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illshowyourhurricanes · 5 years ago

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Heat Wave

This drabble turned 2000+ word one shot is brought to you by this fantastic request from @the-blind-assassin-12:

This took forever and took a completely different direction than the one I had planned. Thank y’all for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

Image prompt 8: Ryan Brenner x reader (related to Bah, Humbug and In the Line of Fire (part two) which can both be found in my masterlist)

Rating: PG for slight language

Word count: 2167

Tag list: @obscurilicious @the-blind-assassin-12 @something-tofightfor @logan-deloss @lexxierave @madamrogers @yannii04 @gollyderek @carlaangel86 @bicevans @maydayfigment @thisisparadisemylove @malionnes @thesandbeneathmytoes @crushed-pink-petals-writes @delos-destinations

Follower event tag list: @luminex3 @fireeyes-on-teller-dixon-grimes @witchygagirl @breanime

If anyone would like to be added to/removed from my permanent tag list, just shoot me an ask!

When you’d left home at the crack of dawn for a job interview— which had gone surprisingly well thanks to Starbucks and an extra shot of espresso— you’d needed something far warmer than the lightweight blazer you’d grabbed on your way out the door. Now, just before noon, you had shed your blazer that had proven to be insufficient earlier, yet you still felt hot in just your sleeveless blouse and pencil skirt. You thought a perk of moving farther up north would be the mild, temperate climate. It was your first Indian summer, though you’d lived in the area for a year, and you had decided it was bullshit. What had happened to the cool, crisp autumn you’d fallen in love with a year ago?

When you pulled open the heavy glass door of the post office, a cold blast of air but your skin, and you stepped inside quickly. The air conditioning felt absolutely fantastic, and you briefly wondered if people would notice if you lingered for awhile, just to soak up the cool temperature, maybe until you were even a little chilly.

You smiled at the thought as you arrived at your box, smack in the middle of the wall of post office boxes belonging to other people. There was a wall of boxes on your left, another on the back wall— yours on the right—and there were more just down the corridor. You rummaged in your bag to find the tiny brass key for P.O. Box 257, tucked away in a zippered compartment in your purse. After the third time it had fallen off your key ring, you decided to hide it away in a more safe, reliable place.

After locating your key and unlocking your box, you stared at the unexpected abundance of envelopes that had piled up over the last week. Who knew so many people still send paper mail? It took two times reaching into the small box to pull out every piece of mail, mostly tuning out to be junk or credit card companies offering you low interest rates. Only then was the box empty— almost. Retrieving the one remaining piece of mail at the bottom of your box, you smiled as you realized who it was from, locking the box back before giving the postcard a good look. It was rare that Ryan sent you postcards.

They were usually letters tucked away inside envelopes, words hidden for only you to see. The decorative side of the card displayed a vintage style print, a drawing of a wooden fence leading out onto a beach of white sand bordering sky blue waters. Welcome to Orange Beach! it boasted in a series of light green block letters, fading into yellow.

You flipped the card around to see Ryan’s familiar handwriting, a mixture of print that sometimes led off to a few letters of scrawled script:

Just passing through. All the sunshine brings you to mind. See you soon.

You could hear the cadence of his voice, the dropping off of the G at the end of certain words, the slight twang that tugged at his pronunciation of vowels. Your smile grew into a grin as you glanced at the postmark, reading September 3rd. Your eyes widened into saucers as you recalled today’s date. Ryan’s postcard must have gotten lost in the shuffle of the mail circuit— the post date was over two weeks ago.

You shrugged it off and secured your key back into the small pocket on the inside of your purse just before tucking Ryan’s postcard inside. With an armful of the rest of your mail, you braced yourself for the assault of the inevitable sweltering heat.

Fucking Indian summer.

*** *** ***

Ryan was just passing through after a rousing five days in Virginia, where he’d met up with Georgie. Where he was going next was still on the table. Instead of restless, he felt fulfilled, still riding the high of busking with his close friend, both of them splitting the money they’d made halfway. He and Georgie played well together, and it usually paid off. He’d shedded his coat and hoodie, managing to stuff the hoodie into his pack and hang the thicker layer around one of the straps of the large bag. His ever-present guitar case, the black leather wearing off around the edges, was clutched tightly in his right hand as he paused near a crosswalk. Squinting in the sunlight, he was grateful for the small shadow the bill of his cap provided. With the transition of the streetlights from green to yellow to red, he crossed the street and walked one more block to reach the post office.

He was low on stamps, had just two left to be exact. Ryan kept in touch with a handful of people and had a flip phone, but he preferred writing letters. They felt more personal, gave him the time to think about what he was saying and write them in a way that he’d stumble on while talking. There were also times when his phone would be dead for days.

It was mid-July, the thick of the summer, and he could feel beads of sweat forming along his forehead, though it was before noon. The old government building was once red-bricked, but had been washed with white in order to modernize the place. The upkeep added a nice touch as well, neatly trimmed bushes contrasting against the bright paint. He pulled at the metal handle on the right of a set of non-paned French doors, the temperature of the air inside bringing instant relief. The building was eerily quiet, the only sounds lowered voices at one end of the building, the light scraping of paper against metal as patrons picked up their mail. Turning toward the sounds of conversation, he walked down the corridor and turned with the layout of the building.

He was surprised at the line of people waiting, a few solitary people in casual attire, one or two dressed in clothing appropriate for the workplace littered between. There was a mother with a stroller holding a sleeping toddler, an elderly couple, and one woman alone in front of him. He nodded politely as you turned your head to the side in curiosity in order to see what type of brave soul had come up behind you to patiently wait for their turn. You saw a man who was about your age, and offered him a friendly smile, turning around to face him.

Ryan instantly found you absolutely stunning. Your smile brightened your entire face, your features all striking, as if they’d been hand-picked specifically for you..

“Good morning,” you said, greeting him casually as if the two of you had been acquainted a long time ago, old friends. “How about that heat wave?”

Ryan chuckled, surprised at your unaffected manner and genuine friendliness. He noticed the way you surveyed his clothing, eyes quickly glancing to your guitar case before lifting to his face again. Your expression hadn’t changed or faltered a bit, that smile still in place. That was a rarity, something Ryan hadn’t come across in quite some time.

He returned your smile with a slightly crooked smile of his own. There’s some thin’ about this woman, he thought to himself. She’s authentic. A good heart, a kind soul. A fire burning within her. Ryan thought that if she was burning bright, he’d volunteer to stand a bit too close to her flames and would pay no mind to the sharp sting of a burn.

“Mornin’,” he replied good-naturedly. “I think I’m used to all sorts of weather, but then a heat wave hits and reminds me I’m wrong.” Ryan looked at you with warm eyes, spoke with a low drawl that made you weak. “Name’s Ryan, pleasure to meet you.”

*** *** ***

It was eerily quiet when you got home, but the silence was just what you needed. You felt like you needed about three showers to wash away the sweat and sticky humidity that clung to your skin, and the only thing that delayed you was the kicking off of your shoes and dumping your purse and mail onto your couch.

After your shower, water temperature lukewarm at best, you felt human again, revitalized. You’ve mulled around ideas for dinner in the back of your mind, made a quick detour into your bedroom, and returned to that couch you’d tossed your things upon, holding a shoebox. Opening the box as you sat and balancing it in your lap, you reached for your purse, pulling out the postcard you’d received, albeit two weeks too late.

Lifting the thick stack of envelopes that were quickly outgrowing their box, you slipped the postcard picture-down into the bottom of the shoebox. Smiling softly, you brought your legs up, crossing them like a child, and plucked several envelopes from the middle of your stack, devouring the letters that you’d read dozens of times before.

Y/N,

Made a quick decision to hop off in New Orleans before heading off toward Chicago. The train station here is directly connected to a streetcar line that leads straight into the French quarter. Maybe I’ll take a ride next time. Maybe you’ll take one with me.

I thought about you most of the day, the way you’d stop to listen to a three-piece zydeco band in Jackson square. I imagine how you’d look with powdered sugar on the tip of your nose from beignets, and the slow nod of approval when you taste real, authentic gumbo.

I heard the roaring of a streetcar clacking over its tracks and knew that I needed to write to you that very second. I miss you, Y/n. Wish it was me & you riding that streetcar to wherever it would take us.

Ryan

Have you ever been to Vegas, Y/N? Beyond all the neon lights, the ritzy hotels and big-name shows, the electricity of the city shifts. Contrary to what other people might think, it’s a great place to play music, beyond the strip, along a street lined with benches and a slight change of pace.. more of a scenic, less chaotic feeling. People stop, and they listen. Really listen. Sometimes I’ll get accolades instead of money, but that’s what it’s all about— telling stories with hope that people can enjoy them and relate.

It’s time for me to go out for the day. Can’t wait until you’re the audience I’m singing to.

Ryan

Y/N,

I’m just writing to tell you that Memphis not only has the best bbq, but also the best peach cobbler. Georgia’s got nothing on Tennessee.

Ryan

Sometimes, when you really thought about it in retrospect, it was wild. In the space of time that you and Ryan shared as a unit, an entire human could be born; the biology of. growing from cells into a living, breathing, viable human being. An entire new life could be created.

