#as if harper living until old age and having a good fulfilling life and a son didn't completely disprove clarke's whole argument

[bombshellsandbluebells]

you know what one single line in s5 of The 100 still fills me with absolute rage?

Monty: (Harper) died today. She was pretty sick the last few years. Clarke, you were right. Her dad’s genetic condition finally got her.

But Clarke wasn’t right. Clarke said that Harper didn’t make the cut to save at the age of 16/17 because she MIGHT get sick and be a “drain on medical supplies.” Clarke was proposing eugenics because the possibility that Harper might eventually develop a hereditary illness meant any life she could have lived past her teenage years wasn’t worth it.

But Harper lived to be well into her 70s/80s (maybe older; it’s hard to figure out exactly how old she and Monty are supposed to be in the end) and she didn’t get sick until the last few years of her life. And, honestly, MOST people end up sick in some way or another when they get old. Harper isn’t unique just because her’s happened to be something hereditary. ANY person on the list who lived long enough MIGHT have gotten sick eventually. 

And despite the last few years of sickness, Harper had a good, long life. She was happy. She had a family. She had a child. All things she wouldn’t have been able to do if she had been left to die in Praimfiya on the chance she could get sick.

And suggesting in any kind of way that Clarke was RIGHT for saying Harper’s possible genetic condition meant she wasn’t worth saving fills me with absolute rage.

[askintothevoids]

The Epilogue:

Roman and Virgil:

They never did get married, because they didn’t want to. Virgil believes it to be a british social construct to control women and the lower class, and Roman believes marriage to be bad luck.

They did get into that huge funky war that we were talking about, and had to put Babe with Protection. After weeks of convincing, Valentine, Mac-Kenzie, and Junius fought by Virgil and Roman’s side, and they won after 5 years of fighting.

Virgil fulfilled his lifelong dream of making Bonner regret his words, and plunged his mother’s dagger into his chest. Something about Bonner that Virgil never mentioned was the fact that the man often shared the same words as his former husband, so perhaps that fueled his anger. After a lot of crying, Virgil came to the conclusion that maybe he’d leave the fighting to Angie, and hire a royal therapist.

There was more to Virgil’s story than that though, he did raise Babe with his beloved partner, Roman, after the war. He made an excellent father. Anne even came back and apologized, earning her role back into Virgil’s and his son’s life. He even got to see his nephews more often.

Seeing that his son is now only 12 years away from being a full fledged adult (to him that isn’t very long), Virgil now has to see that Babe is very different from other children. Honestly, he never thought his own very very dead mother would be assisting in the parenting of his child, but hey, Virgil has to remember that he isn’t always right, even if he can see the future.

Meanwhile Roman pursued his love for music and theatre, he even opened a music program for Oteriphanne, showing the lovely folks the beauty of music that isn’t just only about killing the French and Brits in order to stop deculturalization of their land (though that’s not a bad topic, Roman literally just wanted 14th century vampires to enjoy Spice Girls and it worked).

He obviously, but admittedly very awkwardly, learned how to parent a child. Roman wasn’t as picture perfect as he would’ve liked to be, he did after all accidentally make his son cry many times. Like Virgil, he now sees that their kid is different. His son’s ears are full of words that he can’t understand, but hopes to try his best to ease Babe’s worries and hardships in life.

Through five years of virgous studying, Roman became a quarter fluent in Pterannan. With even more studying and training, he finally became a fully trained Knight and earned his spot next to Virgil with his forementioned music program (turns out teaching a population several new skills, means he bettered the population which is a requirement to become a king when you're not blood related to royalty).

Still there’s somethings that Roman still regrets, he never did come to an understanding with his stepfather, who was his namesake. Nor does he see Remus and his husband as often as he wishes he did. And he kinda wants to buy a cow.

Even after being together for almost 10 years, they still love each other, and yes, Virgil still calls a phone, a magic box because some things never change.

Patton:

After he and Logan adopted the children from the Dragonwitch au that they accidently orphaned, Patton certainly was trying his best to keep going, and he did a pretty alright job.

Patton single handedly traveled across the country from Florida to Indiana with four small children whose identities he had to hide along his.

Once he had made it to the David-Dase residence, he explained what had happened and asked for help, and here’s what happened.

Nicholas and James owned property in rural Saskatchewan, which they had inherited from Jane Phoebe David (James’ deceased mother) and never really knew what to do with it. So in order to keep their son’s husband and their new grandchildren safe, James and Nicholas let Patton and their grandchildren live there. It was a good spot for them, it kept the reporters away from Patton and kept people away from Daniel, Jane, Harper and Buddy.

After receiving help from James and Nicholas, Patton had to figure out how to explain his disappearance to the police so that he could gain some form of normality, and a good enough job to support his growing family.

Stuff didn’t exactly go well at first. Still grieving over his separation from Logan, he did often find it hard to smile for his children, nor did he find it easy to explain to them that they couldn’t out in public without being hidden from the world’s view. It didn’t help when his O’Pa (Janus Van Den Bosch-Brzozowski) passed away from a deteriorating body, it was for the best, but it hurt to lose another parent.

He kept going though. His brother, Patton Reyes-Baker, moved in with him and got a job helping a local beekeeper. It wasn’t so bad, grief can strengthen some bonds. His step father, Remus, visited every so often, it was clear that he probably wouldn’t be around much longer either.

He’s doing a pretty good job raising those kids. Still it doesn’t help that Patton wishes he did it with his beloved. There have been many long nights of waiting and crying. There’s a good chance that Patton won’t move on until old age, which could be a good thing for a certain someone. Overall, if he were to describe it, it’s like the worst nightmare and the best dream ever at the same time.

Patton did get to open that diner, he did get to take his puppies home with him, and he did teach his kids how to ride bikes (except Buddy), but it still wasn’t the same. For all he cares, he’s still a married man.

Hymnthian:

Being one of the oldest motherfuckers ever, Hymnthian is still kicking it. Under Virgil and Roman’s rule, he’s pretty happy. He does find some common ground with his great (times a couple hundreds) grandchild though. Babe’s remarkable ability to hear the dead often comes in handy for a grieving widower. In return for hearing what his dead wife has to say, he teaches Babe how to play To-Ouch, an Oterian instrument.

Janus and Remus:

As you might've heard earlier, Janus passed away. It’s important to remember that death is an important part of life. In Janus’ case, they were fine with it. After an aspiring career as a ballerina and potter, not being able to use your hands or foot can often be depressing. When their body finally gave out, Janus figured it best if their sister took their place. Janus died comfortably and happily. What else can I say that will convince you? Death isn’t always a bad thing.

Remus O’Malley-Gator was a different story. After the death of Janus, he found himself once again lost. He visited Patton, Patton, and his step-grandkids every so often. Remus spent most of time adventuring, looking for some kind of fulfillment. I suppose that sounds bad, but I always write a bittersweet ending.

Camila and Lotte:

After spending most of her adult life in the void, Camila was beginning to feel hopeless. Her sons were already grown and had found their soulmates, while she had still had nothing. Camila wandered for a while, universe after universe, she turned up with nothing once again.

With Janus having passed, their replacement would soon have to come in. And well, she was certainly surprised. Camila had no idea Janus had a younger sister! Lotte had been frozen for over 200 years, and arrived fresh from the fridge at the ripe old age of 48.

Camila had her fair share of trying to tell this beautiful, intelligent, strong woman that she was from a soulmate universe and that Lotte was her long awaited soulmate. Let’s just say, it took her a couple years.

Lotte had her share of pining as well. I mean, Camila is an equally beautiful, intelligent, strong woman who was tall (every short lesbian’s weakness).

She found her footing as her sibling’s replacement eventually, while she didn’t wield a shepherd's crook but having arms of pure steel sure did come handy when dealing with the dangers of the void.

Eventually, you know that their had to be an equally cute lesbian void wedding, where Patton and Roman became cousins, so that’s cool.

Logan:

As the only void dweller that actually only lives in the void, his life, honestly, sucks.

As the years go by, Logan’s hair only gets grayer and his yearning only grows stronger. He builds his tough exterior up once more, with some dull hope still intact. Logan knows the probability of never seeing his husband and kids again, and lets the gnawing feeling eat away at him.

But you know what? He did get to be cool Uncle Logan (his Ultra Secret Oterian Code Name was Protection) for about five years. He loved the shit out of Babe, even taught that boy some french and how to clear his mind even when people’s thoughts are louder than all shit.

Then he had to give Babe back to Virgil and Roman, knowing he should take the offer to live in Oteriphanne, he did.

Nothing became of it, he’s just a guy in a country full of vampires. There’s nothing there for him after all. Logan knows Babe isn’t his to parent, and chooses to keep his distance so he doesn’t crowd Roman and Virgil. Maybe in a few years, he’ll risk his life. For now, he’ll just become a grizzled middle aged man.

[baekchelor]

ａｓｈｏｒｅ[ii]

pairing: bodevan cash x reader genre: Doctor! AU, Romance, Angst summary: After a fall out with your fianceé, and an opportunity to chase your dreams, you embark into a medical mission trip to Namibia where you run into self-taught doctor Bodevan Cash. Love ensues. word count: 3.1k

❝how  foolish  to  believe  we  are  more  powerful  than  the  sea  or  the  sky. ❞                                                                                                         ― ruta  spetys

ONE ｓｅｖｅｎ ｄａｙｓ

◄ ｐｒｅｖ

You really, really hope some patient shows up today. That the doorbell announces the arrival of a doctor seeker. That you will be able to aid someone apart from the hangover teen (also staying at the Shipwreck Lodge Hotel, three cabins left from yours) who came looking for aspirins and serum. That you didn't cross the ocean on a medical mission trip only to crawl back into Ethan's arms drown-and-out —no adventures, no anecdotes, no experiences or anything for the matter.

You groan out loud, a stream of curses following shortly after. It's been seven days since your arrival to Möwe Bay, Namibia. Seven days of only you, your self-destructive mind and Guns N' Roses playing on the stereo (the single thing that has kept you sane).

"This trip was supposed to take my attention away from you," the words are purled and aimed to the exquisite ring around your finger. At the sight of it, your heart drops lower into your stomach. This been useless. You're trapped with your thoughts in the middle of nowhere. The sand dunes were chosen for their location, there was supposed to be no hospitals, no dispensaries, no medical aid...Nothing! Apparently, there's also no patients. Hence, no distractions. Which means? More time to stare at your flipping engagement ring.

Frustrated, you close your eyes and, confirming your hypothesis, the immediate image that triumphs the darkness is Ethan's blue eyes lighting up as you gasped —amidst weeps— at the ring. The one nowadays, you tend to resent.

The memory sends your stomach into knots. How are you supposed to make amends with Ethan's hidden truth if you can't bring your mind elsewhere? Far, far away from the burn around your knuckles each time the ring appears on your range of vision.

Ethan supported your decision to embark on a trip alone. He knows joining Doctors Without Borders was a dream of yours, and that marrying a Surgeon Chief would make it unreachable. The main reason you asked and he agreed, however, was that you went hysterical when Ethan's soon-to-be ex-wife surprised both of you at the hospital, your hospital—the hospital you worked at.

In a couple months, you will take Ethan Gandy as your husband, and he completely forgot to mention he has been married before. Worse than that, really. He didn't think of sharing with you that he still is married.

Ethan and Harper have been separated for six years, way before you came into the picture, and she knew about your existence all along. The divorce has been in the works since your very first date —or so Ethan says —,and Harper doesn't love Ethan anymore, Ethan loves you and not Harper, and by the time you return to Manhattan, their marriage would've seen its last dawn. Nevertheless, you have yet to make amends with it, chew it the enough to swallow it down your throat until you make sure it will settle in your gut and that you won't throw it up.

You need to. Because you love him.

When Ethan proposed, kneeled beside the fireplace at his hometown in Alaska, not once you considered saying no. It felt meant to be. Both valued your career, both spent more hours at the hospital than at home, but both were willing to make it work. You could handle it, you could make love at the examination rooms, most importantly, you wanted to spend the rest life with him, no matter the sacrifices. Because the truth is, before Ethan, you have only fallen in love with medicine, and he quickly became your very own McDreamy.

You met him during your first year as a Resident. He moved to New York for a fellowship in surgery, and he was brilliant, in every way. You admired him from afar, heard all the wonders he pulled on the O.R until one day you diagnosed a weird case of sudden onset of total vision loss that required urgent surgery. You worked together on the case, medical talk evolved into personal questions, winks, shy smiles on the halls up till Ethan stopped the elevator, cupped both sides of your face, and kissed you. He was ten years older than you, and the age difference didn't prevent him from becoming your very own definition of love. If looks could kill, his would make love to you. Ethan yearned for you, you yearned for him —every day, every hour, every minute. From your skin to your bones, you were his.

Ethan was a goodbye you couldn't say, and you feared —especially when he got promoted to Chief— that at some point your busy schedules would force a breakup, a disagreement, or maybe a stupid fight over a toaster. But then one snowy night, he soothed the worries away when he popped the question at a cabin in the middle of the woods, over a cup of Rioja and the most endearing words. The ring was a dream, with engraved diamonds around a sapphire, because several times during your relationship, you would look up at him with stars in your eyes, and whisper how much you treasure the sapphire blue of his orbs.

It is that shade of blue that ascertained you belong wherever he breathed, but the colour turned grey when his wife —ex-wife— came into your life.

Ah, Ethan has a wife.

You force yourself to neglect the ideas aside, though you can't seem to do so. Ethan doesn't love her, he didn't cheat on her with you, yet... it is hard to acknowledge the man you will marry already waited for a bride to walk down the aisle. Ethan promised to spend the rest of his life with another girl, and he did not fulfil that promise once... What makes you think he will keep his vows to you?

"So much for that," you curse again.

"So much for what?" comes a voice behind you, "I'm plainly in urgent need of Corticosteroids."

You turn on your heels, Guns N' Roses play This I Love, and you face a worried looking man. He has long, brown hair, and the bags under his eyes are a shade of plum. Is he an addict? The perspiration over his forehead and anxiety might be symptoms of withdrawal...He isn't puking, though, and he isn't trembling either. In fact, he seems worried, but he is patiently standing at the doorframe, waiting for your response.  

A response you don't seem to form. It could be the song, the waves crashing on the shore, or the fact you only had an Americano as breakfast, but the words have died in your throat, and you're entirely at a loss of action. This weird-looking boy feels magnetic, your body seems made of metal, and there's a force attracting you towards him. Maybe is because he looks out of a movie, with his psychedelic 70's style and the evident social awkwardness aura, but then Axl Rose sings about how he searched the universe and found himself within' her eyes and you realise that the magnet comes from his eyes. They're blue, not sapphire blue, ocean blue and they call to you.

After a second, you clear your throat, "I cannot hand you a drug without a prescription, sir. I need to examine you first."

"The patient isn't myself," he stutters. Hurriedly, he extends a hand your way, "Bodevan Cash."

As soon as your hand gets trapped in his, electricity jolts inside you. To your relief, he cuts it short, shaking your hand briefly. "What are the Corticosteroids for, Mr Cash?"

"Bo. You can call me Bo," right after he finishes, he drags his gaze away from yours. "Shortcut for B-Bodevan." His left foot bounces, anxious, and he's brought up his bottom lip between his teeth. He babbles, and it makes you nervous as well, "Eighteen Year-old. Preeclamptic toxaemia. Twenty weeks of gestation."

You abruptly realise the stethoscope around his neck. Right. He is a doctor.  

"How serious?" you blurt. This is your chance to practice medicine. Finally. "I-I'm an internist. I might be of help."

Bodevan glances at you, questioningly, then he returns his attention to the floor, "Are you a Christian?"

For the first time in seven days, you laugh, "No. I am not." The laughter is a gruff, gravelly thing, the kind of chortle you would have expected from an old man, a lifetime smoker, not a successful young doctor who is about to marry the love of her life.

Bo's face pinched up in a crooked smile, "Good." He grabs your coffee cup, takes a big slurp and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. Then he is out.

Unsure of what is meant to be your next move, you don't follow him outdoor. Not until he asks you to hasten in a very weirdly-worded polite way.

