#bearded reece

[crusheswhimsandfancies]

His painting is cool and all that but holy sweet goddamn, daddy is murdering me with that greying beard, glasses and arty scarf🥵🥵🥵

Plus the curls are apparent so I AM WEAK🫠

[roughridingrednecks]

Reece in Tennessee

[underno9]

I was going to work on some replies this evening but I got distracted by Furfur/Reece....

BEARDED REECE

[trixie2023]

Reece was held captive and experimented on for how long? And his hair and beard are still on point. Love this man.

And his brother in the back ground to the right has great hair too.

[neverinadream]

Talking Too Much

Pairing: Christian Pulisic x Fem!Reader

Requested: Nope

Song Inspo: Baby Said - Måneskin

Warnings: pretty much no plot, purely/hurriedly written, 18+, minors dni, strangers to temporarily lovers, dom!reader, sub!christian, praise kink, pet names (good boy, baby), oral (female receiving)

Notes: I have no clue what this is, so I apologise for what you are about to read. It's a little shit - its shit. Oh why did i write this??? But I had the urge to write and I came up with this. So....yeah...its more of a blurb type thing than a full fic I guess. It's short. Feedback is greatly appreciated.

"You talk too much," you interrupt Christian, placing your finger against his lips, the action silencing him as he takes the topic of conversation on a tangent.

You hadn't listened to what he said in the past fifteen minutes. He could've revealed government secrets to you, and you would have been none the wiser.

You had been distracted by how his hand wrapped around the neck of the beer bottle, his long fingers holding it loosely at his side. You wondered what it would feel like to have them tangled in your hair, to feel him pushing down on the back of your head as you took his length into the back of your throat, gagging and sputtering around the tip of his hardened cock. You were also distracted by his beard, pondering what it might feel like to have its roughness scratching at the inside of your thighs as you fist your fingers into his soft curls, pushing him impossibly closer against your cunt, grinding your hips against his tongue until your cum was dripping off his chin.

"I-" He nervously takes a sip of his beer. "Do I?"

"You do."

Without hesitation, you take him by the hand, pulling him toward the stairs. Willingly, he allows himself to be led away from the commotion of the party, pushing the bottle of beer quickly into Reece's chest as the two of you push past him. He felt his cheeks warming up, turning red, when he spotted his teammates, Mason and Ben, giving him their approval. They had sensed that their American teammate had taken an interest in you from the second you stepped inside Reece's place, teasing him about being too nervous to pluck up the courage to go over to you and innocently bullying him until he finally did. But they didn't need to know that it was you who was making the first move and not him. Though to anyone who had been watching, it was obvious as to who was making the first move.

"You talk too much," you repeat yourself, locking the upstairs bathroom door after pulling him inside and pushing him up against it, "and, whilst I find your accent so…" You pause for effect, dragging your finger softly against his jaw. "...sexy," he takes a big gulp of air, "I was thinking we could be having so much more fun if you put that mouth to good use elsewhere. If you know what I mean?" Your hand drops, a jolt of electricity shooting through his body, causing his soft cock to twitch inside his jeans as you caress his thigh. "You do know what I mean, right?" You quizzed him, tilting your head to the side.

He enthusiastically nods, stuttering, "I know what you mean."

"And do you want to have some fun?"

"Yes," he simply answers.

"Correct answer," you smile, with something wicked stirring in your eyes. You back away from him, your boots clicking against the tiled floor, hands reaching behind to stop you before your back hits the counter's edge. "Come on," you command, feeling a surge of adrenaline take over your body, leaving the ache between your thighs to intensify, "be a good boy and get your knees for me."

Eager to be praised, he drops to his knees in front of you, pushing up the sides of your skirt until it bunches around your waist. He licks his lips at the pretty lavender lacy thong you had picked tonight, its sweet colour almost contradicting your wicked and mischievous personality. "It's pretty," he murmurs, his body jerking forwards, caught off surprised as you lift your leg and rest it over his shoulders, "you're pretty-"

"I know, I am," you talk over him, taking one hand away from the counter. Running your fingers through his hair, the soft curls slip between them, tangling around your fingers as you give his hair a gentle tug. He responds with a groan, looking up at you with those honey-dipped eyes that mesmerized you. "Now, let's have some fun."

