#check the stillwater records

[biggest-vi-defender]

okay, but when are we actually gonna talk about how truly violent & angry vi was & acted while she was trapped in stillwater for those 5-7 years?

i can only imagine the kind of thoughts that would run through her head daily, the kind of things she saw & experienced, the amount of times people tried to hurt and/or kill her, all of the beating from the guards, the kinds of violence she enacted against others…. all of it.

[sanctified-silence]

Statement of Grian... no last name, huh. Statement of Grian, regarding luring fishing experience. Original statement was given 12 of February, 2024. Audio recorded by [static] the head archivist of [static]. Statement begins.

I've never been quite into fishing before. Not much of surprise, I probably don't look the type, I know. And I don't think I am "into" fishing now, to be crystal clear. Actually, I think that I won't be able to even think of fishing after all this is done. I will just try my best to forget this ever happen and come back to the architecture.

It was meant to be a break, okay? I was in quite the burn out recently. Work, work, work and more work just piled up my back, not giving me any room for breathing. More projects, more calculations, more designs, more thrown out expensive paper. More awful people I have to deal with to explain why their idea of the architecture and exterior design not only majorly impractical, but also dangerous. And I was having none of it.

Of course, when I saw that damn advert, I didn't hesitate to throw it all far away for some needed pause. Here, I wrote down exactly what it was saying.

[There's an attachment to the file of a small paper, on which was written down the words "Stillwaters Paradise - the best place to relax and take it slow, while the time swirls around you". There's also some artistic rendition of what the advert looked like in a rather sketchy drawing of lake and forest]

The next thing I know I was at that park, paying for my stay. I remember the woman that met me at the counter. Something about her gave me the willies, maybe it was her almost white grey eyes, that seemed a bit big for her face, that stared at me with distant expression. Her hair were sticking to her face and neck in way they would if they were wet. She reminded me of a dead fish, holding her lips slightly open.

She asked me if I'd like the fishing equipment go into my check. At first I tried to refuse, but her eyes made me feel dizzy as she was talking about how great this park is for all fishermen, so I reluctantly agreed.

At first I was just taking a nice stroll around the park, taking in the nature, since it was beautiful, haven't visited that many natural resources in the UK, or anywhere, for that matter, but the place was gorgeous, full of different trees and flowers. What I did notice however was that it was quiet. Uncanny quiet, I mean. No birds, no flies, no mosquitos, no anything. Just the sound of leaves moving on the wind.

It weirded me out a lot, but I wrote it off as me being stressed and overworked or something. Coming to a lake, I noticed multiple sets of fishing equipment in the shack nearby, I remembered that I actually payed for it, so might as well make my money worth, I figured and took one. I know, it sounds kinda stupid in hindsight, but I didn't know at the time that it's not a common practice. As I said, never was a fishing guy.

There were a couple of people who were fishing there already. None of them greeted me or even glanced at me, when I came down to a shore. Weird, but I just thought it's because they were really concentrated on what they were doing. They still creeped me out so I took a place as far of them as I could. I tried to make sense of the fishing equipment stuff I got, it seemed pretty straight forward from sidelines. And soon the float was in the water, innocently bobbing around.

At first it was somewhat normal I caught a couple of small fish, no clue what they are, but they gave enough of rush of emotion to continue on fishing.

I was staring at the float, there it was making a small circles on the water surface, I felt my eyelids get heavier and it took me a lot of strength to keep the open. My stomach started making that weird feeling of my very insides rotating, like unsettled bad lunch. There was this float. Bobbing. With time the circles of waves it was making started slowly spiraling inwards. No, the whole water surface around it started bending in those shapes without a proper form, shifting, breathing. Same is for my fishing rod.

Well, the rod in my hands stood unchanged, maybe a bit sharper and pointy than it's supposed to, but it was still normal. It's the fishing line, it's spun on itself and then in the next moment there was two. Three, four, six, ten, all different, with the same float, but they bounced on those weird waves that made no sense in their own manner. A few of them were pulled down as if the were getting the fish.

I tried to pull, but to no avail, the fish, or whatever was biting the bait was far stronger than me, but I could pull the other ones with no problem. It is then I looked into the sky, I don't remember why, maybe because I needed to stop my eyes from hurting, or maybe it was my growing headache, but there was no relief for either of them up there. Because all of the sky was in those fractal impossible shapes. Even the sun, it looked cartoon almost, bright, but not blinding. Headache inducing.

