your bedroom to change. You closed the door and put on a pair of black jeans and a t-shirt. You put your hair up and put on some basic makeup. You grabbed your keys, badge, and gun. Luckily, traffic was light and you got to the bank in ten minutes. When you got there Reid was already there, along with Rossi, Morgan, and Hotch. He handed you a bulletproof vest and you put it on quickly.

When JJ and Prentiss arrived, Hotch started to explain what was happening, “The media's calling them the Face Cards. 7 bank robberies in 7 months. They've killed one person at each robbery.”

Everyone followed HOtch as he walked toward the mobile command center, “M. O.?” Rossi asked.

“Single gunshot wound. Each of the victims has bled out,” Hotch continued.

“Serial killers with a 30-day cooling-off period and we're only just hearing about this now?” you asked.

“Well, headquarters has always characterized them robbers first and killers second,” Hotch was the team’s connection to the top of the food chain.

“No one kills 7 people without serious psychopathic tendencies,” JJ added.

“I disagreed with the original assessment. I was overruled,” Hotch explained.

“So why are we here now?” you asked

“Because crisis negotiation is overseas,” Hotch opened the door for the mobile command center and went inside.

Everyone followed into the MCC, “What more do we know about them?” Reid asked

“They're organized, they're efficient. Each strike lasts about 2 minutes,” Hotch explained.

“They gotta be scouting the banks in advance. Why haven't we been able to I. D. Them off of surveillance footage?” Morgan asked.

“They hack the security feed and turn off the cameras, both during the initial canvass and during the robbery, until the masks come back on, and then we're allowed to watch,” Garcia, who was sitting at the computer in the MCC, explained.

“They're using the hostages as human shields,” Rossi pointed at the screens.

“This is the first time they've been interrupted. What went wrong?” JJ asked.

“It's a big bank. It's possible they weren't about to round everybody up before someone triggered an alarm,” Prentiss noted.

“Why haven't they cut the feed now that they've been cornered? Letting us see inside gives up a tactical advantage. They gotta know that,” you pointed out.

“They don't seem to care,” Hotch sighed.

“They're overconfident. Arrogant, even,” JJ leaned into the video monitors.

“The face card masks add to their narcissism. Their personas are the royalty of poker,” Reid pointed out.

“JJ, Reid, and Prentiss, look at past robberies. That's gonna be our victimology. Pull another analyst if you need to,” Reid gave your hand a squeeze before leaving with JJ and Prentiss. “Dave and Y/N, I want you to handle negotiations. And, Morgan, strategize tactical options with MPD,” Hotch ordered the team around. When he was done you saw an older blonde woman walk in. “Chief Strauss,” Hotch greeted her.

“The Director ordered me to supervise your operation,” she said.

“Puts you right in the spotlight,” Rossi scoffed.

“Well, you've got gunmen with hostages in the Capital. The Hill's concerned,” she explained.

“We're about to open lines of communication,” Hotch looked at her.

“What about a tactical assault?” she asked.

“I don't think it's a good idea. There are hostages in front of the doors and windows,” Rossi explained.

“What's your negotiation strategy?” she questioned.

“The Jack's bleeding out. They'll ask for medical attention,” Rossi explained.

“The female unsub might have something to say about that,” Hotch noted.

“Look at her body language,” Rossi pointed at the screens.

“Mm. She is cold and detached. The King seems genuinely concerned about his partner's welfare. But she couldn't give a damn,” you added.

“The men probably know each other. Garcia?” Hotch asked.

“Yes. Shuffling my technofabulous deck of databases, sir,” she started to type on her computer.

Rossi turned to leave and you followed him. He walked over to a tent set up in the street and started to dial a number. You grabbed the headset from next to the phone.

“Who the hell's this?” you heard an irritated voice say over the phone.

“My name is David Rossi. I'm with the FBI. To whom am I speaking?” Rossi explained to the man. You realized that he was speaking with one of the robber’s.

“All right, I want a doctor sent in, and then I want out of here,” the man demanded.

“Well, we certainly can discuss that. Let the hostages go and we'll give you all the medical help you need,” Rossi tried to reason with the man.

“I can't do that. I need the leverage,” the man laughed.

“How about a sign of good faith? Send out the women and children and I'll see what I can do,” Rossi kept his voice calm.

“He's trying to negotiate,” the man wasn’t talking to Rossi anymore.

“Negotiate?” a woman said from the other side. “We're not playing games,” she was louder this time.

“No, no, no, please! Daddy!” A little girl screamed from the other side.

“Either we get what we want or everyone in this room dies,” the man demanded.

“Do that and you get nothing,” Rossi was more stern this time.

“Take me instead. Please. Take me. It's ok, baby,” you flinched at the sound of a gunshot.

“Oh! Aah! Daddy!” the little girl screamed.

“You better send in some help or more people are gonna die,” the robber hung up. You took off your headset and looked at Rossi.

Strauss walked over, “We're sending in a medic.”

“That's just gonna give them another hostage,” Hotch walked over at the same time, along with Garcia.

“If they stop shooting people, it's worth it,” she explained.

“If we give in to one demand, we'll have to give in to them all,” Hotch argued.

“The Director disagrees,” she tried to reason with the three of you.

“At least make it an Agent with medical training. That way he can take advantage of an opportunity if it comes,” Rossi negotiated.

“Fine,” Strauss sighed and walked away

“The brass thinks they'll act rationally, but there's no evidence of that,” Hotch whispered to Rossi.

“This is personal for the men. The King could have run after the initial gunfight, but he didn't. Instead, he pulled the partner inside out of harm's way. And stayed with him, while the woman searched the bank, presumably for a way out. He's more worried about the partner than he is about her running away,” you tried to make sense of everything they were doing.

“Garcia, narrow your search. I think the male unsubs might even be related,” Hotch turned to the blonde.

“Roger that,” she walked away quickly.

“What do we do now?” you turned to Rossi.

“We wait,” He turned to look at the bank.

You and Rossi watched the area and all of the chaos. You could see Morgan talking to a medic. When the medic went toward the bank, Morgan walked over to you, Rossi, and Hotch.

“We’re sending in the medic now, Chris,” Rossi talked with the man on the other line. “Tell Oliver help is on the way,” He hung up. The four of you watched the medic on a monitor set up by the phone, “This is not good, Hotch,” Rossi warned.

“Morgan, tell Green to make a move,” Hotch commanded.

Morgan leant into his walkie-talkie, “Green, you gotta go man. You gotta make a move.”

You watched the medic on the screen reach for his bag and try to pull his gun. Unfortunately the unsub caught on and shot Green twice in the chest before shooting him square in the head. Watching the agent get shot put all of you on edge. Strauss walked back to your tent.

“The director has ordered a full tactical assault,” she sighed.

“His last orders cost us an Agent,” Morgan retorted.

“SWAT's getting itchy fingers,” a detective said.

“You remind SWAT that bank robberies are federal jurisdiction. No one fires until they're ordered to,” Hotch commanded.

“Right,” the detective walked away.

“All right, when the crossfire starts, what's gonna happen to the hostages caught in the middle?” Rossi asked.

“That's the wrong call, Erin, and you know it,” Hotch turned to her.

“It's not my call,” she tried to shift the blame from herself.

“You're here and you're in charge,” Hotch reasoned.

“So you want me to disobey the Director?” Strauss seemed offended.

“Yes,” Morgan pleaded.

“No,” Hotch corrected. “I just want you to buy us a little time. Don't be quite so efficient.” Strauss walked away.

“Whatever you're gonna do, do it fast,” Rossi whispered to Hotch.

“All right. Reasoning with them is still our best option,” Hotch was stressed, you could see it in his body language.

“That'll be difficult. Chris just lost his brother and murdered someone in retaliation,” Rossi explained.

“We're dealing with two killers now,” you added.

“We have problems, sirs,” Garcia rushed to the four of you. “Outside nefarious sources have hacked into the surveillance feeds. I'm trying to I. D. them now. At least a couple of them are media outlets.”

“Can you block them?” Hotch asked.

“No, not without blocking ourselves, too, sir,” she explained. She walked away.

“Call JJ and them,” Hotch told Rossi.

The detective and Morgan came back over by the time JJ answered the phone.

“What if the smaller banks were training runs from the Stratton brothers?” Hotch asked.

“Well, it could be. She took two relatively amateur thugs and turned them into an elite team of efficient bank robbers,” Morgan added.

“But why? To turn them into patsies?

“All right, ok, so let's look at it. Up until now they've been highly organized, striking only on deposit days, when the most amount of cash is on hand,” Prentiss noted.

“But today's different. It's their first Saturday hit, where families are present, more foot traffic throughout the day,” Reid explained.

“It's a riskier attack,” you added.

“We should consider the media attention, too,” JJ reminded.

“It's the first time they've had an audience,” Rossi related.

“That might be why the female unsub is so vain. She wants to look good for the cameras,” Prentiss explained.

“She searches the bank but doesn't actually look for a means of escape. She appears to be almost enjoying the situation,” Rossi noted.

“We know the brothers are in it for the money. What's she in it for?” Hotch asked. JJ hangup and everyone got back to work.

Rossi picked up the phone and dialed into the bank, you grabbed the headset to listen in on the call, “How do you want to end this, Chris?”

“I want out of here,” he was frantic.

“How do you propose to do that?” Rossi asked.

“I want an armored truck and a plane with a clear flight path to Switzerland,” he demanded.

“No, no, no. Chad,” the queen interrupted. “We want to go to Chad.”

“Yeah. No agents with guns this time. We'll fly ourselves,” the call ended.

“That was weird,” you looked at Rossi who also noticed the odd nature of the call.

“I’ll call Prentiss and them,” Rossi walked away, leaving you by yourself.

You figured he went to talk to Hotch when you saw an armored call roll in front of the bank. Rossi, Morgan, Hotch, and the detective walked over to you a few minutes later.

“Hi, I’m Y/N Y/L/N,” you held your hand out to the detective. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“William LaMontange Jr.” He returned your handshake.

“Enough pleasantries,” Hotch snapped. “These guys were too good to get caught, so why did they?”

“911 received a call alerting them to a robbery in progress,” Will added.

“Actually, it was a text. D. C. add 911 messaging after the Virginia Tech students texts went unanswered during the massacre,” Garcia’s voice came through the phone Hotch set down earlier.

“Can you trace it, Garcia?” Hotch asked.

“Yeah. The message was sent from a cell phone that is currently inside the bank and was registered to a Larry Phillips Jr.” she finished tracing the phone incredibly fast.

“Why does that name sound familiar?” Strauss said from Garcia’s side of the call.

“That's the name of one of the gunmen from the '97 North Hollywood bank shootout in California,” Rossi explained.

“So is this an homage?” you asked.

“Guys, that text was sent 30 seconds before they blacked out the security feeds for entry,” Garcia noted.

“How is that possible?” Morgan was pacing.

“It didn't come from a hostage. It came from one of the robbers,” Rossi added.

“She wanted us here,” you added.

“Garcia, get JJ and Prentiss down here,” Hotch ordered. “We’re going in.”

“What about Reid?” Garcia asked.

“Have him keep working from Quantico,” Hotch walked away.

After twenty minutes you hadn’t heard anything from the unsubs, but the queen was still walking around the bank. Eventually you saw JJ and Prentiss walk into the scene. They walked over to Morgan and Will, who were looking at maps on the hood of a police car. Rossi and Hotch were in the MCC with Garcia and Strauss. You saw Rossi leave the MCC and walk toward you. He picked up the phone and dialed a number. You grabbed the headset from the monitor and put them on.

“You know my favorite card in poker, Chris?” Rossi asked.

“What's that?” The unsub sounded cold.

“The wild card,” Rossi answered.

“I don't believe in wild cards. They dumb down the game,” Chris retorted.

“Well, I couldn't agree with you more, but, uh, in this case, you're the one that's dumb,” Rossi sending Chris insults surprised you.

“This your new negotiation tactic, insulting me?” He sounded offended.

“Oh, it's not a tactic. It's a fact. Didn't you wonder why you got caught, what went wrong when you did everything right? We got a message from someone in the bank before you started shooting,” Rossi explained.

“Impossible,” Chris sounded shocked.

“Now, I know it wasn't you, and I'm hoping it wasn't your brother. So, who does that leave?” Rossi pushed. Prentiss walked over to join you two.

“You're lying,” he scoffed.

“Ask her,” Rossi persuaded him

“Did you call the police?” He started to talk to the queen.

“Is that what they're telling you?” She laughed.

“That's not an answer,” pointed out.

“Of course not. What do you think? They're trying to turn us against one another,” she was right about that.

“Why would you even do that? Olly's dead 'cause of that,” his voice dropped.

“I wouldn't. I'm trapped here, too,” she sounded offended that Chris would even think that she would turn against him.

“Are you lying to me?” You saw Chris put a gun to the girl’s head.

“We've come too far for you to start doubting me now. Lost too much. Hey. Hey... Don't let them tear us apart right as we're about to win. If you do that, Olly's death won't mean anything,” she was caressing his face.

“Enough. I'm done talking to you. I want to talk to someone who won't jerk me around face to face,” Chris became very hostile toward Rossi.

“No more Feds,” she cooed into the phone.

“I want to talk to the cop who shot my brother,” Chris demanded and hung up. Rossi looked at you before walking toward Hotch, who had joined Will and Morgan. You followed behind along with Prentiss who was just as shocked as you were.

“Chris wants us to send Will in,” Rossi explained when he reached the group.

“No. No, forget it,” JJ was quick to decide.

“JJ, if it means we can end this…” Will pleaded.

“What makes you think he won't shoot you the minute you walk inside?” JJ added.

“Look, he wants out of there just as much as we want him out,” Will protested.

“It's not happening. Forget it,” JJ continued.

“There's no guarantee he won't retaliate for the death of his brother,” Hotch chimed in.

“I know you'd do it if you were me,” Will argued.

“Will, I get what you're feeling, but you are too close to this case to make that call,” Morgan noted.

“You're damn right I'm close. 4 people are dead because I shot his brother. And no one else needs to die 'cause of what I did,” Will was very heated at this point.

“This isn't about you,” Morgan was quick to point out.

“Risking your life won't bring them back,” JJ calmed him down quickly.

“Sorry, Will,” Hotch sounded genuinely sorry. “Get him back on the phone,” Hotch turned to you and Rossi. The two of you were quick to scurry away back to the phone. Rossi picked it up and called the bank.

“Where's that cop, huh? I ain't got all day,” Chris shouted into the phone.

“What you're asking is difficult,” Rossi explained.

“Well, I'll make it easy. Send in the cop, I'll let a couple hostages go. A sign of good faith. Isn't that what you said?” Chris was finally willing to negotiate.

“Releasing the hostages is a great first step in resolving this conflict, but we can't send someone else in to be killed,” Rossi explained.

“This ain't a friggin' debate,” You heard the phone hang up, but Rossi didn’t move it from his ear yet. That’s when the call picked up again.

“It's... It's Shawn Harper,” a new person spoke. Within seconds there was a gunshot and screaming from the other hostages

“Ucch. You just killed Shawn Harper. Not me, you. I'm gonna shoot another hostage every 60 seconds until you send in the cop.” You heard the phone hang up.

The phone picked up again, “Annie. It's Annie,” you heard a woman sobbing over the phone.

“You hang in there, Annie. Help is on the way,” Rossi tried to calm her down.

“You got about 30 seconds, Annie. I hope Agent Rossi doesn't make me shoot you, too,” the phone hung up.

“Y/N!” You heard Hotch shouting from the police car where JJ, Prentiss, Morgan, and Will were. You quickly ran over to meet him. “Have you noticed anything weird about this?” He explained. While he was talking to you Will walked away. You thought he was going to check in with SWAT, but when he started to walk toward the building you knew what was happening.

“What is he doing?” JJ asked. “No, no, no!” She shouted. Morgan had to hold her by her waist to stop her from approaching the bank. “Morgan, let me go!” She was kicking and screaming. Eventually she stopped fighting. You saw a woman and two children leaving the bank. There were two shots fired from inside the bank. JJ started to cry. Hotch had all of you move into the MCC.

“Did you see where he was shot?” JJ asked. “Is he alive or dead Garcia?”

“I don’t know,” Garcia looked just as torn up as JJ.

“He was wearing a vest. He might be ok,” Prentiss tried to give her some comfort

“Might be,” JJ scoffed.

“They're not answering,” Rossi said as he came to join you guys.

“All right, we need to get inside,” JJ stood up.

“JJ, it's too risky. We don't have eyes in there anymore,” Morgan explained.

“Aaron…” JJ pleaded. No one ever called him Aaron.

“Let's go in,” Hotch agreed, “but you’re staying out here.” He told JJ. “We can send Morgan, Prentiss, and Y/N in.” Everyone rushed out of the small room. Hotch quickly got the SWAT team together.