A soft whimper passes your lips when you feel him kissing over the front of your panties. "Do you want me to take these off or…?" He asks, looking up at you for confirmation.

"I'm not asking you to make sweet love to me, Christian," you sigh, dropping to rest on your elbow, "just push them to the side and fuck me with that pretty little mouth you've got there." Your filthy tongue had his cock straining against the inside of his jeans. Doing as he was told, he pushes them to the side, licking his lips at the sight of your cunt. "Do your worst," you instruct, bucking your hips into his mouth, biting your bottom lip to suppress a whimper as he drags his tongue against your folds, "eat it like it's your last fucking meal."

His tongue drags over your clit, sucking and massaging it, moaning when he starts to feel you making a mess on his chin. You were sweet, sweeter than any piece of candy he had ever tasted, turning his brain fuzzier than any bottle of beer ever could.

"Just like that, baby," you moan, tugging on his hair as he sucks your clit into his mouth. Your hips buck as he pulls away with an audible pop, forcing a sharp whimper to push past your lips as he goes back to work, licking and dragging his tongue against the whole length of your cunt. "Hmmm," you grind your hips into his mouth, feeling his nose bump against your clit and his tongue teasing your entrance.

Hooking his arm under your body, his fingers press hard into your bum, pressing you hard against him. You let out a noise of surprise at the intrusion of his tongue slipping inside you. No part of you was left untouched, eating you with a hunger that could only be described as unhinged. Everything about it only turned you on more.

"Fuck," you cried out, throwing your head back, smirking when you caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror behind you. That all too familiar burning heat bubbled in the pit of your stomach, and you knew you wouldn't be able to stop yourself from cumming. "Gonna cum," you tell him, pushing harder on the back of his head. He hums, bringing his arm to hook over your thigh, caressing it as it trembles against him. "Be a good boy and make me cum, Christian."

Moaning his name, you feel shocks of pleasure from deep within, a surge of sensation ready to be released. The white lights above burn your eyes as your head remains thrown back, your jaw slack, lips parted as nothing but nonsense tumbles of your tongue. Your grip on the counter's edge tightens in an attempt to stop yourself from collapsing as your whole body trembles as you came.

"Fucking hell," you laugh, drunk on the post-orgasm bliss, struggling to think clearly as you crash back down from your high, "fucking…ha!"

Collapsing back against the counter, you whimper one last time as he places a soft kiss on your clit. He looks up at you with glossy eyes, red cheeks dotted with freckles, and rosy lips. "Not bad," you mumble, quickly pushing him away and turning to face the mirror. You fix your hair and rub away some of the mascara that had smudged under your eyes. You take a second to study your own reflection, giving yourself a fake smile as you pull at the sides of your skirt, fixing it in place. "Not bad at all," you repeat, snapping him out of his trance as you move towards the locked door, making your escape, "but I'm afraid I must leave now."

He stands to attention, moving faster than he had all night. "What?" He asked, thinking he hadn't heard you the first time.

"You can sort yourself out, right?" You giggle, panning your eyes to the noticeable bulge in his jeans. The size of it was enough to tempt you into staying, but that wasn't part of tonight's plan. You wanted to be selfish. You wanted to have others make you feel good, to have all the power for once.

You take a deep breath, a melody like sound ringing through the silence as you release a sigh. "Well, this was fun," you push the handle down, letting the door swing open as you tug it towards you, "see you around, Christian."

---

F O O T B A L L E R T A G L I S T

@shanoontje @maseandkepa @theblxefox @blueathens  @ofxinnocence @1-800-benji-chilwell @mrschilly @geek-and-proud @in-my-body-bag @laurasstufff1 @mountchilly @spicysainz @greykitkepa @thoseboysinblue @mountpulisic @dinonuggiesforliferz

[rhaenella]

Ed Speleers: Filmography 2010-2023 🎥

Deathless (2010) — John Ray

A Lonely Place to Die (2011) — Ed

“It was certainly a physical experience, definitely. I think from a stunt element, I try to do as much as producer jurisdiction would allow me to do. But you can’t take any credit away from a fantastic stunt team, and Jamie Edgell was a brilliant stunt coordinator. […] Wherever possible I tried to be as hands-on and do as much as Julian [director] wanted me to do.” [x]

