#but one week after knowing total turnover

[tenrose]

Started a crime book, critics call it a "radical environmentalist manifesto", and short story long story, someone kidnapped the CEO of Total.

So anyway I hope the obvious criminal will die.

[caffeinewitchcraft]

AITA for telling my boyfriend’s coworkers that he’s lying about his body count?

I (35f) have been dating my boyfriend (32m) for four years. It’s honestly been the best relationship until last Friday when it all went down. I feel like I’m in the right, but now I’m wondering if I overstepped.

For context, my boyfriend has been a professional Slasher for about eight months now. He’s always really admired Cryptids, Monsters, and Nightmares so when his application was finally accepted, he was over the moon even if he was starting in a lower position than he initially applied for.

At his company, being a Slasher requires a lot of travel which we knew when he accepted the position. The end goal is for him to get a promotion to at least regional Nightmare (he wants Cryptid, but that position doesn’t have a lot of turnover) but to get that he needs to be in role for at least 12 months OR meet his goals for three months in a row. Once he promotes, we plan to relocate to his new region and “start talking about our future.”

(Side note: no this isn’t about him not popping the question yet. We are both in agreement that marriage comes after financial stability. I run a small business doing scare consults and, while it’s been growing, I wouldn’t call it stable yet. So neither of us are ready.)

I told him it’s completely normal for it to take a whole year before he’s ready to promote and he really should focus on adjusting to the company before thinking about next steps. I used to work for a competitor (I’ve been retired for five years now) and I know it can be hard to go from only taking the occasional human life to having to take over half a dozen a week. It’s not a light workload, no matter how easy it looks in the movies. One of my best friends Slashes part-time and she still only averages about five lives a week despite having done it for years. Especially these days, it can be really hard to meet quota. Humans are getting smarter, no matter what the Council wants us to think.

Anyway, boyfriend didn’t do as well as he thought he would in his first couple months. Totally understandable, of course, which I told him. I suggested he ask his boss if he could be put on a couple team assignments or even a duo until he got the hang of it. That was our first real fight. He thought I was doubting his ability to kill. He brought up how I told him it would take over a year to promote and how I said that this job wasn’t for everyone (His first assignment ended with a 0% kill rate, but that’s a different story). He said it felt like I didn’t believe in him and he said that if that was the case then maybe we shouldn’t be thinking about marriage so soon.

It got pretty messy after that. I felt like he was forgetting that I’d worked in the same field and, arguably, had a lot more experience (not to brag, but I averaged a 98% kill rate). Also, four years is NOT too soon to talk about marriage. He said I didn’t understand how he needed to focus on his career right now. I told him I thought he was taking Slasher too lightly just because it wasn’t Cryptid. He accused me of not respecting him and then things spiraled from there.

We both said a lot of things we didn’t mean and I’m embarrassed that it turned into a bit of a fang measuring contest. I ended up sleeping under the bed for a few nights until he coaxed me out to apologize.

It was a rough patch, but we talked it out. We agreed that, going forward, I wouldn’t offer advice unless he asked and he would try not to take so much of his frustration home with him. He took a weekend off and we went on a recreational haunting trip in the Montana woods.

Things did get better after that. I tried not to give him consults every time he came back from a work trip. He started bringing me souvenirs like roses and cursed puzzle boxes his work said he could have. It became easier just to hang out with each other and it felt like we were back to normal.

But then, four months ago, he came home super pissed because his boss put him on a PIP. (A performance improvement plan.) Apparently, boyfriend had not been doing better at work, he had just stopped telling me when he had a bad assignment. I saw the paperwork he got (he left it in the dungeon under the house, I didn’t go through his stuff) and he’s been missing quota by a LOT. As a junior Slasher, he was supposed to be executing at least 6 people a week, but he’d been lucky to be maiming half that.

Obviously, I had to talk to him about that. We rent our house and, even though I could have afforded the rent on my own, I didn’t want to jeopardize the investments I was making in my business (I was in the process of hiring an assistant to handle my scheduling). Plus, we agreed from day one that we would be 50/50 on rent and I would take care of the rest of the bills because I earned more. I felt that if his financial situation was in jeopardy, he needed to talk to me about it.

I tried to approach him a bit differently than last time. I asked him if there was anything I could do to help. I told him about my slasher friend and how maybe she could give him advice if he didn’t want any from me. But he said he needed to figure stuff out on his own and that if he couldn’t get himself off the PIP then he would go back to work for his dad’s janitorial company.

I let it go. I was worried but I didn’t want to fight again just after patching the holes from the last blow out. It really bugged me that he thought I didn’t believe in him so I committed to giving him the benefit of the doubt. I said okay and asked him if he needed me to meal prep for both of us that week. He offered me grocery money, but I said it was fine since I’d had to deal with a lot of humans breaking in lately and I still had some leftover in the dungeon.

Fast forward a month. Boyfriend got off the PIP super fast. He worked his way off of it over Spring Break and started taking on a lot of extra assignments. In just four weeks he went to Miami Beach twice, New York City twice, and to three separate summer camps. I missed him and it was hard not having him around but I remembered how he said he needed to focus on his career and I tried not to nag.

It was hard not to nag though. With him gone, all the housework fell on me. We rent a 19th century manor, and its upkeep really does need two people. Doing all the chores plus running my business started to really drain me. Even when he was home, he forgot to banish the ghosts (my chore is to kill all invading humans, and his chore is to banish their ghosts) and he never took out the trash. I think he cleaned blood off the dungeon walls once, but then I had to basically redo it because he missed a lot of spots.

But still, I didn’t say anything because he was doing really well at work and I didn’t want to ruin that for him. Even when Humans started breaking in every week, I didn’t complain even though it interrupted my work day.

Last month though, I did ask him if we could move somewhere that needed less maintenance. There were just way too many Humans breaking in and I didn’t have the time to deal with them anymore. Even if I don’t do all the theatrics I used to as a Cryptid, killing humans through fear still takes a lot of time. He asked me if I didn’t appreciate the free meat, and I said I would appreciate it more if I wasn’t the only butchering it.

He said he didn’t want to move because he was really close to getting promoted to regional Nightmare and he didn’t want to take time off work to move. I was so surprised that I couldn’t hide how surprised I was. He saw and got offended. He asked if I still didn’t believe in him. I said that I did, but it was a huge jump to go from an 8% kill rate to getting promoted.

He got even more mad at me for bringing up his stats and he said that he had nearly 80% kill rate since being put on the PIP. I asked how many humans a week he was slashing and he told me I was being too nosy and that was proof that I didn’t believe in him.

I asked him if we could at least hire a ghoul then to keep the humans out of my office and he said he didn’t want to waste the money that we should be saving for our new house. I asked him what he wanted me to do then? I had to take phone calls for my consulting business and it was really hard to stalk humans all around the house while trying to sound like a professional to my clients.

He asked me to be patient for one more month. He said if he met quota for one more month, his boss said he’d get promoted. So I said fine and let it go.

Fast forward to now, almost a full month later.

Last Friday, I attended the Eldritch Conference. For those not in the scare field, the Eldritch Conference is the most prestigious event in our industry. It’s invitation only and is a chance to network with all the big players in the field. Mothman, the Jersey Devil, Bloody Mary and Bigfoot all spoke this year and both my former company, Grudge Industries, and my boyfriend’s current company, Forgotten Summer Solutions, were invited.

I was surprised to get an invite as a solo contributor to the field. However, my consulting firm has really been doing well and I did land a seasonal contract with the Yeti Co-op which I guess is how they heard about me. Plus, I’ve been a speaker before so I think the organizers knew I would behave myself.

I was planning on telling my boyfriend that I was going, but he was out of town on a co-ed sleepover assignment. He usually doesn’t have his phone on during his assignments, so I didn’t bother calling him. I just figured it’d be nice if we ran into each other at the conference if he made it back in time.

Which brings me to what actually happened (apologies for the long post).

So everything went great for my part of the day. I got to network with a lot of individual businesses and even got to reconnect with Blood Mary who I knew back in my Cryptid days. I told her I was dating a Slasher from Forgotten Summer Solutions and invited her to come with me to check out their booth. I thought it would be fun to grab dinner with her after since I assumed if my boyfriend was there, he’d be going out with coworkers which he often does. Plus, I admit, I was showing off a little. I don’t often get the chance to brag about my Cryptid days.

She agreed and we went over to see if my boyfriend was there.

I introduced myself to the people manning the booth. My boyfriend wasn’t there, but a few Slashers recognized my name and greeted me. They were definitely in awe of Bloody Mary (she came in full uniform) and invited us to look at their displays. They had portfolios for each Slasher on the desk as a sort of preview of what their services looked like.

While Bloody Mary looked through the portfolios, I chatted with my boyfriend’s coworkers. They said they were thrilled to work with him and that, even though he had a really rough start, it was impressive how quickly he started meeting his goals. Something about how they talked about his work kind of didn’t make sense. They were talking like he was killing a dozen humans a week, but he’d told me that he was at 80% on his assignments which typically only offer about ten humans each.

I asked them about it and they said that he’d been Slashing during After Hours which is a new goal supplement program his company launched a few months ago. Basically, anyone can sign up for After Hours and the company counts human kills done in uniform as part of their quota. I asked them if this was available to them while they were on assignment and they said no, it had to be done when they had down time. I asked them how my boyfriend was part of that when he was traveling all the time and they looked confused. One of them said that my boyfriend is still getting one assignment per week and is then supplementing his kill rate with After Hours.

At that point, I was even more confused. It sounded like my boyfriend had been lying to me then, because he told me that he was getting at least two assignments a week. If he was only getting one, then where was he going when he said he was traveling?

Bloody Mary interrupted before I could say anything and asked how their Slashers did their kills. They said that every Slasher at their company is required to use a standard issue weapon (like a machete or axe) for their kills to count. They said their company doesn’t count accidents as part of their quota (like falling or heart attacks).

Bloody Mary pulled me aside and showed me the portfolio she was holding. She said that she was going to give me a chance to explain without them overhearing and showed me the book. She said that a bunch of kills in it looked Cryptid kills. And she said, specifically, it looked like the kills I made when I was a Cryptid. I took the book from her and flipped through it and she was right, they really did look like Cryptid kills. Worse, I recognized a few of the Humans from the past few weeks. They were actually my kills!

Kill stealing is a major taboo in our industry.

I told her I didn’t know anything about this. She looked really relieved at that and said that even though I wasn’t a Cryptid anymore, it would look really bad for me if I was caught helping a Slasher cheat at their job. It could affect my business which she’d only heard good things about.

I’m embarrassed to say that I tried to defend him. He’s new to our industry so I thought it might be a mistake. He might not be trying to cheat, this could be a misunderstanding.

She said she didn’t think so because a mistake would be one or two of my kills mixed in with his, not the entire book.

I counted up how many photos were in the book and, all told, of the 146 kills, at least 100 were mine. I couldn’t really say it was a mistake at that point and I was just staring at his portfolio like an idiot. Bloody Mary asked me what I was going to do because, mistake or not, this looked really bad and could damage my reputation if it got out.

At that moment, another man walked up to booth and asked us if there was a problem. I knew that if I said anything, I would be jeopardizing my boyfriend’s job, but if I didn’t say something, I was jeopardizing my business.

I told my boyfriend’s coworkers that he was lying about his body count. I said I didn’t think that they knew he was doing it, but over half of the kills in his portfolio weren’t his and I suggested they remove it from their display before another Cryptid came by and realized it.

The other man thanked me for bringing this to his attention and asked how we knew. Bloody Mary said that she knew another Cryptid’s kills and I had to tell them that I was that Cryptid, though I was retired now. He asked me if I knew my boyfriend was doing this, and I told him no.

I told him I really didn’t want to get my boyfriend in trouble and suggested that maybe he didn’t know those kills didn’t belong to him because they happened in our house. I was grasping at straws and Blood Mary even looked sad for me. His coworkers looked skeptical but tentatively agreed. The man – who turned out to my boyfriend’s boss – said that they would investigate this thoroughly and apologized personally for his employee’s misconduct.

I was spiraling at that point so I thanked him and said I wasn’t mad, I was just looking out for both of our reputations. He promised to keep it between us and I agreed.

Then I apologized to Bloody Mary because I didn’t feel like eating dinner anymore. She said she understood and wished me well.

I went home and did a quick perimeter search of the property. Sure enough, there were human summoning stones ALL OVER the yard. Which means my boyfriend was intentionally luring humans to our house to get me to kill them so he could take credit. It wasn’t a mistake at all.

My boyfriend came home later that night in his work clothes. As soon he got inside he started yelling. He said he was suspended without pay and that all his hard work was for nothing.

I said I knew he’d been stealing my kills and he almost ruined my reputation. He said they still counted as his kills because he did all the work of luring the humans to our house.