You and Morgan took the front, Prentiss was going around to the side. Right before you were about to breach, all of the hostages came out of the building.

Morgan leaned into his com, “Going in,” he told Hotch.

You grabbed onto the back of your SWAT member and started to make your way to the building, but before you could get inside, you had all the wind knocked out of you as you were pushed to the ground by an explosion.

#spencer reid #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x reader #Criminal Minds #criminal minds fic

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publiusvirgilius · 4 years ago

Text

Guilt by association - Chapter 3: Chilling Developments

Aaron Hotchner x OC

warnings: stressed-out oc

word count: 2.5K

summary: the end of term is near, but it seems Ida will have more to worry about than just turning in papers.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

December arrived without fanfare, bringing chilly gusts and freezing rain that slowly overwhelmed the once sunny days.

I had gotten through most of the parent conferences, fully accepting the chaotic schedule that now ruled my life. I only had a couple of conferences left, and with winter break just a little over a week away, I was more than ready to step away from my kindergarteners for a while and focus on my own classes.

As I sat in the classroom at the end of the school day—Brad left before me these days since the study was coming to a close—I opened my overfilled online planner again. I checked it and updated it obsessively. I knew myself too well to allow myself to lose track of appointments, and I couldn't afford to miss any advisor meetings or grant proposal hearings, much less be late to them.

I had my second-to-last parent conference in half an hour:

Wednesday, 12/8 3:30 p.m. Meeting with Anna's parents — Marc Orly and Fiona Orly

And then the next day:

Thursday, 12/9 7:00 p.m. Meeting with Jack's parent — Aaron Hotchner

We were supposed to have met a week ago, but unsurprisingly, Hotchner had rescheduled.

I decided to call him to make sure that he still knew about the conference. Not because I hadn't seen him in three weeks and wanted hear his voice.

"Hello?" His tone was impatient, as if I had just interrupted something.

"Hi, Mr. Hotchner," I spoke in what I hoped was a friendly but efficient tone. "I wanted to call to confirm our conference for tomorrow at seven p.m."

"I'm going to have to reschedule, Ms. Nott," he said without missing a beat.

Again? Should've figured.

"Mr. Hotchner, the end of the term is next week, and we really would like to—"

"I will contact you tomorrow to confirm when I will be available, but right now I have urgent matters to attend to." His voice sounded strained, as if he were under duress. Then he hung up, without even a good-bye.

Is he serious? In the three months I had known Jack's dad, I had never known him to be rude.

By eleven p.m. the next day, I still hadn't heard from Hotchner. Brad would be furious. Parent-teacher conferences were not just for updating the parents about their children's educational development, but they were an opportunity to gauge the relationship between the child and parent by evaluating how they responded to hearing about their children's progress.

On my way to school the next morning, I decided to call him myself. The first time, the line rang until I got to voicemail. The second time, however, he picked up after the first ring.

But no sound came out of the other end.

"Hello?" I spoke into the phone.

Still no answer.

"Hello? Mr. Hotchner?"

What game is he playing?

"Mr. Hotchner, are you there?"

Finally, someone spoke. However, it was not Hotchner's voice on the other line. It was the voice of a younger man, and his tone was cold, laced with a raspy edge that made me shiver.

"Agent Hotchner is unable to come to the phone. And you'll never talk to him again, unless you give me what I want," said the chilling voice.

I froze in the middle of the street. Who is this? Is Hotchner in trouble?

Before I could respond, the speaker hung up, and I remained glued to my spot, unable to move.

What is going on? Is this a joke?

The entire day, I was on edge. I couldn't get that cold voice out of my head.

During recess, I was on duty, and I took the time to gather my thoughts. Jack was at school today, so whatever had happened to Hotchner, his son was safe.

But who had gotten him ready for school? He had been on time today, like always, and nothing had seemed out of the ordinary about his behavior. If I hadn't called Hotchner that morning, I never would have known that anything was out of the ordinary.

The playground looked the same as always. The ground was slightly blanched and damp from the remnants of morning frost. The kids, their noses pink from the chilly air, ran and ducked under the slides and around the bare bushes. From my usual spot under the tree near the building I had a view of the whole playground and the parking lot beyond it, and my gaze fell into the familiar pattern of tracing the students' movements across the yard.

Then, something appeared in the corner of my vision. Something out of place. A large black SUV pulled into the parking lot and skidded to a jolting halt just behind the playground fence, and a large man exited the car as soon as he had parked haphazardly across the asphalt.

Parents generally signed in at the front office before visiting during the school day. This back parking lot was for buses and pick-up only. I called to the other teacher on recess duty to let her know I would go talk to the man.

Huh. I don't recognize him. He must be the parent of a student in another class.

At least, I hoped he was a parent. The man was intimidating to say the least. His biceps bulged out from under his dark gray shirt with the edge of a large tattoo peeking out from under his left sleeve, and his shaved head emphasized his dark, menacing brows.

"Hi, can I help you?"

The man flashed me a badge. "Ida Nott? I'm Derek Morgan with the FBI. I need you and Jack to come with me."

"What's going on? Is Mr. Hotchner okay?" My head started to spin. The handle of the man's gun glinted even in the scarce sunlight.

"We'll explain everything later. But right now, I need you and Jack to get in the car."

Still not quite processing, I handed over my shift to the other teacher and called Jack. He bounded over with his usual quiet cheerfulness.

"Hi Derek!" the boy said.

"Hey little man," Derek smiled. "We're gonna take you and Ms. Nott to your dad's office, alright?"

"Okay."

Jack was calm as ever during the ride to Quantico. He must be used to it.

About half an hour later, I found myself sitting in what felt like a conference room with a cup of coffee warming my hands. A few minutes later, a tall man in a sweater vest came in to lead Jack out of the room, giving me a tentative wave. Derek came in shortly after, seating himself directly across from me.

"Ida, we think you're the last person who spoke to our unit chief Aaron Hotchner."

The blood drained from my face. "What do you mean? What's happened to Jack's dad?"

"We traced his cell phone activity, and it looks like the last time his phone was active, he was on a call with you."

Oh no. I should have known something was wrong when he didn't pick up. My skin prickled, anxiety crawling up the back of my neck.

"What's wrong, Ida?"

"I—," I stammered, then gulped down a sip of coffee to ground myself. "When I called Mr. Hotchner this morning, he didn't pick up, which I thought was just him being rude, considering how he hung up on me last night—we've been trying to find a time for a parent conference before the end of the term. But when I tried him again right after, someone else picked up."

I shivered, remembering the strange man's voice. "It wasn't anyone I recognized. His voice was... cold," I said, for lack of a better adjective.

"You're sure it was a man?"

I nodded.

"Do you remember what he said?" he asked.

So it wasn't a joke. "Um," I started, my voice beginning to shake. "He said I'd never talk to Hotchner again unless he got what he wanted."

This was bad. I felt sick at the thought of Hotchner in danger. What would happen to Jack? Was he safe? Was I safe?

"Ida, I need you right here," Derek said firmly, gripping my arm to steady my nervousness. His hands were strong, and I caught a faint whiff of patchouli and orange spice, and suddenly I found myself longing for the more familiar scent of nutmeg and pine—Aaron Hotchner.

When I had imagined myself at the FBI headquarters—and I had imagined it, more times than I'd like to admit—it was always with Hotchner. But today, when I finally found myself at the Bureau, it was under hardly favorable circumstances. For all I knew, Hotchner was missing, or worse, dead, and the last thoughts I had associated with him were only negative ones.

Derek's grip on my arm tightened, bringing me back to the present.

"Think back to the call. Could you hear anything to identify where he might have been calling from?"

"I don't know," I said meekly.

The tall, weedy-looking boy peeked his head into the room again.

"We got the recording," he said. Then turning to me, he added, "You can come with us, if you'd like."

I was led down the hall and into an open work area filled with desks and monitors. where I saw several agents gathered around one monitor—seated in front of the computer was an oddly dressed blonde woman. She wore a brightly patterned dress with a matching pink satin headband, her hair teased out in an '80s style pouf, with sky-high pink stilettos with what I could only describe as furry pom-poms attached at the heel.

"Oh, hello! You look young for a teacher," she said in a bright, friendly voice.

Derek pointed out each of the agents who were now staring up at me with piercing eyes that looked as if they were taking apart each microexpression on my face.

"Ida, these are Agents Garcia, Prentiss, Jareau, and Dr. Reid, who I think you've already met," he said.

Garcia pressed play on the recording, and for some reason I hadn't expected to hear my own voice as well.

"Hello? Hello, Mr. Hotchner? Mr. Hotchner, are you there?

Agent Hotchner is unable to come to the phone. And you'll never talk to him again, unless you give me what I want."

I hadn't realized I sounded so... timid. Had I known something was wrong before even hearing the man on the other line? Or was I just that afraid of provoking Hotchner? Through the recording I was able to hear the sharp intake of my breath in response to the man's words, which I didn't even know I had made in that moment.

The agents began to discuss the implications of the man's message, taking apart the lexical nuances and unconscious stress syllables, but I hardly heard any of it. It was hard to think of Aaron Hotchner as missing. He was so solid, immutable, not just physically, but in all aspects. I suddenly remembered our conversation from two nights ago.

"I spoke to him two days ago," I spoke up. "I didn't notice it then, but he sounded sort of strange."

The agents thought this worth tracing as well, and soon they pulled up the recording of what was possibly the last conversation I had ever had with Hotchner.

Something about my face must have given away the fact that I was on the verge of hyperventilating, because one of the agents—Jareau? I think?—came to my side with a concerned expression.

"Ida? Would you like some more coffee?" she asked.

I nodded, grateful for the offer of escape. "That would be great, thank you."

Once she led me back to the conference room, I could somewhat relax. This agent seemed to be the only one who wasn't trying to peer into my mind each time I caught her gaze.

"Agent Jareau, was it?"

"You can call me JJ," she smiled.

"Can you tell me what's going on? What's happened to Hotchner?"

Her large blue eyes looked troubled. "We can't really say. Right now, we know just about as much as you do, which is why we were hoping to get your help. What I can tell you is, we're doing everything we can to bring him back."

"What about Jack? What are we supposed to tell him?" I asked.

"Jack's a tough kid. This isn't the first time his dad has been in danger. He'll be just fine."

Look at me, less emotionally stable than a five year old.

When JJ spoke again, there was that look of searching in her eyes that I had noticed in the other agents. "Ida, can you tell me the relationship between you and Aaron Hotchner?"

"We don't really have a— a relationship," I stammered. "I mean, he's visited my apartment but that's not what it sounds like... I might have had a crush on him at some point, but..."

The agent smiled, a charming, genuine smile. "I just meant professionally," she said. "If you could tell me more about your job and your role in Jack's life."

"Oh," I said, embarrassed, then began to explain quickly. "I'm a graduate student at the School of Education and Human Development at George Washington University. A part of my research is studying the behavioral development of children aged five to seven, so my advisor thought the best place for me to do that would be as an elementary school teacher."

"And what is your relationship with your students' parents like?"

"They know that they're a part of the study, and they also know that their kids' education will always come first, and that the study is secondary. We do keep files of all the parents in addition to the kids because we have to take all variables into account."

JJ seemed troubled by this, but quickly hid her frown. "You've already helped us a lot, Ida. Agent Prentiss and Agent Reid are going to head to your school to interview some of the other teachers, but we think it best that you stay here for now."

"Agent, it's still the middle of the school day. I need to get back." Brad was on my back as it was, and I couldn't afford to miss a day of school, especially with my research grant on the line.

"Seeing as you've had contact with a potential suspect, we believe it would be safest for you to stay away from your usually frequented locations, including your home."

"I can't even go home?"

JJ's tone was sympathetic but firm. "If we want to find out where Agent Hotchner is, we can't have you becoming the next victim."

So Hotchner really was missing. I couldn't help but feel that it was my fault. If I had just called him sooner, or if I had been mature enough to go talk to him after the apartment fiasco... It was hard to imagine Hotchner, the big, strong agent, Jack's superhero, losing control, or even, losing at all.

Does he know where he is? Is he in pain? Is he unconscious? Or awake, thinking of his son?

And even though I had no right to, my heart ached for Aaron Hotchner.

#aaron hotchner #hotchner #hotch #hotch x oc #hotchner x oc #aaron hotchner x oc #criminal minds #fanfic #criminal minds fanfic #hotchner fanfic #aaron hotchner fanfic #f/m pairing #winter

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marithlizard · 4 years ago

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Ace Attorney: Rise From the Ashes (part 1)

A couple of people expressed interest in a writeup as I play through the game, so I thought I’d give quasi-liveblogging a try. It might have come out to be too detailed - let me know if the result is amusing enough to go through the next part.

(I knew this already, but wow liveblogging is a lot of work. And it must take twice as much effort to do this for a show and to include screencaps.)

(I’ve tried three times now to put proper line breaks/spacing in, and they’re just not displaying, at least on desktop. I’m sorry.)

A brief, stylized opening designed not to give away much, except that a creepy-looking doll is involved.

Two months? Phoenix, you haven't taken a single client since Maya left? a) are you depressed, and b) how are you paying rent on the office?

Ookay, you're not going to tell us why you've been moping around. I don't think it's that you have a crush on Maya. Are you just not able to function without a partner? That's not great for your ability to survive, but I can sympathize.

New perky assistant, right on cue. (A partner who isn't a young girl would be a nice change now and then. (But not Larry. Anyone but Larry. In fact, I take it back, this girl with the pink sunglasses will do just fine.))

Oof, Phoenix still not being able to say out loud that Mia's dead.

In the first two minutes pink-glasses girl has asserted that he's his female boss, the coffee boy, and 'better than nothing'. Aha! The problem with all the clients he turned down was that they didn't insult him enough.

Kid, you can't be more than sixteen, and you have silly face buttons on your lab coat. You are about as much a scientific investigator as Photography Girl last episode was a journalist. ...But apparently you have a future job lined up in forensics, so you're more organized than she was. And this world certainly could use more competent crime scene analysis.

"I promised her I'd bring Mia Fey". Huh. Is Mia's murder not well-known to the public, then, even though the Edgeworth case apparently got famous enough to earn Phoenix a bit of a reputation?

A murder charge with an eyewitness, and an assistant who "kind of hates" her sister the defendant. Sounds hopeless, let's do it! Off to the Detention Center.

...Did we just overhear the defendant threatening their terrified guard with a pay freeze? Is she their boss? And if she's someone that high up, why doesn't she already have a better defense attorney?

I like Lana Skye's character design. She looks as though she should be starring in a Takurazuka revue show, swearing eternal star-crossed love to a princess.

She insists she did it. By genre convention we know that can't be the case; my first assumption is that she's being forced to cover for someone, blackmailed or coerced by someone higher up in the system. But it would certainly be interesting if it turned out she was covering for Ema.

Must....resist...plotbunnies...

Oookay. A prosecutor should certainly know ways to commit murder without getting caught, and this sounds like the opposite of those ways. WHY does she claim she did this? You're not even going to ask her, are you? *headdesk*

Ema: "Please ignore that totally gay statement by my sister, because I certainly plan to!"

Lana: "No don't help me, go away go away go away go away go awa-oh fine."

Hmmm. From Ema's description of the behavior change, Lana has been being blackmailed or coerced for a long time now.

Time to go investigate the underground parking garage.

Attorneys aren't supposed to examine crime scenes, and defense attorneys aren't entitled to a copy of the police investigation reports. What does a "normal" defense attorney in this world do for their clients then? Always assume a loss and try to negotiate a plea bargain? I wonder if we'll ever get to see one in action.

It's...a cop with a cowboy fetish? Do police not have dress codes here? Maybe they're waived above a certain level, and some people take pride in cultivating a unique style to show off that they can. It would explain Edgeworth.

You are dramatically pretending to shave in front of us. Also you just called Ema a baby cow. Although you know her and seem sympathetic - I guess Lana brought her little sister to the office sometimes? Not sure what I think of you, Jake Marshall.

I am revising my stance. Being Phoenix's partner on a case requires precise and narrow qualifications. Specifically, just enough sense to stop him from doing something breathtakingly stupid, but not enough sense to take the badge firmly away from him and do the job themselves. Ema fits the bill perfectly.

Ooh, new mechanic! And an ID card number for a Bruce Goodman who dresses like a white-hat agent in Spy vs Spy. (I was trained on games that would require you to write that number down and remember it later, but AA will certainly be more forgiving.)

Using the new mechanic on Phoenix's attorney badge, I deduce that at some point this game it will be stolen.

It doesn't explain Lana's supposed actions, but that red sports car does kind of scream "My owner is a jerk, stuff a body in my trunk." Instead of a chalk outline, they seem to have outlined the hanging body with string? Is that actually a technique, and how do they get the rope to stay put in precise outline?

