#bryan chase scenario

[honeybearloco]

“...Bonnie and Clyde.”

title → "...bonnie and clyde.”

pairing → bryan cha$e x female reader

synopsis → a modern-day bonnie and clyde. 

word count → 1.5k.

trigger warning → mentions of robberies, blood, murder, crimes.

a/n → so the original request was for something like a modern-day bonnie and clyde but without the tragedy at the end sksksk. so this is a crime au. this is long as hell for literally no reason and this SOOOO bad. i wouldn’t read it. 

He was bad for you and you knew it. That didn’t stop you from wanting him.

You were a good girl. You came from a good family. Both of your parents had stable high paying jobs, you seemed to be at the top of everything. You were spoiled rotten. 

Both of your parents choose to spoil you in order for you to not see the world for what it truly was. A terrible place that had no sympathy for anyone.

You lived the lavish life. Anything you wanted, you could have. But you didn’t want material things. You wanted more.

When you were 18, you were married off to a man around the same age, a little older. His father was from a company that your father had wanted to put under his belt to control.

There was no love. You were nothing but a young housewife. You hated it. You hated this lifestyle. You wanted to do more than be a baby factory for some man who doesn’t even love you. 

You packed your things and fled your house with the little money you had and all of your belongings. You managed to stay in a motel for about a week before you were kicked out as you had no money. You were on the street, all alone. And that’s when you saw him. Bryan. 

Your eyes never his, as he walked up to you and offered you a place to rest your head at his place. You declined, not knowing if he had good intentions or not. He didn’t say much but not much was needed. Your first meeting was short but memorable. His smirk, his face. He was everything that your family had told you to stay away from, but he embodied what you craved. 

You craved danger. 

You craved adventure. 

You crave energy. 

And he gave you all of that, sometimes all at the same time. You couldn’t tell if it was love or lust, but you wanted him. And by the look in his eyes, he wanted you too.

One rainy night, you had come to him, taking his offer for the place to the stay, not wanting to stay on the street anymore, just wanting a bed to lay on. And that’s when you did it. You smashed your lips on his, not thinking. 

It was just the two of you at that moment. This was about the two of you. Not your parents. Not the husband you had who was still legally your husband. Not the rich life you once had. 

It was about you and Bryan. You gave yourself to him.

“Run with me,” He told you. 

“Where will we go?” You asked. 

“Across the nation,” He answered, taking your face into his hands. 

You accepted his offer and ran away with him. Across the nation, the two of you had gone.

You knew he was a bad guy but you didn’t know how bad until he told you to wait until the car as he walked into a small gas station. You didn’t realize what had happened until you heard the sound of a woman’s scream and a gunshot. You froze, hearing the sounds of sure of what to do. It enabled your flight or fight response. You chose to freeze, the world around you moving in slow motion.

Reality settled in as Bryan slammed the driver’s door with a small bag of money and a gun in his other hand. 

“You...you...” You were at a lost for words. The man you had fallen in love with was more dangerous than you thought. He started the car, handing the gun to you. As you held it in your hands, you felt both disgusted and terrified.

And it happened again...and again...and again. You had become an accomplice. It wasn’t until Bryan found himself in trouble. 

He was held at gunpoint by a gas station owner. You couldn’t lose him. Though he was a bad man, you couldn’t lose the person who had saved you, who had cared for you, who had taken you in when you ran. 

You reached into the glove department of his car and pulled out a second gun he had stored. You shakily held it up to the gas station owner, looking away from shooting. She had hoped to hit his shoulder, but instead, you hit his head, killing the man.

You opened your eyes seeing the dead body, the feeling of the world stopping around you had returned. You were just like him. “I..I...”

That was the first of many for you. You would do anything to protect Bryan and he would do anything to protect you.

This would be your last and biggest heist before you and Bryan were going to find a place to rest. You were going to rob a bank. You both had a great plan or you had hoped. You had managed to seduce your way into a position at the bank, you knew it inside and out.

As everyone had gone home, you remained, allowing Bryan in. You unlocked the safe, revealing around 200,000 in cash.

“Jackpot,” Bryan whispered, pulling you in for a passionate kiss. Between the two of you, you both tried to get as much as you could, hearing the sounds of sirens heading toward the area.

“Damnit, someone snitched!” You growled. You took a hold of Bryan’s hand and ran, heading to the car. You were prepared, “Bryan you ready to die today?”

He smirked, “With you by my side, I’m ready to die any day.”

He drove fast, hearing the sirens getting louder. You looked in the side mirror seeing around several police cars. You chuckled, reaching into the back finding a large gun. You loaded it and stuck yourself out of the window, “I got you covered. You find a place where we can fight them off.”

“You got it, babe,” He stepped on it. 

You moved your head, looking through the scope of the gun, aiming toward a driver of one of the patrol cars, ‘Target locked. And...fire!’

You pulled the trigger, shooting directly through the head of the officer, causing him to swerve onto the side of the road, the car rolling several times before stopping. You smirked to yourself, feeling accomplished.

Again and again, you landed headshots, trying to clear the cops but it’s wasn’t working. They just kept coming and coming. You heard a loud gush of wind, looking up there you saw it. A helicopter. 

“Well I’ll be damned. We’ve really done it now, huh?” You looked to Bryan who cut his eyes to you. 

“Just watch yourself. They’ll take off your head in a heartbeat.”

“Yeah yeah, I got this. How about we up the ante?”

He raised an eyebrow as you continued, “If I can shoot down this helicopter, you have to let me top you.”

“In your dreams.”

“You’re no fun. Besides I’d be a really hot dom if you’d let me,” You flirted, before aiming up at the pilot.

“STOP THE CAR! NOW!” A voice came from the helicopter. 

“I don’t think so,” You smirked, locking on the target, pulling the trigger. With a couple of seconds the helicopter came raining down on the side of the road. 

Bryan laughed, “You know, maybe I’ll think about letting you top.”

“YAY!”

Looking in his side mirror, he saw the cops kept coming and coming. He saw a cave to his left. He gripped on tight to the wheel, “Let’s play on the edge of death.”

“More than we are right now?”

He nodded, “Let’s doing something crazy.”

“I’m in. You know I’m stuck with you till the very end.”

He cut a hard left driving onto dirt and heading toward the cave. You looked to him in confusion, “What are you planning?”

“Just grab the money and when I tell you to jump, jump, okay?”

“Got it.”

The cops were getting closer, that’s when the shots sounded. You felt a pain in your shoulder. You closed your eyes tightly, putting your hand on your shoulder, feeling a liquid. You opened your eyes, bringing your hand to your eyes, “Those fuckers shot me!”

Bryan drove deep into the cave, you grabbed the money getting prepared to jump. He unlocked the doors, “When I say jump, you have to jump and roll as far as you can, okay?”

You nodded.

“One...two...three. JUMP!” He screamed. The two of you jumped out of the car and rolled, rolling as far as you could. The car went down a hill, crashing into a deep hole. Finally, you stopped rolling and hide deeper into the cave holding your shoulder in pain.

You heard the sirens leave the cave, believing the two of you had fallen into the hole with the car which was now aflame. 

There was a long silence in the cave. You let out a tired sigh, it was finally over. You looked down at the money you were holding, smirking.

You felt a hand on your shoulder, you jumped slightly, turning around to punch the owner of the hand.

“Y/n! It’s me!”

“Bryan? Oh shit, I’m sorry. I thought you were a cop or something.” You apologized. 

“When I said you could top me I didn’t mean it like this.”

[khiphopandstuff]

Sober - Bryan Chase Scenario

Sober - Bryan Chase ft. Okasian 

Genre: Angst

Mentions of: Abuse, Alcohol, & Sex

Word Count: 1,309 words

“Y/N-ahhh” A voice slurred into the phone’s microphone, blasting a painful sound into your ear. “Hello?” You sleepily mumbled back and pulled the phone away from your ear to check the time and caller ID. 3:38 a.m. “What the hell do you want?” You sighed, sitting up from bed and hugging your knees. “Come on over, baby come on over.” He chuckled into the receiver as a slammed door was heard in the background. “No relation, tryna to fuck?” You asked. “Ya, just come on over. Girl, you’ve played enough.” The voice responded. “Enough fooling around! When tomorrow comes-” You began. “..I need it.” He whined back. “Good night.” You hung up.

“Didn’t think you’d come.” Bryan pulled you close into his body. You leaned in to kiss him, but pulled away as a familiar scent hit you. “Bryan..” You frowned. “Of course, I should’ve known.” You rolled your eyes, stepping further into his apartment. “I’ve been drinking and I’ve been smoking.” He smirked, gripping your waist and kissing your neck passionately. “Fill up my cup...I’m fucked.” You groaned leaning your head back, giving into the mess of a man. “You got it.” He winked walking away. “Again…” You whispered, shaking your head and  walking into his kitchen.

Looking up at his ceiling, you quietly whimpered as a tear fell off your cheek. “We can’t keep doing this..” You whispered to the body laying next to you. “What do you mean? You love this.” The man said with a rough voice. “You’re killing my feelings. I can’t keep doing this to him..” You sat up, burying your face into your lap. “I know you have a place to go back to, it’s alright. I only need you for right now.” Bryan exhaled looking over at you. “That’s the problem! Heart to heart...things don’t seem to last long.” You let finally let your tears escape and sniffled. “It’s just our hearts connect, but our bodies can’t. Does that make sense? He’s not you.” You got off the bed and collected your clothing. Bryan grabbed your wrist, “Don’t worry, I got this.” He told you with a rare genuine smile. You pulled away and got dressed, eventually leaving the room.

“Gone...She won’t be coming home. She’s moving on.” He muttered into the cellphone swiftly, before hanging up. A few days had passed by after the last time you had see Bryan. A lot had happened in your life, due to the selfish and immature moral crimes you two had committed.

“What the hell Bryan!” You pounded your first on the metal door and the code buttons. “Open the fucking door, I swear to god.” You impatiently screamed outside of your accomplice’s apartment. “What?!” The criminal swung the door open and looked at you in surprise. “What’s wrong?” He asked following your eyes and reaching out for you. You looked at him in shock, “What do you mean what’s wrong?! What the fuck did you do, you idiot.” Bryan raised an eyebrow, “I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about, are you okay?” Your teary eyed face looked down, “You told him didn’t you? How else would he have found out...You crazy son of a bitch.” You crouched down into his couch and looked at him with a look of hate. “What? You’re mad at me for doing something you haven’t had the guts to do for the past year.” He scoffed. “How? How the hell am I supposed to say, “Hey, by the way..I’ve been having an affair with one of your best friends and business partners.”

You looked up at him and he sighed walking over to wipe your tears. “You aren’t happy with him, I just want what’s best for you.” He confessed watching your wince at his fingers placed on your teary cheeks. You pushed away his hands and shook your head, “How can you be so selfish? How were we so selfish to do this to him?” You questioned outloud. “Okay, it was all my fault. I convinced, seduced, and lured you into me. Are you happy? Does that make you feel better?” He frustratedly replied. “It is all fucked up now.” You told him as tears continued flowing out of your tired and red eyes. More coverage of Jiyong’s physical mistake became visible. “What the fuck did he do to you?” Bryan growled looking closer into your face, seeing the violaceous marks under your makeup. “Nothing,..nothing new anyway. I am such a fucking stupid bitch,” You chuckled.

“What do you mean? He did this to you didn’t he, because of me. That son of a bitch. I’ll be right back.” Bryan grabbed a hoodie and reached for the door. “For what? To get into a fight with him for some go-around like me?” You chuckled and stood up. “I shouldn't have come here in the first place. I'm sorry, I..I'll head out.” You finished looking lost and desperate.

“Y/N-ah. Don’t do this to yourself. Leave him….leave me. God, I swear we both destroyed your pureness and innocence. I wanna apologize too.” He said with a concerned face. “As much as I’d gladly take that ‘apology,’ do not treat me like I was some child who came helplessly to you two.” You sighed once again and wiped off remaining tears, leaving the confused rapper in his living room.

“Back to pick up your things whore?” Jiyong asked letting out smoke from his lips. “Could you please not smoke inside?” You asked looking anywhere, but him. “Well, not like it matters because you’re leaving tonight. I want you out by midnight.” He told you, pushing past you in a hard and inconsiderate way. “Jiyong, look we can-” You started out but got interupted when pain struck you on the back of your head. “No, we can’t. You messed this up yourself! You used me whenever your emotions wanted to be let out! You just wanted someone to rely on, even if that doesn’t include financial support. God, I’m so stupid. How could I have picked up someone like you.” Jiyong shook his head. “You don’t mean that Jiyong. I know that, I know because we had some amazing times together and we both really love eachother.” You reached out for your arm, only to be pushed away. “You don’t slut around when you love someone, not especially with my fucking friend.” He snarked.

“Jiyong, please. I’m sorry. Please...forgive me. You’re my home…I’m sorry.” You set your things on the floor and got on your knees. “I’m sor-ry.” You broken voice barely supported your requests. Jiyong took that time to look at your features. Where did that beautiful smile he breathed for go? Where did the joy and happiness ever get sucked out of you? Why did those bruises and injuries have to be caused by himself? “Get up.” He sternly said, forcing you up by the wrists. “Get out of my fucking apartment. Find someone to whore around with tonight to stay there. I’m sure you’re not gonna have a problem with that.” Jiyong walked away and slammed the bedroom door.

Misjudgement, pressure, bad surroundings, horrible people, and vices are suppose to be gone by the time you are in your 30′s. ‘No’ will get easier to say, and your life strategies dealing with your significant other will strengthen. Most parties will include some exes, some enemies, and even some people you haven’t spoken to in years, but that is the whole point of being a valuable citizen in this society. You have learned from your mistakes, and you will learn to make time for important things. Well, that is what you think being an adult is, stereotypes must be broken though. For now, you will just have to be dealing with your current mistakes.

Hello everyone, it’s been over a year.. hahaha. I’ve had this in my drafts for a few months now..! I got inspired into a dark theme while listening to Bryan’s song ft Okasian called Sober! Give it a listen. Tell me what you think! I have been wanting to write this request up for a while so yeah.. 

Admin E

[thatesqcrush]

La Leche

Bryan Kneef x Reader. Day 4 of kinktober hosted by @queerfictionwriter - lactation. CW: smut, lactation play. WC: 806 AN: one shot off In Another Time.

You had finished nursing Sophie and put her back to sleep. You were rushing around the bedroom digging for clothes. Bryan was watching you from bed, an amused look on his face. Just then a blouse flew past his head and landed on the pillow beside him.

You caught his expression in the mirror across from the bed. You met his gaze and arched your brow at him.

“What?” You snapped, whipping around.

“It’s Sunday.” Bryan replied, arching his brow in return.

“Wait - no, it’s Monday. I have that case before Judge Wagner.” You replied.

Bryan got out of bed and sauntered over to you. He placed his hands on your shoulder and squeezed. “It’s Sunday. You have your days mixed up.” For added effect, he held up his cellphone. Your eyes widened slightly and you felt your cheeks burn in response.

You gave him a sheepish smile. “Whoops.”

Bryan cocked his head back towards the bed. “Now, how about we go back to bed.” His hands traced down your sides and then back up, cupping your breasts.