Bodevan is waiting for you beside his combi, which is parked on a parch of grass beside your cabin. When he spots you, medical kit tightly clasped, he runs around to open the passenger door for you. Once you're close by, he offers a hand to help you up. You ignore if the source of the live wires across your bloodstream is the gentle touch of his calloused fingers or the insides of the van. Your jaw drops. It is dramatically different from Ethan's BMW but in a better way. Bodevan adapted the vehicle into an Examination Room, and the work is so well done and complete it even has a couch so the patients can sit at the reception. <<A reception. Inside. A. Combi.>>

The doctor is now at the drivers-side of the van, the window rolled down. He reaches inside and flips the lock. It takes Bodevan less than a minute to hop inside, and even less to ignite the combi and speed across the sand-path highway.

"Moharerwa. Our Patient," he speaks. "She refuses the induced labour procedure."

It all makes sense now.

"You want the Corticosteroids to buy her time," that's why Bo is in such a hurry, probably also why he is anxious. He needs to medicate her corticosteroid to prolong her pregnancy and help the baby's lungs become more mature in little time to prepare it for life outside the womb. And Bo needs to do it fast, or else Moharerwa's preeclampsia will evolve into eclampsia, and she'll perish.

"The baby's life is the priority?" If she's 20 weeks pregnant, there's no other reason why she isn't on an O.R at this very moment, than to gain more time for her premature baby.

"For her," Bo says, his voice an octave lower. "For me, they both are."

You lean against the hood of the truck, not knowing what to say back, and allowing the classical music blasting from the speakers to continue their excellent job of keeping your thoughts away from Ethan Gandy.

And near the possibilities to save lives today.

Twenty minutes later, Bodevan murmurs —you're having a hard time deciphering if he's mumbling things to himself or to you—, that you've reached the destination. Eyebrows knitted, you wonder if the giant teepee in front of you hides a clinic instead of fancy carpets for a picnic at the Skeleton Coast.

"Let's go," he says, briefly meeting your eyes. As soon as you nod, Bo rushes out of the vehicle and into the teepee. You follow suit, every bit of amazed by your discovers. At least ten people are laying on cots, covered by colourful blankets in tribal patterns, and other five people have beelined at the couch inside Bo's combi. There's a wall with porcelain jars labelled with medicine and herbs names, a chest of drawers with mortars and pestles on its surface, and a portrait of Mao Zedong in the middle of it all.

The weirdness of the surroundings amazes you, but your attention is consumed by Bodevan Cash wearing a white coat, concerned eyes as he exchanges words with a red-skinned pretty girl. She must belong to the Himbas. You've read about the tradition of the Himba women apply red ochre butter to their skin and hair each morning. She is gorgeous, and so is the pregnant girl (Moharerwa, you assume) laying on the cot, where Bodevan is leaned into as he continues talking in an unknown language.

The concern in his gaze is familiar. You've seen it in Ethan's features when his patients are on a thin line against the veil of death.

"Tell Rellian to prepare," he instructs, getting rid of his white coat. You don't know if it's a good idea to chase his trace outside, but your feet didn't wait for your decision.

Bodevan takes his tank-top off, brings his hair into a bun and carefully lays down on the sand. He stares at the ocean as if the motion of the waves would induce the same rhythm to his heart. Then he brings his tighs, arms and palms into a lotus position as the salty-foam of the sea kisses his toes.

The last thing you want to do is disturb him, especially now that he's about to go on surgery, but your subconscious has a different plan, and she's made sure to glue your eyes at the muscles of his back, shifting each time he breathes in and out. He utters two words in a language you can't understand and ends his meditation by getting on his feet. Bodevan's palms are pressed together, thumbs close to his chest, and fingers pointing upwards when he slightly bows at the ocean, "Namaste."

He hesitates at your figure waiting for him, and for the tenth time today, he avoids your gaze, this time by looking down at his footprints on the wet sand, the ones that lead straight to you. Bodevan grabs his stethoscope and places it over the left side of his chest. He still neglects your stare, blue eyes dancing from one side to another, as his lips count his heartbeats. Satisfied by the cadence, he nods to himself.

Finally, Bodevan approaches you, "I need to scrub in. Moharerwa has signs of Fetal Distress and Placental Abruption." The sound of his voice is careful, laced with concern, but you're unsure if he's worried about you peace of mind, or his upcoming surgery. "Could you take over the clinic for me? I've rounds to make and six patients waiting to be examined. Peraa will help you out. She's kind of -the n-nurse here."

Kind of?

What he means with kind of?

Each word coming out of Bodavan's pretty lips increase your questions about the workflow in this clinic. He's got a kind-of-a-nurse, and he will scrub in with only his brother to assist him. No anesthesiologists, no scrub tech, no circulating tech, no nurses —because apparently, he's got any, just one that kind of is.

Bo notices your worrisome instantly. "Let me check your heart rate," he untangles the stethoscope from around his neck and places it over the skin of your chest. He explains his modus-operandi, the charts you will take over, and how Peraa can be of help.

Afterwards —and you don't know if he's doing for you or for himself— he goes over the surgery procedure. You swallow, trying to even your heart rate because the number of contractions per minute has increased considerably. Maybe it is rushing out because Bodevan is shirtless, acting all doctor like, and he seems like a flipping genius. He's an expert on anaesthesia, he's memorised the surgery, and diagnosed Moharerwa in a heartbeat. Most importantly, he comprehends the importance of engaging with a fresh mind and spirit, which lots of doctors doesn't. 

Bodevan bites his lower lip, considering for a while, and that's when you know you're doomed.

"It's… faster than average…" slowly, Bo averts his eyes to find yours, lips stretching into a crooked smirk. You, on the other hand, flush a beet red. Saving you from your embarrassment is the fact that he seems as nervous as you (Thank the heavens!). He moves closer, ear tips removed, and his index and middle finger rest over your neck, at the side of your windpipe.

For the first time since you met him, he is gazing down directly at you. There's not a shy look-away, or discomfort present on his body language, quite the contrary. He's grabbed your shaky hands and entwine them with his. But you're no fool, you distinguish what the shape of his mouth is silently counting. You know he's trying to ease his heart rate as well. Bodevan rests his forehead against yours, "Close your eyes, please. A little while."

"Okay," you murmur shyly, casting your eyes downward to the sight of your intertwined palms before allowing your lids to flutter shut.

"Even your pulse, cool down your breathing," he murmurs, but nonetheless shrugs nonchalantly. His hands have freed yours only to travel upside to reach your shoulders, where they hold reassuringly. "There's no pressure, we do what we can, we try, we try hard, but we are not overpowered by the pressure."

Of course, you know that, and you're thankful for his kind words. Moreover, you are grateful because he thinks that's the cause of your uneven heart rate when, in reality, he is the one rushing it. He makes you nervous. Really flipping nervous.

When you open up your eyes to meet his, he's staring intently at you, with the same wildness you've grown accustomed in the few hours you've met him. His eyes are blue like the ocean, blue like a sunless sky. You met a sky without a sun, and a man without floor — a doctor who's clinic is a teepee, who meditates before surgery, who seems to be every medical specialist. And know, although is weird and you don't know what the hell is wrong with you, something in your inside squirms and yells today you found a pair of eyes you cannot live without.

Bodavan intrigues you, out of extent. You've crossed the globe, travelled from New York to Namibia, have a fianceé, and yet, you've never encounter eyes like his.

"How are you feeling?" he asks.

"Your eyes look like the morning sky," you mumble, every inch a fool. He smiles.

"And yours look like chocolate."  

A pinch of guilt turns your throat into knots. The last thing you want is to "feel you belong" in the reflection of Bodevan's eyes. You don't belong in África, miles away from everything you're close of. You belong with your family, your friends, people you know how they're really like, not someone you've just met. You belong with Ethan. You still had no idea what you were doing here, other than hiding out very temporarily while Ethan took care of his… divorce. After that, you were going to take a plane back home.

Right?

[judesaves]

it’s the middle of the night, but i’ll just plop down and say hello anyways! this here is my star-of-his-high-school-hockey-team-but-not-his-ahl-team, formally big fish in a huge ass pond, still-kinda-under-the-oppressive-influence-of-his-evangelical-dad hockey playing Good Boi Jude.

judah ‘jude’ ames (casey cott) who works as a cashier at the armory. he’s from thunder bay, ontario and lives in east vale. they’re ardent and optimistic but can also be vacuous and prudish. sometimes, they’re known as the sanctimonious.

my bio is super long so i apologize in advance, but here’s all you need to know abt judie the prudie!

full name / nicknames: Judah Seth Ames / Jude, Judie, J, the Bae From Thunder Bay age / date of birth: 27 / July 30th, 1992 place of birth: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada previous residences / current residence: Sarnia, Ontario, Canada; Kitchener, Ontario, Canada; London, Ontario, Canada; Hershey, Pennsylvania; Chicago, Illinois; Des Moines, Iowa / Kingscrest, Colorado citizenship / ethnicity: Canadian (on a sports visa) / White (English, Danish, Dutch, German) religion: Lutheran socioeconomic status / political affiliation: Upper Class / Unaffiliated, but liberal leaning martial status: Single sexual & romantic orientation: heterosexual, hetero-romantic (he’s not questioned it, at the very least) education / occupation: high school graduate / cashier at The Armory

former teams / current team: Hershey Bears, Chicago Wolves, Iowa Wild / Kingscrest Knights position / shoots: Center / Right jersey number: #41 NHL draft: 79th overall, Washington Capitals professional playing career: 2010 – 2018

parents: Teresa Ames (mother), David Ames (father) siblings: Jared Ames (older brother by two years), Jacob Ames (younger brother by eleven years), Julianne Ames (younger sister by eleven years) offspring: none pets: family dog named Gretsky (German Shepherd), though he’s back in Thunder Bay

faceclaim: Casey Cott hair color / eye color: brown / pale green height / build: 5′11″ / athletic, muscular tattoos / piercings: none / none distinguishable features / scars: big lips, strong jawline / various bodily scars from hockey injuries over his lifetime dexterity: right handed known allergies: none visual impairment / hearing impairment: none / none nicotine use / drug use / alcohol use: no / no / socially

traits: confident, brawny, optimistic, playful, prudish, vacuous, arrogant, disapproving temperament: choleric alignment: lawful good enneagram: type one, the reformer mbti: ESTJ hogwarts house: gryffindor vice / virtue: pride / chastity likes / dislikes: hockey, the feeling of skates gliding on smooth ice, exercising, sleeping, cheesecake, snow, comedies, rules / montreal canadiens, partying, breaking his diet, the fear of never making it to the nhl, broccoli, phone calls from his father, westerns, soccer favorite media: to kill a mockingbird by harper lee (book), planes, trains, and automobiles (film), bob’s burgers (television show), tell her about it by billy joel (song) favorite color: blue 

hockey has been a part of judah’s life for longer than he can remember. his first memories include the freezing solidness of the ice, the snug feeling of skates on his feet, the weight of a helmet upon his head. jude grew up believing he was born to play hockey, and really, he wasn’t wrong. a complete natural, despite hating it the first time his parents put him on the ice. a tantrum ensued, even though jared, his older brother and jude’s personal childhood hero, promised him it wasn’t scary and he was safe; he wanted to do everything jared did, but he wasn’t ready yet.

hockey wasn’t the only thing he was scared of. his father, david, taught his sons about hell before they were old enough to understand the concept. he taught them about sins. how fornication would damn you, how adultery would greet you with the devil, how doing anything wrong would leave you burning in hell forever. the list of things that were wrong to do, however, got longer and longer as his children grew, until doing anything but praying or playing a sport would condemn his soul. jude never heard his father say it, but he felt he was doing something wrong, something sinful when he cried and plopped down on the ice that day, begging for his brother to pick him up and bring him off the slippery ice.

his soul was saved after he turned five, when he got tired of watching jared play and wanted to join his older brother in the rink. the second time he laced up a pair of skates, at the tender age of five, jude fell in love. he finally fulfilled his purpose, or rather realized it. still so young, the local mini mite league not much more than toddlers standing around on the ice as the coaches uselessly tried to direct them on wobbly skates, little jude became fascinated with the sport. watching it constantly on the television, attending all of his older brother’s games, wearing all the leafs apparel his parents bought for him. their summers spent on roller blades playing with a toy goal set in the driveway, their winters spent freezing in the stands or skating on razor sharp blades.

as the minor leagues started raising up with age, so did the level of skills needed to play, and jude quickly proved to be a natural. the way he glided effortlessly, the way he turned on the hairpin edge of blades with ease, the way he listened and adhered to direction like a loyal solider. judah had memorized the rule book from front to back by the time he was nine, could spout off any definition or recall the minutiae details of a rule his own coaches had mostly forgotten, to the point of annoyance for his teammates and coaching staff. anyone could see that jude was going places, they could tell jude was going to make it.

but he wasn’t going to go as far as jared. jude paled in comparison to his older brother. for every rule he could recite like a sermon or puck he could hit squarely into the net, jared was faster, harder, stronger, better. he lived in jared’s shadow and what a well-lived in shadow it was. it didn’t matter how good jude was when jared was there, it didn’t matter if jude was a good player when jared was great… for a time.

the ames family added two more children, a pair of twins. jacob and julianne came into the world when jude and jared were eleven and fourteen respectively. even with two new babies in the house, the two older ames brothers were never distracted from their shared sport. their mother the focus of the childrearing, their father focused on rearing his two sons into hockey prodigies. loyal servants to the church of god and gretzky, the ames boys were good, they were righteous, they were perfect. perfect, how that word seemed to follow them. perfect, that was the ultimate praise from their father, when they followed the letter of jesus or their coaches. the fear of disappointing their father was the fear of going to hell. they had to be the best, they had to be perfect, they had to be righteous if they were going to make it.

the foundation of their perfect little family started to crack once jude was headed into peewee. the pressure from their father a fixture that had known for their entire lives, the pressure that kept them perfect, jared finally bent underneath that weight. his playing, while always more fast-paced and fierce than jude’s, got sloppier and less dignified. his hits were less than clean, his gloves dropped more than they didn’t, his pucks still landed in the goals but their passes to get there were dangerous. if that didn’t piss off their father enough, jared would stay out later, would go to parties on school nights, would refuse to go to church. i’m the bad one now, judie, so you don’t have to be, jared whispered to him once on a drive back from practice but jude didn’t understand what his brother meant.

jude was never in danger of being the bad one. the meek one, yes, the quiet one or the shy one, but he was never bad. his behavior, his playing, it was barely less than perfect. as jared’s star started to diminish (in their father’s eyes, at least, since jared only got more popular at school the more he partied), focus started to turn on jude. david’s focus, namely. david started taking jude out for hot chocolate after practices, ice cream parlors after winning a game. david wouldn’t let jude end up like jared, he wouldn’t let jude go down the same road of sin his older brother walked down. jared was still a good player, yes, or rather he still played well, but he wasn’t perfect anymore. jared was getting worse, jude was only getting better.

even if jared proclaimed that he was willingly taking the heat off of jude, a rift started to grow between the two. people were starting to praise jude more, talk about him more, talk about how good he was getting. the shadow that jude lived in was starting to shift, others were starting to notice him. judah ames, just a boy of fourteen, was the one the parents of his teammates would point out, the one they’d beg their children to hang out with in case his discipline and skill would rub off on them. his thoughts were only occupied with hockey, every dream he had was just reliving old games or planning for future ones. everything related to it, no matter if he was looking for a connection or not. hockey was the only personality he had.

who could blame him, though? with the way his father yelled from the stands, often yelling louder than the coach. with the way his father dropped him off promptly before practice began and picked up him not a second after it ended. as the reins on jared were forcibly loosened, the reins tightened on jude and david promised himself and god that he’d never let judah seth ames go. they moved across ontario with every minor team jared or judah joined, though they always considered thunder bay to be their home. as jude became more disciplined, more refined in his playing, jared got worse, got messier, to the point that he was considered the goon of their team. the two ames boys, once both considered perfect, once identified by the order of their birth, were now classified by good or bad, clean or dirty, pure or sinful.

seventeen, the year in every hockey player’s life that things start to change. the nhl just a dream for them, it becomes more realized as the draft starts to tick down and loom over them. jared, playing badly and antics getting more dramatic as their father focused more on jude, felt his dream slipping from him fast. the scouts eyes, once glued to him at every game they attended, drifted to his little brother now. not even old enough to drink, jared ames was quickly becoming a has-been, before he ever really was something. the boy everyone thought was going to make it didn’t even make it to the draft. jared ames quit playing hockey at the age of nineteen.