I told him that wasn’t how it worked and he knew it. He said it was the same as setting a trap and I was taking this too seriously. I told him that, as a Slasher, he has to use a weapon to get his kills, not me. He said I was basically the same thing since I had such a high kill rate. I asked him if he was calling me an object.

(My parents exploited me by selling me as a haunted doll through a lot of my childhood and he knows I’m sensitive to being called an object.)

He backpedaled at that point and asked if I didn’t want to buy a house together. He said he was doing it for us and I should’ve understood and not said anything. I told him that when I was a Cryptid I had my pride and would’ve never done this.

He said I needed to tell his boss that he was the one who made all those kills. I said it wasn’t me who recognized them as Cryptid kills and now his boss knew too. He accused me of thinking I’m better than him because I have telekinetic powers and can move through shadows and can possess people, while he’s basically a human himself. I told him of course not and that I worked hard for those powers unlike him.

He got really mad at that and actually charged at me with his machete raised. I don’t think he was going to actually hit me, but I reacted like he was. It was all instinct. I disarmed him and I swear I heard a crack when I grabbed his wrist. I shoved him into the wall.

 He crumpled to the floor and started crying. He said sorry and sort of curled up around his wrist. He said he didn’t ever feel like he was enough for me and he didn’t even know why I was still with him. He called himself a bunch of names and said I would be better off without him.

I sort of awkwardly stood there for a minute. On one hand I wanted to assure him that he was enough and that I loved him, but, on the other, I wasn’t sure I could forgive him. He nearly ruined my reputation, and he embarrassed me in front of Bloody Mary. Plus, I still didn't know where he’d been going all those times he said he was on a business trip and apparently wasn’t.

So I ended up not saying anything. I went to our room and started packing a bag. He followed me. He was still crying as he begged me not to go. He said he would own up to his kill steals at work and he would make it right. He pleaded for me not to leave him and that he would give up slashing.

I told him I needed space to think. He tried to grab me, but I shadow walked out of the house. I heard him screaming from outside and I hurriedly drove away.

Now I’m at my friend’s house and I told her everything. She agreed I did the right thing walking away from him, but when I asked her what I should do she hesitated. She said that my boyfriend wasn’t right to kill steal but, as a fellow Slasher, she understood what he was going through. She said I wouldn’t understand the pressure to meet quota because I was always surpassing mine when I was in the field. She said that a Cryptid could never understand a Slasher.

She also said that nobody would have found out about his kills if I hadn’t brought them to his boss’ attention. She said the only time kills are on display like that is at the Eldritch Conference and by the next one, he’d have had kills of his own. She thinks that if I’d just confronted him at home, he wouldn’t be on suspension.

So now I’m worried that I overreacted when I told my boyfriend’s coworkers that he was lying about his body count.

AITA?

----

Thanks for reading! Several amazing supernatural citizens (aka my Patrons) gave great advice to our poor OP over on my Patreon! Please go check them out here (X)

(I will definitely be posting some of them here in the near future!)

My next supernatural AITA is already up to my patrons!

It's called "AITA for divorcing my vampire husband because he lied about his human job?"

Patrons get to see many of my stories a week ahead! If that interests you please check me out here (X)!

[ms-demeanor]

Three weeks ago:

New Guy: Hey I need pricing for a battery and RAM for this customer's laptop.

Me: Sure, ninety dollars total.

New Guy: (read)

New Guy (next day): Did you get me that quote I asked for?

Me, putting the pricing on a quote: Uh, sure, here, ninety dollars total.

Me, to New Guy two days later: Hey did you get a response to that quote? That's for that company's CEO, he wants his laptop back.

Me, the day after that, to myself: That guy isn't going to balk at a hundred dollars for parts, fuck it i'm ordering I can return them if he says no but it's going to take like three days for the battery to get here.

Me, to New Guy the day after that: Hey, did you get approval from the customer to buy those parts? I placed the order but if he doesn't want them I need to know.

Customer, in an email to my boss: Hey why is New Guy telling me that I need to sign a quote? I talked to New Guy and he was prompt and understanding and I approved the parts in the shop that day.

My Boss: You didn't order the parts?

Me: I actually DID order the parts because I figured he'd want his laptop back, but not until yesterday because I didn't know that he'd approved the price.

My Boss: You didn't tell Alli that he approved the price?

New Guy: Well you said we needed to send them a quote.

Me: Did you send them the quote that I put together for you?

New Guy: Well no, because they'd already approved the price.

My Boss: And you didn't tell Alli?

New Guy: I said he wanted his laptop fixed so we needed a price.

Me and My Boss: Great.

*one week later, new guy will be perusing career advancements elsewhere*

Customer, in an email to my boss: I'm sorry to hear that New Guy has moved on, he was wonderful to work with and it can be hard to cope with turnover in an organization. That being said, Alli may be a quality person for you to work with, but is not a person we want to work with, please don't have her handle anything to do with our account.

My Boss: What did you do that they're so mad about?

Me: Literally the only things I've worked with them on in the last four months are two quotes that you requested and sent that they have no idea I worked on, the hardware from New Guy, and a replacement UPS battery that got installed on site on Friday, which we had a bit of a back-and-forth on because the CEO approved the quote with a thumbs-up emoji and we weren't sure if that meant "I understood the explanation of why this battery needs to be replaced and I will think about it" or "I understood the explanation of why this battery needs to be replaced and I would like you to place the order" but we went ahead with the order because I knew they were already pissed about the hesitancy from New Guy.

[darkacademicvibes]

You Owe Me

Fred Weasley x Fem!Lancaster!Gryffindor!Reader

Enemies to lovers, Fake dating

It's the fourth time in two weeks, and it's only Tuesday.

Adrien Pucey settles into the seat beside you, the same flirty smile on his face as his last three attempts at talking to you, and it takes everything in you to keep your glare of annoyance to yourself as you send Hermione at the gryffindor table your best 'can-we-please-have-a-tutor-session-right-at-this-second-i-need-your-help' stare, which she doesn't understand, of course, since you're usually so against studying.

"Hey gorgeous" you sigh heavily, barely glancing at him. "What do you want, Pucey" you mutter, hoping to merlin he doesn't make some revolting innuendo of some sort, you're trying to eat lunch for heavens sake.

"I want you to go out with me this weekend" he shrugs, and you turn to him, placing down your fork. "Look, Pucey, there's a nice way to say this, but I'm not going to be nice anymore. Leave me the fuck alone, I'm not interested in dating, sleeping with, or, talking to you" you state clearly, hoping it was exactly what he needed to leave you alone.

"Tell me one good reason why"

Hope is dead. There is no hope. Hopeless, that is his word, you will never say hopeless without thinking of this exact moment ever again.

"I have a boyfriend" the words practically tumble out of your mouth, and he immediately seems confused. Me too, pucey, me too. You think to yourself, because genuinely, what the fuck? No, you don't. Not that he needed to know that, because he was already standing up. "Right... uh, who, exactly?" He asks, and you panic.

"Look, we're trying to keep it to ourselves right now, yknow? We don't want anyone in our business, so if you could kind of... keep it quiet, that would be really helpful" you ramble, shit- literally - because at this point you are talking out of your arse. None of this is true, obviously, but if it gets him to leave you the fuck alone, then great, now it is. It's a lie, but it's true. In his mind, at least.

He pauses, "right." He mumbles, turning on his heel and leaving as you turn back to your meal, feeling particularly distraught.

"Y/n? It's time for our session-" Hermione Granger pauses, she's never seen you move so quickly, shoving bacon into your mouth and grabbing an apple turnover as you shove your things into your bag, standing up and grabbing her wrist with your free hand as you tug her along to the library.

What the hell happened since their last session? Y/n Lancaster has never once been the one most ready for their study session, it was always Hermione spending the better part of their scheduled two hours bribing her to actually open her books.

"I'm fucked" you state with a mortified groan the moment you make it to your usual table in the library, apple turnover in hand until you place it onto a loose piece of parchment, sending a suspicious glare to the wood of the library table. Who knew what tables couples had shagged on top of after sneaking in after hours for a bit of unsanctioned fun.

Hermione frowns, puzzled as she sits beside you, watching you actually open your textbooks. "What? What happened?" she asks, hurrying to tug her own books from her bag.

"Okay, you know how i've been bitching about Pucey asking me out and being all gross and stuff? Well he asked me out again, and I said no - obviously, like, gag - but he asked me why and I totally minblanked so I told him I have a secret boyfriend" you ramble, stressed at the situation you've gone and caused for yourself, because now you actually had to ask someone to pretend to be in a badly hidden 'relationship' with you to keep him off your back. Double gag.

She smiles, "oh, you do? congrats-"

"Hermione Jean Granger, you adorable, sweet, merlins favourite little gryffindor-"

"We're the same age-"

"-I am so greatful that you think I have such low standards and such high patience to date a boy of all things-"

"And we're both gryffindors."

"-But I am so single it borderlines on painful."

She's silent for a long moment, so long, you aren't sure if she understood you, and then, painfully slow, she begins to smile. And then a laugh bubbles out of her as you sulk, biting into the sweet apple turnover.

It takes a long few minues for her to calm enough to be able to look at you without laughing again.

"So now what?" she muses "You can't exactly keep lying and really expect to get away with it" she points out, and you fall silent, sending her a sheepish smile as she pauses, eyeing you warily.

"Y/n Gréine Lancaster, tell me you are not thinking about-"

You nod quickly, embrrassed.

"Y/n! That's ridiculous" she scolds quietly, and you groan.

"Trust me, I know... but I have to, I just want Pucey to leave me alone. He's been so convinced that i've just been playing hard to get- I can't take it anymore, 'mione, you even had to start tutoring me because i've been taking the long ways to class to avoid him in the halls" you insist.

She sighs, her gaze softening.

"I know someone you can ask, I'll talk to him" she promises softly. "He needs a date to christmas this year to keep his mother off his back anyway... a win-win situation is okay... right?" she asks softly, gently grabbing your hand. You nod softly.

"Of course, 'mione, thank you"

"Always, Y/n. Now.. herbology-"

"Oh god, must we?"

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

speaking of Pearl Davis--and speaking as someone who finds the current "fat positivity" movement morally repugnant--one thing that really irks me about the redpill space's view of women is this idea that whatever a man can achieve through exercise, a woman can also achieve the exact same way in the same time frame.

a healthy exercise regimen for a woman looks like daily walks and strength training 2-3x per week. she should not be doing HIIT often, and especially not on her period, but she probably won't be getting a period at all if she trains the same way a gym bro does.

a healthy and sustainable rate of weight loss for a woman looks like 2 lbs per week. when I hear a woman say she dropped 20 lbs in a month, I know she's either going to gain it all back or encounter chronic health issues (like my very own gallstone, which women develop at a rate nearly 3 times higher than men).

Women metabolize more lipids, and correspondingly less carbohydrates and proteins, than equally trained and nourished men. Females tend to have a greater proportion of body fat than men, which is stored in the gluteal-femoral region in women compared with the visceral area in men. Total cross-sectional muscle area is 60%–85% lower in women than in men, and greater muscle mass activation requires increased need to replenish stores and increased glycogen breakdown turnover. Males have greater skeletal muscle mass, and women have more body fat. There is also an overall increased left ventricular end-diastolic volume in males compared with that found in females.

also noted in the study is the decreased insulin sensitivity some people experience after a HIIT workout, and I would argue insulin resistance is women's greatest hurdle when it comes to losing weight

we were designed to store fat to sustain ovulation and pregnancy. it is not only easier for us to gain it and harder for us to shed it than it is for a man, the very strategies that work for a man may work against a woman.

[startedwithaseed]

Lettuce!

The first time i encountered lettuce plants going to seed i thought they looked like little palm trees... I was really surprised at how thick and sturdy the stems become when they are left to live out their full life cycle, especially if lots of the bottom leaves are stripped to reveal this woody stem. This is one of the joys of seed saving for me, seeing plants transform (often into relatively monstrous proportions!) and getting to appreciate the plant in a totally different way.

I didn't know at the time that lettuce was comparatively easy to save seed from, with the plants being mostly self fertile with perfect flowers, so there is minimal chance of crossing. The official advice is still to leave several meters between varieties, especially in hotter climates (where insects are more active/abundant? I have no idea), but if that would stop you saving your own lettuce seed for your own use, I say ignore the advice! I had been enjoying the benefits of saved lettuce seed, with the saved Cocarde seed being the most reliable germination in my fortnightly salad sowings that I was overseeing, often out performing much newer, bought in seed. Since I found out it could be achieved without complicated isolation netting and fears of cross pollination, I'd been dying to try it for myself. Just one plant can produce up to 10 grams of seed (that's around 8000 seed!) so it is the gift that keeps on giving. I also feel that most organic lettuce varieties are open pollinated and not hybrids, another plus for ease of mind when seed saving from this crop.

