#I love the rounded edges on my 11 pro

[sb25p]

I caved and upgraded my IPhone 11 Pro. It’s been my favourite IPhone so far 😭 I’m not happy that they didn’t do the IPhone 14 in green. The space black is cool though. Let’s see how I feel when it gets here. Did anyone jump from an IPhone 11 to an IPhone 14? If so, was it a good improvement? I use my phone for work and everything so thought I might as well get something new.

I’m not normally this attached to my phone honestly. Normally, I couldn’t care less, barely ever upgrade and when I do, I couldn’t be happier to retire my old phone. Genuinely a bit worried I’m not going to like this new phone as much as my 11 Pro. Also, I got a Pro Max for the first time. Thought it better for my shitty eyesight. Let’s see.

[straybreeze]

GX MONTH 2021

Day 1: “Hero Signal”

We’re kicking things off with everyone’s favorite hero Judai/Jaden Yuki’s birthday! Show the fluffy boi some love!

Yay, this is my very first time participating in a Tumblr event! Thank you @gxmonth for making this, I'm so excited!

I tried my best to include my OC as well, I hope it won't be too cringe lol.

Also, I would like to remark here, that I'm not a native English speaker, so if I made any grammatical errors or other mistakes, please let me know!

Word count: 2475

Pairing: implied spiritshipping

Warnings: slight angst

Happy, happy birthday Judai.

The sun was already high on the endless blue sky, showering the small apartment room in golden light when a big, orange and round thing pushed the door open with its head. The cat made his way through the mess and straight to the bed, where his owner was still sleeping. Confuting his own respectable weight, he jumped easily into the bed and snuggled up to the sleeping boy’s side, purring loudly. The quiet snoring suddenly stopped as the boy slowly opened his deep brown eyes, his hand automatically searching for the cat’s fluffy head.

“Let me sleep, Pharaoh! Just five more minutes!” Judai pleaded and covered his eyes with his free hand.

But it had been proven to be an unacceptable answer to Pharaoh. If he was hungry, nothing was an excuse for being late for breakfast. And in fact, it was almost lunchtime.

“Meow!”

However, Judai still didn’t seem willing to move, so he had to try harder.

“Ouch! Pharaoh, I know you are hungry, but I’m not your food! Don’t eat me!” Judai moaned as he sat up reluctantly. He squinted in the vivid lights, reaching the phone on the nightstand. The screen was showing 11 AM and the date below: 31th August.

31st August. The last day of summer. And his birthday.

Judai almost forgot about his nineteenth birthday. But to be honest, this day is going to be just like any other of the past week. He had nothing to do besides sitting at home and feeding Pharaoh occasionally. There was no real difference from what he did ever since he arrived from his last journey.

In fact, he was stuck in Domino City and had to stay there until he would eventually get a phone call from Chancellor Samejima. In the past one year of his life, an incoming call from his ex-headmaster meant one thing: a new job is on the sight. Not that Judai minded that. He loved travelling around the world and solving intriguing cases with his dueling skills. He didn’t continue his studies in a college, nor joined the Pro Leagues like his other friends. No, he just did the same as in his Academia years: slacking and occasionally saving the day. That is the duty of the heroes after all.

…And at least he could be useful in something as well.

Judai spent the last two weeks in this apartment, which he and Johan were renting together. In the first days, it wasn’t so hard to stay put, but Johan went on a holiday to his family in Sweden more than a week ago. He promised that he will get home before the end of summer, yet he messaged his roommate that he had to stay for a few more days. So in the end, Judai was left alone for his birthday.

Okay, not completely alone. At least Pharaoh was there for him, he thought as he strolled out to the kitchen to find some breakfast for his hungry cat. And for himself.

One year had already passed since they graduated from Duel Academia. A lot of things happened to everyone and it appeared that nobody had the time to greet Judai on his birthday. At least none of his friends told him that they would like to see him today. No missed calls, no unread messages yet.

Have they already forgotten him?

No, that was nonsense. They might be just… busy.

Sho and Manjoume have joined the Pro Leagues right after their graduation, so they were already living their restless life just like his other pro friends, Edo and Kaiser. Well, in his Academia years Judai already got used to that Edo is as much unavailable as the Emperor of Japan himself, but it appeared that Kaiser is that kind of celebrity too. Since he more or less recovered from his heart condition, he started a Cyber Pro League along with Sho and they both attended various events actively in the country and lately overseas too. Of course, Kaiser was told that he must not overstrain himself and stress too much in general, but Judai would bet that he disregarded all of those rules anyway. Especially because he hadn’t talked to him in months, so he must be busy as hell as always.

On the other hand, as far as Judai knew the Tenjoin siblings still lived in North America – Asuka was still studying in Duel College for sure while her brother, Fubuki-san was… doing something too, he assumed? Judai hadn’t heard much of them lately, but he knew that Fubuki-san followed his younger sister to chase his dreams and become an idol abroad. Judai didn’t know much about the school system of America, so Asuka might have classes at this very moment, maybe that’s why she hasn’t called him yet.

For his younger friends, Kenzan graduated from Duel Academia this summer, while Rei is going to start her last year in October. Maybe they are both on a vacation right now, enjoying themselves on a beach or something. It was still summer anyway, Judai couldn’t blame them for that.

And oh, there was Aurora, too. She was the roommate of Edo (and maybe his stepsister as well? Or something more? Who knows. She was a mystery anyway), who befriended him less than a year ago. Judai supposed she doesn’t even know that this day is his birthday.

After he gave some salmon flavored cat food and fresh water to Pharaoh, he decided to grab a bowl of cereal for breakfast and lunch at once.

As much he wanted to act like his birthday was nothing, if it was just like any other day, it made him hurt deep inside that nobody, even his closest friends haven’t paid attention to him on his day. He already got used to that his parents don’t care about him, but he thought he found a new family in his friends.

Maybe he was wrong.

But hey, it was him who abandoned them in the first place, Judai reminded himself. He was the one who left the Academia without saying goodbye and ran away from them straight to another country. He shouldn’t feel sad, because he knew that their friends would be estranged from him sooner or later. And he was the only one to blame.

Judai was so lost deep in his thoughts that he didn’t even realize that the milk was long overflowed the bowl and it was already spilling down the table. Pharaoh didn’t waste a single second: he leapt to the white liquid dripping from the edge of the table and licked it with such joy as if he had never tasted it before in his entire life.

“Dammit!” Judai moaned, then hastily wiped the milk off from the table and the parquet.

Oh well. He hadn’t been awake for ten whole minutes yet, but he already knew, birthday or no birthday, this was not going to be his day.

As the day continued, Judai climbed back to the bed and chose to do nothing today besides watching silly TV shows. He could have gone out at least for a walk, that’s true. He lived in Domino City after all, the city he loved the most. If you are a duelist, this is the best place for you in the entire world, especially if you live in downtown. The coast was not too far, Kaiba Land and other fun places were within easy reach too. But nothing was entertaining enough if you had no friends around.

“I feel like you’ve forgotten something,” Judai heard a familiar voice from all of a sudden. Slowly, the television screen became blurry as he was still staring at it, and a demonic shadow appeared at the end of his bed.

“Yubel,” he spoke their name aloud as he closed his eyes. “What did I forget?”

“Me,” came the obvious answer. “Why do you feel so lonely?”

“I’m not lonely. I’m just…” Judai began but then realized that the sentence had no continuation. “No, Yubel, everything’s good.”

“You sure?”

“Uh, yeah! I’m glad you’re here. It is enough for me.”

“You are a bad liar, Judai. You know that?”

“Hey, I mean it! I’m glad you are here, Yubel.”

“… I know.” Yubel smiled, gentler than it was imaginable from them. As they took a short break, their heterochromatic eyes curiously scanned the boy who was bound to them for an eternity. “But I still don’t understand, what is the matter with you?”

Judai didn’t answer their question. At least with words. He thought it was enough for an answer that he checked his phone every five minutes if someone messaged him already. But sadly, nobody had searched him so far.

It was already late afternoon when he finally heard the standard ringtone of his phone. He almost fell asleep again, and the vibrating sound made his heart pound in excitement. He immediately grabbed his phone, but when he checked the screen, he had mixed feelings.

The caller was Aurora, Edo’s roommate. And the last one who Judai thought would call him on his birthday.

“Hello, Rory! What up?” he greeted her, a soft smile unintentionally crossed his lips. But it had soon vanished when Aurora didn’t answer immediately. “Rory? Is something wrong?”

“Judai,” she spoke finally. Her usual melodic voice was trembling somewhat as if she was nervous. “I’m glad I could reach you!”

“Yeah, I mean, you could have totally called me all day! I had nothing to do, you know.” Maybe he shouldn’t have hinted things like these, but still.

“I see. Sorry, Judai, but may I ask you something?” Aurora’s voice still didn’t sound too firm.

“Sure, anytime!” Judai’s eyes sparkled at thought of the adventure. “But you’re fine, aren’t you?”

“Y-Yeah. I just… need to talk with someone. With you.”

“Really? Well, I’d gladly chat with you, but if you wanna talk about some… girlish thing, you know I’m not your man.”

“You will be completely fine. I wanna talk about something else, not girlish things.”

“Something happened with Edo maybe?” Judai guessed.

“Not at all! Ahw Judai, stop asking questions! I will tell you everything if I see you in person. So get ready and come!”

“Come where?”

“I’ll be waiting for you at the entrance of Kaiba Land in fifteen minutes.”

“Why there? You’re not even a duelist—„

“See you later, Judai!”

Before Judai could remark that he may not be there in fifteen minutes, Aurora had already hung up the phone. Surely, she became weirder and weirder. Maybe it was Edo who was a bad influence on her.

When Judai arrived at the said place, he was nearly jumping out of his skin. He was curious about what Aurora wanted to talk to him about, and at the same time, he was glad that he finally had a reason to leave the apartment.

Though it was still a bit unexpected that he would spend his birthday with Aurora, but why not? They were friends after all. He should have thought about her sooner.

“Judai!” Aurora shouted and waved him from the distance.

As he came closer, Aurora silently turned around and headed into the Park. It was almost sunset, the monstrous structures of Kaiba Land were glowing in orange.

“Okay, would you tell me now what are we doing here?” Judai asked while he barely could keep up with her.

“You will see, I promise!”

“Come on, Rory!”

“No worries, we are almost there!”

And that was all she told him, no matter how hard he tried to get more information. But the sparkle of hope ignited in his heart, that something bigger was standing behind this weird invitation.

Kaiba Land was slowly emptied out as the closing hour was coming, so they didn’t meet too many people. Especially as they got deeper and deeper into the amusement park.

They were nearby the rollercoaster when they finally stopped.

“Judai,” Aurora turned to him. “I know that this whole thing came from all of a sudden, and I’m so happy that you followed me without a question anyway.”

“Well, actually—”

“I hope you know that it means a lot to me. Not just me. To all of us.”

“What do you mean?”

“Judai, you have amazing friends. And you are the best among the best for all of them.”

“Rory, I’m not sure I understa—„

“SURPRISE!!”

Shouts were coming from everywhere, and suddenly a shadow of a whole crowd appeared in the dim lights of the setting sun. Before Judai could have the time to react, a short figure stood out from them and started running towards him.

“Happy birthday, Aniki!” Sho shrieked as he bumped into Judai and embraced him closely. Shortly after, he found himself surrounded by people. Surrounded by his friends.

“Happy birthday, Judai!”

“Judai-sama! I wish the bestest birthday in the world to you!”

“Nice to see you, loser! Where the hell have you been for this long?”

“Yeah, Judai, we were all waiting for you!”

“Happy birthday, Aniki-don!”

“Damn, I missed you so much!”

Everyone was there. Asuka and Rei. Manjoume, Fubuki-san and Kenzan. Sho was still holding onto him, almost crying.

“Hehe, surprise! I came back from Sweden today just because of your big day!”

Even Johan was there. He came home finally! Judai couldn’t help, but sudden warmth flowed through his body as Johan hugged him along with everyone else. Even Manjoume was in the crew.

“Hey guys, you flatter me…”

“See, Edo? We almost missed the group hug because of you.” Another familiar voice came from the distance, and when Judai glanced up, he saw Kaiser Ryo and Edo Phoenix’s silhouettes were approaching them.

“Don’t blame me because Kaiba Seto himself wanted to talk with me. But I assume you can still join the group hug if you’re really that desperate.”

When the pros reached the crew, they greeted Judai in unison.

“Happy birthday, Judai!”

“You two…”

“In fact, these two were the masterminds for this plan,” Aurora joined the celebration too. “Happiest birthday for you!”

With suppressed tears in his eyes, Judai looked around his friends. Yeah, Aurora had right. He had the best friends in the world and now he felt terrible guilt that he had ever questioned them. Yubel were right after all, for not understanding what was his problem. Now he didn’t understand too.

“Okay, who wants some cake?”

“WAIT, we have cake?” Judai asked in shock. How the hell did they bring it to here?

“Of course! I mean you have it, Judai,” Asuka corrected him.

Before Judai could shout in happiness, his phone started ringing again. To his surprise, Chancellor Samejima called him.

“Happy birthday, Judai! Are you ready for your next adventure?”

Judai couldn’t help but smile again.

“Ready as I’ll ever be!”

[emmastudies]

Hey Emma. I’m thinking about switching my HP laptop with a MacBook and I have no idea where to start. What I care about most is the screen inches xd but I dunno if I can afford a pro but I’m looking for 2nd hand options and found these. I will mainly use it for work and watching movies lol. Can you please rank these 😅 or give any suggestions. Tysm xo

MB pro i7 2016 15”

MB pro i7 2018 15”

MB air i5 2018 13”

MB pro i5 2017 13”

Hey! 13” is big enough for general work and life stuff absolutely - I used an 13” (MBP 2011) for personal/school, and an 11” Lenovo my school provided, for all of my high school education. Both were great for what I needed. The main reason I updated in 2017 was because it was getting incredibly hot whilst using it - but 6 years of constant use without issue.

I did upgrade to a 2017 15” MBP and do very much enjoy the screen size. However, it was quite huge and heavy for uni. I didn’t want to buy a new backpack specifically for it either so taking it into class wasn’t the easiest thing due to the size. Some of the lecture tables weren’t great either - only the older halls though. I do love the bigger screen but it does make it a heavy laptop, especially in comparison to an Air or 13”. Definitely the less practical of the options.

I really don’t want to sway you in a particular direction with more comparisons of them all, but from my limited knowledge, the Airs are generally cool for basic work – web browsing, word processing, etc. They’re much lighter and I do like the silver edge hah! The 13” Pros are a good general all round laptop. It is what my sister used for all of her high school. They have the extra umph incase you need it. Might be a bonus for second hand perhaps! And the 15” is great for the extra screen size but I wouldn’t say it improved my schooling for any reason. I think the one which you’re getting the best bang for your buck is the way to go!

One thing to check for with any of these laptops is the screen. Mine and my sisters were both produced with this glue which is deteriorating around the edge of the screen. It basically adds a smudging around the edge. It hasn’t posed an actual issue to me as well, it’s just a tad ugly when the screens off.

Hope this helps!

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hello Steph! First, thank you for everything you do for this fandom!! I don’t know what we would do without you!! ♥️ I am looking to start my first novel length Johnlock fic. I found your list, and was wondering if you had a specific one to recommend to start off with? I’m looking for something that won’t make me too sad (the world does that on its own), and of course, lots of Johnlock!! Any recommendations would be appreciated, thank you!! Sending love!! *hugs*

HI NONNY!

Hmm, this is tough, because Novel Length is anything over 50K words, but some people don’t want to read “novels that short”. So I get a lot of requests for Epic novels over 100K, so like WOOO HOO LOL.

Hmm. How about I give you a few recs varying lengths, based on your requirements, and you can decide how long you want to go, since I list all my word counts on my recs?

First off, for when you become obsessed with the lengthy fics like I am now LOL:

Novel Length Fics: 50 to 100K (Nov. 2018)

Novel Length Fics: 50 to 100K Pt 2 (May 2020)

Novel Length Fics: 100K+ w. (May 2019)

Novel Length Fics: 100K+ w. Pt 2 (Aug 2020)

Novel Length Fics: 100K+ w. Pt 3 [MFL’s] (Dec 2020)

Next, here’s something for each range between 50 and 100K+ <3

BUT BEFORE I BEGIN: honourable mention because it IS my fave fic ever, and it fits your criteria minus the length so SORRY but please check it out:

A Promise Made to Be Broken by PlantsAreNeat (E, 37,018 w., 7 Ch. || Fake Relationship, Pining, Slow Burn, RST, Eventual Relationship, POV Sherlock) – A young John makes an ‘if we’re still single at 40, we’ll get together’ pledge to a woman who ends up all wrong for him. She keeps reminding him of the promise, and won’t let go of it. John asks Sherlock to pose as his boyfriend at a family wedding, so as to dash her hopes permanently. Sherlock, who has at last acknowledged his feelings for John, reluctantly agrees despite knowing how painful it will be to ‘have’ John, but not keep him.