judah wouldn’t end up like that, though. david ames promised that to his son and any other parent in the stands that still bothered to listen to his ramblings. judah ames was going to make it. he was perfection, on the ice and off it. most boys, even boys on the same team, were interested in girls, lots even had girlfriends. jude was interested, but he wasn’t allowed to be. boys like that were sinful, they were wrong, they were bad. jude wasn’t allowed a girlfriend, wasn’t even really allowed a friend. everything in his life revolved around hockey, even church as david led prayers for victory before every game. there wasn’t time to think about girls, to think about anything else. even studying was secondary, his grades were only required to be strong enough to let him play every game; the only part of his life that didn’t require perfection.

while jared struggled underneath the pressure, jude endured it, even flourished underneath it. an amazing player, not just in the way he shot and hit and skated, but in his attention to detail and rules. some even said he’d be the next sidney crosby, but jude wouldn’t let himself get intimidated by the comparison. he was good, but he wasn’t that good. he wasn’t perfect, not yet. the comparison he hated was the one to his brother, the older boys on the team that had played with jared before his retirement called jude ‘the replacement’. he hated that word, replacement, even more than the word perfect. his father didn’t help, telling him how he’s so much better than jared ever was, how jude was going to be the one to make it all the way to the top, like it was guaranteed.

the time for jude’s draft started nearing quickly as he entered his senior year of high school. the pressure from his father and his coaches got heavier as the date neared, even his brother (now living in an apartment back in thunder bay) contributing to the worry and excitement. always a dream of his, to make it to the majors, jude finally felt the cracking his brother before him felt. calm and collected on the ice, jude only felt anxiety when he left it every night. his dreams, usually filled with scenes of play, now only showed him a future where he’d end up exactly like jared. he had to make it to the nhl, he needed to make it there, he needed to be good, he needed to be perfect.

the draft finally only days away, jude worked tirelessly in the rink to keep his mind off of it. what if he didn’t get picked? what if he ended up like jared, not even making it to the draft? what if he hated the team he got picked for? oh god, what if he was drafted to montreal! his worries not helped by his father that only ever wanted to talk about the draft, jude spent those last few days wishing he never laced up his skates again that one winter day when he was five.

the draft came in a bubble of excitement and fear. finally the one thing he’d been waiting for his whole life was here. feeling like his stomach was going to cave in on itself, he nearly missed it when his name was finally called. the hershey bears, the ahl affliate of the washington capitals. not exactly what he wanted, preferring something in canada, but not too far from home and not too warm. in the end, jude was just excited to play the sport he loves. he was excited to make it to the draft, unlike his older brother. he was excited to be one step closer to the nhl. most of all, he was excited to be away from his father.

the excitement didn’t last long, however. well, it didn’t last forever. traded from the bears after a year, jude ended up being traded to the chicago wolves at the age of twenty two, settling in for most of his career in the minors. he was still a great player, but the professional leagues are all filled with great players, and he was already beginning to feel like an adult among children when his new teammates after every draft seemed to be getting younger and younger. by the time he was twenty five, jude knew he would likely never make it to the nhl, but he refused to acknowledge it. his father half-held belief in his son, and half-berated him for not yet making his nhl debut; every time they needed a spot filled for a game or two, they called someone else up, and jude had to explain to his father why exactly he wasn’t the best on his team, why the coaches didn’t notice him like they should’ve. the love of the game only carried him so far, and the yearning to be on a major professional team slowly turned to bitter regret. he couldn’t wonder why the ahl wasn’t enough for his father, why it’s not perfect, when he’s convinced of the same.

jude knew that if he wasn’t going to make it by now, he’d never make it to the nhl. traded after a few good years with the wolves, jude moved to iowa and played with the wild for only a season before he decided it was time to retire professionally. he was a star that had diminished, he was just another good player on an okay team, and soon he wouldn’t even be remembered by anyone. deciding not to renew his one year contract with the wild, jude went back to thunder bay, and quickly regretted moving back in with his parents on two fronts: he missed hockey, and he did not miss his father’s rants. 

while his father’s influence lessened from distance and time apart, it was back in full force once he was under their roof again. while he was no longer concerned about staying pure and righteous (partying with hockey players barely out of their teens tends to do that), the thoughts that he was wrong, dirty, sinful started to creep back in. he was not just dirty from the sin of the outside world, he was dirty, stained, a failure. jude was not perfect, never was. just another failure, like his brother jared before him, it was a different sensation to be jealous when he was moping on the couch and watching as his younger brother jacob gathered his equipment in his bag and their father lectured jake about his sloppy skating last practice. he has never missed the pressure from his father before, and he can only hope that jake doesn’t crack underneath the weight now that their father’s hopes and dreams are on him.

after six months of tolerating his father and drifting aimlessly, missing his sport and hating it at the same time, he began to wonder if it was too late to sign that contract with the wild again. he called his own coaches when he knew his father was at his brother’s practices, begged to be signed again, but they told him what they already knew: he was twenty six years old, practically geriatric. there likely wouldn’t be a professional team to sign him, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t still play his beloved (and loathed) sport, and maybe keep a bit of hope alive in his heart that he might, one day, still make it. everyone in the hockey community knows about kingscrest, colorado. it practically generated out ice sports stars as quickly as thunder bay did, and if there was any way he could possibly be scouted for one more final time, it was there. barely letting his parents in on his plan, lest they try to talk him out of it (or worse, support with oppressive enthusiasm), jude made his way to colorado, where he’s been for a year now. 

joining the knights, jude’s a mature player, and any hopes of being noticed or signed to any sort of professional team (god, how much he hated being in the minors, only to be begging christ to let him back on any team, even laval rocket) are kept secret and close to his heart. as far as his teammates know, he’s just an old guy enjoying the ice, reliving his glory days and being a stickler for the rules just as he did in peewee. the desire for perfection is something that he still feels, even if he tries everything in his power to avoid his father’s calls—lest he have to hear his father’s thoughts on the political landscape of america, despite being canadian, but jude already knows he’s not perfect. he knows that this is the end of the line, so he should milk it for everything it’s worth, but the thought of the future is even scarier. once he’s too old to play, his many injuries over the years finally catching up with his body, what else is there to do? once hockey’s gone, what will jude have left?

he’s not perfect, he’s not righteous, he’s not the next gretzky or crosby. but he did make it, even if it was not the nhl. he made it farther than his father or his older brother ever did. he’s free from his father, living by himself and by his own rules, playing the game he’s loved for twenty two years. shouldn’t that be good enough for him? shouldn’t that be perfect?

like every hockey player ever, hockey’s all he talks about. all he thinks about, really. like... constantly. i mean constantly. he really doesn’t have much of a personality outside of it, but it’s not really his fault bc he was taught to be like that by his father.

speaking of his dad. phew. major dad issues for this kid. the voice in his head is his father’s, not his own. has a lot of weird shame about the most random things, and some not-so-random things.

isn’t a virgin, but he acts like one, because he doesn’t want to seem dirty and #sinful, but he’s also just weird and awkward around women... and guys too. just everyone.

sweet but angsty. has a lot of regrets, but doesn’t like to talk about it much. hates being one of the older guys on the team, but he put himself there, and it’s like either be old af or not be on the team at all. doesn’t want to end up like his brother that quit just to sell cars back in the bay.

not actively religious, but still seems like a conservative good ol’ boy because he wears sweaters tucked in WITH a belt. not as innocent as he seems, but still pretty innocent and a little weird. wasn’t homeschooled but kinda seems like he was?

an encyclopedia of hockey rules and super annoying about it. will tattletale on you to the refs if he sees you Being Naughty on the ice, no matter what team you’re on. he’s good to have around if you wanna get an opposing player into the penalty box because if you alert him to it, he’ll go snitch immediately. love my goody two shoes!!

a sales associate at the armory, like half of the team. thinks it may make him look better to the coaches, but also just needs a job. his dad will only pay half, that’s right HALF!!, of his rent so jude works to catch up with that and have very little money on the side. whatever, he still gets to skate, so he should be happy. right? right?!

somewhat dumb, just because he was never encouraged to be smart by his father, just an obedient follower and an obsessive hockey player. can do simple math, but ask him about algebra and he’ll just get annoyed and walk away. 

wanted connections:

fellow teammates: jude plays for the knights, so gimme good friends and better enemies! people he’s competitive with, people he helps/mentors, people he straight up can’t stand or people that can’t stand him.

figure skating friends (and enemies): jude has never been the figure skating type, but he thinks its pretty cool that they can do spins and stuff. he respects the artistry, but still feels a sort of competitiveness with them just from the nature of being two ice sports. so give me friends that he can cheer on, enemies he can roll his eyes at, etc!

just friends in general: he’s a pretty sad boi and very earnest, so he needs someone to chat with! either it can be superficial or maybe they’re close confidants, up to you. :)

roommates: jude rents an apartment in east vale, and while he’s used to being such a canadian WASP, he’s somewhat cut off financially from his parents and needs someone around to help pay the bills. plus he gets lonely at night! can’t sleep in an empty house!!

ex-girlfriend(s): jude’s only been in town for a year and a few months, but that’s enough time to date around. likely this relationship didn’t work out because jude has a lot of hangups about relationships and shame, and his body/sex in general, but there are probably other factors such as that he’s really obsessive about hockey and actually really, really bitter deep down. 22+

[creatingnikki]

Dearest Atlas,

That is a really fun choice for a pseudonym. Perhaps, your actual name? Unlikely but for the sake of this letter and me you’re Atlas irrespective. So, hello! You’re almost a decade younger to me and I must admit, I’m a little nervous to write you this love letter. I’ve never had an issue writing or interacting with people older to me by 3-4 decades even. But talking to someone younger always takes me back to when I was their age and how much I hated older people acting as though they knew better.

Of course, now after growing up I have realized that it’s just natural for you to know more and learn more as you live more (exceptions exist always and there’s not an equal increase in age and knowledge/wisdom, as we all know). I mean, compared to a 5 year old, you know so much more. But I think the one place where most adults go wrong is that instead of looking after those younger to them, they either patronize them or exploit them. Shouldn’t we, by default look after those younger to us? Protect them, so that they don’t lose their innocence and heart due to this shit world as early as we did? This sentiment is why I love a classic that most people don’t – The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. I will warn you that the narrator is annoying but his heart is in the right place and that’s the most important thing.

I guess since I’ve already started writing this letter my nervousness is out the window. Do forgive me if at any place I come across as preachy or pretentious. Know that isn’t one bit intentional.

You know how I know I’m no longer a teenager? Because I just spent 10 minutes looking up what LB(BT) means. I still don’t know but as per Google this is what it could mean:

Let’s be bored together (doesn’t fit the context as you said ‘I’m LB(BT)’)

Something related to LGBTQ+ (Is it?)

Lembaga Bela Banua Talino (Which is an Institute for Community Legal Resources Empowerment – umm probably not?)

When older people would be so clueless with slangs like LOL and TTYL and BRB 10 years ago I would think, ‘Are they serious? What’s not to get in that?’ But this is a WTF moment for me because I have crossed over to the other side, clearly. Anyway, now I’m quite curious so do let me know, please! Haha

Though, I do have a really embarrassing and silly story related to internet slang and ‘brb’. So this was back in 8th grade – 2010 – when I had just joined Facebook and had started to talk to this senior in school who I soon developed a crush on. Now, you need to know 2 things for context:

Back then everyone in school would type in “chat language” which was very “cool”. For instance, ‘What is up with you?’ would be typed as ‘wht is up wth u?’

This guy would use terms of endearment for me like sweetheart, darling, etc. *pukes*

So, for a whole week when we would chat, and he would use ‘brb’ during our conversation I had no idea what it was but I just assumed it was another term of endearment. Oh my god. Shall I even say it? Okay…so I thought it was….barbie. YES WHY WOULD HE CALL ME THAT. It’s bloody weird but my 14 year old brain worked in weird ways, and yes you’re a whole lot smarter than I was at 14, and I just assumed that. Why I continued talking to a guy who I thought called me ‘barbie’, I do not know. From entering the world of social media at 14 and not knowing slangs like the back of my hand to reaching here – writing a letter to a 14 year old and not knowing another slang’s full form – a I believe I have reached a full circle. Thank you? I think it’s very humbling but also grounding to realise how old you are or just how much time has passed by. Adulting is quite disorienting and moments like these are needed.

And thankfully, I know what you mean when you say you’re Wiccan. And I think that’s pretty cool! Around when I was 16 I read a Jodi Piccoult book about teen Wiccans and I was so fascinated that post that I did 3 things:

Convinced my friend to become Wiccan with me

Installed an app for spells

Convinced my mom to let me get a tattoo with a sentence from the Wiccan Rede

My friend ditched me, the spells on that app needed things that weren’t accessible to me and I was too much of a chicken to actually get inked (still don’t have a single tattoo!) and none of those things ever really materialised.  In yet another way you’re so much smarter than I was back then. I keep saying this not to be weird but to admire you and just express how in awe I am by certain things you mentioned.

Shall I just paste the Wiccan Rede here for everyone to see how beautiful and solid it is? Or perhaps the end of it that hit me the most?

“With a fool no season spend or be counted as his friend.

Merry Meet and Merry Part bright the cheeks and warm the heart.

Mind the Three-fold Laws you should three times bad and three times good.

When misfortune is enow wear the star upon your brow.

Be true in love this you must do unless your love is false to you.

These Eight words the Rede fulfill:

“An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will”

And the sentence I wanted to get a tattoo of? Any guesses?

Well – An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will.

While I didn’t get it, I do want to talk about it.

People will always tell you what to do and what to be and what to think and how to behave and what to not wear and what to see and what to not talk about. These people will be your friends, parents, teachers, siblings, relatives, strangers, lovers, the government, employers, enemies and bullies. A lot of them will be well-intentioned and that’s where it will get tricky. But you should always do what feels right to you. No matter who says what. Stand up for what you believe in no matter who or how many people are against it. That’s from the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and another book that I highly recommend.

As you grow older, the lines between good and bad, black and white, brave and weak will quickly and confusingly blur. You’ll have to make a million choices, a lot of which won’t matter in a few years while some will stay with you for the rest of your life. And sometimes it will feel like you’re in a maze and thick fog (all the confusion between what’s right and what’s wrong) is surrounding you and there is this loud, piercing noise (other people’s voices) that won’t stop until you find your way out that maze. What’s waiting for you outside? Some people think it’s success, money, love, or even death. It really depends on how you see things and what’s the most important to you.

To me? I think what’s waiting out there for me is peace and truth. Lately, I’ve been able to find my way out but it’s only seconds until I’m dragged back inside. So, how to figure a permanent way out this maze is my journey next. I don’t know anything. No one knows anything. But yet people insist on pretending to know. And sometimes that’s important too (like at work). But I hope when you’re on your journey of figuring things out for yourself, you do what feels right to you and only remember – An ye harm none do what ye will.

A picnic with your friend family where everything was so happy sounds like such a precious and beautiful memory. I’m glad you got to experience that and I can only hope that while you navigate your way through the maze, you find such absolutely lovely and blissful moments in plenty. And as for your ex who sent you anon hate – so glad that such an ass is out of your life. As someone who has received a lot of nasty anon hate on tumblr, I know it hurts the most when you suspect (more like just know it) that it’s someone who used to be close to you. I guess that’s the other stuff hiding in the maze – bitterness and pain. But I think as long as you have a few people who have the best interests for you at heart who hold your hand and figure the way out together, you’re going to be okay.

So, Atlas, I do think this turned out to be a tad bit didactic but know that’s only because the part inside of me that’s still 14 is cheering on for you and sending you much love.

xoxo

Nikki

PS I know I’ve given you 2 book recs already but here’s a third one cos I think you’d quite like it – Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson. It’s a book about two high school best friends who are Wiccans and one of them kills herself and the other uses a spell to bring her back to live temporarily to figure out what really happened.

Guys, February is 29 days of love letters. I’m writing love letters, as part of The Love Project, and if you’d like me to write one to you, drop me an email at creating.nikki@gmail.com

There are 10 more spots left, and you can still be a part of it if you’d like :D

I wrote this letter for Atlas based on some questions they answered. You can read their answers here.

[hwu-adventures-blog]

Family Life- Requiem

Family Life- part 1, part 2, part 3

Tragedy befalls the Sinclaire household, and Beatrice and Ernest find out that it’s hard to remain strong even for the children’s sake.