And the cowboy gives them a hint. So he's on their side but constrained by rules?

Lady put the boobs away. Why are you selling sushi in a negligee under a fur coat, at a crime scene? And why would anyone trust food from someone whose nickname is "the Cough-Up Queen"?

Angel Starr, dominatrix lunch lady. It says something that this is not the weirdest witness in an AA game so far.

She hates prosecutors, and therefore especially Lana. Not a trustworthy witness. But it's probably no fun to cater for a group of (relatively) wealthy and powerful people you despise. Especially if they're smugly giving awards to each other as they eat lunches. (Eeeevil lunches. She probably coughs on them.)

"The rhythmic beat of Lana Skye's knife"... very poetic, but didn't Lana say the victim was stabbed only once?

We can't get back to the car, phooey, so up to the prosecutor's office we go.

Pink...everywhere...no question whose office this is, even if one of his outfits wasn't framed on the wall. (why do you frame an outfit?) I see a very ugly trophy on the sofa, so he's the one who won the award.

Ema: "this is the kind of room that just screams 'I can do the job'. Actually it screams 'I don't need to pretend to be heterosexual', but the two aren't unconnected.

Is it just me or is that trophy broken off at the top?

Edgeworth did you just roll with being insulted and make a joke about it? I'm so proud of you, you've clearly relaxed since your murder trial!

BWAHAHA of course it was Edgeworth's car.

Wendy the security guard from the Steel Samurai case is sending Edgeworth expensive presents?? a) that's both funny and a little sad, b) how can she afford it, and c) he keeps and displays them which is very courteous.

WAIT did you - did this game just heavily suggest Gumshoe hangs out in the office a lot? Twice, once when you look at the shelves and again when you look at the desk? I don't ship it, but this is the point where I start to see why people do.

Awwww he's embarrassed about the trophy, that's cute. So he's the one who "devours the evillest lunches of all", hmm? I wouldn't have thought the Cough-Up Queen's weird not-even-fresh lunches would appeal to Edgeworth's refined tastes.

Ema actually has a bit of a crush, from the way she's rhapsodizing about Edgeworth sleeping on the sofa. d'awww. And I definitely want to know the story behind the outfit. Made by his mom and too precious to wear?

Edgeworth, no one thinks you did it. Sheesh. He certainly doesn't sound happy about having to prosecute Lana, even though he believes she's guilty. His car, his knife... it almost seems like this is a plot aimed at him, or perhaps a plot against Lana with a healthy dose of fuck-you-too-Edgeworth to it.

Huh. Maybe it *is* aimed at him. I've been assuming all this time from his behavior on the stand that Edgeworth has indeed been messing with evidence to convict obviously innocent people, and also assuming that it's common practice in this corrupt justice system. (Much as it is in Japan and in the US). But the way he's talking about rumors right now, it sounds more like he's being slandered. And he thinks the award he was given was out of mockery. Ouch.

So yes, the trophy is broken. (In RWBY, you assume everything is a gun; in AA, you assume everything is a murder weapon. It probably broke when it was used to hit someone over the head.)

Evidence transferal day, huh? Was the murder timed to draw attention away from a case being closed? And Edgeworth parked his car only three minutes before Goodman was stabbed and thrown into its trunk? No way. He was there for the murder, or more likely that's not when the murder happened. (Is he being coerced like Lana? I don't think so, but it's possible.)

Enter an idiot mailman with a bandaged hand. And exit, with sniveling. What was that about?

And a hint to go investigate at the police station. Is Edgeworth being friendly, attempting to signal something, or merely aware that the most efficient way to get rid of Phoenix is to give him a clue to chase?

The police department entrance, with some sort of plywood jester figure in front of it. We're offhandedly informed that it took 30 minutes to get there from Edgeworth's office, which means that will be important later.

This is the creepy doll from the intro! It's clearly meant to be a mascot. Was it made by the sniveling mailman? There's a certain resemblance...

No, I should've guessed that Gumshoe made it. I mean ... mechanically it's pretty clever for someone who's not a craftsman or engineer? Moving articulated limbs and all. It's just the aesthetics and design he shouldn't have been allowed anywhere near.

Yes, yes it is odd that only the top-ranked people are being allowed to work on the case. Are they all in on it? A patrolman in charge of the crime scene instead of a detective - that suggests Marshall is part of the conspiracy. I'm thinking the dominatrix lunch lady is too.

Gumshoe is so happy about the prosecutor's award - Edgeworth probably didn't have the heart to say that for him it's a mockery. Daww. (Also there's something endearingly cheerful about his hopping-caterpillar eyebrows.) He's also being much more helpful than his superiors would want, probably just because he thinks of Phoenix as an ally in general now.

Back to the parking lot, with a letter of introduction in hand this time.

I genuinely can't tell if the lunch lady is a sex worker, if she actually has multiple boyfriends, or if that's code for her professional contacts in whatever she's really doing here. (And that's an interesting cultural bit, isn't it - any of those options seem possible, and I'm not expecting any of the characters to question her competence or morality because of it, not even in court. If this was a US-made game my expectations would be...different.)

"Good men always die young"...I see what you did there, Marshall.

Autopsy report confirms one stab wound. Lana and the victim worked together on "a case a few years back", ding ding ding. Someone didn't want the evidence for that case transferred. Or looked at.

Marshall used to be a detective but got demoted? And he's lying about why he was assigned to the crime scene, and telling us Gumshoe is off the case because he's friends with Edgeworth. The police chief, whoever he is, is now at the top of my suspect list.

Happily, the game will let me do dumbass things like show off Goodman's ID card without consequences. Marshall seems very uninterested in it and why it was found so far from the spot of the murder, which I take to mean "we have our official narrative, don't go messing it up with facts or evidence."

Finally we can examine the car! First up, Lana's cellphone. The whole business about hitting redial and somehow not knowing that Ema's phone rang was weird. Phoenix’s lie couldn't possibly have fooled Marshall, who is bizarrely claiming there's no way to know who the last call was made to. It's an odd thing to conceal, even given the “no facts please we have our narrative” stance. Maybe he's trying to protect Ema somehow?)

Marshall said the rumors about Edgeworth came from Lana. And we have a note found in the trunk: 6-7S 12/2, on a piece of Goodman's stationery.

Er, yeah, Ema, why didn't you mention your sister called you 3 minutes after the claimed murder time? If Lana hung up right away that's hardly incriminating for either of you.

End of Day One! We are, as usual, completely unprepared for tomorrow morning's trial.

#ace attorney #rise from the ashes #ace attorney spoilers

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phroyd · 7 years ago

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America, can we talk? Let’s just cut the shit for once and actually talk about what’s going on without blustering and pretending we’re actually doing a good job at adulting as a country right now. We’re not. We’re really screwing this whole society thing up, and we have to do better. We don’t have a choice. People are dying. At this rate, it’s not if your kids, or mine, are involved in a school shooting, it’s when. One of these happens every 60 hours on average in the US. If you think it can’t affect you, you’re wrong. Dead wrong. So let’s talk.

I’ll start. I’m an Army veteran. I like M-4’s, which are, for all practical purposes, an AR-15, just with a few extra features that people almost never use anyway. I’d say at least 70% of my formal weapons training is on that exact rifle, with the other 30% being split between various and sundry machineguns and grenade launchers. My experience is pretty representative of soldiers of my era. Most of us are really good with an M-4, and most of us like it at least reasonably well, because it is an objectively good rifle. I was good with an M-4, really good. I earned the Expert badge every time I went to the range, starting in Basic Training. This isn’t uncommon. I can name dozens of other soldiers/veterans I know personally who can say the exact same thing. This rifle is surprisingly easy to use, completely idiot-proof really, has next to no recoil, comes apart and cleans up like a dream, and is light to carry around. I’m probably more accurate with it than I would be with pretty much any other weapon in existence. I like this rifle a lot. I like marksmanship as a sport. When I was in the military, I enjoyed combining these two things as often as they’d let me.

With all that said, enough is enough. My knee jerk reaction is to consider weapons like the AR-15 no big deal because it is my default setting. It’s where my training lies. It is my normal, because I learned how to fire a rifle IN THE ARMY. You know, while I may only have shot plastic targets on the ranges of Texas, Georgia, and Missouri, that’s not what those weapons were designed for, and those targets weren’t shaped like deer. They were shaped like people. Sometimes we even put little hats on them. You learn to take a gut shot, “center mass”, because it’s a bigger target than the head, and also because if you maim the enemy soldier rather than killing him cleanly, more of his buddies will come out and get him, and you can shoot them, too. He’ll die of those injuries, but it’ll take him a while, giving you the chance to pick off as many of his compadres as you can. That’s how my Drill Sergeant explained it anyway. I’m sure there are many schools of thought on it. The fact is, though, when I went through my marksmanship training in the US Army, I was not learning how to be a competition shooter in the Olympics, or a good hunter. I was being taught how to kill people as efficiently as possible, and that was never a secret.

As an avowed pacifist now, it turns my stomach to even type the above words, but can you refute them? I can’t. Every weapon that a US Army soldier uses has the express purpose of killing human beings. That is what they are made for. The choice rifle for years has been some variant of what civilians are sold as an AR-15. Whether it was an M-4 or an M-16 matters little. The function is the same, and so is the purpose. These are not deer rifles. They are not target rifles. They are people killing rifles. Let’s stop pretending they’re not.

With this in mind, is anybody surprised that nearly every mass shooter in recent US history has used an AR-15 to commit their crime? And why wouldn’t they? High capacity magazine, ease of loading and unloading, almost no recoil, really accurate even without a scope, but numerous scopes available for high precision, great from a distance or up close, easy to carry, and readily available. You can buy one at Wal-Mart, or just about any sports store, and since they’re long guns, I don’t believe you have to be any more than 18 years old with a valid ID. This rifle was made for the modern mass shooter, especially the young one. If he could custom design a weapon to suit his sinister purposes, he couldn’t do a better job than Armalite did with this one already.

This rifle is so deadly and so easy to use that no civilian should be able to get their hands on one. We simply don’t need these things in society at large. I always find it interesting that when I was in the Army, and part of my job was to be incredibly proficient with this exact weapon, I never carried one at any point in garrison other than at the range. Our rifles lived in the arms room, cleaned and oiled, ready for the next range day or deployment. We didn’t carry them around just because we liked them. We didn’t bluster on about barracks defense and our second amendment rights. We tucked our rifles away in the arms room until the next time we needed them, just as it had been done since the Army’s inception. The military police protected us from threats in garrison. They had 9 mm Berettas to carry. They were the only soldiers who carry weapons in garrison. We trusted them to protect us, and they delivered. With notably rare exceptions, this system has worked well. There are fewer shootings on Army posts than in society in general, probably because soldiers are actively discouraged from walking around with rifles, despite being impeccably well trained with them. Perchance, we could have the largely untrained civilian population take a page from that book?

I understand that people want to be able to own guns. That’s ok. We just need to really think about how we’re managing this. Yes, we have to manage it, just as we manage car ownership. People have to get a license to operate a car, and if you operate a car without a license, you’re going to get in trouble for that. We manage all things in society that can pose a danger to other people by their misuse. In addition to cars, we manage drugs, alcohol, exotic animals (there are certain zip codes where you can’t own Serval cats, for example), and fireworks, among other things. We restrict what types of businesses can operate in which zones of the city or county. We have a whole system of permitting for just about any activity a person wants to conduct since those activities could affect others, and we realize, as a society, that we need to try to minimize the risk to other people that comes from the chosen activities of those around them in which they have no say. Gun ownership is the one thing our country collectively refuses to manage, and the result is a lot of dead people.

I can’t drive a Formula One car to work. It would be really cool to be able to do that, and I could probably cut my commute time by a lot. Hey, I’m a good driver, a responsible Formula One owner. You shouldn’t be scared to be on the freeway next to me as I zip around you at 140 MPH, leaving your Mazda in a cloud of dust! Why are you scared? Cars don’t kill people. People kill people. Doesn’t this sound like bullshit? It is bullshit, and everybody knows. Not one person I know would argue non-ironically that Formula One cars on the freeway are a good idea. Yet, these same people will say it’s totally ok to own the firearm equivalent because, in the words of comedian Jim Jeffries, “fuck you, I like guns”.

Yes, yes, I hear you now. We have a second amendment to the constitution, which must be held sacrosanct over all other amendments. Dude. No. The constitution was made to be a malleable document. It’s intentionally vague. We can enact gun control without infringing on the right to bear arms. You can have your deer rifle. You can have your shotgun that you love to shoot clay pigeons with. You can have your target pistol. Get a license. Get a training course. Recertify at a predetermined interval. You do not need a military grade rifle. You don’t. There’s no excuse.

“But we’re supposed to protect against tyranny! I need the same weapons the military would come at me with!” Dude. You know where I can get an Apache helicopter and a Paladin?! Hook a girl up! Seriously, though, do you really think you’d be able to hold off the government with an individual level weapon? Because you wouldn’t. One grenade, and you’re toast. Don’t have these illusions of standing up to the government, and needing military style rifles for that purpose. You’re not going to stand up to the government with this thing. They’d take you out in about half a second.

Let’s be honest. You just want a cool toy, and for the vast majority of people, that’s all an AR-15 is. It’s something fun to take to the range and put some really wicked holes in a piece of paper. Good for you. I know how enjoyable that is. I’m sure for a certain percentage of people, they might not kill anyone driving a Formula One car down the freeway, or owning a Cheetah as a pet, or setting off professional grade fireworks without a permit. Some people are good with this stuff, and some people are lucky, but those cases don’t negate the overall rule. Military style rifles have been the choice du jour in the incidents that have made our country the mass shootings capitol of the world. Formula One cars aren’t good for commuting. Cheetahs are bitey. Professional grade fireworks will probably take your hand off. All but one of these are common sense to the average American. Let’s fix that. Be honest, you don’t need that AR-15. Nobody does. Society needs them gone, no matter how good you may be with yours. Kids are dying, and it’s time to stop fucking around.

Written by a very smart man!

Phroyd

#gunsense

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commhunter736 · 3 years ago

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True Crime Pc Game Download

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Luxoflux invites grown-up players back for another game of 'good cop (or) bad cop' in this follow-up to 2003's L.A.-based action-adventure. As in the original True Crime, players take the role of an unorthodox law enforcement officer, and by their actions and in-game choices, determine the character's morality as they play through the story. In True Crime: New York City, the hero is a former gang member named Marcus Reed, who uses his hard-knocks schooling to powerful effect in the gritty underworld of the Big Apple. As in Streets of L.A., New York City missions play out in freely-roamed, GTA3-style environments, stocked with plenty to see and do even when Marcus isn't working towards a specific mission goal. Key characters are voiced by accomplished screen actors, including Christopher Walken, Laurence Fishburne, and Mickey Rourke, with Marcus Reed portrayed by Avery Waddell.

Click the 'Install Game' button to initiate the file download and get compact download launcher. Locate the executable file in your local folder and begin the launcher to install your desired game. View all 52 True Crime Streets of L.A.

True Crime NYC is the sequel to True Crime: Streets of LA. It's also attempting a huge bite out of Grand Theft Auto's target audience. It's gritty, realistic (sort of), and meant to bring you right into the seedy underbelly of a New York crime drama. Does it do all this?

Nope, no, nada, sorry, but I digress. The rendering of New York City is incredible. A lot of detail and painstaking care went into making every street and alley look authentic. From Times Square to the depths of Harlem, everything is VERY close to reality. As a tour program this game excels, but I'm betting you're hoping for a lot more than a tour.

Before I get to what's wrong with this game, let me focus on what's right. It's a much shorter list. The graphics are quality, with features drawing from the latest in pixel shading, high polygon count character models and impressive motion capture, topped off with a gorgeous depiction of the big city that leaves a good taste in your mouth. You can spend a fair amount of time enjoying the scenery and getting lost in the mix. Another point for True Crime: the voice acting. They have spared no expense to obtain talent, Laurence Fishburne, Christopher Walken and many others top the list of grade-A voice acting for this game's gritty plot. When I first heard the voice of a mysterious officer bark out orders and explain my next mission in Christopher Walken's creepy cadence, I was very much caught in the moment. On a further note, the audio in this game is not lacking. Sound effects are crisp and believable for the most part, the soundtrack is as varied as you could ever hope for. Bouncing from White Zombie to De La Soul to The Ramones had me guessing that they wanted to avoid the rap-only crowd, though there is a large share of that too.

