#cale: this guy has trust issues

[ayasenisan1713]

Yoo Jonghyuk’s and Cale’s first meeting in orv:

Yoo Jonghyuk staring at Cale disguised as a holy-looking silver-haired priest: Who are you?

Cale: My name is ✨Bob✨.

Yoo Jonghyuk: …

[The skill 'Lie Detection' is activated.]

Yoo Jonghyuk: Can you repeat?

Cale: …

[blueteller]

The Stages of Choi Han

So I decided to think over and analyze the progress of the relationship between Cale and Choi Han.

While we do occasionally get some Choi Han's POV, most of the story is still from either Cale's or general point of view, so we don't see his exact step-by-step thought process on what his views were regarding Cale.

So, here's my thoughts on what was going on inside Choi Han's head as the story went:

Stage 1: Confusion

Choi Han must have been pretty confused when he first met Cale. Still in major turmoil after the Harris Village massacre, here comes this drunk rich guy along, who offers him food and shelter for the night. Why? Random act of kindness? Something else? And things remain confusing the next day as well. Choi Han gets to wash up and rest a bit after his traumatic experience, giving him better clarity of thought, but definitely no better understanding of Cale, who apparently doesn't even want Choi Han to pay him back. Not to mention this creepy strong assassin butler he has and his son the chef... I picture Choi Han having three big bold question marks in his head at this point.

Stage 2: Respect

Things change after the interview. While Cale and the people surrounding him are confusing, the way he speaks to Choi Han make two things clear: one, Cale is a smart man. Two, Cale has a lot going on, but it doesn't seem to be anything sinister. The general vibe Cale is giving off at this moment is "possibly sketchy, yet mysterious and wise". He strikes right into the core of Choi Han's insecurity and helps him gather his resolve: he wants to avenge Harris Village, but he also wishes to protect. At this point, Choi Han switches from confusion to intrigue.

Stage 3: Loyalty

Cale has no idea when it happens, but it is clear: after they rescue Raon, Choi Han is definitely having thoughts about staying with Cale for good. Not only did Cale prove to him that he was a good person by helping a young creature escape a terrible fate for seemingly no reason... Cale also showcased just how thoughtful and competent he is. He is not only smart and knowledgeable, he is also a skilled leader. Even if Choi Han still has any left-over doubts, his question of "what will you do if the Dragon decides to follow you, Cale-nim?" makes it apparent; he's 100% talking about himself. At this point, he'd definitely be willing to follow Cale on a permanent basis as his knight.

Stage 4: Trust

So Choi Han already respects Cale, and has begun cultivating loyalty towards him during the trip to the capital. After they part ways, Choi Han follows Cale's instructions about finding Rosalyn and Lock. During this time unexpected issues arise, but Cale's information remained consistently useful and accurate. Choi Han also meets the "Secret Organization" again, confirming that following path set by Cale allowed him to find out more about Arm than he could manage by himself. He quickly grows attached to Rosalyn and Lock, faster than in "The Birth of a Hero", because through Cale's endorsement he isn't nearly as distrusting. And when Lock seems sick, Choi Han's first instinct is to go straight to Cale for help. And that trust gets rewarded. Then it becomes reinforced once again by the Vow of Death. Cale got upgraded from "sketchy but wise" to "definitely a good person with a lot of secrets".

Stage 5: Protectiveness

Choi Han was definitely protective before, but it got cranked up to 11 after the Plaza Terror Incident. Cale reinforces all previous impressions of respect, loyalty and trust through handling the attack almost flawlessly - except at the very end, Cale gets hurt for the very first time. Choi Han is furious. He threatens the guards to let him pass, showing how his number one priority is officially, Cale himself. His quest to avenge Harris Village still matters, of course, but Cale already swore an oath that he would help Choi Han with it (at least that's what Choi Han believes), so that's a non-issue. From now on, Choi Han's first, second and third priority is keeping Cale safe.

Stage 6: Familiarity

After the plaza, Choi Han heads off with Rosalyn and Lock to the Breck Kingdom. But while the bonds of friendship grow stronger between them, Choi Han still has every intention of returning straight to Cale after they're done. Cale isn't just a priority; he's home, the place Choi Han feels safest at. The way Cale treats him when the trio comes back proves to Choi Han that the feeling was not unfounded; in his absence, Cale helped rebuild Harris and made it home for Lock's siblings. As the next few months of "general relaxation" pass, Choi Han only settles more in his conviction. Everything he has now is thanks to Cale, who is a good person, trustworthy leader, and a good friend overall. Choi Han's feelings are no longer distant respect of an employee, and now he sees Cale as his new family.

Stage 7: Conviction

This stage is a little tricky. While Choi Han's feeling don't quite change through the next 2 years, they definitely grow in strength and intensity. Multiple instances of Cale getting hurt, as well as Choi Han witnessing the true extent of his recklessness, make him devote himself entirely to Cale and his cause. While fighting Clopeh, Choi Han expresses his determination to "create path for the real legend". Because Cale isn't just family: Cale is special. He is someone worthy of highest admiration in Choi Han's eyes. It's not fanatical obsession, not like Clopeh's later on, but something deep and profound that grows stronger with every single battle. The ultimate proof of it is Choi Han changing his attribute while Cale watches from the sidelines. Choi Han's goal itself now, is Cale's success. That is his conviction.

Stage 8: Understanding

Choi Han finally finds out the truth about Cale's transmigration thanks to the memories from Choi Jung Soo, sent by the God of Death. And while none of it fundamentally changes what Choi Han believes about Cale... it does give him a bit of a broader perspective on who Cale really is. Before, there was a lot of mystery regarding the extent of his knowledge, but Choi Han was fine with being kept in the dark. Now, enlightened about some of the mysteries surrounding Cale... Choi Han's conviction to help Cale succeed becomes stronger. Cale isn't just a person he chose to follow; they're actually countrymen, connected by his nephew. It deepens the bond they have, and from then on, Choi Han feels less like a follower of Cale, and more of a peer. They're truly friends, going on this journey side by side.

So there you go. The 8 stages of Choi Han's friendship with Cale.

Confusion

Respect

Loyalty

Trust

Protectiveness

Familiarity

Conviction

Understanding

I really love how their relationship plays out. Cale has many great relationships in the series, but there's something truly special about these two. No matter their differences or misunderstandings, they can relate to each other like no one else can. The mutual care and respect they have for one another is heartwarming. After all they lost, now they have someone who they can trust with their back. A real ride-or-die type of deal.

[slackerlifewhere]

The subtlety of Cale Henituse

SPOILERS for those who haven't finished the first part of the novel. If you don't like spoilers, please don't continue. Thanks!

- This is kind of a review about the novel but it's basically my analysis of Cale/KRS.

___

For someone who has trust issues with people, I first had an initial distrust with Cale Henituse/Kim Rok Soo as a reader.

I think it's because of how he was first introduced.

As a first-time reader of the novel back then, Cale/KRS was introduced as a very indifferent person. He was calm at the face of a sudden transmigration and acted like nothing could surprise him (aside from Ron and Choi Han). And of course, like anyone who was fooled, I also thought that he was selfish. He's not the trash that he thinks he is but he's selfish and I didn't place my full trust in him because I still didn't know him yet. And I like it that way. The author kept me on my toes and didn't force fed me a truckload of information about Kim Rok Soo.

Like I said in my previous post, he didn't actually give us his whole introduction. He left a few crumbs here and there that told us he didn't have a great childhood but it wasn't enough for me to build an image of him in my head. There were still some blanks and question marks about Kim Rok Soo.

Sure, there were moments when he gave a bigger tip to someone without blinking an eye and acting all smug about it but I really just thought that he was happy because he's finally rich. Or when he was being so polite and gentlemanly in front of an old man that Venion was disgusted with and then later on went back to being indifferent and I thought it was just him being extra petty and angry (which he was) at Venion for being an asshole. He's very quick to change from smug to indifference and it made me switch back and forth on how I see him as a person.

Yeah, you need to read between the lines when reading this novel.

[side note: Actually, If I remember correctly, I thought that I wouldn't like his character because I find it weird when MCs in KR manhwa and novels easily shrug off the isekai bullshit they're in. The influence of KR manhwa on me affected my opinion about him and it shows.]

So when he first met the kittens and Choi Han, I was reading it with the feeling of "Run away, guys! Run while you still can!" lingering at the back of my mind. He was nice to them, as much as he could with random strangers he just met, but he's very distant with them.

Another thing about him that makes it harder to understand him is because he's always distant with people. He relies on them and helps them but he's always at arms-length when dealing with them. This, if you didn't think of or was reminded of his thoughts about his abuse and pity, simply makes him look indifferent.

Before I continue, I don't like tsundere characters. I absolutely find them cringe and sometimes, I just wanna bash my head when they blush at the bs they're spouting at someone they like.

Because that's the thing with Cale. He is a tsundere. He says one thing and does the opposite. And he's so in denial about it which makes it more hilarious and sad.

He's subtle about it at first. He didn't even give me the vibe that he's more complex than what he shows because he's so quick to disprove my sudden epiphany that there's something deeper than what he's showing. He's so good at hiding his emotions EVEN WHEN I'M READING HIS POV.

This bastard is so in denial about himself that he fooled me so bad! I think I only realized it when he saved Raon but even then, there were still some doubts about his character. I liked his words to Raon and thought about how kind he is for giving the dragon the freedom of choice but because he later thinks of making Raon do things for him, it shook my trust in him just a little bit. Just a little, I promise.

...Maybe I just have major trust issues.

Taylor Stan

The weirdest thing to me that actually snapped me from my doubts that he's actually a kind person is oddly enough, because of Taylor Stan.

Remember when Taylor and Cage suddenly arrived at the area they were camping in and he finally talked to Taylor face to face? Yeah, he was indifferent there but it's when his tsundere traits actually exploded at my face.

He, while trying to hide from everyone, told them to give Taylor and Cage the best care and protection as if it's the most normal thing in the world.