The rain fell upon the people gathered in the church yard. Dressed in black they were all surrounding a freshly dug grave. The family and friends surrounded them, Miss Parsons and Mr Chambers, Luke Harper the stable boy, Prince Hamid, Miss Sutton and Mr Marlcaster, Briar and Mr Woods were all in attendance along with other members who knew the family. At the front of the congregation stood Ernest and Beatrice with their children. Vincent was holding Mary who sobbed uncontrollably, with one arm around his brother, Eustace who was supported by a crutch and baby Clementine sat quietly in her pram just in front of them. With them was Ernest and Beatrice- Ernest gripped Beatrice tightly trying to remain strong for the family whilst she cried into him as much as her daughter was, as the grave was filled with dirt. Ernest read the name on the grave over and over-

                                        ‘George William Sinclaire

                                                     1822-1828

                                                          Age: 6’

Ernest could not believe what had happened- one minute George was happy, playing with Mary and Eustace (whenever Eustace was able) and the next- he was gone- taken by the illness that befell him. He wished he had more time with his son- that he had seen him grow up, marry, have children of his own but now, now that was impossible. He’ll never see his son again. Ernest held Beatrice closer. Never wanting to let go of her.

The night of the ball had ended in terrifying circumstances. Their second eldest, George had collapsed, and Ernest had put him to bed before the doctor had arrived. Beatrice had stayed by her son’s side as the doctors examined him and she’d answered all the questions with honesty, Ernest had entered near the end of the examination after reassuring his other children that George would be alright, but eventually the doctor had come to a diagnosis and it was something neither Ernest or Beatrice wished to hear.

“it’s yellow fever”

Ernest had watched as Beatrice shook her head in disbelief and denial

“no it must be something else”

“I’m sorry countess Beatrice but there’s nothing else that matches up with the symptoms”

Ernest looked at the doctor

“is there anything you can do?”

“I am sorry Mr Sinclaire but there isn’t a cure- all we can do now is wait for the inevitable and make him comfortable”

The doctor had left and Beatrice had retreated to the master bedroom clearly distraught over the news. Ernest had run after her, catching up to her in the corridor. Tears streaming down her face.

“Beatrice”

“not again Ernest”

Ernest knew exactly what she was saying not again too. Twelve years ago she’d ran down these very halls to her father’s room and stayed with him as he died of yellow fever and now the same illness plagued the halls of Edgewater Estate once more- history was repeating itself.  

“Beatrice- I-”

“first my father and now George”

Ernest pulled her in to him and held her tightly stroking her head. Gently trying to comfort his wife.

“Beatrice it’s going to be alright”

“Ernest how is it going to be alright? our son- our son is- dying”

“I don’t know how but it will be- I promise- whatever the outcome is George will still be here with us- you and I both know that and everything will be alright”

“how do we tell the children? How do we tell Mary her twin brother only has a few days left on earth?”

“I don’t know how- but we’ll tell them together like we’ve always done”

Beatrice stood helplessly- sobbing into her husband’s arms, she’d lost her child- her son! George was quieter than Mary but that never stopped him from showing he cared. She felt like her grandmother must have done when she lost her father- her heart ached- broken- of course she had her other children but that was no excuse she was not unfeeling like her stepmother had been- she loved her children equally and to lose one of them used to be unthinkable and to make matters worse she remembered the day that George left them ever so clearly-

Early morning had descended at Ledford park, and it had just gone past one when The bishop left the boy’s room at Ledford Park and shook his head at the parents in the corridor.

“I’m sorry- he doesn’t have much time left- it is time to say goodbye and let him go into God’s hands” he said “you should get his siblings”

“they’re staying at Miss Parson’s household tonight- there won’t be enough time” Ernest said regret visible in his words.

Ernest had thought it would be a good idea to send the children off to Annabelle Parson’s home to give George a bit of space and see if it would help him recover under the recommendation of an old friend of his fathers. Beatrice had been reluctant to let her children go and stay away from their brother especially since anything could happen but eventually, she had conceded after Ernest promised they wouldn’t be too far away. but in the past 24 hours George had deteriorated so much that Ernest and Beatrice had sent for the bishop fearing that this was it and they were correct.

“then you two should both be with him”

Ernest looked at Beatrice and they had walked into George’s room where George was laying in his bed, looking weak she had sat besides him on the floor and smiled at him gently

“Mama? Papa? What did Bishop Winters say? Will God make me better and able to play with Mary tomorrow?” he asked

“he said God would make you better- but you won’t be able to play with Mary for a while Georgie” Beatrice spoke softly brushing a strand of his head away from his sweating head

“how soon?”

“I don’t know son” Ernest had said smiling sadly at him

“mama I’m scared” the young boy had said turning to Beatrice and looking terrified as if he knows what was happening

“there’s no need to be frightened- mama and papa love you very much and so does Vincent and Mary and Ernest and little Clem- we all love you so, so much” Beatrice had smiled at him gently

“will Grandpa be where the angels are?” George was smarter than any boy his age- top of his class- he had figured out he would not survive the night.

“Grandpa Vincent will be up there along with Granny Mary and my mama and papa- they’ll all be there- they’ll be very excited to meet you” Ernest said giving George his warmest smile

“I can’t wait to meet them either”

“you can tell them all about those toy soldiers” Beatrice said comforting her son

“and my adventures with Mary?”

“and your adventures with Mary- they’ll especially love to hear about those”  

“and the time we brought a stray kitten home”

“definitely tell them about that”

“I’ve decided I’m going to be Mary’s angel mama and that way she’ll remember me”

“George that sounds like a brilliant plan” Ernest said

“I’ll tell Mary all about my adventures up there when I see her next” George let out a staggered breath

“I know you will son”

“mama?”

“yes Georgie?”

“can you pass me Mr Bucket?”

Mr Bucket was George’s teddy, gifted to him for his first birthday by his parents and had been his constant companion (other than his twin sister) and helped him get him through the nightmares and bad times - Beatrice reached to the end of his bed and passed it to him and George grabbed the bear with a loose grip- before closing his eyes to go to sleep

“goodnight mama, goodnight papa”

“goodnight George” Beatrice kissed her son’s forehead

“sweet dreams son” Ernest said

The pair sat there- not wanting to leave their son’s bedside at all. Beatrice held onto her son’s hand tightly as she felt it slowly get colder and colder- wishing, praying for a miracle to make her son better- George’s breath was getting shallower and shallower until eventually- half an hour after he had fallen asleep- the breathing quickened and staggered and then stopped- his hand was stone cold and there was only silence from the boy. “no” Beatrice had  let out a cry she didn’t know was in there at the exact moment they realised he was gone and burst into uncontrollable tears- she felt Ernest pull her into him and hold her tightly as if not wanting to let her go- he was crying too, as she felt tears drip onto her hair and they sat there on the floor by the bed holding each other their hearts broken in two.

As the funeral procession broke away, the family had many people come up to them and offer their condolences. It was the worst feeling in the world, and Beatrice could not help but remember how she’d lost so many people to the grim notion of death. How many tines she’d stood and watched as a coffin was lowered to the ground. The first one she could remember was her grandfather, Frank Morse’s funeral her mother had managed to save just enough to go to Germany for the funeral. She remembered meeting family members she’d never met before, she remembered thinking that she hoped nothing ever took her mother away from her like that. the next one was her mother’s funeral. It was small with only the priest, Beatrice, Briar and Briar’s mother in attendance. She was not buried in the churchyard as she was not allowed to be due to her having a child unmarried however she was allowed to be buried in the back of the family garden- Beatrice’s father, Vincent had brought her childhood home for Beatrice soon after as a present seeing that Beatrice was having a hard time adjusting to her new life so she could go home whenever she missed it. the next funeral was that of her fathers, merely weeks after moving to Edgewater- it was unexpected and abrupt. The funeral was the largest she’d been too and she had refused to move for her stepmother as the cow had claimed it only be a seat for her and no matter how hard it was but it did lay way to one Beatrice’s fondest memories with Ernest. the last funeral she had attended was that of her grandmothers. The Dowager countess, Dominque had died a few months after little Vincent was born and it was not a surprise when it did happen, she was aged and had lived a long and fulfilling life and like Vincent’s it was a big funeral and she was buried in the family lot in the graveyard beside her son and husband, Rupert. But now Beatrice was stood at a funeral she never wanted to see happen. Beatrice looked towards her children and she remembered telling them George had died;

They’d almost immediately gone to Annabelle’s house in the morning and had woken the children. Vincent fully understanding death even at age eight, had stood there in disbelief that his younger brother had gone, Eustace didn’t understand where George had gone and asked a lot of questions that his parents could not answer without crying, and Clementine just gurgled in her eldest brother’s arms. However Mary took it the hardest. Beatrice had broken the news gently to Mary after she had awoken up properly, that her twin brother had gone and he was never coming back- Mary had immediately burst into tears and grasped onto her mother as she realised she’d never see or speak to her other half again. Beatrice had comforted her and let her cry into her- she could not even imagine what it was like to lose a twin- and it hurt her to see her daughter in as much pain as she was but for a different bond. They’d sat and cried. The children had returned home with them that morning to Ledford and they’d just been quiet for the two days leading to the funeral. Mary refused to come out of her and George’s room, she’d slept in George’s bed instead of her own and she didn’t speak to anyone (except occasionally her mother and father but eventually even she’d stopped talking to them) she’d been broken in grief.

The family had returned to Edgewater Estate in the evening after everyone had left. The children were put to bed and were asleep sooner than expected, they had been emotionally exhausted not to sleep. A few minutes later, Beatrice had gone to bed tired from crying and determined to be better and braver tomorrow for her children, she felt she needed her sleep to do that. Ernest retired three hours later, having downed some alcoholic drink- he couldn’t quite remember what it was, he just found himself drinking it and ended up having a few glasses to drown his sorrow- he was not the kind of gentleman who drank every night but he had needed it. So, when he turned in for the night Ernest had been shocked to find Beatrice, wide awake and staring up at the stars from the window seat.

“I thought you were asleep”

“I cannot sleep Ernest”

“neither could I”

“I can never sleep again”

“it’s not your fault”

“I’m cursed”

“now you’re talking nonsense”

“I’m cursed, everyone leaves me Ernest, I’m nothing but bad luck”

“it is coincidental”

“we buried our son today, Ernest, our son- after he died from the same Illness that killed my father who left me merely weeks after I came to Edgewater because my mama left me too- how can you say I’m not cursed?” Beatrice’s voice cracked “what if someone else leaves me? what if I lose more of the children? What if I lose you? I can’t risk it”

“you will not lose any more of our children and you will never lose me”  Ernest pulled his wife into an embrace as she cried again. Ernest knew she was broken, but he did not know the extent of her brokenness.

“I can’t risk it Ernest”

“what do you mean?”

“tomorrow I want you to go to Ledford and take the children with you, I need to pack, I need to go, I need to go home”

“Beatrice-”

“I don’t want to drag you down with me”  

“you won’t- we can get through it together- you are not cursed, you have people who love you, you have children who bring you joy, you have me- you are not cursed”

“I’m not?”

“we buried our child today, but we can pull through, we’re the Sinclaire family, we can get through anything together even if it hurts to do it” Ernest said softly with enough sincerity in his voice to reassure her “now, let’s go to bed and sleep, we’ll talk more about this arrangement you’ve suggested in the morning- just sleep on it”  

“I don’t know if I can sleep”

“I’ll be by your side and I won’t let go of you when the night terrors come”

Beatrice looked at the door and then the empty suitcase by the bed then at Ernest and she nodded reluctant to return to the realm of dreams and nightmares. She laid down in the bed and Ernest changed into his night clothes and joined her he brushed the tears away from her face as she fell asleep and when he was sure she was asleep, he let the tears finally fall.

A/N:I thought I’d get Part 4 up before Book 2 starts on monday, so here it is, I cried writing the death scene as I hated killing off George but child morality was really bad in the regency era and yellow fever was a really common killer which is why i used the same disease that killed Vincent (the MC’s father). once again i have no clue when part 5 will be up but it will be jumping a few years ahead and despite trying their best, Ernest and Beatrice are forced to have a serious discussion about one of their children.  I’m also working a few christmas fics for Ernest and Beatrice and a few other pairings so keep an eye out for them! anyway, thanks for reading! 

tagged accounts:

@cocomaxley, @symonde , @indescribablechoices, @flyawayboo

[samgoesdownhill]

Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegemund-Broka

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Seventeen-year-old Megan Harper is about due for her next sweeping romance. It's inevitable—each of her relationships starts with the perfect guy and ends with him falling in love . . . with someone else. But instead of feeling sorry for herself, Megan focuses on pursuing her next fling, directing theater, and fulfilling her dream college's acting requirement in the smallest role possible. So when she’s cast as Juliet (yes, that Juliet) in her high school’s production, it’s a complete nightmare. Megan’s not an actress, and she’s used to being upstaged—both in and out of the theater. In fact, with her mom off in Texas and her dad remarried and on to baby #2 with his new wife, Megan worries that, just like her exes, her family is moving on without her. Then she meets Owen Okita, an aspiring playwright inspired by Rosaline from Shakespeare's R+J. A character who, like Megan, knows a thing or two about short-lived relationships. Megan agrees to help Owen with his play in exchange for help catching the eye of a sexy stagehand/potential new boyfriend. Yet Megan finds herself growing closer to Owen, and wonders if he could be the Romeo she never expected.

*SOME SPOILERS AHEAD*

This continues to be one of my favorite YA Contemporaries, I'm completely in love with every aspect of this books. There were no parts that I wanted to fast forward through even in my reread. I've been in sort of a slump with reading. I have been reading, quite a bit, but I haven't gotten that excited or accomplished feeling when finishing a book in a while until I decided to pick this back up. I partially picked it up because I wanted to annotate it, but also because the characters and the character development are amazing. Emily and Austin did an amazing job writing this together. Sometimes I feel like when reading a book only written by a woman, it makes the male characters either fall flat, void of emotion or overly emotional to the point of cringy-ness.

Owen, Will and Tyler all have real personalities. Obviously, Owen had the most development over the story. But I did feel like I was watching true high school interactions most of the time. Eric's bro-speak was more on the ball with how the boys I grew up with spoke. But Owen does talk like one of my dearest friends.

Diversity was a thing in this book, I will say, it was touched upon. From the cover I had originally thought Megan was Asian, judged a book by it's cover (kind of), after reading To All the Boys I've Loved Before, I really had hoped for another Asian-American lead in a YA Contemporary. I was disappointed for all of two seconds then I found out Owen is Asian and I was so happy. It wasn't just an American girl falling for a classic American guy like so many stories portray. We caught a glimpse of how Anthony was treated growing up, as a black gay teen. I really want a story from Anthony. I think he would make an amazing main character and deserves the spotlight. I want to get to know more about his relationship with Eric. His feelings towards himself. What his struggles are in life. How things go at Julliard.

Madeleine was an okay character, she fell flat for me, but that's okay, she was a fairly big part to the story, but she didn't need to be elaborated on and built as much as some other characters needed to be.

Megan had her ups and downs, her flirty personality worked beautifully for the story. As the story progressed she started to admit that other's opinions mattered to her even though she acted like they didn't. It's hard to be a teenager, I remember, and even though we all want to think the opinions of others don’t matter, there is almost always that nagging voice in the back of your head. I’ve gotten better over the years, but I still care. I’m jealous of those that don’t, but then I really question if they don’t or if they are just faking it. Megan lost faith in herself at one point and it was heart-wrenching to see such a strong character break like that. But she picked up the pieces, she moved on, held her head high. Some moments I thought she acted childish or immature, then at the end, her talk with Owen on their way to the performance was so mature of her. She didn't loose her cool after hearing about his conversation with Cosima, she had a real conversation with him. Albeit, awkward, and she forced herself to be that way, but it showed a lot of growth. Every time she had a falling out with someone, she picked up the pieces in a way that was well above her age.

I think this would be good for teens or young adults that are into acting in plays or musicals and have an understanding of what it’s like to be in the spotlight. Or those that feel like they’ll never find love, that they are the person before. That they are Rosaline.

[soapberryspringsrpg]

Forbidden Fruits

Hello Berries! The nights are getting longer, the air is getting crisper, the lattes are getting pumpkin spicier so you know what time it is. Time for the third ever Soapberry Springs writing prompt!

This prompt is meant to appeal to that part of many of us that once devoured cheesy romance books, thrilling over cliche after cliche so long as the right people ended up riding off into the sunset together. To play along, please choose one of the scenarios under the cut inspired by the brave harlequin romance writers and their specific books. 

You are free to change genders and names, of course; the only two things that must remain as posted are a) the title and b) the plot.