You let out the smallest of winces and Bryan jumped back. “What’d I do?”

You shook your head. “I rushed through nursing and I am still full. They’re just sensitive.”

Bryan gave you a heated look. “I’ll just be extra gentle then.” He wrapped a hand around your neck and pulled you in for a kiss. You wrapped your arms around his neck and returned the kiss. The kiss quickly intensified, the two of you pawing at each other. You ran your hands up and down his arms, feeling the solid muscles underneath your touch. Bryan’s kisses moved to the slope of your neck, causing you to shiver. Bryan lifted you up and you wrapped your legs around his waist. His large hands massaged the flesh of your ass as he brought you back towards the bed.

The two of you fell back onto the bed, a mess of tangled limbs. Bryan sat up and pulled you onto his lap, his mouth immediately latching onto your neck. You let out a moan, as you threw your head back.

Bryan’s hands were on your swollen breasts and he massaged them gently before dipping his head to take a nipple into his mouth. It amazed you how your body knew the difference and reacted so differently to his touch versus the baby’s.

Bryan continued to mouth your tit, groaning as the first spurt of your milk hit his tongue. You let out an obscene moan as your hands run through his dark hair, holding him in place.

“Fuck, oh fuck, that feels good!” You moaned.

Bryan greedily sucked at you, drawing more of your milk onto his tongue. The whole scenario felt perverse and filthy and all it served was to make him even more horny.

His hand reached blindly between your body and his to find his cock. You lifted slightly, allowing Bryan to line his cock with your entrance, already soaking for him. Bryan latches onto your other tit, devoting attention to it as you sink down on his cock.

Your eyes flutter shut as you adjust to his size. You always needed to adjust to his size - Bryan’s cock always felt like it was splitting you in half at first. Eventually the discomfort ebbed into warm pleasure. As Bryan suckled your other tit, he squeezed the other, drawing pearls of white milk which then dropped down. You began to rock against Bryan, riding him languidly as he continued his doting on your breasts.

“Bryan!” You began to quicken your pace, losing yourself in the perverse pleasure of it all. His hands moved down to your hips, digging into your flesh, encouraging your pace. “Gonna come!”

Bryan lifted his mouth briefly and you could see trails of milk on his beard. “Come for me.” Bryan resumed his attention to your tits but also snuck a hand between your bodies to begin rub your clit.

You threw your head back, crying out Bryan’s name as you came hard. Bryan pulled your body towards his as he laid on the bed. Bryan planted his feet upward and began to thrust into you, chasing his own release. Bryan removed his mouth from you but his sucking already triggered a letdown so your milk sprayed all over his mouth and chest.

Bryan let out a groan of your name as he buried himself deep into your cunt, coming hard.

You fall slack against him, before rolling off of him. “Wow.”

You smiled, rolling over on your side. Bryan turned to you. His finger trailed along your décolletage and then to the tops of your breasts.

“Well this was a much better way to start my day.”

“Tell me about it.” Bryan panted. “And we still have the rest of the day.”

FIN

Tag list: @mgarner1227 @madpanda75 @tropes-and-tales @beccabarba @dreamlover31 @prurientpuddlejumper @sass-and-suspenders @youreverycolor @neely1177 @witches-unruly-heart @mrsrafaelbarba @skittle479 @greeneyedblondie44 @mommakat32 @teamsladsandgents @detective-giggles @garturbo @zoeykaytesmom @ottosuricato @bananas-pajamas s @law-nerd105 @storiesofsvu @pieceofshittytitty @i-justreally-like-cats-okay @whatisthislife28 @jazzyjoi @rampantmuses @rachelxwayne @qvid-pro-qvo @madamsnape921 @averyhotchner @alwaysachorusgirl @amelia-song-pond @tintinxtintin @wanniiieeee @blueberryt @crowfootwrites @emandems10 @berniesilvas @whoamelinda @its-just-me-chey @resparza @chunex @chasingeverybreakingwave @itsjustmyfantasyroom @bisexual-dreamer02 @beardsanddetectives @whyissvuruiningmylovelife

[sleepysera]

2.14.22 Headlines

WORLD NEWS

France: Seven dead after explosion and fire on France’s south-west coast (BBC)

“At least seven people including two children have died in a fire caused by a huge explosion in south-west France. Several buildings were set ablaze on both sides of a street in the seaside town of St Laurent-de-la-Salanque after a blast was heard at 01:30 local time (00:30 GMT) on Monday. Firefighters are still searching for victims in two small blocks of flats damaged by the fire. The cause of the original explosion is not yet known.”

Ukraine: Russia invasion could be imminent (BBC)

“UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says the government is "very clear there could be an imminent invasion of Ukraine" and calls on British citizens to "leave now.” Earlier PM Boris Johnson said there were "signs that show that there are serious preparations" being made by Russia.”

Canada: Trudeau to use emergency powers to quell protests (AP)

“A government official in Canada says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will invoke emergency powers to quell the protests by demonstrators who have paralyzed Ottawa and blocked border crossings in anger over the country’s COVID-19 restrictions. For the past two weeks, hundreds and sometimes thousands of protesters in trucks and other vehicles have clogged the streets of Ottawa, the capital.”

US NEWS

Climate Crisis: West megadrought worsens to driest in at least 1,200 years (AP)

“The American West’s megadrought deepened so much last year that it is now the driest in at least 1,200 years and is a worst-case climate change scenario playing out live, a new study finds. A dramatic drying in 2021 — about as dry as 2002 and one of the driest years ever recorded for the region — pushed the 22-year drought passed the previous record-holder for megadroughts in the late 1500s and shows no signs of easing in the near future, according to a study Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change.”

Ahmaud Arbery: Opening statements begin in federal hate crimes trial (CNN)

“Opening statements began Monday in the federal hate crimes trial for the three White men who chased down and murdered Ahmaud Arbery, a Black jogger, almost two years ago in Georgia. Travis McMichael, his father, Gregory McMichael, and their neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan were each convicted of murder in November in a state trial that avoided discussion of race. This federal trial will more clearly focus on race as prosecutors must prove the men acted out of racial animus.”

George Floyd: Expert takes issue with officers’ conduct (AP)

“A use-of-force expert testified Monday in the federal trial against three former Minneapolis police officers who are charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights, saying their conduct was “inconsistent” with generally accepted policing practices, but a defense attorney questioned the quality of his analysis.”

[afreakingdork]

Review: Hannibal

This show has been a rollercoaster and not in a good way. I’ll come right out and say it: I hate this show. I came into it totally fresh; I had heard people liked it and knew absolutely zero about it. I haven’t even seen Silence of the Lambs. I’m fresh off Death Stranding so I was getting really curious about Mads Mikkelsen and I can totally see the influence. Some of the scenes where Mads is slicked up with inky black liquid look straight out of the game. The story however is a total mess. Now, whether this is because Bryan Fuller’s intentions were dashed (the whole 5 seasons thing) or if there was something else at play. I can’t be sure, but what I do know is that even if you can’t fulfil your vision, that doesn’t mean you just do whatever and throw caution to the wind. You’re still telling a narrative and if you go rogue then everyone will know it. 

So let’s start back with season 1. Probably the most classic of the show. I started by, of course, watching the pilot. Instead of reshooting the first episode, Hannibal decides to go straight from it’s pilot to the show. Which in and of itself isn’t a problem, except there are quite a few inconsistencies that just aren’t addressed. Will’s classroom and the design of Hannbal’s office are notable examples. Also, they flat out say Will has Asperger's which the show ultimately sweeps under the rug for whatever reason. The story plays out pretty cleanly in season 1. Now, I wanted to quit watching after the first few episodes because it was too high art.  The imagery didn’t make much sense and this wasn’t really my type of show. Seeing Will fall for Hannibal’s tricks and getting placed in jail in season 2 really started to peak my interest and I proclaimed that it finally had my attention. Unfortunately, half way through season 2, Will is released from jail and the show completely spins wildly out of control from that point on. After Will works with another serial killer to get Hannibal killed while in jail, he is suddenly befriending Hannibal once he gets out. We learn that he has a big plan to try to ensnare Hannibal, but it all feels empty and even as a viewer, I simply know that it is just a shit plan. All reason goes out the window as the show tries to tell me that careful Hannibal who tortured Will and put him in jail through season 1 and most of 2 is now just spilling his guts to his protégé. Also, the show wants me to believe that Will is considering running away with big H because he is just as enamored, as if I didn’t see this man struggle with every fiber of his tortured soul to not become Garrett Jacob Hobbs. 

All of this leads up to the blood match of the century at Hannibal’s house where the plan, duh, goes awry. This is where the worst season of all, season 3, certified fresh 98% on Rotten Tomatoes comes in like a flaming pile of garbage on a train. We whisk away to Europe and don’t give a fuck about following up on all our bloodied main characters we’ve grown to care about in two seasons. Suddenly the few ‘smart’ characters who speak in riddles multiplies to the point where not a single character isn’t speaking in code when talking to one another. Alana even gets this fucking insane line where she says bone marrow got in her blood stream so now she thinks differently. It’s insane. The only saving grace is Jack and that’s only because he’s the only consistent character throughout the show. He has a clean narrative and understandable motives. He’s the only character the script didn’t treat like an amorphous blob that changes on it’s whim as if it were Zeus having a bad hair day. After Hannibal is captured, the show dips down to a slow descent to it’s ending. It once again tries to make me question Will’s loyalty while simultaneously giving me no plot to support any major changes and just telling me that he’s changed right before he does. It’s totally asinine. I had pretty much shut completely down by the last 3 episodes. I think it’s borderline hilarious that the show honestly wants me to think that baiting the Dragon with Hannibal is the ONLY viable option to catch him. They don’t even consider any other possibilities. It’s just lazy. Let the whole show go over the cliff for all I care.

And all of this isn’t even getting in to how atrociously this show treats women. Alana Bloom starts as being the only person in Will’s corner who they force to be his love interest in one of the most un-sexually charged scenarios I’ve ever seen. They then, completely against character, make her Hannibal’s love interest for what I thought was an alibi, but I guess was genuine and again, not set up in the slightest. As previously mentioned, she does a 180 due to some bone marrow and is then a lesbian for another grotesque sex sequence that they just seem to love making her star in for pseudo prime time pornography. I mean, I guess I’m happy she ends up married with a kid? Beverly Katz is separated and pinned up like a museum display because she just happened to be smart. Every character hates Freddie Lounds and the show obviously wants you to hate her too, but when you think about it, why? What has she done other than be a strong independent woman who is chasing a career in the gruesome and trying to tell what she believes is the truth when other’s sweep the severity under the rug. The show hates her so much that if you start to break it down and remove her character from the show, the plot literally doesn’t change. She exists to be a punching bag. The only saving grace about Bella is the fact that her passing doesn’t push Jack’s story along at all, but her choice of passing was not only taken away by a man, it was then decided on a date not of her choosing by another. She has not a single bit of autonomy, even while being presented as a strong woman. Abigail Hobbs seems interesting enough, but in reality she’s nothing more than a way for Will and Hannibal to process their emotions and surrogate dad feelings onto. She is then “killed” off and, surprise, brought back only to be killed off again, only to BE BROUGHT BACK to find out she was a dead figment of Will’s fucked up imagination. Margot Verger is one of the most appalling examples of how this show treats women in the fact that she is not only sexually and physically abused, but she is also sterilized. Then, in season 2, when you think she finally can exact her revenge on her brother since he is rendered invalid, you find in season 3 that she did none of that, continued to let him torture her until someone else come’s down like a savior angel, Hannibal, and gives her the way she absolutely could have done herself to give her an out. The show literally wants me to believe that both Margot and Alana could not have considered the path to freedom without Hannibal’s help. They want you to believe these are not capable women because the show doesn’t believe women are. Unless it’s plot necessary, but only for that long. Du Maurier was smart enough to leave before Hannibal went to kill her in season 2, but for some reason in season 3 she comes back willingly to let him take her and torture her. Then she, I GUESS, cooks her leg up for him to visit as one of the final scenes of the show!?!!? Chiyoh was locked up for 20 years, supposedly, because she couldn’t leave behind the man who killed Hannibal’s sister, and when she is finally free, her whole character revolves around her being a good shot and wanting to help Hannibal because ??????? It makes absolutely no sense. Then, season 3 went ahead and went we need a woman who is blind to the fact that her partner is a serial killer, might as well make her blind for real. It’s repulsive, disgusting, and I don’t know why anyone enjoys this drivel. 

Verdict: 

P.S. my favorite character is Chilton. He’s one of the two consistent characters (hey, Jack!) and the fact that he just keeps getting brutally mutilated,  but can’t stay away from serial killers is downright pathological. He also shined so brightly in the scene just before he gets shot through the mouth in the interrogation room. I never would have guessed I’d be rooting for him. I was actually worried when the Dragon caught him, but there’s no squashing that cockroach of a man! 

[kyberphilosopher]

Seven: Chapter Eight

ChApt3r EigHt

         I’m not sure why, but I feel like something so unsettling I can’t define it the next few days. I keep running diagnostics to see if I can find a reason in my numbers as to why I let Bryan go. My report always comes back the same. I am fully functional. There are no anomalies.

          I think I wish that I did find an anomaly. Then maybe I would have something to report to Adelicia, but I don’t. I can already tell she’ll have nothing good to say to me though. Even if there was a good, practical reason for what I had done, she would’ve found something wrong with it I’m sure.

          I am more scared of Adelicia than anyone else in the world. When I was first created, she was the first one I talked to. Even though I’m taller than her, her and her shadow seems to loom over me coldly. There has always been an unspoken rapport between us: she, the master- the handler, and I, the servant of her will. I am terrified of disappointing her. She makes me want to do better… or something like that.

          I think Cal might suspect what I did. He doesn’t say it or really show it, but occasionally his eyes will linger on me a while longer than they should before he snaps at me. When this happens, Officer Shovelman is usually in the background, offering me sympathetic smile.

          But I think me and Cal’s relationship is improving. Slowly, and not by much, but it is. “Robocop” seems to have become a normal nickname for me with him. Others include “Tin Fuck”, “Scraps”, “Dippy-Doo”, and “Circuits de Soleil”. I find the last one to be particularly clever. I continue to refer to him as his name and title- either Detective Kennedy or just Cal.

          Cal comes in at different times every day. Sometimes, it’s only a little past nine. Other times, it’s closer to twelve. He usually carries a coffee cup with him, reeking of alcohol and musk. His shirt is the only thing that seems to change in his outfit. He wears the same hooded jacket and jeans, same dusty sneakers he’s had for years. His shirt is always in dark, muted colors. Never neon. I like guessing which color he will wear each day. Today, it’s a navy blue. I think it looks nice against his olive skin tone, but I know better than to say that to him.

          I really don’t think Cal likes me at all. It’s discouraging. I was made to work directly with humans and integrate peacefully as part of the ‘perfect team’, but I can’t seem to handle this one, grumpy detective.

          It’s not even the kind of grumpy that works well on him. Cal is a young guy. He’s turning 27 in a few days. He’s not an older man with wispy grey hair who’s always ready with some kind of racial comment. Cal is angry at everyone and everything, especially Androids. I have no reasoning behind this.