Mind you, they don't even actually know him aside from OG Cale's reputation as trash. And he also technically isn't supposed to know them because, in the duo's POV, this is their first time meeting him so he didn't have to help or care for them.

He basically acted as if what he was doing was bad in their eyes but in reality, it's not???

He's just helping them and he's in denial about it? He's genuinely being a kind person and he thinks he's trash?

He later gives them money (and acts cool about it) and helps with smuggling (lmao) them to the Roan Kingdom so they can arrive there safely and he thinks he's trash???

He gave this man hope to finally heal himself and fight against his brother and he thinks he's trash?????

Seriously?

Self-hatred

It's why whenever he calls himself trash, I shake my head because it's amusing but I also want to cry because, as I go further into the novel, he fully believes that he's actually trash.

I don't know if this is ever talked about but Cale is hiding a huge self-hatred about himself.

Cale pointed to himself with his index finger.

“I have lived my life as trash. That is my dream.”

- Chapter 33: You

At first, when he called himself trash, I thought it was because his soul is in OG Cale's body and thus, he inherited the title and uses it to cause chaos. It's a part of the reason why but, if I think about it, he doesn't have to call himself that??? He can still cause chaos without using that title.

It's why I think he fully believes it. That he's trash.

I didn't understand back then and thought it was just him loving the title and the chaos that comes along with it.

Him and his smirks or "selfish" ideals made it seem like he's fully embraced the title and liked it that way.

And the way the author hides a deeper meaning behind his words and actions is by making it feel humorous or comical. The author makes it feel extra.

We laugh and find it amusing because it's chaotic. The secrets behind those wild ideas and explosive destruction are brilliant and subtle.

It's why I fully believed back then, that it's a simple story about a man who just wants to cause mischief in a strange world.

And then...his past as Kim Rok Soo is finally revealed by the author.

And it suddenly turns all this humor about himself into a freaking tragedy.

Kim Rok Soo is a tragic character. He's a person who has lost far too much and can only react in indifference even when he's hurting. He's cold in another person's perspective because he doesn't cry when in front of those he lost.

He hates himself for something he couldn't control. He hates himself for being weak. He hates himself for a lot of things. And he hates the scars Kim Rok Soo has because they're the reminder of all his failures and all his sacrifices that only ended up with making him alone. Like he will always be alone. (Which makes his distant personality in the beginning make sense too wtf)

So he takes in their words of him being cruel enough not to cry in a funeral of his friends and fully believes it.

He believes, as Kim Rok Soo and Cale Henituse, that he's trash.

And it absolutely made me cry like a kid when he, as he woke up surrounded by those he befriended and could call family, finally cries with a smile.

This is the first time they and us readers see him cry and smile and it's just heartbreaking.

The whole lead up to this reveal was me seeing him as a tsundere and a freaking crazy bastard that utters "slacker life" like it's comic relief.

It's completely unexpected and I love it.

Because him crying and smiling for the first time is him finally shedding his shields and walls from these people who see him as a kind person.

Cale Henituse, for all his masks and secrets, is just a broken but endlessly kind person.

It's why those who meet him, trust him. His actions are a big reason why they trust him but his words, when it feels hopeless, are eye-opening and full of wisdom of a 36 year old man. He's straightforward in front of those he trusts and tells them something that flips over everything they think about the current situation. And he says it with the experience of Kim Rok Soo.

I believe the only times he lies to them is when he was given the thing that he was gonna use to stab himself and also when he hides his identity as Kim Rok Soo. There's actually a hint of his guilt sometimes...or maybe I'm just thinking too much about it.

Anyways, that's all my thoughts for now.

This subtle bastard made me cry, damn it.

___

That one scene of him crying and smiling is etched in my mind and was reminded of it when I recently saw a fanart. So I decided to write about my feelings about his character and personality.

It's not a mindblowing post or anything new and it goes from humor to angst pretty fast but I think it's just like him. If you analyze his words in one way, it's just hilarious but if you analyze it in another way, it's sad.

I like how the author wrote him. He's a crazy bastard and a tsundere (the only tsundere I'll ever like) and I'm so glad I found this novel.

[we-stan-cale]

I talked about Choi Han and Cale, let me talk about Alberu and Cale.

As usual, I'm going to warn about spoilers and put the rest below the cut.

When Cale and Alberu first meet, there's not a lot of trust going on.

Cale is wondering about all the secrets Raon let slip, notes that Alberu had a healing power he didn't use for a random citizen (though he indicated it was okay in the next sentence. Before commenting that if Choi Han had such a power he would have), and on Alberu's side we have a royal prince who had to claw his way to power while hiding his dark elf heritage. In an environment where he could only trust the dark elves.

Despite all that, Cale seemed quite willing to work with Alberu. (If he'd started in the Empire I imagine Cale would have been overthrowing Adin even earlier).

I think that's partly because Cale is always willing to work with people who have their priorities straight - and even some that don't. He's very focused on his goals and as long as you're not betraying the trust of the people you're responsible for he's generally okay with you. Murdering citizens and abandoning foot soldiers? Not okay. Valentino? Okay, with reservations. Toonka? Same, before Toonka's own rather amazing growth arc.

Like Park Jin Tae, who Cale worked with despite their issues. Because when push came to shove, that guy was there.

I'm digressing though.

Cale letting Alberu know he'd figured out about his dark elf heritage was, naturally, scary for Alberu. At first.

He was vulnerable.

But it came in handy (as Cale showed he could be trusted with that) when Alberu needed someone to retrieve that magic thingy from the dark elves.

Plus Cale kept doing crazy shit that always benefited Roan.

So they started growing closer, kind of slowly.

I think the real turning point, for Alberu at least, was when they went to the Empire together, and Cale used his shield to protect everyone from that attack.

Cale, we now know, has lived through crisis after crisis and no longer reacts to deadly danger like a normal person.

Alberu, for all his political skill, hasn't really been in a situation like that. Poison and underhanded political moves? Sure. And he was there for the plaza incident too.

But what was interesting here was Alberu wasn't thinking about the politics.

He was concerned about Cale.

Cale is the one who reminded him how he should play the situation.

After that we really start to see Alberu open up.

He keeps showing signs of genuine care.

Tries to protect Cale's slacker goals (even as he sees it gets harder and harder), comes up with the sworn brother idea. And really, by the time we get to part 2 he's rather a mother hen.

We see him learn about the curse, grow confident in himself, and then...

Becomes the Dark Tiger.

Which is hilarious, but also puts him almost as close as Choi Han to Cale.

Oh, and he has some absolutely amazing scenes where he's schooling the White Star on his terrible leadership.

We also see how much he's grown when he encounters his other younger self, in that 'game' in the temple. His understanding of where he was then also illustrated how much he'd changed, as he found a group of honest-to-god friends.

Anyways.

Which makes rereading the story especially fun, because it's such a contrast.

I absolutely adore how their relationship developed over the course of the story.

[youngyoo-apologist]

OG Choi Han they could never make me hate you cause if some random rich boy was yelling at me and telling me my family deserved to die like a day after it happened and all I wanted was to know how I could get help I’d beat him up too

This plus the added fact that the Harris Village people were the first people to take Choi Han in and take care of him after years and years in the dark forest. Like he’s obviously not going to be mentally stable after all that, and he was so young when everything happened to him like I cannot blame him at all. I don’t think I can ever hate OG Choi Han like ever, he’s flawed, he has problems, but I love him dearly. He deserves the world. This kid who had to fight for his life, was taken away from his family, and in the process had to give up parts of his own humanity to survive, and like went to war two years later, they could never make me hate u OG Choi Han…

Like yeah violence is bad I guess but OG Cale had it coming(saying this as an OG Cale fan, I love him, but he was mean as hell when he was younger!)

If I’m honest, I think they were both in the wrong to an extent. Like OG Cale shouldn’t have said all that no matter the circumstances, and OG Choi Han shouldn’t have beaten him up so much. But u say mean shit and you get hit, that is how it will work when you’re talking to the guy who just saw his entire village get murdered like idkkkk man

I understand where OG Cale was coming from, but he had many issues and while he wasn’t an awful person, he was capable of doing bad things because of his own internalized pain and emotions that he never got to properly process because of his emotionally distant childhood and relationship with his father who should have been there for him more when he was younger.

Okay speaking of his childhood, Deruth isn’t the WORST father in the world but there are a lot of things he could have done better. I think a lot of Deruth’s flaws come from his fear of failure and messing up. He’s scared of doing the wrong thing, and so he sticks to doing what he knows and using what he knows best. That’s why he uses his money, that’s why gift giving is his way of showing affection, he knows that it is one thing he cannot mess up.

The problem is that money and gifts is NOT what OG Cale needed. I think what that guy needed the most was a parent who wasn’t afraid to talk to him, to ask him questions. Not to say that Deruth gave up on OG Cale, but I think in a way he gave up on OG Cale by giving up on himself. Deruth didn’t trust himself to have the capabilities to talk to OG Cale, which is why he never did. It’s because that Deruth was scared, and didn’t trust himself, that he could never face OG Cale

If Deruth was able to trust himself a little more, and pull himself together, I don’t think OG Cale would have turned out the way he did. As a kid, he probably thought the only way he could help his family without relying on anyone(no doubt this whole ‘I have to do it myself’ thing came from the fact that he couldn’t rely on his father when his mom died, and instead was acting as a pillar of support for his father when it should have been the other way around) was to sabotage himself, the only heir. If he was shown to be unfit to be heir, then everyone else would have no choice but to direct their hatred towards him instead of his family.

If Deruth had talked to his son at least ONCE when he was a kid, asking him why he was upset or why he did the things he did, I think OG Cale would have told him. Why? Because he’s a kid!! A kid will obviously want to rely on his father, if he just had one sign telling him that he didn’t have to do it alone I’m 90% sure OG Cale would have said something.