As always there is no time limit and no due date. Players are welcome to write self-paras, blurbs or novellas, poetry, chatzys or threads, to edit graphics, make playlists, etc. All creative takes on the theme are welcome and encouraged! 

Select below from prompts!

Feyness By E.S. Carter In this dark and sexy story, Faye’s cruel, powerful father forces her to marry wickedly gorgeous Cole. She’s convinced that Cole is pure evil — and he’s determined to break her…

Delicious Temptation By Sabrina Sol

After years of keeping her family’s struggling bakery afloat, pastry chef Amara is tired of being safe and predictable. Can she convince Eric, her brother’s ex-best friend, to make good on his bad-boy reputation? A smoldering erotic romance!

An Unconventional Courtship By Scotty Cade

Personal assistant Tristan and his CEO boss, Webber, both struggle to hide their true feelings from each other. But when the pair travel to the Caribbean on a business trip, they discover they can’t hold back their desires forever…

Grayson’s Mate By Tamsin Baker

An alpha werewolf in search of his mate is led to the last person he expected: the handsome stranger he rescued from a car accident. Their desire is undeniable, but can a werewolf and a mortal man find a way to be together?

Make Me Want By Katee Robert

Lucy is a confident, high-powered lawyer — but her ex-boyfriend gave her self-esteem issues in bed. Can her friend Gideon help her realize she has the power to drive him wild?

Bound by Honor By Cora Reilly

To fulfill her father’s promise, Aria must marry notorious, coldhearted Luca. But can she break down Luca’s walls and find the passion within him?

Bad Neighbor By M. O’Keefe

Sparks fly when Charlotte meets her sexy new neighbor Jesse. He’s an alpha bad boy who isn’t afraid of anything — except for his growing attraction to Charlotte, as their desire for each other rages out of control…

London Calling By Clare Lydon

A charming, witty romance: Jess never expected to be moving back in with her parents at the age of 32. But just as things seem hopeless, she makes an unexpected connection with a gorgeous woman. Could happily ever after be on the horizon?

Three Wrong Turns in the Desert By Neil Plakcy

Aidan can’t stop thinking about Liam, the alluring bodyguard he met in a Tunisian bar… When a high-octane chase takes them into the desert, their desires reach a boiling point in this steamy adventure!

Tempting Boundaries By Carrie Ann Ryan

Decker has always lusted after his best friend’s little sister, the woman he can’t have. But when Miranda decides she wants him, he may not be able to resist any longer…

Camp H.O.W.L. By Bru Baker

A sexy shifter romance! When Adrian finally turns into a werewolf — eight years late — Tate, a counselor at a camp for new werewolves, is ready to guide him. But cynical Tate never expected Adrian to be his destined mate…

Roller Girl By Vanessa North

When newly single Tina joins Joanne’s roller derby team, their friendship ignites a steamy passion behind closed doors…

The Shop on Main By Kay Correll

Bella is devastated to learn that she may lose her small shop — and an attractive businessman is the root of her worries. When they clash, can she settle her financial woes on her own and embrace a second chance at love?

The Road to You By Harper Bliss

Serious Katherine and free-spirited Ali have been enemies since college… but fate keeps throwing them together. As the years go on, will they see another side to each other — one they could learn to love?

Road to the Sun By Keira Andrews

When his eight-year-old daughter is kidnapped in Montana, single dad Jason Kellerman enlists the help of park ranger Ben Hettler. Suppressing their burning mutual attraction, the two men begin a wild and desperate hunt through the wilderness…

Captive of the Hitman By Alexis Abbott

When Alicia gets caught up in a dangerous situation, Mikhail takes her captive for her protection. But their sexual chemistry is off the charts — and he refuses to let her go…

Feeling Hot By Elle Kennedy

Home from deployment, Navy SEAL Cash McCoy forms a tantalizing connection with a mysterious blonde. Little does he know that she’s Jen Scott — his commanding officer’s sister! Can he keep his hands to himself around the one woman who’s off-limits?

Professional Distance By Silvia Violet

Heartbroken Thornwell swears off love — until he hires aspiring chef Riley as an escort! Though the two men couldn’t be more different, they begin to fall for each other. Can Riley convince Thornwell to set aside his doubts and live deliciously?

Black By T.L. Smith

Left heartbroken by his first and only love, hit man Liam Black is surprised to find her a decade later. But Rose isn’t the woman she used to be…

Training Sasha By Becca Jameson

Sasha is eager to explore her submissive side, but BDSM club owner Lincoln — who’s also her brother’s friend — won’t admit his attraction to her. Can she convince him to help her explore her sexual desires?

Stalking Buffalo Bill By J. Leigh Bailey

From the moment coyote shifter Donnie spotted buffalo shifter William at his cafe, he was smitten. When deadly figures from William’s past come back to settle unfinished business, the pair team up to ward off danger — and protect their future together.

Dog Days By TA Moore

Apocalyptic weather conditions are wreaking havoc across the globe. But weredog Danny has more immediate problems — including his wolfish ex-lover, Jack…

Dirty Girl By Meghan March

When Greer is drunk one night, she posts an embarrassing personal ad — and now she has thousands of takers! But bad boy Cavanaugh is a cut above the rest…

Tonight’s Encore By Parker Avrile

When Zac returns to his small hometown, he renews his relationship with Reed, who knew him before he became a rock star. But the pressures of fame could tear them apart in this steamy gay romance!

The Longest River By Hildred Billings

After the death of her twin sister, Helen moves to a secluded mountain village to find her independence and heal. There she meets widowed bookstore owner Kiyoko — an introduction that feels like fate…

Dirty Daughter By JB Duvane

Emily is determined to seduce her mother’s former psychologist, Max. But she doesn’t realize that he has his own plans for her — and soon she’ll be locked up in his remote cottage, forced to satisfy his every desire…

Mr. So Wrong By R.C. Stephens

A searing, sexy romance! After finding wealthy bad boy Al caught in a blizzard, Samantha brings him to her ranch to nurse him back to health. She doesn’t want to let anyone close to her heart, but why can’t she keep Al out of her bed?

Tempt the Playboy By Natasha Madison

After arrogant playboy Noah has a one-night stand with Kaleigh, he’s determined to claim her again. But she may not fall for his charms so easily…

One Last Heist By Dahlia Donovan

Partners in love and in crime, Toshiro and Mack plan to get their crew together for one last heist. It was supposed to be easy — but as they become embroiled in a deadly conspiracy, the stakes will rise out of their control…

Little Liar By W Winters

With so much pain in her past, there’s no way Allie should be drawn to bad boy Dean. And yet she can’t seem to stay away from him…

Seducing Cinderella By Gina L. Maxwell

Physical therapist Lucie needs help wooing her crush, so she asks her brother’s best friend, Reid, to teach her the art of seduction. But their arrangement leads to an unexpected chemistry, and Reid can’t give her up…

Tormentor Mine By Anna Zaires

In this “darkly addictive and hauntingly beautiful” romance, assassin Peter comes to torture Sara. But then he becomes obsessed with her…

As Sure as the Sun By Elle Keaton

After a brush with death, retired US Marshal Sacha starts anew in a small town. As he works to restore an old building, he crosses paths with history enthusiast Seth — and discovers a sizzling attraction that may persuade both men to risk their hearts.

The Endgame Duet By Cleary James

When her life takes a turn for the worse, Lisa offers herself to wealthy Grayson in exchange for the money she needs. For seven days he can do whatever he wants with her — but will they be able to control their sensual desires?

The Beat of Love By L. Loryn

In this passionate gay romance, brooding musician Wolfe and handsome actor Miguel court the media by pretending to be a couple. Will their fake celebrity relationship crash and burn — or turn into a connection more powerful than they expected?

The Isle of... Where? By Sue Brown

When Liam Marshall travels to the Isle of Wight to fulfill his best friend’s dying wish, Sam Owens helps him through it. They swiftly develop a connection — but does their budding relationship have an expiration date?

Ruthless By Dani René

Dangerous bad boy Callan always gets whatever he wants — so when he sees sweet Madison at a BDSM club, he must have her. A darkly delicious erotic tale!

Fire and Flint By Andrew Grey

When single father Jordan turns to sheriff’s deputy Pierre with his concerns about a corrupt judge, the two men discover they’ve made a powerful enemy. They’ll do whatever it takes to protect each other in this stirring and suspenseful read.

Entangled by Nikki Jefford

Two months after dying, Gray wakes up in her twin’s body. She’s forced to spend every other day impersonating snobby Charlene — and only warlock Raj notices the difference. Can Gray be saved, or will she fade altogether?

Southern Spirits by Angie Fox

When Verity discovers the power to commune with the spirit world, she teams up with local bad boy Ellis to evict some undead tenants.

Witch Slapped by Dakota Cassidy

Stripped of her powers, ex-witch Stevie Cartwright teams up with the ghost of a sexy British spy to solve a murder case involving a bogus psychic medium.

Issued to the Bride: One Navy SEAL by Cora Seton

Navy SEAL vet Brian has always dreamed of owning his own ranch — so when he’s asked to marry a general’s daughter, Cass, in exchange for a share of her land, he can’t refuse.

Sit… Stay… Beg by Roxanne St. Claire

Garrett, a dot-com millionaire turned dog rescuer, keeps his heart on a tight leash — until journalist Jessie is hired to write a profile on him…

Earthrise by M.C.A. Hogarth

On a mysterious rescue mission, no-nonsense ship captain Reese Eddings commands her vessel Earthrise straight into danger, battling pirates and slavers to save elf prince Hirianthial…

Chez Stinky by Susan C. Daffron

Kat inherits her great-aunt’s dilapidated house, which is filled to the brim with pets and complications. As she adjusts to her new surroundings — and connects with Joel, who’s as handy as he is handsome — will she embrace her new start?

Rumor Has It by Elisabeth Grace

When an embarrassing video goes viral, Ellie Wagner’s reputation pays the price. Her life seems ruined, but a fresh start awaits when she falls for Mason Nash…

Smart Tass by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Hunter has been tormenting his bookish neighbor Tass since they were children. But when she’s challenged to date him — and he needs to take her virginity to win a bet — can a fake relationship solve their problems and reveal their true feelings for one another?

Once Upon a Time by Blair Babylon

When princess Flicka decides to flee her violent ex, her bodyguard Dieter is the only one who can help her. But their irresistible attraction heats up in ways neither of them expected…

Malevolent by Jana DeLeon

PI Shaye Archer takes on the baffling case of Emma Frederick, a woman convinced that her abusive husband is out to get her. Except Emma killed her husband weeks ago…

Club Shadowlands by Cherise Sinclair

Stranded during a storm, Jessica takes shelter in a nearby house. But when she discovers it’s actually a private BDSM club, she begins to explore her fantasies with a sexy dominant…

Stripped by Stacy-Deanne

Baltimore cop Dee Quarter investigates a cult whose charismatic leader, Jonathan Wild, is determined to ensnare her…

Kiss of Fire by Rebecca Ethington

Joclyn just sent her high school bully flying through the air! Could her phenomenal power have something to do with the strange new scar on her neck? Her handsome best friend Ryland holds all the secrets…

Heaven in His Arms by Lisa Ann Verge

Forced to take a bride, André chooses sickly Genevieve, assuming she won’t survive the harsh winter. But Genevieve is not the frail noblewoman she appears to be, and André soon realizes that he needs her more than he ever expected…

In Search of a Love Story by Rachel Schurig

Tired of losing at love, Emily undertakes a research project: she’ll binge on romance novels and chick flicks until she learns their secret. Handsome Greg could be her Prince Charming — but why is Emily’s friend Elliot so unhappy about her plan?

The Chef’s Mail-Order Bride by Cindy Caldwell

Tripp trained at an elite culinary school, but he can’t get a loan for his restaurant without a wife. Raised in a bakery, Sadie agrees to head west as Tripp’s bride. Can the two learn to work together as they open their new restaurant — and find love in the process?

The Witch Hunter by Nicole R. Taylor

Cursed by an ancient witch, vampire Zachary will die a slow, agonizing death. His only shot at survival is Aya, the so-called Witch Hunter, who has been asleep for 150 years… But she has no interest in helping him.

Ignite by Kaitlyn Davis

When Kira discovers her mystical powers, she must fight for her life — and choose between sweet, goofy Luke and gorgeous, blood-hungry Tristan.

Crash by Drew Jordan

Stranded in the Alaskan wilderness, Laney takes refuge in the arms of the stranger who rescues her. But will he be her savior — or her destroyer?

Going Hard by Kelsey Browning

When rich playboy Grif Steele returns to his hometown, he reconnects with Carlie Beth Parrish. But with a murderous stalker on the prowl, can Grif protect her — and the daughter he never knew he had?

Hers to Take by Talia Ellison

When Octavia gets caught in a dangerous situation, her rival, Aaron, offers her a deal she can’t refuse — to escape with her life, she must pretend to be his sex slave. But they don’t expect a forbidden attraction to ignite…

Claimed by Evangeline Anderson

The Kindred race is primarily male, and must choose among human women for their brides. When Olivia is drafted into marrying broken and tortured Baird, she’s determined to resist — but she hadn’t counted on falling for her alien warrior husband…

Forever a Soldier by Genevieve Turner

When Hank returns from combat, he agrees to move into a 100-year-old house owned by his great-great aunt and uncle. His peace is disturbed by Lale, an inquisitive scholar digging into his family’s secrets. But their attraction will open up hidden places in their hearts…

Liam by Kimber White

Though forbidden to be with his fated mate, sexy shifter Liam will stop at nothing to claim Molly, the spitfire who sets his heart aflame. But is Molly ready to embrace his wolfish identity?

The Second Sister by Rae D. Magdon

When Eleanor’s father dies, she’s left with her unhinged stepmother and two stepsisters, Luciana and Belladonna. Eleanor must prevent wicked Luciana from bewitching a prince — but meanwhile, beautiful Belladonna stirs up feelings she can’t resist…

Time to Upsize by Graeme Aitken

Blake’s the perfect boyfriend as far as Stephen is concerned: easygoing, gentle, and sweet. But lately, Blake has been getting increasingly jealous, and it doesn’t help when gorgeous Rick moves next door. Can Stephen resist temptation?

Playing Games by Liliana Rhodes

Cassie gets her dream job working for billionaire Gabriel — and she’s determined to remain professional. But their irresistible attraction ignites after she’s caught trying to watch him in the shower…

Kindling Flames: Gathering Tinder by Julie Wetzel

After landing a job as assistant to a handsome CEO, Victoria feels like her life is finally on the right track. But when she discovers her new boss is the city’s most powerful vampire, she’ll have to decide whether her attraction to him is worth the risk…

Switching Hour by Robyn Peterman

After a stint in witch prison, Zelda is on magic probation — and if she can’t finish a mysterious task in the next month, she’ll be stripped of her powers forever. But a gorgeous werewolf may prove to be a tempting distraction…

Sacrificed to the Dragon by Jessie Donovan

Dragon shifter Tristan has despised humans ever since hunters killed his mother. But his clan insists he needs an heir — and a human mate. When he meets gorgeous Melanie, a slow-burning fire ignites deep within…

The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride by Kristen Painter

Running from the mob, Delaney becomes a mail-order bride in the spooky town of Nocturne Falls — only to learn her fiancé is a 400-year-old vampire!

Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase

When empath Jade Calhoun moves into a haunted New Orleans apartment, she must use her unique abilities — and the help of her sexy landlord — to ward off a powerful spirit.

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/technology/entertainment/critics-notebook-broadway-on-race-still-more-likely-to-comfort-than-confront/

Critic’s Notebook: Broadway on Race: Still More Likely to Comfort Than Confront

I had attended the two shows — a Broadway musical and an Off Broadway play — on successive nights in early winter, and my head was spinning hard. It was as if in the lobby of each theater, I had been handed a different set of custom-made spectacles with which to view the evening’s entertainment.

That first metaphoric pair of glasses rendered me more or less colorblind for a contented few hours. The second heightened the differences between black and white in such high, irreconcilable contrast that my eyes felt both unscaled and scalded long before the end.

Both “The Prom,” currently at the Longacre Theater on Broadway, and “Slave Play,” which was staged at the New York Theater Workshop in the East Village, are on their own terms thorough successes. And they are so unlike in their form and aspiration that normally I wouldn’t think of comparing them.