I got up from my fishing spot and immediately regretted it, the wildest vertigo I ever felt made me dizzy, I closed my eyes, trying to find a balance, but when I opened them again, I felt even more sick. I was standing in the sky, fishing. One of the rods caught on the sky's fractal and I tugged. I wish I didn't.

When I pulled, the whole damn sky was swept away under my feet and swirled, becoming this mess of blue, orange, yellow, green and white, trying to mix with water and surroundings of the park. The colours were bright, the edges of this swirl were sharp and it cut me and my clothes in multiple places, I think it even broke one of my nails. But it called me. It hurt to look, to touch, to even hear, because the noise was nothing I ever thought was possible, but I stepped into it. And another step, going further and further.

Just like that it was over.

Another visitor of the park was shaking me violentely, as we stood in the lake, knee deep. There was no rod in my hands. Actually there was nothing on my hands or arms or anywhere on me for that matters those deep painful cuts that I thought was there a moment ago. I looked back at where my fishing spot was, where also supposed to be the fish I caught. There was no fish there.

After that with half wet pants I drove off, back home. Far from this weird place. I remember the look of something I can only interpret as hungry disappointment in the face of the woman at the front desk.

I had a several nightmares after that, all far too bright and confusing. I remember standing in the fishing store, looking at equipment, but I have no recollection of going in. I found a rod by my door in one of the mornings. Sold it immediately. I found myself even driving the road to this park at multiple times, but turned around as soon as I understood where I was going.

Today was a first day when I took a shower without feeling like the drain collected a swirling light with the water.

[brookston]

Holidays 11.16

Holidays

Birth of the Blues Day

Calliope Asteroid Day

Clarinet Day

Charles Bonnet Syndrome Day

Dagur Islenskrar Tungu (Icelandic Language Day; Iceland)

Day of Declaration of Sovereignty (Estonia)

Day of Radio, Television and Communication Workers (Ukraine)

Day of the Palestinian Keffiyeh

Esme’s Umbrella Day

Flag Day (Benin; St. Eustatius)

Guinness World Record Day

Have a Party with Your Bear Day

Hungerford Revels Day (Ancient Wiltshire, England)

Icelandic Language Day

Intergenerational Fairness Day

International Check Your Wipers Day

International Day For Tolerance (UN)

International Day of Flamenco

International Selfie Day

International UNESCO World Heritage Day

Mother’s Day (North Korea)

National Andy Day

National Black Marketeers Day

National Button Day

National Charles Day

National Check Your Wipers Day

National Doctors’ Day (South Africa)

National Indiana Day

National Information & Referral Day

National Moms and Dads Day

National Press Day (India)

National Sarah Day

National Slobber Appreciation Day

Pistachio Day (French Republic)

President’s Day (Tajikistan)

Quirino Day (Ilocos Sur, Philippines)

Rage Against the Machines Day

Red Cup Day

Remembrance of Things Past Day

Resident Aliens' Day

Revolution Day (Mexico)

Statia Day (Bonaire, St. Eustatius & Saba)

World Acupuncture Awareness Day

World Chocolate Day

World Clarinet Day

World Falconry Day

World Historical Motors Day

World Horse Appreciation Day

World Idea Day

World mRNA Day

World Sanfilippo Awareness Day

World Vasectomy Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Famous San Diego Chicken Day

Have a Party with Your Bear Day

National Fast Food Day

World Chocolatine Day (France)

Independence & Related Days

Adamburg (Declared; 2016) [unrecognized]

Estonia (Sovereignty Declared; 1988)

Havana Foundation Day (Cuba; 1519)

Oklahoma Statehood Day (#46; 1907)

3rd Saturday in November

Bobunk (Celebration of cats, food, liquor, food with liquor in it and food shaped like cats, from Sabrina the Teenage Witch) [3rd Saturday]

Buddhist Elephant Festival (Thailand) [3rd Saturday]

Family Volunteer Day [Saturday before Thanksgiving]

Guinness World Record Day [3rd Saturday]

International Games Day [3rd Saturday]

International Games Day @ Your Library [3rd Saturday]