The Ride (2011) — Student

Metamorphosis: Titian (2012) — Actaeon

“I was very excited to get involved. I think the initial reaction was to see Luke and Remi [directors] and seeing some of their previous work was what really drew me in at first. And then you start looking at the National Gallery, and then you start realising that Titian is, obviously, a fantastic artist. To be able to recreate one of the great paintings was a fantastic opportunity for me.” [x]

Love Bite (2012) — Jamie

“My mum told me I was always comfortable with nudity as a kid, but I think as I got older I’ve become rather uncomfortable with it. It’s one of those things where the director just comes up to you ‘right, Ed, today you’re naked, and you will be running through the streets of Glasgow’ – ‘alright, okay, let’s do it, yeah fine’. And the cameras are rolling, and whilst they’re rolling you think nothing of it. But it’s when the cameras go off and cut, you suddenly look around and there’s fifteen men in North Face coats with cigarettes and big, burly beards just staring at you, and you think ‘yeah, I’m definitely naked, alright then, wicked’.” [x]

Turncoat (2013) — Nathan Reece

Plastic (2014) — Sam

Downton Abbey (2012-2014) — Jimmy Kent

“It was a very special time working on the show. But the character himself wasn’t at the forefront. When you’re downstairs, and Julian Fellowes, the writer, his emphasis is on the upstairs – that’s the world he knows very well. And the downstairs characters quite often bridge the gap between upstairs and downstairs, but you’re not always front and centre, which is fine. You’re part of an ensemble, part of the process. And actually, there I had to learn how to be a part of an ensemble, or learn how to be a part of the big scene, maybe not having to say a great deal all the time but learning how to be present. Learning how to be on the ball. Learning how to respond to others, whether it be very subtle looks or whether it be just learning how to play a little bit.” [x]

Wolf Hall (2015) — Edward Seymour

Howl (2015) — Joe

Partners in Crime (2015) — Carl Denim

Interview with Ed for BBC’s Saturday Kitchen hosted by James Martin. James: Your character is like a playboy character, would that be right? Ed: I wouldn’t say playboy… James: Rides a motorbike? Ed: He rides a motorbike, yeah… He rides a motorbike. [Audience laughs] James: I know this cause he [Ed] didn’t ride a motorbike. Ed: No, no… I unfortunately couldn’t ride the motorbike. I’m really rock ‘n roll, clearly. It was a beautiful bike as well, a Triumph Tiger. So, I think, at some point, you will see a shot of me riding off on the bike and then it’ll cut to a slightly wider back. [x]

Remainder (2015) — Greg

Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) — James Harcourt

“Getting to work with some of the people that are involved was a key element, and knowing I was gonna get scenes with Mia Wasikowska was a massive drawcard. I think as a young actor, it’s not just about scripts sometimes, it’s who you might be able to be rubbing shoulders with and in the sense of who you might be able to bounce off with. And also, working with James, it was a real delight to work with James Bobin. I thought he was a wicked director, really in touch with comedy and comedic timing. For me, it was a nice opportunity to get together with some really good people so, it made sense to me to do it.” [x]

Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands (2016) — Slean

Interviewer: Slean is very angsty and frustrated when we meet him. Do we discover any new layers to him as well? Ed: I hope so. I suppose that depends on how well I play him, really. But I think characters – good characters always have some sort of light and dark anyway, and I don’t think it’s a clear-cut case of him being a bad guy. Yes, he’s angsty, but he’s got a lot to be angry about. [x]

Breathe (2017) — Colin Campbell

The House That Jack Built (2018) — Ed

“It was like being on a stage. There was nothing to worry about. […] We were allowed to do whatever we wanted, and we kind of tore the place apart. You could feel the camera coming in close, you could feel it going wide. It was such a liberating way to work. […] He [von Trier – director] gave me one note: ‘can you get some chewing gum?’ Not because my breath stank by the way, it wasn’t because of that. It was because he just wanted the detail of the chewing gum, he said, ‘try that’. And a mate and I went to go and watch it, because I was curious to see how the whole film had turned out, and he was like ‘mate, you chewing gum, what a great move’, and I was like, ‘yeah, yeah, I thought that’d be good’. [Laughs] No, I did go on to tell him it was Lars von Trier’s idea. But I thought, that tiny detail, I was a small supporting role but to have little ideas like that, they are minute details and behaviour things, I suppose. But it shows someone who’s got great attention to detail to be able to offer that up.” [x]