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Okay, now the main event, of more-fluff-than-angst:

NOVEL LENGTH NOT-SO-ANGSTY FICS FOR NEWBIES

Spare Change by Ermerness (E, 51,966 w., 14 Ch. || Rich Holmeses AU || First Kiss / Time, Holmes Family, Virgin Sherlock, Anal, First Meetings, Bossy Bottomlock) – The Holmes family is one of the richest and most powerful in England. Sherlock spends his time flying around the world on the family's private jet drinking a lot and shopping at expensive boutiques as a way of trying to alleviate his endless boredom. His mother decides it's time he settles down with someone powerful, wealthy and well connected. John Watson happens to be none of those things.

Guilty Secrets by Ellipsical (E, 55,086 w., 16 Ch. || Post-TRF, Drumsticks, First Kiss/Time, Love Confession, Self-Sexual-Discovery, Anal, Rimming, Orgasm Denial, Butt Plugs, Cooking, Furniture Sex, Bath Sex, Rimming, Double Penetration, Prostate Massage, Anal Beads, Dancing, Romance, Tantric Edging, Internalized Homophobia, Case as Foreplay, Anal Beads, Tickling, Dancing, Dry Coming, Romance) – John has a prostate exam and discovers something surprising about himself. Experimentation follows. Sherlock wants to help. They're in love. You know the drill.

Bridging the Ravine by SilentAuror (E, 58,887 w., 3 Ch. || Post S4, Couple For a Case, Bed-Sharing, First Times, Confessions, Awkwardness, Sex Trafficking, Massages, Wet T-Shirt Contest, Group Therapy, Past Loss of Child) – Sherlock and John go undercover at Ravine Valley, a therapy centre for same-sex male couples in an investigation into a possible human trafficking ring. As they pose as a couple and fake their way through the therapy sessions for the sake of the case, it quickly becomes difficult to avoid discussing their very real issues. Set roughly six nine months after series 4.

Perdition's Flames by i_ship_an_armada (E, 63,435 w., 21 Ch. || Treklock AU, Est. Rel, Genetic Engineering, Angst & Fluff, BAMF!John) – Sherlock would do anything to save him. Risk anything. Give anything. His money, his life. His soul. What he does, though, is change both of their destinies forever. Genetic re-engineering is the only option left. It turns out researchers underestimated the life expectancy and potential abilities of genetically re-engineered subjects. The British government and what would eventually become the United Federation of Planets, however, had not. Part 1 of PF Universe

A Cure For Boredom by emmagrant01 (E, 81,665 w., 8 Ch. || Dirty Talk, Threesomes, Light Dom/Sub, Sex Club, Experiments, Anal, Mildly Dubious Consent, Rimming, Cheeking, Double Penetration, Mild Kink, Porn Watching, Voyeurism, Masturbation) – They’d never talked about sex in the year they’d known each other. Well, that wasn’t quite correct: Sherlock had never said a word about sex; John had bemoaned his personal dearth of it on many occasions.

Uphill by scullyseviltwin (E, 84,945 w., 18 Ch. || Olympics AU || Sherlock POV, Skier!Sherlock / Medic!John, Rivalry, 2014 Olympics, Happy Ending) – Sherlock Holmes is striving for gold in this, his fourth and final Olympics as a downhill Alpine racer.

A Study in Winning by Jupiter_Ash (E, 106,658 w., 11 Ch. || Tennis AU || John POV, Dirty Talk, Mutual Pining, Misunderstandings, Happy Ending, Sherlock Speaks French, Switchlock, Wimbledon) – John and Sherlock are professional tennis players and it’s Wimbledon. One is a broken almost was at the end of his career, the other an arrogant rising star tipped for greatness. It should have been a straightforward tournament. It really should have been. How were they to know that a chance encounter would change everything? Part 1 of Tennis

A Further Sea by i_ship_an_armada & ShinySherlock (E, 125,492 w., 23 Ch. || Historical Pirates AU || Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Doctor John / Pirate Captain Sherlock, Sailing, UST / RST, Masturbation, Action / Adventure, Mild Angst & Peril, Romance, Shaving, Molly/Janine, Bottomlock, Hand / Blow Jobs, Past Drug Use, Slow Burn, Mild Violence, Facial Shaving, Happy Ending) – Here be a tale of adventure for both body and soul, but beware if ye be not of stout heart, for this be piratelock, ya savvy? Luckless ship's surgeon John Watson takes a chance, and finds himself eye to eye with The Ghost, the scourge of the seven seas and a definite thorn in the side of the blaggard, James Moriarty. But when John finds there's more to this most cunning pirate than be meetin' the eye, he has to choose... is it a pirate's life for him?

The Horse and his Doctor by khorazir (T, 129,003 w., 13 Ch. || Horse / Vet AU || Magical Realism, Horses, Vet John, Horse Sherlock, Implied Alcoholism) – Invalided after a run in with a poacher in Siberia, veterinary surgeon John Watson finds it difficult to acclimatise to the mundanity of London life. Things change when a friend invites him along to a local animal shelter and he meets their latest acquisition, a trouble-making Frisian with the strangest eyes and even stranger quirks John has ever encountered in a horse.

The Bang and the Clatter by earlgreytea68 (M, 137,049 w., 37 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Baseball AU || Slow Burn / Dev. Rel., Possessive/Obsessive Sherlock, Jealous Sherlock, Mutual Pining, Body Appreciation, Depression, Closeted Sexuality, Family, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Ogling Each Other, Anxious Sherlock, Panic Attack, Drunkenness, Talk of Forever, Big Feelings™) – Sherlock Holmes is a pitcher and John Watson is a catcher. No, no, no, it's a baseball AU. Part 1 of Baseball

Midnight Blue Serenity by BeautifulFiction (E, 151,907 w., 19 Ch. || Friends to Lovers, Gay Bar / For a Case, Drugs, Pining, Case Fic, UST) – When Sherlock infiltrates a club in order to track down a serial killer, his altered appearance is enough to make John question his assumption that Sherlock is beyond his reach. However, is he the only one who appreciates his flatmate's charms, or is Sherlock at risk of becoming the next victim?

Gimme Shelter by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John (E, 159,368 w., 21 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || 70′s Surfer AU || Period Typical Homophobia, Hawaii, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Professional Surfers, Gay John / Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, John was a Sailor, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining) – All John Watson wants is the feeling of a freshly waxed surfboard under his feet and the hot California sun baking down onto his back. To finally go pro in the newly formed world of professional surfing and leave the dark memories of his past behind him as he rips across the face of a towering blue barrel. To lounge beside the beach bonfire every evening with an ice cold beer tucked into the cool sand beside him and listen to Pink Floyd and the Doors while the saltwater dries in his sun bleached hair. That's all he wants, that is, until the hot young phenom taking Oahu and the Hawaiian shores by storm steps up next to him in the sand in the second round of the 1976 International Surf Competition. (PUBLISHED AS ‘The Sea Ain’t Mine Alone’)

Mise en Place by azriona (M, 161,004 w., 28 Ch. || Restaurant (Kitchen Nightmares) AU || Sherlock is Gordon Ramsay / Celebrity Sherlock, Restauranteur John, Harry Plays Prominent Role, Alternating POV, Mutual Pining, Cranky Sherlock, Bed Sharing, Slow Burn) – John Watson had no intentions of taking over the family business, but when he returns from Afghanistan, battered and bruised, and discovers that his sister Harry has run their restaurant into the ground, he doesn't have much choice. There's only one thing that can save the Empire from closing for good – the celebrity star of the BBC series Restaurant Reconstructed, Chef Sherlock Holmes. Part 1 of Mise en Place

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Hope you enjoy those!!! <3 PLEASE read them all, though, and THEN READ ALL THE ONES ON THOSE LISTS. Because once you start long fics, you get REALLY INTO THEM. Hah hah <3

[littlefreya]

The Way to Hell - Part 5

*No permission is given for reposting my work, copying it or parts of the source material and claiming it as your own*

Summary: Post Mi6 - August manages to escape with his face intact and just won himself the title of being the most dangerous man on earth. With every agent in the world on the hunt for him, life became a living hell, but that’s okay because hell is where he reigns.

Too bad for the woman who’ll stand in his way.

Chapters: 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 |

Pairing: August Walker x OFC (Ingvild)

Word count: 4K

Warnings: Dark themes, kidnapping, gore, slight violence, mentions of sexual encounters, dirty words, sexual threats. It’s August, he’s the baddest of bad boys!

A/N: Thanks again for reading guys, I am having fun with August and Igni 💖 and really enjoy reading your feedback so keep it coming! Thanks @agniavateira for editing my work and consulting me through and through!

Title: History of a Bad Man

“Sit down,” August commands coldly, his hand pushing her bony shoulder, forcing her to sit on the bed. Ingvild’s behind lands on the mattress with a bounce, her gaze remaining on the strange menacing man as he moves through the room with harsh steps. An irritated look mars his face as he looks for something.

She exploits the sparse moment of false freedom, searching for his well-concealed arsenal. Liam’s words of wisdom from her days of training echo in her mind. “There is always a slip,” an absentee of the mind. This large dangerous man might be an equal opponent yet he is just a man. 

And this agent of chaos had his plan interrupted, ironic as it may be. In his fine work of hiding most of the weapons from her reach, he remained negligent, keeping his handgun next to the laptop on his desk. 

Keep in mind he carries that knife with him. The scar on her torso should be a keen reminder.

“Can I at least have my undergarments back? Or do you plan to keep me here naked, Mr. Walker?” she calmly asks.

“I don’t plan to keep you.” August speaks with no real emotion in his voice. He has left her clothes to dry on the radiator throughout the night. Her tactical suit is still damp but her ridiculously small underwear and bra seem to have dried. He picks them up, then carelessly throws them at her face before grabbing the large medical kit. 

The garments are warm and pleasant to the touch. Ingvild manages to slip into her underwear beneath the bathrobe with haste before August returns to sit in his chair. 

Appearing determined, he unzips the blue medical bag, preparing some bandages and pulling out a bottle of antiseptic. “Open up,” he speaks, gesturing at the white cotton robe around her body. 

She stares at him oddly, her hands latching onto the fabric. 

He sighs, rolling his eyes at her. Fine lines of irritation are drawn on his forehead. “The bandage is wet and needs to be replaced. Do you want your wound to get infected?” 

Cautiously she observes him, wondering what brings a malicious man who tried to kill her only a few hours ago to tend to her wound. It seems like any action he performs is robotic, as if he is still in the CIA, following protocols. Curiosity sets her mind, driving her to follow his request with obedience and untie the cotton bind that holds the robe together.     

August keeps his leer on his face, whether she is frightened by him or not he can’t determine. She seems trained in hiding or faking her emotions.

As most women are.  

His fingers pry the robe open, just enough to uncover the fusty bandage on her torso. 

Carefully, his eyes descend from her face to her chest, unable to ignore the way the fabric hangs on the edge of her small perky breast. The roundness of it appears tempting enough to sink his teeth in and leave a nice, bleeding bite mark for another scar on that beautiful pure skin.  

You love it when they’re pure.

He brushes that vampiric thought away, trying to keep a clear, indifferent mind as he begins to peel the medical tape from her pale flesh.    

The coldness on his face is mesmerizing. There is not an inch of care as he removes the old bandages and exposes her ghastly injury. The crescent line is bulging out, looking purple and irritated while the damaged skin around the area of the wound is white with a tint of blue. She stares at it with almost clinical fascination, her gaze tracing the shape and the amateur-looking stitches without saying a word.

Not even a complaint about damaging her fine-looking body?

“You haven’t answered my question.” His deep voice disturbs her exploration, forcing her to avert her gaze to his face. He is stern, focused on the wound as if he has any care for her well-being. Using the back of his fingers, he moves one side of the robe to further examine the status of the stitches. 

“Which one? You ask so many August, you’re like a really boring date.” 

If truth be told, the last 14 hours have been anything but boring. She kissed death on its fickle lips and was brought back to life by the devil himself to later share moments of carnal euphoria in front of one another. 

All in a day’s work. 

Yet she prevents him from having that pride, gifting him with snide in her voice and one of her trademark scornful smirks. He smirks back, giving her just as much as hatred in return while opening the bottle of alcohol and pouring some of it onto the sterile gauze. 

Oh princess, I’m about to enjoy how much this is going to hurt.

“One: I asked you who Liam is.” he raises his voice and presses the damp gauze onto the wound without warning. His eyes shine with child-like anticipation, waiting for the scream that never leaves her controlled breath. The torment in her glassy grey eyes is apparent yet her face is stoic, not even a twitch of a muscle as she swallows her suffering and keeps her pride.

Impressive. 

“Let’s play a game then,” she suggests, her voice strained as she forces herself to speak without any sign of tremor from the searing pain that’s inflicted upon her. August cocks one eyebrow up, curious to hear her suggestion.

“Quid pro quo.”

His head tilts to the side, considering the idea. If anything, August Walker always loved to speak about himself, even when people didn’t know it was himself he was speaking of. Hiding behind the pseudonym of John Lark, he speaks about his horrifying actions as if he was some ghost or a myth, while all the glory was always his.

“Whatever.” He agrees to her terms and continues to wipe the wound clean, applying a wisp of more alcohol to cleanse the blood clots that formed around the stitches. He imagines this hurts like hell, if he was in her place right now he’d be squirming with agony yet she keeps her composure, eyes still as death.

Ingvild watches as he leans closer, his head nearly rests on her chest. He takes his time, patiently examining and cleaning the injury he inflicted on he. August Walker is a patient man. She takes a mental note before deciding to answer his question. “Liam is my job trafficker.”

“You mean your pimp?” he mocks her, his stormy blue eyes granting her a glimpse of his disrespectful reaction before he places the bloodstained gauze away. 

He is answered with silence, cold and unyielding, just like her. “Does he or anyone else know I’m here?” he asks, taking an antiseptic ointment and applying it onto a new piece of gauze.

“Are you not a man of your word, August Walker?” she asks and leans back as he presses the bandage onto the wound. “Quid pro quo, remember?”

No, I am the great deceiver.

Her eyes are at him, claiming sincerity from a man who tried to lie and trick her from the moment they first met. But then again, she also was never honest with him to begin with, pretending to be just a girl when she was anything but.  

A deep arduous sigh escapes his mouth. He takes a larger piece of dressing and places it onto the wound to cover the entire area.

“Fine, ask away.”

She stares as he takes the medical tape and cuts it into smaller pieces, placing the first piece between her skin and the dressing. He then smooths his finger over the tape to keep the bandage tight on her wound.

“Why do you want to destroy the world, August Walker?” 

August pauses, lifting his eyes again to meet her face. She has her chin resting on her fist, staring at him with pure and sick fascination. Almost as if she’s excited to hear the history of this very bad man. It occurs to him in that very instant that the girl who was sent out to eliminate him has not a drop of idea of who she’s been sought out to hunt. Typical Erica Sloane, he thought, let the dogs sniff him out but tell them nothing. 

“You really know nothing do you, little girl?”

“I got your file, it tells me everything about you: army service, height, weight, all your operations, skills, achievements, and ex-girlfriends. All the boring stuff.” She explains, watching the frown that forms on his face as if his ego is bruised. “I know that you tried to detonate a nuclear device almost a week ago, but I don’t know why, it’s as if, pieces of the puzzle are… missing?”

She nearly hisses as August places the last piece of tape on her dressing, the careful, clinical touch from before is now replaced by a crude, punishing one. “Did Erica mention what she did?” he asks, pressing his thumb against the tape to create more pressure. “Did she tell you about the rot in the CIA and the government? A system so biased and corrupt that it forces people like you to fall victim to the sickness the old world order created.”  

Ingvild watches him intently, ignoring the punishment his fingers wrongfully inflict on her wound as if she’s the one to blame. There is a blazing hot fury in his eyes but also an emotion she hasn’t seen before, deeming those ocean blues to look like an animal that was injured, or stripped off of its pride. 

Curious, she thinks to herself while his thumb tightens another tape to her skin and slides onto her torso, grazing the naked skin unkindly. 

“I am going to fix the world, princess.” He answers with a rasp in his voice, glaring fiercely into those rain cloud eyes when something hard and cold pushes beneath his chin. The black barrel of a gun, of his gun, sinks into the softness of the tender flesh beneath his jaw.

There is a sick smile dancing on her face as she holds the gun to his face, her finger resting on the trigger, flirting with it while August stares at her in a mixture of surprise and fury.

“No you won’t,” she speaks, and pulls the trigger.

The empty metallic click rings in his ears, but not even a twitch or a wrinkle forms at his face as she pushes her finger against the little nub. She pulls the trigger for the second time and then for the third. All the lines in her brow become apparent, her eyes narrowed with hatred and frustration as she continues to shoot the unloaded gun with gritted teeth. 

August grabs her wrist tightly, pulling her hand away and forcing the gun out of her hand. “You really thought I didn’t see you take my gun?” He asks with an arrogant smirk on his face. “That I’d be stupid enough to leave a loaded gun unsupervised with a woman like you, princess?”