International Restaurant Day [3rd Saturday] (also Feb, May & Aug)

National Adoption Day [Saturday before Thanksgiving]

National Day of Play [3rd Saturday]

National Survivors of Suicide Day [Saturday before Thanksgiving]

Sandwich Saturday [Every Saturday]

Sentimental Saturday [3rd Saturday of Each Month]

Six For Saturday [Every Saturday]

Spaghetti Saturday [Every Saturday]

Steak Saturday [3rd Saturday of Each Month]

Surin Elephant Round-Up begins (Thailand) [3rd Saturday]

Weekly Holidays beginning November 16 (2nd Full Week of November)

Sherlock Holmes Weekend (thru 11.17) [also 11.23-24]

Tie One On For Safety Weeks (thru 12.31)

Festivals Beginning November 16, 2024

Atlanta Chili Cook Off (Dunwoody, Georgia)

Beignet Fest (New Orleans, Louisiana)

Camerimage (Torun, Poland) [thru 11.23]

Cheese and Chocolate Weekend (Stillwater, Minnesota) [thru 11.17]

Fall Harvest & Cane Grinding Festival (Savannah, Georgia)

Gobble Up Seattle (Seattle, Washington)

Gothenburg Christmas Market [Christmas at Liseberg] (Gothenburg, Sweden) [thru 12.29]

Holiday Fare Wine Trail (Hermann, Missouri) [thru 11.17]

Junior Eurovision Song Contest (Madrid, Spain)

National Dog Show (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) [thru 11.17]

Olive and Olive Oil Festival (Baena, Spain) [thru 11.17

Owen Sound Festival of Northern Lights (Owen Sound, Canada) [thru 1.5.2024]

Riverfest Seafood Festival (Ormond Beach, Florida) [thru 11.17]

Tuileries Garden Christmas Market (Paris, France) [thru 1.1.2025]

Union Square Holiday Market (New York, New York) [thru 12.24]

Vienna Christmas Market (Vienna, Austria) [thru 12.26]

White Truffle Fair (San Miniato, Italy) [thru 12.1]

Winefest (Kemah, Texas)

Winnipeg Santa Claus Parade (Winnipeg, Canada)

Feast Days

Afan (Christian; Saint)

Africus (Christian; Saint)

Agnes of Assisi (Christian; Saint)

Chinua Achebe (Writerism)

Darwyn Cooke (Artology)

Depoma Heklates (Night of the Crossroads; Pagan)

Dodo Grieving Day (Pastafarian)

Edmund of Abingdon (Christian; Saint)

Elfric of Abingdon (Christian; Saint)

Eucherius of Lyon (Christian; Saint)

Festival of Lights (India; Everyday Wicca)

Francis Danby (Artology)

George S. Kaufman (Writerism)

Gertrude the Great (Roman Catholic Church)

Giuseppe Moscati (Christian; Saint)

Gobrain (Christian; Saint)

Hecate Night (Wicca)

Herschel Gordon Lewis Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Hugh of Lincoln (Roman Catholic Church)

José Saramago (Writerism)

Luciano Bottaro (Artology)

Margaret of Scotland (Christian; Saint)

Matthew the Evangelist (Eastern Christianity)

Mechtildis (Christian; Saint & Virgin)

Media Autumnus III (Pagan)

Mr. and Mrs. Slop (Muppetism)

Night of the Hecate (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Othmar (Christian; Saint)

Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn (Christian; Saint)

Roch Gonzalez, Juan de Castillo, and Alonso Rodriguez, SJ (Christian; Saint)

Ruyter (Positivist; Saint)

Tlachtga, Goddess of the Thunder-Bolt-Spear (Celtic Book of Days)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Perilous Day (13th Century England) [29 of 32]

Sensho (先勝 Japan) [Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

Alias St. Nick (Happy Harmonies MGM Cartoon; 1935)

Amélie (Film; 2001)

Anarchy, State, and Utopia, by Robert Nozick (Philosophy Book; 1974)

Anna Karenina (Film; 2012)

Beaned by a Blossom or The Petal Pushers (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S6, Ep. 319; 1964)

Beowulf (Film; 2007)

Billboard Frolics (WB MM Cartoon; 1935)

Blue Cat Blues (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1956)

A Clash of Kings, by George R.R. Martin (Novel; 1998) [A Song of Fire and Ice #1]