There are 3 main types of lettuces cultivated in the UK-

Romaine or cos lettuces, which form tight heads with long leaves, a typical example being little gem

Head lettuces, which again form heads but can be looser, and include smoother butter head types and more frilly batavia types

Leaf lettuces, which don't form heads and are often more frilly. an example is lollo rossa

They are all within the Lactuca sativa species so could all technically cross with eachother.

Lettuce are surprisingly hardy plants and such a mainstay for UK market gardeners, selling them as whole heads, and as part of mixed salad bags -which I believe are the highest value product for growers, although I have no recollection of where I heard that so can't fact check it! It makes sense in that it is high turnover, and many successions can be grown in a season. I personally find it hard to get too over excited about lettuce, preferring the more showy fruiting crops, and things that can be cooked and preserved in a variety of exciting ways. And seeing that it is often the veg that goes the most to waste (people love to buy mixed salad bags in shops because they look so appealing, but often fail to get round to eating them before they go slimy), it's hard to see it as the most sustainable crop. However I have made a deal with myself to get over my trepidation and finally experiment with lettuce soup this season!

As the stalks elongate and these beautiful heads start forming, the plants will want some kind of support if they are standing alone as this one is, we do have some that seem to be fairing quite well supported by tomato plants either side! I think it is quite common for several plants to die off at this stage, so select more than you think you'll need. Removing lower leaves can help to reduce the risk of rotting/moldy leaves/ slug damage leading to disease.

(A beast of a slug found hanging out under the module trays)

Watch out for flower buds starting to form, when open they almost look like little dandelion flowers, and in fact there method of distribution is the same with fluffy tops forming at full maturity.

It won't be long after flowering (about 2 weeks) that those seeds are mature, however flowers appear at varying times on the same plant so there are different methods of getting as much good, mature seed off the plant as possible. A good method for wetter UK conditions would be digging up the whole plant, roots and all, bagging the roots to stop soil dropping in with the seeds, and in a well ventilated, dry area , hanging the plant upside down in a paper bag (could be a potato sack or similar, just check for holes and turn it inside out so it's clean on the inside). Do this when about 50% of the seed are mature some will continue to mature on the plant and drop into the bag, ensuring a fairly good yield. Alternatively you can always just hand harvest mature seed from the plant as and when they come, with the main stem of the lettuce generally producing the best seed. They are mature when they easily separate from the plant.

Make sure the seed is completely dry before storing in a cool, dark, dry place.

These are just my musings from observations and my experience, as an enthusiast not a professional. My recommendations for deeper dives from the experts -

The seed growers podcast focused on lettuce seed production with Frank Morton

diyseed.org has beautiful videos going into detail on the seed saving process of most vegetables you could think of

realseeds.co.uk are an open pollinated seed company that encourage and have lots of resources on saving seed

[prestochange]

Silph Corporation Internal Report; Audio Recording 

Saffron City || Date: 10/12/2022

Regarding the events surrounding the second manifestation of the entity, BLACK FOG. 

On September 2nd, 2022, at approximately 12:07 AM, seven delivery personnel were admitted to Saffron South Prefecture Hospital after collapsing in a staggered fashion, but simultaneously enough, in the Silph Corporation Large Deliveries back lot, within the Silph Corporation headquarters building, 3-0929-7295.

The seven employees of the Punch Clock moving company exhibited symptoms of what would later be known as "Black Fog". Confusion, high fever, and excessive sweating as well as hallucinations were noted in all seven employees.

When put into an artificial sleep in order to manage symptoms, all seven afflicted persons died. The cause of death was determined by a coroner to be cardiac arrest, although later autopsy reports discovered hemorrhaging in the brains of three out of four subjects.

Notably, each subject prior to expiration exhibited rapid eye movement and twitching associated with dreaming.

The Punch Clock moving company had been tasked with the delivery of artifact codename: OVERSHADOW from shipping storage unit 5-6A in Lavender Town.

The artifact in question, OVERSHADOW is an 80 foot, 20 meter tall metal sarcophagus the size of a small shipping ocean vessel, weighing several thousand tons. The designs on it are of no analogous origin historically. The relief carvings of runes match no records. The sarcophagus depicts a grotesque face on the lid with gums peeled back and large flat teeth.

This metal sarcophagous was surprisingly intact, as prior Silph Corporation acquisition assets reported it purchased with the intent to destroy it by prior company president, Masuda Takahisa the Elder.

It seems that the sparse legends on the subject are true, and while there is a lengthy record of attempts to destroy OVERSHADOW, even the Silph Corporation, with its endless supplies and access, as well as creative thinkers, could not find a way to make even a dent in the artifact.

The piece is completely unique, sporting Damascus-like swirl patterns in each tiny piece of it, no one piece predictably leading into the other in terms of pattern. The architect of the project constructed it in hundreds of thousands of tiny pieces, and very clearly, not alone.

Despite this incredible engineering feat, there is no record of its construction either.

I as the now sole owner of the sarcophagus, am additionally surprised that psionic ability is unable to pull on the historical memory of the artifact either. This piece is without temporal memory by design.

It is very clearly designed to be forgotten on purpose.

What we do know about the sarcophagus, is that it was excavated during the reconstruction of Pokémon Tower, and additional pieces found alongside the Tower, urns that when exposed to air, crumbled to dust and tiny chips, date to over fifty thousands years ago.

There is no record that Silph does not have, of the entity that resides in, and is trapped by the Sarcophagus. In Lavender Town I do not think it is unusual that the citizens have had higher rates of sleep disturbances. Furthermore, I do not find it odd that the spiritual collapse of Lavender Town occurred centered at the resting spot of this dangerous artifact.

Silph's younger president, found to be a Mewtwo in disguise, masquerading as the son of Masuda, intentionally released Black Fog upon acquisition of the artifact in September.

Illnesses mounted within a week, and the number one cause of death in Saffron for a brief and startling moment was vehicular crash, spurred on by severe insomnia.

The incident lasted a month, and was much more severe than the first release of Black Fog.

Casualties were estimated to be between 5-6million civilians, leading to total economic collapse of the city. Property damages were even higher.

Responder turnover rate was astronomical and Saffron was quarantined. The Black Fog settled into the city, an unstoppable plague. I reached out to friends for help, as the leadership in Saffron quickly expired or was rendered unable to function.

The strike team was quickly picked from available specialists.

Strike Team: Viridian's Leader, Ohkido Green, Viridian's Ex Leader, Sakaki Giovanni, Medium Matsuba, of Ecruteak City, Piers, the Galarian Dark Specialist, Koga, Poison Master of the Elite Four, The Looker, Interpol Expat, and Nix, Oneirologist and inventor of the Silph Scope were chosen for their ability to function in the environment.

The strike team was to assist me in erecting disruption pylons within a prefecture of Saffron, hopefully trapping and eliminating the monster in the limits of the pylons.

The pylons were found to successfully disrupt the somnus effect of Black Fog, but were a temporary solution, and shorted out in its presence.

The team was successful, but not without casualty. Ohkido Green and Looker were killed by the creature and quickly resuscitated by Matsuba. The Black Fog was captured with a Silph Master Ball by Ohkido Green.

The Master Ball, although it contains the monster, does not successfully stop it from exuding ability over the area around it.

Ohkido Green has taken it upon himself to "train" the monstrosity, undergoing purification rites and cleansing rituals that haven't been seen even in our most devout mediums in a long time.

I do not trust this solution. Green is a human with a human lifespan. He can not outlive this monster.

Study on OVERSHADOW is necessary. Perhaps our ancestors left clues in the labyrinthian patterns that sprawl over this malevolent thing.

[pebblysand]

Helloo

So i just finished reading that ask about Harry as a wizard-cop, and i totally needed to read that. Like two days ago a friend told me she stopped reading HP when she found out that Harry wanted to be a cop (yeah she's dramatic like that, i love her). We talked about it a bit, and, like i always say to my friends "Yeah, JKR sucks, but fanfiction is awesome!" . And i remember mentioning castles to her, and one part that i can't find right now, it was very short, and it was harry working as part of the crowd-control team of people manifesting (is that how you say it?), he was in disguise i think (was that in castles? man! i read a lot of things at the same time and get confused ). And THAT was when the "WOW he's a cop" really sunk in, because, well i've been on the other side of that hittin-stick when i was a teenager (what's the name of that stick? you know, the stick that cops use to hit people) and well, i sort of wanted to burn all of my HP books after that (i didn't of course🫣).

Anyway i don't think i've ever read a canon compliant fic that adressed Harry's carreer choice the way you do, which i find sooo interesting and necessary. I have (i hope) grown up a bit since a was 16, and talked to a few cops (yeah teenage me is 😲), and some of them really start working in the police because they genuinely want to help. I didn't know what to say, because that's the same person who hits teenagers manifesting for more founds to public schooling, but also rescued a friend's mom from a violent relationship, which is, you know, a really good thing. I devoured those parts, when you describe this internal moral fight Harry has and the way he also grows up, from wanting to be an auror to "catch the bad guys", like a videogame, to facing all these dilemmas with it being a part of a goverment, with laws, regulations and obligations. Pffffff can you imagine dear Harry James following all those RULESSS?

ok so i've talked enough, love all your work!! i hope some of this makes sense lol. Have a great week!!

oh, i'm so glad you resonated with that! obviously, i have a lot of thoughts!

so, yes, that is in castles! it's chapter 11 after Kingsley's Ministry grants are handed out, thanks to the Blair loan:

Officially (and, for what it’s worth, even knowing his own feelings towards Kingsley, Harry honestly believes him on that one), most of the recovery grants were distributed to a selection of wizarding businesses deemed to have suffered the largest losses during the war. Applications were submitted in the month that followed the passing of the bill and the list of successful applications was compiled by Ministry staff on the basis of a complex matrix including the difference between pre-war and post-war turnovers, expenses incurred to repair the sometimes extensive damages suffered within the premises, the viability of their recovery plans, etc. It all sounded good - at least on paper. In actual fact, this thorough assessment led to an overwhelming number of grants being awarded to businesses owned by people generally known to have been on Kingsley and the Order’s so-called “side,” during the war. 

The moment the allocation decisions were made public, a wave of disgruntled Knockturn Alley shop owners found their way into the many offices of different press outlets across the country, soon expressing their innumerable grievances, and less-than-favourable opinions of the current government which, according to them, was operating under unconscionable biases. At the Burrow, this strategy enraged George (and, in her correspondence, Ginny, who’d spent hours with he and Ron going over Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes’ accounting and writing their application) who slammed The Prophet against the kitchen table and expressed what sounded like a rather fair point: ‘Their bloody shops weren’t torched, were they?’ 

In response to this latest wave of criticism, the Head of Kingsley’s new Money Matters Department, Bernardus Dee-Poquets, gave a rather unfortunate interview on Radio 5, attempting to ‘give more context’ on the decisions made. Instead of smoothing things over, this position only further enraged the opposition, prompting a spontaneous protest to take place in Knockturn Alley with placards that read: WE DON’T NEED CONTEXT WE NEED GALLEONS! (which, frankly, Harry also couldn’t help but think was a fair point). 

He and the other Aurors were soon called in for ‘crowd control,’ an idea that began sounding terrible as soon as they were asked to put on their riot gear. On the way there, Robards added fuel to the fire by making it abundantly clear to whoever was willing to listen that this ‘peacekeeping’ operation had been forced upon him by the Head of the DMLE and was neither his choice, nor his idea, which in turn meant that no one in the Auror ranks actually wanted to go in. That day, Harry’s afternoon began with their unit chief whispering in his ear to make his hair blond and hide his scar with make-up again, ‘just-in-case,’ and ended with incapacitating shots being fired from all sides, fumigation potions thrown at a mob they’d kettled in on Burke Street, and a spell that sliced Harry’s arm open, landing him in the mediwizards’ tent for the second time in less than six months. Until he regained the full use of his fingers a couple days later, the letters he wrote to Ginny looked like they had been drafted by a six year old child. 

Since then, most of the office has been reluctant to do - well - anything beyond the bare minimum, doing nothing to help Robards’ staffing problems. Half the Aurors on Harry’s floor have now repeatedly called in sick for a few days at a time with increasingly more outrageous excuses ranging from ‘sleepiness,’ to ‘dragon pox,’ and even once: ‘wandrot’ - a wizarding disease that Harry unfortunately decided to ask about at lunchtime in the middle of the trainees’ table. Katie Bell almost choked on a piece of broccoli and Ron’s whole face turned scarlet. The resulting explanation made Harry feel irrationally protective of the most intimate parts of his body for the rest of the afternoon. 