          However discouraging Cal Kennedy is to me, I find solace in the fact that he likes me more than Celeste.

          I can’t prove it. It’s just something I feel. It’s a kind of social truth that everyone seems to know- even Shovelman and Ho-Kim and I’m sure Blackwell. I know Blaise and Tom laugh about it for sure, though they seem to laugh about everything.

          Still, all of these things I’ve come to observe do nothing to quench my unsettling feeling.

          Something must be wrong with me. I had an Exception Android right in front of me- actively breaking the law and hiding from it. I could’ve taken him. So why didn’t I?

          I thought I knew what I had to do. But now, something inside of me is questioning if it’s really that simple. I don’t think it is anymore.

          That Android… he killed humans. But he killed humans who were going to do bad things. He felt a sense of… a sense of injustice. And maybe he was right about it. Have I ever felt a sense of injustice? Is something wrong with my software? It must be. Or maybe I’m just overthinking it. I must be overthinking it. I’m no Exception Android. I’m a state of the art prototype. I always accomplish my mission.

          And yet, I chose to fail at a task given to me because something inside told me it was the right thing to do. Ridiculous. How ridiculous of me.

          Tonight though, I’ll have a chance to redeem myself. Detective Kennedy has assembled a sort of team for a stakeout, and he’s forced to bring me along. I know because Captain Ericson yelled at him for it. I guess all that really means is that I’ll be the only one content with the circumstances.    

          I have all the information for the stakeout in my memory. We are checking out an old apartment building like the one Bryan was in, searching to see if any Androids come the way. Apparently, reports of defective Androids have increased in the area, and it would be the best space to ‘lay low’ in. I’ve tried to mention to Cal that there are other, more logical places for an Android to hide, but Cal insists that this is the best option. He calls it a hunch. It is something I wouldn’t understand. I know, because he snaps it at me.

          We are scheduled to leave at approximately 6 pm. It is already 5. Cal has made no attempt at moving or packing. It’s awfully annoying.

          “Detective, don’t you think you should begin preparing for the stakeout?” I ask, leaning forward in my chair.

          “Nope,” Cal says, popping the ‘p’. His eyes don’t even flit up to look at me. They stay glued to a book he’s reading.

          Up til this point, I’d never seen Cal read anything except for case files. But here he is, clear as a statistic, holding a book with his feet kicked onto the desk. I’ve identified the book to be none other than ‘The Art Have Nots’ by Chase Jeremy. Even though the detective seems to be reading it to simply piss off everybody around him and be somewhat obnoxious and smug, he does seem to be enjoying the book. His pupils are dilated enough for me to observe this.

          “But it’s scheduled to start soon,” I say because I’m confused.

          “And I’m scheduled to punch you right in your face soon. Fuck outta here.”

          I frown. There is no reason for Cal to be so aggressive and angry towards me, and yet he is. However, I know better than to push his buttons and make matters worse right before a case. I remove myself from my chair and grab a small backpack lent to me by the department from under my desk.

          For a moment, I think Cal is going to glance up at me. The human eye is drawn to movement, after all. But there is nothing. I’ll save myself the equivalent of Android embarrassment and walk away.

          Once I’ve entered the bathroom, I place the backpack on the ground. Unzipping it, I find dull colored clothes that remind me a lot of Cal’s, and the comparison makes me smile a little. These are the clothes I’ve been ordered to wear for the stakeout, to look less suspicious should an Android pass by.

          I’m not worried about privacy. I wouldn’t feel ashamed or embarrassed if some woman walked into the bathroom and saw me changing clothes. I’m not a person, I’m an Android. My form has nothing to it but my makers aesthetic. They would have nothing to be jealous of.

          No woman interrupts me while I’m changing. Soon, I stand in front of the mirror, observing my outfit. I’m wearing a baggy, slightly distressed leather jacket with a grey hoodie attached. Under is a black turtleneck which is also a little to big for me. The jeans hug my thighs, but then become looser and torn around my knees. To match the grunge appearance are some brown boots and a dark beanie that reminds me an awful lot of the one Bryan was wearing. I keep my hair in it’s bun though, with the wisps of my bangs hanging out.

          My led flashes yellow as I analyze the jacket. I can see coffee stains, marks from a blue sharpie, and a little cartoon penis drawn right under my elbow. The size and all the other pieces of evidence point to this being Detective Cal Kennedy’s jacket.        

          Out of something  I can���t explain, I lean forward and sniff the collar. It smells just like Cal. A hint of smoke from cigarettes, something like cologne, and gasoline. Not overly strong, but identifiable and unique to him.

          I scrunch my eyebrows together at myself in the mirror. My led goes red.

Why Did I Do That?

     I have no answer for myself. I would rather not think about it much longer though, because then Adelicia might see and she’d be very upset with me. I shake my head, grab the backpack, and push the bathroom door open.

          As I’m making my way back to the bullpin, a woman smiles at me. A real, genuine smile. I don’t know if it’s because she can’t see my led, or because she’s just a polite person, but it throws me off a little for second.

Name: Sophia Syphers

Date of Birth: April 30th, 2017- Age 24

Height: 5’1

Weight: 131 lbs

Race: White, European-American

Birthplace: Seattle, Washington

Occupation: H.R Psychologist at Seattle Police Department

          I make a note of her occupation and appearance in my memory and continue on my way, not even pausing to look at her. I’m sure she’s made a mistake. Nobody really smiles at Androids, unless they are a small child or the Android is their own.

          It is only when I’m approaching Cal’s desk when I decide to analyze his coffee cup. It’s nearly empty, and I’ve already calculated multiple scenarios where he complains about what his lack of coffee tonight.

          It is 5:11. I have time.

          I make a quick swerve to the left, and enter into the break room. It is quiet now, and empty. Most everyone has gone home except for a few officers who are logging out. Celeste is still here, but that’s only because she’ll be joining us tonight. I don’t like that very much. I would much rather have Blaise, or Tom.

          I’m glad though, for the moment, that Celeste isn’t here.

          I appreciate the silence. Even as I place my bag on one of the tall tables and shuffle over to the counters against the wall in my baggy jeans, I feel more at peace. Just in the moment. Just kind of existing. I could almost pretend that I’m a human in this minute.

          First I observe that the coffee filter is empty. Because of this, I open the minifridge and remove one of the water bottles from it. It must be placed their newly, because it’s not yet cold. I poor the water into the filter, then grab the coffee grounds and add them. Last step is to turn the machine on and let it do it’s business. Shouldn’t take too long.

          I cross my arms and take a step back, looking at the ugly wall color of the room. It’s a sort of blue, vomit colored green I don’t think looks too nice. It would’ve been better with a mustard gold color, or even a plain grey.

          The synthetic hair on my arms prick up. I turn my head to the left, and see that just outside the glass walls of the room, Cal has been watching me. He looks calm for a second. Then he processes that I’ve seen him and turns back around.

          But this is a win, because he didn’t look so angry with me. I’m sure he will appreciate me bringing him his coffee. The thought makes me smile, just a little.

Software Instability ^

          Cal has turned his attention back to his book, so I return mine to the coffee pot. I’m happy to see that it’s done, and looks rather perfect.

          I take one of the plastic cups stacked on the counter, and poor in the coffee. I can feel how hot it is, but it doesn’t make me flinch at all. I’m built to withstand every condition. After, I put a lid on the cup. Cal takes his coffee black, so there’s no need for me to remember a crazy list of things to add.

          When I turn around to present the coffee to Cal and grab my pack, I am met face to face with none other than Celeste herself. Her face is slightly flushed, but that is from anger I assume.

          “Hey scraps,” she says with poison.

          “Hello, Officer Amora,” I say politely. My voice is calm, as usual.

          “What is that?” Celeste hisses, glancing to the steaming cup in my hands.

          “It’s a cup of coffee for Detective Kennedy. I saw he was low and decided to make some for him.”

          Celeste scoffs. “You made an entire new pot of coffee just for Cal?”

          “Correct. I thought he would enjoy it.”

          “Well he wouldn’t.” Celeste snaps her hand up and knocks the cup from my hands. It spills onto the floor, the bitter liquid spreading around and creating quite the mess. I don’t flinch.

          “I’m sorry. I thought you would be pleased to know Detective Kennedy had received his caffeine for the night.”

          Celeste gets closer to me. She’s glaring into my eyes, watching for any reason to pounce. I can smell her overly flowery perfume. She must’ve worn it specially for Cal. Her face is laced into a sneer, brown eyes narrowed in anger.

          “Who the fuck do you think you are?” she whispers, her breath hitting my plastic face.

          “Aleksandra. I’m the Android sent me Icarus.”

          This quip (which wasn’t meant as a quip at all), does me know good. Celeste’s hand balls into a fist, and comes up to meet my stomach.

          Androids don’t feel pain, but they do feel pressure. They feel sensations that are the equivalent of pain, or the closest to pain that they could feel. So when Celeste punched me, I didn’t feel ‘pain’, but I did feel something hard come up against my abdomen. In fact, I think it might’ve lightly knocked against my biocomponent.

          My led cycles red, and my vision flickers darkly. My legs buckle under me, and I drop to a kneel, clutching my plastic belly. The jeans I’m wearing become soiled in the dark coffee on the floor. Through the hole in them, I can feel the warmth against my knee.

          “You’re just a piece of plastic,” Celeste bites. “When you’re done with this, clean up the mess you made. You better not let me see you again tonight.” Then she leaves.

          I stay down, waiting for my Binary Blood to become regulated once again. Once it is, I run a diagnostic. All systems are functional, even though part of me doesn’t believe it.

          It’s 5:21. I still have time to make Cal some coffee if I hurry.

          I push myself off the floor at 5:23. With some paper towels, the floor is clean of coffee at 5:27. The last thing to do is pick up the plastic cup and toss it away. After that, I poor Cal a fresh cup of hot coffee and put a top on it. Uninterrupted this time, I grab my backpack and leave the break room at 5:29.    

          I can’t help the frown that graces my features at 5:30. Cal’s desk is empty. I had wanted to present this cup to him and watch him take it, maybe receive a bit of a smile. He probably just took my advice to go and finally prepare himself. His book is still here, so I’m sure he’ll be back.

          I put the cup down on his desk near the book, careful to avoid the messily strewn trinkets. Then I round myself to my own desk, sitting down politely.

          Cal emerges from the elevator at 5:38. I perk up upon seeing him, inhaling his scent of smoke and faded cologne. Rubbing the back of his head tiredly, I notice he’s wearing the same outfit as he was. I don’t mind this, though. I realize that Cal doesn’t really need to change clothes for a stakeout, because he already looks nothing like a cop. I assume that Celeste, who is joining us, is off in the girls bathroom now.

          “Hello, Detective,” I greet. I can’t explain why I’m so much happier to see him instead of Celeste.

          “Tin-Fuck?” Cal replies, tiredly and squinting his eyes at me. “Could’ve sworn you were a human for a second.”

          We both know that’s not true. He saw me in the break room, making coffee for him earlier.

          “Yes. These clothes are quite different from my normal ones. I think I like it.”

          Cal grunts and sits in his chair. He swivels the chair around childishly, but then slows when his eyes lock with the cup of coffee I had placed down. He stops, plants his feet firmly on the ground and perks up. His hand stretches out to touch it, but then he stops himself. “Who made this?”

          “I-”

          “Hey, Cal!”

          Cal turns to the direction of the voice. My smile and warmer atmosphere falters, diminished because I know exactly how unpleasant the next few moments will be.

          The voice belongs to none other than Celeste Amora, who currently looks like a ‘painted whore’. She’s let her hair down, and is wearing a black bra with a light white jacket. Paired with shorts, fish net tights, and heeled boots. I do not really care for this look at all. Still, I detect an increase in Cal’s heartbeat. I can’t see it, but I bet his eyes look her up and down just then.

          “Celeste,” Cal greets, dryly.

          “You look like a prostitute,” I say. Cal coughs suddenly and Celeste snaps to look at me, nostrils flaring.

          “It’s my disguise.”

          At that point, a line pops into my head that I have to stop myself from saying. However, the line was something like “if you wanted to look like a prostitute, you didn’t need much of a disguise”.

          But I don’t. I’m an Android. I am polite to humans.

          Still, I can’t help the very human like twitch of sadness in my stomach when I see that Cal has left his coffee behind. He doesn’t even take it with him when we leave for his car.

[emblem-333]

What-If The Rock Never Came Back?

The WWE after the unfortunate retirement of superstar, and champion Edge, was a baron wasteland shallow on talent. Arguably, a worse roster than the first couple of years post-Hulk Hogan in the mid-1990’s. Where at least then creative was willing to take risks and search for new guys to be that top Babyface, WWE didn’t feel the need to do that and instead relied heavily on John Cena and Randy Orton, and called in favors whenever they felt it necessary.

Chris Jericho, Kevin Nash, Triple H, The Undertaker dragged out of retirement with mixed results. Though Jericho was successful, the company pushed their chips in the middle of the table for the pasty Irishmen Shaemus. A wrestler who makes Roman Reigns look awesome in comparison. To put it bluntly, Shaemus was disgusting.

This era seemed all too hapless. Alberto Del Rio, a decent heel, talented wrestler won the Royal Rumble and faced the champion Edge in the third match on the WrestleMania card. Before 2006, winning the rumble meant you would main event WrestleMania. But, like all things, corporate meddling ruins a perfectly good thing for no good reason. If Vince McMahon doesn’t believe Del Rio to be main event material, then put somebody else over at the event. Nobody overthinks and under-thinks likes the WWE.

If there’s one thing WWE did right it was how they told the three-year story of John Cena and his feud with returning superstar The Rock. Starting off at WrestleMania 27, Cena gunning for The Miz’ WWE Championship. Though creative did allow Rock to bury both Miz and Cena, it is an otherwise small blemish on a well told, large scale story.

Miz deserves credit for getting himself over. His name is stupid. He has a very punchable face. His brash, egotistical demeanor built him up to status of champion. His fame from the Reality TV show MTV’s The Real World: Back to New York shotgunned him to stardom. He started appearing on Jimmy Fallon’s show and for the first time in a while WWE had an organic star. Cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Randy Orton on a November 22nd episode of Raw after Orton defended against Wade Barrett.

Heading into ‘Mania, Miz was 133 days into what’ll end up as a 160 day title reign. Rock overseeing the festivities foreshadowed the larger tale in its beginning stages. The Miz retained twice that night. Once on a count-out, the other when Rock intervened and Rock Bottomed Cena from behind. The Miz left still the champion. But with Rock standing above his lifeless body after taking a devastating Spinebuster, followed by a People’s Elbow, the Miz’ push was effectively over as we transitioned wholly into the Rock-Cena feud.

Outside of The Miz, WWE didn’t really bulldoze anyone while building to their “Once in a lifetime” fantasy match. In fact, someone else rose to prominence during all of this. C.M Punk. The C.M stands for many things. Chick Magnet. Chicago Made. Punk dallied around in the second tier of WWE contending for the World Heavyweight Championship strap. Gaining wins over the likes of The Undertaker, Jeff and Matt Hardy, and Batista.