Zoo/Death Do Us Part (2018) — John

For Love or Money (2019) — Johnny

Outlander (2018-2020) — Stephen Bonnet

“His physicality is immensely important. I looked at a lot of rockstars. Because I think a lot of frontmen and rockstars, don’t quote me, they have sociopathic/psychopathic tendencies. [Laughs] There’s something about a frontman, like Liam Gallagher or Mick Jagger, and all of those… I’m not saying I took directly from them, but I think I did try and play with the notion of Stephen Bonnet being this 18th century rockstar. I mean… I just did. [Laughs] I thought with the piracy thing and everything, but then you intertwine that with the fact he also considers himself a gentleman, that to me just sounds like a modern-day rockstar. That sort of confidence that they exude, that’s where a lot of the swaggering element came from.” [x]

Against the Ice (2022) — Bessel

You (2023) — Rhys Montrose

“The difficulty was how to place myself, mentally, in that state of being tortured. What that would be like, what substitutions I could find and what power of imagination I could use. […] But I think we [Penn Badgley and I] had a really strong respect for one another and what one another was trying to do. And actually, we just trusted each other. So, when you get to a scene like that, it all comes down to trust. And he’s so great to act against – it’s not minimum requirement because that’s lazy and I don’t think that’s true. But if you offer yourself over to someone who is going for it inherently, something is gonna work, something is gonna happen.” [x]

Star Trek: Picard (2023) — Jack Crusher

“I think the time period is one thing, and obviously you have to adapt to that, but I feel that the skillset is still the same. You need to be applying to what’s the script telling me? What’s the character telling me? What am I feeling, what am I thinking? ‘How am I gonna get out of this situation?’ is normally what Jack’s thinking. […] But what I did feel early on in some of those scenes was: I can’t let other people down here. I’m stepping up to the plate with some big heavy hitters who know this inside out and they’re not gonna, even if they’re the nicest people in the world, which they are, they’re not gonna take prisoners or suffer fools gladly. So, you’ve got to match them and you’ve got to surpass that as well, I felt. I relish that because I felt it tuned into Jack as well. So, it was a lovely little way for me to step into something that was like, ‘Okay, come on there, guys. What have you got? I’m gonna bring you this. Let’s see what you guys have got. Let’s have some fun and let’s play.’ And I love that.” [x]

[changingplumbob]

OC Evolution: Reece

I saw the post by @youredreamingofroo and thought I'd have a go. I chose Reece because he's the sim I have the most different style screenshots of.

Headshots

Full Body

Reece has been a surprise because he was such a beanpole when he first aged up to a teen, I thought he'd never get any muscles! I do still miss his later teen hair but his current one also makes me happy so there's that. I'm really not sure what's going to happen facial hair wise. Sometimes he wakes up with the faintest blonde goatee (check the latest headshot above) but I normally have him shave it. I think he's too young to go full beard but he may end up with stubble, IDK.

Going to copy what Roo did and say, if you see this and have OCs you want to look back on then go for it! You are tagged! This was fun so thanks for the blanket tag Roo!

[willmarstudios]

Bookworm Will Review 2024 (#3)

Title: 'Tentacles and Triathlons'

Author: Ashley Bennett

Rating: 3/5

Review: (MILD SPOILERS)

The palette cleanser I didn't know I needed after reading Modelland!

I didn't have much interest in the rest of the series, thankfully they're all individual stories, but seeing a bearded queer monster romance was kind of an easy sell for me. Plus Cyrus (the kraken) is an artist, so another huge sell for me.