---

and, like, yeah, it's funny, but it's also - not, you know? i think i want this moment to sound like a "fun" anecdote but i think it also feeds into what i was saying in the original post, about the post-war low-level "crime" that feels somewhat endemic and unsolvable. here, of course, it's knockturn alley shop owners, which i suppose we all don't have much sympathy for, but perhaps, we should? the thing about the post-war wizarding economy is that it's full of petty crime and black market stuff and disgruntled demonstrations - because these people have spent years trying to survive and make a living under the hold of an authoritative government, and now not only is democracy not really bringing in money, but it's also preventing them from operating the way they used to. and even if it's nothing at scale, i think the endlessness of it kind of wears down your morale, as a ministry employee.

as you very rightly say, i think most people who join police forces aren't horrible people. like, sure, a percentage of them just wants to beat people up and get paid to do it, but that's not the majority. i think for the most part, there's a lot of big-eyed kids like harry who just want to "save" people. and then, you get called in to these ops and you start realising that "crowd control" is a scam and that putting people in jail is a bit pointless when what is being held against them is just trying to survive and feeding their families. and, of course, there's also multiple aspects to this, because they also sometimes do intervene in stuff that is useful like domestics and stuff (although, there's this whole thing about how police often doesn't believe women, but that's a whole different debate). so, i think, with harry's "early" time at the ministry, i wanted to show the different layers to that.

and, it's funny cause i expected to get a lot of angry comments about harry becoming a hit wizard because of the sort of violence that is associated with those kinds of departments, but i actually didn't. i think the above is sort of the reason why he joins though. it's like: he wants to save people, and that's what they do. their operations are big enough, it's never petty crime, they have a lead (hawk) who knows what he's doing and who can make difficult decisions, and they get in, intervene, and get out. it's not about fighting disgruntled shop owners, you know? or pointless trafficking of magical objects. and, it’s also not detective-like investigative work which, frankly, i don’t think he has much patience or focus for. especially, feeling kind of like a nameless cog in the investigative machine. to me, the hit wizards was the only way to make auror!harry work within the "reality" of what the police force is.

(i think that stick is called a "baton?" i know the term to "baton charge". english speakers - please confirm 😆. in french, it's a matraque.)

but anyway, thank you so much for your kind words, i'm so glad you enjoyed those parts. i have a lot more in store for harry-as-an-auror throughout the fic, so it's lovely to see people enjoy it!

[bongaboi]

Travis Hunter: 2024 Heisman Trophy Winner

Six days after 12 teams were selected to compete for a national title in the College Football Playoff, a different kind of college football honor was handed out.

The Heisman Trophy is college football’s most hallowed individual achievement, with even the trophy itself — depicting a player throwing a stiff arm — standing as a central element of the sport’s mythology.

This week, four college football standouts — Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Miami’s Cam Ward — headed to New York with dreams of becoming the latest player to join a list featuring some of the sport’s most iconic figures. Ultimately, though, only one of them was able to leave Manhattan with the trophy.

Colorado’s Travis Hunter was presented with the 2024 Heisman Trophy during a ceremony Saturday night in New York.

Hunter won the award after putting together a season with few, if any, peers in modern college football history.

The Georgia native and Jackson State transfer did a little bit of everything for the Buffaloes while leading them to a 9-3 record in their second season under coach Deion Sanders. Hunter played both offense and defense, logging a total of 1,360 snaps during the 2024 season despite missing the second half of Colorado’s games against Kansas State and Arizona with an injury.

Hunter had emerged as the sizable betting favorite in recent weeks, with the most recent odds from BetMGM putting him at -2500 to take home the award. Ashton Jeanty, at +1000, had the next-best odds.

The possibility of winning the Heisman followed Hunter for much of the season as he racked up seven games with at least 100 receiving yards and five games with a forced turnover. He regularly struck the Heisman pose after making a big play, beginning with a September 28 win at UCF after coming down with an acrobatic interception.

As the Heisman race seemingly came down to Hunter and Jeanty, Hunter’s coaches and teammates routinely touted his candidacy. After Hunter had an interception and three touchdown receptions in Colorado’s 52-0 victory against Oklahoma State on November 29, Sanders said his two-way star “clinched” the coveted award.

“You’ve never seen it before,” Sanders said. “He’s the best player in college football. You can find ways to hate and criticize him and you won’t come out of that looking professional because now you’re just searching for something, like the idiots was talking about with the (Jim) Thorpe (Award) that I guess he didn’t have enough tackles. Well, if a cornerback has a lot of tackles, that means they caught a lot of balls. It’s just stupid. Travis Hunter proved today and he proved every week that he’s the best player in college football.

“You’ve got to give me another definition of the award. The award is to go to who? The best quarterback? I don’t know how you could be voted in every category in some sort. I think he’s up for best offensive player, best defensive player, best receiver. Who else has done that ever?”

Hunter is the second Heisman winner in Colorado history, joining the late Rashaan Salaam, who won the award in 1994.

Heisman voting results 2024 Hunter won with 2,231 total points, as compared to Jeanty, who finished with 2,017 points. The 214-point difference is the smallest margin of victory since Alabama running back Mark Ingram beat out Stanford RB Toby Gerhart in 2009.

Here's the full points total, including first-place votes:

1st place: Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter (2,231 points, 552 first-place votes) 2nd place: Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty (2,017 points, 309 first-place votes) 3rd place: Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel (516 points, 24 first-place votes) 4th place: Miami QB Cam Ward (229 points, six first-place votes) 5th place: Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo (170 points, three first-place votes) 6th place: Army QB Bryson Daily (69 points, three first-place votes) 7th place: Penn State Tyler Warren (52 points, one first-place vote) 8th place: Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders (47 points, one first-place vote) 9th place: Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke (22 points, two first-place votes) 10th place: Syracuse QB Kyle McCord (nine points) Travis Hunter stats During his Heisman-winning season, Hunter truly did it all for Colorado.

As a wide receiver on offense, he finished with 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns. Hunter ranks fifth among FBS players in receptions, sixth in receiving yards and second in touchdown receptions. He also has a rushing touchdown.

While playing for a coach who’s arguably the greatest defensive back in the history of football, Hunter excelled as a cornerback, as well, recording 11 pass breakups and four interceptions, ranking him first and second, respectively, among all Big 12 players. He had a forced fumble, as well, which allowed his team to hold on for an overtime victory against Baylor on Sept. 21.

Heisman Trophy finalists' stats Here's a look at the stats of the four Heisman Trophy finalists in 2024:

Travis Hunter Offense: 92 catches, 1,152 yards, 14 touchdowns; two carries, five yards, one touchdown Defense: 31 tackles, 11 pass breakups, four interceptions, one forced fumble Ashton Jeanty Rushing: 344 carries, 2,497 yards, 29 touchdowns, 7.3 yards per carry Receiving: 20 catches, 116 yards, one touchdown Dillon Gabriel Passing: 297 of 406 passing (73.2%), 3,558 yards, 8.8 yards per attempt, 28 touchdowns, six interceptions Rushing: 63 carries,192 yards, seven touchdowns Cam Ward Passing: 293 of 435 passing (67.4%), 4,123 yards, 9.5 yards per attempt, 36 touchdowns, seven interceptions Rushing: 58 carries, 196 yards, four touchdowns Receiving: One catch, 7 yards, one touchdown Heisman Trophy winners Here’s a look at the past 10 Heisman Trophy winners, with Saturday’s honoree becoming the latest inclusion on the list:

For full list of winners, click here.

2024: WR/CB Travis Hunter, Colorado 2023: QB Jayden Daniels, LSU 2022: QB Caleb Williams, USC 2021: QB Bryce Young, Alabama 2020: WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama 2019: QB Joe Burrow, LSU 2018: QB Kyler Murray, Oklahoma 2017: QB Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma 2016: QB Lamar Jackson, Louisville 2015: RB Derrick Henry, Alabama

[betbuddyai]

Top 5 Best AI NFL Predictions You Can't Miss This Season!

As artificial intelligence (AI) advances, it has transformed how sports enthusiasts and analysts approach game predictions, especially for high-stakes leagues like the NFL. The application of AI in NFL predictions has taken fan engagement to a whole new level, providing powerful insights and data-driven strategies that give fans and bettors alike a competitive edge. This season, AI tools are making headlines, promising accuracy, depth, and new levels of excitement. Let’s dive into the Top 5 Best AI NFL Predictions that you won't want to miss!

1. Game-Winning Probabilities: AI’s Take on Predicting Victory

AI models, using advanced algorithms and extensive data sets, can predict the likelihood of a team winning a game with a high degree of accuracy. These models analyze historical data, current player performance, injuries, weather conditions, and even real-time stats during games. For example, platforms like BetBuddy AI and NextGen Stats provide predictions on win probabilities that shift throughout the game, helping fans and bettors adjust their expectations dynamically.

Why This Matters Unlike traditional predictions based on surface-level stats, AI-driven win probabilities dive deep into micro-details that humans may overlook. By analyzing thousands of variables in real time, these algorithms calculate win probabilities as the game progresses, adjusting for injuries, weather changes, or in-game performance shifts.

Impact on NFL Fans Fans following AI-generated win probabilities can experience a game on a whole new level. Whether it's the thrill of seeing your team’s win probability spike after a successful play or watching it dwindle after a critical turnover, this feature adds a level of immersion and data-backed excitement that enhances the overall game experience.

2. Player Performance Predictions: Identifying the Stars of the Game

Predicting individual player performances has become another valuable AI-powered feature. By evaluating a player’s stats, historical performance against specific opponents, and their physical conditioning, AI models can offer insights into how well a player will perform in an upcoming game. These predictions cover everything from projected yardage and touchdowns to tackles and even interception probabilities.

The Key Players to Watch Imagine knowing that a running back is projected to rush for over 100 yards based on AI insights into their fitness and the opposing team's defensive weaknesses. Or, an AI-based prediction that a particular wide receiver is likely to have multiple receptions due to favorable matchups with the opposing team’s secondary. These detailed insights not only add excitement but can also help fantasy football players make more strategic picks.

Practical Applications For fantasy football enthusiasts, AI player performance predictions are game-changers. Platforms like FantasyPros and BetBuddy AI offer tools that allow users to project key player stats based on AI analysis. This feature is especially helpful for making well-informed draft picks, setting lineups, and choosing which players to start or bench each week.

3. Game Score Predictions: Projecting the Final Tally

One of the most popular Best AI NFL Predictions is the projection of final game scores. Many AI systems use a combination of player stats, game conditions, and historical data to estimate the final score of a game. This can include predictions on the total number of points scored, individual team scores, and sometimes even each quarter’s score.

Betting with Confidence AI score predictions offer a compelling edge to those participating in over/under betting markets. For example, if AI predicts a high-scoring game based on favorable weather and strong offensive line-ups, bettors can feel more confident about choosing the “over” on point totals. Conversely, if the AI suggests a defensive struggle due to injury-depleted offenses, taking the “under” could be a smart play.

Adding Value to Predictions While these score predictions are not infallible, they provide a highly accurate estimate of what to expect. Fans can look at predictions by industry leaders like Sportsline and Action Network, which frequently analyze AI-driven insights to provide potential score forecasts that are as close to the mark as possible. The added data allows fans to feel informed and to gauge whether the game might lean towards offense, defense, or a balanced contest.

4. In-Game Strategy Predictions: AI-Driven Play Calling Insights

Some of the best AI systems for NFL predictions go beyond just forecasting game outcomes by diving into in-game strategies and decision-making. By studying patterns in play-calling, AI can suggest which strategies are most likely to succeed in specific situations, offering insights into plays like fourth-down attempts, two-point conversions, or passing vs. rushing preferences.

AI’s Play-Calling Influence Imagine watching a game where the AI suggests the coach should go for it on fourth down based on the team’s current position, the opponent’s weaknesses, and the players’ on-field momentum. Platforms such as Edge Sports and Next Gen Stats are leading in this arena, helping fans understand the strategy behind each play.

A New Level of Engagement Fans and analysts can use these AI-driven insights to anticipate moves, debate decisions, and discuss game strategies with a fresh perspective. This is especially appealing to those who love to analyze and discuss the game, as it provides a data-backed foundation for understanding the intricacies of NFL strategies. Plus, it offers an engaging way for fans to see how AI recommendations compare with actual coaching decisions.

5. Injury Predictions and Impact Analysis: Keeping Tabs on Key Players

Injuries are unpredictable, but AI is making strides in predicting the likelihood of injuries and their potential impact on game outcomes. By analyzing player physical data, historical injuries, training intensity, and even field conditions, AI models can assess the injury risk for key players. Additionally, these AI systems predict how an injury might impact the player’s team, offering fans a clear picture of how one injury can reshape an entire game.