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Film; 1977)

Cyrano de Bergerac (Film; 1990)

Doctor Pink (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1979)

Donny & Marie (TV Variety Series; 1975)

Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, recorded by The Animals (Song; 1964)

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (Film; 2018)

The 400 Blows (Film; 1959)

The Friendly Ghost (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1945)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Film; 2001) [Harry Potter #1]

Heavenly Creatures (Film; 1994)

Home Alone (Film; 1990)

House M.D. (TV Series; 2004)

I Don’t Scare (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1956)

I Fall to Pieces, recorded by Patsy Cline (Song; 1960)

Imagination (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1943)

Jingle All the Way (Film; 1996)

Just the Way You Are (Film; 1984)

Kangaroo Jack: G’Day U.S.A.! (WB Animated Film; 2004)

Lincoln (Film; 2012)

Little Women (Film; 1933)

The Lost Weekend (Film; 1945)

Love the One You’re With, by Stephen Stills (Song; 1970)

The Menu (Film; 2022)

More Than Human, by Theodore Sturgeon (Novel; 1953)

Mouse-Taken Identity (WB MM Cartoon; 1957)

Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (Film; 2007)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (Film; 1984)

Night of the Comet (Film; 1984)

The October Country, by Ray Bradbury (Short Stories; 1955)

Papillon, by Henri Charrière (Memoir; 1969)

The Prince and the Pauper (Disney Cartoon; 1990)

Punch and Judo (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1951)

The Real Thing, by Tom Stoppard (Play; 1982)

Reel Pink (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1965)

The Rescuers Down Under (Disney Animated Film; 1990)

Rocky V (Film; 1990)

Scotch Highball (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1930)

Silver Linings Playbook (Film; 2012)

The Sound of Music (Broadway Musical; 1959)

Stephen Stills, by Stephen Stills (Album; 1970)

Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe (Novel; 1958)

Tom, Tom the Piper’s Son (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1934)

Twilight Saga: New Moon (Film; 2009)

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 (Film; 2012)

Vacation Daze or Visit to a Small Panic (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S6, Ep. 320; 1964)

Today’s Name Days

Margareta, Otmar (Austria)

Matei (Bulgaria)

Agneta, Gertruda, Margareta (Croatia)

Otmar (Czech Republic)

Othenius (Denmark)

Aarne, Arne, Arno, Arnold (Estonia)

Aarne, Aarni, Aarno (Finland)

Gertrude, Marguerite, Mégane (France)

Arthur, Margarita, Otmar (Germany)

Ifigenia, Mathaios, Matthaios (Greece)

Ödön (Hungary)

Margherita, Procolo (Italy)

Banga, Dzirkstīte, Glorija (Latvia)

Edmundas, Gerdvilė, Gertrūda, Vaišvydas (Lithuania)

Edgar, Edmund (Norway)

Aureliusz, Dionizy, Edmund, Gertruda, Leon, Marek, Maria, Niedamir, Otomar, Paweł, Piotr (Poland)

Matei (Romania)

Agnesa (Slovakia)

Edmundo, Gertrudis, Margarita (Spain)

Vibeke, Viveka (Sweden)

Matthew (Ukraine)

Gertrude, Iris, Chase, Chasen, Trudy (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 321 of 2024; 45 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of Week 46 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Hagal (Hailstone) [Day 21 of 28]

Chinese: Month 10 (Yi-Hai), Day 16 (Jia-Shen)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 15 Heshvan 5785

Islamic: 14 Jumada I 1446

J Cal: 21 Wood; Sievenday [21 of 30]

Julian: 3 November 2024

Moon: 98%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 13 Frederic (12th Month) [William III]

Runic Half Month: Nyd (Necessity) [Day 10 of 15]

Season: Autumn or Fall (Day 55 of 90)

Week: 2nd Full Week of November

Zodiac: Scorpio (Day 24 of 30)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 11.16

Holidays

Birth of the Blues Day

Calliope Asteroid Day

Clarinet Day

Charles Bonnet Syndrome Day

Dagur Islenskrar Tungu (Icelandic Language Day; Iceland)

Day of Declaration of Sovereignty (Estonia)

Day of Radio, Television and Communication Workers (Ukraine)