His intel gimmick was promoting his “Straight Edge” persona. Normally an Atheist, Punk portrayed himself as a cult leader absolving troublemakers of their sins. Wrapped around his fists is tape with big X’s on each hand. This is what club bouncers would do to underaged club attendants to notify bartenders not to drink. On his knuckles “Drug” and “Free” are tattooed. Punk lived this gimmick and cranked it up to 11.

Eventually, Punk’s gimmick ran out of steam and he was forced to go back to the drawing board. With his contract set to expire after 2011’s Money in the Bank, Punk was set to square up against champion Cena. In effort to juxtapose himself with the usually straight laced Cena, Punk decided to incorporate his real-life frustrations with WWE’s creative into a promo one night on Raw. Promising to take the belt with him out of the WWE showing no intentions of re-signing. Punk mentioned that Hulk Hogan, Rock, and Cena was good for was kissing Vince McMahon’s ass. He derided the fans for their superficiality. Harangued the McMahon Family for their stupidity. Punk wasn’t just an average run of the mill heel to be beaten. Punk portrayed himself as someone with a purpose.

How this was all packaged felt so unnatural fans actually believed Punk was leaving the WWE whether he won or lost. That even if he did win, he’d just leave as champion. With special guest referee Triple H watching, Punk defeated Cena (though Cena clearly had his foot on the ropes rendering the pin nullified, HHH didn’t see it) and absconded with the belt never to return...

He’d be back in eight days.

The new champion was fan favorite Rey Mysterio. A 5-foot, 6 inch Mexican luchador. His only main title was his brief reign as World Heavyweight Champion years ago. Just as fast Rey rose to the top he found himself in the mid card. Still, after defeating a lukewarm The Miz in a meh match the crowd become unglued. Their masked hero was given the push he deserved. Though it wasn’t on the grandest of stages it didn’t matter.

In less than an hour Cena would take the belt back from Rey.

One word: Bastards.

Why act like you’re giving the fans something they desperately wanted only to take it away so fast? Having Rey as champion meant nothing. He didn’t even hold it for a week.

Anyways, Cena is champion only to again fall to Punk at a match for Summerslam. Within minutes, Money in the Bank winner Del Rio would cash-in his briefcase and win the belt for himself. Del Rio was in the tournament Mysterio won for Punk’s vacant belt. He lost to Kofi Kingston in the first round. I understand why you can’t have a heel vs heel match for the championship, but of all the people to get one over on the conniving Punk why does it have to be the uninspiring Del Rio?

This was basically done to get Cena out of the title picture so he could let Rock go over at ‘Mania. Why does Rock need to win at ‘Mania you ask? Because we need a reason to do this again the next year. Why do we need to this same match again next year? Because fuck you.

Punk entered WrestleMania the champ, winning the strap back from Del Rio at Survivor Series. Punk would go on to hold the belt for 442. A returning Chris Jericho came in second in the Royal Rumble and earned himself a title shot, losing by submission. This was the highest profile win for Punk during his long reign.

Punk’s title reign came to an end at the hands of The Rock at the Royal Rumble to set up a rematch with Cena. While the first Cena-Rock match did gangbusters at the box office was well received critically, the second incarnation fell flat. We can’t really blame WWE for chasing the cash. That’s their prerogative as a corporation.

But say we lived in a perfect world? What-if Rock simply never came back?

Well, WrestleMania 27 goes down as perhaps the biggest disaster in the companies history since WrestleMania 9. That card was severely lacking in star power which is exactly why The Rock was needed to host. The top heel going into the event was a mysterious G.M who only made their presence known via email from a laptop next to the announce table.

WrestleMania 28, Cena likely goes into the PPV the challenger to face the champion Punk. Royal Rumble winner Shaemus (yuck) sadly beats World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds.

The biggest loser is Jericho. Given absolutely nothing to do, despite being incredibly talented and superior to Shaemus. In our timeline, Jericho earned his title shot by winning a Ten Man Battle Royal on Raw. That definitely doesn’t happen. WWE was pushing Shaemus HARD. In my perfect world, Jericho and Bryan have a show higher up on the card with the young heel Bryan going over.

But, as we’ve previously established. The WWE run by a bunch of talentless, thoughtless bastards who wage constant war with the people they are supposed to try and get money from.

For my preferred scenario, Bryan going over even with the secondary belt probably placates his rapid fans for at least a few more years.

Cena likely goes over Punk clean as a whistle after losing (via shenanigans) twice before.

From simply making The Rock disappear we’ve cost the WWE millions, elevated Bryan, and destroyed Punk’s illustrious lengthy title reign.

The second year of this scenario, instead of a “Worst Year of Cena’s Life” shtick, perhaps we’re treated to his best year. He main events every PPV, successfully defends his title beating back various heels. Cena’s title reign is unspectacular outside of the walls of WWE.

Okay, on second thought... Punk retains. He retains versus Cena, Jericho, Kane, Ryback, Orton, simply runs through the roster. At the Royal Rumble with no Rock to push Punk down a peg he retains heading into WrestleMania 29. The only hurdle he hasn’t overcome is The Undertaker and his WrestleMania Streak of 20-0.

Does Punk end The Streak? Should he? Oh, hell no! Punk probably had one foot out the door by then for a multitude of understandable reasons. Regardless, the money in this universe is pitting Streak vs Streak.

Our good friend Daniel, his reign eventually ends, but he isn’t shuffled so far down the card so his epic, long-standing push culminating in his crowning achievement in WrestleMania 30 is pushed back a year or two. Maybe in WrestleMania 31 it’s Bryan in Seth Rollins place cashing in his MITB briefcase mid-match to steal the World Heavyweight Championship from under Brock Lesnar and Roman Reign’s noses.

[sandeepadnani]

Breathe

Dumplin’

Hello, my name is Doris

I love you Philip Morris

Swiss Army Man

Identity thief

Behind the Candelabra

Boy Erased

Bird box

The emoji movie

Babu driver

Why him

The little prince

Geostorm

Breathe: Based on a true story, with effective leads Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy, it speaks of the perils of polio and how a couple fought to survive it in the 1950s. A moving and triumphant film!

3.5/5

Dumplin’ : Jennifer Aniston plays a former winner of a local beauty pageant and the mom of a teenage girl, Danielle Macdonald. Perceptions of size and beauty are handled sensibly, while exploring the relationships of those who care for us and those who give birth to us.

3/5

Hello, my name is Doris: Sally Field plays an woman in her 60s, who hasn’t seized a moment in her life. Enter a much younger colleague Max Greenfield, who she tries to impress by stepping outside her comfort zone. What follows is a cute story of taking a chance, evolution and letting go.

2.5/5

I love you Philip Morris: Based on a true story, Jim Carey figures out multiple questionable ways to make money and escape from jail. His partner Ewan McGregor stands by him as he moves from phase to phase of life, till the law catches up with him. An entertaining watch.

3.5/5

Swiss Army man: Daniel Radcliffe makes an unusual corpse in this film, acting as a metaphor for how our survival makes many instincts set in. He inadvertently helps Daniel Scheinert rescue himself. A bizarre tale!

2.5/5

Identity thief: Melissa McCarthy is an expert identity thief, and poor unsuspecting Jason Bateman gets conned into a big mess. What follows is a wild goose chase with an unexpected end. A light watch.

2.5/5

Behind the Candelabra: The famous pianist Liberace is played by Michael Douglas and Matt Damon plays his partner, and together they show us a world of excess, deceit, talent, love, lust and power. A great insight into an icon, his eccentricities and his mind games.

3.5/5

Boy erased: This film explores a topic of controversy and how it impacts a conservative family. Nicole Kidman and Russel Crowe play the concerned parents of Lucas Hedges, who they coerce into trying conversion therapy. It’s effects on him and them are explored as the family fight to stay connected.

3.5/5

Bird Box: Sandra Bullock shows us once again why she’s at the forefront of good content. A novel concept, a kind of apocalypse is explored here, where the audience is invested from the first moment. She keeps it taut and tense till the end. A brilliant watch!

3.5/5

The emoji movie: The film explores something we use in daily life, but cunningly makes a world filled with challenges for emojis, giving them distinct personalities. A fun watch!

2.5/5

Baby driver: Has a cool Ansel Elgort who drowns out his intense and chaotic world, and Kevin Spacey who puts him there. Supported by Lily James, Jamie Foxx and others, it’s a tale of great love, great opportunities and great betrayals.

3/5

Why Him: Is a funny film which centers around the protests of father Bryan Cranston on his to be son in law, James Franco. He is eccentric and odd, with nothing conventional about him. A perfect flight watch.

2/5

The little prince: Based on the novel by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, it’s a wonderful film which explores a rich world filled with metaphors and messages, giving proper homage to the source using stop motion animation woven into computer animation.

3/5

Geostorm: A disaster film starring Gerard Butler, it weaves a not so unreal scenario of drastic changes in weather caused by climate change. Filled with good special effects and set in many cities across the world, it sends a message loud and clear.

2.5/5

[automaticdragonkitten]

Breaking Bad: A Modern Western

For this next section on Breaking Bad, I am going to examine how it could be considered a modern show, as well as a neo-western show. I will also look at the performances by the actors that drive this idea home. If you take a look at where, as well as when the series takes place you can begin to see what I am talking about. The entire series outside of a handful of the last few episodes takes place in the South West of the United States of America in New Mexico.

The scenes like this that take place out in the desert really help drive this feeling of a western home. If you look at the events that take place in the desert however you can start to get a taste as to why this show is modern. Going back to the first few episodes of the show, and Walt/Jessie are taking a newly purchased RV out there to cook meth which is quite a new concept to the world in general at this time. This event of bringing the RV out there is later almost thwarted by Jessie's drug dealing associates, which ends in a grisly standoff between Walt/Jessie and the thwarters ultimately perishing in the RV. They are killed due to Walt's quick thinking of smashing chemicals onto the floor suffocating them. This is a truly unique way to showcase a western standoff over drugs/money.

Another cluster of action we need to account for takes place in the episode "Grilled" where Walt/Jessie end up in a standoff with their first drug dealer Tuco Salamanca. The sequence involves Walt/Jessie being brought out to his grandfather's desert home, and they end up in a tense standoff with him. This ultimately ends with the character Hank, Walt's DEA agent brother in law killing Tuco allowing Walt/Jessie to escape. Not to mention it ends with a low rider vehicle bouncing up and down surrounded by bullet casings and glass. This sequence presents us with yet another unique western scenario.

One additional sequence in the show to look at would be Walt's final standoff with Jack and his gang. If you think about westerns in general, or even other neo-westerns one common theme throughout them is money, a bounty, or some kind of person/item worth something. Stemming from the two episodes "To'hajiilee", and "Ozymandias" Walt develops a personal hatred for Jack due to his actions in these episodes which both take place out in the New Mexico desert. Jack comes to Walt's rescue per Walt's orders but ends up killing Hank, and taking around 70 million of Walt's money in the process. This enrages Walt, which leads to him building an oscillating machine gun into the trunk of his vehicle and showing up at Jack's compound ultimately killing nearly everyone there.

In addition to these sequences, the character types and how they are acted firmly place this show in the modern neo-western category. The character of Walter White doing anything he pleases in the Southwest United States while being hotly pursued by the DEA as well as other enemies he makes along the way is complimented incredibly well by Bryan Cranston's performance. This sequence here really drives this home showcasing Walt as this lead anti-hero akin to many strong-headed film cowboy characters of the past and present.

Not only is it Walt as a character, and Bryan Cranston as a performer aiding this case. But Hank as well, portrayed by Dean Norris. He represents the law in this show, as well as adding another strong-headed main character into the mix. In this case, the DEA, as well as Hank, are similar to many other forces of law in western/neo-western films. (See "No Country For Old Men" and Tommy Lee Jones character for a great comparison between two modern neo-western law forces in film.)

Granted these two scenes are not exactly the same, but they both represent the same idea: chasing down a criminal tied to some kind of drugs/money/ or cartel.

One final character and performance we can look at is Aaron Paul as Jessie Pinkman. From the start of the show through a significant portion of the show Jessie plays a sidekick to Walt doing almost his every bidding.

I think this article here also adds to some of my points nicely.

[honeybearloco]

“...You’re Back.”

Requested by an anon. I am now the barrier of Bryan scenarios. You all come to me for your Bryan scenarios now. A lot of people asked for this so I have come through for you guys. 

Bryan Cha$e X Female Reader

Request: Part 3 of ‘...What About Us?’ and ‘...You’re Pitiful.”

"I want to be here for the both of you."

"I know you do. And I’m happy you’re back."

Holding her tightly in your arms, tears slowly fell down your face. Your daughter, Choi Jaeyoung. She reminded you of Bryan who you hadn’t seen in months. Though you hated him at the moment, you gave your daughter his last name.

Days later, you had been able to take your daughter home. Your Mother fearing for both you and her granddaughter had decided to come stay with you for a little while. She helped around the house, helped around with Jaeyoung, and many other things. She often did complain about the small apartment you lived in as well as the neighborhood you stayed in. According to her, the neighborhood you lived in wasn’t fit for a first-time mother nor was it fit for a newborn. You just shrugged it off and went about your day.

One thing that was throwing your mother off was the father of Jaeyoung. She knew how you felt about bringing up her father so she never said anything about it.

One night, your mother and Jaeyoung had fallen asleep earlier. Finally, you had gotten some time alone. There was a knock on your door. You walked to the front door and opened the door to reveal a familiar face that you hadn’t seen in a long time.

"Bryan." You whispered as your eyes widened.

He scratched a spot behind his neck. "Is this a bad time?" He asked.

"What do you want?" You questioned.

"Can we talk?"

"Sure, totally. We’re just going to talk after everything that happened." You pointed out, folding your arms.

He let out a sigh, "Y/N I just really want to talk. I haven’t had the chance to talk to you. And seeing that your Mom is here now, it’s really hard for me."

You scoffed, "You’re going to blame my mother for you not being able to talk to me? How dare you?!"

"Shh! Keep it down. I don’t want her to know I’m here. I’m more afraid of her than anyone else."

You let out a sigh before stepping outside, closing the door behind you. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Can we walk and talk?" He asked.

You rolled your eyes. "Fine. Let’s go."

The two of you had walked down the street. "You better stop talking before I head back."

"I know I disappeared and I’m so so sorry that I left you like that. All of this is my fault. I shouldn’t have been so irresponsible. I get it if you hate him and you have every right to. I hate myself for what I did to you." He confessed.

You looked at him before looking back at the ground. "What about your girlfriend?"

"We broke up a long ass time ago. She fucked me over."

"You deserved it." You added.

"I know I did. And when I came to you that night, I was asking so much of you. I wanted you to love me. I wanted you to be with me but it was obvious that your feelings for me had faded. I don’t deserve your love. I never did. I know that you probably hate me more than anything right now, but I want to ask you something."

"What?"

"Let me see my kid." He answered.

You snapped your head toward him before scoffing. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! You think just because you apologized to me that I will give you a chance to see my daughter. You must be a fucking idiot!" You shouted at him.

You saw tears form in his eyes. He slowly got down on his knees, in a pleading position. He put his hands together, rubbing them. Tears were falling from his eyes as he pleaded you, "Please Y/N, I’ll do anything. I don’t even have the kid another time. Just once. I’m begging you."