And throughout the last nine months, you, with Ryan’s help, had created a new life of your own. You had a boyfriend, one who was absent far more than he was around, yet managed to never weaken his connection. No matter where in the country Ryan’s trains took him, he’d write. There was no way for you to write back to a man with no address, not in a manner of space and time anyway. But in your new life, none of it was liner. The only time that mattered was when Ryan was there with you, and that was when he got your letters. You always responded, saving your words to give to him next time.

Next time. You slid folded paper back into envelopes, a grin breaking into your face as you heard the sound of heavy boots over your wooden porch. Dropping Ryan’s letters back into the shoebox right on time, you replaced the lid as the door opened and shut. There was a soft thudding of his guitar case being set into a corner, and you stood to pad through the house in bare feet.

You met Ryan in the kitchen, watching him down almost an entire cold bottle of water. You adored this man who had needed to buy stamps while stopped in your town, stepping into the post office you’d been waiting in, all by chance. You had never been happier than when Ryan was home.

“Good afternoon,” you greeted him. As he set aside his bottle of water, you rose to your tiptoes to give him a kiss, his lips chilled from the water. Snaking your arms around him, you leaned back and looked at him, a playful glint in your eyes. “How about that heat wave?”

#dani's 150 followers event #drabble requests #image 8 #ryan brenner x reader

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ask-joyce-byers · 5 years ago

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#40 please!

1962 | 1967

{45 OTP Prompts: “I want a baby.”, and Drabble Prompt List: “I’m pregnant.”}

Christmas, 1962

The everlasting mismanagement of the NYPD meant that half of the deputies promised off on Christmas day had to work after all, and those who had volunteered to walk their beat despite the snowfall and the forfeit comfort and joy got sent home early to spend time with their families. As it was, Jim Hopper received no especial privileges despite his having requested off to spend the day with his wife. You don’t have kids, was the consensus. The deputies with kids got preference to go home and see their progeny, whereas if you had decided not to reproduce or were just otherwise unlucky, you got to work same as any other day. Nevermind the fact that Hutchinson got sent home, and he and his old lady were far beyond the kid-having age. Andrews and Williard too, both of them empty-nesters.

“Damn unfair,” Hopper muttered to himself, stamping through the snow that night, frozen to the bone, icicles having formed in the ends of his hair, stabbing him in the back of the neck and making his eyebrows so he could see them if he looked sharply up. “Diane? I’m home.”

"Merry Christmas, baby,” Diane beamed, a vision in her bright red sweater, blonde hair curled in loose waves, bangs full and just shading her blushing face. The warmth of the apartment’s interior hit him like a heavy quilt, and he let out a long breath, reaching for her and pulling her into a hug against his snowy coat despite her squeal and helpless attempts to swat him away.

“You’ll get me wet! This is cashmere!”

“Cashmere? Really…” He ogled, hands finding her waist, smoothing there as she pecked him on the cheek and twisted away.

“Food first. Then presents, then -”

“Sleep,” Hopper groaned, and Diane pursed her lips.

“If you say so.”

“Unless you had other ideas.” His level of alertness was immediately heightened.

“Food first,” she reiterated, all but dragging him into the kitchen where a modest, but fragrant ham sat, resplendent in its roaster, bordered in seasoned potatoes and bright greens. “And for dessert-” She gestured to the oven and he bent, cracking open the door to reveal a good deal of indistinguishable shadow and the unmistakable scent of apple pie.

“You’re an angel,” Hopper proclaimed, hugging her to him again, and this time she let him as he pressed a resounding kiss to her rosy lips and dragged a freezing hand through her soft hair. “Lemme go get cleaned up.”

“Please,” Diane grinned, and while he rummaged and recuperated, splashed and stomped, she arranged the presents on the small kitchen table, crowned with the bright Christmas tablecloth and overhung with fake evergreen swags. Little things, they weren’t living on big money here, but he was home from overseas, they had their own place, and it was time to start enjoying the little things in life. One present in particular, very light and thin, she placed in the forefront.

Supper enjoyed, one and two word answers to her questions sufficing to explain that the food was too good for conversation, Diane slowly inched the envelope towards him.

“Open this one first.”

“Why don’t you open one of mine? The little square one.” A bracelet, something he’d picked out with help from Mrs. Hutchinson, as he had about as much idea what to get a lady as a grizzly bear knew how to pitch a tent. He was keen to see if he’d hit the mark.

“Open mine first. You’ll like it.”

“Will I?” Tearing into the envelope with impish impetuosity, he pulled out a simple card made of folded stock paper, drawn all over in different colored ink and the curly message OPEN ME. Lifting a brow, Hopper did so and saw, in stark contrast to the elaborate outer portion of the card, the inside was blank save for one, short sentence.

I want a baby.

Blue eyes looked up at Diane, and then back to the card, and then back to Diane, the muscles in his jaw working as he strove to work out an appropriate answer.

Yes. Yes. Right now.

“You want a baby,” was all he managed to echo, voice sounding strange even to his own ears. “You don’t wanna wait another year -”

“Way I see it, we’ve done enough waiting.” Nam. It hadn’t seemed like waiting to him, it had been war, it had been hell, but back home, to Diane it had to have seemed like decades.

“You, ah….” He licked his lips, meeting her gaze at last. “You wanna start workin’ on that now?”

“You don’t want to finish presents first?”

“They get better than this?”

He stood, leaning across the table to capture her lips. The way she slowed into the kiss, her breath catching, fluttering against his skin, his hand going up to cup her cheek, and suddenly the fact that her sweater was cashmere didn’t matter at all, he just wanted it off. On the table, in the floor, anywhere not on her.

A baby. With blue eyes and blonde hair, just like Diane, perfect in every way.

Come September, he was reminding her of that, telling her his dream, their dream as he drove her to the hospital, her breath fast and ragged, forehead beaded with sweat, clenching his hand in a vice-like grip.

“Some Christmas present, huh,” he made the mistake of commenting, turning to her with a forced smile, and she tore her hand away at that.

“Just drive, James.”

James. Ah, he was in trouble, then. She never used his real name unless she was upset at him, or on other very, very special occasions. One like the one that had tears starting to his eyes some hours later as the nurses placed a very small bundle of pink blanket into his arms, tiny breaths shuddering her little body against him, eyes murky and blinking, looking into his own.

“Hey, little one,” he managed, voice hoarse. “Hey, baby girl. What’re you lookin’ at, huh. Big scary man? I’m your dad, little one. Your dad.”

“She’s beautiful, James,” Diane breathed, and reached for him, taking his hand, a faint smile tugging her lips. “Some Christmas present.”

__________________________________

January, 1967

Joyce pressed her eyes shut at the approach of footsteps outside the bathroom and steeled herself for the verbal onslaught. You’re taking fucking forever, what kind of issue do you have, locking yourself in there for hours at a time, hogging the entire goddamn bathroom because god forbid anyone else in this house have to take a piss while you’re in there doing your hair or whatever shit -

“Almost finished,” she called, not waiting this time, hearing his impatient breath on the other side of the door. “You should just go without me.”

“You’re coming with me. I’m meeting a potential agent, and I don’t wanna look like a fool who couldn’t get his wife to go and be social.”

“What kinda agent is this now?” Joyce managed, voice thin, fighting off another wave of nausea and hardly daring to look at the typed report on the counter, courtesy of the doctor’s office in Larrabee. If only there was some simple way of doing the same tests they did there from home, of checking this yourself, then one could avoid the embarrassment, the exertion, the expense…

She’d demanded a copy of the lab report anyway, and irritated, the girl with red nails had typed it up for her and yanked it from the typewriter. It was only because Joyce had proudly gotten an A in biology that she even knew the significance of hGC at all. Why the x-ed out upper-case H irritated her so much before the proper typing of the lab result was something that even good grades could not explain.

“Joyce.” The doorknob rattled and she grit her teeth against the jolt it gave her pulse. She’d locked it; short of forcing the door, he wasn’t coming in, though that had happened before. “Hurry the fuck up. What in the hell is taking -”

“Lonnie, I’m sick. I don’t wanna go.”

“Did you go to the doctor?”

“Yes.”

“What’d they say?”

“That I’m sick.”

More muttered curses. “Of course they did. Tryin’ to get money from you, they’re never gonna turn someone away and say you’re fine now, are they. Use your head, Joyce. You’ve been sick for days, I’m done with your damn excuses.”

“Lonnie.” Joyce steeled herself, eyes pressed shut from her seat on the edge of the tub. “Go to your meeting. I’ll see you later.”

“And leave you to sleep or watch TV while I work to get the pro-ball career that I’ve been after for years? No, you’re comin’. If I have to do this, so do you.” As if she didn’t spend entire weeks working at Melvald’s and coming home to an empty house, cooking actual food every night anyway on the off chance he should come home from whatever dive bar he was in this time, networking and schmoozing, all so he could have the pro-ball career he insisted was still coming to him. As if anyone else paid the bills to this house, as if he’d ever done a single thing for her other than order her around and wear her on his arm like some kind of gaudy watch.

The last jibe had her on her feet, steadying herself and yanking open the door, letting the full effect of her appearance sink in. Dark hair tumbled, face paler than a ghost, she simply stood there and met his eye for a long moment, before thrusting the typed paper towards him. Brow lowering, he grappled it and fumbled it open, peering in the shadow of the corridor before pushing past her into the bathroom to use the light of the high-set window.