The plot, in case you're wondering, is you taking the role of Marcus Reed, a down and dirty gangster thug who has embraced the straight and narrow and become a police officer. Although he can still fight and play dirty, he's out to solve a few mysteries and clean up the town. This is mostly achieved by driving around (or by subway, or walking, but, unlike the real NYC, driving is preferable) and catching calls on the radio for random crimes. There is an interesting amount of variety in the crimes, but you soon reach the end of the cycle and bust your 34th counterfeit syndicate and your 23rd serial rapist and the regular missions soon get old. There is a larger plot to follow, however, and it is slightly more interesting. You follow a series of clues and leads to interrogate increasingly more important thugs. The interrogation mini-game is a fun little past-time to beat, or reason, information out of people. You're soon turned onto a mission that involves a mole from inside the precinct.

Ultimately, this plot has been done to death so many times on so many cop dramas that it's difficult to get engaged. This is just the beginning of where the game goes downhill. Obviously, high production values went into this game, but as is so often the case lately, they missed the mark in some very key areas. The controls for one. Amd display driver whql 8.10. I have rarely seen a more convoluted control system for PC.

I'll be the first to admit that this was originally for console, but it seems that barely a token effort was made to translate the commands to a keyboard layout. My fingers got a workout hopping all over the keyboard for the numerous and poorly constructed commands. If you're thinking that a gamepad might fix all this, nix that idea too. My Logitech PS2 Styled PC gamepad looked like a perfect match for this game, alas it was barely configurable and did not coordinate to the multiple styles of game play, you could set it up for driving, but not running, or vice versa, but its limitations soon had me back on the keyboard.

After I had adapted to the controls somewhat, the physics had me somewhat at a loss. Keeping in mind that this is not a driving simulation, at its core, I don't expect much more than doughy arcade style driving. Labtec speakers drivers download. But nothing handled as I expected, the cars were sloppy, sometimes you lightly skidded off the front end of a fire truck, other times being brushed by a motorcycle had you recoiling and turning 360's while your perpetrator was getting further and further away. The fighting system was convoluted as well, with a light attack, a heavy attack, a grab attack that was also the way to frisk people, which is also the button to arrest people, plus the buttons to put away your gun, pull it back out, fire a warning shot, flash your badge, tackle someone, all while trying to keep the squirrelly camera centered behind you (which it rarely does well).

In the graphics department there were glitches, clipping into walls, as well as criminals falling through solid concrete and waiting in the ether for you to attempt, in vain, to arrest them. At one point I was forced to kill a non-lethal perp by shooting him in the foot, just to end the mission. Top this off with some frame lag and a whack targeting system, and you can sense my mounting frustration. You'll often find yourself tackling air, punching civilians and firing point blank at walls. There were also numerous points where the textures for multiple guns seems to be missing, and your Uzi,s or pistol would appear as a white textureless shape.

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In a GTA-styled attempt to test the limits of my virtual city, I shot an arsonist, grabbed his flamethrower and took out 30 people before highjacking a public bus and driving over half the residents of the Lower East Side. I finished up with some cop killing. reckless driving and traffic accidents. I was being hunted by every cop in the city and identified as a rogue cop who was 'mentally unstable,' according to the radio. Assured of my own impending death, I ran to and fro waiting for the inevitable. Which never came. I made a break through the park and dived into the bay and swam around for 2-3 minutes. Upon returning to shore my 'criminal' rating had gone back down and I was back to being boy hero. Realism indeed. In another game glitch, I began a mission to follow a motorcycle courier on a bike of my own for an exciting chase, but after trying 20 times to follow him, he wrecked within two blocks almost every time. Finally I just tracked him down on foot after he fell and interrogated him, wondering why I even got on the motorcycle. It's this kind of unfinished and unpolished gameplay that brings this gaming experience to its knees. I couldn't bring myself to care about the characters, the city, the law; nothing in this game draws you in efficiently enough to make you want to finish it.

The controls need work, the engine needs work, the collision detection needs work, the AI needs serious work, all in all I wouldn't be surprised if you told me this was a beta. A brief look at the customer support page for Activision also shows that numerous glitches and problems were had by users of all consoles. Overall, a well-presented, high-budget flop. Advanced systemcare ultimate 7 crack. The world doesn't ever need another World War 2 game but developers keep making them, which I guess is the same reason they keep trying to capitalize on the awesome profits of Grand Theft Auto. But a bigger budget does not make a better game.

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verdigrisprowl · 7 years ago

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Jan 14 Bevel’s Movie Stream - two Leverage episodes

Because Ratchet couldn’t make it, Bevel didn’t show Star Trek Discovery tonight. Instead, she showed criminals being treated like heroes for doing crimes, which Prowl heartily disapproves of.

That said, he thinks the hacker is hot.

Prowl and Tarantulas got into a dumb fight that will probably culminate in absolutely nothing.

Bevel 7:13 pm *everything's set up just as before, some chairs and couches and a table for snacks and energon* FakeProwl 7:21 pm *appears; takes a seat by himself* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:22 pm *Arrives and, looking around, does a mental shrug since there's nobody he doesn't expect and parks himself by Prowl - if allowed. He'll stop like two feet from and look at the spot next to questioningly.* FakeProwl 7:23 pm *a nod. permission granted.* *and a greeting ping.* Bevel 7:23 pm *she'll give all three bots waves upon their arrival, she might look a little hesitant about waving to Prowl but that's on her, not him* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:25 pm *Nods to Bevel and Prowl and drops down with a [[Hello]] to both.* Tarantulas 7:25 pm *tarantulas doesn't know bevel well, but he's invested in the series now - in he comes, scoping out the room for a moment and gravitating toward the energon* *hey bev are there straws with the energon pls say yes* Bevel 7:25 pm *of course* Tarantulas 7:26 pm *more importantly are they fun-shaped* Bevel 7:27 pm *Bevel would never offer straws that weren't fun shapes, no boring straight straws for this party* Tarantulas 7:30 pm *good! a tiny bow to bevel, then tarantulas is gonna snag the purplest funnest one and a cube, and plant himself in front of prowl and sw on the floor* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:30 pm *Nudge with ankle. Contact forbidden?* Tarantulas 7:32 pm *permitted* FakeProwl 7:32 pm *the temptation to lean forward and bury his hands in Tarantulas's shoulders... no. resist. no displays like that in front of a near stranger.* Bevel 7:36 pm ((Starting in ten minutes! ItsyBitsySpyers 7:36 pm *Would tell Prowl that this is probably one of the near strangers he can trust the most, but doesn't know to. Will keep the ankle up against Tarantulas' hip though.* FakeProwl 7:37 pm *trusts no near strangers* Bevel 7:38 pm *knows way too much about Prowl's relationships and will go to her grave with the knowledge, but would understand the not trusting if she knew about it* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:40 pm *Well if SOMEONE hadn't pretended to be him.* Bevel 7:43 pm *yes, yes, don't pretend to be Soundwave where Prowl, Tarantulus, Shockwave, or Soundwave might appear* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:46 pm *...He would question why Bevel has decided not to be him where he'd appear, but he DID make out with that alternate.* Bevel 7:49 pm *mostly so he won't ruin the fun but omg don't ever tell her that* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:55 pm *Don't worry. He won't.* FakeProwl 7:55 pm *... this isn't starfleet* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:55 pm *Tilts his helm.* [[Did you not acquire more tapes, then?]] Bevel 7:55 pm Ratchet could not make it tonight so I found something else to show so he would not miss anything. ItsyBitsySpyers 7:56 pm *Oho. Now he's interested.* FakeProwl 7:56 pm ... Ah. Pro-crime propaganda. Bevel 7:56 pm *whoops* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:57 pm [[Crime done for the purpose of helping others.]] Bevel 7:59 pm *not sure this tape is about them helping anyone but themselves but she's curious enough because it seems to be a mystery* FakeProwl 8:00 pm Yes. "For the purpose of helping others." Like I said. Pro-crime propaganda. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:03 pm *Laces his fingers together.*

[[It might be. But he is interested in this story.]] Bevel 8:03 pm *humans look so alike to her that she can believe this human can be two people at once and most people fail to realize it* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:05 pm *LOUD HUFF* Bevel 8:05 pm *giggles* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:05 pm [[So it's going to be one of these things.]] Bevel 8:05 pm One of those? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:06 pm [[Yes. Multiple people working different plans with the same goal. Not unlike some of the times he and Jazz tried to get the same information.]] Tarantulas 8:07 pm *had completely spaced out for a while playing around with the cube&straw and a packet of additives he'd pulled out of his subspace, but now he's nibbling on the straw and paying attention* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:08 pm *Still huffing.* Bevel 8:09 pm I bet those are really interesting war stories. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:10 pm [[Wouldn't you like to know.]] Bevel 8:10 pm I really would yeah. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:11 pm [[You and everyone else interested in classified historical events.]] Bevel 8:11 pm *huffs* Bevel 8:13 pm *now this is getting convoluted* FakeProwl 8:14 pm *... gently leans against soundwave's shoulder* *quietly* I'D like to know. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:17 pm *Looks around his shoulder to get a glimpse of his leaner.*

@P: [[Attempting to seduce it out of him?]] FakeProwl 8:17 pm @S «Depends on whether or not it's working.» ItsyBitsySpyers 8:18 pm @P: [[...Perhaps with a little more effort.]] [[He "lives this job" but doesn't know his employees...?]] Bevel 8:19 pm Maybe he is distracted because he let her get away? *still not a good excuse but she can't think of anything better* FakeProwl 8:20 pm @S «I'd slide into your lap but we've got an audience.» ItsyBitsySpyers 8:21 pm @Prowl: [[An audience that knows. But, very well. He'll give you an example when we are alone and you can.]] FakeProwl 8:21 pm @S «That doesn't mean I want it watching.» ItsyBitsySpyers 8:22 pm *Small nod. Fair point.* *...He also likes the continual mangling of the one human's accent.* FakeProwl 8:26 pm *perks up slightly* *pegged the bartender as the guard from the second story* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:28 pm *Would be delighted to know how he did that if Prowl felt like sharing.* FakeProwl 8:31 pm *... wasn't expecting THIS characterization* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:33 pm [[He hasn't stolen anything. It fell into his hand.]] FakeProwl 8:33 pm *okay, didn't get it, he was suspecting the other guard* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:34 pm [[...He broke the artifact?]] Bevel 8:34 pm Fake Gold is soft but not like that. Bevel 8:35 pm Oh! FakeProwl 8:37 pm So we're supposed to sympathize with these thieves for going out to steal art from an oil mogul who just polluted the ocean. ... Rather than... doing something, anything, to contribute to cleaning up the pollution or preventing it from happening. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:37 pm [[...It does seem less helpful than was originally suggested by the credits.]] Tarantulas 8:38 pm Mmm, "sympathize with" probably isn't the correct phrase. "Be amused by" seems more fitting. FakeProwl 8:38 pm So noble. Stealing useless trinkets from villains. Now the poor have the useless trinkets instead, and isn't the world better off for it. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:39 pm *Can practically feel his paint bubbling under the heat of that sarcasm.* *Pings Tarantulas his agreement. The stories were definitely amusing.* FakeProwl 8:39 pm *sorry, he'll try to turn it in another direction.* Bevel 8:39 pm *can't disagree but she still finds it amusing* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:40 pm *No, no, he likes Prowl leaned on his shoulder.* FakeProwl 8:40 pm *he'll just make sure the flamethrower coming out of his mouth is aimed at empty space* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:41 pm [[...If that is a murder, the helpfulness seems more promising in this one.]] FakeProwl 8:41 pm Mm. *he dislikes stories that argue that the criminals and thieves are the helpful ones.* *rather than what they really are: villains stealing trinkets from villains.* Bevel 8:42 pm *her attention is caught briefly by mention of the Titanic* FakeProwl 8:43 pm *same* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:43 pm *Hm. Points for fighting efficiency.* FakeProwl 8:43 pm ... Dismissing the Titanic for being "designed by smart people" completely diownplays th... *sorry he got distracted by hackervision. somebody who sees the world the way prowl does!* FakeProwl 8:45 pm ... Completely downplays both the brilliant work that went into it, AND the remarkable circumstances that caused it to sink in the first place. Bevel 8:46 pm Yeah. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:49 pm *Sort of half-tilts forward in fascination. How are they going to stop thi--?* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:52 pm [[...Corruption?]] FakeProwl 8:53 pm *and, now we're supposed to dislike the police. sighs.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:53 pm [[...Ah. He wanted privacy.]] FakeProwl 8:54 pm *ah. the police are using a valuable asset. less dislikable.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:56 pm [[...Tell him none of the current enforcers would just let that happen. Tell him he has taught them better than that.]] FakeProwl 8:57 pm What, let three criminals steal a truck? Tarantulas 8:57 pm *snorts at the "hot but disturbing"* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:57 pm [[Fall for a stolen badge and someone speaking about technology at a fast pace.]] *Pause.* [[So, yes.]] *Can't disagree with the assessment Tarantulas is snorting at* FakeProwl 8:58 pm I've only been working with them for three days. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:59 pm [[And your estimation?]] FakeProwl 8:59 pm So, yes. I'm sure most of them would. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:00 pm *Rubs his crest with his good hand.*

[[Of course. Of course they would.]] Tarantulas 9:00 pm *ooooh* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:00 pm *Stops rubbing to look through his fingers. What's all this?* FakeProwl 9:01 pm Unfortunately, enforcers are just people. Which means idiots, who easily fall for people who act authoritative and look like they know what they're doing. Tarantulas 9:02 pm *small laugh* I adore how awfully frightening biology is being portrayed... And how many extraneous beakers they had in that fake lab setup. Pft. Bevel 9:03 pm All the beakers. Makes everything look official. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:03 pm [[Hmm. It's been a long time since he heard that phrase.]] FakeProwl 9:03 pm Which phrase? ItsyBitsySpyers 9:04 pm [[Creepy spy truck.]]

[[...How do you know they were extraneous?]] FakeProwl 9:05 pm *snort* When you get me intel would you like me to say "thank you, creepy spy plane"? Bevel 9:05 pm *giggles* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:05 pm [[Primus.]] Bevel 9:05 pm ...*that's a lot of pigs* Tarantulas 9:06 pm Labs need functional equipment, not masses of containers. It's about the same as you having a slew of empty data slugs instead of a console setup. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:06 pm *Uh. What was he--* [[He hopes you don't find him creepy. But, if it amuses you.]]