She utters a small growl, staring at him with deadly determination while trying to wrest her wrist free from his grasp to no use. “Stop calling me princess. I will kill you, August Walker.”  

August hisses with disrespect while staring deeply into her eyes, as if seeking for something in them. Her glare is bewitching. He imagines she has great power over every man who stands in her way like a black widow, luring her prey into the web. 

But he is not falling for these tricks. These days are long gone.

With the brisk move of his hands, her wrists are captured and she is forced flat onto the mattress. He places one knee over and shoves her crudely to lie straight between the pillow before slamming her hands onto the bars of the bed. There are no screams of fear or protest from her mouth, but small whispered grunts as she slightly squirms beneath him instead. 

It would have been so fun to break her, to strip her from her tightened control and expand her range of emotions to new heights of fear and suffering. But time is not his ally and he imagines it would take more than a few hours.  

With wrists so slender he manages to easily subdue her with one hand. Ingvild sucks her breath, watching as the large man hovers above her, appearing much larger and stronger than he did before. If not for her injury, she would have fought him and flipped him over before he knew it but he disarmed her without difficulty. He made her weak and it only makes her heart throb and her skin crawl with tingling anger.    

“Don’t try to fight me, it’s not gonna help,” he warns her as he reaches one lengthy arm to the nightstand where remnants of the rope are hidden. 

“Convenient,” she teases fearlessly and watches as he moves back and slings the rope over the bars and around her hands several times. His hand tugs at the binds, making sure it’s tight enough to make her hands turn white due to the blood circulation being cut off. The rope hurts her skin, her fingers splay succumbing to the pain and a small moan leaves her lush pink lips.

There it was, the sound he’s been waiting to hear all day long. She’s yielding to her suffering, letting the pain flow through her form. Letting go of the binds, his hand moves to hover above her face, the phantom of a memory of those same eyes soaked in pleasure in his mind. Ingvild stares back silently, yet the bemusement in her eyes is distinguished. She looks like an animal, unsure and untrusting of the predator who stands before her.

August allows his thumb to stroke her cheek, feeling the small flinch beneath the tip of his finger. He traces the outline of her jaw, giving her a small hazy grin. His lips inch closer to hers, his eyes shutting as he visibly inhales the scent of her body. “Don’t provoke me angel, I won’t stop even if you cry.”   

Her eyes focus on the freckles at his nose, secretly counting them before her gaze drops to his lips, studying the shape beneath the coarse hair of his moustache. August awaits for that rewarding expression of fear to shadow her face yet she gives him not an inch of vulnerability. Twice he had the empty pit that is her soul naked. Once at the lake, the other in the shower. This is a woman he saw in two of her very worst moments in life yet her composure is a desert of ice. 

“Huh…” He huffs with intrigue and shifts away from the bed, leaving her captive and helpless with pain building in her wrists.

“Where are you heading next?” Ingvild teases, knowing she will not receive a solid answer. Her eyes follow August as he rushes through the room, trying to learn every detail that may provide a hint of where he is heading next.

Ignoring her he grabs the leather traveling bag, placing it on the desk and pausing as he begins to carefully calculate his steps. The sun highlights his tall frame as he stands still. Ingvild stares at how the light makes him look golden and almost god-like. 

“Will you just leave poor little me like this?” She asks with false sweetness on her tongue, her hands tugging  the ties fruitlessly, making the bars shake and the pain in her wrists worse with the friction of the rope cutting into her skin.

August chuckles, turning to look at her as she attempts to provoke him. “Don’t worry love, housekeeping will pick you up at one point.”

He collects every item meticulously, sweeping through the room to make sure nothing is forgotten. The room appears more tidy and organized than it was before he walked in, except of course, for the half-naked woman tied to the bed posts. 

I’m sure it will make for some hilarious stories among the hotel staff. 

His mobile phone buzzes, a message from Knight_of_Darkn3ss has been received. 

“Fucking idiotic nerd name.” He mutters and shakes his head as he opens the message:

“I have arranged an exit point for you. The Love boat leaves in 2 hours. Better hurry, Lark.” 

“I’ll keep coming after you, Walker Texas Ranger…” She sounds peaceful as she makes her threat, as if she’s speaking politely of the weather or asking him about his day. “I always finish a job.”

He slips the phone back into his pocket and turns to stare at the girl who is no longer afraid to die. Now vamping with death instead, she lies relaxed in the sun-shower of the bed, surrounded by a sea of white sheets with red floral patterns. They look more like splatters of blood from where he is standing.

She doesn’t fight the bind that holds her anymore, remaining calm with her hands above her head like a sacrifice.

“Should I have left you to die then?” August asks darkly, making his advance toward her with long, heavy strides. His eyes are shadowed with lust for the kill, like a hunter that hunts for sport. He hovers above her once more, staring deep into those icy grey eyes. 

“I wanted to grant you the gift of always knowing I took your life and gave it back.” He answers cruelly, and bites his lower lip. His hand hovers over her form, moving like a maddened composer. “Enjoy whatever life I gave you, sweet Ingvild. Don’t play the hero and try to save the world, or try chasing me. I won’t be merciful next time.”

A cold grin begins to spread across her face, slowly growing into vile laughter that thunders in his ears. “I don’t care if this world burns, let it go to ashes.” She stares at him sincerely, her grin now replaced by a determined hateful glare.

“All I care about is the job. I will terminate you.” 

The world was indeed in her last concern. It was never kind to her and she cared very little about the stupid people who harboured it and even less about the ugliness and toxicity that it stenched from. Her only concern in life was to never fail a mission. And Liam, who was the only person she had what she believed to be a relationship of some sort. 

Bewildered and impressed by her brutal honesty, he nearly allows himself to fall deeper into the trap that is being offered in front of him. The temptation to delve deeper and seek those vulnerabilities, to rip her to shreds now when she is in her weakest moments. But he clears his mind from thoughts, forbidding them to pester him of ghosts from his previous life. He is a man on a mission and now he must leave the girl behind.

“Farewell, dear Ingvild.” 

Ingvild watches carefully, trying to comprehend his actions as he crouches above her, imprisoning her square chin with his forceful fingers. As he sinks closer, his breath caresses her skin, and she smells the scent of coffee and cologne mixed with his natural musk. Her heartbeats become abnormal, as if preparing her body for battle. She tries to escape his grip as his fingers travel to her throat, realizing he means to snap her neck. 

But instead she is assaulted by the tender brush of his lips, slow and feather-like they land onto hers. August feels a delicacy so tender that his instinct is to sink his teeth in it. Yet he reverts from it, pulling away before these thoughts grow into actions.  

Silence takes the room as he departs, making strong hasty strides while grabbing his traveling bag. Ingvild watches how his long coat flings in the air like a cape of a villain as he hurries to the door. He doesn’t look back, not even when he shuts the door, leaving her alone in the room with her lips tingling.

*~*~*

It took nearly 20 minutes to fight for her freedom. She tugged, pushed, and tore off the skin from her wrists until the wooden bars gave in before her hands did. At one point she felt as if she was close to blacking out. She was injured, starved, and dehydrated yet she endured. Adrenaline is spiking liquid in the tendons of her throat, keeping her fighting like a berserker.

Being beaten was a physical concept she never experienced before. She got her ass kicked in the past, during training, during a combat. But she won and bested every target. Even Liam who was heavier and skilled eventually fell on his back with her heel shoved onto his chest.

August Walker taught her the true meaning of failure and lack of control. The more thoughts of killing him sprang in her mind, the more it felt like butterflies that were locked fluttering in her chest.     

Dressed in her still damp suit and a pair of gloves, she unlocks the door to her apartment with a meek hand. She’s not so surprised to find Liam sitting on her couch with a look of disdain on his face, not even bothering to look concerned at her sickly pallor. 

She gives him an odd glare as she shuts the door behind her. “Were you waiting here all day long with the same face and didn’t move until the moment I walked in, or did you time this?”

“Where the hell were you? I couldn’t call or trace you,” Liam ignores her joke, giving her a stern glare while quickly observing her messy appearance. “This isn’t like you, Ingvild, you are not clumsy.” 

“I dropped my phone into the toilet while I was on a date,” she teases again, shaking her head at him with fake disbelief and then throws her key at the stand near the door. August’s folder is on the coffee table in the living room, just where she left it before leaving on her failed mission. 

She ignores Liam’s unsatisfied face, bouncing on her feet lightly and then sitting down next to the coffee table while grabbing the file to reread it.

Liam glares at her with a clenched jaw, his lips stretched to a thin line while he looks at the girl as she acts so juvenile. Legs crossed together while her eyes sift through the documents urgently, she tries to find anything that will give a clue.  

“You think this is a game? You know the terms of your contract, don’t make me remind you what happens if you fail.” He looks at her, reminded of the day he collected her from the orphanage, a weird little girl with a murderous look on her face. Much of her remained the same. The ability to know what really went through that complicated mind of hers was impossible..She was blocked, incapable of feeling anything but starvation in her heart. He only assumed it was for violence.   

“I want to read his manifesto,” she lifts her gaze to meet Liam's face. Curiosity is shining on her weary eyes. “Why was it not in the file?”

The older man shrugs, curling his mouth. “Sloane didn’t include it. It’s irrelevant to your mission. Have you made any progress in tracking him?”  

“I was naked in bed with him,” she answers nonchalantly, giving him a fake smile and then returning her eyes to the section on the file that mentions his past relationships. Her finger travels down through the list, mouthing the names of his many conquests. No wonder they called him “The Hammer”. There were so many of them. 

“Are you going to answer me, Ingi?” 

“I need a new phone and I need to get to England tonight if possible.” She finally answers, closing the file and jumping to her feet which she immediately regrets for the astonishing pain in her torso. All day long, since the moment she opened her eyes to find herself in August’s bed, all she wanted to do was throw up from the pain and scream into a pillow. 

Liam gets up from his seat as well, the older man towering above her and taking a step forward while studying the determination on her face. “What’s in London, girl?” 

“A lead.”    

_____________________________________________________

Disclaimer: I do not own Mission Impossible and August Walker!

[paganinpurple]

A Feline’s Family - MariChat May 2019

Tired. So tired. It's only 10pm. Work is killing me, I'm sure of it. 

If I die, work sus.

Buy Me A Coffee?

AO3

Chapters (If there’s no link, it’s not written yet)

1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10

11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20

21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30  31

Day 23 - Pillows and Blankets

Just because he wasn’t Chat Noir all the time didn’t mean he wasn’t Chat Noir all the time.

There were certain things about having spent so long as Chat before he had let Marinette and then her parents in on his secret that seemed to have skewed his appreciation for some of the same things that Plagg loved.

Soft pillows beneath his head, warm blankets around him. Cosy material against his skin and a delicious spot of sun shining down on his torso from the skylight above him.

Warmth.

The blessed warmth that had finally returned to him in full. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Marinette was the source of most of that warmth. He glanced over at her sleeping face –relaxed and gorgeous– despite the spot of drool currently threatening to drip from the corner of her mouth. He gave a soft chuckle and carefully wiped it away with his thumb, causing her to nuzzle her face further into the pink pillow they both shared. He carefully shifted a bit closer to her, gingerly reaching back out to stroke her arm as he considered how she would react if she woke up with him slinking into her snug little bubble.

He thought back to how timid she’d seemed last night when she’d first suggested they share the bed. Even though she had appeared more relaxed than he was when they had first gotten in, he wasn’t sure how much of her confidence was down to her delayed illness and the related lack of inhibitions. Maybe if she woke up feeling renewed, his presence would become a shock.

He balanced himself precariously between the pros and cons of her waking up in a marvellous cuddle-puddle with him. The pros involved the enchanting warmth, the scent of her hair and her supple slightness against his own body; the cons, his own deep-burrowing insecurities and possibly an outrageous physical reaction from the startled girl as she woke.

He was just recalling how much her embarrassed shoves and other attacks had been escalating lately when she surprised him with a violent shiver from beneath the duvet. His arm was wrapped around her with haste and he swore the movement of it blurred before his very eyes. Delicately, he cradled her against him, leaving plenty of space on her side of the bed. That way, he reasoned, she wouldn’t feel trapped if she woke up and instinctively tried to pull away from him in shock.

He felt a tug at his chest and glanced down at the small hand twisting into his shirt lightly, sincere affection once again melting through him as a wave of love with a slight hint of embarrassment flooded his mind. She continued her assault on the fabric, frowning slightly when she didn’t seem better able to grip the material to pull him closer. Instead, she slunk into the last available sliver of space between them, nuzzling his collar bone with her nose. Her only sound was a slight grumble when his sudden shaky breath disturbed the hair hanging against her face.

“M-Marinette?” he said breathily.

Another sharp shiver was his only answer and this time it was followed by a continuous shuddering as her body fought to warm off the invading chill seeping into her very bones.

He tried to reach above him to grab the huge cat pillow she kept on her bed, hoping to position it against her back like a second body to keep all of her heat from escaping, but her hold on his shirt tightened as if he were trying to desert her and she didn’t agree with his departure at all.

He quickly examined the death-grip of her fingers and made a half-hearted attempt to pry them away before the whine that left her throat had him abandoning that idea in an instant.

“Plagg!” he whisper-shouted with urgency.

“Hmm?” grumbled the familiar voice of his kwami sleepily from somewhere on the bookshelf above his head.

“I need to transform.”

“Wh-?” Plagg cut off with a yawn before popping his head over the edge of the shelf, “What time is it? I never heard the akuma alert go off.”

Adrien glared at the tiny creature. “It’s not an akuma and it’s not even that early!” he said in annoyance. His eyes widened and trailed the area around him for a beat before he added, “Probably.”

“Then why…?” Plagg said, trailing off with a grin as he noticed the way Marinette’s fingers were attempting to infuse themselves into the fibres of his clothing. “Oh, I see. Isn’t this the kind of thing you’d usually kill to have happening between you two?”

“Not when she’s freezing, and I can’t move to reach anything to help her!” he spluttered indignantly, averting his eyes from the smug little god.

With a brief shrug from the kwami in response, Adrien called for his transformation, the fabric Marinette was holding onto disappearing in the process of becoming Chat Noir and releasing him from her sleepy constraint.

She fumbled for him and in turn he moved quickly, pulling the duvet up to her chin and tucking it in beneath her back to trap in as much heat as he could. The cat pillow was snuggled in against her back as well, another defence against any pesky draughts that might try to attack with a chill.

He had barely finished his little nest when a small hand clutched at his bell and hauled him back down to the mattress. The high-pitched yelp that he expelled would have been hilarious if he’d heard it from anyone else, and he was extremely thankful that Plagg was vocally-challenged right now because of his transformation.

Refusing to give him an opportunity to remove himself from her clutches, Marinette unleashed another sleeping sneak attack and folded both of her arms around his middle. Her hands met somewhere around the small of his back and from the feel of it, she had interlocked them to keep him from pulling away again.

“Purr,” she sighed dreamily before a scowl slowly began to adorn her face instead. He smiled as she began to gently nudge his chest with her temple.

Taking his cue, he concentrated until he could feel his chest rumble and a gentle hum accompanying it. Relaxing himself once the purr had become instinctive, he allowed his eyes to flutter closed again, his lashes feathering against his cheeks, and found himself drifting off to sleep once more.

*

Eyelids flickered and twitched as a strange sound reached his ears.

Chat opened his heavy lids again to the sight of dark raven locks and caught the overpowering scent of flour in the air, but he was no closer to understanding why he had woken this time. With a smile, he buried his nose in Marinette’s dark hair and that strange sound from before repeated again.

With a wrinkled brow he slowly dragged his head from the pillow to see if he could spy a source and whipped round when he saw someone from the corner of his eye.

At the foot of the bed sat Marinette’s mother, her eyes dewed, hands clasped over her heart against her floury apron. Her lips were turned up in an amused smirk and when she saw him staring at her in horror, Chat heard the sound again, as yet another muffled chuckle escaped her.

“Sabine!” he wobbled, “I can explain! I-”

“Shush! My goodness, don’t wake her!” she said, palms out towards him in an attempt to calm him down.

“Huh?,” he whispered, perplexed, “I don’t understand. Aren’t you mad?”

…

Well, he’d never been on the receiving end of that look before.

Sabine often used a unique way of alerting Marinette or Tom to the fact that they were being ridiculous over something trivial that they had managed to build up in their head, and it was unbelievably simple. She would simply give them the most deadpan look she could muster, face still and unimpressed. Then, after she had held it for several seconds to make her point, her left eyebrow would raise the most miniscule amount, like a non-verbal version of a sarcastic, “Really?”

That exact eyebrow ascension was being directed at him right now and Chat had never felt quite this stupid before – though for what, he wasn’t entirely sure. It was also kind of amazing how Sabine could make him feel that way, yet never once make him doubt that she loved him as if he were her own son. His own father had often made him doubt his love for him, even back before his mother had gone missing. Back when everything had been “good” at home and magic jewellery was but a twinkle in his imagination.

“Uh, sorry?” he told the woman, feeling like he needed to explain his reasoning, regardless of how sketchy it might seem, “I’m in her bed. We’re not even supposed to be sharing a room anymore, and we’re sharing a bed right now.”