“The hell is this?”

“My report from the doctor.”

“Did you get an A,” he jeered, and Joyce didn’t even bother responding, waiting for him to peruse the typed lines and thrust it back at her. “What’s that supposed to mean anyway. You dying? You have cancer?” Is it gonna be expensive, she could all but hear the unspoken accusation.

“There.” She poked the corrected hGH line, the reading stating simply P. Positive.

“Okay?”

“I’m pregnant.”

Lonnie’s response was immediate, a muttered curse, a long scrutinizing look toward her midsection, and then an accusatory stare at the paper. As if he didn’t trust it.

“And how’s that supposed to prove anything?”

“It’s a hormone,” Joyce explained wearily. “You either have it in your blood or you don’t, and I did.”

“And that means you’re pregnant.”

“Yes.”

“Bullshit.”

“It’s not bullshit, Lonnie, that’s how it works. I’ve been throwing up, feeling awful -”

“This is it, then.” He flung the paper to the bathroom counter. “The gig’s up. How’d this happen?”

She didn’t even bother asking what he meant by the gig being up, he meant, however he decided to express it, that he had to face responsibility now. To at least be present, if not contribute. Somehow she doubted that was gonna happen.

“I figure it happened one of those times you came home drunk,” Joyce drawled and Lonnie fixed her with a warning glare.

“You’re blamin’ this on me?”

“You’re the one running the show when that kind of thing happens, so yeah, I’m blaming it on you.”

The sound of a resounding slap, skin on skin echoed through the hollow of the bathroom, and in the mirror, Joyce saw her own cheek flare red.

“This is your deal,” Lonnie threatened, voice low. “You deal with this, and it better not put you out of a job. That’s all we got until I can land this gig, and this better not derail the whole fucking plan.”

“’S not gonna derail anything,” Joyce mumbled, and her hand, instead of going to her cheek, went to her middle. As if by his blow he’d insulted not her, but one innocent in all of this. “I’ll figure it out. I always do.”

“You better. Lay down, I guess.” The nicety flung over the shoulder was all she got as he made for the front door and grabbed his coat. “I’ll make some kind of excuse for you.”

“Thanks,” Joyce muttered, her voice barely audible as she made her way gingerly to the couch and curled up there.

“And Joyce?” His voice, calling back through the cold air of the open door had her lift her head. “If it’s a boy he’s gonna learn to play ball.”

Then the door slammed, and she was left in quiet. Some say that when you bring a kid into a marriage, it can serve as a saving grace in the eleventh hour, bringing couples back together again. But in that moment Joyce Byers was never more sure – that one day, as soon as she could save up enough money, pay off the house herself and get it transferred to her name – one day, this was going to be her home, her life. Hers, and the tiny life inside her. And if he didn’t want to play baseball, she wasn’t going to make him play goddamn baseball.

#joyce byers #ask joyce byers #jopper #drabble #fic #fanfic #ask #rp #stranger things #jim hopper #sara hopper #jonathan byers #lonnie byers

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heartsofvalor · 7 years ago

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I’m sure we’ve all seen plenty of these floating around and ofc, I wanted to contribute. Not too long ago, I rebooted my blog & moved fresh, yet so many of you followed me without hesitation. I love every single one of you guys and I can’t begin to thank you for everything you’ve all done for me. Your existence alone has changed my life for the better and I honestly can’t express just how grateful I am for that. I’m not that good with words, so I just wanted to say that I love every single one of you reading this (even if you’re not on the list -- that’s nothing to do with you, it’s to do with my very non existent memory & honestly, if I went through my following list -- you’d all be on here and that would be a very very long list). This is basically just a post for me to express my gratitude to the people that have talked me out of some bad times, that have been there through the good times & people that have put up with my endless chatting ! I love all of you and I hope that you start 2018 in the best of ways. Remember that it will get better and that you, yes you, are incredible. You are strong and brave, smart and kind. You deserve all the goodness this shitty world has to offer and I hope you get that goodness. I hope you get that happy ending.

@ofheatguns / @ofcoldguns / @chaosdwelling / @sxdiistic / @brthlxss / @artificiallyimplantedmemories / @moonshadcws / @codeworn / @petrasplaining / @islandhaunted / @jaxonsawyer - @vampiricallyxspeaking / @makochosen / @officerh / @tobeblamed / @warricrsbcw / @godisabitofabastard / @bicornmagic / @moonhurts / @oftroubledsouls / @blindednephilim - @snatchedatlight - @angelblccded / @adoredlife / @zeusbuilt / @patchofstars - @gentlemind / @mccallofthewild / @stilinskinator / @multamusae

under the cut are the rambling parts !!

@executiie -- Abby! You have the most beautiful heart and soul. You are never ending kindness to me and I honestly don’t know how to thank you for being in my life. I’m so happy that I know you, really, I am. You’re so important to my life now, so important to how I think and how I am. You’ve helped me through some of the hardest times this year and I can’t fucking thank you enough for that. For being the light in the darkness that I was facing. You are one of the most talented writers that I’ve ever come across and I will never get over how much I love your muses and our muses dynamics. We clicked, just like that. The writing chemistry is insane and I still can’t get over how fast we started to write, and how many things we have now (which is just hilarious to me because we can’t stop hoarding and I love it). When we first started talking, we connected just like that, on a whole new level of friendship. We went straight past awkwardness and right into best friend mode and I’m so, so thankful that I get to talk to you nearly every single day? My days are pretty fuckin’ sad and empty when I don’t get to talk to you though, (damn timezones). But when I do? Oh man. I love talking to you, I love discussing things and plotting things out with you. You’re always there when I need you and I can’t thank you enough. I’m so grateful for your existence in this world and I really, really hope that the new year brings less stress, more happiness and more time to chill (more time to talk to me -- no, I’m kidding). You deserve so much more than what the universe has given you and I hope to aide in making you feel even a tiny bit better, because that is what you better. I want the world to be kinder to you and I want the world to love you more than it does. I know this is rambling but I genuinely can’t express with words, just how truly grateful and happy I am to know you? That the world decided we should talk and we did and now -- now I can’t imagine life without you. I love you. (Also: thank you for taking interest in my OCs and thank you for helping me to develop them. You have no idea how much that means to me. I’m so fucking thankful that you helped to shape Delanie into the person she is today. I am forever grateful that you took interest in my girls, that you helped me develop them and that you’ve helped me to further develop all of my other muses. There isn’t enough words in the world to express how thankful I am for that. For you.)

@giveseverything / @gentleruin / @moontaint -- Rae. I don’t even know where to start with this? Roll back to the time when we vaguely knew each other, when we talked occasionally -- to now, where we don’t go a single day without talking to each other (or try not to at least). A wild contrast, honestly. Did you know that we’ve known each other since 2016? That seems so bizarre to me, that we only just started talking in the last few months, since September (yes I checked, fight me!). But the connection we made in the first few days of really talking was incredible, it was so fast and we just clicked. I don’t honestly know what I would do without your presence in my life now? You’re such an integral and important part of my life that I’d be lost without you. I’m lost on the days where we don’t talk, I feel empty when it’s been hours since we last chatted. I’m honestly a sap when it comes to you because you’re so, so important to me and I can’t thank the world enough for pushing us together when it did. Something so important formed so quickly and I just -- I can’t get over how much you mean to me. You always, always makes me smile. You never fail to make me laugh and you’ve got an ironclad grip around my entire life. There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t think about you, when I’m not wondering how you are and if you’re doing okay. You have made my life so much brighter by being in it and I’m so happy that I know you, I’m so happy that I get to watch you develop your OCs, that I get to play with them and form such meaningful and long lasting relationships with our muses. You have shaped my life, absolutely for the better, and I don’t honestly know what I’d do without you now. I really hope that this year brings better things for you, I hope that it is kinder and softer and far more gentle on your open soul. I want the world to be better to you. So, thank you, for staying with me - for sticking by me through those really rough patches. You are an incredible human being and I love you to the moon, stars and back again.

@mcmachine / @fatecrossed / @losthunt -- Jill! My shining light. You, my friend, are an incredible human being that I appreciate so, so much. You’re so kind and gentle and you never fail to make me laugh, even when I’m having a hard time. Please remember that you are loved, even when you feel down and out and that I’m always, always here for you. You have helped me in so many ways, helped me development and I feels comfortable talking with you. I love how quickly and easily our friendship developed and I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you. You’ve helped me grow and change and become a better person and you are such a good person with such a kind heart that deserves so much love and gentle care. I really do hope that this year brings more kindness into your life, less stress and less sadness. You deserve to live in a stress free life and you deserve to be happy, all the time. Happiness is such a good look on you. Thank you for putting up with me, through all my bad times (which I know there’s been a lot of recently). Thank you for being there, for always reminding me of the good things, rather than the bad. Thank you for understanding me, for understanding my quirks. I’m so appreciative of your existence and I can’t thank the world enough for letting me get to know you. (Still hecked that we didn’t meet up when you were in the UK though--). Thank you for helping me to develop my muses and thank you for being you, the kind hearted soul that you are. I really do hope that good things come your way this way. I love you!