A pretty straight forward plot, training for a triathlon while fighting off feelings that you have the hots for your kraken swim coach despite childhood trauma/fears surrounding monsters. While the story wasn't ground breaking, I think it held up its end on providing some steamy spice~

Cyrus was more daddy than expected, so like I was taken a back, but I ain't mad though.... lucky Reece lmao

I kept picturing Abe from the original Hellboy movie, but with the attitude provided by monster lover daddy del toro. *chef kiss*

[jamesreecetheterminallist]

The Terminal List Episode 1 - The Engram

The Terminal List - Chapter 1 

The explosion knocked Reece back ten yards and ripped his helmet from his head as the entire military crest of the hill in front of him erupted in a concussion of violence and death. Teammates, friends, husbands, and fathers who one moment earlier had represented the best special operations force the world had ever known were gone in less than a second.

Reece never realized that he was momentarily knocked unconscious. The pain in his head brought him back into the fight before the dust began to settle and the reverberations from the explosion had drifted from the hills.

The professional in him immediately ensured he still had his weapon. Check. Next was a mental rundown of his body. Everything appeared to still be in the same place and working.

They knew. 

How? 

Later, Reece. Always improve your fighting position.

His eyes darted around looking in vain for his helmet and communications headset, eyes adjusting to the dark, hands moving in a frantic search until finally coming across it in the dirt.

Yes. Wait, too heavy to be my helmet. That’s because it’s not your helmet. It’s someone else’s. And the head is still in it. 

Even in the darkness it was clear to Reece that he was staring into the face of his longtime friend and Teammate, the big man with the huge beard and confident smile, and that his head was no longer attached to his body. Reece couldn’t stop the tears from welling in his eyes but quickly brushed them aside. Focus. No time to mourn. Exploit all technical and tactical advantages. Check. Reece unsnapped the chinstrap, letting his friend’s head fall to the ground, and quickly put the helmet on his own head.

...

Reece and Boozer inched up the hill, the smell of cordite, blood, dust, and death heavy in the air. Movement to the left.

“B, I have movement. Don’t rush up. Continue to follow me,” Reece whispered into his radio. Boozer responded by keying his mike twice, signifying good copy.

Reece moved in the direction of the movement and what he now identified as moaning. Donny Mitchell, one of the youngest members of Reece’s team, lay dying among the rocks of eastern Afghanistan. His body missing from the waist down, he reached for Reece.

“Did we get them, sir?” Donny said weakly. “I’ve still got my rifle.”

“Yeah you do, buddy. Yeah you do. Air strike is coming in now. We’ll get them.” Reece sat down next to Donny and moved to cradle his head in his arms. As the first of the 105s began to hit the compound, Reece caught the hint of a smile on Donny’s lips as he drifted off to Valhalla.

[hspn]

Our favorite HSPN posts 13

Here's a list of our favorite Hair & Sports Programming Network posts from the past year:

Did you win this one?

A terrifying Goldilocks

César grew a beard

Runner-up in a tournament

Post-concussion reality

Murder must be a red

Lifetime scoring record

Bouncy castles

Do not fuck with Éve Perisset

Dancing guy

Galahad

Chilly

July 1st

Doctor Junior

Does not know how Zoom works

Leg room

He is Nicolas Jackson

VAR highlights

Tech genius

More Malo than Gusto

How his morning went

You do not want that

Great combo celebration

Big Poch season

Props to that camera man

BBQ

The Reece James of commentators

Should've been the Christmas Eve game

Trying to hide a smile

Some great photos:

Seen it twice

Eidur & Jimmy

The real monarch

Whether or not he is picked for anything

This is the best combination of outfits

Emma

Emma needs to wear this coat

Bicycle

Everyone who looks like Graham Potter:

Inspirational-looking manager

Same dejected look

Not the one who got fired

Small coffees:

That same small coffee cup

One regular coffee

Medium coffee

The ballad of Mudryk & Cucurella:

Sitting there posting hate memes

A floating Nicolas Jackson

Four toddlers in a shirt

Typical movie trope

Photogenic keepers:

Clutch

Zecira knew

Now that's a good-looking keeper

Ben Chilwell does Ben Chilwell things:

Also his hair looked good

Another manager that loves Chilly

Just tired

Chilly trips the ref

Thiago Silva does Thiago Silva things:

I even brought my own ball

That disapproving father expression

Not 39 yet

Impeccable tackle

He slid forever

Fresh legs

Previous favorites: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

[odinsson2021]

Here is the playlist of my program that just ended.