But seeing them in such proximity, I couldn’t help trying to merge them in my mind, and wondering what would happen if the leading adult lovers in “The Prom” — who seem headed for a very happy life together, in the tradition of old-style musicals — attended the sex therapy workshop for interracial couples portrayed in “Slave Play.” My guess is that this intersection of worlds would surely end it tears, if not blows.

[A Radical Moment in American Theater and Beyond]

“The Prom” follows what happens when a group of fading New York showbiz pros, looking for some positive press, descend upon a middle-American high school. Their goal is to help a lesbian student fulfill her dream of taking her girlfriend to that hoariest and most sacred of teenage social rituals, the prom.

Yes, homophobia apparently still runs rife in this Indiana town. Racism, on the other hand, would appear to be no problem. The gay-baiting popular crowd comes in all, easily mixed colors here. And when the Broadway diva Dee Dee (Beth Leavel), who is white, falls for the school principal, Mr. Hawkins (Michael Potts), who is black, the only obstacle to their future bliss would seem to be her outsize ego.

The interracial couples in Jeremy O. Harris’s “Slave Play,” a dazzling mix of satire and psychodrama, know that their partnerships are in trouble, and that the roots of that trouble are centuries-deep. That’s why they’ve entered a therapy program that has them acting out slave-master scenarios from the pre-Civil War era.

“The Prom” concludes in a rousing, singing rainbow of inclusivity, in which even the most tenacious homophobes have learned the error of their ways. “Slave Play” ends in a devastating dialogue in which a black wife and a white husband realize that they will probably never be able to relate to each other outside of the onerous, razor-edged context of American racial history.

I know, I know. Musicals, hardly a realistic genre to begin with, always require a certain suspension of disbelief. Yet the differences between “The Prom” and “Slave Play” point to a greater disparity in the approaches to race as practiced on and off Broadway.

[How These Black Playwrights Are Challenging American Theater]

I can’t remember a more electrifying run of new, innovative plays during my 25-year tenure as a New York theater critic than the heady spate of works by African-American playwrights that have opened Off Broadway during the past two seasons, and present the gap between the races in this country as tragically unbridgeable.

In contrast, the high-ticket productions on Broadway more often than not aim to cosset.

Yes, Broadway’s institutional theaters did present worthy works from playwrights of color, including Tarell Alvin McCraney’s inspirational “Choir Boy” and Young Jean Lee’s deliberately abrasive “Straight White Men.”

But this season also saw the production of “American Son,” a schematic, movie-of-the-week-style drama by Christopher Demos-Brown (for the record, a white man). In that work, an estranged black wife (Kerry Washington) and white husband (Steven Pasquale) confront their cultural differences while waiting in a South Florida police station to hear news about their missing son.

Currently running — and likely to be with us for a long time — is Aaron Sorkin’s smash-hit adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee’s beloved 1960 novel about doing the right thing in the segregated South of the early 1930s. There’s no way that this courtroom drama, centered on a black man on trial for a rape he did not commit, couldn’t be about race.

Yet when I saw Bartlett Sher’s production — at a matinee with an almost entirely white audience, mostly middle-aged or older — it felt like ingeniously rearranged comfort food for people who had loved the book in their youths and had grown up to be, in their own eyes, right-thinking liberals.

The white bigots portrayed here came across as so sneeringly ignorant and dastardly that there was no chance that anyone watching the show might identify with them. And as played by the excellent Jeff Daniels with just enough glimmers of conflict to make him human, the wise and stoical defense lawyer Atticus Finch embodied the promise of a future beyond prejudice. (In Mr. Sorkin’s version, Atticus is challenged, a bit too cutely, by his wise and stoical African-American housekeeper, played by LaTanya Richardson Jackson.)

Many of the theatergoers who rose to their feet at the end of the matinee I saw were both smiling and crying. You suspected that this gratifying emotional response was in part based in the affirmation of their inner Atticuses.

I should say that, as a boy who grew up in a North Carolina college community where “Mockingbird” was a sort of bible, I felt a tender nostalgia for innocence lost as I watched Mr. Sorkin’s play. And I shall always love the utopia of classic feel-good musicals, in which it is possible to pretend that a talent for song and dance can always overcome that which divides us.

But I would feel undernourished, intellectually and morally, if I weren’t also able to be challenged — and possibly shamed — by a work like “Slave Play,” or like Suzan-Lori Parks’s “White Noise,” currently Off Broadway at the Public Theater.

The script for “White Noise,” a portrait of two interracial couples who have reached a dangerous crossroads, includes a prefatory quote from James Baldwin, who wrote: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

At a time when a brave new school of dramatists is living up to this dictum, with a depth and breadth that the American stage hasn’t seen in years, audiences who stick exclusively to Broadway are denying themselves the chance to explore Baldwin’s demand to see clearly — along with the most powerful and relevant theater being written today.

[numberplates4u-blog]

Every Healey has a story

Austin Healey 3000 MK I at the start of a 1960s Dubonnet Rally                                   (update Jan 2017) Please note that since writing this Blog this car has been Sold and off to create a new part in this story…..   Middle Aged or Classic? “Don’t regret getting older, it is a privilege denied to many”. Which it could be said is true of people and objects. The Healey has definitely stood the test of time and with age it has become more treasured, loved and desired. If a Healey was a human it would be classed as middle aged. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, middle age is 45-65. There is no shortage of sayings that poke fun at growing older. It is thought that after 45 your ‘get up and go’ gets up and goes”; you start making funny noises, creaking and moaning; you get out of shape; don’t keep up with technology, slow up and lag behind with the times. Some even say “life not only begins at 40, it begins to show”. With time, humans and Healeys become classic, a bit quirky and full of interesting stories. Forget the negative, cruel outlook on ageing. With passing time we gain experience, we have the chance to leave a positive legacy, an opportunity to touch many people’s lives, add enjoyment, enrichment and fulfilment; to make a difference. Just like an old classic car. So the story begins The story begins with the most iconic and easily recognised of all the Austin Healey models, the “3000” Early in 1959 the Austin Healey “100-6” (the six cylinder engine cars) finally came to the end of production and in its place was born the Austin Healey “3000” model. The legendary Big Healey was born and kept rolling off the production line until 1967. The car’s bodywork was made by Jensen Motors, and the vehicles were assembled by Austin-Healey at the Abingdon works. Who would have known at this time that it was the model which would go on to have the longest production life, the greatest marketing success and the largest number of sales. To begin with the changes from a “100/6” to the “3000” were small on the surface but over time improvements and modifications kept evolving and it became the car to have in its day and of course its popularity still remains today. The car went on to have MkI and MKII models and the final statement was in the creation of the MKIII.The 3-litre “3000” was (and still is) a highly successful car, which won its class in many European rallies in its heyday and is still raced in classic car competitions by enthusiasts today. The Austin Healey just goes on and on creating stories to be told and re-lived. Fast forward to today Austin Healey 3000 MK I YUC 276 in recent years has been maintained at Bill Rawles Classic Cars As a classic car garage we see many interesting people and their vehicles. However, it is not often that you have the opportunity or take the time to find out a little bit more of the events, journeys, exploits and ownership of the car. Sometimes it is because there is no documented history on the car and other times is because the stories, photos, letters and newspaper articles are hidden from the light of day. This July 2016, a car which has been maintained at Bill Rawles Classic Cars over a number of years was brought to us to be sold. After going through the numerous receipts, Invoices, MOT Certificates and DVLA related documents, a personal letter and some photos were revealed. This is what brought it to our attention that every car, when it has been on the road for more than half a century, must have some tales to tell. Rallying, racing drivers, marriage and children Colour change, conversion to wire wheels and a missing radio aerial                               This Austin Healey 3000 MK I, YUC 276, was registered in February 1960 making it a grand old age of 55 years. The current owner has cherished, looked after and enjoyed this Healey for 27 years. Which means it was already 28 years old when he took ownership in 1989. In 2007, out of the blue, the owner received a letter and this is what it said…. “Dear… I was delighted to receive your telephone call and to hear that YUC 276 had survived many years since it left me. When I saw your photograph yesterday I immediately noticed a couple of things apart from the colour. The major change was the conversion to wire wheels and secondly the radio aerial is no longer in the offside front wing. The spokes in wires had the reputation of coming loose in the rough and tumble of competition, especially rallying, and as I could not afford the luxury of two sets of wheels, steel rims it had to be, but it does look much nicer with wires. Unfortunately it never occurred to me that accurate records would be important some 44 years on but I can give you some information that may be of interest. I was in my mid-twenties, living in Bedfordshire, when I acquired the car in 1961 from an Austin Healey dealer in Brighton. I was the second owner but cannot recall the first. I had already been rallying for some while in an Austin Healey Sprite which I traded in for YUC 276. I competed with YUC 276 regularly in club and National rallies with my navigator/co-driver, Brian James, until our first baby arrived in 1963 at which time economics caused me to have to give up the big Healey. We were fairly successful but never hit the high spots. Enclosed are two photographs, one of which is at the start of the 1961 or 1962 Dubonnet Rally. During its time with me it only suffered minor damage to the nearside front wing and this was the result of a scary moment on a snow covered mountain section in Wales during one of the Dubonnet rallies. I passed the car on to Tony Hegbourne down in Middlesex so it seems likely that it spent most of its time in the South. Tony was well known in motor racing but unfortunately was killed in a racing accident in 1965 at Spa Francorchamps, driving an Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ and I am enclosing the motor sport memorial entry of his career. I had little contact with him after he acquired the car so have no knowledge of what use he made of it or how long he kept it. We were out the country for many years after 1966 so completely lost track of all my motor sport contacts. It would give me a lot of pleasure to see the car again if this could be arranged. Yours Sincerely……………” So who was Tony Hegbourne? (photo: Ford Motor Co.)Left to right: Tony Hegbourne, Frank Gardner, Peter Harper in dark glasses, Alan Mann, Sir John Whitmore. Roy Pierpoint is concealed behind Gardner and Hegbourne                           Anthony Victor Hegbourne, who lived in Kenley in Surrey, was a Director of Godfrey Lambert Automobiles Ltd. He started competing on motorcycles in1955 and 19656 racing 350 and 500 cc Norton motorcycles. In 1964 he won the Hartley Award for the best amateur rider, he finished 13th in the Junior Manx GP on the Isle of Man and retired on the last lap while lying 9th in the senior event. Hegbourne switched to motor racing in 1957, winning at Brands Hatch in the ex-Bristow Cooper T39 Bobtail. He also raced in the North Staffs Silverstone meeting on October 05th and, a week later, at the Lancs and Cheshire Oulton Park meeting. He continued racing in 1958 and 1959 and then took a break and resumed motorsport in 1962. Back on track in 1962, he won The Brooklands Memorial Trophy Championship with a MK I Lola Climax. In 1963 he raced a Lotus 23B for Normand Ltd, winning races and finishing well in the United Kingdom and in Europe. He took a second place overall behind Lorenzo Bandini, the 1960s Italian Formula One driver for Scuderia Centro Sud and Ferrari teams, in the Auvergne Trophy at the Circuit de Charade, Clermond-Ferrand. He set the fastest lap at 3:50,100 – 126.023 km/h in the Lotus 23B. In 1964 he was invited by Ian Walker to drive the first Lotus 30 ever built in one of the supporting races for the 1964 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch. Unfortunately the race car broke in two at the bottom of Dingle Dell, completely destroying it, but luckily Tony walked away with only minor injuries. In 1965 Hegbourne was signed to race for two of the top privateer teams, John Willment in Formula 2 and Walker-Day Racing in sportscars. He competed in various races, with results, in the UK and internationally with these teams. In May 1965, Walker Day racing transported the TZ1s to the Circuit de Spa Francorchamps, Belgium. Only 26 cars showed up for the race. Hegbourne best lap in qualifying was 4min 36.49s, which was good enough to qualify 15th on the grid. It was overcast but dry for the start of the race. By lap 3 Tony was leading the class. After pitting for fuel he dropped to 3rd in class to Boley Pittard and Nicolas Koob. On lap 26 Hegbournes Afa Romeo TZ1 Zagato somersaulted going flat out down the Masta straight. The car landed in a field and Tony Hegbourne suffered multiple injuries including a fractured spine and a broken leg. He was taken to hospital in Verviers, Belgium. His prospects were looking better and he was transferred to hospital in Stanmore, Middlesex. Very sadly his condition deteriorated and he died six weeks after the accident, on 01st July 1965 (51 years ago) The current chapter It is quite astounding to think that one of the most promising British racing drivers of the 1960s once owned this Healey. Sat in it, enjoyed it and probably drove it to its limits and today we are offering this car for sale at Bill Rawles Classic Cars (Jan17 now sold since writing this Blog). As one chapter closes another one begins.  The car is ready for a new owner, a new life, new stories and more adventures.   For Sale (NowSold since writing this Blog) at Bill Rawles Classic Cars ready for a new owner and more adventures                         This             For Sale (Jan 2017 – Now SOLD since writing this Blog) Austin Healey 3000 MK I, YUC 276 was registered in February 1960 and has been with the present owner for the past 27 years. The vehicle has been well looked after and maintained regardless of cost and at present it is in a superb condition and ready to use straight away. It comes with a large history file and past invoices supporting the work that has been carried out. Over recent years our client has had the vehicle brought up to the condition you see today with the addition of the Old English White side panels. The car comes with an MOT certificate that does not expire until 08th June 2017. The MK I Healeys were the first model to have front disc brakes fitted as standard. The car comes with overdrive and all wet weather equipment is present. This Austin Healey 3000 MK I is a genuine UK right hand drive car supplied to the home market. If you are looking for a genuine RHD Healey with lots of history and originality and at a very competitive price this must be a strong contender. Please call Bill Rawles on 07763 362470 to arrange a viewing and test drive. Alternatively call the workshop on 01420 564343 Austin Healey 3000 MK I For Sale (now sold since writing this Blog) a well maintained car with a great history record                     The post Every Healey has a story appeared first on Bill Rawles Classic Cars.

https://www.rawlesclassiccars.co.uk/blog/every-healey-has-a-story/

[standbyphoenix]

‘River on the Rise’ by Debra Blake for Vegetarian Times, March 1988 (Part II, final)

How the family took their vision to Hollywood dates back 10 years ago, to their final days in Venezuela. The family had little money when they left the religious community and River, along with his sister Rainbow, often took to the streets, restaurants, and even airport waiting areas to sing to people, entertaining them while trying to earn a dollar. River had been playing guitar since before he was 5 years old, and his talent became increasingly apparent to Arlyn and John. Back in the States, the family headed straight for Los Angeles, where Arlyn took a job at a broadcasting company to get the family's collective foot in Hollywood's door.

"We weren't going for the glamour or the fame of it all," Arlyn says. "We were going to take the kids' talent-which was so obvious-to us-and turn it into something and help make change at the same time. That's why we went."

Weren't they afraid that the kids wouldn't share their vision, or perhaps lose sight of it as the endless glittery parties began to welcome them, threatening to turn them into Hollywood brats?

"No," says Arlyn. "I knew they wouldn't get into the Hollywood scene. We had our own business to attend to, and it wasn't Hollywood. It was making change in the world."

River's business is making change, too. He's clear on that score. "If I didn't think I could be a part of a movement that could influence," he says, "and be a part of helping and change, if I couldn't help that through what I'm doing, I wouldn't do this. But I'm seeing that through this position-in this career, and where I have these magazine interviews- I can be an example, and I think that's important. In all the interviews I do, I say something about my being vegan. I don't want to come off as if I'm a savior. I'm only a very small part of anything, but I think it's important to be involved. I'm interested in meditation and finding spiritual fulfillment. But for me to just go off and devote my life to monkhood in the jungle would be ultimately abandoning the world, and the consciousness would be on a selfish level. I think I can do a lot more good for this planet if I am out there."

River is still young. Does he share his mother's confidence that he'll be able to withstand the pressures that Hollywood places on young people-pressures that make them grow up quickly, losing their dreams and ideals in the process?

"Being out there," River says slowly, looking around at the giant oak trees on the lawn, "you can go astray, and everything can be destroyed. I'm aware of that, but I don't think I'll get into that. Maybe I'm lucky; I'm not really attracted to all of that now. I think I'll be strong enough, but I do see there's that chance.

"You can't really make any plans about things like this, though. You go with the flow but still against the grain, not for the ego of it but for the belief of it. The only thing I have to show is how I live. The vegan thing is one of the main things. I'm a peaceful person; I think that's manifested through how I live. I don't start trouble. But time will tell."