@valeureux / @drowniingdreams -- Charlie! Can you believe it’s been three years since we first started talking? It honestly doesn’t feel like it’s been that long. You’ve been an amazing friend to me over the years (I can say that, hah!) and you’ve always been so supportive, always listened to me talk shit over the phone and listen to me ramble. You’ve put up with so much crap from me and I honestly can’t thank you enough for sticking around, even though sometimes I’m super difficult to deal with. I really hope that the new year brings you everything that you deserve, because you truly are an amazing person and I couldn’t be happier to know you, honestly. All of our threads and all of our interactions make me the happiest. I love all the development that we’ve put into our things and I love your dedication to your muses (even if you are satan and hurt me with that dedication sometimes). You are honestly such a sunshine and I really appreciate having you in my life. You’re so fiercely protective of the people you care about and that is such an amazing quality to have. I love you!! I love our babies!! I really hope that this year is kinder and gentler to you, because you deserve it so, so much. Thank you for being there for me through the rough times and the good times, thank you for sticking with me and not giving up on me. I can’t thank you enough for just existing in my life and providing me with the kind of support that I really, really needed this year (and the years before). You mean the absolute world to me, you gem! (I kinda rambled here but the general gist is that I love you and I hope this year makes you smile more because you deserve it).

@mkvch / @frednm -- Maggie! The one who acts like the sibling I always needed in my life. I just want to start this off with saying how much I love your dedication to Mickey? To all of your muses? I found you first on your Mickey blog (right in the Height of my Shameless binge) and I was so happy to find someone that understood Mickey in the way that you do. You are funny and you are smart and you’re kind (to me, definitely) and you always make me laugh, you always make me smile and I’m absolutely going to fight you with love, like a brother would if you try to fight me on this. You’ve been there for me and I’m so happy that you exist? Because your dedication is like nothing I’ve ever seen towards a single character. You understand Mickey’s mannerisms and attitude at such a complex depth that I’m just in awe of you? Whenever you write headcanons, I’m always sat at my screen, unable to comprehend how you can know a muse so well without actually being that muse -- I’m still convinced that you might actually be Mickey, we still don’t know to this day -- find out at Ten! Anyway, back to the point -- I think you’re the fucking bee’s knee’s and I will literally fight anyone who says otherwise. I will fight any person that tries to tell me that you’re not an incredible human being because you are. You’re amazing and such a talented writer and I’m so glad that I go to know you, that I got to write with you and that I get to plot with you. I really hope that this year brings better things for you, that things get better, that the world is kinder to you. Because you deserve it and I love you, so so much.

@themythscometolife -- Fi! You have been by my side for what feels like forever, you’ve talked me through some of the hardest things in my life, you’ve understood me on a level that not many people can and I appreciate your existence in my life so much? You make me laugh, you make me smile and you always make me see things logically, you help me through the decisions that I can’t make on my own and I honestly can’t thank you enough for helping to shape me into a better person, into a brighter person. You’ve been there for me through some really tough times and I just... I can’t express how much you mean to me. I’m not good with words, we know this, but I wanted to at least try and tell you that I adore you and you mean the absolute world to me. I’m so grateful that we get to write together, I’m so glad that you got a discord! I’m so glad that we get to chat together whenever we can and I’m just .... so thankful. I love all of your muses and the dedication you put into every single one. I’m still so impressed that you can handle so many with such ease. I’m also super glad that you added Ethan thanks to my somewhat enabling :’) Thank you for staying by my side, thank you for helping me through the rough times. I really hope this year is good to you. I hope that you get all the good things this year. I hope that things turn around for you. I hope the new year is everything you want it to be and more. I love you.

#( bias list. )#rip this took so long to write

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suzanneshannon · 5 years ago

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The Rising Complexity of JAMstack Sites and How to Manage Them

When you add anything with user-generated content or dynamic data to a static site, the complexity of the build process can become comparable to launching a monolithic CMS. How can we add rich content to static sites without stitching together multiple third-party services?

For people in the development community static site generators are a popular choice over traditional content management systems (CMS) like WordPress. By comparison static sites are usually lightweight, highly configurable, fast, easy to use and can be deployed almost anywhere.

With static websites, no code is generated on the server; we've replaced databases and server-side code with APIs and build processes.

This has become known as a JAMstack, which stands for JavaScript, APIs and Markup. I have a strong persuasion towards JAMstack sites because I feel more in control of the output than I do when working with the often large and monolithic CMSs I’ve sometimes had to use on client projects.

Despite my enthusiasm, I'm often disheartened by the steep complexity curve I typically encounter about halfway through a JAMstack project. Normally the first few weeks are incredibly liberating. It's easy to get started, there is good visible progress, everything feels lean and fast. Over time, as more features are added, the build steps become more complex, multiple APIs are added, and suddenly everything feels slow. In other words, the development experience begins to suffer.

It usually looks something like this:

One of the reasons for this steep rise in complexity is there are limits to the type of data that markdown can easily represent. Relationships are one example where static sites struggle. Relationships between pages or collections of assets (such as an image gallery) can only be represented by markdown in inefficient ways. It requires significant preprocessing to resolve anything more complicated than a simple set of tags or categories. If you’ve ever had to do it, you will also know the authoring experience of managing relationships in markdown isn’t ideal.

User-generated content is another area that can cause a steep rise in the complexity of static sites. Adding features like comments, ratings, likes or any other kind of dynamic content will require third-party services — each has its own account that needs to be managed, not to mention that adding third-party scripts can have a negative impact of page performance.

If a service doesn't match your specific requirements, sometimes it’s possible to cobble solutions together using generic platforms like Google Forms or AirTable.

The end result is we've outsourced the database, fragmented the content management experience and stitched together a bundle of compromises. That’s a stark contrast from the initial ease of setting up and deploying a JAMstack site.

Although this complexity curve is not unique to JAMstack projects, adding rich features to markdown-driven sites is far more difficult than we care to admit. What happened!? A lack of complexity was one of the reasons we favored JAMstack in the first place.

We did that thing that web developers do. We moved the complexity from one space into another and congratulated ourselves 😂. Not having complexity on the server-side is good for front-end performance, but there is little incentive to optimize any further once we do this. Ridiculous build times and complicated tool-chains have become an acceptable reality for modern front-end web development.

JAMstack Plus

Before I come across as sounding too critical, I should make it clear that I absolutely love static site generators. I think they are a perfect solution for many simple sites and you should still use them. However, I feel like a simple content management layer that I own and can configure is preferable to:

poor content management experiences,

complicated integration of third-party services, and

inefficient build processes.

I want to combine the benefits of a CMS with static site generators.

And it seems I'm not the only one who has reached this conclusion:

WordPress (et al) is often pitted _against_ static site generators.

I get it. They feel like different worlds.

But SSG’s just take input and make static output. You may still want/need a CMS, and WordPress can be that. It has APIs that a SSG can injest.

— Chris Coyier (@chriscoyier) June 11, 2019

My encounters with static site generators lead me to the opinion that they are incredibly compelling as a way to work, but be sure you really do want a static site. Too often what I see is a messy compromise to deal with stuff a DB would make easy.

— Rachel Andrew (@rachelandrew) September 20, 2019

WordPress is a fantastic and familiar content editing experience, but what if you could deploy your site statically for ultimate speed, stability, and security? ⚡️You can, and here’s a great rundown of plugins for doing headless WordPress on Netlify: https://t.co/lz6fscbX3q

— Netlify (@Netlify) July 30, 2019

The solution doesn’t need to be another third-party service or require abandoning static sites entirely. You can use a personalized content management layer and unified API to enrich a static site. It might not be as hard as you think.

The first step is to create an API for your site. You can use any headless CMS, but the challenge I’ve had with many options is they make a lot of assumptions about the type of content you want. You might not want the CMS to manage pages and posts, but rather use it to store comments or images. I find this particularly difficult with WordPress. I often feel like I’m forcing a blogging platform to be just the service I need.

The new version of KeystoneJS (Keystone 5) is an excellent alternative to more opinionated content management systems. It's made up of tiny independent components, so you only add the parts you need. This means it doesn’t feel like modifying a blogging platform. Instead it's like creating a personalized mini-CMS and API to work specifically with your site.

I call this approach JAMstack Plus.

To help you get started with this idea I've created two projects:

Supermaya, a starter kit for the static site generator Eleventy.

Keystone JAMstack Plus, a blog enrichment platform.

Introducing Supermaya

The first project I want to share with you is Supermaya, an Eleventy starter kit designed to help add rich features to a blog or website without a complicated build process.

It comes with the all "blog standard" features including:

Posts and Pages

Pagination

More from David Pogue:

Inside the Amazon company that’s even bigger than Amazon

The $50 Google Home Mini vs. the $50 Amazon Echo Dot — who wins?

The Fitbit Ionic doesn’t quite deserve the term ‘smartwatch’

Augmented reality? Pogue checks out 7 of the first iPhone AR apps

How Apple’s iPhone has improved since its 2007 debut

Gulliver’s Gate is a $40 million world of miniatures in Times Square

Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant is ambitious, powerful, and half-baked

Is through-the-air charging a hoax?