Seeing him like this hurt you. You hated to admit it but you felt a little bad for him. After everything he has done to you, you felt bad for him. Tears were forming in your eyes seeing him so hurt.

"I’ll do anything." He repeated.

You wiped your eyes, trying not to let him see. You can’t. You couldn’t.

He slowly reached out to you, trying to grab your hand. Instead of moving away, you stayed still, allowing him to touch your hand. He took your hand into his softly. The feeling was so foreign yet familiar.

"Is this okay?" He asked.

You didn’t answer. You just looked down at your hands. He slowly intertwined your hand with his. You let out a breath, feeling a warm feeling inside. With his other hand, he wiped away the tears that from his eyes. He slowly climbed to his feet, keeping his hand in yours. You looked into his eyes, seeing them sparkle.

"Why?" You questioned.

"Why what?"

"Why come back? Why did you decide to just come back out of nowhere?"

"I didn’t just decide to come back out of nowhere. I’ve been thinking about coming back for a long time. I just didn’t know how you would react. I was scared of how you might react." He answered.

You wiped your eyes, feeling tears pricking again. "I don’t want to be hurt again, Bryan. I’m so sick of being hurt. I don’t need this right now. I’m a mother now. I don’t have time for my heart to be played with by immature grown ass men."

"Please. Please let me see our child, just once. I beg of you."

"It’s a girl."

"A girl?"

You nodded. "Her name is Jaeyoung. Choi Jaeyoung."

You didn’t know but something in his face changed.

"You gave her my last name. Why?"

"I don’t know. I just did in the moment."

He stayed silent. "Do you want to meet her or not?" You questioned.

He nodded his head. The two of you headed back to your apartment. You opened the door to see your mother holding a crying Jaeyoung.

"What happened?" You asked her.

"Jaeyoung woke up crying. I was wondering if you were going to get her but the crying didn’t stop, then I noticed you were gone. So I rushed to her room to tend to her, but she won’t stop crying." Your mother explained.

You walked over, taking Jaeyoung into your own arms. She slowly stops her crying.

"I’m telling you. My own granddaughter doesn’t like me." Your mother added, looking toward the door to see Bryan. She continued, "Bryan. What are you doing here so late?"

"Hello Mrs. L/N. I had to talk to your daughter about something."

"Something so late. It’s 3 in the morning. What were the two of you talking about?"

You and Bryan shared a nervous look with each other before looking at your mother again. She looked at you then Bryan. She something was up.

"Mom, Bryan is Jaeyoung’s father." You confessed.

"I knew it." She said with a small smile.

"You knew?" The both of you asked.

"Of course I did. Jaeyoung has Bryan’s eyes and nose. That is kind of hard to come by. I was just waiting for someone to tell me. As well as your brother who probably won’t be so accepting."

She turned to Bryan. "Do you love my daughter?"

"Mom, don’t-" You started but Bryan spoke over you.

"I love her with every fiber in me." He confessed before continuing. "I would take a bullet to the head for her as well as Jaeyoung."

His words shocked you but put a smile on your face.

"Then I am fine with the two of you being together. But if you break her heart, I will break you, Bryan Choi."

"Yes, ma’am." He said a bit nervous.

Your mother made her way back to her room. You let out a soft giggle. You looked at Bryan and motioned for him to come closer. He stepped further into your house.

"Do you want to hold her?"

He nodded with a small smile. You softly handed Jaeyoung to him, who held her tightly.

"She does have my eyes and nose." Bryan noticed.

You giggled at him. Bryan looked at you with soft eyes and a smile.

"She’s going to be like you."

"And why are you so sure?" He questioned.

"I just have a feeling." He smiled.

Jaeyoung grabbed her finger tightly, not wanting to let go.

"Hi Jaeyoung, it’s me. I’m your Dad. It is so finally good to meet you. You are so precious. Your Mommy gave me a second chance to see you. And I hope she will give me a second chance to love her."

You looked up at him slowly. After a couple of more minutes, Jaeyoung had fallen asleep. You put her to bed before walking back into the living room where Bryan was.

"Did you mean that?"

"Mean what?"

"You want a second chance?" You questioned.

"Why would I lie about something like that? When I said I love you, I meant it. So what about it?"

You looked up as if you were thinking. "I’ll think about giving you a second chance."

He stepped closer to you and softly placed his lips on yours. After a couple of seconds, he pulled away, stroking your cheek softly.

[auburnfamilynews]

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Some big time players won’t be suiting up for a couple of Auburn’s rivals this fall

In a normal year, Auburn would be gearing up for a trip to Atlanta to face off against the North Carolina Tar Heels. We would have already gotten a chance to see a little taste of this Chad Morris offense last weekend in the season opener against Alcorn State.

But this is not a normal year. This is 2020. A crappy year but a historic one nonetheless. Last week, Auburn was unable to practice due to a breakout of COVID-19. This week, Auburn returned to practice while a number of big time players in the SEC decided to hang it up and begin focusing on the NFL Draft.

LSU Loses More Starters

Even in a normal year, LSU’s attrition this off-season would have been wild. Both coordinators, a number of off the field assistants, a Heisman winning QB and 13 starters all gone. But this is not a normal year and the blows have kept coming to the defending national champs. Earlier this week, Ja’Marr Chase announced his intentions to skip his junior season and begin preparation for the NFL Draft.

Thank you! pic.twitter.com/elByYq0oNg

— Ja’MarrChase (@Real10jayy__) August 31, 2020

The Biletnikoff winner put together an outrageous sophomore campaign catching 84 passes for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns. That’s a huge blow to LSU’s offense which already had a mighty task ahead of itself in coming close to the same type of machine that was fielded last fall.

Then later that day another starter announced his intentions to opt out and leave early. Massive nose tackle Tyler Shelvin was expected to help anchor the Tigers defensive line this fall but instead he will be preparing for the upcoming NFL Draft. Chase’s decision makes some sense considering he’s a 1st round lock and matching last fall’s production would have been difficult. Shelvin, on the other hand, probably needed another year to have a chance to move up draft boards. His departure leaves LSU with even less returning contributors from last year’s title team.

Updated LSU depth chart from the national championship game: pic.twitter.com/uOCDidufVl

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) August 31, 2020

Rumors abound others could still jump ship as well. Most notably, buzz is out there that JaCoby Stevens is considering not playing this fall. Ed Orgeron confirmed the speculation that others are weighing the decision but he’s hopeful they will play.

2020 was going to be a tough year for LSU to follow up on last year’s success. Now it might be even tough to be 2018 good. Gus Malzahn is 0-3 against Ed O. No excuse to be 0-4 after this season.

Jamie Newman’s Heisman Campaign Ends

Remember how UGA landed a Heisman contender at QB this off-season? Remember how Jamie Newman was going to come to the SEC, light up SEC defenses and elevate UGA’s offense to 2019 LSU type of heights?

Well that plan has hit a bit of a snag in that Newman doesn’t plan to play a snap for the Dawgs.

. #GODSPLAN pic.twitter.com/1LMOi1lydF

— Jamie Newman (@jlmn12_) September 2, 2020

Newman’s opt out is the most shocking to date. While hype has been off the charts for him this off-season a lot of it was predicated on him having a strong showing in the SEC. His decision to step away now following the first scrimmage and kickoff just 3 weeks away leaves plenty of room for speculation.

Dawgs fans have been quick to pivot from “Newman is the next Cam Newton” to “he’s leaving because JT Daniels beat him out.” However, every reporter worth their salt on the UGA beat has said Newman was the best QB this past weekend and the front-runner for the starting job. Daniels isn’t even cleared for contact yet though that’s expected to happen in the near future.

I thought the Newman hype was overblown but I still believed he was a solid QB. The two things he does really well (run the ball & throw deep) make him tough to defend in the college game. Daniels is a former 5-star with big time arm talent but threw 10 picks his freshman season. He hasn’t seen live action in two years. Throw in a brand new offensive scheme he’s only just started to practice in and it’s hard to see the Dawgs offense looking all that explosive out the gate this fall.

However, given how good this UGA defense should be in 2020 it might not matter all that much. My fear is we see a 2016 rerun where Auburn’s defense dominates the Dawgs offense but the Tigers fail to capitalize offensively. But if there were ever a year for Gus Malzahn to leave Athens with a W you gotta a think a year where the game will be played in a mostly empty stadium against an offense with a brand new scheme with a QB who wasn’t been cleared for contact 3 weeks before the season behind a brand new offensive line would be his best bet.

Get it done Gus.

Not Much of a QB Battle in Tuscaloosa

When Bryce Young flipped from USC to the Tide fans immediately began to speculate he would be usurp Mac Jones as starter. The thought is intriguing. Young was ranked the #1 overall player in the 2020 class. He was an early enrollee so would get a chance to compete against Jones the whole off-season. Fans and even some analysts believe he’s more college ready than Tua was coming out of high school while Jones isn’t as established as Hurts was back in 2017.

But that scenario hasn’t quite unfolded as expected. First, spring practice was cancelled. Second, Young has missed extensive time likely due to either testing positive for COVID-19 or being in quarantine due to exposure. He’s just now returning to practice while Jones has already lead the Tide offense in a scrimmage.

There’s a chance the phenom freshman takes over the gig as the season plays out but for now Mac “Pick 6” Jones looks to be the clear leader of the Crimson Tide offense. He will have plenty of weapons at his disposal this fall despite the departures of Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs. As long as he remembers which color jersey his team is wearing, he’s likely to have a strong season in 2020.

@ZAKOBYMCCLAIN picks it off and GOES THE DISTANCE! pic.twitter.com/HrfPIoqnMz

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) April 7, 2020

Joey Gatewood Still Not Cleared

The NCAA is an infuriating organization for many reasons but one of the biggest has to be its seemingly insane waiver review process. A process that might allow someone like Justin Fields to transfer due to frustrations over playing time to powerhouse Ohio State without having to sit out while Luke Ford, another UGA transfer, is denied despite returning closer to home to be near a sick family member.

Or how about a former USC QB transferring to Athens over the summer being granted a waiver in a months time while a former Auburn QB transfers to UK in December is still waiting to hear anything from the NCAA? Makes total sense.

Despite having left Auburn during the middle of the season, signing with the Cats in December and been given support by Auburn to be immediately eligible, Joey Gatewood’s eligibility status is still up in the air. It makes no sense and while I don’t necessarily wanna see Gatewood start for the Wildcats Week 1 because he would obviously score 5 touchdowns in an upset win while Nix throws 3 picks in the most Auburn of all contests, I don’t understand how no decision has been made at this point.

It’s unlikely even if cleared Gatewood would start for Kentucky with Terry Wilson healthy and ready for action. But you can bet Eddie Gran will have something drawn up to get Gatewood a chance to get some revenge on his former team. But he remains in limbo and given the fact the NCAA just furloughed it’s whole staff, I imagine hope of hearing anything in the near future isn’t high in Lexington.

NCAA is furloughing its entire staff about 600 people in Indianapolis for anywhere between 3-8 weeks. https://t.co/9jRFeSZFZ9

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) September 2, 2020

War Eagle!

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2020/9/3/21418961/around-the-sec-big-time-opt-outs-jamarr-chase-jamie-newman

[81scorp]

Constructive criticism: X-Men 3

(Originally posted as an editorial on Deviantart on July 3, 2016)

Comicbook movies. More specifically: Superhero comicbookmovies. Rarely taken seriously because the material the are based on are rarely taken seriously. While Richard Donner`s Superman was successful and Tim Burton`s Batman managed to step away from the more campy and silver-age image that superhero comics are so heavily associated with, attempts to bring other franchises to the big screen didn`t work that well. Movies of this genre survived mostly by being "so bad it`s good". Attempts were made at making more serious Superhero comicbookmovies like "The Crow" or "Blade". But the wave of not only more comicbookmovies but also more serious comicbookmovies didn`t really take off until Bryan Singer`s X-Men. X-Men wasn`t perfect but it was a good start for the "let`s try to make a serious superhero comicbookmovie and not turn it into a big, campy, live-action saturday morning cartoon joke" genre. When it was time for a sequel the director, writer (or writers) and actors had gotten more familiar with the characters, the world they lived in and things seemed to work more smoothly. Then Bryan Singer left to work on Superman Returns. Brett Ratner took his place and followed the whims of the not-so-competent big suits at Fox. The result... could have been better. What should have been a story about Jean Grey`s transformation into the phoenix was turned into a story about a mutant-cure with the Phoenix Saga in the background. Jean Grey`s Phoenix thing was hinted at in the first movie. (After they stopped the machine Jean Grey gasped as if something had touched her mind. This is just not me interpreting things that aren`t necessarily there, it was confirmed by Singer or some other guy who worked on the first movie.) And it was STRONGLY forshadowed at the end of the second movie. How would I have done it differently? Well, since the story would focus more on the Phoenix thing I would change the title to something that reflected that. The best one I have so far is: X-Men: Birth of the Phoenix. Maybe not perfect, but atleast it`s Phoenix-y.

The Story It begins with young Scott and Jean having a romantic picnic together. Jean says that she`s had this idea about creating some kind of direct link between her mind and Scott`s, in case of a worst case scenario. Scott is OK with the idea and Jean creates the bond. We jump forward in time to the scene in X-Men 2 where Jean sacrifices herself, then cut to Scott waking up. It was a dream... and a memory. Logan and company are fighting in the Dangerroom. Prof X and Beast are watching from a control room. The name "Warren" is mentioned once. Prof X mentions that it is hard to read Kitty`s mind when she`s phasing, it could make it difficult to communicate with her when necessary in a fight. After their Dangerroom session Wolvie bumps into Scott in the hall. There`s a short conversation, like in the movie and they move on. Scott takes his motorbike to go somewhere and have some alone time. Ororo and Kitty goes downtown to buy some computer-stuff. Logan and Peter (Colossus that is) joins them as they want to get a little fresh air. Downtown: Kitty, Ororo,Pete and Logan get attacked by some kind of S.W.A.T team. They deal with their attackers easily but get knocked out by a psi-blast (from an unknown woman hiding in a van nearby). Prof X senses the psi-blast and tries to locate the source but the doors to the van are shut. (The van is very high-tech and with all the doors closed it`s like magneto`s helmet: telepathy-proof.) A second van has picked up the unconscious X-Men, but no one noticed Kitty because she stayed out of the fight. Also: she`s hard to find by a telepath when phasing. She sneaks aboard the second van and stays hidden. Scott is at his alone-time place: the lake where Jean sacrificed herself. Scott remembers the day they held a funeral for Jean. After the ceremony was over Prof X had a private conversation with him. He told Scott that when Jean first came to the school her mental powers were much stronger, too strong in fact for her to be able to control them, she also had a darker side. The Professor used his powers to make Jeans powers weaker and also helped keep her dark side under control. It`s not something he`s proud of but he sees what he did as a necessary evil. Her dark side and her stronger powers were coming back when she sacrificed herself at the lake. "But why didn`t she tell me through our mental bond?"  Scott wondered. "You would probably have tried to stop her." Prof X assumed. "She made her choice Scott, she would probably have killed everyone onboard if she had stayed on the plane." Scott gave himself a minute to process what he`d just heard. We`re back in the present, Suddenly Scott gets a telepathic message from Prof X that fills him in on what has happened and that his help is needed. We get to see another memory: Jean, as a child, had a friend who got run over by a car. This was the moment when Jean`s telepathic powers were triggered and she experienced her friend`s death from her friend`s perspective. There was another girl there who witnessed the whole thing. She was about Jean`s age and she understood what it was like for Jean, because she had telepathic powers too. Her name was Emma Frost. Jean wakes up from her dream/memory. After a few seconds a grown up Emma Frost comes in to check up on Jean. Jean has partial amnesia, she doesn`t remember her time with the X-Men but she remembers her childhood with Emma. Emma was there for her and helped her pull herself together after her other friend had died. The two of them became best friends. Jeans telepathy feels a little sluggish, that`s why Emma`s there, to use her own telepathy to help Jean get her old telepathic strength back. (Jean was in a coma at the bottom of the lake and survived by subconsciously creating an airbubble with her telekinesis. Emma found her with her telepathy and hired two henchmen to dive down and pull her up.) Meanwhile: Prof X explains the situation to Scott, Kurt, Rogue and Bobby. The Prof and Beast will keep their yes open for anything that might tell them where the kidnapped X-Men are. Meanwhile, Bobby, Kurt, Scott and Rogue gets to be out on the field. Their first job is to find and, if possible, recruit a new mutant that has showed up in town. They may be young but they have showed, both in their previous adventures and in Dangerroom, that they are capable of handling serious situations. They leave to prepare themselves for their first mission, except Scott. He stays to have a private word with Prof X.