The look never faltered as she continued to silently question his intelligence.

“Not that I want you to be angry, but isn’t that how a mom is meant to be when she finds out something like this?”

Her facial wargame was interrupted when Marinette shivered suddenly and cuddled in tighter to Chat’s loosened embrace to rebalance her dropping temperature. The action reminded him that he still hadn’t explained the reason behind the situation, something he intended to rectify immediately.

“We caught colds,” he summed up, “It’s warmest up here so we decided to share the heat. It’s never happened before, and it won’t happen again. I promise.”

Sabine snorted in a very Marinette-ish way, before a smirk appeared on her face. “Never?” she asked.

Chat felt his face redden more steadily with every second. “We’ve never shared a bed before,” he said, voice tremulous and weak.

”Well, that’s a surprise,” she answered, her eyes at once expanding in shock, “Tom and I were sure the two of you must have been, given how comfortable you are with sharing your personal space during battles and patrols.”

“What?”

“In particular, that picture Nadja’s network got during that little heatwave we had made me think cuddle naps were a normal thing.”

“That was before we knew our identities!” he squeaked, remembering how much Ladybug had lamented dozing off against his chest after a reporter had snapped them in the couple-y position. The questions hadn’t stopped for months.

“Oh? And has something changed since then? …Really?”

Glancing down at the sleeping enchantress next to him, Chat wondered if Sabine might have a point. Had things changed? Part of him hoped so. After all, Ladybug had claimed not to have any feelings beyond friendship for him back then.

Buy Me A Coffee?

[hortensemitchell]

Love Science: Chapter Two

Logan believed that he could solve anything through the power of science, even something as complicated as love. James is set on teaching him that love can’t be summed up in experiments and charts.

The two of them might just learn that there is more to love than they realize.

Rating: T

Pairing: Logan Mitchell/James Diamond

Words: 2168

Logan wishes he could have seen it coming, but he never would have guessed that this was Kendall’s genius plan. As the doors on the far side of the gym slammed open, the school's wrestling team walked through though they looked a little different than usual.

Instead of the singlets brandishing the schools official colors of maroon and gold, they stepped out in leopard print leotards, complete with leg warmers and did he see tails? Logan leaned forward over the stadium seat in front of him for closer inspection, watching as a stocky senior turned around to face one of the coaches. And yes those leotards were definitely equipped with tails.

Logan glanced over at the other boys beside him each mirroring the others with looks of pure glee at the embarrassment they’ve caught on film. And while he should also feel the giddiness of pay back, Logan couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going to go wrong.

He leaned closer to James, and carefully whispered, “Should I even ask where you guys got the costumes?”

“You know how on Monday Kendall and I snuck out of homeroom to get my Barracuda emergency kit from my locker?”

Logan had to resist the urge to roll his eyes because only James would consider flat hair reason enough to risk detention. He had to commend James though, his dedication towards always looking his best was pretty impressive. Still he nodded to get him to continue with the story.

“Well we were on our way back when Mrs.Bigler rounded the corner. And you know how she is. She would have locked us away in her witchy dungeon, or something.” James shuddered at the idea. “Although come to think of it, she still hasn’t returned the lucky backup up comb she confiscated from me last month.”

“What does this have to do with the cat club going on down there?”

James shot Logan a quick glare, “ I was getting to that. Anyways, we quickly ducked into the nearest room which happened to be the theater. And once Kendall saw the costumes the rest was history.”

“Well that explains where you were after class, but how did you manage to sneak all of this from the costume department? Sharon Maynor guards that room like a hawk.” One time Logan stepped into the room for some thread to fix a tear in his uniform pants, and he swears she tried to staple his sleeve to the desk. No prank was worth exposure to that girl.

James quirked his eyebrow in confusion before doing his signature hand gesture over his face.

Right, the face. James operated on a whole other world from his friends, a flirty smile and a twinkle in his eye could usually melt the coldest of hearts. Logan understands that fully, as he had been subjected to those hazel eyes and bright smile since he was eight. And he had yet to learn how to tell him no.

He had to admit, even though he had a bad feeling about this, the plan was pretty solid. Not only did they get video evidence of the wrestling team wearing embarrassing costumes, but they also managed to anger the MSU recruiters too. Turns out wearing costumes depicting the mascot of MSU’s rival college tends to put recruiters in a sour mood.

Logan watches the two men storm out of the gym with the wrestling coach hot on their heels. He hears some muttering about how they will come back next week and they expect the boys will take it more seriously. And now would be a good time for them to make their exit. It seems like all of the boys were on the same page as Kendall begins to pack up the tripod, and the other boys make their way toward the door.

As Carlos edges his way behind Kendall to make his exit, he delivers a quick congratulatory shoulder slap to the blonde boy. However, like anything with Carlos, his enthusiasm leads him to be a little more heavy handed than necessary.

From his spot holding the door to freedom and safety, Logan watches the tripod stumble from Kendall’s fingers and over the railing. He makes a grab for it, but it barely grazes his fingers and disappears from sight. It seems like the world moves in slow motion as the camera makes its descent to the floor.

He looks over at James who is standing next to him with one foot out in the hallway, and he can only imagine he mirrors the look of horror on James’ face.

The sound of the camera smashing on the linoleum floors is echoed throughout the room and suddenly all eyes are on the four boys in the balcony.

Just as quickly as time had stopped it sprang back into motion as Kendall dove over the row of seats to make his hasty exit, Carlos not far behind. As he passed Logan, he wrapped his hand around Logan’s bicep, almost a repeat of what happened at his locker. Only this time, their lives were on the line.

The boys took off down the hallway as fast as their legs could take them, trying to get as much distance from the gym and murderous wrestling team as possible. But without a plan of exit, they were as good as dead.

Taking this turn and that, the boys made their way through the labyrinth of hallways, listening intently for the tell tale sign of other sneakers. Just ahead Logan could see their final exit. If they could just make it there, they would live to see another day.

As the group of boys made it to the door, they pushed through together eager to finally be safe, but the door didn’t budge. Locked. Of course, that was just their luck. They couldn’t stand there though, the hallways were quiet now and Logan realized that meant there would be no witnesses.

“Okay this would be a really great time for you to use that big brain of yours buddy,” Carlos said, as he adjusted his helmet.

Logan sputters in disbelief, “You know I panic under pressure!” He glances over to Kendall, whose eyes are trained on the far end of the hallway obviously keeping an eye out for their safety. “Kendall, what are we going to do?”

“We need to split up, I’ll take Carlos and head for the exit by the science labs. James, you and Logan should go the opposite direction and exit by the cafeteria.” Kendall said, surveying all of his friends. “We’ll reconvene at McComey park in fifteen minutes. Sound good?”

It wasn’t the best plan of action, but Kendall was right, they were less of a target split up. The boys took off in opposite directions, shouting wishes of good luck as they tried to make it to freedom once again.

James makes his way down the hallway a good distance ahead of Logan who straggles behind. They were both athletes sure, but James towered over him and while Logan had gotten used to looking up to the other boy, he refused to speed walk just to keep his pace.

“You’re still coming to Kendall’s after school to tutor me right?” James asked, looking over his shoulder. “If I flunk this exam in algebra, I can kiss the recital goodbye. Mom’s already looking for a reason to pull me from my lessons.”

Logan had been tutoring the other boys pretty much since he was eight years old. He had never seen it as a burden though, in fact he enjoyed the challenge. Each boy learned in a different way, and had different struggles and Logan had to figure out how to tailor his lessons to each of them.

With Carlos he had to make the lessons hands-on. Reading passages or listening to explanations was as good as doing nothing. So, he had him make dioramas, posters, and set up science experiments and otherwise tried to put that neverending energy to good use. And he never felt so proud when Carlos would come bounding up to the table with a huge A on his latest project.

Kendall rarely came to Logan for help, he generally wanted to take on the world alone like always. But even he knew when to throw in the towel. From time to time, Kendall would make the walk to Logan’s house with a backpack full of assignments and they would work well into the night catching up.

School wasn’t the most important thing in the world to the blonde, but hockey was. And as long as he keeps a C average, his place on the hockey team was secure.

While he tutored the other boys once in a while, Logan’s situation with James was a little different. Since they were about 11 years old, Logan had become James' permanent tutor. Most days after school Logan would follow James to Kendall’s house and help him study for all of his classes.

He was always happy to do it though, even with the amount of work his AP classes gave him. James’ mom Brooke would look for any reason to pull James from his singing and dance lessons and throw him into the Future Business Leaders of America. And it would be over Logan’s dead body that he would let her crush James' dream like that.

Logan was about to reply to James when he felt a strong pull on the back of shirt as he was slammed into the nearby lockers. Now in front of him stood the stocky senior Logan had seen in the gym, and an impossibly tall student he recognized from his shop class.

While James and his lives might be on the line, Logan still found some humor in the current situation. The seniors, while obviously livid, were still dressed up in leopard print costumes, and he found it hard to not giggle at the ridiculousness of it. They could kick his ass sure and it would hurt, but could they look intimidating with tails? Unlikely.

He closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact as one of the guys, wedged his hand in the front of his shirt and raised his fist back, but the impact never came. Instead James had rushed down the hallway, slamming into the senior with his full body weight and causing them to sprawl on the floor.

The taller boy on the wrestling team didn’t seem to want to get involved and instead watched the spectacle with his back pressed to the lockers across from Logan.

Yet again James had stepped into the line of fire to protect him. But he didn’t have time to think about that as James sprung up from the floor and snatched Logan by the hand, yanking him down the hallway. For now they were back in survival mode, but yet another set of exit doors was in sight.

James pulled the door open and ushered Logan through it quickly as he looked down the hallway making sure they weren’t being followed. The feeling of the afternoon sun on his skin was a slight comfort, but the boys didn’t lessen their haste as they booked it to the meeting point. They made it out alive, but it was best not to take any chances.

Logan didn’t think he had ever been so relieved to see Kendall and Carlos in his life. Neither of them seemed to have a care in the world, swinging on the rickety swing set. Carlos going way higher than was probably safe for the run down equipment, but they had survived worse today and Logan wasn’t about to stop his fun.

Kendall finally noticed the other two boys approach and dug his heels into the gravel to stop his swing. He gave Logan and James an odd look when they stopped in front of them, and that’s when Logan noticed that James and his fingers were still entwined.

James must have noticed at the same time because he quickly snatched his hand away and looked off to the side embarrassed. Logan immediately missed the warmth.

James cleared his throat, and adjusted his bag strap before addressing everyone, “So we’re all heading to Kendall’s right?”

And just like that, the afternoon's adventures had been placed in the back of everyone’s mind. But Logan couldn’t help dwelling on it.

It wasn’t weird right? The fact that he had liked holding hands with the other boy. It made sense that he felt comfort from the touch, after all they had been very cuddly friends for years. And James had just saved Logan yet again. That was probably where the weird feelings were coming from he deduced.

Still as the boys made their way out of the playground and off to Kendall’s neighborhood, Logan watched James as he joked about with Carlos. And he swore he might have had a concussion because the sunlight seemed to shine solely on James.

Weird.

Read Chapter Three Here.

[kniveslovers]

Best Nakiri Knife that fits every taste, budget, and skills level

In a hurry? Our top pick is MAC Traditional Nakiri 6.5″. It’s a vegetable chopping machine and a crowd-pleaser that won’t break the bank.

Looking for the best nakiri knife? Overwhelmed with endless choices? You probably fell down the rabbit hole of no return. Worry not, I got you covered.

As an avid nakiri fan, I spent a couple of days researching 16 options and reading over 11 expert opinions. Then I baked you this guide to satisfy all the needs, budgets, tastes, and skill levels.

N.B. If you are still hesitant whether to buy a nakiri or not check our article here.

Our Pick

MAC Series 6 1/2-Inch

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Premium Pick

Shun Premier Nakiri

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Budget Pick

Kai Wasabi Black Nakiri

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Top 7 Best nakiri knives

MAC Series 6 1/2-Inch Japanese Vegetable Cleaver

Shun Premier Nakiri Knife, 5.5 TDM0742

Wusthof Classic 7-Inch Nakiri Knife

Kai Wasabi Black Nakiri Knife

Moritaka AS Long 180mm Nakiri Knife

Yoshihiro VG-10 16 Layer Hammered Damascus

Tojiro Shirogami ITK Nakiri 165mm

Best Nakiri Knife reviews

Here our list of best choices that meet all various needs.

1.MAC Series 6 1/2-Inch Japanese Vegetable Cleaver _best Nakiri knife for the money

Whether you are a home cook or a prep cook, this bad boy will give you the performance of a high-end nakiri without burning a hole in your pocket. It’s our favorite option under $100.

No wonder that Wirecutter’s top pick of chef knives has been a Mac product since 2013. MAC Traditional Nakiri 6.5″ is also the best-rated Nakiri knife by America’s Test Kitchen.

This bad boy is a Japan-made stamped knife. Its blade features a stain-resistant Molybdenum alloy steel with Rockwell 58°-59 and 15° blade angle.

Out of the box, this beast is sharp enough to shave hairs. It takes and holds its keen edge for a longer time. As a result, you will need less frequent sharpening.

To test this Nakiri knife, I used it to make mirepoix (soffritto). I’ve sliced, diced, and chopped onions, carrots, and celery. The Japanese vegetable knife glided through the stuff with that nice SHHHWICK sound like butter. It has even halved butternut squash with ease. It didn’t splinter or tear any of the ingredients. 

Yet, with starchy veggies like potatoes, the slices stuck to the knife. To be honest, it wasn’t a big concern to me, especially at this price point.

It’s super-light (5.4 ounces) making it best for those who suffer from arthritic hands. Besides, it is thin behind the edge with 2.5 mm spine thickness. It’s beveled on both sides ( double bevel). So it is well suited for right and left hands.

This veg cleaver has a great balance towards the tip with a light handle and a hidden tang. Yet, it lacks a bolster, but as long as you use the pinch grip, it isn’t a problem. 

In short, this thing is easy to handle and control.

The Mac Nakiri carries a 25-year warranty. However, it needs more TLC unless you will get numerous rust spots all over the blade. So, wash your knife manually with water and soap after using it. Put it under water after cutting acidic foods like citrus, and tomatoes. NO DISHWASHER. Don’t air dry, use your hands instead. Store it properly. It’s that simple!

Do this wisely and it will give you many years of happy use.

The fit & finish was my biggest pet peeve in that knife. There is a small gap between the blade and handle where food and water can find their way through. You need to squeeze a few drops of glue, or epoxy into this gap.

The spine was quite rough. So, you need to sand the back of the knife OTHERWISE you will end up with blisters.

It comes was a beautiful Pakkawood handle which will nestle comfortably at your hand

This beast outperformed a lot of my $300 knives. This exceptional performance at this price is a bargain.

Pros

Best value.

super-sharp with great edge retention.

Great performance

Easy to maneuver and control

Ergonomic ambidextrous handle.

25 years warranty

Cons

The Fit and finish is meh.

Needs extra attention to protect the blade against staining

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2.Shun Premier Nakiri Knife, 5.5 TDM0742- Best Shun

If you don’t want to fuss with the sharpening and the chore of maintaining high carbon steels, that’s the ticket. The knife is perfect for any home cook regardless of his skill level and is highly recommended for vegans and crossfitters.

Sharpness

The core steel of this baby is VG-MAX ( upgrade of VG-10). That means this knife takes and retains a nice edge. 

From Seki city in Japan, the blade comes incredibly sharp with a 61 HRC score. Shun also offers a free lifetime sharpening to your knife. You will only pay for shipping and processing. So, you don’t have to worry about the sharpening anymore.

Cutting food

I’m really surprised by the performance of this baby. The 5.5-inch agile blade drops through food like nothing. It will chop leafy lettuce, kale, and spinach all by itself without sending stuff flying off the cutting board. 

The standout feature of stainless steel is that you don’t get the rapid oxidation or reactivity for tomatoes and onions. It made the job of slicing tomatoes like a child’s play. It’s finely diced onions and minced herbs into precise even cuts.

The knife is laser-ish with 1.9 mm spine thickness. I haven’t had any wedging or tearing issues using this blade. 

The Shun Premier features a flat profile with a blunted tip. The rounded tip allows for slight rocking motion in case you like rock chopping. 

This little thing is well-balanced with more weight towards the blade for powerful cuts. The textured blade reduces the drag and helps against food sticking. 

Comfort

Shun Premier from kai is light weighing 5.9 ounces. It’s easy on the hands. It also features a curved bolster to get you a secure grip. 

Besides, the handle is shorter and smaller than the Classic version making it perfect for ladies and people with small hands. Yet, if you have larger hands, the Shun classic Nakiri is a perfect choice. 

Unlike the Shun Classic nakiri knife, the Premier’s handle is ambidextrous.

Durability

High carbon stainless steel is a breeze to maintain. Yet, VG-Max steel tends to be brittle and chippy. 

The good news here is that if you’re a bit mindful of your knife, it will live to tell the tale. The lifetime warranty from Shun is a plus.