Thank you for listening and 'till next Saturday 8 O' Clock PM (CET)

Your DJ Odinsson!

Stormwitch-Rondo ala Turca-Eye of the Storm-1989-(Hot Blood Records) Kansas-Carry on Wayward Son-Leftoverture-1976-(CBS Records) Journey-Wheel in the Sky-Infinty-1978-(CBS Records) Boston-More than a Feeling-Boston-1976-(Epic Records) Cher-Turn back Time-Heart of Stone-1989-(Geffen Records) Steve Perry-Oh Sherrie-Street Talk-1984-(CBS Records) Stevie Nicks-Edge of Seventeen-Bella Donna-1981-(WEA Records) Dare-The Raindance-Out of the Silence-1988-(A&M Records) Captain Black Beard-Break (Into Forever)-Neon Sunrise-2022-(Mighty Music Records) Nestor-Perfect 10 (Eyes like Demi Moore)-Kids in a Ghost Town-2021-(Nestor Prestor Music Group) H.E.A.T-Come Clean-H.E.A.T II-2020-(earMusic) Palace-Origin of Love-Rock and Roll Radio-2020-(Frontiers Records) Passion-Lost in the Dark-Passion-2020-(Frontiers Records) David Reece-Down to the Core-Blacklist Utopia-2021-(El Puerto Records) Xandria-Ghosts-The Wonders still Awaiting-03.02.2023-(Naplam Records) Dream Evil-Immortal-In the Night-2010-(Century Media Records) Helloween-Out for the Glory-Helloween-2021-(Nuclear Blast Records) Kissin’ Dynamite-Not the End of the Road-Not the End of the Road-2022-(Napalm Records) KK’s Priest-Hail for the Priest-Sermons of the Sinner-2021-(Ex1 Records) Saxon-Battering Ram-Battering Ram-2015-(UDR Records) Starblind-Darkest Horror-Darkest Horrors-2014-(Stormspell Records) Steeler-Strike Back-Strike Back-1986-(Steamhammer Records) Stormwitch-King George-Bound to the Witch-2018-(Massacre Records) Falconer-Desert Dreams-From a Dying Ember-2020-(Metal Blade Records) Forceful-Rest in Peace-Rise or Fall-2018-(Eigenproduktion) Blind Guardian-Mr. Sandman (Single)-1996-(Virgin Records)

[crusheswhimsandfancies]

What a look❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

Sunday Brunch, 24.2.17

[dailyrugbytoday]

Wales vs NZ Rugby autumn game in Cardiff on Saturday 5th November.

New Post has been published on https://thedailyrugby.com/wales-nz-rugby-autumn-game/

The Daily Rugby

https://thedailyrugby.com/wales-nz-rugby-autumn-game/

Wales vs NZ Rugby autumn game in Cardiff on Saturday 5th November.

Wales vs NZ Rugby – Wales will face New Zealand at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday 5th November. This will be the first of four autumn internationals to be played by Wales in 2022.

In their most recent encounter, Wales suffered a heavy 16-54 defeat to the All Blacks during the 2021 autumn internationals.

Wales have not beaten the All Blacks since 1953.

Overall, Wales and New Zealand have played each other on 36 occasions since their first meeting in 1905. The All Blacks have won 33 matches, whilst Wales have won just three matches.

Wales vs NZ Rugby

Date: Saturday 5th November 2022

Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff

Kick-off: 3:15pm

Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)

TV Coverage: Live on Amazon Prime (UK and ROI)

Wales v New Zealand: Seven decades of Welsh agony against the All Blacks

Cheating, national scandal, timekeeping disasters and spine-tingling drama… Wales against New Zealand rarely disappoints.

The history of matches between two nations that bleed rugby – and plenty of the red stuff has been spilt over the years – is almost a history of the game itself.

Since the 1905 ‘Match of the Century’ which gave rise to the tradition of singing national anthems before sports events, they have battled.

Now Justin Tipuric’s side are the latest to try to lift the millstone from around their neck and bring a 69-year losing run to an end.