Basically, while Deruth isn’t the worst father, he’s not really a great father either. I think he does do his best, but he has issues with communication lol

OG Cale and OG Choi Han are both complex characters and had their own reasons to behave the way they did. The thing is with people is that they’re complicated and have layers, so the situation with them would have layers behind it as well with multiple co-existing truths and stuff

[raedshadowlegends]

Poker Face: The John-O Character

Omg hi howdy. Welcome back to a long essay featuring nothing groundbreaking whatsoever! Today we are going to be talking about Poker Face, the greatest show of all time. But more specifically, we're going to be talking about John-O.

For the uninformed-- John-O is a character featured briefly in the first episode of the series. He's only in two scenes but he sure is a silly little guy. Everyone loves John-O.

And upon my 17th rewatch, this time featuring my good friend @room215 , they pointed out that there seems to be a John-O-escue character in every single episode.

So we kept track of the John-O's. And now I'm going to be dissecting each one for no good reason.

Now there are no specific criteria for what makes a John-O. It's really just based on vibes. There are similar patterns between characters that are worth analyzing but for the most part you just know it when you see it.

I'll be talking about the first five episodes in this potentially very long post so grab yourself some popcorn and buckle up.

Oh and there will be spoilers. So go watch Poker Face if you haven't already, it's the best show ever actually.

Episode 1: Dead Man's Hand

John-O

BEHOLD! JOHN-O THE ORIGINAL!

There are definitely moments where I could get better pictures of him but I think this one is kinda perfect.

This is John-O. He is a silly little guy who has a history of stealing shit and breaking into places. He seems to be reformed because he states he "don't do this shit no more." So he is morally good. I trust him.

He's very silly and likes to add the suffix "-o" to the end of things he says. Like hey-o and good-o. He's just this goofy old man and his vibes are impeccable.

He's an ally to our friend Charlie Cale, helping her break into Nathalie's home despite his morals. He even offers to cut her in with his playboy sales. What a good guy.

Overall, John-O is a friend-o. He establishes our precedent of the "John-O character" being silly and the vibe that we're after.

Side Note: I love that Poker Face is an episodic show with a rotating cast of characters. It's seriously awesome and you don't see that shit often. However I am heartbroken at the loss of this man cause we probably won't see him again. It breaks my heart. I hope he's doing ok.

Episode 2: The Night Shift

"Meteor Shower" Trucker

Literally just this dude who is in one scene.

He is only here to tell Charlie about the meteor shower that evening. But he does it in the funniest fucking way imaginable. He literally gives Charlie a heart attack by just saying, "Meteor shower tonight." It's the funniest thing to me.

And I think about him way more often than I ought to. He's kinda skrunkly.

I said on the night during our analysis that he's cute in the same way on old man themed muppet is cute. Y'know? I feel like that makes some sense.

But yeah he's just here to be a jumpscare and tell Charlie about the Leonids. What a silly guy. I wish he was in more than one scene.

So far in our John-O analysis we have two quirky old dudes. The best kind of character imo.

Yeah I don't have much else to say on him </3

Episode 3: The Stall

Beto

Why does he look like that.

Anyways yeah, Beto is the John-O of episode 3. I do think he is pushing the amount of scenes a John-O can be in but it's ok cause he's kinda silly. He's just doing his job, man.

Poor guy is the one who found George's body. He's probably gonna have some issues for a while.

He's got some silly interactions with Charlie and even though they're brief, they're fun.

I actually don't have a lot to say about this guy. Whoops. My bad.

But you may have noticed he is not a skrunkly old man. That is true! He is not that.

I will be grouping this dude into the category of, "Guy who is just doing their job" under the broader "John-O" umbrella.

None of those words were in the Bible, I don't think.

Anyways, that's Beto for ya. Now we get to move on to my favorite guy!

Episode 4: Rest In Metal

Guy Who Threw The Stapler

Why the fuck would he do that.

I don't even know I can classify him as a John-O character but oh my god I think about him so much. Literally what is his deal, why the hell would he do this.

He is just here to throw a stapler at Gavin and whoop and holler. That's so fucking awesome.

That's all he does so I don't exactly know what else to say about him but I will add this:

My friends and I have been saying, "aREN'T YOU THE BAND THAT DOES STAPLEHEAD??? PLAY STAPLEHEAD!!!!!!!" to each other in the most man baby-escue voices possible for days now. It's the funniest thing on the planet.

*hits you with a stapler*

Episode 5: Time of the Monkey

Gino the Bull

This random guy in Howard Wolowitz's car.

He meets the flexible criteria of being a skrunkly old man so he gets points for that, for sure. ALSO HE'S KINDA SILLY?

He's just in the car being a silly goofy guy. These dissections are getting shorter and also worse. My bad guys, I'm really tired. Been staying up watching too much Poker Face B).

Anyways yeah, I don't know what his deal is. Very important to be a John-O, you just don't know what their fucking deal is.

I wanna say Gino the Bull is some kind of mafia/mob man? I dunno. I think it'd be funny if that were the case. That's my head canon at least.

So now we have three skrunkly old dudes, one man baby, and one Beto. Awesome.

Conclusion

I'm gonna cut this one of here before it gets too terribly long. Mainly so I can just get this posted. But also I imagine this shit is quite the long read.

My bad B).

BUT YEAH!!!

These are our first five John-O characters in Poker Face! Tune in soon to learn about the next five!

It's not gonna be as silly. Sorry. Episode 9 and 10 are major bummers and there's not much fun to be had there.

As always, thank you for reading <3

[ohmycale]

my favorite lines from the recent chapter of In an Instant by Messy_haired_bum (some spoilers)...

“Tell me one good reason why I should release Cale* into your care, when your world will bring harm to him.”

“Huh?” Deruth* scowls, “What nonsense are you talking about? Are you making thi–”

Putting up a hand to cut off his other father(heh)’s words, Cale reclines into the soft pillow behind him.

“Are you ignorant? Or are you selectively blind?” He asks sincerely. 

-----------------------

Cale* deserves better than this.

-----------------------

“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” Kim Rok Soo says, delicately, mercilessly , “It’s just that I know you won’t be able to protect him.”

Deruth* turns deathly pale.

-------------------------

People might say, oh it's just a fanfic. Yeah, it is a fanfic. It's a fanfic that really digs the issues of everyone and presents it as it is. I am aware the author (who is a great writer btw) has their own biases in writing (as do I). But there are certain truths that cannot be denied - people like Deruth who love to claim they love og!Cale but never ever understood their supposed child. They push everything under the rug because it is convenient for them to do so then act like some protective parent when they can't even protect og!Cale from themselves. They see themselves as a good guy without any ounce of self-awareness.

While anyone can say, give him a chance. Please. Giving neglectful parents a chance is not a guarantee of mending the relationship even if they are trying. Giving chances costs effort and time - that's a lot to ask for someone who was hurt and still hurting....and often doesn't have people to support them. Giving chances is like the minimum level and for me, it's just like giving the ones who were neglected another round of unpleasantness and awkwardness. And let's not forget the self-gaslighting of being a burden and a barrier to other adults' happiness. That's coming from a child with an absent father and a career-driven mother. Am I biased? Absolutely effing definitely. But that's one lens that people who say give chance to people like Deruth (and whoever speaks for him) miss.

Don't ask people why they don't like Deruth or raise problems with his personality or his actions. There is something inherently wrong when there is obvious neglect, especially toward one's child. Even if grief is part of the situation. Even if Deruth redeems himself now, he is redeeming himself for KRS!Cale, not for og!Cale. Messy_haired_bum is also right, nobody really loves Cale and that alone is horrifying for somebody who gave all to his supposed *family*

[weirdsht]

warning: a long ranting character analysis ahead. its a character analysis but i put my own personal experience in it hence why a rant. also my vocabulary sucks and i might use wrong words im sorry in advance difuhgopeihpgerty

not sure if this is because i'm a humanities student or its just i can relate because of what i realized while trying to find out about myself but i have some 2cents about Cale's personality.

everything happened late to Cale and that has a big impact on his beliefs and values

it was too late when he met the Soos and became freinds with them. it was too late when that grandma doted on him.

because from what i learned its hard to undo your mindset specially when it has been built up since you were young

consciously or unconsciously

from since he was young cale probably unconsciously concluded that he isn't worth that much and that things could always be worse than this

thats why as long as his alive that's good enough for him. even if his barely on the edge of living with his plate in shambles

like even though Jung Soo and Soo Hyuk and other people he has met later on showed him and tried to teach him that what his doing isnt okay. that he should have higher standards and not just settle for "at least i'm alive". they can't really reset years of accumulated mindset

basically what im saying is its nearly impossible to undo trauma guys

specially with what he went through during his childhood since childhoods always have a great affect in our lives

it doesn't matter if the treatment change or the one inflicting it is gone, once you get used to thinking like that it's hard to turn back y'know

idk how to explain so i'll give a personal example instead

my mom is an overachiever and is very intelligent, and as her child she also expect me to be the same or even surpass her, she's also someone who has a lot of trust issues specially in relationships

imagine that mixing and being projected lol

so for years its just her grilling me to do better. saying that i'm lazy and not putting enough effort on my studies because i can't maintain being a honor student, not realizing the fact fact that maybe, just maybe it's just that i'm not as smart as her. even her standards are crazy high, just passing isn't enough heck a passing grade is a fail for her (asian mom's amiright)

and that also became detrimental to my social life because she's always comparing. she also keeps engraving that they don't really care for me and such and u know the typical manipulation

but nowadays she's calmed downed a bit. she's more open about me having friends and she isn't as strict about me being an honorable student

did that change anything? not really lmaoo

because in the back of my mind i'm thinking that if i dont do well she's gonna have an outburst again, or if i tell her about my friends she's going to say all sorts of things again and i don't want to lonely again. and so the result is me being constantly on guard and her wondering why im hostile

i hope that explains how it greatly affect things

you bring those thoughts and beliefs with you even when you grow up. even when things get better. whether you realize it or not

its really just something you can't get rid of honestly

and that's what i think happened to cale

unknowingly getting the share of White Star's curse made him lose everything he loves and care for

his parents dying

his uncle abusing him

him getting abandoned

just the world falling in ruin

all those things probably made him unintentionally come to the conclusion that he isn't really worth much, and view things that other people would consider necessity, the basic necessities, a luxury

i'd like to believe that maybe he was slowly getting rid of that toxic mindset when he was with the Soos

then boom

they dead now

and so since that's what happened the one time he let his guard down his walls built up even more and his coping mechanisms got worse than they originally were

so probably thats why he acts the way he does when he finally became Cale

that's why this lovable mfer is so guarded, oblivious and so annoyingly dense

i just want for him to break out of it honestly. it wouldn't even matter to me if he realizes it or not. tbh him not realizing it is probably better. just accept the love being given to you damnit

and i thank you, thank you for coming to my ted talk HAHAHAHAHAHHASDGIUUSTPGW

[kiraisrika]

The third student of ramshackle, Cale cristie

- cale is a young genius in first year, being sorted to ramshackle by hidden talent

- his UM is *creativity leave the chat* i don't know...will you guys help me ? Ehe :)

- he is yuunjin's second right hand man after grim, a very trustworthy yet dangerous person

- he has a very deep trust and loyalty to yuunjin because his issues, and yuunjin aparently the first person he trust after 2 year (y'know issues....)