Fit and Finish

This baby is an eye-candy.

The knife comes mirror-polished with 68 micro-layers of hand-hammered Damascus steel…

This Japanese veg cleaver boasts an oval sleek ebony pakkawood handle with a walnut finish.

Cost

Although I appreciate the work that was put into this baby, IMO, it is quite pricey.

Bonus tip: If you’re searching for a nice gift for those SPECIAL people in your life, this knife would make a nice gift. They won’t stop flaunting it ( in a good way). For gift bag size, the knife comes in a black box with 15”x3”x1 1/8” inches.

Pros

Keen nimble blade out of the box.

Great precision

Less food drag and friction

Comfortable grip ( for smaller hands)

Free sharpening service.

Lifetime warranty.

Beautiful to behold.

Cons

Delicate

Expensive

No sheath

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3.Wusthof Classic 7-Inch Nakiri Knife with Hollow Edge-Best Quality Nakiri

If you’re coming from German kitchen knives background with a heftier and robust feel, this knife will fit the bill. 

The pioneer woman, Ree Drummond, loves and recommends this western-style knife. That was enough to add it to our list. Yet, it proved it deserves this spot well.

The Wusthof Classic Nakiri Knife is made in Solingen, Germany from high carbon steel (x50 Cr Mo V15). The long straight blade steel was hardened to 58 HRC with Precision Edge Technology with a 10° blade angle. This technology yields a 20% sharper blade with 2x edge retention.

That said, this forged knife’s factory edge comes razor-sharp. However, this kitchen knife dulls faster in the practical experience.

Moving along to the performance,

I prepped French onion soup to exercise it. This workhorse is a great performer. I’ve diced onion effortlessly with clean precise cuts. It will make your chopping, dicing, and mincing so much easier.

The hollow edge makes small air pockets between the products and the blade to push the food off.  Combine that with The PETec and the tantalizing taper of cutting edge. The result is a no-stick blade with SUPERB food release.

The Japanese knife is well-balanced with a blunted tip. This allows you to utilize rock chopping motion.

These knives are on the beefier, heavier side of the nakiri knives. So, it showed some wedging during julienning carrots.

Comfort & Durability

Wusthof Classic Nakiri boasts a polyoxymethylene (POM), comfortable triple-riveted handle. It will give you plenty of knuckle room. POM will resist fading, cracking, and shrinkage.

The bolster (where the blade meets the handle) will secure your fingers. Besides, the limited lifetime warranty is a great bonus.

The knife will last long enough to pass it on as expected from a German-build quality.

The finish is in line with what’s expected from a reliable maker like Wusthof.

Pros

German high quality.

Razor-sharp.

Clean cuts 

No-stick blade

Rock chopping motion.

Easy to maneuver

Durable comfortable handle.

Cons

No sheath(Saya).

Needs frequent sharpenings.

It causes some wedging for firm vegetables.

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4.Kai Wasabi Black Nakiri Knife Review- Best Nakiri knife for beginners

A beginner home chef or culinary student who wants to test-drive the profile?

Want a hassle-free knife without worrying about sharpening or maintenance? At $50 budget or less? This is the best nakiri knife under 50.

When searching for a cheap knife, you might get a diamond in the rough or you might get a total dud.

Off-brand knife? Hell NO, KAI is the parent of Kershaw and Shun cutlery knives.

The Wasabi Black Nakiri knife features a high carbon stainless steel blade (Daido 1K6 ).

The factory edge is adequately sharp for home users. The edge retention is better than the softer German steel. That was a big surprise for me. 

You’ll feel the thinness ( tapering from 5 mm to 1.8 mm) and lightness ( 4.8 ounces) of the Japanese nakiri Knives. The nakiri vegetable knife is blade-heavy with a light handle.

The stamped knife has no problem with dicing, brunoising, julienning vegetables, and fruits.

Another big surprise, it minces delicate herbs without bruising and oxidation. Tbh, it did a little bruising to the basil. Still great!

Wasabi has a polypropylene ( hard plastic) matte-black handle. It is mixed with bamboo powder and an antibacterial agent to ensure you get clean food preparation. 

Being said, it is super-practical and comfortable to use with a Japanese shape. It’s perfect for the pinch grip. Yet, it may be a little bit slippery. So, watch out for your fingers.

The Kai knife might be a plain jane in terms of beauty. But who cares at this price point?

This nakiri vegetable knife could develop rust spots and a slightly tarnished appearance. Bar Keeper ( or any other rust eraser)  will be your friend to remove the rust if it happens. Again, you need to be careful with this knife to avoid that.

The knife is dirt-cheap and it will only cost you a fraction of what a high-end brand does. It’s a joy to have it on your counter.

Pros

Inexpensive

Speed demon

Noobies-friendly

Takes a razor-sharp edge.

Easy on the hands.

Suitable for lefties.

Cons

Develop rust spots

Caused some wedging and sticking issues.

Slippery handle.

Have a cheap feeling.

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5.Moritaka AS Long 180mm Nakiri Knife Review -Best carbon steel nakiri 

If you’re a pro cook who wants a high-end versatile carbon-steel nakiri knife, that’s a prep workhorse. It will save you a lot of time processing tons of vegetables on your prep list. 

It’s the LOOK and FEEL of a killer handmade blade thanks to the 27th generation blacksmith Tsunehiro Moritaka.

Am I exaggerating? Maybe. I’ll let you judge by yourself.

Sharpness

The highly-regarded Aogami Super steel has been aggressively heat-treated to 64-65°. So, ootb, Moritaka comes with a SCARY SHARP edge that will stay sharp for a crazy long time. 

Cutting foods

The forged nakiri knife with 7.1 (182 mm) inches is the longest and the flattest ( with no belly) between our picks. Combine that with its relative heft (6 ounces) and the distal taper ( from 3.1mm to 2.5m). Thus, it can cut long and thick vegetables with the precision of a scalpel.

Moritaka AS long nakiri is well-balanced. It’s blade-heavy. This translates to more control and comfort.

This veg nakiri knife passed all my knife tests. It sliced straight through the printer paper. It glides through starchy vegetables with no wedging or sticking making precise sheet-thin slices. 

Onions? Tofu? Carrots? Tomatoes? Or even butternut squash? Moritaka will slice, chop, dice, brunoise, and julienne every single piece of produce.

Comfort

The knife features a super-light wood octagonal handle. It feels great in your hands. It’s also suitable for both righties and lefties.

It has the widest blade among other contenders (60 mm). This will give you plenty of knuckle clearance with a non-abrasive spine. After one hour of prep, it stayed pretty comfortable as the first touch.

Durability

@maulanasadira Moritaka san makes great, very usable knives. They can rust a bit easy if you don't take care of them. Sooo take care of them

— Kevin Kent (@KnifeNerd) February 6, 2015

Both the core steel and clad are reactive. So it’s more susceptible to rust. As a result, it needs some level of care, especially with acidic vegetables.

So avoid hard and frozen foods, and dry it after every use, and you will be golden.

NB: The knife boasts stainless steel tang to enhance corrosion resistance. That’s the main reason for the color change right above the handle.

Fit & Finish

This vegetable cleaver is aesthetically surreal with a minimalistic mahogany-wood handle and Kurouchi rustic finish .

This finish differentiates this model from the Ishime line with a tsuchime finish. 

Besides, the blade and spine are smooth and straight with engraved elite Kanji. 

Cost

The Moritaka Nakiri knife is pretty reasonably priced for what it offers. It’s the best nakiri knife under 200 in the high carbon category.

Pros

A keen agile edge that will last longer.

Epic performance

Ambidextrous ergonomic handle.

Corrosion-resistant kurouchi finish.

Nice fit and finish.

Easy to resell.

Cons

All-reactive steel blade that needs more care.

Finish wears-off quickly.

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6.Yoshihiro VG-10 16 Layer Hammered Damascus Stainless Steel Nakiri Vegetable Knife (6.5” (165mm))_ Best Damascus Nakiri knife

If you’re an entry-level chef who works in a “turn and burn ” restaurant with heavy production and a lot of greens prep with no time for maintenance, this is yours.

Yoshihiro comes with VG_10 WELL- MADE core steel with 60 HRC. The high carbon stainless steel is peace of mind to maintain. You only need to hand-wash it and sharpen it with a good whetstone.

Sharp? OOTB, the blade edge is razor-sharp. This bad boy takes and holds a very fine edge for a long time compared to other VG-10 knives. That is what I meant by “well-made steel”.

It glides through every type of vegetable easier than a hot knife through butter. It’s a solid performer. No matter the vegetables are hard or crispy, seedless or leafy, it will do the job as it Should.

This forged knife has a nice almost neutral balance with full tang extending through the handle. This makes it easy to control and manage. Besides, it is thin behind the edge with a spine (2.45 mm). So you can use it for precision cuts.

The food releases smoothly, thanks to the hand-hammered finish, nice grind, and decent blade geometry.

The knife is substantial in a Good Way. The type of heft (6.6 ounces) that’ll allow you to cut dense-root and hard vegetables without having joint soreness.

The western-style handle nestles comfortably in your hand.

When I saw the mirror-Polished hand-hammered finish, I was afraid to use it.

That’s a totally handcrafted knife in Japan not mass-produced. Beware of running this finish on a honing rod. The 16-layers Damascus steel clad with the Mahogany wood handle adds more beauty.

It is not the kind of knives that “grew legs and walked away”. It’s a lifetime investment.

The only drawback is that the bolster has a rough and sharp finish. So you need to touch it with sandpaper if you use the pinch grip.

Oh, I forgot to say, it is a right-handed knife.

Pros

Handcrafted in Japan

Ready to use out of the box.

Superior performance.

Easy to use and maintain.

Aesthetically appealing.

Great durability.

Cons

Poorly finished bolster.

Not suitable for left-handed people.

Not full waterproof handle

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7.Tojiro Shirogami ITK Nakiri 165mm-best carbon steel nakiri under 50

This knife is a great introduction to Japanese carbon steel. You will learn how to care for and sharpen those types. I recommend it to any beginner knife hobbyist on a budget whether you’re a novice chef or a knife-obsessed home cook.

The blade edge, out of the box, is reasonably sharp. It might need a couple of strokes on the stones which is a nice opportunity to learn. Relax! It’s one of the easiest steels to sharpen.

Tojiro itk 165mm nakiri has White #2 (Shirogami) core. So, the knife takes a screaming edge and retains it well.

The vegetable knife has a 60 HRC rating which means it could chip easily if you mistreated it.

It is the lightest among our choices at 4.6 ounces, but also the thickest(3.7 mm at base). As the blade tapers to 1.5 mm at the middle. Then, the thickness is a blessing protecting your finger pad rather than a curse.

Itk has a neutral balance and a rounded tip making it more versatile. You can use pull or push chopping techniques.

It will chop, dice, and slice for daily salad making or gourmet vegetable prepping.

The blade construction consists of 3 layers. The core steel is coated with soft iron steel for protection. So we’ve got her an all-reactive blade with no stainless on it. This means that it can rust easily, especially with acidic vegetables.

As a result, you have to wipe it down frequently with a terry cloth and paper towel. Use Camellia oil to coat the blade between meal prep.

This nakiri knife has a dark finish (kurouchi) to give you the rustic traditional Japanese lovely look. Expect the blade to patina (color change). This will protect the knife from corrosion a little bit.

The virgin nakiri has gaps between handles that you need to fill up with glue. You’ll also need to smooth the spine with sandpaper.

It comes with a D-shaped wa handle (Japanese). It’s well-suited for righties ONLY.

The Knife is affordable and will offer more than you pay for with a price tag under $50.

Pros

Traditional Nakiri profile

High carbon steel

Easy to sharpen

Versatile

Lightweight and well-balanced

Great value for money.

Cons

All-reactive-steel with a high tendency for rusting.

Fragile.

Fit & Finish needs some improvements.

Right-handed only.

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Nakiri Cutting Technique

Commonly, the Nakiri Knife isn’t rocker as the chef knife nor an axe like a Chinese chef’s knife. Unlike the all-purpose Santoku blade, nakiri knives are specialized at chopping vegetables. 

Here are the major nakiri knife techniques that you need to learn.

#1.Push (thrust) cutting technique

You need to move the knife down and forward and keep it parallel to the cutting board. 

2. Up and down cutting technique (tap chopping)

As the name suggests, you need to move the knife in up and down motion tapping on the cut surface.

#3.Rock cutting technique

This motion relies basically on a knife with a belly. The reason I included is that many knife makers increase the roundness of the nakiri tip to make it more versatile. IMO, the nakiri isn’t meant to do that.

How to Choose the Best Japanese Vegetable Knives?

Looking for a good nakiri knife? Shopping for knives could be an intimidating process. However, it all comes down to your personal preference, your budget, and your skill level.

Here’s your nakiri knife buying guide to choose the optimal option for you.

#1.Cutting Food

Food release

This is the bread and butter of a knife. There’s a multitude of factors that define the knives performance such as:

Balance

Balance means where the center of the mass is concentrated. Think of it as if you put the knife on your finger, where the knife will settle.

Knives are either blade-heavy or neutral or handle-heavy. Always opt for a neutral or blade- heavy knife. Those are well-balanced knives. 

Additionally, blade-heavy items will give you more powerful cuts. Yet, you might sacrifice with some precision using those blades.

All our picks in the list are either neutral or blade-heavy. We excluded any handle-heavy knives as their performance was subpar.

Food Separation

Food release and Blade Geometry

The thinness of the blade and the grind ( the shape of the blade cross-section)  are the most significant over here. Knives with thick spines tend to have a V-shaped grind. As a result, they will cause wedging and tearing instead of slicing.

We found that the perfect blade width sets between 1.2 mm-3.5 mm at the middle of the spine.

Food Release

This means that the food doesn’t stick to the blade after chopping. The blade finish plays a big role here. The knife makers have overcome this problem by using one of two modifications.

Granton Edge (known also as hollow ground edge)

It’s a series of dimples or scallops along the edge. These indentations form small air pockets between the blade and the slice. Then, the air breaks down the food’s water content allowing the food to release smoothly.

Wusthof Classic 7-Inch is our favorite hollow edge nakiri knife.

Tsuchime ( hand-hammered finish) This finish reduces the friction and drag when slicing food. Besides, other types of finishes help in food release to some extent.

Tsuchime

Cutting edge Angle

A lower angle means more shaper blades. Although this allows for effortless chopping, it comes at the expense of durability.

The best nakiri kitchen knife generally falls between 8° to 16 degrees angle. 

I found that 12 degrees and above is decent for newbies. No worries, you can modify this angle during the sharpening process.

#2.Blade length & size

Size always matters:D

This rule also applies here. The standout feature of the nakiri knives is that you use the entire blade length. But what’s the best size of a nakiri knife?

Well, it depends.

A nakiri bocho knife lengths range from 5 to 7 inches in most cases. So, they fall into 2 categories.

Short nakiris ( 5 inches)

Short nakiris are perfect for the push-cutting technique as they’ll give you more control over the blade.

So, opt for a short nakiri knife if you have a kitchen with minimal space or you’re a beginner.

Long nakiris ( 7 inches) This type is well-suited for professional settings and tap choppers. The blade length will give you more mileage.

It’s also great if you want to cheat and use nakiri for everything.

#4.Sharpness

Sharpness hinges on the blade material (blade steel type). There are 2 basic types of steel based on the amount of carbon.

High carbon _ Knives with high carbon steel tend to be harder. As a result, they’re way sharper and have great edge retention. They’re also easy to sharpen.

But, REMEMBER, a knife with pure high carbon steel will rust and chip easily if you mistreat it.

Low Carbon _ Low amount of carbon will give you a softer tougher knife. This means that you can avoid the microchips issues. That also means it will dull faster and then you’ll need to sharpen it frequently.

Choose a knife with medium to high carbon stainless steel and you’ll get the best of both worlds.

Make sure that your chosen knife is sharp out of the box and ready to go. Sharp knives are capable of slicing straight-through paper. That’s how you can test them.

#5.Durability

Durability means how long your knife will live since its first use. It’s a blend of blade hardness and toughness as well as the handle material and the overall craftsmanship of the blade.

Steel Hardness

Steel hardness is measured by the Rockwell scale (HRC). Higher scores mean harder steel. High-quality hard steel( 64-65) is way more expensive than softer steel (53-55 ).

Look for Nakriris with above 58 HRC score and Bob’s your uncle.

Handle

The Pakkawood handle is my favorite. That’s because this wood/resin composite is waterproof, wear-resistant, and has less discoloration.

If the handle is not fully waterproof, it might contract or expand in various temperatures and humidity levels.

You might also choose between wa handle ( Japanese half tang handle) or western handle. It’s totally up to you here.

Wa handle

#6.Comfort

Comfort depends on many factors like the handle shape and finish as well as the total knife’s weight.

You should hold the handle and double-check that it’s smooth, not slippery, and comfortable to grip. Also, pay attention you have plenty of knuckle room during use.