Scott: You called for me. You assume that I`m gonna come back and fight for you again just like that?

Prof X: Not assuming... more hoping. Even if he`s angry, Scott decides to come back and start fighting for the mutant cause again. ( It`s a kind of "The needs of the many"-logic). He feels that he has mourned enough, been inactive for a long time and needs to get his head back in the game again. So he joins Kurt, Bobby and Rogue in their mission. Meanwhile in an unknown location: Logan, Ororo and Pete are being held prisoners in a room with electronic handcuffs and high-tech collars that work as neural inhibitors that makes them groggy and unable to use their powers. A man called Pierce talks to a man called Shaw through speaker-phones. He leaves the room and Kitty comes out from her hideout. She sees her friends, tells them that she`s gonna go get help and runs away. A guard enters the room just in time to see her phase through a wall. He tells the other guards through his com-radio that there`s an intruder in the headquarters. Scott, Rogue, Kurt and Bobby have found the mutant that they were searching for at a nightclub. His name is Remy Lebeau, goes by the nickname Gambit and he has a cajun-accent. They try to persuade him to join them, he is cautious and thinks that they are some kind of police. The S.W.A.T team that works for the badguys bust into the nightclub. Scott, his gang and Gambit fights them. Scott and his gang also make sure to protect the innocent bystanders and help them escape. Rogue uses her absorbing powers to knock out one of the S.W.A.T guys. Prof Xavier`s school: The telephone rings, Beast answers. It`s Kitty calling. She knows where Logan, Pete and Ororo are imprisoned. She tells them where she`s calling from and that there is a S.W.A.T team chasing her. Beast alerts Scott and the gang through their wrist communicators. They are a little preoccupied fighting their own S.W.A.T team. Kurt volunteers to break away from the fight to find Kitty (since he`s a teleporter and can therefor travel much faster than the others). He finds Kitty and helps her to beat the men that are chasing her. Scott, Gambit and the rest of the gang beats the last S.W.A.T team members. Gambit, used to being a loner, is still cautious but has seen that Scott and his friends are good guys so he decides to stick with them, at least for a while. They know where the HQ of the badguys is thanks to Kitty and they have an idea what they can expect on the inside of it thanks to Rogue. Rogue also picked up a name from the S.W.A.T guy`s memory, she just doesn`t have a face to go with that name. The name is: White Queen. Somewhere else: Jean is alone in her room, practising her telekinesis on some objects. She remembers when the Professor came to her home and talked to her parents and that Emma had a bad feeling about him. Then came the day when she moved to Xavier`s school. Emma was there to say good bye and wave her of. She told Jean that she didn`t trust the Professor. After a couple of days on the school she found out that the Professor had discovered that her powers were greater than his and that he felt theatened by it. Xavier put mental blocks in her mind to weaken her powers and erased all her mories of Emma Frost. Jean snaps out of her flashback and returns to the present. She loses her concentration and the things that she levitates drops to the floor. She`s silent for a moment. Meanwhile: White Queen`s HQ: Storm is being interogated and tortured by a woman with telepathic powers. It`s the White Queen, and she`s Emma Frost! (Not a big surprise for those who are familiar with the comics.) Outside, the X-Men sneak into the HQ with help from Shadowcat (Kitty). They split up, Shadowcat goes to free her friends, the rest are there to attract the attention of the guards. Rogue has phasing powers just like Shadowcat now. (We see in a flashback that happened a minute ago that Rogue talked Kitty into letting her touch her, long enough to borrow her powers for a while but not long enough for her to faint.) Rogue looks at her wrist watch which is counting down how much time she has left before her powers wear off. (So she doesn`t try to run though a wall when she`s about to go solid. Also, she has learned enough about her powers to know how long she has to touch somone for her borrowed powers to last a certain amount of time.) Shadowcat finds and frees Wolvie. A guard stuns her with a tazer gun, Wolvie gets angry and SNIKTs him, more guards come, Wolvie frees Colossus and the two of them fight. Emma realizes that she can`t get any more info out of Storm. She releases Storm from her shackles and is about to put the power-dampening collar back on her and tell her guards to bring one of the other two mutants in for interogation. She sees on the surveillance monitors however that her guards are busy being beaten up by the X-Men. Rogue comes into the room through a wall behind Emma and grabs her face from behind. Emma frees herself from Rogue`s grip after a few seconds and knocks her out with a telepathic blast. Seeing her friend getting beaten gives Storm extra strength and attacks Emma with lightning. Slightly groggy from Rogue`s surprise attack and with her guards losing, Emma realises that she is not fit to fight and escapes through a secret door. The fight is over. Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Iceman and Gambit are united with Colossus (who carries an unconscious Kitty) Wolvie (who carries an unconscious Rogue) and a tired Storm. Beast arrives in the Blackbird to pick them up. Cyclops decides that they should not fly directly back to Prof X`s mansion but instead make a detour to some other place: Warren Worthingtons House. Warren Worthington (AKA: Angel) is a billionaire, supports Prof X financially and is a mutant. He used to be a member of the X-Men (and still is) but is now helping them indirectly with the financial stuff. Prof X joins them after an hour or so and he doesn`t like Scott`s decision to not return to the school and there is a small conflict between them. Rogue has awakened from her mindblast and remembers the memory fragments that she picked up from Emma`s mind. She tells her friends about something called the "Hellfire Club", a club of rich socialites with lots of power. Within this Club is something called "The Inner Circle", some kind of mutant Illuminati and... Jean is still alive! "Hellfire Club" sounds familiar to Warren. He`s a actually a member of it. (he inherited the membership along with the company from his father) he visited it once, didn`t like it and never went back. Scott uses Warrens connections with the Club to sneak in with Ororo, Pete and Rogue as guests in posh, civilian clothes. Nightcrawler and Wolvie enters through the sewers. Their backup team: Angel, Shadowcat, Beast, Iceman, Gambit and Prof X is hiding on the Blackbird which is in stealthmode a block away and they have radio-contact. Shaw, Pierce, Leeland and Emma sees Scott and company arrive through their security cameras. Inside the mansion Scott and Rogue starts looking for something that can give them answers, like a hidden door or something. They find Jean who knocks them out telepathically. Ororo and Peter are searching in the other end of the house and finds Shaw, who beats the crap out of them. Nightcrawler and Wolvie enters through the sewers and meets Pierce and Leeland. Pierce, who turns out to be a cyborg, defeats Nightcrawler and Leeland uses his gravity-manipulating powers on Woverine to make him fall through the floor and get washed away in the sewers. A few minutes later, Shaw, Emma, Leeland and Pierce celebrate their victory and congratulate themselves and their newest recruit Jean for a job well done. Somewhere in the sewers Wolverine gathers his strength and gets ready for a new round. Wolverine: OK suckers... You`ve taken yer best shot. Now it`s MY turn! Meanwhile: The backup team: The gang haven`t heard anything from Cyclops and the others, they are starting to get worried and prepare themselves for action. Prof X notices that Gambit is thinking about leaving the team and talks to him. Gambit is used to travel alone and has only hung with the X-Men for a day and even if the stuff they do is important he doesn`t know if he`s willing to die for their cause, something he suspects will happen if he stays with them. Prof X wants him to stay but he knows that the decision to leave or stay must be Gambit`s.Meanwhile: Hellfire Clubs HQ: far away from the festivities there is a guard walking around, making sure that everything is OK. He hears something, goes to investigate, gets SNIKTed by Wolvie. This attracts the reaction of a few other guards who goes to investigate, they are also defeated. Meanwhile: Pierce, Frost, Leeland, Jean and Shaw continues to celebrate their victory. Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Storm, Rogue and Colossus are wearing hightech handcuffs. Cyclops remembers his private link with Jean and tries to access her mind through it to hopefully pull her out of the brainwash. He ends up on the astralplane and meets Jean who doesn`t remember him but thinks that there`s something familiar about him. Emma notices that there`s something wrong, enters Jean`s mind, fights Cyclops and (almost) kills him. Cyclops collapses in the physical world but slowly gets back up on his feet. The shock of watching Cyclops (almost) die triggers some memories for Jean. Emma senses that Jean is breaking free of her mind control and the two of them start fighting on the astral plane. (In the physical world it looks as if they are just staring at eachother very intensily.) Wolvie breaks in through the door. Iceman, Angel and Beast crashes through a window. Shadowcat shows up through the floor and phases through the hightech handcuffs. Shaw presses a panic button that calls the guards and also sends a signal to the police. An awesome fight breaks out. Iceman is almost killed by a guard but is saved by Gambit who decided to stay. (Yay!) On the astral plane Jean has found out that Emma is NOT an old childhood friend who was always there for her when she needed it. Those were fake memories implanted by Emma. And Prof X put those mental blocks in her head to weaken her powers because she asked for it herself out of fear of what she could become. Emma`s plan was to turn Jean into The Inner Circle`s newest member: The Black Queen. Jean gets the upper hand and fries Emma`s brain. All the members of the Inner Circle and their guards are defeated, the police arrive, the X-Men runs away and flies off in the Blackbird.

Jean starts breathing heavily, Prof X tries to calm her down but it is too late. Her dark Phoenix side has awakened. She tears the Blackbird apart telekinetically. Angel saves Gambit and Prof X, Storm saves Wolverine, Colossus survives a fall from a high altitude and Iceman creates an ice-slide for the rest of the gang. Jean rearranges the molecules in her clothes to form a suit, her Phoenix suit from the comics with the red, gold, the bird symbol and everything. The X-Men reluctantly fight Jean while Prof X tries to reach her mind. Jean regains control of herself again but doesn`t know how long it will last. She kisses Cyclops, says goodbye to her friends and flies out into space. The next day or a few days later: Scott is back at the Lake where he first lost Jean, he is Joined by Prof X and they talk a little. Prof X, who managed to get a glimpse inside Jeans head, says that she had become to mutants what mutants are to people. Scott wonders what happened to her. Did she fly out into space to die or did she find some way to survive? The professor doesn`t know but he tells Scott that if he wants to come back to the school the doors are always open for him. Prof X then leaves Scott alone. Scott has a moment of silence, then he walks away. (To go his own way or to rejoin the X-Men? It should be left ambiguous.) The End BTW: In my version The Stromtroopers of the HFC don`t wear those sci-fi-ish outfits that they wore on the comics with those masks, but, as I said, they look like an ordinary S.W.A.T team with bulletproof vests and helmets with black visors over their faces. The employees at the HFC don`t wear rokoko outfits or fetishy maid outfits, the Inner Circle don`t wear 18th century-ish outfits but more contemporary clothing. And Emma`s and Jean`s Queen outfits don`t look so dominatrix-y. But like I said: Jean`s Phoenix outfit is comicbook accurate. Constructive criticism of my constructive criticism Whoa! Meta! On the fence: To many characters? There`s a rule in script writing that you shouldn`t have too many characters. My version has 12 characters (not counting Jean). Maybe I should have cut down on a few? Maybe remove Colossus completely since he doesn`t contribute much as a character? Limit Angel`s role to only have him tell them that he`s technically a member of the HFC and remove him from the final fight? Or maybe it works fine the way it is, but then again I`m probably biased. Those are my ideas and thoughts. Feel free to disagree.

[bonearenaofmyskull]

Hi! I keep watching the S3 finale and slinging between the theory that Will planned Hannibal's escape and his lines are actually subliminally gesturing his intent to slip away with Hannibal; and the theory that Will decides to be a martyr ("found religion"), kill the Dragon and die with Hannibal ("kill them all") in which is ultimately murder/suicide. I know the latter is the popular theory but the former haunts me, particularly due to Will's last conversation with Bedelia! Thoughts? Thank you!

This is something I’ve written quite a bit on previously but not recently, so I hope you won’t mind if I mostly just defer to Bryan Fuller on this one. The following is an excerpt from an interview with Variety that came out right after the finale, and fwiw, I agree with Bryan: the way he describes it is the way I understood it from watching the show. 

Fans already seem to be speculating about Will and Hannibal’s intentions in that final scene — from your perspective, was Will hoping they’d die from that fall, or planning for them to survive? What was going through his mind in those last moments?

All season long, it had been developing this story of Will’s realization, even as he is going into Europe to track down his friend, that his agenda — as Chiyoh (Tao Okamoto) points out — is “I have to kill Hannibal in order to not become Hannibal.” And he gets so fed up with the machinations of the relationship and Hannibal sawing his head open and trying to get at his brain that he’s just like “f–k it, I’m done with you, I’m walking away.” And yet, as he states in the finale, that was all a ruse to get Hannibal to turn himself in. And so it was kind of a band-aid on a bigger wound, and then when Will is pulled back in to the Red Dragon arc, he’s asking Bedelia, “is Hannibal in love with me?” and Bedelia is saying “is this a ‘can’t live with him, can’t live without him?‘” And essentially it is, and that’s sort of the conclusion Will comes to at the end, “I can’t live with him, I can’t live without him. This is the scenario where the least amount of people can die,” meaning, “the two of us.”

I think when Hannibal says, “This is all I ever wanted for you; this is all I ever wanted for both of us,” Will is forced to acknowledge that what they just experienced was actually a beautiful thing. He lingers on that feeling of, “it was beautiful and I will desire it again, and I will be chasing this feeling.” And as he said to Hannibal earlier, “I may not be able to save myself, and that’s just fine.” I feel like we were very honest with the audience in terms of saying exactly what Will does at the end — we said it a few times.

The foreshadowing was delightfully heavy in this episode.

And yet it still feels like a little bit of a surprise at the end. [The post-credits scene with Bedelia] was very intentionally setting up another season of the story … essentially saying that Hannibal could’ve survived….