[[...He keeps both.]] FakeProwl 9:06 pm *thinks about the drawer he's got devoted solely to empty data slugs* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:07 pm [[But he thinks he sees your point.]] Tarantulas 9:07 pm Of course you need data slugs, but not /that/ many. FakeProwl 9:07 pm *it's a big drawer* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:07 pm [[...Of course, they were talking about the Earth year 1918. He does not expect they had much in the way of 'functional equipment' then. They did not even have computers.]] Bevel 9:07 pm *keeps a lot of extra scrap metal, most of which she'll probably never use around, not sure that applies to data slugs and beakers* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:09 pm *Huff* Tarantulas 9:10 pm Are those two /actually/ involved? FakeProwl 9:10 pm ... she could have just walked around him. Bevel 9:10 pm The other one said the whole floor could be rigged. FakeProwl 9:11 pm Ah. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:11 pm [[He suspects they are.]] [[Involved, that is. In answer to Tarantulas.]] FakeProwl 9:12 pm *he likes that hacker* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:12 pm *Does too.* Bevel 9:13 pm *ok that is cool* FakeProwl 9:13 pm *that was extremely attractive* Bevel 9:14 pm Soundwave? Are humans really this easy to track? ItsyBitsySpyers 9:15 pm [[...He probably should not answer that.]] Bevel 9:15 pm *takes that as a yes* FakeProwl 9:15 pm So yes. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:15 pm *You said it, not him.* Bevel 9:15 pm *snickers* FakeProwl 9:17 pm YEAH! ... Sorry. It was an— impressive turn, there. Tarantulas 9:17 pm *giggling* FakeProwl 9:17 pm *look he doesn't get to see the cops do cool things in shows like this very often.* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:17 pm *Light trembling.*

[[Do not apologize. You're free to enjoy such things.]] FakeProwl 9:18 pm It's the volume I'm apologizing for. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:18 pm [[Still fine.]] *Frenzy. Turning it down is something of an instinct these days.* Bevel 9:19 pm *amused by Prowl's enthusiasm* I like him. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:20 pm *Mild blip of alarm. The red shirt human is shot.* Bevel 9:20 pm *look at him all shot and still beating up bad guys, that takes a lot of willpower to power through that kinda injury* FakeProwl 9:21 pm ((as red shirt humans are wont to do)) ItsyBitsySpyers 9:21 pm ((LOL)) FakeProwl 9:22 pm ... the aerosol and the virus are contained separately, right? If they separate them, they can pop the aerosol and the virus won't do anything. Bevel 9:22 pm ...or that? Tarantulas 9:22 pm Or that. *visor smiling* FakeProwl 9:23 pm *smirks* Same theory. Bevel 9:23 pm Ha, that was awesome. Bevel 9:24 pm He really should go to the hospital though. Tarantulas 9:24 pm *mentally nudges sw - he has a theory, wanna hear it?* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:25 pm *Accepts the nudge and nudges back. Go for it.* Tarantulas 9:26 pm *every thought is accompanied by a mental snicker, but here: one might be able to make certain parallels between these characters and the mecha in this room, don't you think?* Tarantulas 9:27 pm *not that tarantulas knows much about bevel, but she'll do to fill the role of one character* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:27 pm *...Go on.*

*In the meantime:* [[He finds himself pleased that they stopped the virus. It sounded something like the rust plague.]] *When did he begin to sympathize this much with organic species? Insidious little meatlings.* Bevel 9:28 pm Is that the one that killed a lot of bots during the war? ItsyBitsySpyers 9:28 pm [[No, no. That was the Cybonic plague. The great Rusting was long before.]] Tarantulas 9:29 pm *snort* Really? By that I mean - yes, its contagiousness and lethality are similar, if that's what you were implying. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:30 pm [[It is. Of course, the rust plague took entire planets, but we do have a habit of doing things on grander scales than most species.]] *Oh? What an interesting song.* Bevel 9:30 pm Oh. *oh geez don't tell Ratchet she mixed them up, she'll get a lecture* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:31 pm *Still hoping to hear these comparisons. Was amused by the docked reference and the 'sitting next to you' bit.* Tarantulas 9:35 pm Humans are young and fairly isolated - the influenza virus might be mighty, but it can only spread among the species it evolved to infect. Tarantulas 9:36 pm Grander scales are reserved for diseases that are brought about by non-species-specific causes. FakeProwl 9:37 pm Influenza affects several species. Tarantulas 9:37 pm It mutates between species. FakeProwl 9:38 pm I was given to understand that it evolves. *he says, revealing he has no idea that those are basically the same thing.* Tarantulas 9:38 pm Besides, the difference in genetics between the affected species is negligible. *amused* Yes and no. But don't worry yourself over it. *he's got other things to do besides squabble over biological specifics - he's gotta explain this silly theory to sw* FakeProwl 9:40 pm ... What do you mean, "yes and no"? *look you can't just imply prowl is wrong about something and not provide him with the right info* Tarantulas 9:44 pm *an offhand wave and some casual rambling* They're essentially the same thing, although I used the term 'mutate' since they're viruses and generally not accepted to be quote-unquote "alive" - not to mention the fact that mutation is the genetic change, and evolution mostly refers to the phenotypic results of the mutation. FakeProwl 9:45 pm *... processes that* *... what does phenotypic mean* Bevel 9:45 pm Phenotypic? *it's ok, Bevel got you Prowl, because Tara just spit out a bunch of words that sounded like blah blah blah* Tarantulas 9:46 pm Viruses can only be said to evolve if one considers slight changes in RNA to be sufficiently significant differences in something that could or could not be called a living organism in the first place, much less a species. Personally I'd rather just stick with 'mutation' . ItsyBitsySpyers 9:46 pm *...He feels like he got this lecture once from a Shockwave when the Cybonic plague was being created. Some of the content is familiar, at least.* *He listens to see how it is different for organics.* Tarantulas 9:46 pm Phenotypic. Referring to the resultant phenotype of the organism as encoded in its genetic material. Bevel 9:47 pm ...*is gonna use robot google for this or they'll be here all night and SW will never hear Tara's theory* FakeProwl 9:47 pm Okay, you can't just say "phenotypic" refers to a "phenotype," as if we are likely to know what "phenotype" means when when don't know what "phenotypic" means. Bevel 9:48 pm *Soundwave sent her a link...* Tarantulas 9:48 pm *snorts* I told you not to worry about it. Bevel 9:48 pm *giggles* Tarantulas 9:48 pm (( oh my god ItsyBitsySpyers 9:48 pm *INORDINATELY pleased with himself* Tarantulas 9:48 pm (( how. how are they making the chicken do this Bevel 9:48 pm ((props to them for getting this to go along with the lyrics so well omg FakeProwl 9:49 pm You've just said "Here's something you don't know about but I do, now be quiet and stop caring about the fact that you don't know this thing and the person who could tell you about it can't be bothered to tell you about it." Have you ever met me, Tarantulas. Ever. For more than two minutes. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:50 pm *He hopes so, since Tarantulas has been in here all night.* FakeProwl 9:50 pm *he's sure not acting like it.* Tarantulas 9:53 pm *huff* Forgive me for not necessarily wanting to wax encyclopedic at the moment - and I never said I /wouldn't/ explain, just - not now. FakeProwl 9:53 pm Don't command me not to "worry" about something when what you mean is "I don't want to discuss it anymore right now." Tarantulas 9:55 pm I - *rubs at his helm* You're misinterpreting my tone. And I'd much appreciate if you didn't make such a fuss of this right here and now. Tarantulas 9:57 pm *geeeeez he just wanted to wrap that up and nudge sw with something amusing, not get in an argument with prowl* *huff huff* FakeProwl 9:57 pm You mischose your words. Bevel 9:57 pm *will just enjoy the music like y'do* FakeProwl 9:57 pm *but fine. he's dropping it. looks at screen.* Tarantulas 9:58 pm *narrows his visor at prowl for a moment, then sighs with his shoulders. oh boy* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:59 pm *Is not entirely sure what he's supposed to do or if he ought stay out entirely. This... seems like a thing he should maybe let them work out on their own. He can at least stay here as a shoulder without causing upset, probably. He hopes.* Bevel 10:00 pm *oh yes, enjoy this cool video about a sister and her brother being torn apart, it's meaningful* Tarantulas 10:01 pm @P: ::I didn't mischoose my words. Will you /please/ stop assuming things of me and putting words in my mouth and accusing me of things in front of other mecha who have absolutely nothing to do with our personal com -:: *oh my god what* *sufficiently distracted* FakeProwl 10:02 pm *good, because Prowl's not replying to that.* Bevel 10:02 pm *victory for Bevel, distracted Tara* Tarantulas 10:05 pm *would enjoy these AMVs more if he were in a better mood though* Bevel 10:05 pm *sorry Tara* FakeProwl 10:06 pm *not sorry. feels condescended to.* Tarantulas 10:09 pm @SW: [[...Did I /actually/ do anything wrong or am I right in thinking that Prowl's overreacting?]] *yes, you're getting dragged into this, sw* Bevel 10:10 pm *yay for not being dragged into things* Tarantulas 10:10 pm *don't jinx yourself bevel, you're still a potential witness to be called upon* Bevel 10:10 pm *shhhhh no she's watching fanvideos now* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:11 pm *Oh, Pit. This isn't - he's not familiar with - uh. Think quickly, Soundwave.* FakeProwl 10:11 pm *rude, tara. prowl's stewing in his crippling self-doubt like a responsible mech.* *you can't just drag other people in* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:14 pm @Tarantulas: [[What he thinks is - irrelevant. He cannot appropriately take sides in a personal argument in which he does not have a stake. The two of you will need to discuss this between yourselves.]]

*That's. That's acceptable, right? Right?* Tarantulas 10:14 pm *squinnnnt* @SW: [[...I'm using you as a reality check, not a pawn. Come now.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 10:16 pm *How do you ask someone "how am I supposed to believe there won't be temperamental repercussions" without implying you already think you're in for some?* Tarantulas 10:17 pm *you don't - you lie, just like tarantulas is doing* Tarantulas 10:19 pm *looks over at bevel in the meantime* How rude of me, hyeh. I've been here this whole time and not spoken a word to the lovely host, haven't I. I apologize. Bevel 10:19 pm ... It is ok. *no really please no need to talk to her at all* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:20 pm *...Oh, oh, he knows.*

@T: [[He understands that there was a breakdown of communication. He cannot advise on the nature of it, or on which side or sides it has occurred. You will have to speak to Prowl about it.]] Tarantulas 10:21 pm @SW: [[Prrrrrowl's not speaking to me. I'm sure you can see where my dilemma lies.]] Tarantulas 10:23 pm *a nod at bevel, thanks* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:23 pm @T: [[He does. He also knows that you are an intelligent mech capable of working out how and when to have the needed conversation once any possible immediate ire has passed, if it exists.]] *Suddenly feeling a little bit like the tap-dancing lawyer from the Chicago movie.* Tarantulas 10:24 pm *smol audible whiny whine @ sw* FakeProwl 10:24 pm *... why's prowl still here? they're watching music synchronized to humans beating each other for no reason, nobody is talking to him, tarantulas essentially told him to shut up so that he could then comm him and rant at him privately, then stopped talking to him mid-sentence and has ignored him since.* Bevel 10:25 pm *sorry Prowl, Bevel is still working up her nerve to talk to him again* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:25 pm *Soundwave would LIKE to talk to him as soon as he gets himself out of being dragged into this. He is, currently, using most of his wits to escape that fate.* FakeProwl 10:25 pm *glances at tara, who's just whined. and now, apparently, he's talking privately to soundwave, and prowl's sure it's not about anything good.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:26 pm *Soundwave shakes his helm at the whine. He has several deployers. You're not getting to him like that.* Tarantulas 10:26 pm @SW: [[You sorely overestimate me.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 10:27 pm @T: [[Then it is a good time for you to learn.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 10:28 pm *Pings Prowl as a nudge for nudging's sake. Hasn't heard anything. Is beginning to suspect brooding.* FakeProwl 10:29 pm *he shouldn't have said anything. and he should just leave. they're already talking about him behind his— hm?* @S «What?» Tarantulas 10:30 pm *weak mental shove at sw. well that was useless* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:31 pm @P: [[Have you noticed how well the humans creating these videos have timed their clips of the original product to new sound?]]

*Pathetic attempt to engage on a different topic when he wants to avoid the current one and doesn't know what else to do? Go.*

*Accepts the shove. It was, and that was the point.* FakeProwl 10:32 pm @S «... No. I didn't. Sorry, I wasn't really watching them.» ItsyBitsySpyers 10:32 pm *Oh Primus, Bevel, that's not a selection he wanted to draw attention to...* Bevel 10:32 pm *she did nothing* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:33 pm @P: [[Ah. He is sorry to hear that. Many of them were quite masterful. Organic creativity continues to surprise.]] FakeProwl 10:33 pm @S «Mm. I'll take your word for it.» Tarantulas 10:34 pm *hmm. what happens if he pings prowl, let's see* FakeProwl 10:34 pm *... he should have left.* @T «What.» ItsyBitsySpyers 10:36 pm @P: [[He'll see about replaying them some time.]] FakeProwl 10:37 pm @S «It's fine. I'll just take your word for it. Musically-synchronized violence doesn't do anything for me.» Tarantulas 10:37 pm @P: ::...Are you upset with me?:: *probably best to start with clarifying the basics, right?* FakeProwl 10:38 pm @S «... Sorry.» *because soundwave would undoubtedly like to share a musical thing with prowl, wouldn't he?* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:38 pm @P: [[It is all right. He understands.]] FakeProwl 10:39 pm @T «/Don't worry yourself over it./» ItsyBitsySpyers 10:39 pm *Soundwave decides to ping Bevel next. She's an uninvolved party, at least.*

@B: [[You do a fine job of hosting. And he appreciates your musical selections.]] FakeProwl 10:40 pm *farewell ping to soundwave. leaves.* Bevel 10:40 pm *well since no one's making suggestions...* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:40 pm *Returns ping and watches the avatar flicker.* Bevel 10:41 pm ((oh geez this is old, still good Bevel 10:42 pm @S: Thanks! @S: What are you gonna show tomorrow? Tarantulas 10:43 pm *winces a bit. bah* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:44 pm @B: [[He has not fully decided. Something from the starship timelines.]] *Came out to have a good time and is feeling personally attacked by this video.* Bevel 10:44 pm @S: Awesome! I will try to get some files from the stuff I showed before. *sorry* Bevel 10:46 pm ((and now that i've played one of their songs i want to play my favorites but they're not really things Bevel would play ItsyBitsySpyers 10:46 pm *It's fine. He's enjoying it. It does have a point.*

@B: [[With the Discovery humans?]] Bevel 10:47 pm @S: Yeah! I think I found some more records but I want to make sure. Tarantulas 10:48 pm *is slumped forward with his chin in his paws sulking* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:49 pm @T: [[Perhaps some time to think?]] Tarantulas 10:52 pm @SW: [[Yes, lovely. How I do adore waiting and drowning in uncertainty in the meantime.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 10:53 pm @T: [[Unfortunately, it happens to everyone. Even himself.]] Tarantulas 10:53 pm @SW: [[Hah hah.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 10:53 pm @B: [[Good, good. He is intrigued by the Ripper creature and the spore drive. It is... somewhat like a space bridge.]] Bevel 10:55 pm @S: Our ships do not do the neat flippy thing though. *pity* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:56 pm @B: [[They also do not gather condensation. It is for the best, as we are made of metal.]] @B: [[But... he thinks he will retire to his building after this video.]] Bevel 10:57 pm @S: Yeah, true and ok. Thanks for coming again. Tarantulas 10:57 pm *tara suspects there's a conversation going on, but he'll bring his back into the audible realm anyhow* So - might you know when your next showing will be, Bevel? Bevel 10:59 pm A few Earth days from now. *not sure how Tara's Cybertron days move so...* I can message you if you want? Tarantulas 10:59 pm *a hum that sounds happier than tarantulas actually is* Ah, yes, please do. Bevel 11:00 pm *grins* Ok! Tarantulas 11:01 pm I'll make sure not to get myself wrapped up in any immediately-dire projects, then. I'm looking forward to the next installment. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:02 pm *Stretches a little, pushes himself up, and nods to Bevel.*

[[Thank you.]]

*Nod to Tarantulas, who is probably grumpy with him. And a departure.* Bevel 11:03 pm Did Soundwave show you the other files from the starship universe that I found? Tarantulas 11:03 pm *of course he's grumpy with you sw* Yes, he did - they're quite enthralling. Bevel 11:04 pm Oh all the science must be really cool for you. Tarantulas 11:06 pm *actual visor smile* Yes, quite! Bevel 11:06 pm Then I will definitely comm you when I can show more files. Promise. Tarantulas 11:07 pm Much appreciated. Unfortunately... I probably ought to be going. I'm sure you can imagine I might have a bit of a mess to clean up. Bevel 11:08 pm I am sure you can. Tarantulas 11:08 pm Hyeh. Thank you for having us. Until next time, then. *a smol bow, and he's out* Bevel 11:09 pm *waves before he goes and then vents a little once she's alone. then she gets started cleaning up*

#chat

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iammharsh · 5 years ago

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YouTube Thumbnail Grabber : Extract Youtube Thumbnail

YouTube Thumbnail Grabber : Extract Youtube Thumbnail: The world is becoming digital day by day. And there are many people who wants to Get Youtube Thumbnail from Youtube video. The Internet is being spread all over the world and there might be no one in this world who doesn't know about the internet. The population of the Planet Earth is 7.8 Billion and the number of people who use the internet according to the reports generated in January 2020 is 4.54 Billion, Out of which many are using Youtube and thats the reason they Want to Get Youtube Thumbnail From Video .That means, technically 59% of the world population has internet access and use it almost every day. Speaking of the internet, the Internet is a place for everything. You can access the latest news, read books, articles, play games, chat with friends, video calls, watch videos, and the list goes on! As mentioned earlier, the internet is a place for everything. With millions of possibilities, in the recent survey conducted, it has been studied that people cannot survive without internet access in the current generation and Many of them Are Youtubers so they Want Youtube thumbnail Extractor which will help them to Get Youtube thumbnail from video .In the millions of possibilities, there is this one thing which everyone does. Watching Videos through the medium of the internet. When someones saying watch video, well, the first thing comes into your brain is YouTube. YouTube has set this standard of video watching. It has been studied that almost everyone, press 96.7% of the internet users in the world do have access to YouTube and do spend a lot of time here. So, YouTubers who upload the videos do have a lot of targets in their brains and Major step is to Get Youtube Thumbnail which looks very good.To make their video accessible to the maximum targeted audience, they go through a lot like keyword research, search engine optimization, verification, usage of original content, etc. Among all these, thumbnails also play a vital role. Thumbnails on YouTube are quite important than you imagine. Just think about it, a good video thumbnail with a catchy color and a simple brief will gain a lot of attention than that of a random screen thumb in general. YouTube is all about thumbnail game. Thumbnails should be head-turns and they should make you look. You can easily judge the quality of the video you are about to watch with just looking at thumbnail itself. So, all these thumbnails play a Vital Role. So, do you like any of the thumbnails and are unable to view it in a full screen? Well, this is the guide for you. In this post, we are going to discuss everything about the Thumbnails and the best ways to access the thumbnails and download YouTube thumbnail.