Profile and funfact

Name : Cale cristie

Birthday : 7 August

Age : 15 y/o

Height : 170 cm

Dominant hand : left hand

Hair color : lemon yellow

Eye color : fuscia pink

Homeland : queendom of roses

Family : unnamed little brother and big sister

VA : ■■■■■

Grade : freshman year

Class : 1-B

Club : broadcasting club

Best subject : alchemy/potionology

Hobbies : matchmaking :)

Pet peeves : being stalked or seen in secret ehem ehem rook ehem-

Favorite food : lemon cake

Least favorite food : animal internal organ (liver, heart, etc)

Talent : potion making :)

[teaspacebar]

war of hearts part i: comfort, trust, and realization

summary: you work with the clone commander and your relationship grows. you bake some goods and the boys of the 212th eat all of them. trust builds. cody has a big fucking realization.

words: 1.9k

a/n: i adore these sweet babies with my entire soul and i would die for them. i hope you all enjoy. based off of this and this.

Cody’s first real interaction with you occurred before a set of relief missions. It was business as usual - General Kenobi entrusted him and part of the 212th to drop off supplies at different Republic settlements. There were a few planets on the list that they had to stop by, and Cody was certain it wouldn’t take longer than a few weeks. 

The surprise was you - showing up in your usual Jedi garb, a timid expression on your face.

“Commander Cody,” you approached him, giving a little wave with your hand. No matter how many times he’s seen you in combat, you always looked so…soft, off of the battlefield. He wouldn’t think you were a Jedi except for the lightsaber on your hip.

“I was not aware you were joining us, sir.”

“I was told at the last possible moment that I would be joining you.” He saw your hands clench on either side of you, “I’m sorry if it took you by surprise. If it’s an issue I can tell Master Kenobi–”

Cody could see your nerves flare up, so he cut you off with a small shake of his head, “It’s not a problem, sir.”

A yell of his name came from the gunship, causing you to startle. It was Reed, saying that they had the supplies packed up and ready to go. Taking a glance at you from his peripheral, he sighed. These missions were going to be long.

The first time Cody felt fully comfortable with you was not long after the relief missions had finished. You had all returned back to Coruscant, the boys heading for the barracks. The clone commander watched as you jumped off the transport right as it landed, running off to speak with General Kenobi. The missions had gone fairly well, but you had seemed on edge the whole time. Cody knew it wasn’t because you felt uneasy about the troops – you had shown how much compassion you had for his brothers many times before. In fact, Reed and Cale had stuck by your side for most of the trip, pulling laughter from you whenever they noticed you were drawing into yourself. Cody thought about discussing it with the General – Obi-Wan was always more than willing to talk strategy with him. But this was different.

Him and the rest of the boys were seated in the Caf, chatting animatedly. Suddenly, Cale’s hand shot up and he waved, yelling, “Cee-o!” Cody looked over his shoulder, blinking a few times as his brain caught up with him.

You stood at the entrance of the Caf – Jedi robes absent – with a pack on your shoulder. That sheepish smile that Cody was growing familiar with was present as you approached their table. Other troopers around them were murmuring to each other, not used to a Jedi being in the personal barracks.

You set the pack onto the edge of the table, where Cale had made space for you as he shoved his brothers down the bench. Reed grinned, leaning forward, “You bring us gifts?”

“Now, I know that the GAR says you can’t have any belongings and whatnot,” you shook your head as if the statement wounded you, “but they didn’t say anything about things that you can eat.” The group around you cheered as you pulled different baked goods out of the pack. “I only made enough for you guys, but I can make more another time.”

“You made these?” Reed questioned through a mouthful of pastry.

Cody felt his chest tighten when you failed at covering your laughter. Reed and Cale both insisted you sit down and eat with them, and you obliged, sitting directly across from him. You delicately ate the sweet roll in your hands. The clone commander had to shake himself out of his stupor when you said his name.

You held out your roll to him, “Want the rest of mine? I only meant to stop by for a moment – Master Kenobi is expecting me.” He nodded, taking it from you, fingertips grazing your own. You froze for a moment, eyes widening. Before he could ask what was wrong, an expression of composure fell on your face. You stared into his eyes and a thought struck him – this was the first time you had made direct eye contact with him. The first time you had seen him without his helmet.

Cody managed to get the words out seamlessly, “Thank you.” The ‘Commander’ was unspoken, because it didn’t feel like it needed to be there. You, here and surrounding yourself in his world – one that most would think was meaningless – aided in the feeling of comfort that settled in his chest.

“I’ll see you boys later,” you called out to the rest of the table, pulling the pack back over your shoulder. The ponytail you wore swung as you left, the bounce in your step drastically different from your stride just a few days ago.

“Hey Cody, where can I get a Jedi like yours?!” Fives - from the 501st - called across the Caf.

“Get your own, Fives!” Cale threw one of the remaining pastries at the ARC trooper, guffaws coming from the troopers around them.

With comfort, followed trust.

Yes, it was ingrained in clones that they needed to trust their superiors. Cody trusted his brothers. He trusted General Kenobi. Hell, he even trusted General Skywalker, but the trust between you and him built slowly, like a single flame growing into a roaring fire that could burn a whole forest down.

Which was what you were dealing with right now.

Flames licked at your heels as you ran through the small settlement. You cursed through your teeth, bounding over a fallen tree that was still on fire.

“Commander!” You turned your head but continued on as Cody ran up beside you. “The evac is here, we need to go now!”

“There are still people trapped, I can sense them!” You ducked through a building that was on its last legs, feeling fear creep through you - fear that was not your own.

Cody followed you through, grabbing your arm before you ran off again. “Commander–”

“I am not leaving them to die, Cody.” The determination in your gaze caused his heart to lurch. “Get the rest of the men to the evac, I’ll be there with whoever else I can find. Trust me, Cody, please.”

“I need you to trust me, too.” The words were out of his mouth before he could think. You brought that out of him, recently. It came with the territory of the companionship you two had. “This town is going down and I will be damned if I lose my Commander with it.” His gaze bore into your own, and he saw the flames reflected in your eyes. You didn’t have much time. He turned on his comms, “Cale, come in.”

“Sir!”

“Keep the evac on the ground for as long as you can, the Commander and I will be there shortly.” A pause. “Expect civvies.” You didn’t catch the rest of Cale’s words as your sprung from your position, following the emotions you sensed.

Within minutes, you had found two children huddled underneath some rubble, soot covering their clothes and faces. You used the Force to lift the part of the building that was keeping you from getting inside, and Cody got them out.

You made it to the evac point just in time. Cody watched the empty, burning town as the doors closed on the transport. He checked in on his squadron, attention falling on the Jedi who knelt before the children you had rescued. You were wiping some of the soot from their faces with your robe, a gentle, comforting smile on your face. You said something to make the children giggle – even in the face of complete destruction, you were able to make children laugh. He caught your gaze when you stood up, and you mouthed a ‘thank you’. Smile pulling at the corner of his lips, he made his way to the front of the transport.

You visited the barracks later that evening.

Cody had his own personal room – there were some perks of being Commander – but he tended to hang around his squadron’s space. Which is where he found you, as well.

He walked into the room to see you hanging upside down on one of the beds. Most of the troopers were sitting on their own beds or the floor, eating what must have been more baked goods you delivered. When he entered, a smile lit up your face and you flipped yourself over, landing gracefully on the floor.

“Meeting go alright?” After both of you had reported back to Obi-Wan, you had another meeting with the Jedi Council.

Reed cackled, “Don’t ask her that, boss – I think she’s had enough Council talk for the day.”

You swatted Reed’s arm, nicking a pastry from his hands and popping it in your mouth. Cody chuckled when Reed protested, bristling with pride when the grin on your face grew.

“It was alright,” you said once your mouth was no longer full.

“Except you said that General Windu was being a di’kut.”

Silence.

And then Cody started laughing.

“Cale!” The troopers name was shrieked, and you covered your face in embarrassment. Cody quickly sobered, sending his squadron a look.

“Ah,” Boil cleared his throat, “let’s head to Caf, boys.” Grumbles were exchanged and you murmured soft goodbyes to them as they left. Your face was downcast, wishing that your hair wasn’t in its signature ponytail so you could hide behind it.

Cody wondered how you could be so open one minute, and so shy, the next. Most Jedi he knew were anything but shy. Reserved, sometimes, but never shy.

“I asked them to teach me some words in Mando’a,” you explained, form relaxing when it was just the two of you.

“And General Windu was being a di’kut?” The amusement was clear in his tone.

“He basically said that saving the children was pointless,” you huffed, adjusting the belt around your waist. You were without your robes again – something you always seemed to do when visiting the barracks. It was like you were making yourself their equal.