As you said, Bedelia and Will actually discussed whether he and Hannibal are in love with each other in the penultimate episode, and it feels like the show spelled out the answer fairly clearly, even if it’s not an overtly sexual love — but where do you think Will lands on that, in the end?

I think that’s what motivates the leap, is his realization that Hannibal was right all along. As beautiful as that felt to him, he understands that it is a place that who he is will not survive in, and so his option is essentially to pull the plug on the whole story, and that’s the only way he’s going to win himself back. It’s a sad gesture in so many ways….

When did you come up with the idea for this finale — was it between seasons, or further back?

It came about halfway through season two and we knew that Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter had to work together to defeat the Red Dragon, and that was a big move forward in their relationship, that the two actually hunt side by side … we needed something much more impactful and much more intimate, and Steve Lightfoot started talking about Sherlock and Moriarty and Reichenbach Falls and then it was like, “of course, that’s exactly what we need to do, and that murder-suicide for Will is what’s going to define his character and his last heroic act,” and it just felt perfect, so hats off to Arthur Conan Doyle. (x)

My problem with the theory that Will was planning a true escape for Hannibal has two parts (besides the fact that that just isn’t the story they told, as Bryan said here).

First, it doesn’t follow a logical character-growth arc for Will. I suppose the argument must be that Will discovered that he missed Hannibal too much and therefore decided to run off with him after all, as he talked about wanting to back in “Aperitivo.” But that just ignores Will’s struggles with his compassion and morality: he’s mortified by what he’s caused to happen to Frederick Chilton, he feels responsible for the attack on his family, plus the original thought he’d had that he’s afraid of becoming Hannibal (which he feels is very real when he finds killing Dolarhyde beautiful). At no point do they tell the reverse story that Will is warming up to the ideas of killing or becoming like Hannibal. He doesn’t come away from Frederick Chilton’s maiming going, “That was gr9,″ or the attack on his family thinking “My ex is gr9,” or anything else he goes through. This version of the story is just not present.

Secondly, it’s not in keeping with the style of storytelling that the writers engage in on Hannibal. Bryan withholds information a number of times to generate big reveals, but he does it in a way that is driven by emotional content rather than intellectual content. In other words, Hannibal isn’t a story that you can “solve” the way people try to solve for the big twist in, say, Mr. Robot., or an M. Night Shyamalan movie, or trying to make it so the monolith in 2001 is a metaphor for a film screen. The theory that Will was planning Hannibal’s escape–while emotional in the sense of being romantic–is a story that would have to play by “solving”: the plan was X, Y, Z, but Will really planned A, B, C, and blah blah. (And in the meantime, shoehorning some goofy explanation in to make his conversation with Hannibal at the Chesapeake Bay house be #CODE since they didn’t actually, yanno, discuss escaping, but instead talked a lot about dying for a friend.) I mean, maybe Bryan’s special touch could make this feel a lot less like “solving,” but I’m pretty skeptical. 

Another facet of the issue of style of storytelling comes down to the secondary role the romance plays, next to the horror, and IMO, this is one of those places where fandom, being so primarily caught up in the relationship, goes astray with trying to interpret the story. Shipper goggles, I guess. Hannibal may have some things in common with a romantic comedy in terms of trope and device, but it has nothing in common with it in terms of tone and mood (and theme), and make no mistake: nothing controls the nature and quality of a story more strongly than tone and mood. In spite of the title, this is how you know it’s more Will Graham’s story than Hannibal Lecter’s story. Hannibal is horror about loneliness and grief and trauma. It’s not about finding love and mischievous reunions and getting off scot-free. It’s not about to let Will off the hook that easily, frankly.  

None of this is to say that some part of Will won’t always want to run off with Hannibal. He says so himself, and, in the sense of a subconscious thing, or a while-falling-to-your-death kind of revelation, he may very much want to escape with Hannibal even while he plans and tries to kill him. It just isn’t what he was endeavoring to achieve in “The Wrath of the Lamb.” 

[digitalmark18-blog]

Does your Scout unit really need a website and social media presence?

New Post has been published on https://britishdigitalmarketingnews.com/does-your-scout-unit-really-need-a-website-and-social-media-presence/

Does your Scout unit really need a website and social media presence?

You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I definitely judge a restaurant by its website.

If I’m looking to try somewhere new, my first step is to find the eatery’s official site. I’ll scroll the menu, browse photos and confirm that it’s open when I want to eat.

But some restaurants are shrouded in secrecy. Either they don’t have a website or they haven’t updated it since 2013. You won’t find them on Facebook or Instagram, either.

This sends a subtle message: “We aren’t really looking for new customers right now.” So I find a different place.

In this way, Scout units are a lot like restaurants. They need an online presence — a website, a social media account, or both — for two main reasons.

One, an online presence shows potential Scouting families that the unit is an active part of the community. They do fun things with regularity. And two, it keeps existing Scouting families updated on the latest news about campouts, fundraisers, meetings, service projects and more.

Is a website worth the time and money?

Stephen Lavoie, a Scouter who emailed me last week, wants to start a website for his pack.

“One of the biggest questions I keep getting is, ‘why spend the money on a website, and what benefits does it provide to the pack?’” he says.

Lavoie wants to illustrate to his fellow volunteers that a website is an important recruiting tool that gets new parents excited about Scouting.

And better yet, Lavoie says, a great-looking website can cost nothing and take little time and effort to get started.

Your best options for free website builders: Wix and Weebly

Many of the website builders designed for small businesses are perfect for Scout units, too.

The best ones include drag-and-drop customization, attractive templates and mobile-optimized design.

If you don’t mind a few ads and a slightly longer domain name (picture something like “pack123.123websitebuilder.com”), you can get all those features for free.

Or budget some unit funds toward the paid version that makes everything look a little bit better.

There are hundreds of website builders out there, but the trusted review site Wirecutter likes Wix and Weebly best of all.

WordPress, which powers the Bryan on Scouting blog, is great for a chronological stream of posts like you find here. But it’s less ideal for a unit website that needs a lot of static information and easy navigation. It can be done, but the learning curve is steeper.

6 ways to make your unit website better

Include a calendar: Modern moms and dads plan their calendars months in advance. By including meetings and outings on a detailed online calendar, you’re giving parents and Scouts fewer excuses for missing activities down the road. But if you’re going to prominently display a calendar, be sure it’s up to date.

Keep it updated: If the most recent activity on your unit’s online calendar is from 2015, that sends one of two messages to potential recruits: (1) this unit has stopped operating or (2) this unit is unorganized. There’s some work involved in keeping a website up to date, but it’s one outward-facing sign of a vibrant, active pack, troop or crew.

Appoint at least two people to update the site: Many hands working on a website make everyone’s job easier. So giving admin powers to multiple users makes sense, especially if someone goes on vacation or gets swamped at work. For troop or crew websites, at least one of the admins should be a youth to keep their needs and interests in mind. After all, “youth-led” applies to the online realm, too.

Upload packing lists: Consider this scenario: It’s the night before summer camp, and, of course, Chase hasn’t even started packing. That’s not a huge problem, except for one thing: Chase can’t find the packing list he was given at the troop meeting on Monday. Sound familiar? Alleviate this headache by including last-minute details right on your homepage. I’m thinking departure time, meeting location, emergency numbers, and, yes, the all-important packing list. But this sensitive information shouldn’t be publicly displayed, which brings us to …

Avoid personal info: Visitors to the site should be able to see the time of your weekly meeting, a way to contact the Scoutmaster, a summary of your unit’s recent successes, a few photos and other key information. Don’t keep information like Scouts’ last names, trip itineraries, members’ contact info, or anything else that could be used maliciously, on the unit’s website.

Visit the BSA Brand Center: Using the BSA’s official logos, images and brand guidelines will help you put your best foot forward online. Go here to find all you need.

Your best option for social media: Facebook

On the social media front, nothing matches Facebook’s ability to support a unit’s needs. You can schedule events, share photos from recent adventures, post a poll to vote on the next trip destination, stream live videos of courts of honor, answer parents’ questions and much more.

If operated correctly and updated frequently, a Facebook page itself could be your unit’s website. That’s one-stop shopping.

One important note: Be sure to consult the BSA’s Social Media Guidelines before you proceed. You’ll learn, for example, that the BSA does recommend that units use Facebook for public information and marketing but does not recommend the use of closed or private Facebook groups. Scoutbook is a better option for that.

What about Twitter, Instagram and YouTube? These have their place, but if you’re short on time, it’s better to do one platform well instead of five or six that you update irregularly.

Already have a unit website? Add it to BeAScout.org

Want to reach more potential members? Make sure your unit’s website is part of your listing on BeAScout.org. Here’s how to update your pin (link opens a PowerPoint).

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Source: https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2018/09/07/does-your-scout-unit-really-need-a-website-and-social-media-presence/

[emblem-333]

What-If Verne Gagne Made Hulk Hogan Champion?

The Era of The Territories died before I was born. There’s pros and cons to their execution. Up until Vince McMahon gobbled up the industry like Pac-Man devouring dots there were multiple regional territories with their own established stars. The Carolinas has Ric Flair. Tennessee has Jerry “The King” Lawler. Texas featured the Von Erichs. They would run their respective territories, sometimes wander beyond and do inter-promotional programs typically ending in disqualifications to save face. Back in those days, before television really changed the landscape, promoters could getaway with jerking around their fans with constant indecisive finishes. Chances are the people who paid the ticket price to see the action were the only ones who are ever going to see it.

Ever heard of “The Dusty Finish,” well get a load of what Verne Gagne of the American Wrestling Association put his customers through in the early eighties. Gift wrapped Hulk Hogan after Vince Sr canned the star for appearing in the film “Rocky III” Verne took the young Hogan under his wing teaching him almost all of what would make him the monolith he’d become. Gagne told Hogan to not drop down after one drop kick. Telling him it should take three or more to take him off his legs. Gagne molded Hogan into a monster in the ring. Initially, Hulk was supposed to be a featured heel like during his days in the WWF. But his charisma compounded by his cameo in “Rocky III” endeared him to fans of the Minneapolis based wrestling promotion. And in a few short months Hogan found himself in the title picture feuding with the long toothed, well read heel Nick Bockwinkel.

Bockwinkel had entered his fifties earlier in the 1980s, but you couldn’t have guessed his age if you only watched him in the ring. He always kept himself in tip-top shape, didn’t party all night like Ric Flair. He was a clean cut, midwestern man who Verne still entrusted to safeguard his companies most prized possession even late into his career. Bockwinkel before Hogan and after had great matches I highly recommend you check out. Preferably his one-hour marathon against a young, babyface, Curt Hennig. Yeah. Mr. Perfect was once in the AWA. So was “Mean Gene” Okerlund. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. Scott Hall. Wendi Richter. Jesse Venture. All would become heavily featured players in the WWF/WCW when NWA fizzled.

Though Hogan was the star, and his current champ Bockwinkel was nearing fifty, Verne was hesitant - and later would outright say he didn’t see the 29-year-old as championship material or a prop he didn’t even need. Either Verne is lying or he poorly read the changing wrestling with the invention of television. The era of the babyface chasing the dastardly heel forever and ever was over. Promoters needed to shift towards more decisive finishes and book accordingly or face the same consequences Verne swallowed which squashed his once flourishing company. It’s quite the tragedy too. Verne knew his wrestling and could spot talent. Same could be said about Dusty Rhodes. At the end of the day what carries you over in a wrestling war isn’t talent, but business-savvy.

In his better days, McMahon knew sometimes it was better to go with what the fans wanted rather than persist with what he thought was right. He pulled the shoot on The Ultimate Warrior, ultimately giving way to the rise of Bret Hart, and Shawn Michaels. He later would do the same in the late-90s with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Neither were Vince’s cup of tea in what he perceived as championship material, but what mattered to him most was the all mighty dollar. But old Verne wasn’t as flexible and never really was. Come April 1983 he knew the long-standing Hogan/Bockwinkel had run its course and it was time to bestow the honor of champion to the younger star. Problem was, Verne couldn’t see beyond Hulk was a power wrestler, not too big on finesse and mat-style which was the makeup of the AWA. There’s also elements in this story that make Verne come off as a shitty, grubby businessman, and a downright creep. First, he demanded the bulk of Hogan’s merchandising sales (Hogan was printing his “Hulkamania” shirts and selling them outside of a trunk during House Shows) and his money he made wrestling for Japan; even though Verne had nothing to do with that promotion.

Actually, there might be some logic in Verne wanting a substantial cut in the money Hogan made overseas. See, he wrestled for a promotion called New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Verne had a partnership with a man named Shohei Baba — he would wrestle under the synonym “Giant Baba.” Baba worked as a promoter of All Japan Pro-Wrestling. The chief competitor of NJPW. Verne probably figured if he could squeeze Hogan for his NJPW paycheck he’d kick it to Giant Baba and subsequently AJPW and undercut the other promotion in the process.

The logic in Verne wanting the money though is nonexistent. Like McMahon when The Rock left the WWF to takeover Hollywood, he saw it fit to demand a chunk of his talent’s paycheck. Why? Because Vince McMahon made The Rock. Everyone knows that! Except he didn’t. The Rock made The Rock. In the wrestling world it doesn’t matter whether the boss acknowledged your existence before you made it big. All that mattered was he signed you to your deal and deserves the credit for those long hours you put in to climbing the ladder. Forget the fact that if it were up to Vince The Rock would have never turned heel, join The Nation of Domination and save his fledgling career.

I guess Verne can feel a little more secure in his belief he made Hogan into what he became. After all, he did instill the in-ring tactics that would carry him to superstardom. Regardless, the money Hogan made working NJPW was his, and it wasn’t like the AWA wasn’t doing gangbusters at House Shows and well in the black thanks to him.

The creepy aspect of this story was Verne was trying to set Hogan up with his daughter. Why? Well, he viewed the AWA as a family business and for whatever reason he didn’t trust his son, Greg, to succeed him so to keep the promotion in the family he wanted his champion to marry into it. You don’t believe me? In 1988 Larry Zbyszko marries Verne’s daughter. In February of ‘89 he wins the vacant AWA title in a Battle Royal.

It’s dysfunction like this is how you get an atmosphere like the one in the St. Paul Civic Center, the crowd absolutely becomes unglued as “Eye of the Tiger” roars through the speakers as the beach blonde haired heroine marches down the isle filled with purpose. He wears a black shirt that says “We Want The Belt” and on the back “Now Or Never.” You don’t get more prophetic than that last statement. Now or Never, Verne, and he chose Never. Hogan didn’t win the strap that night in St. Paul, and would soon leave the AWA. While the promotion enjoyed a few successful years before going defunct in 1991, you can trace their fall to “Super Clash” nine-years before.

So what-if Verne wasn’t a character out of a Leon Trotsky Socialist manifesto novel? What-if he just let Hogan keep his money and gave him the belt? Would the AWA still be around today? Hard to say, but I’m going to veer on the side of no. Hogan parading around with the AWA strap isn’t going to deter Vince from courting Hogan. We’re talking about the man who tried to convince Harley Race to no-show Starrcade ‘83 and take the NWA belt to his promotion.