There is bitterness that the wait has gone on so long, not least after the most talked about accusations of cheating in Welsh rugby history.

The New Zealand head coach, Ian Foster, has welcomed back several of the All-Blacks star names to face Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.

Foster makes wholesale changes from the team that beat Japan last Saturday, including starts for Beauden Barrett, his brother Jordie and Aaron Smith. It will be Smith’s 113th Test, taking him above former fly-half Dan Carter as New Zealand’s most capped back.

Wales vs NZ Rugby in Cardiff | Match Preview

New Zealand will seek to extend their 32-match winning streak over Wales when the two sides clash at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Saturday although the hosts fancy their chances against visitors who have not enjoyed their best year.

The All Blacks have not lost to the Welsh since 1953 and in their last nine fixtures have amassed 33-plus points in each game. They ran out 54-16 victors last season.

But by their own high standards, New Zealand have had a varied season, losing a home July series 1-2 to Ireland and, despite going on to win the Rugby Championship, suffering a first home loss to Argentina.

“What better side to come up against than a New Zealand that probably haven’t had their best season?” asked Wales coach Wayne Pivac, himself a Kiwi.

“But certainly when you look at the teamsheet, it is quality, we know we’re in for a big game but we’re there to win it.”

Teams:

Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 13 George North, 12 Nick Tompkins, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Tommy Refell, 6 Justin Tipuric (captain), 5 Adam Beard, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Gareth Thomas. Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Alun Wyn Jones, 20 Christ Tshiunza, 21 Kieran Hardy, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Owen Watkin.

New Zealand: 15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Dalton Papali’i, 6 Shannon Frizzell, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Samuel Whitelock (captain), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot. Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Tupou Vaa’i, 20 Akira Ioane, 21 Brad Weber, 22 David Havili, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown.

[toddlazarski]

“The Terminal List”

The A.V. Club

“I’m not gonna tell you again. Stay off my list.”     

A meme-able bit of brute, reminiscent almost of Harrison Ford’s “get off my plane” from Air Force One, it’s the kind of guttural one-second trailer blip that makes a story’s audience targets and muscle and narrative ambition pretty evident. But it is leveled by Chris Pratt, played with an occasional thousand-yard stare so vacuous, so PTSD-soured it looks like he's either forgotten his lines or is taking a beat to consider how the winding paths of his varied career ended him here. Critic’s Choice comedy player, lovable character actor, Marvel lead, Warner animation lead, Hillsong church member, maybe not Hillsong member, he is “muddled,” he admits, and now Andy from Parks and Rec is the type that can recognize a hitman just by his wraparound shades. 

The Terminal List is peak dad prestige TV, a political thriller straight from the songbook of Tom Clancy, with the best-seller list trappings of Lee Child and others so capable of framing bloody revenge tales around characters with names you feel your voice drop an octave when speaking aloud: Jack Ryan, Jack Reacher. In this case we have James Reece, as penned by Jack Carr, a former Navy Seal himself, who holds the distinction that the FAA has mandated no domestic flight can takeoff without at least one middle-aged passenger reading one of his books. He writes muscularly about guys with muscles who call each other "brother" and refer to teammates as "my boys" and discuss objectives in terms like “this motherfucker is ours” and grow lush beards and pick each other up from the airport in Jeeps with lines like “don’t tell me you’re calling a fucking Uber” while a Butt Rock version of "Simple Man" tumbles from the car stereo. There are acronyms, oh so many acronyms — IED, SOP, QRF—tossed knowingly with practiced company man aplomb. If you are not a dad or a knowing dad isn't viewing beside you, it almost feels one might manifest on the couch there simply to explain how it is short for “Quick Reaction Force.”  

The archetypal flavor profiles are all here: patriotism, heroism, duty, fellowship, shirtless knife-and-gun fights. Also, there is summertime popcorn appeal, for us armchair schlubs to follow along, be a bit awe-inspired by those in a noble-ish trade, to pay witness to the high purpose of communal badassery. 

The action opens with a Seal Team Seven job gone awry. An ambush turns into a 15-minute bloodbath. Hurried whispers of “access points” and "trip wires" lead to a bloody cavalcade of yelling and grunts and fire and wounds and neon orange lines emanating from machine guns donned by men wearing tactical gear and night vision-type contraptions leftists will find themselves shaking their heads disapprovingly of, thinking, “our taxes pay for that?” 