David Pogue, tech columnist for Yahoo Finance, is the author of “iPhone: The Missing Manual.” He welcomes nontoxic comments in the comments section below. On the web, he’s davidpogue.com. On Twitter, he’s @pogue. On email, he’s [email protected]. You can read all his articles here, or you can sign up to get his columns by email.

#Tech #David Pogue #Pogue #_lmsid:a077000000BAh3wAAD #_revsp:yahoofinance.com #$AAPL #_author:David Pogue #_uuid:e631cdee-245c-30d7-9745-27c1be1cab69

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morsmordrehasbeensaved · 7 years ago

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CONGRATULATIONS HALEY, YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED AS EDGAR BONES WITH THE FACECLAIM OF DIEGO BONETA!

We barely even had to read your application to know this would be a definite yes from us. The fact that he's incredibly self-critical as a byproduct of him being "perfect" just fit so well, his relationship with Amelia was wonderfully described by you and his friendships with Ted and Frank just warmed all of our hearts. It was the exact way we had pictured Edgar while we were writing his character, and we were truly blown away by your application, we can't wait to write with you.

Check out our acceptance checklist right here on what to do next!

♔ OUT OF CHARACTER INFO ♔

Name:

Haley

Age:

20! My birthday just passed, actually. It’s August 15th!

Pronouns:

She/Her

Timezone/Activity:

Standard Central Time! (I live in Texas, if that helps) And my activity typically depends on the activity of the roleplay as well as the muse I have for my character. In active roleplays where I love my character I tend to be online pretty much all day. I’m a nanny, so I have a lot of downtime to get online! In number form, I’d say 7/10!

Triggers:

None that I’m currently aware of.

Anything Else?:

Nothing in particular! Just that I appreciate this roleplay and hope that I get the chance to write with you all. :)

♔ IN CHARACTER INFO ♔

Full Name:

Edgar Elijah Bones. I think he’d also go by Ed, also.

Birthday and Age:

Edgar is 17 years old and his birthday is on September 8th, making him a Virgo!

Pronouns:

He/Him

Sexuality/Romantic Orientation:

If you ask him, he’ll tell you that he likes girls. But he’s actually fairly fluid with his sexuality, he’s just never met someone that has challenged the view he holds inside.

Extracurriculars:

He’s listed as a Prefect and a Chaser for his house. He’s also in the Chess Club, the Slug Club, and the Dueling Club. Those are all great with me and line up with my idea of him perfectly!

Personality Traits:

+ Thorough: Edgar makes sure to put careful thought into all of his decisions and actions. He takes into account every detail and leaves no task unfinished. He completes his duties with great care. This can easily be seen if one were to flip through the numerous pages of notes he takes for his classes and the bundle of carefully planned out to-do lists that he keeps in his book bag.

+ Brave: Edgar does not fear pain, nor is he scared of death. He has a fighting spirit and a desire to stand up for those who can’t do it himself. He will do anything the Order asks of him, without hesitation. On the other hand, he also does not mind telling people things that they might not want to hear. Bravery comes in many forms, and Edgar exemplifies a lot of them.

+ Decisive: It does not take Edgar long to come to a decision. He is logical, almost to a fault, and has no trouble coming to a conclusion quickly and effectively, whether or not it is the right one.

+ Charismatic: Edgar Bones is not called perfect for nothing. Perfect implies that someone excels in all aspects of life and this includes socially. He possesses a compelling charm and has perfected his fake smile. He can small talk with the best of them and typically has no problem getting people to like him.

- Stubborn: An unfortunate byproduct of his thoroughness has led Edgar to develop quite a bit of a stubborn streak. Because he tends to his decisions so carefully he resents being told to do otherwise and will dig his heels into the ground, only doing something if he considers it to be his own idea.

- Self-Critical: Perfect has been a large label to live up to and Edgar isn’t so sure if he’s doing a good job. When he does well on something, he attributes it to extremely hard work and good luck. When he fails, he takes it as a direct display of his true abilities. He fears that he will never live up to the expectations before him and if he is proven correct, even in the slightest, then he unleashes an onslaught of self hatred on his psyche.

- Bossy: Perhaps it’s because he’s the eldest, or perhaps it’s because he thinks every decision he makes is the correct one, but Edgar has a habit of telling other people what to do. He doesn’t mean anything wrong by it and most of the time he doesn’t even realize that he’s doing it. Still, he can come off as a bit domineering in certain circumstances, which is certainly not aided by his stubbornness.

- Impatient: It takes Edgar half a second to know what he wants so he can be a little bothered when other people choose to take more time with their choices. He forgets sometimes that not everyone is as decisive or sure as he is, which results in him annoying the others around him.

Biography:

It was a rainy day in Devonshire on September 3rd, when Adeline and Edward Bones welcomed their first child into the world. The boy was a tiny thing, hardly meeting 16inches. He was very quiet as well, which worried the midwife. Babies are supposed to wail when they’re born, they were told. Still, crying or not, the baby turned out to be just fine, even if he was a bit on the small side. They named him Edgar Elijah Bones and he quickly became the light of his parent’s life. He had quite the eventful first year. He was walking at nine months, and was beginning to string together words by ten months. Every day, his parents grew more and more impressed with their gifted son. It seemed the Bones’ had proved Adeline’s family wrong and produced a fine boy, regardless of her seemingly less than worthy match. It wasn’t too much longer that the Bones were welcoming another child into their fold, little Amelia. She was born on an unusually bright and sunny day which shone with the subtle beauty of fall, a stark contrast to the circumstances surrounding Edgar’s first day of life.

Though the weather on the day of their births were quite different, Edgar and Amelia turned out to be quite similar. Both were driven, ambitious, and cutthroat when it came to their success. Their parents taught them that there was nothing they couldn’t do, so Edgar tried to do everything. He read, he wrote, he painted, and he played Quidditch. Whatever he could do to expand his horizons, he did. – And he enjoyed it too, at least for awhile. He was around eight years old whenever he finally understood the pressure that was being rested upon his shoulders. He must do better. He must be better than those around him. His classmates, his friends, his enemies, and even his sister. He quickly realized that being Edgar Bones meant that you were to be the best. He certainly tried his hardest to meet these expectations. He read every book that his father gave him, perfected the manners that his mother tried to instill in him, and guided his sister in her endeavors. Whatever it took to make his parents proud.

A week before his twelfth birthday, Edgar said goodbye to his family and headed off to Hogwarts, where the real work started. It took the Sorting Hat half of a second to put him in Ravenclaw, so off he went to the Eagles. He had never been so excited. For his entire life he’d wanted to be sorted in the house of bronze and blue. They valued knowledge, wit, and intellect and there was no shortage of those things in the Bones household. Unfortunately, he found it difficult to make friends with his fellow housemates and fell into loneliness rather quickly. It felt as if he went weeks without having a genuine conversation with anybody and it was beginning to wear him down. Edgar wasn’t an especially social child, but even he wasn’t immune to the woes of solitude. One day, in his second month at school, this all changed. He was in Defense Against the Dark Arts, silently sitting next to Augustus Rookwood, when the Professor decided to rearrange the seating. They were in class with the Hufflepuffs and he was placed at a table next to one Ted Tonks. Ted was Edgar’s saving grace at Hogwarts. They became fast friends, spending many a weekend on the Pitch, practicing their throws. Ted introduced Edgar to Frank Longbottom and a trio was born. A year later, Amelia left home and followed her brother to Hogwarts. To Edgar’s delight, she was also sorted into Ravenclaw and the two siblings became nearly inseparable. Finally, he completely settled into life at Hogwarts.

Or, well, he settled as much as was possible. As the years slipped by and his school work became ever more difficult, Edgar found himself struggling to keep up. He’d done exceptionally well for his first four years, making his parents proud. However, when OWL’s rolled around, he found that it was no longer as easy as it had been in semesters past. He refused to let that stop him, though. He was Edgar Elijah Bones and he was supposed to be perfect. That’s what he’d been hearing his entire life. And it was true, he supposed. He smiled when he was supposed to, he made friends with good people, he was at the top of class, excelled at Quidditch, and was destined for a thriving Ministry career. What else could somebody want in a son? Edgar’s goal, for as long as he could remember, was to make his parents proud. And he’d succeeded thus far. His parents couldn’t be happier with their boy. Which is why he found it impossible to tell them that he wasn’t sure if he could do this. How could he let them down? How could he let his sister down? He was her older brother, he was supposed to pave the way. Although, it seemed Amelia needed little help with that. She seemed to thrive under the pressure, whereas he felt like he were drowning. Still, he persevered and made it through his exams with flying colors. Sixth year was much the same. Only now, NEWT’s were approaching and if he had struggled so hard with his exams years prior, how was he going to survive the Nastily Exhausting exams? He refused to admit it to anybody, but he was terrified.

He seemed to be terrified by a lot of things this year. Not only did the thought of the impending year fill him with a dreadful anxiety, but he also now had blood supremacists to contend to. It was an easy decision to sign up for the Order of the Pheonix. One of this best friends was muggleborn and the Bones believed in honor and dignity for all. He was quite passionate about the cause and was not one to stand for any such speak of Death Eater sympathies in his midst. There were not many things that pushed him to draw his wand, but prejudiced bigots ignited a fire inside of him. He was willing to lay down his wand and his life in service to those that needed him. Only time would tell if he would be required to.