Pinch-grip the knife and make sure that the spine or the bolster is curved or at least smooth. That will protect you from getting a callus on your index finger if you make a few big meals

Although nakiri knives are 40% lighter than other types with the same length, heavier blades will cause fatigue to your wrist in busy long shifts. So, that’s another metric to check.

I found that 4.5-6.7 ounces to be a happy medium between good heft needed for chopping and comfort needs.

#.7 Price

Please don’t skimp on your kitchen knives unless you’re planning to buy a beater knife. A decent nakiri will set you back from $80 to $300.

You can cap yourself at 50 bucks if you’re a noob who wants to play with the profile. Use the whole blade, learn push cutting, feel how much you like your first nakiri knife and THEN you can upgrade.

Our Verdict

Nakiri knives are indispensable for chopping delicate vegetables. It will tackle all your veggies mise-en-place cutting tasks if you are a professional chef. 

A stir-fry meal? A french soup? A salad for snacks? Easy as 1, 2, 3. For home users, it will speed up your meal prep time and turn your cooking chores into a joy. 

We found MAC Traditional Nakiri 6.5″ to be an excellent choice. It will serve you well without being a burden on your budget.

Our Pick

MAC Series 6 1/2-Inch Japanese Vegetable Cleaver

Check Latest Price on Amazon

,https://bladespower.com/?p=198

[mrsalwayswrite]

I was tagged by @softspeirs thank you! 

1. what is the color of your hairbrush? black

2. name a food you would never eat. eels...just no to everything abut them. 

3. are you typically too warm or too cold? cold, definitely. I am always wearing socks and usually sleep under three blankets at least. 

4. what were you doing 45 minutes ago? trying to convince my toddler to go to bed. 

5. what’s your favorite candy bar? Milky Way????

6. have you ever been to a professional sports game? I think when i was a kid, though it was more of a local “professional” baseball team. 

Under the cut for more!

7. what is the last thing you said out loud? “good night” to my husband

8. what is your favorite ice cream? ummm....depends on my mood. 

9. what was the last thing you had to drink? Synergy kombucha (strawberry serenity if you must know)

10. do you like your wallet? it does its job. 

11. what is the last thing you ate? couple small oranges i think

12. did you buy any new clothes last weekend? hahaha....no

13. what’s the last sporting event you watched? last year’s Superbowl??? 

14. what is your favorite flavor of popcorn? kettlecorn!! 

15. who is the last person you sent a text message to? my mom lol

16. ever been camping? Yes! when i was a kid that was what my family did for vacations. pack up the pop-up camper and go to state parks.

17. do you take vitamins? still taking a postnatal right now. 

18. do you regularly attend a place of worship? yep...though cuz of COVID we’ve been watching it on TV. 

19. do you have a tan? hahaha...that’s cute. 

20. do you prefer Chinese or pizza? nope...can’t answer that. depends on the day. 

21. do you drink your soda through a straw? i don’t drink soda

22. what color socks do you usually wear? i love my silly socks. my current ones are white with multicolor tips and say “treat yo self”. the ones i wore earlier today have a sloth on an inner tube holding an umbrella drink. i know. epic, right?

23. do you ever drive above the speed limit? only like 5 or so over.

24. what terrifies you? um, we might need a therapy session if we start down this road. but i’ll say snakes and lizards

25. look to your left, what do you see? my cell phone, kombucha and a baby monitor... livin’ on the wild side

26. what chore do you hate most? mopping

27. what do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? “please keep talking...”

28. what’s your favorite soda? can lemonade count? or root beer?

29. do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? usually drive thru

30. what’s your favorite number? 27 1/2

31. who’s the last person you talked to? husband

32. favorite meat? chicken??

33. last song you listened to? Sing by Pentatonix

34. last book you read? oh gosh, i don’t remember the title but it was about the pros and cons of all these new homeopathic/natural “fads” (i never finished it)

35. favorite day of the week? saturday

36. can you say the alphabet backwards? nope

37. how do you like your coffee? Sweet, dash (or several dashes) of liquid creamer

38. favorite pair of shoes? slippers or my short cowboy boots

39. time you normally get up? depends on when the baby or toddler wakes up, i have no normal time anymore

40. what do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? both??

41. how many blankets on your bed? at the moment, 3 sheet, comforter and my John Deere fleece blanket 

42. describe your kitchen plates. round, white with small blue design around edge

43. describe your kitchen at the moment. messy...just....yeah, messy

44. do you have a favorite alcoholic drink? my go-to is whiskey straight, but i sip on it FOREVER

45. do you play cards? yeah

46. what color is your car? black

47. can you change a tire? nope and i really need to do something about that

48. your favorite state or province? i’ll always love South Carolina cuz that’s where i grew up. i miss the beach a lot

49. favorite job you’ve had? not sure. i worked at a coffee shop for a while with a super great crew and always looked forward to going in cuz of the fun we would have. 

I’ll tag @evelynshelby @wexhappyxfew @happyveday @obipoelover @lauwrite1225 (if you want to - feel free to ignore!)

[thesportssoundoff]

A Dumb Draft Exercise

It's a Friday night and we're all locked in so I decided to do something a touch different. I took the current NFL draft order and then looked up the last five NFL drafts (2015-2019) to see who was picked at spots. Using the teams as they stand after one long (and it feels it) week of free agency, I picked ONE player selected at that set position to try and do a retro draft. Each team picked ONE player picked over the last five years at that specific spot (so at 1 overall, you could only draft 1st overall). How different would your favorite team look? Welll.....

1. Cincinnati- QB Kyler Murray (2019)

The first round picks of the past five years consist of four QBs (Jameis Winston, Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield and Murray) alongside premiere edge rusher Myles Garrett. As is often the case with top pick QBs tasked with saving bad franchises, each becomes less and less attractive as the years go by and they hit the ceiling of "damn good but not quite franchise saver" over and over. I went with Murray because while I think Goff is vastly underrated by most fans, Murray's got the ability and personality to drastically change an organization that feels like it's been hankering for a chance over the past five years. Murray was one of the NFL's brightest stars last year and figures to only improve, especially if you put him under the watchful gaze of an offensive guru (of sorts) in Zac Taylor.

2. Washington- DE Nick Bosa (2019)

Was REALLY torn with Carson Wentz and Nick Bosa for the Redskins. There's a lot of dead-ish weight here with Mitch Trubisky and Marcus Mariota and while Saquon may be the best player in theory, no team needs to take a running back in the top 5 (or in the first round at all). Assuming the Redskins are truly comfortable with Dwayne Haskins then taking Nick Bosa and pairing him up in the front four along with the likes of Montez Sweat, Matt Ionidis and Daron Payne would probably be a formidable ass crew.  Basically the Chase Young strategy.

3. Detroit- DE Joey Bosa (2016)

How about the Bosa Bros going back to back! One would assume tht if the Lions wanted a QB, they're GOING to have their pick of the proverbial litter on the back end. After all after Cincy, they'll have Tua, Herbert and Love at their disposal if taking a QB so amuses them. Instead operating under the belief that the Lions feel comfortable with Stafford for MAYBE one more year, it leaves us to choose from Joey Bosa, Solomon Thomas and Dante Fowler. Bosa is likely on his way to a multiple pro bowl career while Thomas may just grade out as average and Fowler is on his third team now. Easy choice if ya ask me.

4. NY Giants- WR Amari Cooper (2015)

The Giants would be picking from a variety of offensive players; two of which are current Dallas Cowboys. You have Amari Cooper, Zeke Elliott, Leonard Fournette on offense and then Denzel Ward at cornerback as pretty much your only other option. Give me Amari Cooper as he'd immediately step in and make an offense consisting of Daniel Jones, Barkley, Golden Tate and a two tight end threat of Evan Engram and Kaden Smith a pretty damn formidable one.

5. Miami- OLB Bradley Chubb (2018)

This WOULD be easy in theory. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey would've been a FINE choice here but the Dolphins have Xavien Howard and Byron Jones on the back end. With Jalen Ramsey out of the picture, you have an interesting linebacker in Devin White, a superb guard in Brandon Scherff and my selection Bradley Chubb. With so much locked in on the defense, Chubb (if healthy) steps in as an immediate premiere pass rusher. Barely edges out Brandon Scherff. BARELY.

6. LA Chargers- OG Quinton Nelson (2018)

Man! The Chargers would have their glut of talent to choose from if they so desired. Want an elite strong safety? Jamal Adams was picked 6th in 2018. Want a QB to groom and develop? Daniel Jones went here in 2019. If you want a flexible havoc inducing DL piece? Leonard Williams in 2015 went 6th overall. Ronnie Stanley is a pretty damn good tackle as well.  Quinton Nelson is a top 3 guard in just two seasons and figures to continue to improve. It's not a premiere position for a lot of people but Nelson bucks the trend.

7. Carolina- QB Josh Allen (2018)

Funny bit? We have two Josh Allens here as Josh Allen from Wyoming and Josh Allen from Kentucky both went 7th overall. Both would be tremendous picks given the Panthers needs (an elite edge or a QB). Deforest Buckner finally hit on his potential and got paid paid for it as well, fitting in interestingly here as a potential flexible front line piece. The Panthers just paid Teddy Bridgewater relatively big time money but if you have the chance to take a really athletic strong armed QB who has shown strides in two seasons, you should do it. Imagine Allen throwing it to the likes of DJ Moore and Christian McCaffery.

8. Arizona- RB Christian McCaffery (2017)

THIS one was hard given the lack of obvious options. Do you need more receiving options? If so TE TJ Hockenson was picked 8th. Christian McCaffery is probably the best player at this spot but again, running backs and top 10s and etc etc etc. Nuke Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk are on paper a superb trio of WRs and you also have Kenyan Drake at RB. Vic Beasley is a good pass rusher who has sort of lost his way as a player (hence the one year prove it deal). Give me McCaffery I guess. I think he'd do wonders in Kingbsury's offense and I suppose you can make he and Drake work together. That's why head coaches get paid.

9. Jacksonville- OT Mike McGlinchey (2018)

There's not a lot of obvious fits for a tanking team like the Jaguars. DT Ed Oliver would be intriguing but I have no idea how he fits in with the Jaguars defense. The likes of Leonard Floyd (recently released), Ereck Flowers (failed tackle turned kinda failed guard), John Ross (oft injured speedster) are other options. Lastly there's Mike McGlinchey who was starting at right tackle for the Super Bowl 49ers. The Jaguars have spent picks at both tackle spots but McGlinchey is better.

10. Cleveland- QB Patrick Mahomes (2017)

Fuck. Would the Browns even with Baker Mayfield flirt with taking Patrick Mahomes? Who cares. Mayfield can be traded. If you have the chance to grab the best QB in the NFL, you do it. Easy peasy.

11. NY Jets- CB Marshon Lattimore (2016)

This one came down to Lattimore or Minkah Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick can do so much across a secondary and his swiss army knife toolset was amplified in a Pittsburgh secondary that left to his devices where he could roam free and fuck shit up. On the other hand, Marshon Lattimore represents one of the NFL's rare commodities; a star shutdown cornerback. Plus with Marcus Maye and Jamal Adams tie up the safety spots pretty well.

12. Las Vegas- QB Deshaun Watson (2017)

The Raiders are openly flirtatious with moving on from Derek Carr. Deshaun Watson would step in and be a massive upgrade. There's also not much here either given how 90% of the players are DL and the Raiders have plenty of names and faces they like there. Maxx Crosby, Maliek Collins, John Hankins and Clelin Ferrell to name a few.

13. San Francisco f/IND- OG Laremy Tunsil (2016)

Take the 49ers OL with Joe Staley, Mike McGlinchey and Laken Tomlinson and then slide in Laremy Tunsil at RG. That's an absurd OL. There also weren't many options to really delve into either depending on how you feel about Da'Ron Payne and Vita Vea.

14. Tampa Bay- DE Marcus Davenport (2018)

Pick 14 over the past five years is a bit of a dry spell unfortunately. The best player on the list is DeVante Parker and the Bucs clearly have a collection of damn good WRs. Shaq Barrett and JPP are in place for 2020 but could the Bucs use Davenport as a third rusher and move him inside on pass rush downs. Not a lot of good ideas here unfortunately.

15. Denver- RB Melvin Gordon (2015)

Easy peasy! I mean Denver just signed him! That's a bit of a cheapie but let's keep with it. Gordon fitshere (and nobody else does).

16. Atlanta- LB Tremaine Edmunds (2018)

Edmunds with Deion Jones? Sign me up! The only other option that makes sense here is Marlon Humphrey at corner which would be an equally fine pick.

17. Dallas- S Derwin James (2018)

Given that Arik Armstead and John Allen would be 3-technique types in this defense, it makes sense we would ONCE again look at the safety market! Yay! The Cowboys scheme in 2018 apparently didn't like Derwin James as much as the media thought they did but this is a brand new scheme and a new way to play. Derwin James would edge out Keanu Neal (who BTW when healthy is an amazing safety) by virtue of being more of the chess piece the Cowboys need.

18. Miami f/PIT- C Ryan Kelly (2017)

Again there's a glut of corners here but the Dolphins have their fair share. As such, turn your attention over to a glut of centers---who they also just signed a guy for. Ryan Kelly is a pro bowl center though and you can make exceptions for that.

19. Las Vegas f/CHI- LB Leighton Vander-Esch (2018)

One of the better linebackers in the NFL prior to his neck injury, LVE was a friggin' elite athlete who could still redefine what NFL linebackers look like. His defensive coordinator is there as well (as the DL coach) and I bet Gruden would love his leadership and his ability as an off ball linebacker. This one is easy enough.

20. Jacksonville f/LAR- TE Noah Fant (2019)

The Jaguars are in the midst of a rebuild of sorts but unfortunately there's no immediate building block pieces at 20. It came down to Frank Ragnow (a versatile OL with upside) or Noah Fant and I opted for tight end Noah Fant since Minshew could use a reliable safety blanket. Assuming Fant can control his drops of course.

21. Philadelphia- WR Will Fuller (2016)

The Eagles could REALLY use some targets for Carson Wentz. Last year in clutch games they were relying on JJ Arceaga-Whiteside and Boston Scott for targets outside of their tight ends. Wouldn't have a problem going with FS Darnell Savage either who also went at 21.

22. Minnesota f/BUF- DE Bud Dupree (2015)

I don't know if the Vikings NEED an edge but even if they don't, there's really no options here. Josh Doctson was a flop in Washington, Charles Harris was a flop in Miami, Rashaan Evans plays the same spot as their glut of damn good linebackers and Andre Dillard is an unproven tackle for Philly to this point. Hit or miss here.

23. New England- Isaiah Wynn (2018)

I mean they drafted him here. Easy enough. Although would they take TE Evan Engram all things being equal?

24. New Orleans- WR DJ Moore (2018)

The Saints did grab Emmanuel Sanders but DJ Moore, Sanders and Michael Thomas is a whole different world of WR depth. There's also pretty much nobody else here worthy of snagging either.

25. Minnesota- WR Marquise Brown (2019)

HOLLYWOOD! The Vikings just traded away Stefon Diggs and could use an infusion of playmaker at their WR spot to help assist their TE room, Dalvin Cook and Adam Thielen. Marquise Brown would give Kirk Cousins a souped up version of Jamison Crowder; a WR-3 he relied heavily on in Washington.

26. Miami f/HOU- DE Montez Sweat (2019)

So the Dolphins have signed a lot of DE and we also gave them Bradley Chubb earlier BUT Montez Sweat is going to terrorize the NFL for the next 5-10 years and so he and Chubb combined? That's big time pass rush. Also, again, not much to really select from here either.

27. Seattle- CB Byron Jones (2015)

If you drew up a make and model for a Seahawks DB? It looks like Byron Jones. Byron just got paid big time money by Miami It's Byron vs Tre White and Byron fits the mold a bit better. Could also see Seattle liking Kenny Clark. Lots of good defensive players at 27.

28. Baltimore- OG Laken Tomlinson (2015)

Let Tomlinson battle it out with the interior OL the Ravens have currently. There's really not much here, it's either Tomlinson or DT Jerry Tillery.

29. Tennessee- TE David Njoku (2017)

Funny story, the 2016 1st round pick here was forfeited via deflategate. With just four names to choose from (and not really much to talk about either way), the Titans take David Njoku. Njoku has struggled with his role in Cleveland and the Titans do have some solid tight ends already in place but Njoku would be a pretty nice flier. Most of the guys here at 29 are just not good unless you're a Taven Bryan truther.

30. Green Bay- LB TJ Watt (2017)

And Cowboys fans across the globe shudder in horror. Yes, the Packers have two really good DEs in the Smith brothers. There's nobody else here who comes remotely close to the pure value TJ Watt has. Let him rush from the left side and rack up the sacks. You can figure it out somehow I figure. Let Preston Smith play 3-tech or something!

31. San Francisco- LB Reuben Foster (2017)

On one hand, the less said about Foster the better. On the other, there's really nobody else here who would come close. Unless you're a Germaine Ifedi fan?