River has moved around a lot over the years. He was born in Oregon, went with the family to South America as a young child, and has lived in countless California towns. He's traveled-sometimes with only part of the family-to different countries to film on location. Just before last Thanksgiving the whole family moved to Florida, where they now reside. They wanted to leave the Hollywood scene and revive ideals about living in the country.

Florida winter afternoons are warm, and River spends hours in the garage, hunched over his new 12-string guitar. His hands are square and strong, and after so many years they're used to playing the chords that sound good to him. He has the guitar plugged into an amplifier, and the rock rhythms echo out in the yard. He's not in school (he was privately tutored for most of his life), and he says he's not interested in working until the summer. These days he's mostly hanging around, traveling a bit, hoping a bass guitarist will read the signs he placed around the University of Florida campus. "Needed," the signs read. "Bass guitarist with young blood who's into progressive rock and roll, jazz. For demo recordings." River is looking for a buddy to jam with.

If he didn't have his acting career, River thinks he could be a musician. He's driven to it. "I love music," he says. "It's so much a part of me." The roster of his favorite musicians is long and eclectic; he's especially into early Squeeze and U2. But the rest of his list reads like the playlist of an early '70s FM station. "I like jazz, folk music, Bob Dylan. Older Bowie and old Roxy Music to fall asleep to. I like old Steely Dan music and some Pink Floyd. Old Led Zeppelin, too. The Beatles are my Bible; that goes without saying. And I like classical music."

Modern music disappoints River, and he doesn't like much of what's commercially produced. His tastes in books and movies also show that River has one foot in a different age. He sounds a little frustrated by that, and says things like "movies nowadays. ..books nowadays. .. music nowadays."

He doesn't see too many new movies, preferring witty, intelligent classic comedies, and he likes the great slapsticks. But his idealism comes through even here. "I haven't seen Cry Freedom [about Steven Biko, a martyred black South African], but it's top on my list for a real conscious movie. And I liked Brazil. I like intense movies. Did you ever see Brother Sun, Sister Moon? It's about St. Francis. I felt a rebirth after I saw that."

He doesn't find much time for reading, though he'd like to, but somehow he's picked up a lot of information on health and political issues. The novels he's read, or would like to read, are those that kids grew up on 15 and 20 years ago: Catcher in the Rye and Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger, Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha, Richard Bach's Illusions, Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

As for his own movies, he's hot enough to be selective about the scripts he accepts, and he's been pretty happy with the results. "I feel no need to invest in a movie unless I have an incredible passion for it," he says. "And one that will not only be good for me but one I can be proud of-one that's a benefit to society. I always hope the movie will, if nothing else, be a part of good art and influence people in a good way."

Up to now, there's been no compromising in River's work, and he's not planning on changing his record. Even as a child, no commercials he ever made endorsed white bread, and when he was in Seven Brides, the family made sure he wouldn't have to go fishing or wear a coonskin cap.

River still chooses carefully, hoping the ideals he lives by will be reflected in the characters he plays. He liked his character of Chris Chambers in Stand by Me, directed by Rob Reiner. "Chris came off as a victim of the mentality of his town, but he was a good person. He was a great friend, he was loyal and he wasn't an idiot-not just a big dumb l2-year-old. He was a real sweet guy, smart and intelligent. A good character."

The last movie he worked on was Sidney Lumet's Running on Empty. (Lumet directed Dustin Hoffman in the Academy Award-winner Tootsie.) River plays the son of parents whose antimilitary activities have kept them on the run for years. River likes the character but sees him as a victim, too.

"In dramas, kids usually are victims, either to their parents or to society:' River explains. "I want to get away from that. It would be wonderful to see someone already in a clear-minded reality take it from there and maybe go beyond that, show what can happen."

He can't say precisely what kinds of films he'd like to do or what kind of work will draw him next. Theater would be interesting, perhaps, and possibly directing at some point. Unlike many actors, he's not even thinking about who he'd like to work with. "I would like to work with Rob Reiner again," he says, "Maybe just a cameo role in one of his movies. But for the most part I don't think like that. I figure that time will tell, and if it's right, I'll meet the right people and work with them at some point." Outwardly, River has few doubts about himself, as an individual and as a Phoenix family member. "I'm definitely an individual," he said. "I feel very secure as an individual. And I'm proud of my family and what we've done together. I'm a product of my family, just like everybody else. These are my roots.

"I just want to live my life. Acting is what I love to do, and it's worked out this way. I don't know if it's God's perfect plan or whatever, but for me, not only do I love it and get great satisfaction out of it, but also I can work my beliefs in. I'm free to believe in what I do, and I can share those beliefs with others. Not in a preaching way, not telling others, but just by what I do. I find that very fulfilling."

After lunch-tabouli, nori, blue corn chips, tofu omelet, tahini dressing-River and Rainbow, like older brother and sister in any family, take the family jeep to pick up the other kids from school. Back home, River runs into the yard to swing on the rope hung from one of the oaks. "Hey, look at this!" he yells. While Rainbow watches, River laughs, jumps high and grabs hold. 

A Phoenix on the rise.

[neighbourskid]

One Last Day of 2016

(original date: 31 December 2016)

One year ago today, my post looking back on the year was already on the blog for a few days. Last year I decided that I wouldn’t whine about how crappy it all was, but instead look back on the good things. And I also wanted to look forward instead of back.

“In 2016 I look forward to going to Letters Live! in March with a few of my friends. I look forward to maybe visiting my grandma’s hometown in Italy. I look forward to our team weekend in February, our teenager party in April. I look forward to the two weeks my friend and I will be spending in San Diego next July. I look forward to meeting Zachary Levi. I look forward to starting my studies next Fall. I look forward to… 2016. And hopefully it will be a good year. Hopefully our world will come to good terms with itself. Hopefully some wars will end. Hopefully the refugee crisis will get a good solution. Hopefully, we can all be the best versions of ourselves. Hopefully we get to fulfill our dreams. Hopefully this will be our year!”

As you can see, I was optimistic. I was full of hope that 2016 would be a great year all over. Not just for me but for the world in general. There were a lot of amazing things planned for this year - and they happened! I really, genuinely hoped and prayed that 2016 would be good to all of us…. You all know how it turned out to be.

January 10, David Bowie dies at the age of 69. The world was gutted. I didn’t know Bowie very well, I am a bit too young and my parents not invested enough for me to have listened to his music on a regular basis or to have seen his movies when I was growing up. I knew of him, but that was it. I knew what an impact he had on people, I knew that he was a great inspiration to so many and influenced a lot of lives.

January 14, only four days later, Alan Rickman dies also at 69. Again, the world mourned a great artist, a great inspiration, someone who was well known and loved by many. I - and with me a generation of young people influenced by his work in the Harry Potter world, by his portrayal of Severus Snape - mourned him. We were devastated by his death. And to be absolutely honest with you, I still am. Everytime I watch a movie starring him, I can feel the knot in my chest. It just hurts so much. Just being reminded of the fact that he is gone makes me tear up. But losing Alan wouldn’t be the last thing that I cried over this year.

February 19, Umberto Eco and Harper Lee both die, two great writers.

April 21, Prince dies. A lot of people on twitter expressed the thought that David Bowie was holding the fabric of the universe together and with him gone, everything was possible. With Prince now gone as well, people held onto that thought even stronger. Just like Bowie, Prince was a rolemodel and inspiration to people all over the world. They were both men who redefined what it meant to “be a man”. And if you lived under a rock this year and think that it couldn’t have come worse than that, well, you’re in for something.

June 03, Muhammad Ali dies at the age of 74. The world was in shock. You might think, those are all people over 50, most of them 70+, it is not very surprising that they died. Well:

June 10, Christina Grimmie dies at 22 after having been shot after her concert in Florida. A death that gutted me personally, because I listened to her music, I knew of her and followed her career for a while. Who the fuck shoots a 22 years old girl. I still can’t wrap my head around this. But that’s not everything, mind you.

June 19, Anton Yelchin dies at the age of 27 after having been found pinned between his car and a brick wall. He was crushed to death by his own car. His death stuck with me as well. And I really started blaming it on this year. Jeeeeesus.

June 27, Bud Spencer dies. One legend more, just gone. Loved this guy. I just watched some of his movies with my Dad this Christmas. He was a big part of my childhood. Bud Spencer and Terence Hill were probably the first two significant actors that I knew.

August 29, Gene Wilder dies. Yeah, it’s that kind of a year. The dreamer of dreams, gone. Huh.

November 07, Leonard Cohen. Dead. Gone. And then, just as you think it has finally stopped, we are nearly done with this year, it happens again.

December 25, on Christmas Day, George Michael dies. Once again a man who redefined what it meant to be a man, someone who didn’t give a shit, someone who didn’t care if people stopped liking his music just because he was gay. A good guy. Kind and generous, an all around saint apparently. Since his death stories keep popping up about him giving to the less fortunate, paying for people in his vicinity that he heard had money troubles. He gave to charity, to a lot of charities. Always anonymous, with the wish that he remained so until his death. Truly a great man.

December 27, and this was heartbreaking, Carrie Fisher dies after having had a heart attack on a plane the day before. Not only did we lose princes this year, but the Princess. Who was unapologetically herself, with everyone and everywhere. A woman who stood up for mental illness, who stood up against the standards of Hollywood. And only a day after that, her mother Debbie Reynolds joins her, not because of a broken heart, but because she wanted to be with her.

Of course, people die every year. Good people, memorable people, people nobody has ever heard of. But we do not mourn “celebrities” because we knew them, but because they helped us know ourselves.

But this year wasn’t just crappy because all these people - and many more - died.

There was the bombing in Brussels. There was Brexit. There was the Pulse shooting. There was (and sadly still is) Trump. And so much more. There are wars. Still. There is injustice in the world. Still. There are homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, misogynistic, sexist, racist people on this world. Still. And it makes me sad and angry.

I should not dwell on these things, though. It doesn’t help. Because despite everything, there were good moments in 2016.

I went to London in February with two friends for a weekend to see Letters Live.

We had a great teenager Party in April.

I moved out at the end of June and moved in with two friends.

I spend two amazing weeks in San Diego with my dear friend. I met Zachary Levi and so many other great people there. Zac told me that he read my blog post about him. I got to hug Shannon. I was at San Diego Comic Con. I was at Disneyland. I was in Los Angeles.

I enjoyed some days in Lugano with another friend. We had great conversations about our futures and our plans in life, our goals and dreams.

I had a great weekend in the mountains with my church and my friends.

I started university in September. I have an amazing and funny teacher.

I had an amazing bowling night with friends I haven’t really seen for a year.

I had two nice Christmases. I am going to have an amazing New Year’s Eve today.

I also grew a lot as a person this year. There were a lot of realisations made this year. I give even less fucks about things than last year. I had a lot of great discussions and conversations and talks about so many different things this year. I am unapologetically myself. I'm not holding back my passion for things. I started reading a lot again. I was at the cinema quite a lot again. I did stuff with friends. Watched so many movies and episodes of TV shows. Read graphic novels. Listened to so much different music. Started loving a musical. A hip hop/rap musical.

It wasn’t a completely good year for myself. Not entirely. But it wasn’t all that bad. It’s only going up from here, is it.

So yeah, here’s to 2017. I am not making the same mistake as a year ago. I am not going to hope that this year won’t be as bad. I’ll just take it as it comes. We’ll get through this. We can help each other. Spread love. Acceptance. Understanding. Empathy. Sympathy. Knowledge. Kindness. That’s what I’m gonna do. I will not allow this year - may it be as crappy as it wants - I will not allow it to bring me down. I will make this year the best it can be for me personally.

And now, please excuse me, I have to get ready so I can finally kick this year to the curb with glory. See you all on the flipside! And remember: We’re one with the force, and the force is with us.

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Kobe returns and Tebow thrives: our bold sports predictions for 2017

On the heels of a sports year that was chock full of surprises, Guardian US contributors make their bold predictions for the months to come

Here are our bold predictions for 2017. Please note the bold (or should that be bold?) in bold predictions these are to be taken with a pinch of salt. Especially the Tebow one.

Kobe Bryant will return from retirement

Few athletes are as prepared for a life after basketball than Kobe, a man of diverse interests and immense worldwide fame. Few athletes also are as ill-suited for retirement than Kobe, who burns to be on the court. These last few months away have to be killing him. He will mount a comeback, though probably not with the Lakers, who are building around a gifted young core of players. Hes always wanted to play for the Knicks. Would Phil Jackson dare drop him on the same floor as Carmelo Anthony? LC

Tiger Woods will win again

The notion that Woods could challenge for, let alone win, major championships was flawed even before his last and lengthy absence through injury. The depth of talent at golfs summit means Woods will always be overawed and outplayed in such environments now.

Still, he can and will win lower grade PGA Tour events. Woods has a propensity to prevail on the same courses, as shown by his record. He retains more competitive ability than some of those who win once or twice on Tour in any given year. If fitness troubles really are behind Woods, he will return to the podium. Then? Cue more major discussion. EM

An American not named Serena will win a grand slam title

Serena Williams did win Wimbledon six months ago, so lets not put her in the ground just yet. But shes now closer to 40 than 30 and theres no question her stranglehold on the womens tour was weakened during a year that saw the late-blooming Angelique Kerber win a pair of major titles to inherit the world No1 ranking on merit. The door has never been more open for the sports 90s babies. Garbie Muguruza and Karolina Pliskova took advantage in 2016; Madison Keys will follow this year. The 21-year-old from Illinois, who has played into the second week at the last six majors, has all the shots, and power on both wings. Look for her to put it all together and become the first American woman not named Williams to capture a major singles title since Jennifer Capriati in 2002. BAG

A wildcard team will win Super Bowl LI

The NFL playoffs do not favor wildcard teams. To win the Super Bowl as a wildcard you have to win on the road three straight weeks and beat three of the leagues top teams. That said, it has happened six times before. Three of the last 11 Super Bowl champions came into the postseason as wildcards and 2017s will as well. With no great, dominant team, the path is wide open. The Lions stumbled late in the season but still have a potent offense and the Patriots would rather forget their Super Bowls against the Giants and Eli Manning. LC

Villanova will finish the regular season undefeated

Villanova are looking hot again this season. Photograph: Steven Branscombe/USA Today Sports

The Wildcats have moved to No1 in the polls, but virtually no analysts predicted a repeat for a Villanova team that returned most of its title-winning 2016 team. Aside from a shaky performance against DePaul late in 2016, the Wildcats have been stellar this season. Josh Hart has been the best player in the country, Jalen Brunson generates offense at will when he has the ball and Villanova are hitting their threes something they didnt do until the tournament last season. Ken Pomeroys stats say the Wildcats have less than a 2% chance to go undefeated in the regular season, but with this team I like those odds. DM

Sebastian Giovinco will return to Europe

Arguably the best player in the history of Major League Soccer, Sebastian Giovinco has made himself a superstar at Toronto FC. But his success has come at a cost. Italy manager Giampiero Ventura, just like Antonio Conte before him, says the playmaker has no international future as long as he is a MLS player. And so Giovinco could be tempted back to Europe, especially with the 2018 World Cup coming into view. GR

Tim Tebow will thrive as a baseball player

At first glance, it seems that New York Mets farmhand Tim Tebow, super-athlete and light of all of our lives, sufficiently failed during his stint in the Arizona Fall League, and thats probably because of his measly slash line of .194/.296/.242 over 70 plate appearances. Tebow did not hit a single home run, but he did help save a fan having a seizure, staying with him until the paramedics arrived, and so its probably safe to say that the outfielder is more Moonlight Graham than Babe Ruth, right? Not so fast: Tebow was competing against some of the best prospects baseball has to offer, and picked up steam as he went, finishing with an 11-game stretch where he hit .281 and posted an OBP of.425. In 2017, the Mets defy all logic and expectations by their May promotion of a surging Tebow to help with their sagging mid-week attendance. The Wilpons sell a package they call Tebow Tuesdays, which promises at least one pinch-hit appearance per-game and private autograph sessions for the first 50 to sign up. Tebow not only survives, but prospers, becoming a cornerstone in the Mets lineup as they win their first title since 1986. DL

Tom Brady will finally show signs of age

Tom Brady stays ahead of the youngsters … for now. Photograph: Reinhold Matay/USA Today Sports

Tom Brady will turn 40 before the 2017 season. Saying a 40-year old athlete in a contact sport will look his age doesnt seem especially bold, but in Bradys case, it is. In his age 39 season this year, hes the favorite for league MVP and is having one of the best seasons of his career. But Peyton Mannings performance fell of a cliff from his age 38 to 39 seasons and Brett Favres did the same in the only season he opened as a 40 year-old. Maybe Brady stretches his youth a year or two beyond that pair, but the end is coming. Soon. Time, unlike the 2007 New England Patriots, is undefeated. DG

Floyd Mayweather makes a face turn

No one believes hes really retired, even if more than 15 months have passed since he last climbed through the ropes. Not when one more fight could lift him to the singular mark of 50-0, one better than Rocky Marcianos recognized paragon of fistic perfection. Not when he can effectively name his own price as a free agent, having fulfilled his six-fight contract with CBS and Showtime.