Game-Changing Implications Knowing if a star quarterback has a higher-than-average risk of aggravating a minor injury can be invaluable for fans and bettors alike. Some platforms, like PlayerProfiler and BetBuddy AI, offer these insights, allowing users to make informed decisions when predicting game outcomes or setting fantasy football lineups.

Strategic Betting Advantage For those who bet on the NFL, AI-driven injury predictions are particularly useful. If AI flags a star player’s increased injury risk, bettors might reconsider high-stakes wagers on that team. Meanwhile, fantasy football players might choose to bench a risky player in favor of a safer choice.

Why AI NFL Predictions Are Here to Stay

The Best AI NFL Predictions available this season are adding depth, insight, and excitement to the game in unprecedented ways. Whether you’re a casual fan, an avid bettor, or a dedicated fantasy football player, these AI-driven insights are valuable tools to help you stay informed and make smarter decisions. The fusion of AI technology with NFL sports analysis is set to continue evolving, bringing more precise data and deeper engagement to the game.

As we look forward to more advancements, AI is revolutionizing how we understand and enjoy the NFL. The top AI predictions—game-winning probabilities, player performance projections, score forecasts, in-game strategies, and injury impacts—are all powerful indicators that AI is transforming the world of NFL predictions. So this season, keep an eye on these AI insights for an enhanced, more strategic, and data-rich NFL experience!

[govandalsncaa]

#4 Vandals hammer Cougs 49-7 in Palouse Pounding

Despite three turnovers, the 4th ranked University of Idaho Vandals (10-0. 7-0) were able to score seven touchdowns en route to a 49-7 destruction of the Washington State Cougars (3-6. 2-4).

The Vandals opened the scoring on an Akim Mills 19 yard strike to Kevin Barnett. Washington State would respond, with a touchdown drive of their own to tie the score at seven.

Idaho would then go on to score 42 unanswered points. Dylan Thigpen scored 4 times, and Kevin Barnett added a 40 yard touchdown catch to his 1st quarter score.

Mills finished 23 for 38 for 398 yards, two touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Thigpen carried the ball 37 times for 232 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Kevin Barnett caught 8 passes for 158 yards and 2 touchdowns. Fellow Freshman, Ken Jones hauled in 5 catches for 108 yards.

On defense, Eric Hale racked up 5 tackles and 3 sacks on the day and Vaughn Daggs added to his stellar season with 2 interceptions.

On the day, Idaho rushed for 215 yards and 5 touchdowns, while Washington State rushed 9 times for -26 yards. In total, Idaho racked up 695 yards of offense.

Coach Idaho Coach spoke with the media after the game.

"I thought we played just fine today. We were sloppy with the ball, three interceptions, and a fumble that we luckily recovered. We can't turn the ball over like that and expect to come out with wins.

Defensively, I was pleased with our effort, we made them one dimensional, and then came up with three picks. The score was lopsided, the crowd was loud, but I think our locker room knows that we can play at a higher level than we did today. We're excited to try and be better next week."

The Vandals travel to take on Utah State next week.

[sortanonymous]

HOU-NYJ (n): Why do I have a bad feeling about Houston after this, especially given their division's recent history?

DAL-ATL (Y): I may love to joke about Dak being overrated and stuff, but he's definitely good enough that his injury should be the nail in the coffin for them (barring Trey Lance becoming the next Romo and Prescott anyway)

DEN-BAL (Y): Don't panic about your shocking streak getting halted by the Ravens. Get in line.

MIA-BUF (Y): Tyler Bass suddenly kicking a 61-yard game-winner after everything has the same vibes as the Nacho Libre celebration scene.

NO-CAR (n): Hopefully you aren't sick of '70s-80s nostalgia yet, because the Aints are so back! (And I guess cue that same celebration for Bryce Young.)

LV-CIN (Y): YES! WE SMOKED A DEAD RAIDERS TEAM! HOPIUM ACTIVATE! (Please don't mangle Burrow again, Baltimore!)

LAC-CLE (Y): I don't normally love repeating Tree's jokes directly, but Famous Jameis's Turnover Bakery being a concession stand in the Factory of Sadness? Yeah, that can't be topped.

WAS-NYG (Y): The commies are toppling a giant! (A giant joke, sure, but still!)

NE-TEN (Y): The end of the game was both the best and worst of Drake Maye. Hopefully (or maybe not hopefully with the Pats) he can show his stuff with Travis Hunter or someone like that next year.

CHI-AZ (n): I think the Madhouse in Maryland may have driven Chicago mad! (Also I love this crazy NFC West War of Mid so much!)

JAC-PHI (Y): The ineptitude by both coaches in this game was so hysterical that it went back around and became a letdown when the Eagles couldn't complete the choke.

DET-GB (Y): Oh, how the turn tables.

LAR-SEA (n): This game really showed everything fun about this beautiful flaming mess of a division!

IND-MIN (Y): Well, Elite Flacco's return was fun while it lasted. Time for the return of Elite Arm Punter Flacco!

TB-KC (Y): The Chiefs are inevitable. And I don't know if anyone's Iron Man. (Yeah, I ran out of gas with that one.)

Week 9 Predictions: 11/15

Total 2024 Predictions so far: 95/131 (.725)

SortaSports' 2024 NFL Week 9 Predictions

HOU-NYJ (TNF): Texans

DAL-ATL: Falcons

DEN-BAL: Ravens

MIA-BUF: Bills

NO-CAR (TANK BOWL): Saints

LV-CIN: Bengals (Screw this year, man)

LAC-CLE: Chargers

WAS-NYG: Commanders

NE-TEN (TANK BOWL): Titans

CHI-AZ: Bears

JAC-PHI: Eagles

DET-GB: Lions

LAR-SEA: Seahawks

IND-MIN (SNF): Vikings

TB-KC (MNF): Chiefs

[justlookfrightened]

How about number 11 from the fluff prompts?

From this prompt list:  “Are you flirting with me?” “You finally noticed?”

I did have to modify slightly to “Were you flirting with me ...”

Background: Bitty went to Samwell and stayed in New England. Jack didn’t go to Samwell but still plays for the Falconers.

Bitty had just set out the pie samples when the man in the yellow shoes ran by.

Every week, just at this time, the man ran through the just-opened market, keeping to the center of the aisle and never stopping to look at anything. Not the sweet, crisp lettuces or heirloom tomatoes from Bruce’s stand across the way, not the strawberries and blueberries that Harry had displayed, not the lavender and honey soaps from the booth next to Bitty’s.

It wasn’t really a bother. The man came early enough that there weren’t many customers to disturb, and the market was in a public park. Anyone could jog through it if they wanted to. It was just annoying that the man never even looked around or acknowledged anyone. And that he looked so good doing it, hideous yellow shoes notwithstanding.

Today he was wearing the shoes and navy blue running shorts -- the kind that barely reached the top of his thighs -- and a dark ball cap with sunglasses. What looked like a blue T-shirt was tucked into the back of his waistband, the better to sweat freely and give anyone who was out and about an eyeful of his shoulders, pecs and abs. Not to mention the massive rear end. All of which was damn near poster-perfect.

Bitty sighed and looked over at Margie, who had paused from setting up her stand to stare as well.

She caught Bitty’s glance and pantomimed fanning herself.

“You should try to sell him some soap,” Bitty said . “He’s gonna need a shower after that run.”

“Forget him,” Margie said. “I’m going to need a shower after watching him.”

The sun rose higher in the sky as Bitty’s stock of pies, cookies, muffins and turnovers got lower. The sample slices disappeared first, of course, but nearly everyone who took one bought something, so they were definitely a success. Maybe next week he should do more samples? Maybe apple and cherry? Or peach?

He was mulling fruit choices over when he noticed a customer -- well, a potential customer at least -- standing off to the side looking at his table. The guy was tall and broad across the shoulders, clean shaven, with the lightest blue eyes Bitty had ever seen on someone with hair so dark. His baggy shorts and ratty T-shirt, combined with socks and athletic slides, reminded Bitty of his old hockey teammates.

Bitty stood up.

“Can I get you something, sir?”

“Euh,” the man stalled, then looked at the table again. “Do you have a sample I could try?”

The man’s accent wasn’t as harsh as the New England voices that Bitty had finally gotten used to after six years in Boston and Providence. It wasn’t a southern drawl, that was for sure, but Bitty couldn’t place it.

“Not anymore,” Bitty said. “You have to wake up earlier to get those. I’ve got a couple of apple pies and peach pies left, and some cherry turnovers. Chocolate-cherry cookies, too, but I’m afraid everything else is sold out.”

“Um, how much for a cookie?”

“$6.50 for a dozen,” Bitty said. “I know it sounds like a lot, but …”

“A lot of cookies?” the man said. “I’m not sure I can have that many.”

“You can’t find anyone to give some to? Everyone likes a little sugar.”

“Haha,” the man said. “I guess.”

He handed over a $10 bill, took the cookies and left before Bitty could make change.

*

The following week, Bitty and Margie again paused in their set-up when the man in the yellow shoes ran by.

“Of all the markets I go to, this one definitely has the best view,” Margie said, turning back to her soaps. 

“You know it,” Bitty said, arranging morsels cut from apple, cherry and peach mini-pies on a tiered stand to offer as samples.

Once again, Bitty had sold most of his stock by time he was considering getting a start on packing up. Once again, the man with ice-blue eyes appeared, hanging back until Bitty noticed him.

“Did you like the cookies last week?” he asked.

“Um, yeah,” the man said. “And I shared them with my … friend. He liked them, too.”

Bitty looked up, wondering what the awkward hesitation before the word “friend” meant. Did he not really share them? Why lie about that? A dozen cookies wasn’t too many for one person to eat in a week, and Bitty hadn’t even asked who ate them. Was his “friend” not really a friend? Maybe more of an acquaintance, like a neighbor or coworker? Or maybe more than a friend? A wife? But he said “he.” A boyfriend? A husband?

Bitty tried to get a read on the man, but when he looked up, the man was looking down at the table, at the card reader with the pride flag sticker and the  now-empty sample stand.

“Looks like I missed the samples again,” the man said. 

“Looks like you did,” Bitty agreed. “You’ve got to get up pretty early to get those.”

“Do you have more of those cookies?”

“Sorry, not this week. Maybe try something different? Peaches are in season and I make a mean peach pie.”

“Why would I want a mean pie?” the man asked.

Now the cute accent came with dad jokes.

“Haha,” Bitty said. “I’ll have you know I won the blue ribbon at the tri-county fair with my pie when I was still in high school.”

“I think a pie is too much for me,” the man said. “It’s not as easy to share as cookies.”

“I’ve got just the thing,” Bitty said. “You can take my last half-dozen mini-pies, and since I’m packing up, I’ll only charge you for three. There’s four peach and two cherry. That’ll be $13.50.”

The man handed over a $20, and this time Bitty didn’t pass him his food until he accepted the change. The man just dropped it in the tip cup.

“Thank you, sir,” Bitty saud. “Y’all have a good week now.”

“Good-looking and generous,” Margie said from the next booth over.  “Why do I only get little old ladies or girls who want their bathrooms to smell nice?”

“Because you sell soap?”

“Don’t men want their bathrooms to smell nice?”

“Well, I do,” Bitty said. 

*

The following week’s market started much the same way, with the runner in the yellow sneakers kicking off the day, this time carrying a balled up red T-shirt in one large hand.

Bitty arranged sliced of apple and cherry turnovers as samples and displayed his pies and cookies, then passed the time between customers chatting with Margie and Bruce across the way.

“You think your boyfriend’s coming back?”

“What boyfriend would that be?” Bitty asked, as though he hadn’t spent a good part of the week daydreaming about blue eyes, sharp cheekbones and broad shoulders.

Once again, just when he was getting ready to close up, Blue Eyes showed up, this time with an even larger man. His friend? Or “friend”? 

The bigger man walked right up to the table, not hanging back like Blue Eyes usually did.

“Hello,” he said, smiling widely, the word flavored with an accent Bitty couldn’t quite place. “Jack says you make the best pies. You have blueberry?”

“Uh, not this week?” Bitty said. “Maybe next week, if I can get enough blueberries. I can make sure to save one for you, Mr. --”

“Alexei,” the man said. “You can call me Alexei.”

“Okay,” Bitty said, writing the name on a sticky note. “I’ll save a blueberry pie for Alexei, Jack’s friend. Can I get you anything today?”

“I see you have lemon bars,” Alexei said. “Six of those?”

“And what about you, Jack? It’s on the house. I noticed the extra $20 in my tip jar last week.”

“You don’t have to,” Jack said. “I like what you make, and it’s your business, so you should be paid. Um, you have a cherry pie left?”

“Just one,” Bitty said.

“It’s amazing,” Alexei said, “that you get this guy to eat dessert. Usually he only eats protein. All the time.”