By the end it all just looks like a lot to clean up. Postured explanations are levied at disbelieving superiors and investigators: "that's not how it went down." To kick it all off we get an opening verse from the bible. There is more than a hint of red state chest thump—a suspect is chided for drinking “light” beer, somehow there’s a Bryson DeChambeau cameo. Also in the mix are Taylor Kitsch as Ben, an incorrigible good-natured bad influence buddy we know is like a brother because he says “I am your brother.” And Constance Wu plays Katie, a war journalist who only cares about the truth. You know because she says, “all I care about is the truth.” Jeanne Tripplehorn is the Secretary of Defense, a whole cloth TV land politician, obvious because she speaks of "leaving things better than I found them." 

The List mostly pops with the nuance of an M-16. From the jump the feel is of a bloody, predictable, testosterone-charged romp making occasional detours toward melancholia. Afterall, following such an open there are funerals to tend to. And though he’s given chances to opt out, Reece stands there, stoic in shades and Navy formals, letting you know these lips don’t quiver. There is a deeply human story here, as he deals with memory confusion, untrustworthy flashbacks, general fuzziness, headaches. A doctor flippantly discusses concussion “repercussions” like the Seals were a late-80’s NFL team. Hints of sadness creep in, a bit of pathos, almost—we don’t really get a picture of who those guys in those caskets were, but, well, they were co-workers. It really feels like a relief when Pratt’s personality, that easy neighborly goof charm, briefly emerges with a bucatini joke halfway through the third episode. There are such moments, fleeting, off-ramps that might allow an approach to contemporary post-war literature like Nico Walker’s “Cherry,” with its dark absurdist poetry of military pursuit; or some vibes of the devastating portrait of PTSD in the 2018 film “Leave No Trace.”

But it’s really about the procedure of uncovering and the business of revenge. “Answers or blood?” as Ben says. It starts with a chemist outside of Aleppo, the Seals’ original target, and the first clue in Reece’s late-night brow-furrowed Google searches, operated while popping pills and bottles of beer. It’s hard not to picture Burt Macklin. But hunkered in his man-of-war cave in Coronado, the show and actor seem to fancy themselves a kind of True Detective (an aesthetic from which the opening credits borrow generously). There is a brooding but bent machismo, with such fist-clenched will it feels on the verge of a boxing movie training montage. Reece begins on his odyssey (“this is personal”), toward varying levels of military contract-type baddies, some with offices and lairs absurdly fit for a Bond villain. Here is an altruistic man on fire, with, yes, a unique set of skills, the kind who knows when “we need to get off the grid,” or how to keep your cell phone from acting as a tracking device, increasingly alone, further alienated. Carr seems to ask: who can you trust but your gun? Another acronym, LLTB, or, “Long Live The Brotherhood,” is engraved on one said piece, and you know most of what he is getting at. 

As we are confronted, if you can stand to look at all at the daily news, by a circle of abject cowardice and failure of men with guns, who stood pat and frozen and scared or indifferent to a opportunity for righteous duty, right there in front of them, there is a certain catharsis in viewing even fictional heroic violence. Reece packs his bags, his passports,checks a rifle for readiness, takes a pair of hand axes off the wall, and there is an expectant feel of pregame. It is a comfortable groove, a thinking man’s thriller, neither too thinky nor too thrilling. But damn if it doesn’t feel a bit invigorating to go down the dark hallways of this world of men of action, and think, yeah, this motherfucker is ours.  

[cfcblogsblog]

Thank God, he shaved the beard

SUIIIIIIIIIII

[neverinadream]

Oh sorry what’s happened to him? I mean I get mason cause he’s now probably struggling with a new team he looks better with his old hair his new trim makes him look older. He’s still a sweetheart tho.

ben lost his dad a couple of months ago now, i'm not sure the exact date, so yeah that's definitely gonna take a lot out of him, plus he's stepping up to be captain whilst reece is injured, so that's also a lot of pressure on his shoulders.

i think it's the beard that makes mason look a little bit older than his actual age