YouTube Thumbnail Grabber

Before we discuss all around the YouTube thumbnail Extractor and Youtube thumbnail grabber, let us quickly discuss some of the mind-blowing YouTube and YouTube Thumbnail facts. I mean, who doesn't love to know the facts? The very first video uploaded on YouTube is 'meet at the zoo' by creator Jawed which was uploaded on 23rd April 2005, back then, the thumbnails don't have a lot of popularity or the creators do not know the fancy of using them. The current day, the total number of people who use YouTube is 1,300,000,000 and the numbers are only increasing.

Not every creator uses the Thumbnail, so there is no point in using YouTube Thumbnail Grabber for such creator's content. 300 hours of video content is being uploaded on YouTube every minute. Every day, almost 5 billion videos are being watched by users who use YouTube. Not just that YouTube gets 30 million visitors per day. There are more than 10000 videos that crossed One Billion Views on YouTube. 80% of YouTube views are out of the United States. More than half of the views come from the mobile device itself. So now you might think that by creating a below-average video and by throwing in a high-quality Thumbnail will drive you a lot of views. Well, you are wrong. Creating good intros, entertaining the audience, explaining what you're doing clearly, delivering what your followers want. End of the day, make the videos that you can watch. Many YouTubers, Peter McKinnon, MKBHD and a lot of other creators in the world, only say that create the videos which you will like to watch. With the Thumbnail, you might gain a lot of viewer's attention, but making the viewers watch the content makes the difference here! So, coming back to the topic, how you can download the YouTube Thumbnails or let us say YouTube thumbnail grabber, well, there are a lot of sites that you can access and download the content. Also Read: How to Verify Tiktok Profile Blue Badge Thumbnail grabbing is all about, you copying a YouTube link of the video's thumbnail you like and pasting it in YouTube Thumbnail grabber site and downloading it. It is just as simple as it sounds, to be honest. Although, there are a lot of sites that can get you down to the whole place, where you can download the thumbnails, but don't let you download in full resolution. The below mentioned are Top YouTube Thumbnail grabber in 2020.

Get Youtube Thumbnail from Video

1. BoingBoing

Get Youtube Thumbnail BoingBoing is the first result on Google if you type YouTube Thumbnail Grabber on Google. This is famous because a lot of people trust this. BoingBoing is faster than any other YouTube Thumbnail Grabber because it skips the Download images step. As soon as you paste the links and hit the enter key, it shows the thumbnail you want in various other sizes and resolutions. So you select the one with the resolution you want and that's all. You can hold on the image and select download. 2. YouTube Thumbnail Grabber

Extract youtube thumbnail The website of YouTube Thumbnail Grabber, unlike any other site, is clean and efficient. There are no ads found no matter what accessing this website. Although generates the images quickly, you will have to stick with the default resolution whereas the BoingBoing will offer you various other sizes and resolutions to choose from. 3. Thumbnailsave Fast, Free and Unique one this list of YouTube Thumbnail Grabber. First, you have to copy the YouTube link of the video's thumbnail you like and pasting it in the YouTube Thumbnail grabber site and downloading it. It also displays the old thumbnails you have downloaded from the site as well, just in case if you miss the link and don't have a lot of time to search or the video, you can quickly access this site. https://youtu.be/DRqia_ZA8Mg Conclusion So that is all for this post. If this post helped you in the process of YouTube Thumbnail Grabbing and finding the best YouTube Thumbnail Grabber tools available, make sure to share this post with your friends and family. We at RootUpdate are always bringing you more content like this. So stay tuned with us. Until next time, Stay Techy! Read the full article

#Getyoutubethumbnail #Grabyoutubethumbnail #Youtube #YoutubeThumbnailExtractor

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kgxiangyu-blog · 7 years ago

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ILL-FITTING

• • • MISSION OBJECTIVE_ ▭▭▭▭▭▭▭▭▭▭ 0% COMPLETED

OCTOBER 10TH

you are a vulture. the existance of corpses puts you into action. there’s no way to soften up this reality; it is what it is. you are a mere scavenger and today it rings truer than ever.

MUMBAI INSTITUTIE

the name on your assignment file stare back at you. it’s 3 hours until the soonest flight out. you fill up your wait time by creating constellation between what seems like isolated stars.

mumbai institute → servers are down → within the same city as second site of explosion → one out of for attacked sites → kingsman related celebrations ↓ three incidents establish a pattern. a fourth solidifies it. ↓ who would know the kingsman had an anniversary coming up? ↓ what are the servers hiding? ↓ who has a grudge with the kingsman?

you’re going unaccompanied this time. you specifically request one handler with tech background to be on standby with you. this situation isn’t something that an entire team is ready to be exposed to. the less that people know, the better.

• • • MISSION OBJECTIVE_ ▭▭▭▭▭▭▭▭▭▭ 0% COMPLETED

OCTOBER 11TH

the premise that stores the servers is blocked off to the public. scanners for student and staff IDs stand at every door. there is a security guard at the mouth of a road leading into campus grounds.

you present your badge with colored ink and embossed features mapping out lie after lie. the emblem of the four lions perched catches the reader’s eyes. they scan it with scrutiny and criticism.

“IB is assigned to a tech issue?” they ask.

“any matter dealing with homeland security is our business. i can’t disclose anything further than that. they sent me from new delhi as soon as possible.” you deliver your lines with confidence, and just the right amount of ease to make the performance believable. the language and accent flows off your tongue after practicing on the plane.

you hold out a yellow envelope with no intent on handing it over. “the authorizations issued are contained in here. do you have the clearance to check these?”

“yes? i mean, no.”

“is there someone around who does?” hold your ground.

“the security chief out on a lunch break.” ( convenient. )

“alright then i’ll wait for your chief. i don’t want to make this hard on you after all.” earn their trust.

“thank you. i’m just a patroller.” ( convenient. ) “i don’t have the authority to let anybody in or out without clearing it with my chief.”

“of course, i completely understand that. you’re just doing your job” you put on a smile to warm the mood. “it’s tragic what happened in the city. i heard about it when i got assigned. i hope all of the families are coping well. i wish i could do more for them.”

“it is a tragedy when some people think they can do whatever to other people’s lives like that.”

“i agree. i think it’s commendable that even in the face of a tragedy, people like you are still doing their jobs to the fullest. like keeping an institute safe from outsiders. even people like me.”

you share a short laugh together.

the patroller scratches their head. “not really, no. you flatter me. there’s not much to keep safe nowadays.”

you feel the metaphorical tip of your shovel striking the outer shell of the treasure. “oh?” you feign surprise. “i think you’re being humble. you protect people. that’s very dutiful.”

“no.” they wave their hand. “other than every day cleaning and security staff members, the tech heads haven’t been showing up. they’re taking the servers thing harder than i imagined.”

“really? not a single one shows up?”

“not according to my entry logs.”

“that’s a shame,” you remark. you check your watch and leave the kind patroller with promises that you’ll come back after lunch time.

• • • MISSION OBJECTIVE_ ▬▭▭▭▭▭▭▭▭▭ 10% COMPLETED

OCTOBER 11TH – 13TH

your one sided conversations through your ear piece fill the spaces of your hotel.

“i need you to run recent location checks and bank checks for some names.”

“ramani bhatt. alia desai. arun gupta. pooja patel. [...]”

...

“no strange bank withdraws?”

...

“yes, i understand it’s a lot for you. i realize you’re doing the job for a team of five.”

“can you work through the night?”

...

“you spotted one on a highway traffic cam? which highway was it? okay. got it. i’m looking now. seems like it leads out of northern mumbai.”

“another one going out? well this road specifically leads to the airport. you already looked into it, of course. my bad. so they didn’t fly out.”

“wait, that road. what’s it’s name again? yeah that one. it leads to dharavi. all of the spots we’ve marked circle around this city.”

• • • MISSION OBJECTIVE_ ▬▬▭▭▭▭▭▭▭▭ 20% COMPLETED

OCTOBER 14TH

with the help of your handler, you two find one person who actually made a stop within dharavi. this was a few days ago but you’ll follow any lead that comes. of course, you never ask for others to do something you won’t do. you dawn a simple shirt and shorts in order to blend in with your environment. within a two block radius, you stay up to check out one location after another.

in the afternoon you notice teens playing soccer for the second day in a row. you wait for the ball to go out of bounds and seize the chance to fetch it for them. “i’m looking for my friends,” you tell the locals. they point down the road when you tell them your ‘friends’ aren’t locals but they pass through a lot.

“is there something fun down there to visit or something?” an incredulous laugh covers your piqued interest.

they look at you like you were a naive child for saying something like that. when you check out the area, you understand why. dust blankets over the abandoned apartment complex from top to bottom. five floors worth of rooms with no cameras. or other forms of tech, to tap into means that you have to be creative.

you pull the knob turner on your watch until it comes off completely. the watch face is thick and is made to look cheap. from within, a small droid flies out.

“you got this?” you say to your handler back home.

the droid whips down the hallway and you place your spectacles over your eyes. everything that the droid sees goes straight into a feed in your glasses and that is relayed back to HQ. floor after floor you see nothing but dirty rooms. it isn’t until the fifth floor that you spot a boarded up room.

• • • MISSION OBJECTIVE_ ▬▬▬▭▭▭▭▭▭▭ 30% COMPLETED

OCTOBER 15TH

it’s midnight when you grab your equipment and come back. you plug in a usb into whatever computer that can turn on. your handler can remotely access the computer on a shallow basis. they can view what’s on the computer but not necessarily do much else.

that’s where you come in ( regrettably ).

“so there are huge files that are protected? ––encrypted. there, are you happy now?”

“saying that this is a windows and not a super computer doesn’t mean much to me, but i get what you’re saying. i guess testing every algorithm won’t work.”

“you want me to do what?”

“you know that in the time it takes for you to walk me through things, you can come here and do it yourself, right?”

“you believe in me.” you huff out a soft laugh. “alright. teach me.”

they tell you you need to find a key–– then proceeds to chuckle when you ask if it’s a physical one. they continue on saying that they’re going to send a malware to your email. you plug your phone to the computer and run the malware program.

the program apparently runs through a computer’s memory to see what encryption process was used. by knowing that, then a key to solving the encryption can be obtained.

...

you doze off for two hours while the program is running. you awaken to check the program, not knowing how to make heads or tails of it. the status bar is still running so you leave it alone. your handler has been quiet and you assume either they’re sleeping or working.

...

four hours later you wake up. not because you feel well rested enough, but because your stomach needs quelling.

there’s a protein bar in your bag that you scarf down before going back to sleep.

...

7:00 AM.

this time you wake up to your handler tsk tsk-ing at you.

“don’t give me that. how is the program doing?"

“you’ve found the key. great. so now what?”

“yes, i believe i did tell you this would be less efficient. even before you realized how much info is in here.”

“alright. well whenever you find someone to get the algorithm written send it to me.”

• • • MISSION OBJECTIVE_ ▬▬▬▬▭▭▭▭▭▭ 40% COMPLETED

OCTOBER 15TH

9:00 AM.

“anybody yet?”

“okay. keep looking and keep me posted.”

...

2:45 PM

“you got somebody. fantastic.” ( about time. )

“do me a favor and change this priority to yellow status. i just need to to be done. thanks.”

...

6:50 PM

“in HQ? get up and leave now.”

“forget the mission. you need to go.”

“don’t send me anything. evacuate.”

“i am your superior. listen to me.”

you are pacing back and forth in the abandoned room. this mission isn’t worth losing a life over.

“okay, okay, okay. i got it. i got it. do as you’re told now.”

...

7:00 PM

you lose all contact with HQ. your glasses cannot read or send any information to the servers. you had two choices.

one: catch the next flight back. two: continue on

you choose the latter. not for lack of consideration for your coworkers but you are more beneficial to everybody here. your handler risked everything to get you this program so you need to see it to the end. you owe it to them to uncover the truth.

• • • MISSION LOG_ ▬▬▬▬▬▭▭▭▭▭ 50% COMPLETED

OCTOBER 17TH

you’ve bought enough food from the city to last you a week. you hole yourself up in this room, waiting for the program to finish. your handler told you this version isn’t streamline enough and it requires monitoring once it starts. you don’t know any better so you follow the instructions given to you to the tee.

• • • MISSION OBJECTIVE_ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▭▭▭ 70% COMPLETED

OCTOBER 19TH

you are tempted to bring in someone, anyone, to help you hurry this process along. but considering the level of security on these files and the sheer volume of the files, you don’t have that luxury. patience calls your name and you have no choice but to respond.

• • • MISSION OBJECTIVE_ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▭▭ 80% COMPLETED

OCTOBER 21TH

you chow down another cup of ramen for yet another meal. your eyes tire from staring at the screens for so long. you manually enter one prompt after the next, wishing that you can scream at whoever assigned you this mission.

• • • MISSION OBJECTIVE_ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 100% COMPLETED

OCTOBER 24TH

the process is finished and the window disappears. it’s the most anticlimactic ending but the stress melts right off your shoulders.

you go through the folders individually. each of them are labeled with a name and it goes on for several scrolls. altogether there are about one hundred of them. you click one open and within are columns full of pdf files. from just the very first file, it looks like several experiment trials–– visuals included.

the first one, AMELIA, turns out to be a two year old pig.

then BAKER, DYLAN, a thirty year old male.

LEE, JOOHYUN, a ten year old girl.

the data goes on like this without fail.

the reality of the situation makes your stomach lurch, but you read as many as you can bear. the after images hit you harder than any punch you’ve ever endured. you gathered enough information to know the experiment dealt with specialized steroid effects.

without hesitation you exit out and check some unmarked folders. you run them in a text format and they detail bank activities from an account under the name kumar adani.

each piece resembles the same completed photo but you’re not quite sure how they fit together just yet. at this point you know that there’s no choice but to load as much of the data onto the hard drive built in your ring.

it’s time to go home.

#( thread | solo )#( event | inferno )#kg: inferno #kg: inferno2 #this is the worst mission to give him #any way YES some dialogue are intentionally one sided #but he's BACK now #cw: human testing / animal testing / child testing

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livingwithashipname-blog · 7 years ago

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Ermanda’s Inner Sanctum: Scorpion 4.02 “More Extinction”

Aaaaannnd... just like I suspected, Collins capitalized on the extinction event to secure his escape. That rat bastard! Our heroes got the job done, but they still have some obstacles to encounter. I really liked part 2 of the premiere story! And is it just me or does it seem like every premiere episode involves some sort of plane/helicopter and missiles?! 😂 Anyways, a lot of really good stuff happened that's an extension of last week's episode. Let's do this!!!

More Mark Collins (get it?! 😉😂😂)

When the effort to contain the methane becomes 10 times harder, Collins' escape plan becomes that much more feasible. He helps with the Russian, but it is just so flippin' convenient that he "injures" the same ankle strapped with the electric cuff. And we know our geniuses are not athletically inclined, but Collins should be able to handle that barrel of material. He isn't THAT weak! But he knows how Scorpion operates and he uses that to his upmost advantage. He has escaped and is completely off the grid again! Ugh! (Side note: When Collins said he was 51% bad, I literally paused the tv and laughed out loud for a good 30 seconds. Can you say UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE CENTURY?!!!)

The Influence of Mark Collins

Collins plays a series of mind games that leave lingering affects on everyone involved. His aim is to inflict the most damage as efficiently as possible... typical psychopathic genius. To recap, his presence in 1.05 Plutonium Is Forever influenced Walter's behavior and effectiveness as a team leader. In 2.24 Toby or Not Toby, his comment to Toby about Happy in regards to her engagement ring led to a series of events where Toby's first marriage proposal was rejected and revealed Happy & Walter's biggest secret between them. Who has he targeted in this encounter?!

Waige

While Collins makes some truthful observations of Walter and Paige's relationship, his "concern" hyper-focuses on their differences. This is important because Waige is a "high stakes" relationship just like this mission. It takes them 3 years to get to this point. Paige is aware of the work to maintain the spark and cultivate the love between them given their glaringly opposing personalities despite her latent doubts. Yet, Walter is under the impression that things between them should be smooth now they are together, which is why he is concerned that he can't convince the concierge that he and Paige are a real couple with the deep tissue massage. We know they are bound by the fascination they have in one another's genius that inspires them to be better individuals so they can be great together! However, it's hard to remain confident in success when one only sees fruit punch and fermented fish and all the ways the two DON'T mesh. The end scene between them shows us why they are a couple now, but they haven't fully addressed their concerns over their differences. This is the result of Collins' influence. Therefore, I anticipate they will readdress this continuously throughout the season as I mentioned in my last review.