Many insiders believe a rematch with Manny Pacquiao looms, which, despite the tart aftertaste of their first installment, would still be the second-richest fight in history. But it says here Mayweather will instead opt to fight Adrien Broner, an opponent who hardly deserves the opportunity but one who would allow Floyd to take on the unfamiliar role of good guy in the promotion.

Eight-figure paydays werent the norm for Mayweather until he turned heel, trading in his polite and humble Pretty Boy Floyd persona for a pantomime villain whom more fans pay to watch lose than watch win. But just because he made the business decision to break bad doesnt mean he doesnt care about people liking him. By going against the one fighter in the world more disliked than himself, Mayweather will exit the game as the cowboy in the white hat. BAG

Los Angeles will be awarded the 2024 Olympics

Maybe this doesnt qualify as a bold prediction, after all most of the other competitors have dropped out. But Los Angeles was once eliminated as a contender after the USOC chose Boston as the American city to push. It has never seemed like LA was a favorite of anyone to host the games for a third time. The other competitors Paris and Budapest are more appealing choices. And yet LA might be the perfect Olympic city. The facilities are already in place. It could probably host the Games next year. For this reason Los Angeles will be the safe choice. Probably the only choice. LC

Ronda Rousey doubles down … and wins big

After being embarrassed by Amanda Nunes in Las Vegas on Friday, many have speculated that Ronda Rousey wont fight again. Shes noncommittal but we say she will enter the octagon in the first half of the new year, before Conor McGregor even books another fight, and get back to her winning ways. It wont be at 135lbs, however. Rousey will venture up to the featherweight division and chase down a fight with Cris Cyborg Justino (presuming she available after a PED tussle with Usada) in a last ditch effort to rebuild herself as a competitor and secure one more big-money fight. JG

The Washington Nationals will miss the playoffs

Although the Nationals did win the NL East by eight games in 2016, repeating in 2017 will be substantially more difficult. They should not expect Daniel Murphy to have the monster season that he had in 2016. Washington was also reportedly chasing some bigger names this offseason including starting pitcher Chris Sale and closer Kenley Jansen, among others, but were unable to land them. While having Max Scherzer and Bryce Harper on a roster can make any team a playoff contender, there are questions surrounding their role players including an oft-injured Ryan Zimmerman and an aging Jayson Werth. With the Mets power arms returning from injury, and other NL teams including the St Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants making moves this offseason, the Nationals will have a rockier road to October. EF

An NFL player will come out as gay

Michael Sam was the first openly gay player drafted in NFL history. Photograph: Jasen Vinlove/USA Today Sports

An active NFL player, one known to casual fans, will come out as gay. As of now, the specter of Michael Sam, the defensive end who came out prior to the NFL draft and ended up never playing in a regular season game, looms over the league as a missed opportunity. Sams story isnt one that anyone wants to see repeated. Because of this, I fully expect the first out athlete in the league to be someone who is already established as an NFL-caliber player and has had significant experience dealing with the national media, two advantages that Sam never had. HF

The NHL takes actual steps to increase scoring

Yes, I know. This is supposed to be a bold prediction, and suggesting that a pro sports league will try to boost offense doesnt exactly sound like going out on a limb. Every league knows that scoring sells, and every league makes sure the rulebook encourages plenty of it. Its sports marketing 101.

But this is the NHL were talking about. The league has been talking about boosting offense for over two decades literally but they never actually do it. This year, the decided theyd tweak the goaltending equipment. Then, whoops, they didnt make the adjustments in time, so nothing changed. Thats just how things go in the NHL.

But I think this year could be different. Maybe its wishful thinking, but todays NHL is packed with exciting young talent like we havent seen in a generation. Surely now is the time to let them shine. Surely now is when well finally get some forward thinking from a league addicted to its past. Surely we cant do three straight decades of plunging scoring rates while the powers that be twiddle their thumbs and wonder why ratings are down.

Or maybe we can. But you asked for something bold. In the NHL, sadly, this qualifies. SM

The Los Angeles Lakers will make the NBA playoffs

I can hear you rolling your eyes through the computer. Real cute, but these predictions are supposed to be bold, right? The Lakers are currently only two games out of the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Granted, they are also only three games ahead of the cellar-dwelling Phoenix Suns, but that just goes to show you how mushy and undefined the bottom of the West is right now. Anyone could catch fire for a few weeks and find themselves volunteering to be demolished by the Warriors in four games this spring.

The Lakers were hovering around .500 before Thanksgiving, then lost 12 of 13 during a brutal road trip made worse by injuries to Julius Randle, DAngelo Russell, Nick Young, and Larry Nance Jr. A healthy Laker team still cant play much defense, but they can score against anybody, as wins over the Warriors, Thunder, Rockets, and a short-handed Clippers team proves. Most importantly, they have as good a chance as anyone in the West basement. The Kings, Pelicans, Mavericks, Timberwolves, and Blazers all have true superstars, but what the Lakers can offer is something close to the team cohesion that defines the elite squads in the NBA. This is still a rough unit that is dragging a few ridiculous contracts down the court each night, but they have as good as chance as anyone right now. DS

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/jan/02/bold-sports-predictions-for-2017

The post Kobe returns and Tebow thrives: our bold sports predictions for 2017 appeared first on Hockey Elite Group.

[circle111g-blog]

Kobe returns and Tebow thrives: our bold sports predictions for 2017

On the heels of a sports year that was chock full of surprises, Guardian US contributors make their bold predictions for the months to come

Here are our bold predictions for 2017. Please note the bold (or should that be bold?) in bold predictions these are to be taken with a pinch of salt. Especially the Tebow one.

Kobe Bryant will return from retirement

Few athletes are as prepared for a life after basketball than Kobe, a man of diverse interests and immense worldwide fame. Few athletes also are as ill-suited for retirement than Kobe, who burns to be on the court. These last few months away have to be killing him. He will mount a comeback, though probably not with the Lakers, who are building around a gifted young core of players. Hes always wanted to play for the Knicks. Would Phil Jackson dare drop him on the same floor as Carmelo Anthony? LC

Tiger Woods will win again

The notion that Woods could challenge for, let alone win, major championships was flawed even before his last and lengthy absence through injury. The depth of talent at golfs summit means Woods will always be overawed and outplayed in such environments now.

Still, he can and will win lower grade PGA Tour events. Woods has a propensity to prevail on the same courses, as shown by his record. He retains more competitive ability than some of those who win once or twice on Tour in any given year. If fitness troubles really are behind Woods, he will return to the podium. Then? Cue more major discussion. EM

An American not named Serena will win a grand slam title

Serena Williams did win Wimbledon six months ago, so lets not put her in the ground just yet. But shes now closer to 40 than 30 and theres no question her stranglehold on the womens tour was weakened during a year that saw the late-blooming Angelique Kerber win a pair of major titles to inherit the world No1 ranking on merit. The door has never been more open for the sports 90s babies. Garbie Muguruza and Karolina Pliskova took advantage in 2016; Madison Keys will follow this year. The 21-year-old from Illinois, who has played into the second week at the last six majors, has all the shots, and power on both wings. Look for her to put it all together and become the first American woman not named Williams to capture a major singles title since Jennifer Capriati in 2002. BAG

A wildcard team will win Super Bowl LI

The NFL playoffs do not favor wildcard teams. To win the Super Bowl as a wildcard you have to win on the road three straight weeks and beat three of the leagues top teams. That said, it has happened six times before. Three of the last 11 Super Bowl champions came into the postseason as wildcards and 2017s will as well. With no great, dominant team, the path is wide open. The Lions stumbled late in the season but still have a potent offense and the Patriots would rather forget their Super Bowls against the Giants and Eli Manning. LC

Villanova will finish the regular season undefeated

Villanova are looking hot again this season. Photograph: Steven Branscombe/USA Today Sports

The Wildcats have moved to No1 in the polls, but virtually no analysts predicted a repeat for a Villanova team that returned most of its title-winning 2016 team. Aside from a shaky performance against DePaul late in 2016, the Wildcats have been stellar this season. Josh Hart has been the best player in the country, Jalen Brunson generates offense at will when he has the ball and Villanova are hitting their threes something they didnt do until the tournament last season. Ken Pomeroys stats say the Wildcats have less than a 2% chance to go undefeated in the regular season, but with this team I like those odds. DM

Sebastian Giovinco will return to Europe

Arguably the best player in the history of Major League Soccer, Sebastian Giovinco has made himself a superstar at Toronto FC. But his success has come at a cost. Italy manager Giampiero Ventura, just like Antonio Conte before him, says the playmaker has no international future as long as he is a MLS player. And so Giovinco could be tempted back to Europe, especially with the 2018 World Cup coming into view. GR

Tim Tebow will thrive as a baseball player

At first glance, it seems that New York Mets farmhand Tim Tebow, super-athlete and light of all of our lives, sufficiently failed during his stint in the Arizona Fall League, and thats probably because of his measly slash line of .194/.296/.242 over 70 plate appearances. Tebow did not hit a single home run, but he did help save a fan having a seizure, staying with him until the paramedics arrived, and so its probably safe to say that the outfielder is more Moonlight Graham than Babe Ruth, right? Not so fast: Tebow was competing against some of the best prospects baseball has to offer, and picked up steam as he went, finishing with an 11-game stretch where he hit .281 and posted an OBP of.425. In 2017, the Mets defy all logic and expectations by their May promotion of a surging Tebow to help with their sagging mid-week attendance. The Wilpons sell a package they call Tebow Tuesdays, which promises at least one pinch-hit appearance per-game and private autograph sessions for the first 50 to sign up. Tebow not only survives, but prospers, becoming a cornerstone in the Mets lineup as they win their first title since 1986. DL

Tom Brady will finally show signs of age

Tom Brady stays ahead of the youngsters … for now. Photograph: Reinhold Matay/USA Today Sports

Tom Brady will turn 40 before the 2017 season. Saying a 40-year old athlete in a contact sport will look his age doesnt seem especially bold, but in Bradys case, it is. In his age 39 season this year, hes the favorite for league MVP and is having one of the best seasons of his career. But Peyton Mannings performance fell of a cliff from his age 38 to 39 seasons and Brett Favres did the same in the only season he opened as a 40 year-old. Maybe Brady stretches his youth a year or two beyond that pair, but the end is coming. Soon. Time, unlike the 2007 New England Patriots, is undefeated. DG

Floyd Mayweather makes a face turn

No one believes hes really retired, even if more than 15 months have passed since he last climbed through the ropes. Not when one more fight could lift him to the singular mark of 50-0, one better than Rocky Marcianos recognized paragon of fistic perfection. Not when he can effectively name his own price as a free agent, having fulfilled his six-fight contract with CBS and Showtime.

Many insiders believe a rematch with Manny Pacquiao looms, which, despite the tart aftertaste of their first installment, would still be the second-richest fight in history. But it says here Mayweather will instead opt to fight Adrien Broner, an opponent who hardly deserves the opportunity but one who would allow Floyd to take on the unfamiliar role of good guy in the promotion.

Eight-figure paydays werent the norm for Mayweather until he turned heel, trading in his polite and humble Pretty Boy Floyd persona for a pantomime villain whom more fans pay to watch lose than watch win. But just because he made the business decision to break bad doesnt mean he doesnt care about people liking him. By going against the one fighter in the world more disliked than himself, Mayweather will exit the game as the cowboy in the white hat. BAG

Los Angeles will be awarded the 2024 Olympics

Maybe this doesnt qualify as a bold prediction, after all most of the other competitors have dropped out. But Los Angeles was once eliminated as a contender after the USOC chose Boston as the American city to push. It has never seemed like LA was a favorite of anyone to host the games for a third time. The other competitors Paris and Budapest are more appealing choices. And yet LA might be the perfect Olympic city. The facilities are already in place. It could probably host the Games next year. For this reason Los Angeles will be the safe choice. Probably the only choice. LC

Ronda Rousey doubles down … and wins big

After being embarrassed by Amanda Nunes in Las Vegas on Friday, many have speculated that Ronda Rousey wont fight again. Shes noncommittal but we say she will enter the octagon in the first half of the new year, before Conor McGregor even books another fight, and get back to her winning ways. It wont be at 135lbs, however. Rousey will venture up to the featherweight division and chase down a fight with Cris Cyborg Justino (presuming she available after a PED tussle with Usada) in a last ditch effort to rebuild herself as a competitor and secure one more big-money fight. JG

The Washington Nationals will miss the playoffs

Although the Nationals did win the NL East by eight games in 2016, repeating in 2017 will be substantially more difficult. They should not expect Daniel Murphy to have the monster season that he had in 2016. Washington was also reportedly chasing some bigger names this offseason including starting pitcher Chris Sale and closer Kenley Jansen, among others, but were unable to land them. While having Max Scherzer and Bryce Harper on a roster can make any team a playoff contender, there are questions surrounding their role players including an oft-injured Ryan Zimmerman and an aging Jayson Werth. With the Mets power arms returning from injury, and other NL teams including the St Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants making moves this offseason, the Nationals will have a rockier road to October. EF

An NFL player will come out as gay

Michael Sam was the first openly gay player drafted in NFL history. Photograph: Jasen Vinlove/USA Today Sports

An active NFL player, one known to casual fans, will come out as gay. As of now, the specter of Michael Sam, the defensive end who came out prior to the NFL draft and ended up never playing in a regular season game, looms over the league as a missed opportunity. Sams story isnt one that anyone wants to see repeated. Because of this, I fully expect the first out athlete in the league to be someone who is already established as an NFL-caliber player and has had significant experience dealing with the national media, two advantages that Sam never had. HF

The NHL takes actual steps to increase scoring

Yes, I know. This is supposed to be a bold prediction, and suggesting that a pro sports league will try to boost offense doesnt exactly sound like going out on a limb. Every league knows that scoring sells, and every league makes sure the rulebook encourages plenty of it. Its sports marketing 101.

But this is the NHL were talking about. The league has been talking about boosting offense for over two decades literally but they never actually do it. This year, the decided theyd tweak the goaltending equipment. Then, whoops, they didnt make the adjustments in time, so nothing changed. Thats just how things go in the NHL.

But I think this year could be different. Maybe its wishful thinking, but todays NHL is packed with exciting young talent like we havent seen in a generation. Surely now is the time to let them shine. Surely now is when well finally get some forward thinking from a league addicted to its past. Surely we cant do three straight decades of plunging scoring rates while the powers that be twiddle their thumbs and wonder why ratings are down.

Or maybe we can. But you asked for something bold. In the NHL, sadly, this qualifies. SM

The Los Angeles Lakers will make the NBA playoffs

I can hear you rolling your eyes through the computer. Real cute, but these predictions are supposed to be bold, right? The Lakers are currently only two games out of the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Granted, they are also only three games ahead of the cellar-dwelling Phoenix Suns, but that just goes to show you how mushy and undefined the bottom of the West is right now. Anyone could catch fire for a few weeks and find themselves volunteering to be demolished by the Warriors in four games this spring.

The Lakers were hovering around .500 before Thanksgiving, then lost 12 of 13 during a brutal road trip made worse by injuries to Julius Randle, DAngelo Russell, Nick Young, and Larry Nance Jr. A healthy Laker team still cant play much defense, but they can score against anybody, as wins over the Warriors, Thunder, Rockets, and a short-handed Clippers team proves. Most importantly, they have as good a chance as anyone in the West basement. The Kings, Pelicans, Mavericks, Timberwolves, and Blazers all have true superstars, but what the Lakers can offer is something close to the team cohesion that defines the elite squads in the NBA. This is still a rough unit that is dragging a few ridiculous contracts down the court each night, but they have as good as chance as anyone right now. DS

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/jan/02/bold-sports-predictions-for-2017

The post Kobe returns and Tebow thrives: our bold sports predictions for 2017 appeared first on Hockey Elite Group.