Additional Info:

Some headcanons I thought of while making this app!

He’s been wearing a small leather bracelet for years because he considers it lucky.

He only owns three pairs of shoes. One for everyday wear, one for formal wear, and one for physical activity (labor, fighting, Quidditch, etc.)

He has a large collection of business cards.

Still has the comic book collection he started as a boy.

He’s a fanatic about Wizard’s Chess.

He has a nice singing voice, although he rarely shows anybody. Only the walls of his shower are lucky enough to hear.

He smokes cigarettes

Brave as he is, he’s vastly afraid of insects.

He has Virgo sun sign, but his moon sign is in Leo. His personality reflects this.

#morsmordre accepted #edgar bones #marauders rp #harry potter rp #hp rp

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othersportsnews-blog · 7 years ago

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MLB - Fantasy baseball - A single participant on each staff to select up trade

New Post has been published on https://othersportsnews.com/mlb-fantasy-baseball-a-single-participant-on-each-staff-to-select-up-trade/

MLB - Fantasy baseball - A single participant on each staff to select up trade

8:28 PM ET

AJ MassESPN Employees Writer

Fantasy soccer, baseball and university basketball contributor.

Writer of ebook, “Of course, It is Scorching in Listed here.”

Key League Baseball’s trade deadline has arrived, and although players can still be moved underneath selected situation in the thirty day period of August, right now marks the very last time clubs can swap players without the need of any waiver constraints coming into engage in. Having said that, ESPN typical leagues still have a tiny little bit of additional time still left before they’re locked out of any upcoming working with their fellow entrepreneurs for the remainder of 2017.

With that in head, below is a list of 1 participant from each of the thirty main league teams you must be considering severely about introducing to your rosters as we head into 7 days 17 of the time:

Arizona Diamondbacks: This was likely to be shortstop Chris Owings, whose price had taken a substantial hit because of to an awful 2-for-35 slump, building him a key acquire-low participant. Regretably, he fractured a finger in a unsuccessful try to bunt on Sunday and must be out for some time. That elevates Ketel Marte a ton, and the 23-calendar year-outdated is exhibiting some newfound pop at the plate with four residence runs considering that his late-June recall. Marte was just lately put on the bereavement list but is a title to keep an eye on once he’s back again in the clubhouse with the Diamondbacks.

Atlanta Braves: About the previous two weeks, Brandon Phillips has hit .373 for the Braves, and he was already batting .280 for the calendar year when this latest surge begun. Of course, it elevates his trade price immensely, but specified that Phillips has expressed a want to keep in Atlanta and he still has a minimal no-trade clause, possibly he’ll adhere about for August and over and above. Even if he does move, he’ll just take the .290 batting average he has had considering that the start out of 2015 with him.

Far more men and women engage in on ESPN than any place else. Sign up for or build a league in the No. one Fantasy Soccer sport! Indicator up for cost-free!

Baltimore Orioles: Fantasy entrepreneurs don’t typically fret about catchers, primarily in leagues in which you only will need 1. That stated, I will just take the “each individual other working day” creation of Welington Castillo around most backstops for the rest of the time. In the 2nd 50 percent of the time, Castillo is batting .395 with a pair of residence runs many thanks to 5 multihit games in his very last ten contests. Caleb Joseph is also hitting properly (.298 for the time), but ability is much more possible to occur from Castillo.

Boston Purple Sox: Rely me in the camp of those people who think this latest harm for David Value spells the stop of his fantasy relevance for 2017. I am reducing him loose and would be much more than satisfied to substitute him with Drew Pomeranz, who had a 2.seventy two Era in his 6 July starts off. If he can slash back again on the walk fee (four.seven in July, in contrast to 2.nine via the stop of June), he must be much more than able of remaining prosperous the rest of the way.

Chicago Cubs: Following stumbling into the All-Star break with a disastrous 10-run very first inning, Jon Lester has thrown three consecutive top quality starts off — all wins — with a 2.05 Era, a .one hundred thirty five BAA and a stellar 20-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Could a repeat of very last season’s 10-one 2nd 50 percent be on the horizon? Be expecting a vacation to the bereavement list later on this 7 days as he leaves the club to show up at a spouse and children funeral, but the pitcher won’t overlook any starts off.

Chicago White Sox: Todd Frazier and Melky Cabrera are long gone, as is nearly the overall bullpen. Avisail Garcia is on the disabled list, and if you don’t already very own Yoan Moncada, you’re not obtaining him anytime shortly. So what is actually still left? How about having a likelihood with Leury Garcia, who hit .298 with 6 residence runs and 22 RBIs in his very first 200 plate appearances this time before a finger harm sent him to the disabled list in mid-June. He is lastly nutritious again and homered on Sunday in his very first sport back again with the staff.

Cincinnati Reds: Only eighteen pitchers this time have managed to have at minimum three starts off with a sport score of seventy five or greater. Following Sunday’s start out, Luis Castillo now has two — in just 8 all round appearances. Not far too shabby. With a nine.six strikeouts-per-nine-innings fee, there’s a great likelihood Castillo may well finish the time as the only pitcher on the Reds with an Era underneath four.00.

Cleveland Indians: There is no query that Jason Kipnis has had a depressing time. Having said that, he’s now rehabbing his hamstring at Triple-A Columbus and could properly be back again with the Indians by the stop of this 7 days. Even though the perception may well be that Kipnis is not a 2nd-50 percent participant, he has hit around .270 in both equally of the previous two many years, post-break, with a career-best nine 2nd-50 percent residence runs and 33 RBIs in 2016. I think there’s still gas still left in his tank.

Colorado Rockies: Gerardo Parra is absolutely pink scorching (.438 BA in the 2nd 50 percent), but he’s still very significantly a Coors Subject creation dependent on the residence-street splits. DJ LeMahieu, on the other hand, carries on to shine, with no discernible variance among his stats dependent on the locale of the games. There is not a ton of ability below, nor a ton of velocity, so for rotisserie-dependent formats, his upside is minimal. Having said that, if you will need the batting average increase or engage in in points leagues, this is your male.

Detroit Tigers: Adrian Beltre received hit No. three,000 on Sunday. Assuming he’s nutritious in 2018, Albert Pujols must shortly attain that milestone as properly. Following that, 1 could argue that the participant closest to getting the up coming to sign up for that elite club is Justin Upton — and he’s not however even halfway there. He hit .329 in July, with 8 multihit games and fifteen RBIs in 22 starts off. I will pencil him in for 50 much more hits the rest of the way and just take my possibilities I won’t will need an eraser.

Houston Astros: Lance McCullers Jr. threw eighty one main league innings very last time. This time he reached that complete on June 24. Given that then, he has posted an 8.63 Era in 5 starts off with a .362 BAA. Get in touch with me a seller below, and I will trade him for Collin McHugh, whose time is only just starting adhering to early elbow problems. McHugh had a sturdy no-selection on Saturday and must only get stronger with each passing start out.

Kansas Metropolis Royals: It is all about Whit Merrifield. Given that the All-Star break, all he has performed is bat .366 with a one.044 OPS, hitting properly in all but 1 of his 16 starts off. Some may well be involved that the infielder is a little bit “up and down” as evidenced by his thirty day period-to-thirty day period splits of .229 in April, .319 in May possibly and .257 in June. Even if historical past repeats, you’re still in for an amazing September. I am all in.

Los Angeles Angels: Definitely, if a person wishes to trade you Mike Trout, you do what you can to make that transpire. Beyond that, even though, I am really sad that Albert Pujols hit two residence runs yesterday, for the reason that in the midst of his -for-24 slump, you could have stolen him for pretty much very little. You probably still can, for the reason that 1 great working day doesn’t wholly clean away a .233 batting average from a 37-calendar year-outdated. That stated, I think Pujols can shock the rest of the way with a further 8 homers and a .275 BA, and I can still probably get him for a song.

Los Angeles Dodgers: With the Dodgers having won 19 of 21 games, you’re not possible to get any individual from this roster via trade — at minimum not without the need of overpaying dearly. Except for probably 1 male — Pedro Baez. From a fantasy standpoint, unless of course your league rewards retains (Baez has 16), there’s not a ton of price below. Having said that, this staff is likely to keep profitable and possibly could ease off on working with Kenley Jansen down the extend to keep him fresh new. It is a speculative incorporate to be certain, but it could be a very useful 1.

Miami Marlins: Let us check out to spin the stats into anything destructive for Marcell Ozuna. His batting average in the 2nd 50 percent is 28 points lower. Following hitting residence runs at a fee of 1 each individual fourteen.seven at-bats in the very first 50 percent, he has hit just 1 in his very last 59 at-bats. The sky is slipping! Promote, sell, sell! Of system, I think none of this. Having said that, it truly is portion of the pitch I would be giving Ozuna’s recent owner in order to check out to steal away a best-20 hitter.

Milwaukee Brewers: Even though his all round creation has absolutely stalled, couple of players offer fantasy entrepreneurs with as significantly positional versatility as does Hernan Perez, who has performed at minimum 5 games at all three outfield places, both equally 2nd and 3rd foundation and shortstop. Somebody on your fantasy staff will get harm before the stop of the time — perhaps even through the time it took you to read this sentence — and odds are great that Perez can offer you with a reliable stopgap alternative.