“Protein is good for you,” Jack defended himself.

“Well, sure it is, hon,” Bitty said. “But you have to have a balanced diet.”

Both men paid, and Alexei said, “Maybe Jack will come get my pie next week from you -- wait, I don’t know your name.”

“Eric,” Bitty said. “But most everyone calls me Bitty.”

“Bitty baker,” Alexei crowed. “Excellent.”

“Bye, Bitty,” Jack said quietly.

After they left, Bitty collapsed dramatically on the table.

“Why are all the good ones taken?” he said.

“Who said he was taken?” Margie said. “Maybe they’re just friends.”

“Friends who pick up pie for each other?”

*

Bitty was well stocked with blueberry pies the next week, and he dutifully put one aside for Alexei. The berries had been so plentiful at the market that he’d made a couple of dozen blueberry bite-sized blueberry tartlets to set on his sample stand.

Bitty was just placing it on the table when the man with the yellow shoes loped past. 

“Put your tongue back in your mouth.” Margie was laughing at him. “You have your guy who comes every week. This one is mine.”

“Hush, you,” Bitty said. “I have a regular customer. That doesn’t mean I can’t feast my eyes on what’s on display.”

Then he stopped talking and busied himself with his display, because the man had broken his pattern and turned around when he reached the end of the market. He was headed back down the aisle.

Bitty was preparing himself to nod at the man, who for once seemed to be looking his way instead of straight ahead, but it was hard to see from behind the man’s sunglasses.

Wait, the man was heading right toward him, slowing to a trot as he passed the table.

“I see you got the blueberries,” he said. “Save one of those for me?”  

Bitty was glad the man -- Jack -- kept moving, because he knew his jaw nearly hit the table.

Once he managed to close his mouth, he turned back to Margie. “Still not my boyfriend,” he said. “But jiminy crickets. How did I not know it was the same guy?”

“You were blinded by the shoes?” Margie suggested. “Or, you know, the totally ripped half-naked body.”

“At least he’ll be dressed when he comes back,” Bitty said, placing three of the tartlets into a container that he put with Alexei’s pie. 

“The better not to drool over him?” Margie asked.

“Yeah,” Bitty said. “Pretty sure that’s considered bad customer service.”

Bitty spent the rest of the morning on pins and needles. It was fine, he told himself. His (very handsome) customer was the same as the (very hot) guy who ran through the market early every morning. The guy who never showed any sign that he even realized there were other people there, let alone that those people might be looking at him.

To him, Bitty was just the guy who sold cookies and pies. But his friend said Jack didn’t usually eat sweets, Bitty remembered.

Maybe Jack was buying them for Alexei. Maybe they were … it wasn’t right to say “more than friends,” Shitty would have his head for that. 

But they hadn’t seemed, well, couple-y, last week. And Bitty was pretty sure Jack lived alone. And Bitty couldn’t believe he had gotten himself wrapped up in whether there was an ethical difference in spinning daydreams about a customer based on whether the customer had a significant other. They were daydreams, for pity’s sake, and nothing would come of them.

Good thing the tartlets were doing their job and Bitty’s baked goods were more or less selling themselves today.

The stand was so successful that Bitty sold out of everything except the tartlets and pie he was saving for Jack and Alexei a half-hour before he usually packed up. 

He took his time stacking his trays, folding his tablecloths, stowing equipment in now-empty coolers for the trip home.

“Leaving already?” Margie asked. “Want me to hang on to the pie for when he gets here?”

“Nah,” Bitty said. “I’ll wait.”

Once he had everything stacked and ready to go to the truck, he sat in his folding chair and pulled out his phone to answer comments on his latest video.

He had just explained -- for the six-hundredth time -- how shortening and butter behave differently in pie crust when he heard a throat clear a few feet above him.

The Jack he saw when he looked up was different from the ones he had seen so far. No tiny running shorts or baggy basketball shorts, no horrid yellow shows or shower sandals. This Jack had on dark wash jeans that had to be tailored to fit like that, a snug T-shirt and a flannel button-down left open and with the sleeves rolled above the elbow. The moccasin-style shoes were a nice bonus. He looked a little familiar, but Bitty supposed that went with the fantasizing.

“Bitty?” Jack said. “Are you done for the day?”

“I am,” Bitty said, getting up and then immediately bending over to pick up the boxes for Jack. “But I saved you some tartlets and Alexei’s pie is here.”

“How much do I owe you?” Jack said.

“The pie is $20 even,” Bitty said. “But you can catch up to me next week if you don’t have cash.”

“I’m good for it,” Jack said, reaching for his wallet. “More to the point, so is Tater. What about the little blueberry things?”

“No charge,” Bitty said. “Samples, remember?”

“Samples are for people who get here early,” Jack said.

“You were here early,” Bitty said. “You just couldn’t take them with you. No, uh, pockets.”

“You think I’d put them in my pockets?”

Jack handed over two crisp twenties.

“It’s just $20,” Bitty said.

“For your trouble,” Jack said. “I’ll get Tater to pay me back.”

“Why do you call him Tater?”

“Hockey nickname,” Jack said. “He’s my teammate.”

“You play hockey?” Bitty said. “Where?”

“With the Falconers?” Jack said. 

Suddenly it clicked.

“Alexei … Mashkov? And you’re Jack Zimmermann!”

“Uh, yeah,” Jack said, ducking his head to look around to see if anyone heard. He raised his hand to his head like he wanted to pull the brim of his cap down, but with no cap, he ended up brushing away the hair that had curled onto his forehead. “Sorry you had to wait for me. Do you need a hand moving your things?”

“Aw, you don’t have to do that, hon,” Bitty said. “It’s a kind offer, though.”

“I don’t mind,” Jack said. “I was hoping maybe after you were done clearing up, you’d want to get coffee with me? Or a late lunch? Or something?”

Bitty managed to keep his mouth closed, but only just. A quick glance to the side told him Margie hadn’t been so successful.

“You don’t have to,” Jack said. “It’s fine. I mean, I know you shouldn’t ask people out when they’re working, so that’s why I wanted to wait until you were done --”

“No, sugar,” Bitty said. “I’d love to get lunch with you. Just so I know, though, you mean like a date?”

“Yes?” Jack said. “Wasn’t that clear? After all these weeks? Tater said he thought you liked me.”

“Wait,” Bitty said. “Were you flirting with me?”

“You finally noticed?”

“Never mind,” Bitty said. “Got there in the end, didn’t I?”

Jack started pushing the dolly with the folded table and stacked coolers towards the parking lot. As soon as he passed, Bitty flashed Margie a thumbs-up, picked up his chair and trays, and followed.

[dabiboy]

One of my BNHA OCs ((I say one of like they're not all just self insert clones with different quirks lmao)) is a true speedster. Mach 2 is the result of 5 generations of quirk breeding specifically for speed. As the name implies if she stretches her ability to the max she can hit the upper limit of the mach 2 speed at 1,522 mph! The catch? The more she pushes herself the harder her cells vibrate, when this exceeds the cell turnover she can control, she starts to liquify from the inside out...

Hawks has no idea when he meets her as it's not something she advertises. He is however enthralled with the fact that he's the one playing keep up for a change. Racing all over Japan & he never wins once! Having competitions on who can physically drag in the most villains in a day. ((They tie but end up setting a new record so hey)) The "man whose just too fast" is suddenly not fast enough... suddenly can't GET enough...

Then one day they get in a situation where she HAS to push herself. At first he's so excited, he didn't know she could do that! But then he finds her after, away from the reporters, puking up her liquified insides... "Yeah I accidentally nuked a kidney, don't worry I can grow it back! But I gotta you know... Drink this... Don't look!"

After that day he sticks to her like glue, determined to keep her from ever having to go that far again. She accuses him of micromanaging ((he is)), of obsessing ((totally)), of being a stubborn brat ((WOW he's NEVER heard THAT before)). After a few weeks of this she literally pins him down him down to ask WHAT is his problem!!! She's a hero who can do her job just fine thank you very much!!!

"Of course you can, I know that, but I can't lose the one person who can keep up with me!!!"

((needless to say they have to work through some boundary issues, but pacing themselves is kind of their specialty))

#is this soft? #i mean technically it's an essay sorry #but it FEELS soft

Omg this gives me Barry Allen vibes, I love it jskfjsf.

Keigo would be so pumped up of having someone who can keep up his pace and even defeat him. And I really like that dinamic in which he sees the other side of her quirk, and he starts taking care of them in subtle ways. For example, Barry Allen needs to eat a looot because he burns calories so fast and can get weak, so Hawks would be giving them food and drinks all the time "here, eat this" or even more subtle "wanna to KFC? I pay this time". Omg and if they puke I can see Hawks holding their hair if its long, rubing soft circles on their back 😭

This is soft, interesting, smart, I love it🤩

[anothersievefistedfind]

Live photo taken on 4/6/2001 by anonymous

Fugazi, Ogden Theater, Denver, CO USA 4/5/2001 (FLS #0982) & 4/6/2001 (FLS #0983)

Between April 5 and April 21, 2001, Fugazi embarked on their “Four Corners” tour of the United States to kick off the 2001 tour itinerary with 15 shows in as many as 10 states (Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, Indiana and Pennsylvania), their longest string of shows in 2001 and about half of their total amount of gigs that year (32 shows).

The Ogden Theater in Denver, Colorado turned out to be the first stop of the tour and hosted two shows on consecutive nights. According to an article titled “Ten of Our Favorite Concerts From the Ogden’s 100-Year History” by the Westword Staff (“The independent voice of Denver since 1977”),

“The Ogden was built in 1917, and it was opened as a theater in 1919 by John Thompson, who also ran what is now called the Bluebird Theater. Originally home to organ recitals, lectures and vaudeville acts, including Harry Houdini, the space became a movie theater in 1937. In the early ’90s, Doug Kauffman of Nobody in Particular Presents turned the Ogden back into a music venue. In 2006, NIPP leased the venue to AEG Live, and the Ogden has continued to be one of Denver’s most vibrant concert halls, with everyone leaving a mark on its stage, from just-breaking-big bands to fan-favorite nostalgia acts and singular one-offs from musical icons.”

Being back in Denver sparks memories for the band, as Guy reminisces, “it’s been a very long time since we’ve been to Denver, does anybody remember, not the last time when we played the Fillmore [formerly the Mammoth Events Center] but a few times back when we played here and we had this idea that we were gonna have a can drive, a food drive, remember that, I think it was like four or five bucks and then a can of food and then we were gonna distribute the food to people, but then it turned into this big riot and all the kids in the street started throwing the cans at windows, do you remember this, it was seriously fucking nuts, just a pleasant memory from the scrapbook for you all.”

I spent some time with the recordings of both Fugazi gigs at the Ogden Theater these last couple of weeks, and enjoy these a whole damn lot. The band hadn’t performed live since concluding their Scandinavian run some 6 months earlier, on October 10, 2000 and while both performances surely include a handful of shaky transitions and the occasional missed chord or hiccup, the band’s musicianship, work ethic and ardor come out on top. As such, both recordings essentially portray a band that found its bearings rapidly, came out swinging and had the welcoming audience eating out of its hand.

The recording of the first night includes a total of 28 songs, taken off of The Argument (6) (at the time not yet released), Furniture EP (1) (at the time not yet released), End Hits (5), Red Medicine (2), In on the Kill Taker (6), Steady Diet of Nothing (2), Repeater (3), Margin Walker EP (1) and 7 Songs EP (2). This includes some rare live renderings for 2001 such as Full Disclosure, Give Me The Cure or Cassavetes.

Some of my highlights here are Sieve-Fisted Find, Cashout (considering Ian very often introduced this one, it is clear he takes the subject to heart, “we came into Denver yesterday and as we drove around we saw one million housing projects like people building condominiums, condominiums, condominiums, town houses, town houses, town houses, and, you know in Washington D.C. it’s the same thing, it’s like everywhere you look there’s houses being built, houses being built, prices are going up so this is a song about where exactly people are supposed to live at this fucking point”), the live debut of The Kill (Guy’s eerie guitar play sounds fantastic while Joe is still coming into his own on this one, “we’re trying something new, I haven’t got it down totally, give me a break”), Last Chance For a Slow Dance, Arpeggiator (with Jerry Busher on second drums), Blueprint, another dubby version of Promises (reverb on the snare, distortion on the vocals and a thunderous thump on the kick drum) or Sweet and Low (the reverb on the guitars is just mesmerizing).

The recording of the second night showcases another 27 songs, taken off of The Argument (4) (unreleased at the time), Furniture EP (1) (unreleased at the time), End Hits (6), Red Medicine (4), In on the Kill Taker (4), Steady Diet of Nothing (1), Repeater (2), 3 Songs 7” (1), Margin Walker EP (1) and 7 Songs EP (3). This includes a bunch of rare live performances for that year, such as Turnover, Stacks, Suggestion (the band has to start over after Ian singles out and addresses a couple of guys for fighting), Break-In, Bad Mouth, Instrument, Walken’s Syndrome or Forensic Scene.