One of the few ways Verne and the territories could have kept the bad wolf of New York from their doors was if they handed together to take him on. But nobody took the threat seriously until it was too late to sufficiently combat it. Another scenario is Ted Turner up and buys AWA with the NWA to form WCW. Having Turner on the wrestling scene against Vince was like Godzilla vs Mothra. WCW only started turning rotten when the Time Warner/AOL merger pushed Turner out of an influential role with the company. A more feasible scenario is Verne and Greg simply accept Vince’s offer he made at the St. Paul airport before turning around and exclaiming “I don’t negotiate”. But, if they did merge with the WWF the fate of the AWA is probably similar to Stu Hart and his Stampede Wrestling promotion. Their talent pool would be severely depleted and the promotion transforming from something that is on par — if not superior to the WWF to nothing more than a minor league farm system for New York to routinely pluck talent from.

If Hulk Hogan of all people suddenly become the most loyal person in the business and remained a stalwart of the AWA he arguably has a greater cast of heels to run through than he did in his first run as champion in the WWF. Stan Hansen, Leon White (A.K.A Vader), Larry Zbyszko, Curt Hennig, Jerry Lawler. While it’s highly questionable whether Hansen and Lawler would be willing to job to Hogan because of their value to other promotions, their feuds still print money at the gates and perhaps fans are just so happy to see Hogan as champion they don’t mind the constant string of D.Q finishes.

What does McMahon do? Rumor was his second choice was Paul Orndorff. A very good, if not great heel wrestler that is commonly forgotten due to the fact he jobbed to Hogan throughout the eighties. But Vince is more creative than that. He had to have an ace up his sleeve of Hogan alluded his grasps. Ric Flair? The Von Erichs? Maybe he pulls the trigger and makes Roddy Piper or Ricky Steamboat champion? Steamboat was only 31 by the time Iron Sheik beat Bob Backlund for the belt to set the table for Hogan. But Vince didn’t like skinny, short guys as his main champion. It’s why you see wrestlers like Daniel Bryan constantly marginalized despite showing time after time he can main event.

The AWA gave the wrestling world countless stars that would make this article too long if I were to list them all. But, like most promoters in the territory era, Verne had a limited grasp on how to maximize his profits and couldn’t see behind his own biases and greed.

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Copa del Rey 2018/19 Tactical Analysis: Barcelona vs Sevilla

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Copa del Rey 2018/19 Tactical Analysis: Barcelona vs Sevilla

Artwork by @chapulana

There something funny that happens to Barcelona when they face an opponent wearing white at the Camp Nou that just flips the switch and the Catalan machine becomes unhinged. First, it happened to Real Madrid in La Liga, and now Sevilla have felt the same wrath.

All levity aside, it really was an entertaining night as Barcelona left nothing to chance and instead crushed their guests to secure a spot in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. Their hunt for a fifth consecutive title continues as yet another “remuntada” (comeback) made sure the Blaugrana entered the final four.

This tactical analysis will use statistics to explain how Barcelona put six goals past their Andalusian counterparts and ensured their hopes of a treble are still very much alive, now maybe even more than ever.

Lineups

Barcelona (4-3-3)

Starting XI: Cillessen – Sergi, Pique, Lenglet, Alba – Arthur, Busquets, Rakitić – Messi, Suarez, Coutinho

Bench: Ter Stegen, Semedo, Vermaelen, Boateng, Vidal, Aleñá, Malcom

Coach: Ernesto Valverde

Sevilla (5-3-2)

Starting XI: Soriano – Carriço, Kjaer, Gómez – Promes, Banega, Arana – Amadou, Mesa – Sarabia, Silva

Bench: Vaclik, Ben Yedder, Marko Rog, Vázquez, Mercado, Javi Vázquez, Bryan

Coach: Pablo Machin

Barcelona’s setup

After a rather lacklustre defeat back in Andalusia in the first leg, Ernesto Valverde had a tough task of coming back from a two-goal deficit against a team having a great tournament so far. This meant that the rotation would be minimal, and we would see the return of most of the star personnel.

The likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Luis Suarez were back in the first-choice XI, with Jasper Cillessen the only odd one out. Once again, the Ant decided to deploy Sergi Roberto as his first-choice right-back, which seems to have become his default decision.

The team operated in a 4-3-3 system but we saw some changes towards the latter stages of the game, mostly provoked by the substitutes but also by some tactical preferences.

Sevilla’s setup

Machin had a steady lead before entering Barcelona’s fortress but also a dangerous one. It seems that the Catalans are at their best when chasing an unfavourable result, as has been the case more than once. Sevilla had a two-goal advantage but against as high a scoring team as Barcelona, it was not something to rely on heavily.

A couple of changes saw the Andalusians alter their approach only slightly from the first leg. Soriano was still the man between the sticks but Carrico and Mercado swapped places, the latter was on the bench this time.

Higher up the pitch, once again we saw the core mostly untouched with Banega, Amadou, Sarabia and Promes all selected but Ben Yedder was benched. Mesa, Silva and Arana were some of the new names starting at the Camp Nou.

Machin decided on three at the back again, and put a lot of emphasis into the midfield. He formed a sort of 3-5-2 formation which would sometimes resemble a 3-5-1-1, with Andre Silva often highest up the pitch.

The Messi effect

One glaring and, in fact, the biggest difference from the first to the second leg was just one name on the team sheet: Lionel Messi. How many times have we already heard that statement? Probably too many, but game after game it always holds true.

The little Argentine magician was once again one of the standout performers, although his name was missing from the score sheet until the very last moments of the game. His sheer presence had a psychological impact which was clearly visible on the field. We are more interested to see how it translated into the preparation of the match in the first place.

Placing only three men at the back at all times would have been far riskier when defending so Machin decided to deploy a rather low and narrow block with five defenders as his team soaked up the pressure. Still, Sevilla would swap between the three-man and five-man defence depending on the stage of Barcelona’s advancement up the field.

Sevilla interchanged between two main defensive approaches. The one that can be seen above is the three-man defence with a high press while Barcelona are still in their own half, trying to build from the back.

Notice how Barcelona try and build from the back and Sevilla’s press is triggered. Both strikers move higher up the pitch, and four men in midfield try to shut down any connection between the Catalans’ first and second thirds. In that scenario, only three defenders were necessary to hold the front trio of Messi, Suarez and Coutinho.

If and when the press was broken, and Barcelona navigated through it, Sevilla quickly swapped to a five-man defence and pulled the whole squad behind the ball in their own half. In that case, only three midfielders remained as the dominance in the middle was sacrificed to ensure the overlapping full-backs were blocked.

If, however, that press was broken (like in the image above with a great ball between the lines), Sevilla would default to their five-man structure in the back line, stretching out and providing extra cover for the possibility of overlapping full-backs.

Their defending was mostly zonal but there was always one clear aspect: tight man-marking. There was not a single occasion when one of the front three was left alone, and Machin definitely prioritised outnumbering Barca’s midfield, hence the numerical advantage the Andalusians created whenever possible.

This had two clear effects. The progress of the ball through the middle was made much more difficult due to it being highly congested with white shirts at all times. It also allowed multiple players to crowd the player in possession as quickly as possible.

Overcrowding the midfield and shutting down any and all passing options were key to Sevilla winning the midfield battle. In doing so, the guests force a pass back instead of a progressive one.

In the image above, quick crowding by the defending team ensures the ball is sent backward instead of forward. Also, note how each of the forwards is practically marked out of the attack and is unlikely to receive the ball in this scenario.

Back to the topic at hand – Lionel Messi – although excessive man-marking was applied to all three of Barcelona’s forwards, Messi received special treatment again.

Tight man-marking was the name of the game for Sevilla. This was especially true for Lionel Messi.

This is just one of the numerous examples throughout the game that proves Machin had to prepare a whole tactic just for Messi. Ernesto Valverde knew this would happen so he thought of a counter, but all the heavy lifting was done by the Argentine.

It’s difficult to mark Messi out of the game. No matter how many players you put on his back, he will either beat them all, set up play instead of finishing it or simply use up most of your resources and lift the burden off of his teammates. However, he is not the only one who did it to great success.

Let’s break down the attack that resulted in Barcelona’s second goal.

Each element of Barcelona’s attack played a vital role in the second goal.

There are a number of key things to note in this attack. Coutinho, Suarez and Messi all drag their markers to free some space behind them, while Arthur is already scanning and planning his next move. Rakitić sees an opening and takes it.

The emphasis is once again on the forwards, even though none of the three deal the finishing blow. Firstly, notice how Coutinho moves from his left half-space and goes wide, just in front of Alba. This attracts the first defender and creates space, and with Jordi being there as the focal point he usually is, Sevilla decide to overcrowd that whole flank. This blocks any chances of an overlap but in doing so, risks a shortage of personnel in other areas.

Secondly, Luis Suarez drags his marker towards the midfield, and out of position, and Messi does the same with his. This frees enough space for Ivan Rakitić, of all people, to exploit. This is also something that Valverde decided to implement as Rakitić was not there coincidently.

A midfield trident of Busquets, Arthur and Rakitić is probably the first choice of Valverde, but it lacks the aggression and presence Arturo Vidal usually offers. Rakitić was the one who was given a more attacking role this time, as the remaining two would mostly stay back as double pivots.

Usually when Vidal starts, the Chilean and Messi tend to swap places to let the Argentine drop deeper to create from midfield, leaving Vidal to act as a false nine of sorts. This time, again, Rakitić took it upon himself to do exactly the same.

Rakitić and Messi swap places, just like Vidal and Messi used to do, and Arthur breaks three lines, beats almost the entire Seville squad and plays a pinpoint through-ball to set up the second goal.

Of course, how could one forget about Arthur Melo? Just seconds after first scanning the field for possible chances, the young ‘Brazilian Xavi’ sends a pinpoint through-ball, breaking all of Sevilla’s three lines, and beating a total of eight players with a single pass: absolutely magical.

Rakitić receives the ball and applies nothing more than the faintest of touches to send it past Soriano to make it 2-0. The chance was created seemingly out of nothing, and Sevilla failed at the very core of their system. Their defending was supposed to make sure no balls penetrated through the middle, but great movement from the rest of Barcelona’s team made some necessary space for the pass to be possible in the first place.

Arthur was still much more than just that one pass. The Brazilian dominated the midfield like the true maestro he is dubbed to be. Out of 66 passes, 90% were accurate, and apart from that one assist, Melo also managed to win six out of eight duels and send two key passes, not to mention completing 100% of long balls and dribbles, both two out of two. Defensively, he was also on point with one interception and two tackles to his name.

It was a performance to remember for the young midfielder. The parallels with Xavi Hernandez were never more visible as Arthur continues to grow with each game under his belt. All of that in his first season in Europe.

Outstanding.

Breaking point

Judging from the final scoreline and the rest of the analysis, it would be easy to assume Barcelona had complete control throughout the game. This was, however, not really the case. Sure, they ended up putting six goals past their opponents, but when the game was up for grabs, Sevilla had a chance to kill the flames before they spread.

We’re talking about Ever Banega’s missed penalty which would have brought them back on level terms. Jasper Cillessen gave Banega his first penalty miss in all competitions for the Andalusians. It was also the Dutchman’s first penalty save in an official game in 26 attempts, and he couldn’t have picked a better game in which to do it.

That was Sevilla first big chance to upset the (still) favorites but they missed it, and it flew past them faster than they could ever imagine. Still, as the match went past its breaking point, the pressure was still on one player in particular: Philippe Coutinho.

The Brazilian, Barcelona’s biggest purchase in the club’s rich history, had been heavily under fire from critics and fans alike for his poor performances. This game, he had to step it up. After he regained some confidence with the penalty Messi so generously gifted him, he was back to his magical self.

Facing a team so adamant on tight man-marking, Barcelona’s forwards had to use their imagination and skill to the fullest in order to escape the defenders. Coutinho was pretty good at that with some slick movement, and with constant swapping of positions.

As we have already seen above with Rakitić’s goal, Coutinho would often drift wide to attract attention and take defenders away from their usual positions. In those scenarios, he would either go from the left half-space to the left wing or vice versa.

One other thing he would do is attack the free space more consistently than before. Instead of waiting for the ball to come to him, he would make himself available by moving into the zones with no defenders via darting runs behind the back line, as was the case before the first goal, for his second one, and numerous times afterwards.

Coutinho utilising the free space behind Sevilla’s defenders’ backs, which was created by constant positional changing and manipulation.

Rakitić was also a figure of interest in the midfield. As we already mentioned before, he would be the midfielder highest up the pitch at most times. His Vidal-esque runs were almost always triggered by swapping places with one of the forwards. Just as he did with Messi for his own goal, he did so with Coutinho as well, as can be seen below.

This was Barcelona’s way of beating the tight five-man defensive line. By constantly swapping places they brought disorder and chaos into the mix, pulling multiple people out of position at all times.

Just before the image below, Suarez and Coutinho switched places as the Uruguayan went wide to the left, dragging one defender, with the Brazilian dragging the other deeper seconds later. Rakitić sees it happen and quickly swaps places with the Brazilian, which rids him of any markers and enables him to attack the free space right after.

Coutinho and Rakitić swap positions and like moving pieces on a chess-board, move the defenders exactly where they want them, creating space, and breaking their compact structure.

The silver lining

Although it may certainly seem that way, it was not all dark and gloomy for the guests. Sevilla did cause some damage to the Catalans. Even though it did not bring them the result they wanted, their pressure was most notably felt in the final stages of the game.

One player that really stood out was Promes on the right wing. His excellence was actually a double victory on the field for Sevilla; his constant pressure meant that Alba was not as active as he maybe would’ve wanted to be, and it also meant that they always had an attacking outlet up their sleeves.

By being able to beat the speedy Spaniard in a one-on-one battle, Promes made sure that Alba didn’t go too far up the pitch since it would be too big of a risk to take. Still, when they attacked, it was mostly either a quick transition-based counter or an attack down the wings.

Barcelona had two approaches to defending: high pressure, or a transition to a more compact 4-4-2 with Messi and Suarez (mostly) not participating. Still, those transitions were the only real moments when Sevilla had the power to cause more serious damage to the hosts.

By overloading of the midfield, the chance of an interception (or a mistake by Barca) was suddenly higher. This did work to a certain extent as 46% of all losses did happen in Barcelona’s midfield as Sevilla mustered a total of 45 interceptions.

Barcelona’s losses of the ball and the areas in which they happened. On the right, the players with the most losses are shown.

Conclusion

It was quite a night at the Camp Nou as another 6-1 remuntada was seen in Catalunya. Of course, this one was far smaller than the infamous one against PSG, but a pretty dominant display nonetheless. It was a shame only 58,050 people got to see it live as a midweek Copa game did not spark that much interest. Perhaps it was expected that Barca would forfeit the domestic cup in favour of the more coveted Champions League.

Whatever the case may be, the Blaugrana machine marches onward and is still very much firing on all cylinders. Now, a much bigger challenge awaits in the semi-finals in the form of their eternal rivals, Real Madrid.

For now, the Ant and his troops turn their attention back to La Liga. Soon it will be time for another Clasico, however, and those never fail to amaze.

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