Cody sighed, “It wasn’t part of the plan, so I could see why he would react that way.” You scrunched your nose at the notion. He agreed wholeheartedly with your choice, though. And nobody else got hurt. He’d been used to crazier plans, anyways. You were doing the right thing, saving those kids.

You looked over at him, eyes narrowing for a moment before your expression softened. “How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Your emotions are so in control sometimes that it’s…worrying. And then other times I get this rush of concentrated feeling. Most…people aren’t like that.” Clones, he knew you were going to say clones.

He shrugged, “It’s not really talked about.”

You hummed, walking over and putting a hand on his arm. He was in his blacks, so he could feel the warmth of your touch. You gave him an earnest smile, “We should probably meet up with the others.” Cody recognized the change in subject; he could feel the switch back to professionalism snap back into place.

As he followed you out of the room, the commander realized – he didn’t want professionalism. He wanted you.

[althes-arcadia]

White Start x Kim

Thoughts// Some Hard To Imagine them doing these things for normal shippers.

Modern Magic Academy AU

Arguing about world domination and living a peaceful happy slacker life.

White star plays with Kim's hair when Kim is asleep.

White star blindfolds Kim for a surprise date and most of the time Kim has trust issues for his date places cause the last time they went to a forest without any flashlights, and their phone has no signal, and they starved for the night and they lost their way. Luckily Litana, lives close to that forest and often ventures inside it. So they both met Litana and Litana helped them get out of the forest, and Kim went to Alberu's dorm for now to hide from White star. White star had to find a safe date place this time and not blind fold Kim this time. Thus Kim find it satisfactory and let the incident stay in the back of his head, and they dated peacefully for the mean time once again.

White Star actually does seriously in school [because in world domination you have to be smart to control the people], and whenever he see's Kim not studying when its study time, Kim gets lightly scolded. Thus Kim studies, while Alberu, Lee Soo Hyuk and his other hyungs, snicker at him. But of course mostly all of them stops as Kim gave them a glare. The only reason Kim follows White star os because it becomes a Dorm study when they go back to the dorms, and Kim has to forcefully listen to his... Boyfri— (I don't really like the word boyfriend.) —his lover..

White Star bakes cookies from time to time, and when he does. Two days have just passed all the cookies are gone. He first suspected Cale as he always saw him munching biscuits and cookies every time he drinks tea.

But it wasn't Cale, as both of them heard munching on the Door Frame. Another red head munching on the cookies the white star had made, as he slowly realised on what his lover and his brother were both fighting about, he made a run for it.

"HEY GET BACK HERE YOU! I WAS THE FIRST SUSPECT WHEN YOU TOOK ALL OF THIS GUY'S COOKIES!" Cale shouted through the corridors as he was chasing after his brother that was holding a plastic bag of cookies.

"GODDAMMIT! I HAVEN'T TASTED THOSE YET KIM!" White star shouted as he used speed wind magic, while chasing after the person who was also using magic to run away.

"I HAD NO IDEA!" Kim shouted back as he was trying to get to Alberu's Dorm quickly. The two were catching up to him.

But as he was about to go up the stairs. A teacher stopped him.

'Ah shit...' As he realised which teacher it was.

The teacher made Kim stand by the stair rails, as he called the other two that were chasing after him.

"Oi! You two, come here don't run away!" A blonde teacher said as he moved his hand to come where he was at as he was tapping his foot.

The two came and also went to the stair rails.

"So why were you student's running AND shouting in THE HALL." He started, both the white star and Cale were quite scared of the teacher.

Crunch.

Except for Kim, as he ate the last piece of cookie, and that quite broke the white star.

"AAAHHH! YOU IDIOT I HAVEN'T TASTED ANY OF THOSE!—"

"EHEM." The Teacher emphasised as his arms were crossed and were now looking at the two.

"We're sorry, Proffesor Eruhaben."

And thus the incident ended as that.

And now I don't know what else to write as the other thoughts remain to myself as they seem to be unrealistic. But I do want to write it.

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Chapter Three of My Dark Angel Story “Saving the Siblings”

Summary: What if around the time of C.R.E.A.M–before Max and Logan were that close–they agreed to have a more sibling-esque relationship, since that was what Max was used to? How would the story have played out differently from there? But Lomax will still be endgame, I swear.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21821767/chapters/52075546

Chapter Three

Despite Max’s promise to herself, that she was going to try to keep Logan out of her affairs here—to try and have their relationship platonic—she found she had nowhere else to go, with some of the questions Vada had brought to light.

So, when morning came, Max found herself powering up her Ninja and driving over to Fogle Towers before Logan and Bling were even fully awake, probably.

When Max broke into the apartment—…she really probably should have done something about doing this all the time, but this was her and Logan’s tradition at this point, and who was she to break tradition?—she noticed that Logan and Bling were doing sets.

Logan was trying with all his might to push his legs up into Bling’s hands, and was working up quite the sweat, but it was still to no avail.

And if Max had ever hated herself before, it was nothing like how she felt now. But she made sure not to show it, of course.

“Logan, that’s enough,” Bling was telling Logan, as Bling tried to push his torso away from him and get him to stop for the day.

But Logan kept a grip on Bling’s shirt and kept himself near him, working. “No, Bling. Five more. I swear I can do it.”

“Logan, no. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it twice, slow and steady wins the race.”

“Bling-” Logan said sharply now; and there was the pissy quality to his voice, that Max knew so well. She almost smiled.

And deciding to save Bling, when she herself often wasn’t saved when it came from this attitude from Logan, Max decided to finally let it be known that she was there.

“Knock-knock,” she said with a smirk on her face, while she knocked on the wall behind Logan’s computer, that he nailed all his important documents onto.

Max honestly had no idea why she could be this happy in seeing these two, when just a night ago, she’d realized Vada had been a plant, Manticore had Jondy, and Zack had left her,

Max didn’t know, but that was why she had to be careful with Logan, didn’t she? It didn’t pay to get too close to anyone. Max knew that all too well from how she got burnt with Darren. She tried to lie to herself now, that it was mostly Bling she was thrilled to see, but she knew that that wasn’t true.

“Max!” Logan exclaimed, like he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“Max!” Bling said excitedly. “Good to see you! Are you here to see Logan? Do you want me to clear out?”

Originally, Max had been thinking that. But since Bling knew everything about her that Logan did, and was pretty sharp, she figured that she could use his advice, as well.

Plus, if he was here, hopefully it would keep her and Logan from making goo-goo eyes at each other, like she didn’t want them to.

“I’m glad to see you’re alright, Max,” Logan spoke softly to Max now, with something in his eyes, as he seemed to wake up enough now, to better remember their conversations from yesterday.

And Max knew now, that in some other life… she easily would have let herself fall for Logan Cale. But she had long ago stopped letting herself be soft. And that was some of the issue here.

“I found Vada,” Max told the two men now, sitting on the couch in Logan’s living room. And she didn’t want to look at either of them, and have them see her face, when she had to tell them that she’d fallen into a trap. But since Max was a strong little soldier girl, she showed no weakness and looked them both in the eye as she explained her failings. “And she was a mole, essentially. She was going to have Lydecker and his men close ranks on us and take Zack and I both to Manticore.

“I convinced her not to do this, for the daughter she has on the outside. But… Vada told me that Lydecker recently got Jondy. And Logan, Bling, I want to go in and get her, before they brainwash her. Before it’s too late.”

And maybe… maybe it would be okay if she and Logan never became anything, Max thought. Because the way that he and Bling were sharing a look, she wanted to believe that maybe they could find something—if it came down to it—and Logan could be happy that way.

“That’s rough, Max,” Bling spoke up, after only a minute… which was a god sent, really, because Max thought that she was drowning in her feelings here. “And I may be a physical therapist… but I also know the importance of emotional therapy. And I understand from your upbringing why you were taught to keep things in. But if you need anything, know that Logan and I are here for you. Okay?”

“Yeah, I know. Thanks, Bling.” And Max acted like she was going to hug Bling… but she really didn’t mean this. She also didn’t feel any of the things that she said there. She was too fucked up to. But she knew that Bling would call her out on it, if she didn’t at least act like she was giving it all some thought. So, she had acted.

Thankfully, Logan cut off Max’s humiliation by clearing his throat. And she held herself back mid-motion.

“Max… if you really want to try a jailbreak, I can try to get some Eyes Only informants down for it. We’re few and far between, but I know they would hate the idea of Manticore, if I blow them out of the water. And it would be better than you, Zack, and Vada, maybe, trying to go it alone.”

And here, Max had to smile… and lean in and kiss Logan on the cheek, despite how much she’d been holding herself back before.

And Max thought she might have seen a certain look on Bling’s face then, but fortunately, he didn’t say anything.

“Max, what-” Logan started, the moment she’d pulled away from him.

But Max was already interrupting him. “I appreciate the thought, Logan. And you and yours helping me would for sure be better than just the three of us doing things, they could probably help even against the genetically engineered killing machines, for a time... but I still think we’d still all die. And Lydecker taught me to think of better odds than that. So, I’m not acting until I do”

And finally knowing the truth of how she felt, that Logan had unearthed from her, Max blurred away, and hated herself every moment that she was running.

…

Thankfully, Max had gotten up in enough time, where she didn’t have to go to work yet, and could swing by her crib for some poor coffee imitation with Kendra and Vada—and check in and make sure Vada hadn’t bounced, or killed Kendra, or called Lydecker on her ass—before she had to sell her soul to Normal for most of the day.

And when Max spilled back in, the last thing she expected to see was Kendra and her sister making out in the kitchen, but that was exactly what her eyes were met with.

For a second, she thought about trying to sneak back outside to try and give the girls their privacy—because they clearly needed it, as they crashed into every nearby item on the counter trying to get to Kendra’s room; where, oh where, had Vada’s feline grace gone?—but in thinking that this may have been a ploy on Vada’s part to try and get information out of Kendra about Max, Max decided she had to break up the little love fest.