Overall, this one has the better flow and more exceptional set list in my opinion. Still, some personal highlights include the fast-paced, flawless opening string of songs up until the first interlude, Turnover, Burning (with additional percussion by Jerry Busher), Argument into Blueprint into Instrument closing out the main set, Strangelight, a dub-injected version of Target (which has the audience participating in some double time hand-clapping) or Forensic Scene.

There is some fun banter by Guy as well, leading into Oh, “while we were driving out, we drove straight to Denver from D.C., it’s the first place we’re playing, on the way out, these guys were listening to the radio in the van, and there’s this show on NPR called ‘Money Talk’, are you familiar with this show, they started using a fragment of one of the songs we played a while back [plays the ‘Morse’ intro notes to Facet Squared], that’s like the theme song to ‘Money Talk’ now, and ever since they’ve been using this without our permission, the economy has been in a tailspin, the show about the markets uses a Fugazi song, the economy crumbles, let’s hope they play a few more of our songs on the radio.”

Footage of the second night at the Ogden Theater, shot up-close from the audience, is available through YouTube.

The sound quality of both recordings is easily really good and highly enjoyable, the vocals and instruments clear and well balanced in the mix, the guitars laid out nicely in stereo, even though the volume levels are slightly wavering occasionally, particularly during the louder parts. There are some marginal cuts between tracks on both nights, but nothing disruptive.

The set lists:

April 5, 2001:

1. Intro 2. Ex-Spectator 3. Sieve-Fisted Find 4. Reclamation 5. Interlude 1 6. Full Disclosure 7. Long Division 8. Rend It 9. Interlude 2 10. Cashout 11. Smallpox Champion 12. Merchandise 13. Interlude 3 14. The Kill 15. Last Chance For a Slow Dance 16. Closed Captioned 17. Arpeggiator 18. Nightshop 19. Bed For The Scraping 20. Give Me The Cure 21. Waiting Room 22. Public Witness Program 23. Argument 24. Blueprint 25. Encore 1 26. Break 27. Number 5 28. Oh 29. Promises 30. Encore 2 31. Target 32. Five Corporations 33. Cassavetes 34. Sweet and Low 35. Outro

April 6, 2001:

1. Intro 2. Break 3. Place Position 4. Facet Squared 5. Do You Like Me 6. And The Same 7. Interlude 1 8. Oh 9. Cashout 10. Interlude 2 11. Turnover 12. Interlude 3 13. Stacks 14. Recap Modotti 15. Burning 16. Suggestion 17. Break-In 18. Bad Mouth 19. FD 20. Argument 21. Blueprint 22. Instrument 23. Encore 1 24. Strangelight 25. Interlude 4 26. Epic Problem 27. Arpeggiator 28. Walken’s Syndrome 29. Great Cop 30. Encore 2 31. Target 32. Furniture 33. By You 34. Forensic Scene 35. Outro

[harley-sunday]

The Draw [16]

Summary: The whirlwind starts at the 2018 ACE Comic Con in Phoenix but you’re not sure where it will end…

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x reader (unnamed OFC)

Warnings: Language. 

Word count: 5k

AN: I just can’t seem to quit this story - I keep adding parts... But. BUT. We are closer to end. There’s not much more I can say without giving anything away, except that this chapter seems to consist of mostly phone calls... 🤷🏻‍♀️ I hope you like it, please let me know what you think - I’d love to read your thoughts :) ♥

Masterlist

“I don’t know, Brad,” you try your hardest not to sound as frustrated as you feel, “last week you told me that you understood the process, so I don’t really get why we are missing all this inventory right now.” You rub your temples, trying to get rid of the headache that started when you got to the office this morning, quietly cursing the jetlag that has been bothering you ever since you got back from Greece on Saturday, although you know Brad’s fuck-up also has something to do with it. Inventory is not that difficult. 

Brad, who’s been interning at the San Francisco office for a grand total of three weeks and yet somehow thinks he’s God’s gift to this company, just shrugs, “I’m sorry?”

You just stare at him and shake your head, “No. Go over it one more time, ok? I’m keeping these here,” you tap the stack of papers on your desk, “so really start at zero again and report back to me tomorrow morning.” You watch him roll his eyes before he nods and turns around to leave. “Brad?” You no longer try to hide the annoyance in your voice, “Close the door on your way out, will you?”

When he does you let out a frustrated groan and lean back in your chair, quietly shaking your head and wondering if you were ever this cocky when you first started working here. Probably not, Deb would have never allowed it. As if on cue your phone rings and when you see who’s calling you answer with a smile, “Hi, Deb.”

“How you holding up, kid?”

“Just told an intern to start over on inventory,” you offer, “so I’m sure he’s telling the other interns what a bitch I am right about now.”

You hear Deb chuckle, “Good for you.” There are some muffled sounds on the other end of the line then and you can just imagine her getting up and walking to the kitchen to get another cup of coffee because the woman seems to run on double espressos and cigarettes. “Listen, I want to run something by you.”  

Weird. This is weird. Usually she just informs you after whatever it is she has decided, but her wanting to 'run something by you' tells you she actually wants your opinion. You sit up in your chair, curious to hear what she has to say, “Sure.”

“Technically I’ve found someone to take over the San Francisco office from you,” she says, “and on short notice too, because I know you’ve already been out there longer than you’d like.”

“Ok,” you draw out, not sure where she’s going with this.

You hear her sigh and then she mutters something about biting the bullet before she says, “It’s Mark.”

“Oh.” Your heart drops and your throat goes dry, the lump that suddenly has appeared hard to swallow. There’s a million things running through your head all at the same time, some good, most of them bad, and an involuntary shiver runs down your spine. You don’t really know what else to say and so you stay quiet, waiting for Deb to give you something more to go on.

“I know,” her voice is unusually kind, reserved only for the really shitty situations and it tells you she hates this as much as you do. She clears her throat then, “I’ll be honest with you, kid, I contacted him. I know he wasn’t happy when I shipped him off to the London office after you-” she hesitates and clears her throat again, “After what happened. Thing is, he has done some great work there, out of all our overseas offices, this one’s giving us the best turnover.”

You only half-listen to her listing off why this is a good idea, your mind drifting to when you first met Mark. There was talk of a new guy coming in to maybe take over from Deb in a few years, supposedly the best in the business although some called him an asshole who would stop at nothing to get to the top and so by default you had decided you probably wouldn't like him, but then all of a sudden there he was, all six foot two of him, full of ambition and good looks  and sweeping you off your feet almost instantly. You told yourself, and him, you didn’t do office romance, that you would never date a colleague, but all it took was one night of overtime and some celebratory drinks after to make you forget your so-called rule. 

And the first six months were good, really good. Or at least that’s what you thought. In the end there were warning signs all along, but you just choose to ignore them. And even now you’re not sure what triggered him but something changed after those six months and Mark became manipulative, obsessive, and abusive, and at first you told yourself it was just stress from work, even though deep down you knew better. Still, you always believed you’d be the one to make him change his ways, if only you did what he wanted. Problem was, you were never sure what that was. 

He’d want you to wear a tight dress and high heels one day, and the next he would tell you you looked like a whore and what were you thinking leaving the house looking like that? It took you too long to understand you could never make him happy, no matter what you did, and that he would always find things to obsess over. When you finally realized your relationship had turned toxic it still took you another two years to quit him, and that was only after you learned he’d cheated on you with a girl from accounting. When Deb found out what Mark did she immediately took your side and made it look like his sudden move to the London office had been planned all along even though you know she had to pull quite a few strings. 

She still doesn’t know about the verbal abuse and the threats and the mind games, you realize then. Maybe if she did she wouldn’t have offered him to come back. 

“You still there?” Her voice interrupts your thoughts. 

“Yeah.” 

She sighs and you can just imagine her pinching the bridge of her nose, “Thing is, with the experience he has, you’d only need a day, two at most, to bring him up to speed.” She hesitates, “If we bring in someone new-”

“It’ll take at least four weeks,” you offer with a nod even though she can’t see you. 

“Yes.” 

“Yes,” you echo. You roll your lip between your teeth, trying to decide whether or not you should tell her the full story. Would it matter? And if it did, would it mean you’d be stuck out here longer?

“Listen, take the day to think about it,” she offers then, “get back to me tomorrow and let me know, ok?” 

“Ok.”

“Alright.” 

Before you get a chance to say goodbye she has disconnected the call and so you’re left with your own thoughts. Tapping your phone against your chin you’re trying to decide what to do, but it seems like too big of a decision to make on your own. You pull up your texting app and send Lauren a quick message:

You free tonight? 

Her reply comes not much later and surprises you:

Sorry, can’t tonight. Going on a date :)

You type a reply almost immediately:

?? Why didn’t you tell me? But also, YASSS! Go get it, girl! Call me tomorrow?

You lean back in your chair while you wait for her reply, a little upset that she didn’t tell you, and you can’t help but wonder why. 

Her reply doesn’t really make you feel any better:

You were busy, babe. Talk to you tomorrow.

You kick off your shoes the moment you step into the apartment you refuse to call home, and head straight to the kitchen to pour yourself a glass of wine, before you open the takeout container and put some of the fried rice and egg rolls you got from your favourite restaurant on a plate. It’s still nice outside and so you end up on the tiny balcony, now bare feet propped up on the railing as you eat your dinner. 

The thought of having to work with Mark again, if only for a short while, takes up most of your headspace and you hate how indecisive you are about it. Part of you wants nothing to do with him ever again, but part of you knows he really is the best man for the job. Say what you will about the asshole, but he knows how to run a company. Having Mark at the San Francisco office would probably mean neither you nor Deb would have to step in ever again and, you reason, he could probably manage Seattle and Phoenix from here too. 

You really just want to talk to somebody about this, because putting your thoughts into words has always helped you, and so you call your brother.

The call goes straight to voicemail although a message follows soon after:

At Jake's science fair, or did you forget that was today?

You let out a frustrated groan, because yes, you totally forgot. 

It does nothing to help your mood and you're starting to feel so bad about missing out on so much that's happening in Charlotte right now, what with Jake’s science fair and Lauren apparently dating someone, that it's actually making you homesick. You decide to pour yourself another glass of wine, because fuck it. 

When you close the fridge your eyes fall on a picture of you and Sebastian you've put up there and you figure maybe you should just call him. A quick glance at the clock, however, tells you it's early morning in Greece and so you forego that idea because you don't really want to wake him up with the news your ex is about to make a comeback into your life.

You are having a very ‘Woo is me’ moment and hate how alone you feel right now. You know the wine is not helping and so you dump what’s left in the glass in the kitchen sink and put the kettle on for a cup of tea instead. While the water boiling you set out to find a notebook, hoping that putting your thoughts on paper will help you figure out what it is you can do about this situation and maybe make some decisions.

You call Deb the moment you’re at your desk and she answers on the first ring.

“Tell me,” 

Never one to beat around the bush, you think, although in this case you appreciate it. “Have Mark take over San Francisco,” you tell her, “but I need him to do his homework in advance because two days is my absolute max.”

“Noted,” Deb agrees easily, “but?”

You take a deep breath, trying to calm your nerves, “I want to be able to divide my time between Charlotte and New York as I see fit, with Charlotte as my home base, at least for now. If I ever decide to move to New York I want it to be an option to turn that arrangement around-” 

“Give me two weeks once Mark has settled in-”

“-and I’d like to take four weeks of unpaid leave in August,” you add quickly, before you lose momentum. 

She sucks in her breath, “I don’t know if I can do that, kid.” 

“It’s only four weeks, Deb,” you counter, “and it’s unpaid. I still have enough days left to make it a paid vacation if that’s what you prefer.” You close your eyes and scrunch up your nose, anxious about her reply, because you’ve never really talked back to her like this before. 

Turns out there was nothing to worry about when she tells you, “Look who finally put on her big-girl panties, standing up to her boss.” She lets out a laugh, “I’m proud of ya, kid.” 

“Will you let me know when to expect Mark? I’ll make sure everything’s ready by then.”

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“It’s just,” Lauren hesitates, and you want to tell her it’s ok, that you know you haven’t been there for her as much as you should have, but she continues then, “it’s weird not having you around, not knowing what you’re up to. Not knowing if, when I call you, I’m bothering you.”

“Hey,” you counter quickly, “you are one of the few people who never have to worry about that and I’m a little shocked you would even think that. You can call me day or night, Laur, always.” 

“I know.” She sighs then, “It’s just- I feel like- I don’t know, ok? It’s just different with you being so far away for so long. I miss you.” 