32. Kansas City- DT Malcolm Brown (2015)

For any other team in any other league, this is Lamar Jackson. The Chiefs are really set at QB for the next 10-15 years so we'll have to take a pass. Instead Malcolm Brown is pretty much the only other really good value play. Big thumpy 1-tech/nose tackles are usually found later on in the draft but Brown is a good one and the Chiefs truthfully don't need much else either.

[mitchintille]

2020 Mock Draft (Pre-combine)

l 

Alas, it is finally here. Draft season has officially kicked into full gear, and that means it’s time for yet another installment of a mock draft that will undoubtedly be ridiculously wrong come April. With that being said, I sincerely hope you enjoy!

1. Cincinnati Bengals - Joe Burrow, QB, LSU

The Bengals are widely regarded as one of the most incompetent front offices in all of sports, and nothing that they can do with this pick would shock me. With that being said, it is with almost 100% certainty that Joe Burrow will be a Bengal. Sharpie it in.

2. Washington Redskins - Chase Young, EDGE, Ohio State

Another pick that is almost entirely locked in. Young is one of the best defensive prospects to come out in recent memory. His blend of athleticism, raw power, and moxie is a match made in heaven for new head coach Ron Rivera. Young is a transcendent type talent with true superstar potential, and should be snatched up within seconds assuming they don’t trade down.

  *TRADE*

3. Miami Dolphins - Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama

This should come as a surprise to no one. A team with a trajectory pointing directly upwards and a bevy of picks at their disposal, the Dolphins trade up to assure they land their franchise QB. Tua is a polarizing prospect, coming off an historically great career which saw him cement his legacy as early as his Freshman year. He is deadly accurate with a knack for creating plays outside the structure. His riddling injury concerns are valid, but should the medicals come back clear, there is not a better player in the class in my eyes. 

4. New York Giants - Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama 

Back to back Bama players here, as new coach Joe Judge establishes a trend from his first pick as the new coach. Build. The. Trenches. Wills is a highly athletic tackle with the ability to play in space; not to mention he is far and away the most pro ready run blocker at his position group as well. The Giants have a tendency to be unpredictable come draft time, but I can’t see them ignoring the glaring holes on their offensive line for another off-season. 

*TRADE*

5. Detroit Lions - Jeffrey Okudah, CB, Ohio State 

Win-win for the Lions here as they collect additional picks and the best corner prospect to come out since Jalen Ramsey.

6. Los Angeles Chargers - Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon

The writing is on the wall here. Philip Rivers and the Chargers have decided to mutually part ways after a disappointing season for both parties. Insert Justin Herbert. The live armed QB is the NFL prototype of what one should look like. Tall, athletic, big arm, smart. Herbert is not going to be for everyone, but with the Chargers’ throw heavy offense, he should develop nicely for them and give them (somewhat) a sense of continuity.

7. Carolina Panthers - Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn 

Admittedly, this is a bit of a mystery pick for me. The Panthers have been non-committal to whether or not they view Cam Newton as their QB of the future, meaning a possible huge void will be created if they indeed let him walk. Assuming the draft shakes out with the top three QB’s going in the first six picks, the Panthers are left in a BPA position. Brown is the type of mauler up front the Panthers desperately lacked last year, fielding one of the league’s worst run defenses. He is a plug and play type player who should see the field and contribute immediately.

8. Arizona Cardinals - Ceedee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma

Do the Cardinals have more pressing needs than a wide receiver? Yes, absolutely. But in the case of Lamb, he has all the ability and potential to be a true WR1 in the league. His familiarity with the Cardinals’ scheme and QB Kyler Murray is simply too irresistible to pass on for Kingsbury and Keim.

9. Jacksonville Jaguars - Isaiah Simmons, LB, Clemson

A once strong and dependent LB corps quickly saw a rapid decline after the sudden retirement of Telvin Smith last off-season. The Jags recently retained both Doug Marrone and DC Todd Wash, and with their recent track record of picking the best available defensive player, it’s hard to assume they’d pass on a player of Simmons’ caliber. A true chess piece, seeing snaps at seemingly every position on the field last season, Simmons’ versatility should be coveted given the direction the NFL is heading towards. 

10. Cleveland Browns - Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa

New head coach Kevin Stefanski should be foaming at the mouth if Wirfs is still on the board. The recently hired Stefanski is well known for his wide zone run scheme featuring heavy dosages of play action. Insert Wirfs. A freakish athlete for his size who is only scratching the surface of what he can become. Wirfs’ natural agility and raw strength is exactly what the Browns need to upgrade their dire situation at offensive tackle. 

11. New York Jets - Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia

It’s simple, the Jets need to draft offensive line to protect their young QB. The Jets are in need of a serious makeover on the offensive line, and while Rome wasn’t built in a day, Thomas, a 3 year starter at Georgia, is the perfect benchmark towards repairing a withered offensive line.

12. Las Vegas Raiders - Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama

This screams Raiders to me. The Raiders have plenty needs, but a true WR1 is something this offense has been lacking since...well...Amari Cooper. But nonetheless, Mayock has shown a tendency to draft players from big time schools. Jeudy fits the billing, as he is the most gifted route running prospect we’ve seen in a long time, and a guy Gruden will undoubtedly be pounding the table for. 

13 - Indianapolis Colts - Jordan Love, QB, Utah State

The term “polarizing prospect” is thrown around loosely each and every draft season, but there is truly no other way to describe Jordan Love. The Utah State product saw his stock rise after a very a productive 2018 season, only to be minimized by a drastically underwhelming 2019 campaign. Love’s supporting cast is, in my mind, one of the worst in recent memory in regards to QB prospects. No other prospect’s career trajectory is more team dependent than Love, and the Colts are the perfect fit. Love can sit a year behind Jacoby Brissett in Frank Reich’s QB friendly offense. His skill sets as a QB are exactly the type that the new NFL is targeting, and with the opportunity to sit for a year and learn might be exactly what is needed to tap into Love’s full potential.

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina

Sigh. Given the impending loss of Ndamukong Suh, Kinlaw could plug and play into the league’s reigning top run defense. Personally, I am not as high on Kinlaw as most. A nagging knee injury and questionable production are legit concerns of mine, but how he wins is a perfect complement to Vita Vea. If Kinlaw’s repertoire expands, there is some serious Chris Jones-esque potential there. Nonetheless, this is more of a continuity pick than anything else. 

15. Denver Broncos - Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville

The idea of pairing Henry Ruggs was very tempting to me, but given the depth in this year’s receiver class, Becton is the safe choice here. It is imperative that they invest in protecting Drew Lock, and the 6′7 behemoth should give them an immediate upgrade over Garrett Bolles.

16. Atlatna Falcons - AJ Epenesa, EDGE, Iowa

With the recent release of Vic Beasley, it is no secret that the Falcons should be looking to add EDGE depth. Epenesa is not the twitchiest player, but his high pass rush ceiling and savvy run defense are a dream fit for Dan Quinn.

17- Dallas Cowboys - Grant Delpit, Safety, LSU

This is another one of those picks that feels somewhat mysterious to me. Yet given the need at safety and the fact that they tried making a push at the trade deadline to acquire Jamal Adams last season, it would not shock me to see them go this direction. Delpit, the 2019 Jim Thrope award winner, is a fast twitch, instinctive eraser in the back end. His tackling concerns are valid, but I fully expect him to clean that issue up early on in his career.

18. Miami Dolphins - Josh Jones, OT, Houston 

With a roster lacking talent at seemingly every position, it is best to build from the ground up. After selecting their franchise QB in Tua, they double down and select the athletic Jones to begin solidifying their offensive front. 

19. Las Vegas Raiders - Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU

The Raiders have no talent in their secondary. Seriously. Fulton isn’t exactly the flashiest player, but his body of work has proven time and time again that he can hang with the best of them. His Football IQ and moxie provide the Raiders a nice building block towards reshaping that secondary. 

20. Jacksonville Jaguars - CJ Henderson, CB, Florida

After going defense with their first pick, the Jags double down and keep building towards that elite 2017 defense they once had. Henderson has faced several ups and downs throughout his career, but his athleticism and potential are higher than anyone else in the class not named Jeffrey Okudah. With the Jags defensive front seeing a hopeful improvement, Henderson should plug in nicely alongside AJ Bouye.

21. Philadelphia Eagles - Henry Ruggs, WR, Alabama

A true burner. Ruggs gives me some Tyreek Hill/Hollywood Brown type vibes. The Bama product offers world class speed, and is a more well rounded receiver than given credit for. Desean Jackson and Alshon Jeffrey are only getting older, and Ruggs provides a much needed deep threat that Carson Wentz has been so desperately lacking the past few seasons.

22. Buffalo Bills - Tee Higgins. WR, Clemson

A 6′5 target with the best hands in the draft is the exact type of receiver the Bills have been lacking for years. Josh Allen gets a new best buddy in Higgins, who has the wingspan and strength to win contested catches and collect errant throws from the gunslingin’ Allen. Higgins has true WR1 potential, and pairing him with John Brown could be what the Bills need to unlock Allen’s full potential. 

23. New England Patriots - Xavier Mckinney, Safety, Alabama

The impending free agency of Devin McCourty leaves the Pats in a bit of a pickle. Whether the Pats decide to resign him or not, it can’t hurt to gain some youth at the Safety position. Patrick Chung is aging and beginning to show signs of decline. Enter Mckinney. Nick Saban bestowed the same responsibilities on him that he once did with Minkah Fitzpatrick. Mckinney is a versatile, high IQ player whose instincts should quickly prove to be useful for Belichick.

24. New Orleans Saints - Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU

I can’t envision a scenario where the Saints look a different direction if Reagor is still on the board. An absolute freak of nature, Reagor is expected to dominate the combine. He once posted a ridiculous sub 4.3 40 and an absurd 26 foot (!!!) long jump. Did I mention the fact that all of this was while he was still in high school? Reagor is a true vertical threat, but also serves plenty of value as a return specialist and gadget type player. He is the exact type of player that Sean Payton covets, and while he has all of the makings to become a WR1 in this league, being the Robin to Michael Thomas’ Batman is simply a pairing that cannot be resisted. 

25. Minnesota Vikings - Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU

This one feels obvious to me. After investing into the offensive line the last two drafts, the depth in the draft allows the Vikings an opportunity to go out and grab a toolsy corner. Xavier Rhodes looked like a shell of what he was once last season, and that pricey contract still looms large. Both Trae Waynes and Mackenzie Alexander are heading towards free agency, and given Mike Zimmer’s penchant for drafting very athletic corners with good ball skills, this fit seems plausible. 

26- Miami Dolphins - Zack Baun, LB, Wisconsin

The ideal chess piece for Brian Flores. Baun’s unique skill set is reminiscent of Kyle Van Noy, as his versatility offers loads of endless opportunities for Flores’ defense. He has all of the traits to play off the ball and offers plus blitz skills, and would give the Dolphins a much needed infusion of talent on the defensive side.

27- Seattle Seahawks - Julian Okwara, EDGE, Notre Dame

The Seahawks last two first round picks have been bizarre to say the least, so don’t be surprised if the twitchy Okwara ends up as the pick. After investing into LJ Collier last season- who is now 25 years old and has recorded one (!) pressure in his young career- it is obvious that the Seahawks are still searching for an answer on the edge outside of Jadeveon Clowney. Okwara is a bit rough around the edges, but offers an intriguing athletic profile and runs with a very high motor. He’s going to need to add play strength early in his career, but his burst and bend might be too tempting to pass on.

28. Baltimore Ravens - Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma

As competitive of a player as there is in this draft. Murray is the type of natural, vocal leader that the Ravens organization seems to covet. His blend of power and speed is something that should mesh immediately in that locker room, and given the Ravens recent track record of drafting Oklahoma players (Mark Andrews, Hollywood Brown, Orlando Brown), Murray seems like an ideal fit. 

29. Tennesee Titans - K’lavon Chaisson, EDGE, LSU

Chaisson fits the mold of a Titans defender. Highly athletic, versatile, and bendy off the edge, adding Chaisson to an already talented defense could be the missing piece they need towards taking that next step to being elite. Chaisson offers plenty of risk, but a guy like Mike Vrabel should be able to milk all of the potential out of him that he can get.

30. Green Bay Packers - Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State

The former JUCO product burst onto the scene this year with a whopping 65-1192-8 stat line. His pure speed and natural after the catch ability is something that offense has long been lacking. Pairing this dynamic playmaker next to Davante Adams would solve what was a very lackluster group last season.

31. San Francisco 49ers - Cesar Ruiz, OC, Michigan

Starting center Weston Richburg is coming off a torn patellar tendon, and the interior depth is showing signs of aging. Ruiz, a late riser, has all of the tools and youth to slide nicely into that unit. An intelligent and experienced player, Ruiz movement skills for his size would be an ideal fit in Shanahan’s offense. 

32. Kansas City Chiefs - Ross Blacklock, DT, TCU

Behind Chris Jones and Derrick Nnadi, the depth at defensive tackle leaves plenty to be desired. Blacklock is an athletic specimen who offers plenty of juice to be a high end player. Coming off a 2018 season in which he missed due to a torn Achilles, Blacklock displayed the same explosiveness he had in 2017. While his processing needs some work, he is the type of high ceiling player that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnulo could get the most out of. 

[des-dabbles]

Just another tag game

I was tagged by @justasimthing Thank you for the tag :)

Rules: Always post the rules. Tag 11 new people you’d like to know better

1. Dogs or Cats? I was raised with both. As an adult though, definitely a cat person. I love my little girl, even if she like my husband better. 

2. YouTube celebrities or normal celebrities? 🤷‍♀️ I mean, I only follow a few people on Youtube and they seem to have a pretty cool personality, so I guess Youtube. Normal celebrities, I don’t really follow or see unless they’re on tv/movie/etc so don’t really have a feel for them.

3. If you could live in anywhere were would that be? I wouldn’t mind living in a smaller town than my current one. lol. Somewhere not as hot year round. Not any particular place. Just a general idea. 

4. Disney or DreamWorks? I guess Disney. It’s really what I grew up on.

5. Favorite childhood TV show? Dang. That was a long time ago. Ummm... I guess Animaniacs or Power Rangers. 

6. The movie you’re looking forward to most in 2020? I have no clue what movies are coming out.

7. Favorite book you read in 2019? I don’t think I have a favorite. I’ve read a few books but nothing that makes me go “OMG! You must read this book.”

8. Marvel or DC? I guess Marvel. I’m not super into the comic and only know what I’ve seen movie wise and that’s mostly Marvel stuff.

9. If you choose Marvel favorite member of the X-Men? If you choose DC favorite Justice League member?  See above answer.

10. Night or Day? Day. Just get more things done then. 

11. Favorite Pokémon? Don’t have one

12. Top 5 bands: Heck....Ok. I tried to think of groups I’d stop and listen to every time I heard them on the radio. Maroon 5, Green Day, Panic! at the Disco, ABBA, and Queen 

13. Top 10 books: Ok. I hate recommending books cause Adi is me and I read the cheesiest, most guilt pleasure-y romances you can find. Like they’re almost cringe worthy. Funny enough, I have never read Twilight or 50 Shades. But.... I always say The Black Jewels Trilogy and any of the follow books that take place in that world. I also really like anything from Tamora Pierce. Her Song of the Lioness Quartet started it all for me. Another book I think fondly about and really the first romance book I read was called Nobody’s Baby but Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. That was really cute and sweet and it’s also part of a series. and Oh! One last romance would be the Calder series by Janet Dailey. 

14. Top 4 movies:  Another toughie. Gidget, From Hell, Meet the Spartans, and... I guess Deadpool.  

15. America or Europe? For what? They both have their pluses and cons. I live in America. I’ve visited Europe.  

16. Tumblr or Twitter? Tumblr, I don’t use Twitter

17. Pro choice or Pro life? Bowing out of this answer. You do you, but topics like this I don’t like talking about on social media cause it’s really no one’s business and I’m not here to start arguments/drama. 

18. Favourite YouTuber: Hmm... The only person I’ve followed consistently over the years is Matthias and his channels: Dope or Nope and Team Edge. I watch some of the other channels but those are the main ones. They’re just funny and light hearted stuff. Sim wise? I really only watch James Turner. I watch a few of the other popular ones, but I just really don’t watch much Youtube to begin with.

19. Favourite author? Gosh. I don’t know if I have a favorite. I read so many and not necessarily the same authors. I guess those I mentioned up in the book section would be some of my favorites.

20. Tea or coffee? Both. I drink a cup of coffee in the morning and then tea through out the day.

21. OTP? I just don’t keep up with IRL couples. Sim wise? Heck, too many to name. I have my favorites that are my own and then I have favorites from the people I read. Listing them would be longer than this whole thing. 

22. Do you play an instrument/sing? In the past. I’ve played the clarinet and keyboard. You don’t want to hear me sing. 

I’m tagging @doodlesimss and @apollon-sims and really anyone else who wants to do it. 

[coffeelouis]

i don’t really have much of an intro this month! here’s what i read! 

streetwise hercules by @bottomlinsons​ “I said,” Louis’ voice is venomous, “who the fuck is this?”

Right.

This is Harry’s part.

(Uni AU, where Louis pretends to be Harry’s boyfriend to scare away his one night stands.)