Day of the Palestinian Keffiyeh

Esme’s Umbrella Day

Flag Day (Benin; St. Eustatius)

Guinness World Record Day

Have a Party with Your Bear Day

Hungerford Revels Day (Ancient Wiltshire, England)

Icelandic Language Day

Intergenerational Fairness Day

International Check Your Wipers Day

International Day For Tolerance (UN)

International Day of Flamenco

International Selfie Day

International UNESCO World Heritage Day

Mother’s Day (North Korea)

National Andy Day

National Black Marketeers Day

National Button Day

National Charles Day

National Check Your Wipers Day

National Doctors’ Day (South Africa)

National Indiana Day

National Information & Referral Day

National Moms and Dads Day

National Press Day (India)

National Sarah Day

National Slobber Appreciation Day

Pistachio Day (French Republic)

President’s Day (Tajikistan)

Quirino Day (Ilocos Sur, Philippines)

Rage Against the Machines Day

Red Cup Day

Remembrance of Things Past Day

Resident Aliens' Day

Revolution Day (Mexico)

Statia Day (Bonaire, St. Eustatius & Saba)

World Acupuncture Awareness Day

World Chocolate Day

World Clarinet Day

World Falconry Day

World Historical Motors Day

World Horse Appreciation Day

World Idea Day

World mRNA Day

World Sanfilippo Awareness Day

World Vasectomy Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Famous San Diego Chicken Day

Have a Party with Your Bear Day

National Fast Food Day

World Chocolatine Day (France)

Independence & Related Days

Adamburg (Declared; 2016) [unrecognized]

Estonia (Sovereignty Declared; 1988)

Havana Foundation Day (Cuba; 1519)

Oklahoma Statehood Day (#46; 1907)

3rd Saturday in November

Bobunk (Celebration of cats, food, liquor, food with liquor in it and food shaped like cats, from Sabrina the Teenage Witch) [3rd Saturday]

Buddhist Elephant Festival (Thailand) [3rd Saturday]

Family Volunteer Day [Saturday before Thanksgiving]

Guinness World Record Day [3rd Saturday]

International Games Day [3rd Saturday]

International Games Day @ Your Library [3rd Saturday]

International Restaurant Day [3rd Saturday] (also Feb, May & Aug)

National Adoption Day [Saturday before Thanksgiving]

National Day of Play [3rd Saturday]

National Survivors of Suicide Day [Saturday before Thanksgiving]

Sandwich Saturday [Every Saturday]

Sentimental Saturday [3rd Saturday of Each Month]

Six For Saturday [Every Saturday]

Spaghetti Saturday [Every Saturday]

Steak Saturday [3rd Saturday of Each Month]

Surin Elephant Round-Up begins (Thailand) [3rd Saturday]

Weekly Holidays beginning November 16 (2nd Full Week of November)

Sherlock Holmes Weekend (thru 11.17) [also 11.23-24]

Tie One On For Safety Weeks (thru 12.31)

Festivals Beginning November 16, 2024

Atlanta Chili Cook Off (Dunwoody, Georgia)

Beignet Fest (New Orleans, Louisiana)

Camerimage (Torun, Poland) [thru 11.23]

Cheese and Chocolate Weekend (Stillwater, Minnesota) [thru 11.17]

Fall Harvest & Cane Grinding Festival (Savannah, Georgia)

Gobble Up Seattle (Seattle, Washington)

Gothenburg Christmas Market [Christmas at Liseberg] (Gothenburg, Sweden) [thru 12.29]

Holiday Fare Wine Trail (Hermann, Missouri) [thru 11.17]

Junior Eurovision Song Contest (Madrid, Spain)

National Dog Show (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) [thru 11.17]

Olive and Olive Oil Festival (Baena, Spain) [thru 11.17

Owen Sound Festival of Northern Lights (Owen Sound, Canada) [thru 1.5.2024]

Riverfest Seafood Festival (Ormond Beach, Florida) [thru 11.17]

Tuileries Garden Christmas Market (Paris, France) [thru 1.1.2025]

Union Square Holiday Market (New York, New York) [thru 12.24]

Vienna Christmas Market (Vienna, Austria) [thru 12.26]

White Truffle Fair (San Miniato, Italy) [thru 12.1]

Winefest (Kemah, Texas)