“I know,” you try to smile even though she can’t see you, “I’m sorry for not being the best bestest friend these past few weeks. I miss you too, babe.” You get up from the couch and make your way onto the balcony where you lean against the railing, “Let’s just hope Mark can make it out of London soon so I can get back to Charlotte and get back to annoying you twenty-four seven.” 

She laughs, “You’re going to have to share me now, though.”

You’re relieved she seems to have accepted your apology and so you decide to tease her a little more, “You do realize the first thing I’m doing when I get back is give Matt the same stern talking-to as you did Sebastian?” 

“Oh shit,” she whispers. A little louder then, “Please don’t, I really like him.” 

“Well you better tell him then that your best friend is not above kicking his ass if he ever hurts you.”

“Will do.” She clears her throat then, “So, are you going to tell Sebastian about Mark?” 

“That was the most abrupt change of subject ever,” you scoff with a grin, “what the hell, Laur?”

“I just think you should tell him.”

“I know,” you pinch the bridge of your nose, “I will. I just want to wait until I know when Mark gets here, you know?”

“Yeah.” She lets out a yawn and laughs, “Sorry.”

“Alright, alright,” you smile, “I get the hint.” 

She laughs, “I’m sorry, babe, it’s been a long day. Listen,” another yawn, although you’re sure this one was on purpose, “let me know once you know more about Mark and when you’re getting back, ok?”

“Yup, will do.” You have to stifle your own yawn then, “Talk to you soon, babe.” 

“Love you.”

It isn’t until Friday afternoon that there’s an email from Deb, informing you Mark will take a flight from London next Wednesday so that you have all of Thursday and Friday to get him settled in. She’s included a list of subjects he wants to discuss but you decide that’s for later, before you close all active connections and shut your laptop off. You grab your phone off your desk and send a quick message to Lauren:

Coming home next weekend :)

Her reply comes when you’re at the elevator bay:

Yay! Let me know how when you land and I’ll pick you up! Xx

Your next message is to Sebastian:

Missing you something fierce, Stan! Call me when you can? X

The sound of your phone wakes you from a deep sleep early on Sunday morning, but you can’t help but smile when you see ‘Mr Smooth’ flashing on your screen and so you answer with a quiet, “Hey you.”

“God, it’s good to hear your voice again,” he whispers. “Hi, sweetheart.” 

“Hi,” 

“You ok?”

“Yeah,” you smile, “I have some news though.” There’s a knot starting to form in your stomach and so you figured it’s better to bite the bullet right away. 

“Tell me,”

“Promise you’ll let me finish before you say anything?”

“That bad?”

“Not really- I don’t know,” you push the covers off and swing your legs over the edge of the bed. You take a deep breath before you continue, “Remember when I told you about my ex, Mark?” 

“Hmm,” he replies, and you take that as your cue to continue.

“What I didn’t tell you then- And maybe I should have- We used to work together in Charlotte.” You clear your throat, “And when we broke up Deb moved him to the London office, but now she wants him to take over San Francisco from me.” You wait for a reply from him, but then remember you told him to wait and so you continue, “He starts on Thursday and we’ve scheduled two days for me to bring him up to speed, so I’m going to have to spend some time together with him and I don’t know, I just thought you should know.” You push yourself off the bed and make your way to the kitchen, “The good news though, is that I got Deb to agree to let me divide my time between Charlotte and New York from now on, and that I have four weeks off in August.”

He stays quiet for a little too long and so you’re preparing for the worst when he finally replies. But then he just says, “How do you feel about seeing him again?” and you feel a wave of relief washing over you.

“I don’t know,” you answer honestly. “I mean, I know he’s right for the job and it’s always easier to bring in someone who has experience and knows the company, but I- There’s a lot of history there and I just hope he realizes I’m not the same person anymore.” You lean against the counter and let out a sigh, “I guess I just want to get this over with and go back to Charlotte.”

“So nothing for me to worry about?” His voice is soft.

“No,” you’re quick to reassure him. 

“Good.”

Mark is, well, he’s still an asshole, you realize when he walks into your office and tries to greet you with a hug. You offer him a hand and a curt, “Hello,” and have to hide your smile when you see the disappointment in his eyes. You’ve been feeling nervous all morning, hell, all week, because somehow you knew he would try to act like nothing ever happened. 

“So this is how it’s  going to be, huh?” He says while he puts his briefcase down on one of the visitors’ chairs on the other side of your desk. 

“Yes, Mark,” you nod and sit down in your own chair, “this is exactly how it’s going to be.” You watch as he unbuttons the jacket of his three piece suit before he sits down and leans back in his chair and you hand him a folder, “Read this first, it’s an overview of the last five years and should give you a fairly good impression of how things are run here.”

He thumbs through the papers, seemingly resigned to the fact that it’s solely a business relationship between you two from now on, and you see his eyebrows go up when he comes to the financial statements, “How on earth-”

“I know,” you hand him another folder, “this is Paul Kroeger’s file. Or at least everything that I’ve managed to uncover in the few weeks I’ve been here. I really urge you to keep digging, because I’m sure more shit will come up.” 

“Why didn’t Deb step in sooner?”

“You’ll have to ask Deb that,” you offer with a shrug. Another folder then, “This is everything you need to know about the rest of the staff here. I don’t think anyone else was in on it, but again, you might want to keep digging.”

He nods, “Ok.” Taking all three folders, he puts them in his briefcase before he looks back at you, squinting a little as if he’s trying to read you. There’s a hint of a smile playing on his lips when he says, “You’ve changed.” 

And you haven’t, you want to bite back, but don’t because you want to at least try to keep things civil. Instead you simply agree, “I have.” You try to steer the conversation back to work, “We have a meeting with Finance in ten minutes, then lunch with the board, and a meeting with Sales in the afternoon. After that I figured we could take a quick tour of the building, so you can meet everyone, and then I’ll send out the official message to all of our partners.”

He just nods.

“I’ll make sure to have this office empty by the end of the day so you can get settled in,” you continue, “and then I’ll be available all day tomorrow should you have any further questions.” 

“You forgot one thing,”

You don’t say anything and just look at him with a raised eyebrow. 

A cocky smile flashes across his face when he says, “You forgot to mention we’ll be having dinner tonight so we-”

“We’re not having dinner tonight, Mark,” you say, effectively cutting him off. It makes you feel good to tell him no and so you have to try your hardest to hide your smile when you see his face drop. 

“You really have changed,” he says again, but this time there’s a hint of dismay in his voice.

You smile widely now, because fuck him, “Yes. I really have.”

Blame it on the red-eye flight and thus having to get up extremely early this morning, or simply on the fact that it’s been five weeks since you last saw her, but you find yourself actually tearing up when you walk out of exit E and see Lauren waiting there for you. 

She holds out her arms as you walk up to her and then envelopes you in a tight hug, “Don’t cry, silly.” 

“I just really missed you,” you sniffle while you wrap your arms around her. “And it’s that time of the month, so you know,” you chuckle through your tears, “double the fun.” When you pull back you see her eyes are glossed over as well and so you just stick out your tongue at her, “Let’s go home.” 

“Alright,” she says once you’re in her car, “start talking, babe. I want to know everything that’s happened since I last saw you.”

You’ve just finished telling her about your parents’ visit to San Francisco and your trip to Greece when she pulls up on your driveway and so all of a sudden you’re home again after almost two months. The garden looks absolutely immaculate and you know you have your parents to thank for that, reminding yourself to call them later today. Grabbing your suitcases out the trunk you let Lauren take one from your as you follow her to your house.

She turns around rather dramatically when you get to the front door, “Ok. So. Please don’t be mad, but-” she pulls a face, “-that plant in your dining room?” 

“Felicity?”

“Sure, yeah,” she scoffs, “name your plants. What’s next? Naming your electrical appliances?”

“You’re just stalling because Felicity the Fiddle Leaf Fig is obviously no longer with us and you’re just too afraid to admit you killed her,” you counter, trying to keep a straight face.

“I didn’t-” Lauren hesitates then and seems to realize you’re just messing with her, “but yes. Felicity has gone to plant heaven. It was all very sad. I buried her in the backyard if you want to pay your respects.” 

You let out a laugh, “I’d rather you just open the front door for me so we can have a drink and gossip about Mark.”

“You really said that?” 

“I really did,” you admit with a smile, thinking back to when you told Mark to have a nice life when you left the office Friday afternoon. You grab the bottle of wine from off the floor next to you and top of her glass before you fill yours, “I don’t know. In a way those two days gave me some sort of closure, I guess.”

“Hmm,” she agrees, taking a sip of her wine. “So what’s next?”

“Well first you’re going to introduce me to Matt sometime this week-”

“Babe.”

“Babe,” you echo. “You’ve been dating for almost a month, do I need to remind you that you met Sebastian before we even were officially dating?”

“Yeah, ok,” she agrees, “I guess you could both come over for dinner next weekend.” She sits up a little, “So you’re going to be here for a while, right?”

You nod, “Sort of. I go back to work on Monday and then Sebastian’s scheduled to fly back on the third and that’s the same weekend I start my four-week leave-”

“That’s only two more weeks.”

“It is,” you smile. “I don’t know if he wants to celebrate his birthday here or if he wants to go to New York, and I think he said something about maybe taking a short holiday somewhere, but his next project starts in September so I’ll come back to Charlotte then and probably stay here while he’s away.” 

“Ugh,” Lauren rolls her eyes and shakes her head but smiles, “to be the girlfriend of an international superstar.” 

“Tante!” Jake exclaims when he opens the front door. He all but jumps in your arms to give you a hug.

“Uh, excuse me, sir,” you tease, resisting the hug, “who are you and what did you do with my nephew?” You laugh when he pulls a face, “You are getting too big, kiddo, slow it down a little, will you?” 

Jake giggles and hugs you even tighter. 

“Ah, there she is,” Nathan says from the doorway, arms crossed in front of his chest, “my long-lost sister. So glad you're finally gracing us with your presence after coming back home a week ago.” 

“So dramatic,” you counter with a grin, although he has a point. You should have gone to see them sooner, but as always work got in the way, what with Deb doubling your workload before you take your leave in another two weeks. Jake jumps out of your arms then and so you get to hug your brother for the first time in what feels like forever, ‘“ Hi, Nate.”

“Hi, loser,” he says from somewhere over your shoulder, but the way he holds you tight tells you he’s missed you too. 

“How you holding up?”

“Good,” he pulls back and smiles, “still some headaches every now and then, but not as much as two months ago-”

“That’s good,” you agree. You follow them through the house and out into the backyard, where Jake excitedly shows you the inflatable swimming pool he and Nathan put up yesterday. Sitting down on one of the chairs you watch him as he takes off his shirt and jumps in without hesitation. 

Nathan re-emerges from the kitchen with some iced tea and hands you a glass before he sits down somewhere next to you. He flicks your upper arm, “You good?”

You nod, “Yeah.” 

“Truth?”

“Truth,” you reply with a nod. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugs, “a lot has happened in a short time, I guess.” 

This is new, you think, this out-in-the-open caring side of your brother. You decide you like it and so you try not to make a smart remark but instead reassure him, “I’m good.”

“You sure?”

“Nate, what are you getting at?” You’re confused now, because why is he pressing this? 

He hangs his head and lets out a sigh, “I guess you haven’t seen it yet, have you?”

“I’m not-” you watch him as he gets his phone and pulls up something that has his jaw set in a way that tells you whatever it is, it’s not good. He hands you his phone then and you let out a quiet, “Oh,” when you see the pictures.

“I figured that’s why you were here,” he says with a nod towards his phone.

"When?"

"Saw them this morning," he offers.

You scroll further down and feel your throat go dry when you see picture after picture of Sebastian and some girl, her hand on his arm as she seems to whisper something in his ear. He’s laughing in some of the pictures and if you didn’t know any better you’d think they were on a date. 

“Is that his co-star?” Nate asks quietly, knowing that if it is the pictures could have been taken on set and it wouldn’t be as bad. 

Not trusting your voice right now you just shake your head because no. No, it isn’t. 

“I’m sure it’s nothing, babe,” Lauren tries again, but she sounds a little less confident now that she’s seen the pictures and read the accompanying article about Sebastian’s new mystery woman where they claim she’s a Greek local he fell for while filming ‘Monday’.

You drove straight to her house when you left Nathan’s in a hurry, but only after you promised him you wouldn’t do anything reckless, and now you’re on her balcony, trying to make sense of all of this over some hard liquor because you both deemed wine wasn’t going to cut it. 

She says something else then, but you’re not really listening and so you just continue to stare into the distance. She nudges you with her foot, “Call him.” 

You shake your head, “I don’t want to.” 

“Why not?”

You look at her with tears in your eyes, your voice barely above a whisper, “What if it’s true?”