Toby (and Happy, by extension)

Toby is a target for Collins for 3 reasons: 1) the excitement in the psychiatrist vs. psychopath game, 2) he has the lowest IQ amongst the geniuses, and 3) Toby's testimony kept Collins in prison. Thus, Toby is "expendable" in Collins' eyes. Furthermore, anything done to Toby affects Happy, especially since they are now husband and wife. (Side note: Notice that Collins never attacks Happy directly. 😉 He always uses someone else to get to her since he knows she will knock him out! 👊🏾👊🏾) Given the way Toby reacts when Collins steps close to him, he is fearful now that Collins has escaped from prison. Although Toby is very resilient, I am curious how stressors such as this trigger latent behaviors.

Cabe

Collins' reckless escape plan has cost Cabe his job and created a myriad of legal woes. If Collins claims to be 51% good, then you would think he would manufacture an escape plan that wouldn't hurt Cabe so badly. But no, he is a psychopath who cares about no one except himself at the end of the day! 😡 Cabe's identity is wrapped in his job with Homeland Security - losing this job would feel like losing a part of himself. I sense an identity crisis on the horizon as the charges against him unfold. Poor Cabe! He put his life's work on the line for this bastard and he is being victimized by that decision! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Sly x Happy

If this friendship was a person, I would squeeze this person's cheeks for being so adorably cute and heartwarming! Their interactions in this episode shows us what it means to look out for your friends. Happy manages to find his bandaid ring in the crevasse, but she keeps that info to herself to help Sly refocus on the mission since she crafts a way for him to keep it safe in the future. It's not a direct parallel, but there are commonalities in her gift to him. It was Sly who calculated her ring size from a stained napkin to help Toby craft the perfect engagement ring for her. Now Happy gives him a lucite ring that encases his bandaid ring so he no longer has to fix it when it wears down to keep his thoughts of Megan alive. It's the perfect bookend to the episode and start to Sly's story this season! I hope we get to see more of their relationship blossom!

Drabbles...

Oh crap! Here we go again! Steal a Russian plane?! Things just became interesting!

Walter: That is how we're going to save the earth. We just need to steal it. Toby: Not sure all the methane is out of Walt's bloodstream. W: I assure you I am lucid. Now right now what is our number one problem? T: I'm being forced to work with a man who tried to murder me. Collins: I saved your life today. I'd say we're back to zero. 😂😂😂😂😂😂

They are going to make it snow?! Are we sure this isn't the Christmas episode?! 😂😂😂

And the tip toe around Americans in Russian territory... absolutely hilarious considering the number of investigations in the US over Russian collusion and hacking! 😱😱😱😂😂😂

Happy elects to fly the plane. Toby states they crashed the last time she did that. Happy thrown PANNS right back in Toby's face, citing the first N - No disparaging of ideas. Ha! YAAASSS!!! 👏🏾👏🏾👊🏾😂😂😂😂😍😍😍😂😂😂😂

C: ... And Happy, I'll need you to be my wife. (deadpan stares from Quintis) Come on, Toby. I'm like the only one here she hasn't been married to. 😂😂😂😂😂 Oh snap! That's funny!

Happy really knows how to lasso someone with duct tape! Maybe these are skills she contributes to the bedroom?! 👀😉😍😍😂😂😂😂😂😂 #kinkyQuintis

Cabe's team unity moment... 😂😂😂😂😂😂💀💀 Collins still doing it after everyone has left... priceless! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂. Collins may be out for himself, but he still wants to be a part of Team Scorpion. Lol!

This location for the hotel is really gorgeous on screen!

I know Collins didn't just hit Cabe upside the head... what kinda mess?! Look here, you idiot! *insert image of me throwing hands*

No potassium iodide? No problem! Toby will just make it seem like he had an accident in the pool to clear everyone out so they can drain the pool and condense it out of solution! Happy: Sometimes I can't believe I said, "I do." 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂💀

Walter looking like a creeper since he and Paige scraped the mirror... 😂😂😂😂😂

That green speedo!!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😍😍😍😍😂😂😂😂😂💀💀💀💀 Sly and Happy's reactions to it are priceless!!! Happy breaks the second "N" of PANNS. But work Toby work!!! 😍😍😍😍

Toby forgot the dye pack?! Omgness! He must have really dropped some "lemonade" in the pool! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Aww! That Quintis kiss was sweet! All hail the Might Love Oak! 💚🌳💍💏🌳💚

This Sly and Toby moment about love is making me feel things! Where are the tissues?! 😭😭😭😭😭💗💗💗

Kat did a great job with the Spanish!! Anyone wondering when Paige learned Spanish though? Lol!

T: Happy, what's your status? H: Married. You were there, remember? 😂😂😂😂😍😍😍❤️❤️❤️❤️😂😂😂😂😂

Happy can't figure out the controls to fly the plane and now she set off a missile that crashes into Norway. Oh boy! Not good. *insert facepalm*

Well well well, Collins manages to hurt the ankle that has the cuff. How convenient! 👀😒😒😒

Walter getting distracted over the fact that he couldn't convince the concierge of his relationship with Paige because of the deep tissue massage he thought would be pleasurable... 😂😂😂😂 This is new territory and I like it!

Paige kissing Walter to get his head in the game... 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾 I'm here for it! Ladies of Scorpion do it again! Anyone recall Happy and Toby at the end of 2.20 Djibouti Call? 😉😉😍😍😍

It's official! Closets don't pan out in Waige's favor. 😂

Quintis banter on SCABOBI... 😂😂😂😂

Smart idea from Paige to take the all keys so no one could follow them! Walter's look at her in that moment... 😂😂😂😍😍😍

Look at Scorpion save the day! I love this team!

Screw you, Mark Collins! I knew he was still fishy! Ugh! The conditions make it impossible to track Collins.

New Homeland Director Carson seems like a tough nut to crack! Here comes trouble! Poor Cabe, trying to err on the side of optimism. 😢😢😢

Goodbye PANNS! Happy makes a good point! They threw it around all day but they're still together. They don't need a marriage creed for success! Their relationship is pretty resilient already without it! We don’t refer to them as the Mighty Love Oak for nothing! 😉💚🌳💚

I am totally turned on by Toby's suggestion to install security cameras and an alarm just like Happy. That's like someone suggesting to me to build something with power tools! #constructionbae 😍😍😍😍😍😂😂😂

Happy x Sly... 😭😭😭😭😍😍😍😍😍😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭💗💗💗💗💗💗💗🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

Oh no! Cabe is under arrest!!! Carson took his gun and badge! 😢😢😢😭😭😭😭

Aww! Look at the the fruit punch and fermented fish pun coming full circle! Love this Waige moment! 😍😍😍😂😂😂

Anyone asking themselves exactly when did Paige pick up that fruit punch to only drink a portion and place it in the fridge for later? Lol! Look at me trying to figure out a timeline here! 😂😂😂😂😂

#ermanda's inner sanctum #cbs scorpion #s04e02 #more extinction #scorpion cbs #team scorpion #episode review #livingwithashipname

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gardenplow3-blog · 5 years ago

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When the Kitchen Isn’t Built for You

Chef Todd Duplechan knew he wanted to become a sushi chef, he just didn’t anticipate how expensive the equipment would be. “I had to buy a $500 knife that I didn’t get for like four or five months,” he says. As it happens, Japanese knives are typically single-bevel, meaning the cutting edge is sharpened at an angle on just one side. “It had to be directly ordered from Japan because they didn’t have any left-handed knives in the United States.” The challenges didn’t stop there. As a lefty in an industry of mostly right-handed people, Duplechan had to do some mental gymnastics each time he tackled a new skill. “The onus is on you as the learner to rearrange it in your mind.”

There aren’t any solid numbers, but by some estimates roughly 5 and 30 percent of the human population is left-handed, with men being slightly more likely than women to be lefties. That means right-handers with the dominant trait tend to shape the way the world operates. Most southpaws can attest to some regular inconveniences to their daily lives, from right-handed pants zippers to credit card swipers to doorknobs. For cooks working in the extremely tactile food industry — and who often have to contend with shared tools and limited kitchen space — doing typical tasks can feel even more inhospitable.

Most kitchens are usually designed to conform to right-handed people, according Carlos Arreola, a commercial kitchen design expert with food service consulting firm Cini-Little International. To create an efficient flow throughout the kitchen, “typically we design from right to left,” he says. That means that doors, drawers, and cooktops are generally on the right, where right-handed people can more easily reach them with their dominant hand. “I guess it’s just standard industry,” he says. Refrigerators, for instance, often have doors with hinges on the right; when placed to the right of a cooktop, the door is easier to open for a right-handed chef. Below-counter refrigerator units also sometimes have the door on the right and the non-usable portions of the unit on the left. That can make for some needed maneuvering for left-handed chefs.

“They have a hard time watching me cut things because it’s so backwards to them.”

“Whenever I renovated my kitchen the last time, I moved one [station] to where an oven was, and it basically made it a right-handed station, which works out wonderfully for everybody because they’re all right handed,” says Duplechan, who’s a chef and co-owner, with wife Jessica Maher, of Lenoir in Austin, Texas. “But for me, it makes it not fun to work that particular station.” While elsewhere in his kitchen the layout is “modular” enough that Duplechan can orient everything that he needs to grab for food prep on his left side, the oven doesn’t have counter space to the left for those items. “So much of good cooking is getting into a groove and having everything exactly where you want it,” he says, “[and] that particular station is not set up in a way that I would want it.”

In addition to the line layout, right-oriented tools dominate the kitchen and can make for a cumbersome cooking experience. April Anderson, owner of neighborhood bakery Good Cakes & Bakes in Detroit, vividly remembers culinary school instructors asking her to pour flour while turning on mixers and awkwardly reaching over the top of the machine to reach the switch. Some objects like cake icing turntables can be adapted to Anderson’s hands, but other items like a multi-wheeled croissant cutter have sharp edges that didn’t cut properly when flipped to suit a left-handed baker. “At some point as I kept going to class, I was learning to use my right hand just a little bit more,” she says, adding that she also made sure to bring her personal set of left-handed scissors to school.

For many left-handed chefs, navigating their workspace requires a level of ambidexterity. Sarah Welch, the executive chef at Marrow in Detroit, says that like many naturally left-handed children, she learned to do many tasks in her daily life with her non-dominant hand. “It’s shocking. The only thing now that I do comfortably left-handed is write and for the most part I trained myself to do everything else right-handed,” she says. She’s learned to use a knife with her right hand (to the point where she’s not confident she could do it with her left), but the trait still occasionally surfaces in odd tasks. “If I’m going to crack an egg, I do it with my left hand. It’s super weird,” she says.

Occasionally, being forced to use both hands surfaces in skills cooks didn’t even know they had. “I figured out the other day that I use my paring knife in both hands,” Duplechan says matter of factly. He was training an employee on how to use a knife and explaining that it would be backwards for them as a right-handed person. “And they were like, ‘Why?,’” he says. “I’m like, ‘Because I’m left-handed.’ And they were like, that’s in your right hand.’”

It’s in these moments when lefties are asked to teach skills to others — a huge part of the job for chefs at a certain level — when being ambidextrous comes in handy. Making sushi is a particularly meticulous and hands-on style of cooking with strict methods based in tradition. So when Duplechan, as a student, deviated from the processes demonstrated by his instructors, it often caused confusion. “If you’re breaking down a tuna or something like that, I would take the whole thing and turn it over” to cut it with my left hand, he says. “You get a lot of weird looks from people and people are always trying to say, ‘No, no, no, no, don’t do it like that,’ but it works for you in a different way.”

These days, Duplechan is more often is acting as a teacher demonstrating techniques for younger cooks. He more frequently finds himself saying, “‘Okay, now you’re going to do the exact opposite of that because you’re right handed.’”

Emmele Herrold, a chef and co-owner of Hazel, Ravines and Downtown in Birmingham, Michigan, can’t escape the unnerved looks from staff as they watch her chop. “They have a hard time watching me cut things because it’s so backwards to them,” she says. “They feel like I’m gonna hurt myself.” Other times, she struggles to translate her left-handed knife skills to fellow restaurant employees. While her kitchen is designed for righties with tools always oriented to the right of staff, Herrold finds refuge at her expediting station where her tweezers, garnishes, and tools such as the toaster are arranged to the left. She notes that the raw bar helmed by oysterman and fellow leftie Richard Washington is also suited to southpaws, with his tools kept on the left side where he can easily reach them. “It’s never been a hindrance for me. It’s never occurred to me that it’s difficult,” she says of being left-handed.

Still, with proper foresight, it’s relatively easy to order equipment that’s “reversed” with left-handers in mind. “The equipment is very flexible in that sense and typically there’s no upcharge unless there’s something very, very custom-made,” Arreola says. “But in most cases it’s mostly to do with left-hand doors and hinges that are typically optional.”

Arreola can recall at least one instance in which a client requested a reversed bar setup. Generally, he says, the ice box at a bar might be on the left with the liquor bottles on the right. However, on that occasion the bartender requested to have the layout flipped. “They [wanted] to hold the glass with the ice in their right hand and grab the bottle with their left hand to pour,” he says. That sort of input is an important part of the design process, Arreola says. Unfortunately, many restaurants also don’t necessarily have a chef or staff hired when the buildout is in the planning process, and thus the people that use the kitchen almost never get the opportunity to weigh in on the flow of their workspace.

“My kitchen was set up for a right-handed person and that’s because it wasn’t designed by me,” says Anderson, remarking that the consultants she worked were probably all right-handed. Soon, she’ll be opening a new, larger commercial kitchen and is looking forward to a setup that’s more suited to her needs. “I made sure I told them it needs to be set up for left-handed people.”

It sometimes feels like her own kitchen layout is working against her, but Anderson points out that it’s much tougher to be a cook going into a new, uncharted kitchen. As a leftie it requires more time to get acclimated to the space. “Sometimes when you go into a [new] kitchen and you’re left-handed, you’re kind of intimidated because you’re expected to do something at a certain pace. But it takes you time to get acclimated to that space in order to figure out, ‘Okay. How can I do this with my left hand, and still do it the right way, and produce the same thing each time?’”

For all the numerous inconveniences, Duplechan believes his left-handedness can be a superpower in the kitchen. “In a place that you’re working with your hands all day, every day,” he says of being forced to occasionally use both hands, “you can do one or two extra things that maybe other people can’t do.”

This spring, Duplechan and Maher plan to open a new lounge inside the Arrive East Austin hotel. He plans to call it Leftie’s Brick Bar, joining a long tradition of business owners celebrating their dominant hand. “I’ve always wanted to own a place called Leftie’s,” he says. “I wear it as a badge of honor.”

Brenna Houck is the editor of Eater Detroit and an Eater.com reporter. Samantha Mash is an illustrator and educator currently living in Portland, Oregon.

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Source: https://www.eater.com/2019/2/12/18222009/left-handed-chef-restaurant-kitchen-design-custom-knives-tools

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ballbubble3-blog · 5 years ago

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Eagles vs. Jaguars: 9 winners, 5 losers, 3 I don’t knows

The Eagles are now 4-4 after defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday. It wasn’t pretty but the Eagles will take it however they can get it. Let’s take a look at the biggest winners and losers from this game.

WINNERS

DOUG PEDERSON

The Eagles ultimately managed to score 24 points and gain 395 yards on a Jacksonville defense that ranked seventh in defensive DVOA coming into this game. They did this despite being forced into multiple different offensive line configurations and not having overly dominant skill players.

Heading into Sunday’s game, the Eagles had only produced 10 passing plays of 30-plus yards through seven weeks. Against the Jags, who were allowing the fewest explosive pass plays in the league this year, the Eagles managed to generate five 30-plus yarders.

Make no mistake: it certainly helped that the Jags were without three of their top four corners. Still, Pederson drew up some creative play-calls in this one and the Eagles ultimately turned in their second highest scoring game of the season. There’s plenty of room for improvement but this was an encouraging bounce back for Dougie P. The team fought hard with their backs against the wall in a critical spot.

CARSON WENTZ

Wentz easily could’ve ended up in the “Losers” section below after he got off to a rough start.

Wentz fumbled AGAIN which means he’s tied for the lead league in that category despite the fact he missed two games. He’s now up to 30 fumbles in 35 career games. A number of those came in his rookie year and/or can be chalked up to poor snaps but that doesn’t explain away all of them. Wentz’s propensity to fumble is the down side of his ability to extend plays.

Another downside to Wentz’s game is that his aggression can lead to risky plays. This was the game when he forced a ball to Joshua Perkins in the end zone and Jalen Ramsey picked it off.

But Wentz didn’t let these early mistakes define his performance on Sunday. In a spot where a number of quarterbacks easily would’ve folded for the rest of the game, Wentz showed great resiliency to fight back. He finished the game completing 70% of his passes for 286 yards (9.5 average), three touchdowns, one interception, and a 119.6 passer rating.