Minnesota Twins: The Minnesota Twins have the right way determined they will be “sellers” at the deadline relatively than “buyers,” which signifies fantasy entrepreneurs must sense much more comfy having possibilities on young Twins players the rest of the way. Situation in place, 24-calendar year-outdated Max Kepler, who must be great for a bare minimum of a .260 batting average and 20 RBIs from this place forward. Is this likely to one-handedly get you your league? No. Could it tip the scales in your favor? It may.

New York Mets: It is absolutely tempting to say “no person” below and move on, considering that you’re not obtaining Jacob deGrom or Michael Conforto and there’s tiny still left to want following those people two names. Still, the enthusiasts will normally love Wilmer Flores, and if the deadline passes without the need of any tears from the multipurpose infielder, he must proceed his constant hitting that has already made a .342 batting average and four residence runs considering that the break.

New York Yankees: By the time all the wheeling and working is performed, who is aware of what the twenty five-man roster will glimpse like in the Bronx. Having said that, Didi Gregorius will possible be a portion of it, and for fantasy entrepreneurs, there are couple of greater solutions in pinstripes. From July eighteen to 27, the shortstop hit .500 with 5 residence runs to send out his average to .308 for the time. Then he went one-for-11 around the weekend, so clearly he’s completed and about to hit .200 the rest of the time? Of system not! But ideally his recent owner can be persuaded to sell now.

Oakland Athletics: Sonny Gray is no lengthier with the staff, and Yonder Alonso may well no lengthier be about by the time you read this, and if so, a bevy of potential customers are possible to be headed back again Oakland’s way. Having said that, for those people players now on the A’s, I am most thrilled about Matt Chapman. His batting average is likely to be a drag, but .250 is significantly greater than .177 — and which is what he has performed around his previous nine games, like four residence runs. And although defense counts tiny in fantasy, watching his area awareness at 3rd foundation around the weekend proves to me his aim on the sport is at one hundred %.

Philadelphia Phillies: Aaron Nola has now thrown 7 consecutive top quality starts off, with a one.49 Era and a .189 BAA. I was in attendance through his 10-K outing versus the Astros. Following the very first two innings, my effect was that he was tipping his pitches and that he wouldn’t be long for the sport. But then he seemed to proper what he was undertaking mistaken and was stellar before getting pulled following 6 innings in a nine- get. Observing is believing. I noticed. I think.

Pittsburgh Pirates: With no attained runs allowed in July, Felipe Rivero has held opponents to a .125 BAA although fanning 16 hitters around 11 2/three innings and has picked up 6 will save. The time to get him at a discount cost was probably a couple of days ago, when the menace of his getting traded was significantly greater, but assuming the Pirates held on to him, I would still check out to get him although the names of other relievers in new spots are obtaining much more publicity.

St. Louis Cardinals: Randal Grichuk has been a fantasy yo-yo this time, with many visits to Triple-A to “figure points out.” In his latest Cardinals stint, he has batting .342 with four residence runs via 10 games. I wouldn’t be shocked if St. Louis doesn’t use this latest scorching streak as an option to sell higher on the outfielder, but I am inclined to think that he can at minimum keep the ability figures up for the up coming 8 weeks and will be buying.

San Diego Padres: Shh! The Padres were being a profitable staff in July. Really don’t inform any individual. Enable them think this is a no-great, can’t-get, lackluster offense with no fantasy attraction. Then question them to toss in Manuel Margot, who was hitting just .254 on June 27 following returning from a calf harm that value him a thirty day period. With any luck ,, they won’t observe the outfielder has hit .333 around his very last 24 games with four residence runs and 6 steals.

San Francisco Giants: In all likelihood, Mark Melancon‘s entrepreneurs will see the “DL” designation up coming to his title and be much more than satisfied to get anything of price from a male who was underwhelming (four.35 Era and only 11 will save) prior to his forearm harm. Melancon begun a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento yesterday, with a fifteen-pitch very first inning and no person must be shocked to see him back again closing games for the Giants before the stop of the 7 days.

Seattle Mariners: Of system, I would love to have Robinson Cano or Jean Segura. That stated, I will signal Leonys Martin (2-for-four with a residence run in his return to the majors on Sunday) off the waiver wire and hope he can get on foundation plenty of to incorporate to my stolen foundation totals likely forward now that Mitch Haniger‘s facial laceration will have him out a bare minimum of two weeks. Martin went just six-for-fifty four (.111) in April before getting sent to Triple-A Tacoma, but his time has been reliable there, to the tune of a .312 average, 11 residence runs and a PCL-leading 24 steals.

Tampa Bay Rays: I am certainly preserving an eye on Kevin Kiermaier‘s prospective return from the 60-working day DL on Aug. 8, even though he has been going through back again tightness, and which is a tad regarding. But I would like to angle to nab Chris Archer, participating in up the seven-six file (one-2 around his very last 6 starts off with a meh .267 BAA). For me, it truly is all about K’s to walks, and Archer’s three.eighty five K-BB ratio this time (three.ninety two in his very last 6) is a career-best.

Texas Rangers: Adrian Beltre is now 56 hits away from passing Rickey Henderson on the all-time leaderboard to move into 23rd put, and I think he’ll do that before the stop of the time. He is 38 many years outdated, but by no signifies did he limp his way to the three,000-hit milestone. Heck, he hit .341 in July with a .990 OPS.

Toronto Blue Jays: With a .288 batting average, four residence runs and fourteen RBIs considering that July five, we have been amazed with Steve Pearce‘s ability to survive and thrive this time, primarily versus appropriate-handed pitching (.285 versus .224 versus LHP). A pair of walk-off grand slams in the very last four days is really a bad detail in terms of obtaining price in a trade for him appropriate now, but wait a couple of days and hope that glow fades with an -for-four or two and then pounce.

Washington Nationals: It has been a strange time for Gio Gonzalez. 7 wins at residence in contrast to just 1 on the street, but his Era in D.C. has been three.50, in contrast to just 2.02 away. As sturdy as the Nationals offense is, Gonzalez looks to have gotten tiny love of late, likely one-three in July, with losses in games in which Washington scored a merged three runs. And if he had won just 50 percent of his no-decisions (2.39 Era, .225 BAA in those people 8 games), he’d be twelve-five appropriate now. I would say he has 7 top quality starts off still left in him. I would love my fantasy staff to have those people starts off.

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dontvoteconservative · 8 years ago

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Episode 5: Wrong, Unstable Leadership

The Conservatives have thus far attempted to make the upcoming election on June 8th about one thing: leadership (perhaps you’ve noticed their new slogan?). When I began this blog it was because I wanted to stress that there were far more numerous issues at stake, domestically and otherwise, including the Tories’ record on the economy, education, the environment and civil rights. I do have further topics to explore, but since Theresa May seems to regard leadership as the only factor of this election (and I will concede it is one factor), it seems only fair to scrutinise her own.

The problem with a term like ‘leadership’ is that it’s incredibly vague; there are tons of different and often contradictory definitions. For me, it mostly entails setting a good example for others to follow, being the change you want to see, what you might call leading from the front; Martin Luther King spearheaded nonviolent protest in 1960s America, or for a more contemporary example, sporting captains such as Martin Johnson, Steven Gerrard and Michael Vaughan were lauded for their ability to lead by example and improve the performance of those around them through their determination and ability. That’s what I’ll be keeping in mind as I look at the record of May over the last year.

In Theresa May’s inaugural address as Prime Minister in July 2016, she rattled off a list of promises to the UK public. The whole thing is worth reading, but can roughly be summed up by the following:

‘The government I lead will be driven not by the interests of the privileged few, but by yours….When it comes to taxes, we’ll prioritise not the wealthy, but you. When it comes to opportunity, we won’t entrench the advantages of the fortunate few, we will do everything we can to help anybody, whatever your background, to go as far as your talents will take you’

Nothing to contend with there, most people would hopefully agree. But how have actions before and since stacked up against those pledges, and has May set that example for her ministers, MPs and the public to follow?

One of May’s flagship policies has been the return of widespread grammar schools, announcing in September 2016 that ‘This is about being unapologetic for our belief in social mobility and making this country a true meritocracy – a country that works for everyone’. Despite this, as I mentioned in my education blog, grammar schools have been widely and repeatedly shown to decrease social mobility, not the opposite as claimed. The Institute for Fiscal Studies’ report concluded (emphasis mine):

‘Grammar schools therefore seem to offer an opportunity to improve and stretch the brightest pupils, but seem likely to come at the cost of increasing inequality’

In addition to the grammars themselves creating greater inequality, it also found that children from wealthier families would be more likely to attend them. This is hardly surprising, as these families have the means to fund private tuition, often specifically aimed at passing the entrance exam. Despite May’s promise upon becoming PM, she immediately took the chance to introduce proposals that would ‘entrench the advantages of the fortunate few’.