Winnipeg Santa Claus Parade (Winnipeg, Canada)

Feast Days

Afan (Christian; Saint)

Africus (Christian; Saint)

Agnes of Assisi (Christian; Saint)

Chinua Achebe (Writerism)

Darwyn Cooke (Artology)

Depoma Heklates (Night of the Crossroads; Pagan)

Dodo Grieving Day (Pastafarian)

Edmund of Abingdon (Christian; Saint)

Elfric of Abingdon (Christian; Saint)

Eucherius of Lyon (Christian; Saint)

Festival of Lights (India; Everyday Wicca)

Francis Danby (Artology)

George S. Kaufman (Writerism)

Gertrude the Great (Roman Catholic Church)

Giuseppe Moscati (Christian; Saint)

Gobrain (Christian; Saint)

Hecate Night (Wicca)

Herschel Gordon Lewis Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Hugh of Lincoln (Roman Catholic Church)

José Saramago (Writerism)

Luciano Bottaro (Artology)

Margaret of Scotland (Christian; Saint)

Matthew the Evangelist (Eastern Christianity)

Mechtildis (Christian; Saint & Virgin)

Media Autumnus III (Pagan)

Mr. and Mrs. Slop (Muppetism)

Night of the Hecate (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Othmar (Christian; Saint)

Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn (Christian; Saint)

Roch Gonzalez, Juan de Castillo, and Alonso Rodriguez, SJ (Christian; Saint)

Ruyter (Positivist; Saint)

Tlachtga, Goddess of the Thunder-Bolt-Spear (Celtic Book of Days)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Perilous Day (13th Century England) [29 of 32]

Sensho (先勝 Japan) [Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

Alias St. Nick (Happy Harmonies MGM Cartoon; 1935)

Amélie (Film; 2001)

Anarchy, State, and Utopia, by Robert Nozick (Philosophy Book; 1974)

Anna Karenina (Film; 2012)

Beaned by a Blossom or The Petal Pushers (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S6, Ep. 319; 1964)

Beowulf (Film; 2007)

Billboard Frolics (WB MM Cartoon; 1935)

Blue Cat Blues (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1956)

A Clash of Kings, by George R.R. Martin (Novel; 1998) [A Song of Fire and Ice #1]

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Film; 1977)

Cyrano de Bergerac (Film; 1990)

Doctor Pink (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1979)

Donny & Marie (TV Variety Series; 1975)

Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, recorded by The Animals (Song; 1964)

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (Film; 2018)

The 400 Blows (Film; 1959)

The Friendly Ghost (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1945)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Film; 2001) [Harry Potter #1]

Heavenly Creatures (Film; 1994)

Home Alone (Film; 1990)

House M.D. (TV Series; 2004)

I Don’t Scare (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1956)

I Fall to Pieces, recorded by Patsy Cline (Song; 1960)

Imagination (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1943)

Jingle All the Way (Film; 1996)

Just the Way You Are (Film; 1984)

Kangaroo Jack: G’Day U.S.A.! (WB Animated Film; 2004)

Lincoln (Film; 2012)

Little Women (Film; 1933)

The Lost Weekend (Film; 1945)

Love the One You’re With, by Stephen Stills (Song; 1970)

The Menu (Film; 2022)

More Than Human, by Theodore Sturgeon (Novel; 1953)

Mouse-Taken Identity (WB MM Cartoon; 1957)

Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (Film; 2007)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (Film; 1984)

Night of the Comet (Film; 1984)

The October Country, by Ray Bradbury (Short Stories; 1955)

Papillon, by Henri Charrière (Memoir; 1969)

The Prince and the Pauper (Disney Cartoon; 1990)

Punch and Judo (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1951)

The Real Thing, by Tom Stoppard (Play; 1982)

Reel Pink (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1965)

The Rescuers Down Under (Disney Animated Film; 1990)

Rocky V (Film; 1990)

Scotch Highball (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1930)

Silver Linings Playbook (Film; 2012)

The Sound of Music (Broadway Musical; 1959)

Stephen Stills, by Stephen Stills (Album; 1970)

Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe (Novel; 1958)

Tom, Tom the Piper’s Son (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1934)

Twilight Saga: New Moon (Film; 2009)

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 (Film; 2012)

Vacation Daze or Visit to a Small Panic (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S6, Ep. 320; 1964)