First her and Logan’s, and now Kendra’s and Vada’s. Wherever Cupid was right now, Max had no doubt he must have hated her ass.

“Kendra?” asked, going back out the door and coming back in, to give the impression that she was just now seeing all of this. “Oh. Sorry, guys! My bad. Here I was, coming to see if maybe you’d prefer if I got Vada to stay at OC’s, Kendra, but clearly that isn’t the case!” And as she said the last, Max very sweetly and awkwardly got into a thing of cherry icing that was on their little table (one of the only commodities she’d been able to find during the Pulse), and it was delicious. Though Max sort of hated having to get into it now, to try and sell this all, but she would take it.

And damn, if she wasn’t a good actress. She clearly had Kendra eating out of the palm of her hand, as she now pulled away from Vada, blushing.

Vada, however, didn’t seem as convinced. And she looked at Max with a raised eyebrow. Max couldn’t really blame her for it, she supposed. They had been taught the same things, when it came to “besting the enemy.”

Later, Max would actually have to ask Vada if it was possible for the female X series to be bi or lesbian. She’d thought not, since their damn hormones made them want to mate with a male—especially when they were in heat—but maybe it was a thing. And perhaps Vada had found the way. That would certainly be nice to tell Max’s sisters, if she ever got to see more of them again…

“Max… I’m sorry that you had to walk in on that!” Kendra exploded now, speaking a mile a minute, with her hands flying every which way. “But damn if your sister here isn’t swoon worthy. I was just telling her about some bastard said I’m too fat to be wearing crop tops. And then Vada wisely pointed out how wrong that is—one, because I’m beautiful—and secondly, because guys are always shirtless, when they don’t even have the best bodies. And then she started telling me how the standard of beauty people have to live up to is too high, anyway, which is all too true. And then she started reading me poetry, to ease my wounded heart… and here we are.”

Max laughed at that, easily being able to understand how Kendra might fall for Vada in that situation, then. She’d always thought that Kendra was straighter than a ruler. But, hey. If she’d been wrong about that, then clearly, she was the one at fault.

The only thing worrying Max here, was that she feared that Vada was being less than sincere. She wanted to believe her sister had told her the truth of it all last night… but Max wouldn’t be alive today if she trusted anyone.

“I think that’s a lovely story,” Max rued, making sure to nod at each one of her girls now.

Though she wondered if Vada noticed that she’d used the word “story”, as if that it could have been a fabrication. Knowing her, probably. They wouldn’t have been the top of the X5 class, if she didn’t. And her violet eyes definitely seemed far-away, in thought.

“I can definitely get why you two would fall for each other. I wish you guys the best. And if you both want this to be your love nest for a while, I can clear out, actually. I’m sure OC wouldn’t mind me rooming with her for a little bit.”

“Can you, Max?” Kendra piped up then, grinning. And the lovely blonde looked so in love, that it was hard to say no to her. This kind of person deserved the world, and could actually have it, and Max wished that fate would actually be kind to her, unlike it was to Max. “I don’t want to be a bad roomie here… but you know what? I’m starting to think that OC had the right of it. Maybe the problem for me was men all along. And this would be the key time for me to find that out.”

Max patted Kendra on the shoulder once, before getting into her cherry icing once more—God, she loved cherry flavored things—and she had to resist the urge to purr like the cat that had gotten the cream. “If you want time to figure out your sexuality, Ken. I can more than oblige by leaving�� But I also know my sister can be a little intense,” Max whispered the last into Kendra’s ear now, being careful not to look Vada’s way, so she might now hear her. But she was sure that Vada heard all of this, anyway, with their super hearing. “If she does anything to break your heart, let me know and I’ll kick her ass for you.”

“Will do, Max! You’re the best!” Kendra sang. And Max was just about to make it out of her apartment door then (the icing in hand), when Kendra stopped her with, “Oh! And be sure to tell Logan that, since I’m on vacation, I’ll let him tutor my Japanese class a few times, like he wanted to!”

“…I’ll do that, Ken!” Max promised her. Even though that was the last thing Max wanted to do, because she was trying to stay away from all things Logan right now.

And Max was nearly out the door again, when Vada gently grabbed her arm. “So, have you decided what we’re doing about Jondy?”

And all of the wind left Max’s sails like a snap of fingers. And if she’d been a lesser woman, she would have been crying right now. Because she hated the idea that she was leaving her little sister to Psy-Ops and Lydecker right now.

“We have to get more soldiers, then we’ll come up with a battle plan,” Max assured Vada.

“…Do you think waiting is wise, Max?” Vada challenged, moving a long piece of hair behind her ear as she did, and looking so lovely while doing so.

…Manticore didn’t let you have long hair, of course, at least not while training. Eventually, when they sent you out into the world, they would, if you wanted it. And even though Vada had nearly been overcome, she had still kept her desire for long hair and that part of herself.

Since Jondy had always favored short hair… could that be a sign that she would be more easily overcome? Or was this just a stupid thought that Max was having right now, that had nothing to do with anything?

“You know that Lydecker almost had me. So, if we wait too long with Jondy, do you think her mind-”

“We’ll do as I say, Vada, because I have rank over you, and that’s that!”

What Max didn’t say, of course, was that really, she was a stinking coward and trying to protect her own freedom.

She left for work without another word.

…

“You’re never gonna believe this, Boo,” Original Cindy told Max the moment she strolled into work, jumping to Max’s side, and linking their arms together. “Normal is thinkin’ about sellin’ the place to some Mr. Sivapathasundaram, or somethin’.”

Max choked on her saliva, as she nearly died laughing at that. And Cindy had to hold her up by her arm, as she began falling over, laughing hysterically.

Normal was not pleased by that, of course, as he’d seen the whole thing and was yelling at Max the moment she showed what a “delinquent she was.”

“I’ll have you know that that’s exactly why I’m selling this popsicle stand!” he told her, looking her dead in the eye. “You kids need a reality check! Mr. Sivapathasundaram is going to make Jam Pony run the way it should! He’ll make it a proper place of business! And then you’ll all see how lucky you are to work here, or how lucky you were to have me!” Normal barked.

“When Hell freezes over!” Sketchy coughed into his arm. And Max was about to say “bless you!” to him, but since she was clearly on thin ice with Normal, she figured she’d better not. Then again… maybe she still would. She was having that kind of day, where she thought she needed to do that kind of thing to make herself feel better.

And if the Blue Lady, God, Fate, or whatever had decided to hate her, then they could decide to hate someone else today, too, like Normal. She would happily rain on his parade.

“And, as always, you’re rolling into work late, I see! What’s the excuse this time, missy? Actually, you know what? I don’t want to know. Just get to work! Bip-bip-bip! These packages aren’t going to deliver themselves!”

Max rolled her eyes, and resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at Normal while he walked back to his desk. But she knew she really would be out of a job if she did that.

Max walked to her locker with Original Cindy, to put her lunch away, and also so she, Sketchy, and Herbal (who had just joined them. And it looked like Sky might have been coming out of the woodwork, too) could carry on their conversation about Mr. Sivapathasundaram in peace.

“So, what? Is this guy your typical Republican, Capitalist, nose to the grindstone kind of male?” Max asked, already having nightmares of Jam Pony turning out to be even more like Manticore, and not knowing what she would do if that turned out to be the case.

“Seems abou’ true, mah sista,” Herbal piped up, putting a comforting hand on Max’s shoulder, and she put a hand atop his, too, knowing that he needed to feel better right now, as well. “We must look to the Almighty in er houa a need. This wasa place wher’ anyone could geta job. What’ll we do if thay take that away?”

“We’re not gonna let them, Herbal, that’s what!” Sketchy chimed in now, coming in to put an arm around Herbal’s shoulders… which Max appreciated, because it seemed like the man really needed that. But what she didn’t appreciate, was that the idiot had brought his bike in with him, and was now nearly crushing her and Cindy’s legs as he moved closer to Herbal.

“Sketchy, watch it!” Max bellowed.

“Yeah, seriously fool,” Original Cindy agreed, pulling Max closer to her—where there was less of the bike—for her safety; bless the girl, Max thought. “I know you don’ have all the beauty that home girl and I got. But that don’t mean you gotta take us out ‘cause youse jealous.”

Finally waking up to the mess he was making, as if he was coming out of a fog, Sketchy got his bicycle out of the way with a quick, “Oh! Sorry, guys!”

“Thank you!” Max praised him then, slapping him on the back one good time.

And then Sky continued the conversation the men had been having. “But you guys are right. We gotta find a way to keep him out. We can’t have him ruining slackers here’s dreams everywhere!”

“Although… now that I think about it- I have a thought. If he is your typical Republican, Capitalist, nose to the grindstone male… I wonder if he might help me with something…” Max whispered, an insane thought coming into her head now. “Sketchy, do you have his phone number? I assume you guys were going to try and come up with some crazy prank to keep him away, or whatever?”

“Yeah, chica,” Sketchy acknowledged, handing Max the paper he’d clearly snatched while Normal wasn’t looking. Quite possibly when he’d been chewing out Max before. “Why? You got a better plan?”

“…I maybe do. But you’ll never hear it.”

“What’s that mean?” Sketchy asked, clearly baffled.

But Max had already ran away (at normal speed) to make a phone call on a burner cell. She’d picked it up when dreaming that if her siblings came back into her life, they would, of course, want her to contact them with a number that couldn’t be traced. She hadn’t thought that when she finally found some of them again, it would be like this… but she was glad now that she did have the phone.

The phone rang six times, and Max was starting to get impatient, when someone finally picked up on the other end. “Hello. This is Mr. Sivapathasundaram. Who is this?”

“…Someone who won’t tell you their name yet. Maybe not even ever. But if you really want to get on the ground floor of something… how about working with Eyes Only, and helping him taking down some serious baddies doing human experimentation?”