On the edge of the next nine years by @forreveries​

“It just hit me,” Harry continued, putting down his phone so he could wring the nerves out of his fingers, shake them too, “This is actually happening.” “Nine years in the making.” “Nine years. Shit,” Harry repeated, as though it was the first time he was hearing this. As though they hadn’t been talking about this moment for the past year, hadn’t been planning it for just that long too, “What if-” “Love,” Louis cut him off. There was no room for what ifs anymore. They’d been told their whole careers to be scared of those words, that if something went wrong - came out - it’d be the end of them. And they’d had nine entire years to learn that those what ifs weren’t worth it.

In which Harry and Louis come out at the Met Gala.

Gold Running Through My Veins by @hazzayoudoing​

Harry can’t help himself when he leers. No one ever said you had to be unaffected by your own teammate’s body. Louis has a great one. He’s compact with muscle, curves in places Harry could only dream to touch one day. They hate each other, on the surface. It’s always been this way. Some ribbing here, some eyebrow raises there. But Harry would be lying if he was forced to admit he’s never thought of Louis in a different way.

“Take a picture, Styles. It’ll last longer,” Louis says as he ambles past with Zayn. His board shorts brush Harry’s shoulder, water droplets cool to the touch.

“Fuck off,” Harry responds. He’s got his part to play.

Or, an Olympic gymnastics AU that finds sworn enemies Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson on the same Olympic team, battling it out for gold medals in Belgium while they fall, quite stubbornly, in love. Featuring a steamy striptease in an empty gym, Harry canoodling with a gymnast from another country, a bit of sight-seeing in gorgeous Belgium and some really delicious waffles.

Make a Dime Go One Hundred by @screwstyles​ “Hey, Haz,” he says, encouraged in equal parts by the weed and the cocoon they seem to have created around themselves. “Do you think you could trust anyone enough to have full control over you?” he asks into the night, hoping his sentence won’t break their bubble. It doesn’t, if the way Harry’s eyes meet his is any indication.

“What do you mean?” Harry’s voice is barely above a whisper, rough from the singing they had done earlier. Louis wants to keep this memory forever.

“You know, if someone wanted to, uhm,” he coughs, “to tie you up, or blindfold you.”

-

Friends to Lovers AU: Harry volunteers to help Louis experiment with bondage. Things don’t go exactly to plan.

blend into my favourite colour by @rainbowninja​

Harry often wonders if they’ll ever meet in real life. And if Harry will recognize Tommo the instant they see each other, like somehow their souls will just know. Or maybe Harry’s soul is shouting “Louis!” too loudly for any other signals to go through.

Harry is a barista with a secret Werewolf High fan blog, a desperate crush on a customer named Louis, and a best friend on Tumblr who always makes him laugh. Louis can’t figure out why the barista at his favorite coffee shop keeps creepily staring at him, and to make matters worse, he may be slightly in love with a friend he met online.

A love square involving two boys, one TV fandom, and one food fight.

One Week, Eight Hours by @daggerinrose​

Louis doesn’t have a reason to hate Harry Styles (which, to be fair, is a reason of its own.)

or: a production assistant with no experience in front of a camera interviews a rockstar with old shoes and a distasteful attitude.

⭐ Emperor’s New Clothes by sunsetmog

The fact that Louis’s most precious belonging was a cat with a face like thunder and an uncanny ability to cover every single inch of Louis’s clothing with cat hair was something that Louis chose not to think about too much.

or: Harry’s a pop star and Louis isn’t, and there’s a non-disclosure agreement where there used to be a relationship.

The Red Coat by @larrymylove​

In which Harry wears a red coat, Louis is a little shit, and Harry has plans for him when he gets home.

I’m Not Over You (But I’m Trying) by @greeneyedlarrie

Louis’ House of Solo photoshoot drops, and Harry forgets how to forget about boys.

We’re Like Bumper Cars by sincehewaseighteen

“I have won, I won the final cross country. I win, Harry–”

“Whoever gets to fucking nationals wins it, pretty boy,” Harry teases. “You haven’t won. Interhouse is nothing compared to nationals, or interstate. You haven’t even won interschool. You can dream all you fucking want that you’ve won.”

Louis becomes so ignorant he decides to no longer eye the boy taunting him. “Trophies prove it all, Styles.”

“Where’s your trophy for biggest asshole?”

“Where’s yours for winning cross country?”

Harry growls before hooking his fingers in Louis’ belt loops and bringing them together for a flat kiss.

Or the AU where Louis and Harry are rivals of the century and Cross Country competitors before things get complicated and they play pretend.

plus i reread some fics!

feel so foolish by @juliusschmidt​

Louis and his friends keep laughing at Harry; he’s sure of it. But he’s not sure why.

deleted your number (so i can’t call you) by @tofiveohfive

Harry wakes up to a voicemail.

It’s Saturday morning and it’s raining, a barely there drizzle. He sees the notification as soon as he picks up his phone from the bedside table, bleary eyes making it hard to distinguish the words. He’s got a few instagram mentions, a couple unread texts, but what really stands out is the “Missed Call and Voicemail”.

From Louis.

Or the ten hours before Harry comes home to Louis, and the five hours after he does.

and finally! a drarry one. that i cheated and listened to a podfic of but it’s so good im gonna rec it anyway!!!

it doesn’t really have a description, or an author, or a link… huh, this worked out weird. anyway, you can find the podfic here or a pdf compiling all the fics by this author here (in a dropbox link.) maya went pro like 10-11 years ago (this fic was started BEFORE deathly hallows came out! there’s some things that are Wrong because the books weren’t OVer! how wild is that?!) and deleted everything, so there’s really just these little things floating around the internet now. which is also why it doesn’t have a summary but the summary is basically just that harry is a veela and attracts everyone to him, except for the one person he wants to attract, which is DRACO his best friend and auror partner whom he has PINED FOR for YEARS but is an oblivious walnut! ugh it’s just the best… so much good pining but self-aware harry, which is such a rare treat.

and a check, please! one! (#wild)

one day (we’ll get this right) by onawingandaswear

Fifteen years ago, Jack was traded to Winnipeg for a first round draft pick; a move that cost him far more than the ‘A’ on his sweater when the distance proved too much for his partner to handle.

Now, Jack is two years into his new job as the Schooner’s Assistant General Manager when a chance encounter offers Jack a chance to rebuild the life he was always meant to have with Eric Bittle.

Prompt: Jack and Bitty were never quite able to make a relationship work. They reconnect in their 40s.

anyway, i’ll stop rambling now. hope you had a nice may!

[wideouts4life]

NFL Week 2

Another week of amazing plays by wideouts across the country. Week 2 in the NFL left me hanging on to the edge of my seat because of how crazy the game of sports can be. The comeback by the Jets with under 1:40 seconds left and being down 13, to winning the game by 1 in regulation was nothing short of a miracle. How about the Ravens defense giving up huge plays to one this weeks ‘wideout of the week’ Tyreek Hill (tie with Jaylen Waddle) who used his speed to get behind the defense for touchdowns  of 60 and 48 yards on back to back possessions. The Dolphins entered the 4th quarter down 21 points to Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. With plays made by arguable to fastest duo in the NFL right now, you can see why both wideouts took home wow(wideout of the week) awards. Waddle scored the game winning touchdown and finished the afternoon with 11 catches, 171 yards, and 2TD’s. His all pro teammate Hill finished the game with 13 catches, 190 yards, and 2TD’s. Tyreek leads the league in with 284 yard and his counterpart is currently 3rd with 240 yards respectively. Waddle is 1st in YAC (yards after catch) with 116 and Hill is 2nd with 104 YAC. I’m sure they will continue to be headaches for opposing defensive coordinators. They have the ability to break tackles, shake defenders, and run past them. Only Tua can stop them because he’s the one delivering the rock to the outstanding playmakers at his disposal. 

Cooper Kupp continued to add to his legacy by catching 11 passes for 108 yards and scoring on two sweet plays. The first was a tough over the shoulder catch in the left endzone that Kupp made look easy. His second touchdown came via a swing route to the right side where he shook a defender out of his pants to score his 3rd touchdown of the season. I’m loving watching Cooper line up in the backfield and run hitch routes against outside linebackers. Then line up at slot catch a basic and back to the backfield to catch swings for touchdowns. It’s poetry in motion watching him prosper in McVay’s genius.

Stefon the man Diggs!!! Had the Miami boys not did what they did to the Ravens, Diggs would’ve earned back to back WOW awards. The young lad had a hat trick and we not talking hockey. Scoring 3 TD’s in one game is nothing short of extraordinary. Diggs has had back to back 100 yard games ending Monday night with 148 yards on 12 catches. The Bills are looking scary. They were without number two wideout Davis and still scored at will. Tennessee had a disaster of a third quarter when Kyle Philips-rookie from UCLA who I began training as a 9th grader in Southern California muffed a punt. That turnover led to two Ryan Tannehill interceptions with one leading to a touchdown. 

The other top-10 wideouts from last weeks list didn’t have performances worth mentioning. Justin Jefferson got locked the fuck up by Darius Slay of the Philadelphia Eagles. He twice picked off balls intended for Jefferson and had two breakups balls that should’ve been intercepted. Slay owned Jefferson in every aspect of Monday Nights game. To stay on my radar of relevancy Jefferson will have to bounce back over the next two weeks to get mentioned when I compile my 1st quarter top-10 list. Davante Adams was another one who got locked down. Although Adams managed to score he was held to two catches for 12 yards on seven pass attempts. 

Honorable Mention

I like what the rookie 1st round pick out of USC Drake London is doing. There’s something about his game I didn’t like in college but I see why he was a 1st round pick. Standing at 6’4 and weighing in at 215, Drake’s a big boy and poses a huge size advantage over db’s. He attacks the ball at its high point and I saw him hurdle a defender this weekend. I’ll keep my eye on him and who know’s he just might make my list at the end of the season. 

I didn’t think Christian Kirk was worth the money that he was paid which led to a market reset and some wideouts wanting a raise because of his contract (4yr-72million). But he’s currently number 7 in yards with 195 and has done that on 12 catches to go along with two scores. The Jaguars are not known for having an explosive offense. But with Kirk’s ability to stretch the field and rack up YAC, this will help put wins in the boxscore if he’s able to keep it up. 

This next wideout who I could see cracking my top 10 is Amon-Ra St. Brown. Naturally I have a soft spot for him because I coached Amon in high school and began training him as an 8th grader while working with his older brother Equanimeous St. Brown of the Chicago Bears. Together we lost 1 game in the finals against St. John Bosco and won a national championship. I was able to watch the RA work and taught him some things that would make him successful at wideout. The numbers he put up in high school were ridiculous if you consider St. Brown only played past half-time in 6 out of 29 games. During those two seasons  he had 2,529 yards on 132 catches and 44 receiving touchdowns. I believe he had 3 punt returns for touchdowns but I only counted the ones he had at wideout. Against the Washington Commanders he caught 9 balls for 116 yards and had two scores. He became the third wideout in league history to have 8+ catches in 8 straight games joining Antonio Brown and Michael Thomas of the New Orleans Saints. He set a record with 6 consecutive game of 8+ catches and a touchdown. Ra is definitely someone I can see climbing his way into my top-10 by seasons end. 

[f1]

Its not false Ricciardo agrees with Zak Brown comments that McLaren stint hasnt met expectations so far

Daniel Ricciardo has admitted McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown’s recent claims that his tenure at the team so far had failed to live up to expectations were “not false”, as the Australian gave an honest assessment of his time at the Woking-based team that he joined from Renault for 2021. Brown was asked about the disparity between the performances of his drivers Lando Norris and Ricciardo on Sky Sports’ Any Driven Monday show last month, with Brown responding: “Lando definitely has an edge; we obviously would like to see Daniel much closer to Lando and have a good intra-team battle. “Daniel is just not comfortable yet with the car. We’re trying everything we can… Short of [Ricciardo’s victory at] Monza and a few races, it's generally not met his or our expectations, as far as what we were expecting, and I think all you can do is keep working hard as a team, keep communications going, keep pushing and hope that whatever is not kind of clicking at the moment clicks here shortly.” GRILL THE GRID: The 2022 drivers take on round two, as we find out who’s a Turn 1 pro Asked about Brown’s comments ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix – where Ricciardo would endure a difficult weekend, crashing in Free Practice 2 before racing to 13th, as Norris finished sixth – Ricciardo replied: “It's not false – it's pretty true. Well firstly, comments I don't take personally. My skin is tanned, beautiful, and also thick! But it hasn't [met our expectations]. 2022 Monaco GP FP2: Ricciardo ends his Friday running in the barriers after heavy crash in second practice “No one's going to be harder on me than myself,” added Ricciardo. “I know that I don't want to be racing around in 10th, 12th places. I still believe I can be at the front and belong at the front, so it's been a little bit more, certainly, testing at times, in terms of us trying to get up there and maximise myself in this car. But we're working together hard at it; the team wants it, I want it, so we're just working through it.” Asked, meanwhile, what it would take to get up to the level of Norris – who's scored 48 points to Ricciardo's 11 this year – eight-time Grand Prix winner Ricciardo replied: “I think there's still more that I'd like to be getting out of [the car], which sometimes I can see and sometimes is less clear. I think we've also had a few things that have not gone, let's say, our way and have interrupted some of the sessions, so it's a combination of a few things. READ MORE: 'Deep down I'm disappointed' says Ricciardo as he looks to 'reset' ahead of Baku “But even putting that aside, it's still been a little bit tricky for me to always gel 100% with the car and feel like I can pull out these... I’m trying to say, like, spectacular laps, but that sounds like I'm really bigging myself up! “But yeah, just to pull out those 'heaters', I guess, it has been more tricky for sure; there's been some races and times where it's been good, but honestly, still working at it. I'd love to say that I'm going to be half a second quicker and awesome every race from now – I mean, I would love to and I'm working to get that but still, it's a bit of a process.” via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

[frontproofmedia]

Diego Pacheco: "I Can Win A World Title At 22"

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Published: October 13, 2021

Diego Pacheco believes he can be a World champion at 22 as he faces Lucas de Abreu over eight rounds on Saturday night at Chukchansi Park in Fresno, California, live worldwide on DAZN.

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW AT TICKETS.COM

Pacheco (12-0 9 KOs) has been impressive in his pro journey to date as the 20 year old edges closer to two years in the paid ranks in December. The rangy Californian expects Saturday night to be his last eight round action before tasting his first ten round bout by the end of 2021. Pacheco expects a stern test from the unbeaten Abreu (12-0 11 KOs) but in his third eight round bout on the spin, Pacheco intends to showcase what he’s learnt from stellar sparring sessions with the likes of Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez and has spelled out the path he believes can take him to World title glory in 2023. “I’m ambitious,” said Pacheco. “This is meant to be my last eight round fight and then I am stepping up to ten rounds, I will be 21 in March so I should have been in good ten-rounders and into 12 round fights by the time I am 22, so I think it’s realistic to have a World title fight by 22, why not? “Abreu is a good boxer – good enough to beat the guys he’s beaten so far – but he’s never faced someone like me, so I am confident, and I feel it’s going to be a good win to have on my resume. “I am happy with where I am now. The relationship with Matchroom has been great since day one and everything has been perfect so far. “I walk around at 171lbs or 172lbs. I feel really strong at 168lbs and I think I will be here for a few years, and I’d like to win a title at Super-Middleweight before moving up, it’s not difficult for me to make weight at all, I stay in the gym, I love the sport and I stay in shape all the time, I do what I have to do to be a great boxer. “I was in his camp with Canelo for the Callum Smith fight, a guy on his team recommended me for my height because Callum is so tall. The experience was amazing, I learnt so much from him. I knew that he was looking to take away Callum’s left hook as he was practicing on me! He kept hitting my shoulder and I could tell it was a strategy and it worked, and I’ve picked that up from him because I’ve done that with guy sparring partners and had some success. “I’ve been in camp with David Benavidez and Gabe Rosado ahead of this fight and it’s amazing to be around this level of experience, but it’s not just the things that they tell me, but it gives me the confidence that I’m sparring the best in the world.” Pacheco’s clash with Abreu is part of a stacked night of action in Fresno, topped by the returning Mikey Garcia’s clash with European Super-Lightweight champion Sandor Martin. A stacked undercard in support of the main event is led by WBO World Light-Flyweight king Elwin Soto (19-1 13 KOs) putting his crown on the line against Jonathan Gonzalez (24-3-1 14 KOs) while San Antonio talent Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez (13-0 9 KOs) clashes with Jose Alejandro Burgos (18-4-1 15 KOs). There's plenty more young talent on the card as unbeaten Australian Super-Featherweight Brock Jarvis (19-0 17 KOs) fights under the Matchroom banner for the first time against Alejandro Frias Rodriguez (13-4-2 6 KOs), Marc Castro (3-0 3 KOs) fights in his hometown for the first time as a pro, and Nikita Ababiy (10-0 6 KOs) and Khalil Coe (1-0 1 KO) both look to add wins to their impressive starts in the pro game.