For all of last week’s talk that Wentz isn’t “clutch,” he led a huge touchdown drive to put the Eagles up 24-15 with 9:55 remaining. His sole passing attempt for a first down on the Eagles’ final drive essentially sealed the game. Wentz delivered in big spots on Sunday.

On the season, Wentz is completing 71% of his attempts for 1,788 yards (7.9 average), 13 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 110.2 passer rating. He also has 89 rushing yards.

In other words, Wentz is pretty good.

AVONTE MADDOX

The descriptor that comes to mind with Maddox is “baller.” The rookie just makes plays. This week it was Maddox flying into the back field to force the Jaguars to a long field goal early in the game. Then it was Maddox getting his helmet on the ball after Keelan Cole’s reception to force a fumble.

The progress Maddox has made is really impressive. The fourth-round rookie is excelling at a position he never played prior to this year. He’s come a long way since looking totally lost at times back during spring practices.

DALLAS GOEDERT

It was a good day for the Eagles’ 2018 NFL Draft class with Goedert also making a big play. Following Maddox’s forced fumble, it was Goedert who caught a 32-yard catch-and-run touchdown.

Goedert’s a big boy who knows how to get open and isn’t easy to bring down after the catch. His YAC ability is very valuable.

JORDAN MATTHEWS

After failing to log a single target despite playing 43% of Philadelphia’s snaps last week, JMatt ended up being a key player against the Jags. Again, it must be noted that he had undrafted rookie corners lining up against him with Ramsey sticking to Alshon Jeffery. Still, Matthews made some crucial plays to move the chains. His final reception virtually iced the game. Four receptions for 93 yards is a very nice day for Matthews.

JOSH ADAMS

If Adams’ butt was smaller, he could’ve ended up in the “Losers” section. His near fumble in the fourth quarter would’ve been fairly costly. But in the end the refs got it right and it wasn’t a fumble.

Putting that play aside, Adams has been the Eagles’ most efficient runner the past two weeks. He’s gained 78 yards on 13 attempts, which is 6.0 yards per carry. It’s easy to like the way he runs with a purpose.

Moving forward, the Eagles should continue to work Adams into the rotation. I’m not saying he’s played well enough to be undipsuted RB1 just yet but I do think he should be getting more than the zero touches he saw back in Week 6.

FLETCHER COX

Cox finished the game with two solo tackles, one tackle for loss, one pass deflection, and one quarterback hit. His batted pass came at a key moment in the game to force the Jaguars into fourth down. Jacksonville failed to convert and never possessed the ball again.

Another thing I liked seeing was Cox get all up in Deiondre’ Hall’s face after the defensive back was arguing with a Jaguars player on special teams. Cox wasn’t about to the let the Eagles take another dumb penalty. We saw Cox get in Jalen Mills’ face like that earlier this season. You can see the signs of him being a leader on this team.

MALCOLM JENKINS

Jenkins got beat on a double move to allow a touchdown to Dede Westbrook, yes, but he also broke up a touchdown pass later in the game which ultimately caused the Jaguars to settle for a field goal.

Perhaps the biggest reason why Jenkins deserves to be here, though, is that he now doesn’t have to worry about his Blake Bortles comments haunting him. That would’ve been not fun to deal with if Bortles shredded the Eagles’ secondary in a Jags win.

EAGLES FANS

First of all, shoutout to all the great fans in London who cheered on the team at Wembley today. Whether it was Americans making the flight overseas or Europe natives coming out to support, you helped make this “road” game feel much closer to a home game for the Eagles.

The other reason why fans can be considered winners is because the season is still alive. There’s still hope at 4-4. That wouldn’t have really been the case at 3-5. The Eagles still have a lot of work to do, and they need to play a lot better than they did today, but they’re still in this thing for at least two more weeks. Beat the Cowboys and get to 5-4 and then we’re really cooking.

LOSERS

THE EAGLES’ OFFENSIVE LINE SITUATION

Lane Johnson is reportedly going to miss at least a month due to an MCL sprain and Jason Peters continues to struggle to stay in the game as he battles through multiple injuries.

With Johnson out, the Eagles will be moving forward with the following lineup from left to right:

Jason Peters Isaac Seumalo Jason Kelce Brandon Brooks Halapoulivaati Vaitai

It’s likely that Peters is going to miss some playing time at some point since that’s often been the case this year. His absence forces Seumalo to move out to tackle while Wisniewski comes in to play guard.

Then you have Kelce clearly playing through pain, and if he has to miss time, it could be Wis shifting to center with Chance Warmack going in to play guard.

The Eagles’ offensive line situation isn’t in tip top shape moving forward. #Analysis.

COREY CLEMENT

Remember when Clement said he wanted to prove to Howie Roseman that the Eagles don’t need to trade for a running back? Yeah, well, Clement isn’t exactly helping his case by rushing for just 12 yards on 12 carries in his last two games. Clement also has three receptions for just 15 yards in that span.

Clement and the Eagles coaching staff has insisted he’s not still bothered by the quad injury he was dealing with earlier this season. You would almost hope Clement IS hurt in order to explain away his struggles. Whatever the case, he’s not producing right now while other backs are doing so. Clement’s role might even shrink further if/when Darren Sproles potentially returns after the bye.

DEXTER MCDOUGLE

McDougle was hard to notice in last week’s game, which was probably a good thing for the most part. The Eagles’ starting nickel corner was much more noticeable agianst the Jags, and not in a good way. He simply fell down in coverage on at least three different occasions.

Get well soon, Sidney Jones.

JALEN MILLS

Mills had to be carted off with an injury. The early indication is that it’s not major but we’ll see. Rasul Douglas had some nice moments while filling in for Mills. He also gave up some big plays, such as the one down the sideline to former practice squad tight end David Grinnage.

But if the much-maligned Mills continues to miss time and Douglas outplays him, maybe the Green Goblin doesn’t get his job back. It’s too early to say that’ll definitely be the case but it’s something to monitor.

D.J. ALEXANDER

Alexander got flagged for unnecessary roughness on a kickoff return that went for a touchback. Just stupid. That flag caused the Eagles to start at their own 13-yard line instead of their own 25. Alexander could be gone if he does something like that again.

I DONT KNOWS

JIM SCHWARTZ

The Eagles defense only allowed 18 points and 5.4 yards per play. They created one turnover and notched four sacks (plus nine quarterback hits). Schwartz did a nice job of mixing in some blitzes at the right times.

So why isn’t he in the “winners” section?

Well, a few things.

First, the Eagles easily could’ve given up at least six more points if D.J. Chark doesn’t drop a wide open touchdown pass twice in the same play. That was a very lucky break. And allowing 24 points to a team that’s been averaging 9.3 in their last three games isn’t exactly a badge of honor.

Second, Bortles still had a decent game for Bortles standards. His 88.1 passer rating ranks third highest out of his eight games. He also ran for a season-high 43 yards. It’s not like the Eagles completely shut him down.

Third, the Eagles defense has now gone back-to-back games where they’ve allowed a touchdown drive RIGHT after the offense marches 90-plus yards down the field for a touchdown of their own. What’s up with that? It’s almost like they take their foot off the pedal and it ends up being a big momentum killer.

Schwartz’s defense ranked 13th overall heading into this week’s game. That sounds about right. There are certainly many teams who have it worse. But those acting like the defense isn’t contributing to the struggles at all ... that’s foolish.

WENDELL SMALLWOOD

I was going to put Smallwood in the “Winners” section but I think that might be a little generous. He did have that long screen touchdown but it’s not even like he had to make defenders miss there. He just had a ton of open space in front of him. Outside of that play, Smallwood had one reception for six yards and eight carries for 24 yards (3.0 average). He also allowed a really bad sack on Wentz when he completely failed to pick up a blitzing Myles Jack. We’ve seen Smallwood struggle with missed assignments in this regard numerous times now.

The one Smallwood moment that WAS really impressive is when he ran through contact to pick up a 10-yard gain on 2nd-and-9 on the Eagles’ final drive. That play allowed Philadelphia to kneel three times to kill the clock.

JORDAN HICKS

Hicks really stuffed the stat sheet with 12 tackles (eight solo), two passes defensed, 1.5 sacks, and one tackle for loss. The numbers don’t show that Hicks struggled in coverage. That’s an area considered to be Hicks’ strengths, so that’s not good to see. He shouldn’t be docked completely because he clearly made some plays. Lot of season left, and always time for things to change, but I don’t think he’s playing at a level where the Eagles will consider him a must re-sign.

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2018/10/28/18034132/eagles-vs-jaguars-winners-losers-final-score-recap-results-philadelphia-carson-wentz-josh-adams-nfl

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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tatooedlaura-blog · 8 years ago

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Monday

the series read as follows:

Superman ...

_________________________

Monday was terrible. Mulder’s dress shirt was too tight against his neck; Scully’s nylons itched something fierce and would not stay where they were supposed to; Skinner seemed louder than they remembered and the file folders seemed more dry and sharper along the edges, paper cuts lurking very near in the future. Mulder’s cast banged into every available obstacle, including Scully on several occasions, tripping her up, sending her stumbling into a wall at one point and a door the next. Apologizing profusely from the safety of his office chair, “I promise you, I’m not trying to kill you.”

Smiling at him as she massaged her heel, “I’ll survive.”

Mulder dropped his head to the desk, “can we please go back on vacation?”

“You keep bringing that up. I’m beginning to believe you are not quite as committed to your job as you once were.”

Lifting his head, he looked at her, awkwardly trying to undo his top button without moving more than a few centimeters, “I will be, just not right now. My God, or your God as it were, why the hell can’t we wear t-shirts and shorts?”

As she settled into the chair across from him and kick/slid her heels across the room, “because people wouldn’t take you seriously in your garish plaid shorts and Smurf t-shirt, regardless of how many times you show them your badge.”

“You don’t like my garish plaid shorts and my Smurf t-shirt?”

“Well, no. I meant people in general. I, not being your average person, love your garish plaid shorts and Smurf t-shirt.”

“I like you in my Smurf t-shirt as well.”

Giving him a soft smile, complete with that hint of pink filling her cheeks, quickly rising from neck to forehead, “it is a very comfortable shirt.”

The look went on a little longer than it should have and Mulder broke the building tension with a groan, “the thing is, I can’t even go out and do any real work for at least another two weeks.”

“Minimum, Mulder. That’s the bare minimum. You may have convinced Skinner to let you go do interviews but until those pins come out and you can actually walk and run again, we won’t be doing much else so accept it now or I’ll be eviscerating you ‘round about Thursday because of your whining.” Holding out her hand, “now, let’s see what we’ve missed. Hand me something, please.”

&&&&&&&&&

Monday evening, just as they were pulling back up in front of Scully’s apartment, her turn to play host and their chosen destination for cleaning and unpacking, her phone rang. It didn’t take long for Mulder to deduce that she would be going somewhere and he would be left behind. Once she hung up, she turned his way, “this feels an awful lot like just before we left.”

“Another mass grave?”

“No but I need to go to Idaho while you, my casted friend, are about to get a call telling you you’re need for some profiling up in Maine.”

“How …” was all he got out before his phone jingled in his pocket, signaling she was right and he was gonna be lonely. All the dominoes fell in line soon after that, Scully flying out to one side of the country while Mulder, navigating the airport with his crutches, headed to the other.

As soon as he settled in his seat, priority boarding getting him on the plane first and awarding him ample time to complain to Scully before either of them took off, “why can’t I just come with you and they can email the files to me? It’s not like I really have to physically be sitting at the crime scene to do this.”

She was stuck sitting in the waiting area between a gentleman wearing too much cologne and a woman with three bags and a pursed look on her face. Wondering if she was sucking on a lemon none of them could see, she texted back, leaning forward to get away from both of them, forearms resting on her carry-on, “you know you work better when you’re at the scene. Walking around, looking at things, touching things, it’s when you do your best profiling Mulder.”

Sighing, “I know but I’m complaining because I won’t get to see you for who knows how long. I want my ten seconds of bitching and I will not be denied!”

A chuckle skipped up her throat, forcing her shoulders to jump and the haughty woman to look at her with distain. Scully was okay with this. “Let me know when you’re done so I can complain next.”

They went on for another ten minutes until Mulder sent her a message containing a smiley and a ‘love you … fly safe’. Even though he wouldn’t see it until he landed again, she responded in kind, then slouched back in her seat, happy to see that cologne man had left, her air field clear once again.

&&&&&&&&&&

Eventually, she made it to her hotel a little after 2am, cursing the existence of time zones, turbulence and taxi cabs whose drivers seem to have no idea where anything was in Boise. Irritated to no end, she dropped her bags on the bed, did her standard bedbug check, thankfully turned up nothing then pulled out her phone, “if you are awake, I hate Idaho and everything it stands for. I will not be eating potatoes in protest while I am here.”

Immediately her phone rang, startling her, causing her to nearly drop the thing as she answered it, “Mulder?”

“Morning, sunshine. Having a pleasant trip so far?”

His voice made her smile, which he could hear on his end and it made him happy, “it’s a tad more pleasant now. Why are you awake? It’s 2am.”

“Where you are but where I am, it’s nearly 5:30 and the sun is just coming up.”

Sleep-deprivation and the rough ride made her forget the time change, “gonna be a long day now, isn’t it?”

“Probably but that’s all right. Rather have you wake me up than anything else.” Stretching across his double bed, both bed and body creaking and popping, “so, in all great seriousness, when are we going on vacation again?”

Having already stripped while talking to him and pulled on her pajamas, she laughed, “we need to work a few weeks, build up some vacation time again before we go anywhere.”

“You are no fun this morning.”

Knowing he was only joking with her, she looked down at her wardrobe choice, “well, if I tell you that I’m wearing only your purple Grimace shirt to bed, will that make me more fun?”

“Infinitely. If I ask you to take it off and do things while you tell me what you’re doing, it would be even more fun.”

That worked on her parts quite efficiently but knowing she needed sleep more, she slid under her sheets, still clothed, “sorry, buddy, exhaustion calls but eventually, you’ll get me out of the Grimace shirt, I promise.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Whispering his good night, he let her go to sleep while he started his day.

#grimace and smurf tshirts #a different Monday #msr #xf fanfic #xfiles fanfic #my writing #Life part 2 series

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waterarcher8-blog · 6 years ago

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Eagles vs. Jaguars: 9 winners, 5 losers, 3 I don’t knows

WINNERS

DOUG PEDERSON

CARSON WENTZ

Wentz easily could’ve ended up in the “Losers” section below after he got off to a rough start.

Another downside to Wentz’s game is that his aggression can lead to risky plays. This was the game when he forced a ball to Joshua Perkins in the end zone and Jalen Ramsey picked it off.

On the season, Wentz is completing 71% of his attempts for 1,788 yards (7.9 average), 13 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 110.2 passer rating. He also has 89 rushing yards.

In other words, Wentz is pretty good.

AVONTE MADDOX

DALLAS GOEDERT

It was a good day for the Eagles’ 2018 NFL Draft class with Goedert also making a big play. Following Maddox’s forced fumble, it was Goedert who caught a 32-yard catch-and-run touchdown.

Goedert’s a big boy who knows how to get open and isn’t easy to bring down after the catch. His YAC ability is very valuable.

JORDAN MATTHEWS

JOSH ADAMS

FLETCHER COX

MALCOLM JENKINS

Jenkins got beat on a double move to allow a touchdown to Dede Westbrook, yes, but he also broke up a touchdown pass later in the game which ultimately caused the Jaguars to settle for a field goal.

EAGLES FANS

LOSERS

THE EAGLES’ OFFENSIVE LINE SITUATION

Lane Johnson is reportedly going to miss at least a month due to an MCL sprain and Jason Peters continues to struggle to stay in the game as he battles through multiple injuries.

With Johnson out, the Eagles will be moving forward with the following lineup from left to right:

Jason Peters Isaac Seumalo Jason Kelce Brandon Brooks Halapoulivaati Vaitai

Then you have Kelce clearly playing through pain, and if he has to miss time, it could be Wis shifting to center with Chance Warmack going in to play guard.

The Eagles’ offensive line situation isn’t in tip top shape moving forward. #Analysis.

COREY CLEMENT

DEXTER MCDOUGLE

Get well soon, Sidney Jones.

JALEN MILLS

D.J. ALEXANDER

I DONT KNOWS

JIM SCHWARTZ

So why isn’t he in the “winners” section?

Well, a few things.

WENDELL SMALLWOOD

JORDAN HICKS

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2018/10/28/18034132/eagles-vs-jaguars-winners-losers-final-score-recap-results-philadelphia-carson-wentz-josh-adams-nfl

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