[riverdamien]

Recognizing Jesus in the Breaking of Bread

In Loving Memory of Vicki Yeley

1952-2019

Recognizing Jesus in the Breaking of Bread!

"Then the two from Emmanus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road and how they had recognized him as he was breaking bread. . ." Luke 24:35. . ."

"Then Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with them. There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said "Your mother and brothers are outside asking for you. Jesus replied, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? Then he looked at those around him and said, "Look these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does God's will is my brother, sister, and mother." Mark 3:31-34

------------------------------------------

    Today in the news is the story of Ethiopia's ethnic violence, and it is a story repeated over and over, again and again; killing, discrimination, over birth differences; the same in the United States, our racial divisions and violence are a result of the same reasons.

    Jesus challenged the same issue in his day when he stated loud and clear that we are all brothers and sisters.

    Through the years when asked what I am doing holidays, and my reply is working on the streets, the response is"when do you spend time with your family?" always with a sorrowful look.  My answer: "These guys are my family?"

    Shocking to many but it is the truth--through caring, crying, and struggle we become family. I have gone to the hospital many times, being asked, "You are his family, you are white, he is black, brown, pink, red, whatever?" My response is "I am an albino. We are  family."

    Family is not bloodlines, it is suffering together, being there for one another through thick and thin.

    My friend, my "sister" Vicki Yeley died two years ago today. We met in 2004 through her fourteen-year-old son Matt, who on Good Friday, 2004, asked to come and volunteer. We had met through a  presentation at his school,  I could not even  place his face, and when  picked up,  Matthew had a suitcase, saying his nanny had to leave on an emergency, and he was spending the night, and I was shocked and had him call his mom on vacation in Europe, and her response, "I trust him, and if he trusts you, so do I." Personally, I thought she was crazy, and from that moment on a friendship with Vicki and Kevin her husband began,  whose road has run through seeing Matt grow up, taking care of me when I was ill with malaria, and support of my ministry, but most importantly just being family.

    Present at all my activities and most moving for me was going into the finance office at Knox Theological Seminary, in May 2017, the week of receiving my doctorate, finding that Vicki had paid off the  tuition, leaving a card, saying, "We are family, I am proud of you."

     Matthew Yeley Frederick graduates this year from law school, and we will celebrate in Portland with a party. I am so round of him! Today, as every day, and on the day of his graduation, Vicki sits in that Great Cloud of Witnesses cheering us on.

    I think with so much love of my friends Matthew, who came to volunteer at fourteen, never left, showing his mom news articles convincing her to let me come out to his place, and then three years ago taking care of me after surgery; of Brandon, Aaron, Cale, three guys giving support after surgery; Brandon and Aaron's parents, always being there;  my friends Cynthia and Karen, both Doctors who saw me through the malaria crisis, and pay my health insurance, Keenan, who paid my insurance for fifteen or so years before, has walked with me for so many years and so many more who have and are family.

    They are a rainbow of colors, a radiance that brings joy into our lives.

    We are all called to be family to one another and we find our family in the breaking of bread--where race, ethnicity, bloodlines, religious beliefs, wealth, or poverty does not matter. In the breaking of bread--we are one:

"Then the two from Emmanus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road and how they had recognized him as he was breaking bread. . ." Luke 24:35. . ."

Deo Gratias! Thanks be to God!

================================

Fr. River Damien Sims, sfw, D.Min., D.S.T.

P.O. Box 642656

San Francisco, CA 94164

www.temenos.org

415-305-2124

[stonequake]

This is what I do hwen I’m bored

1.Who was the last person you held hands with? this answer would normally be my boyfriend but oddly enough it is a random boy in the pit at billy talent who just held hands with me during a song i cried a little

2. Are you outgoing or shy? pretty shy

3. Who are you looking forward to seeing? my boyfriend tomorrow, my best friend soon

4. Are you easy to get along with? usually

5. If you were drunk would the person you like take care of you? I’m usually the one taking care of people even when I’m drunk

6. What kind of people are you attracted to? weirdos, very emotive people, sincere, thoughtful, artsy, quiet, contemplative people, alternative ppl

7. Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now? yes

8. Who from the opposite gender is on your mind? from the opposite gender? bob ross

9. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable? not really talking about it

10. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with? cale

11. What does the most recent text that you sent say? “ *flap* :( “

12. What are your 5 favorite songs right now? damn uh if I had to split-second choose: -  something weird by awful din

fuck shit up by ghost mice

good enough by tiny moving parts

common cold also by tiny moving parts

carjack by greys

13. Do you like it when people play with your hair? oh fuck yes

14. Do you believe in luck and miracles? I don’t believe in it but my brain often makes me act on it

15. What good thing happened this summer? i can’t even remember last month

16. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? fuck no, unless we’re counting the little one I gave cale, then of course

17. Do you think there is life on other planets? of course

18. Do you still talk to your first crush? I don’t think I ever even talked to my first crush I was like 7

19. Do you like bubble baths? ya

20. Do you like your neighbours? she abuses her dogs

21. What are you bad habits? I have so many, washing my hands is probably one of them, staying up too late

22. Where would you like to travel? everywhere fr

23. Do you have trust issues? I don’t think in that way

24. Favorite part of your daily routine? doin my makeup

25. What part of your body are you most uncomfortable with? I’m pretty comfortable with my body nowadays, probably my nose or teeth

26. What do you do when you wake up? go on my phone, piss, eat cereal

27. Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker? i wish it wasn’t so blotchy

28. Who are you most comfortable around? cale

29. Have any of your ex’s told you they regret breaking up? uh

30. Do you ever want to get married? idk

31. If your hair long enough for a pony tail? yea

32. Which celebrities would you have a threesome with? ummm évelyne brochu and hugh dancy

33. Spell your name with your chin. elkhyxd

34. Do you play sports? What sports? I swim and ski

35. Would you rather live without TV or music? I already live without TV

36. Have you ever liked someone and never told them? who has not

37. What do you say during awkward silences? nothing

38. Describe your dream girl/guy? cool

39. What are your favorite stores to shop in? uh west 49 and like, winners

40. What do you want to do after high school? I’m not in high school and i’m doing nothing basically

41. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance? generally

42. If your being extremely quiet what does it mean? nothing unusual

43. Do you smile at strangers? yes

44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean? space

45. What makes you get out of bed in the morning? the fact that dad got milk last night so I can have cereal

46. What are you paranoid about? like everything. catching sickness especially

47. Have you ever been high? yea

48. Have you ever been drunk? yea

49. Have you done anything recently that you hope nobody finds out about? not /nobody/

50. What was the colour of the last hoodie you wore? black like my emo ass

51. Ever wished you were someone else? ya

52. One thing you wish you could change about yourself? my functioning, how I dissociate, make my voice stronger thats 3

53. Favourite makeup brand? low end is either nyx or elf, high end is too faced

54. Favourite store? #39

55. Favourite blog? qckdn

56. Favourite colour? grey or maroon

57. Favourite food? man idk, shrimp tacos maybe

58. Last thing you ate? wonton soup

59. First thing you ate this morning? cereal ?!

60. Ever won a competition? For what? can;t remember

61. Been suspended/expelled? For what? no

62. Been arrested? For what?n o

63. Ever been in love? yes

64. Tell us the story of your first kiss? can’t even remember

65. Are you hungry right now? nah

66. Do you like your tumblr friends more than your real friends? I don’t even really have tumblr friends

67. Facebook or Twitter? neither

68. Twitter or Tumblr? tumblr

69. Are you watching tv right now? no

70. Names of your best friends? pat and mat and cat

71. Craving something? What? death lol

72. What colour are your towels? most of them are shades of blue

72. How many pillows do you sleep with? two

73. Do you sleep with stuffed animals? yes

74. How many stuffed animals do you think you have? on my bed, like TEN

75. Favourite animal? I love penguins and bats and foxes and owls

76. What colour is your underwear? I think lilac

77. Chocolate or Vanilla? choc

78. Favourite ice cream flavour? bublegum

79. What colour shirt are you wearing? black :-(

80. What colour pants? grey

81. Favourite tv show? hannibal

82. Favourite movie? mmm idk spiderman

83. Mean Girls or Mean Girls 2? 1

84. Mean Girls or 21 Jump Street? 21 js

85. Favourite character from Mean Girls? uh idk the weird gay one

86. Favourite character from Finding Nemo? that stoner sea turtle

87. First person you talked to today? cale

88. Last person you talked to today? ^

89. Name a person you hate? shae!

90. Name a person you love? cale

91. Is there anyone you want to punch in the face right now? yeah

92. In a fight with someone? no

93. How many sweatpants do you have? 1

94. How many sweaters/hoodies do you have? lots

95. Last movie you watched? tangled lol

96. Favourite actress? anna sophia robb or évelyne brochu

97. Favourite actor? mads mikkelson, hugh dancy tbh.

98. Do you tan a lot? ha! no.

99. Have any pets? :——(

100. How are you feeling? sleepy, paranoid

101. Do you type fast? yea

102. Do you regret anything from your past? of course

103. Can you spell well? yes

104. Do you miss anyone from your past? yes

105. Ever been to a bonfire party? yes

106. Ever broken someone’s heart? yes

107. Have you ever been on a horse? no thanks

108. What should you be doing? sleeping

109. Is something irritating you right now? yes

110. Have you ever liked someone so much it hurt? my boy c-dawg

111. Do you have trust issues? ?

112. Who was the last person you cried in front of? calé

113. What was your childhood nickname? elile, el, zach

114. Have you ever been out of your province/state? yes

115. Do you play the Wii? oh yeah

116. Are you listening to music right now? yeah

117. Do you like chicken noodle soup? yeah

118. Do you like Chinese food? yeah

119. Favourite book? hm, idk

120. Are you afraid of the dark? no

121. Are you mean? oh yeah

122. Is cheating ever okay? no i don’t think

123. Can you keep white shoes clean? i can’t keep any shoes clean :\

124. Do you believe in love at first sight? no

125. Do you believe in true love? not the usual concept of ir

126. Are you currently bored? thats why I’m doing this

127. What makes you happy? my boyfriend, being in the pit, playing piano, hugging dogs, being downtown at night, warm snowy days, sleeping on the bus, looking at the stars, being underwater