Today’s Name Days

Margareta, Otmar (Austria)

Matei (Bulgaria)

Agneta, Gertruda, Margareta (Croatia)

Otmar (Czech Republic)

Othenius (Denmark)

Aarne, Arne, Arno, Arnold (Estonia)

Aarne, Aarni, Aarno (Finland)

Gertrude, Marguerite, Mégane (France)

Arthur, Margarita, Otmar (Germany)

Ifigenia, Mathaios, Matthaios (Greece)

Ödön (Hungary)

Margherita, Procolo (Italy)

Banga, Dzirkstīte, Glorija (Latvia)

Edmundas, Gerdvilė, Gertrūda, Vaišvydas (Lithuania)

Edgar, Edmund (Norway)

Aureliusz, Dionizy, Edmund, Gertruda, Leon, Marek, Maria, Niedamir, Otomar, Paweł, Piotr (Poland)

Matei (Romania)

Agnesa (Slovakia)

Edmundo, Gertrudis, Margarita (Spain)

Vibeke, Viveka (Sweden)

Matthew (Ukraine)

Gertrude, Iris, Chase, Chasen, Trudy (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 321 of 2024; 45 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of Week 46 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Hagal (Hailstone) [Day 21 of 28]

Chinese: Month 10 (Yi-Hai), Day 16 (Jia-Shen)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 15 Heshvan 5785

Islamic: 14 Jumada I 1446

J Cal: 21 Wood; Sievenday [21 of 30]

Julian: 3 November 2024

Moon: 98%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 13 Frederic (12th Month) [William III]

Runic Half Month: Nyd (Necessity) [Day 10 of 15]

Season: Autumn or Fall (Day 55 of 90)

Week: 2nd Full Week of November

Zodiac: Scorpio (Day 24 of 30)

[doctorho]

Behind these words

Hello!!!! and surprise!!! this idea has been brewing in my mind for a While, and i FINALLY got to it!!

so, here it is: the fic i promised to write about this letter series by @buttermynutter (aka my take on what happens behind all those lovely letters. a little glimpse into the world we didn't see before!) i'm going to write something for all the letters, here's the first one <3 where we get some background, and start our story!

Viktor x gender neutral reader, 1.5k words, no warnings (well, talk about crimes and imprisonment, but that's it)

here is the first letter that this chapter is based on, check it out!

A letter from the Assistant to the Dean of Piltover Academy is not what you’re expecting. 

Honestly, after the week you’d been having, you would have been less surprised about a summons to court. Or, you know, straight to jail. 

The way the justice system of Zaun worked was complicated, corrupted, and well above your comprehension. As far as you were concerned, it was something that just happened to people – the wrong person hears about you, doesn’t like you or whatever it is you’re doing, and into Stillwater you go. 

Though you suppose they wouldn’t have sent a letter if they wanted you there. 

No, odds are they would have just showed up and dragged you in. 

You’d been a little too close to seeing exactly how that happened only a few days ago, and you still weren’t exactly sure how you’d gotten out of that. One of those someone important says something to someone else important type of deals, you supposed. 

Which…might explain why you’re suddenly getting letters from Piltover Academy now. 

In the span of the last week, you’d lost your job, damn near all your possessions, and been accused of a crime. Which…was stupid, and inconvenient, and debatable at best, for the record. But the accusation itself was enough to send your whole life spiraling into uncertain chaos, instead of the familiar, predictable chaos that life in Zaun typically was. 

You’d lost your job. You’d lost  almost everything you owned. Everything you built. Everything you spent years building. 

So, in other words, you lost your future. 

And you hadn’t even been doing any actual crimes. Or, well, it wasn’t exactly legal either, but that was only on a technicality, because the people that made the rules also happened to be the same people who wanted to keep their profits rolling and their workers poor enough to be desperate. 

And, you know. Is it really wrong to break the law if it’s to help people?

See, you’d been one of those workers, poor and desperate, your whole life. You had managed to land a factory job early, with quick fingers and the ability to sit still and solve problems all day. You were lucky that way.

No job in Zaun was safe, but yours wasn’t the worst out there, not by a mile. And it actually paid you enough to…get by. So even though it was a bit dangerous and, for the most part, kind of miserable and sort of boring, it was the thing that kept you, you know, fed. Made sure you had a roof over your head.  