And so onto taxes. In May’s first spring budget in March 2017, Chancellor Philip Hammond announced that National Insurance contributions would be increasing for the self-employed, an announcement that was met with derision and heavy criticism, in view of the 2015 manifesto commitment that the Conservatives would do no such thing. It was a move apparently even ridiculed by David Cameron, and the Tories were forced to abandon the plans as a result of the opposition both from the public and the opposition in the House of Commons.

By comparison, in the same budget, Hammond announced reductions in corporation tax, which had already decreased by 28% to 20% under his predecessor, George Osborne. Corporation tax is now set to drop to 17% by 2020, even though a PWC poll showed that businesses themselves were concerned about the effects of increasingly lower corporation tax on public trust. There also appeared to be no appetite to reverse the cuts to capital gains tax introduced under Cameron and Osborne in 2016, or in VAT introduced in 2010. Once again, this seemed in stark contrast to May’s promise that ‘when it comes to taxes, we’ll prioritise not the wealthy, but you’.

By my own definition, I think the above illustrates a lack of leadership. But perhaps leadership is a matter of strength, of being willing to face challenges head on, or have difficult conversations. Yet May would not publicly speak out against Donald Trump’s infamous and illegal ‘travel ban’. Nor would she, on a visit to Saudi Arabia, condemn the human rights abuses being committed in Yemen; abuses which the UK has been complicit in through their continued arms sales to the Saudis.

The leaders of opposition parties spoke directly and candidly, with Jeremy Corbyn writing to Theresa May asking her to withdraw the invitation of a state visit to Donald Trump until the travel ban was lifted. Can’t the supposed leader of our nation bring herself to say that these things are wrong?

But maybe leadership is a question of expertise and competence? The recent leaked account of May’s dinner with Jean-Claude Juncker at Downing Street was terrifying, the extent of the Prime Minister’s cluelessness stripped bare, with even basic concepts about the future of Britain’s partnership with the EU having to be explained to May, who ‘seemed surprised’. She has also developed a reputation of avoiding questions whether at PMQs, in TV interviews, or from the public. The following is a genuine exchange from Prime Minister’s Questions; would somebody with expertise and competence (or indeed, the support of any experts) answer this way?

Corbyn: I wonder if it is possible for her this morning, within the quiet confines of this House, to name any educational experts who back her proposals on new grammar schools and more selection?

May:I am glad that the right hon. Gentleman has raised the issue of education, because it enables me to point out that over the past six years, we have seen 1.4 million more children in good or outstanding schools. That is because of the changes that this Government introduced: free schools and academies, head teachers being put in charge of schools, and more choice for parents. I note that the right hon. Gentleman has opposed all those changes.

Finally, surely it is true that great leaders do not seek to shut down criticism or dissent, or avoid scrutiny; we all know what kinds of leaders do that, don’t we? And yet, Theresa May’s election campaign thus far has been characterised above all by being heavily stage managed, protected and away from public or opposition questions. I don’t need to lean on the refusal to engage in televised debates against other party leaders, which the Conservatives have called a waste of time; I don’t remember the same level of opposition to them when David Cameron (who for all his faults could think on his feet, had tremendous powers of recall and didn’t shy away from public appearances) participated in them.

Every public appearance made by May ‘on the road’ appears to be orchestrated, with Tory councillors and activists bussed in to provide photos of adoring crowds. Tales of local press being banned from press conferences, meetings being held in obscure locations away from the public gaze, members of the public being told not to ask critical questions, and Theresa May avoiding the public at all costs have been commonplace (the campaign began just two weeks ago!) and are extremely sinister. May’s excuse for avoiding televised debates was that she preferred to get out and meet voters – outside of Tory diehards, it appears that she has spent most of her time hiding from them.

There is an option I’ve left out; that leadership is an ability to get others to follow you. Theresa May has perhaps done this; I’ll certainly concede that the Tories (assisted by the largely right wing press) are good at keeping their internal spats lower key, by comparison to Labour at least. But we know that many Tory MPs, including Theresa May herself, were vocal about the need for the UK to stay within the EU. And while the party may be mostly presenting a united front in the wake of the referendum, content to let Labour air their laundry publicly, it seems self evident that the same pro/anti EU divide that existed before June 2016 must still exist now; the parameters of that disagreement have simply shifted.

Besides which, if that is the definition, then I don’t think it can be called a good thing in and of itself. Many leaders, from Caesar to Stalin to Kennedy to Blair, have been able to command loyalty and the support of millions of followers; the ways they do this, and the things they use that position for, vary. Is there much evidence that May intends to use this for the betterment of the majority of the UK people, or of a tiny minority? Will she encourage openness and scrutiny, or will she (and her friends in the press like Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre) try to suppress any dissenting opinion, by referring to such dissidents as ‘saboteurs’ to be 'crushed’, or 'enemies of the people’, for example?

What defines leadership is ultimately open to debate; perhaps it would help if May herself elaborated on what it means to her. But to Theresa May, it can’t mean trustworthiness, or an example to be set and followed. It can’t mean courageously challenging our allies as well as our enemies on issues of ethics. It can’t mean having a high level of expertise and comprehension of the challenges faced by the nation. And it can’t mean welcoming scrutiny and defending her record and decisions to the general public and the opposition. If any, some, or all of those things are important to you in the leader of your country, don’t vote Conservative. #dvc

#conservatives #election #labour #leadership #ge2017

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pogueman · 7 years ago

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iPhone X Review: Gorgeous, pricey, and worth it

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If you have any interest in Apple’s (AAPL) hotly anticipated, $999, 10th-anniversary iPhone X (pronounced “ten”), then there are four dates to keep in mind:

September 12, 2017, when Apple first unveiled it to the public.

Today, when most of the professional reviews appear.

November 3, when the phone is supposed to be available to buy.

The day when you can actually get one. These phones are difficult to manufacture and massively back-ordered, so if you order now, you might get one before the end of the year.

The price, the delays, and the popularity all tell you one thing, loud and clear: There’s an unbelievable amount of advanced technology in this thing.

The iPhone X is gorgeous, powerful, and expensive.

The Headline: Big Screen, Small Body

Everybody talks about the iPhone X price ($999 for 64 gigs of storage, $1,149 for 256 gigs). Or they talk about its face-recognition feature, but the best thing about the iPhone X is its size.

The iPhone X has about the same screen size as an iPhone Plus—in the body about the same size as a standard iPhone.

Facial Recognition

OK, so Apple made this phone all screen. In that case, where’s the Home button?

It’s gone. On the iPhone X, there is no Home button.

Wait, what? Every smartphone has a Home button!

You have to re-learn new techniques. Apple has come up with replacement gestures for all of them.

To open the app switcher, you make the same swipe up, but then stop with your finger in the center. The app “cards” now appear.

You trigger Siri using the Sleep switch on the right side, which Apple now calls the Side switch.

Here’s a complete list of the old Home-button functions—and how Apple’s rethought them on the iPhone X.

OK, fine. But what about the fingerprint reader?

It’s gone, too. Instead, Apple says it’s come up with something better: Face ID.

Face ID

You train Face ID by letting it scan your head twice.

Unlocking the phone doesn’t take you all the way to the Home screen, which would be cool. You still have to do a little up-swipe afterunlocking.

True Depth

So how does the front-facing camera recognize your face? Using a mass of sensors Apple calls True Depth.

The True Depth camera is an array of sensors.

(Samsung’s Galaxy phones, of course, had face unlocking first. But Apple’s depth camera system is far more reliable.)

I tried to fool the Face ID in various ways. Only the beard freaked it out.

I finally got it to fail by applying a full beard that covered half my face. At that point, it didn’t recognize me and didn’t unlock.

Anything new freaks people out, so here are some FAQs about Face ID:

What if I want to unlock the phone at night? Since it uses infrared light, Face ID even works in the dark.

What if I’m wearing a scarf or a hat? As long as your eyes, nose, and mouth are uncovered, it’ll work.

Can two different people register their faces? For now, it’s one person at a time.

What about sunglasses? Face ID works through sunglasses if infrared signals can penetrate them. Some do, some don’t.

What if a cop forces me to look at my phone? You can quickly disable Face ID by squeezing the buttons on both sides of the phone, or by pressing the Side switch five times.

What if I have plastic surgery? You can retrain Face ID to recognize the New You.

What about identical twins? They can fool Face ID. If you’re worried, use the password instead.

What if someone tries to unlock my phone by pointing it at my face while I’m asleep? No good. Face ID doesn’t work unless your eyes are open and looking at the phone.

What if I don’t have eyeballs? You can turn off that requirement.

What if somebody decapitates me and then tries to use my severed head to unlock my phone? Now you’re just being silly.

Beyond Face ID

The iPhone X can create artificially (but convincingly) blurred backgrounds, now with either the back OR front camera.

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The upcoming version of Apple’s Clips app creates real-time, live greenscreen effects, transporting you into other worlds.

The Notch

Fortunately, the notch does not intrude upon photos or videos (unless you manually zoom into them).

The notch (the black gap) appears in many apps–and in photos or videos you’ve zoomed into.

The rest of the package

You can charge the iPhone X either with its traditional Lightning cable or on a Qi charging pad.

The Lock screen now has a flashlight button at lower left. (Also: See that horizontal line at the bottom? It appears in most apps. It’s meant to remind you: “Swipe up here to go Home.”)

A new realm