128. Would you change your name? i don’t think so

129. What your zodiac sign? virgo

130. Do you like subway? ya

131. Your bestfriend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? yo that’s something I’m trying to figure out rn

132. Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? cale

133. Favourite lyrics right now? if i haven’t had a good dream in about ten years are my dark days coming or are they here

134. Can you count to one million? why would i

135. Dumbest lie you ever told? I always lie

136. Do you sleep with your doors open or closed? closed

137. How tall are you? 5'2

138. Curly or Straight hair? I like when my hair isn’t straightened

139. Brunette or Blonde? i’m blonde, i like both

140. Summer or Winter? winter

141. Night or Day? night

142. Favourite month? october maybe

143. Are you a vegetarian? no, i don’t eat much meat

144. Dark, milk or white chocolate? white

145. Tea or Coffee? tea

146. Was today a good day? eh

147. Mars or Snickers? mars

148. What’s your favourite quote? i like a lot of quotes

149. Do you believe in ghosts? idk

150. Get the closest book next to you, open it to page 42, what’s the first line

“ the old woman came in” quality bukowski

[flauntpage]

Your Wednesday Morning Roundup

With the Flyers off and the Sixers overseas in London, we might as well discuss more about the Eagles. This question was brought up earlier in the day while I was interning at WIP for Big Daddy Graham.

Other than Nick Foles, which Eagle will be most important for the team’s success?

Answers given out were Brandon Graham and Jay Ajayi, before Halapoulivaati Vaitai came up.

I agree with the latter of the choices.

It’s not good that Jason Peters is done for the season, but Big V has done an okay job at times protecting the left side. But when you replace Carson Wentz with Nick Foles, his role becomes much more vital to the success of the team.

He’s going to go up against some good defensive ends in Brooks Reed (4.0 sacks), Adrian Clayborn (9.5 sacks), and rookie Takkarist McKinley (6.0 sacks). Clayborn’s sack numbers are a career-high, but almost 2/3s of his season total came against Dallas, where he had six sacks against two of Dallas’ backup left tackles.

They weren’t good, and that scares me a little bit when the game is three days away. At least Stefen Wisniewski will be at or close to 100% come gametime, which stabilizes the line a little bit.

But if the Eagles win on Saturday, Big V might have to face either Danielle Hunter from Minnesota or Cameron Jordan of New Orleans. Give us some hope.

The Roundup:

Before we get started, TOMORROW. Live pod at Carlino’s Market in Ardmore! Damn good food! Damn good sports talk! Be there!

Plus, a new edition of the Crossing Broadcast is up. #LookAtChu!

—

Sticking with the Eagles, the team practiced yesterday without linebacker Dannell Ellerbe. But he should be fine for Saturday’s game.

Lane Johnson isn’t enjoying the negative press and how some have been counting the Eagles out when Wentz tore his ACL:

“I think everybody perceives us as being the weakest and that is fine. I think that is good. I think if teams want to overlook us, that is good. We’ll just see about Saturday. … We’re excited. We know what people are saying.”

The bandwagon had some jumpers when Wentz suffered a knee injury last month in a win over the Los Angeles Rams.

It wasn’t long after that when Johnson took offense and declared a media boycott that ultimately didn’t last long.

“What bothered me was we were 12-2 [at the time] and treated like we were the Browns,” Johnson said. “It happens, but I think although we don’t like it, it’s a good motivator to have people not write good things. I think it’s the best motivator there is and you can go and change it.”

Nick Foles explains what Doug Pederson meant when he told him to “go be Nick”:

“It’s just going out there and playing and staying in the zone and trusting my instincts,” Foles said. “I’ve played this game a long time. There’s a reason I’ve been able to do what I’ve been able to do. …When I play my best and I’m most comfortable, I just go out there and play. That’s the big message.”

Foles had all of last week to reflect. He has this week to prepare.

Text messages and phone calls are going unreturned. He’s aware of the pessimism about how he’s played and the skepticism about the Eagles’ chances of reaching the Super Bowl with Foles at quarterback. He’s trying to remain unaffected by both.

Injured Eagles safety and special teams ace Chris Maragos understands Dan Quinn and what he brings to the table for the Falcons:

“Coach Quinn, the thing about him is, he’s just so personable. He’s got a lot of energy, a lot of excitement,” Maragos said Tuesday. “Really optimistic guy, really detail-oriented. Great person, great human being.”

This week’s referee: Bill Vinovich. He doesn’t call a ton of penalties, but with a different crew, that might change.

The Eagles signed center Jon Toth to a reserve/futures contract.

I love Dave Fipp even more:

Yes Dave Fipp. http://pic.twitter.com/sAhCE3WT3p

— Chris Jastrzembski (@CFJastrzembski) January 9, 2018

He’s jamming to “Black & Chinese” by HUNCHO JACK, Travis Scott, and Quavo.

—

With the team in London, it’s a great time for the team to build their brand internationally:

Dario Saric, Robert Covington, T.J. McConnell and Trevor Booker headed over to CitySport to teach basketball fundamentals to 60 kids at a Jr. NBA Clinic from 3:15 to 4 p.m. They were joined by players from the Crystal Palace soccer team, which Sixers owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer also own. Thirty minutes later, the four Sixers joined their teammates for a media availability, where for about a half-hour they talked about everything imaginable to reporters from all over Europe. Then after warming up, the Sixers had their closed practice.

Covington and Markelle Fultz also participated in a meet-and-greet with United Kingdom fans, sponsored by Tissot watches.

“We are going to treat this in a way that will produce a real enjoyable experience, with the bottom line we are coming here to win a game,” Brown said. “So somewhere out there, there’s a little bit of a juggling act.”

An interesting quote from Celtics point guard Terry Rozier:

“We have a great history and not knocking the 76ers because they’re a great team, but I think the fans are going to find out why they should support us over the 76ers come when we play them in London.”

Kevin writes how the turnover issue isn’t that bad.

Tim is thankful the Sixers didn’t draft Lonzo Ball, particularly because of LaVar Ball. And everybody is talking about LaVar, including The Athletic, even though they have a “no LaVar Ball” policy despite posting two previous stories before deleting them:

The Athletic pretended to have a "No LaVar Ball" policy bc SERIOUS JOURNALISM, got called out and then tried to delete their archives to cover their tracks

Links are cache'd versions of the deleted articles.

1) https://t.co/fde2IgrJPf

2) https://t.co/wTXB84mgfq http://pic.twitter.com/7UOXL2dApm

— Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) January 9, 2018

—

The Phillies appear to still be in a war with blogs.

Carlos Santana was seen hitting balls in the Dominican Republic (h/t Mike Mullin):

Incredible experience getting to see newly minted Phillie Carlos Santana mash balls at BP in the Dominican Estadio Azteca @CSeidmanNBCS @CFJastrzembski http://pic.twitter.com/csw5FlNAd7

— Mike Mullin (@MULLINitover27) January 9, 2018

—

With the Flyers off until Saturday night against the Devils, Sam Donnellon caught up with goaltending prospect Carter Hart fresh off his gold medal in the World Junior Championships in Buffalo for Team Canada:

During a preliminary-round game against the U.S., played outdoors in the Bills’ stadium in a blizzard, the foam in the back of his helmet froze, icing the back of his head. No problem. Reaching for his water bottle after a series of saves, that too had frozen.

“There was so much snow, it was insane,” he said. “They were taking wheelbarrows of snow off the ice. It was crazy. But fun.”

And when it ended with another shootout loss to the U.S.? Hart shrugged it off, and ran off a string of stellar – and more meaningful — performances from there. “I’ve never seen a goalie that’s just so calm back there,” said Team Canada defenseman Cale Makar after the 3-1 gold-medal victory over Sweden. “Even when we’re down or have a few lapses, he’s able to pull us back together.”

—

Four local college hoops games tonight: St. Joe’s visits George Mason, and La Salle takes on UMass in A-10 conference matchups at 7 PM. Top-ranked Villanova hosts No. 10 Xavier at 8 PM at the Wells Fargo Center on FS1. And Temple looks to get back to .500 on the year with a road game against SMU at 9 PM on CBS Sports Network.

—

In other sports news, Jon Gruden was formally introduced as the next head coach of the Oakland Raiders. There were some crazy moments as well.

Cole Beasley released a rap single. Haven’t listened to it and it probably sucks, but Howard Eskin liked it (I guess) and suggests he continues to go that route:

So now @Bease11 is a rapper. Do have to admit Cole you are better rapper than receiver. That’s because not very good receiver any longer. New career is good idea. @SportsRadioWIP https://t.co/xOAd5O5mml

— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) January 9, 2018

Over in Lithuania, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball made their professional debuts in the Big Baller Brand Challenge Games for Vytautas in a 90-80 win. LiAngelo finished with 19 points and three rebounds, and LaMelo added 10 points and nine assists, but committed six turnovers.

More LaVar:

That spin tho. http://pic.twitter.com/6Mg3UWUEqS

— J.E. Skeets (@jeskeets) January 9, 2018

Former Cleveland Browns and North Penn head coach Mike Pettine is expected to replace Dom Capers as the Packers’ defensive coordinator.

Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane said there was a “misunderstanding” of what Richie Incognito said during Sunday’s loss to the Jaguars.

Georgia quarterback Jacob Eason, the guy that was replaced by Jake Fromm earlier this season, will probably transfer to Washington.

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In the news, James Kauffman, the husband of former New Jersey radio host April Kauffman, was accused of having his wife killed in order to protect an alleged drug ring. Crazy.

Steve Bannon is leaving Breitbart News, again.

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake hit the sea north of Honduras. Not a lot of damage happened.

Kodak, which is somehow still a business, announced their own cryptocurrency called KodakCoin.

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