So losing that job felt like having the floor be pulled out from under your feet. 

Of course, after that led to you being accused of your alleged crimes, not having a job magically became the smallest of your problems.

See – okay. Ironically, the job you had lost? The job you had gotten way-too-young by pure luck and practically just by throwing things at a wall and hoping something sticks?

Manufacturing air filtration systems for Piltover. 

It was just one of the many factories in Zaun, nothing special. It didn’t differ in any way from all the other jobs where people spent their days building thousands of identical parts every day. It was a job, and that was the point. It didn’t matter what you made, because you’d never get to see it finished anyway. You’d never get to see one in action past the testing station. And even if you did, you’d never get to own one. 

Except that when you spend that long manufacturing parts from something, you inevitably learn how to make them. That’s what they want, right? That you get good. You get fast, you get efficient, you make more parts in less time. You make more money for whoever it is that’s cashing in the cheques. 

And when you make thousands and thousands and thousands of something, day in and day out, for years – 

It gets boring. 

And when you get older, it gets annoying. Sure, you’d seen the unfairness when you were young, too, but now that you’re older? It was burning inside you, begging to be let out. You could see it so clearly; how you were spending your life making these, these shiny machines for the people up in Piltover, people who probably would never even spare a thought your way, and you and everyone around you were slowly choking. Being poisoned, because none of you could afford to own the things you were making. 

Ironic, indeed. 

It was infuriating.

The worst part wasn’t even that you were making them and not getting any for yourself.

The worst part was that you weren’t even allowed to take the parts that were discarded.

Trash, you weren’t even allowed to take the trash. You had to throw away perfectly good parts, because the people up in Piltover couldn’t have scratches in their paint jobs or dents in their metal, could they, no. Every time someone made the smallest mistake, the parts had to be thrown out, even though all of you knew that you could build something working out of them. 

And people were choking. 

People were dying. 

So, fine. Maybe you did fish a few components out of the trash before going home. But not to steal them – to make your own. 

The thing is, when you spend that long building something, you learn how it works. 

No, you didn’t steal their parts, even though that’s what they accused you of.

You simply copied the basic principle. How to clean air. You took the idea, and you tweaked it with what you had. What you could do. What you could get your hands on.

And you shared your prototypes and your ideas, in the quiet of the night, with the people close to you. Because they deserved to breathe, and if you knew how to make that happen – if you were spending your life building these things for other people – couldn’t you just as well help someone else along the way?

Sure. Yes, you could have handled things…better. You could have been more secretive. You could have, in retrospect, not used your home as a lab. You could have pretended you didn’t know anything. 

But by the time you were very publicly fired and all your possessions were confiscated, that seemed a bit pointless. 

The last few days had been an unreal blur, going from a stagnant life to this whole mess, losing everything, being kept in a jail cell not knowing what was going to happen – 

And then this. 

A letter from the Assistant to the Dean of Piltover Academy. Viktor. 

You’re not sure if that’s common practice, signing something this important with your first name. You hadn’t really ever been to a school like that, but at work no-one had used their first names – hell, you didn’t even use last names, everyone just had numbers, and the higher-ups had titles. 

There was something tempting, something incredibly human in the idea that maybe this was how things worked in Piltover. Maybe Viktor, the Assistant to the Dean, was just Viktor. Maybe you’d get to just be a person, too, instead of a number on a list, a cog in a machine.

It’s a careful, quiet, fragile sort of hope, but you can’t keep it from taking root in your chest.

When you read the letter, you half don’t even trust its contents. You keep waiting to wake up, find out this was just a dream, or worse, find that you're awake but that the letter was actually meant for someone else and not you. Have all this newborn hope be suffocated.

But you keep looking at the letter, and it keeps having your name on it, and you continue being exactly as awake as you've been all day.

It is real.

You’d never even been up there, nevertheless been invited. 

You didn’t know much about how things in Piltover worked, but you were under the impression that the Academy was…important. 

One of the shiny places that had never been a part of your world. One of the places  you’d never thought you’d get to touch.

Except. Except now, you weren’t just invited, you were accepted into the Academy. You hadn’t even applied, and you were accepted. 

A part of you kept thinking it must be a mistake, or even worse, a trap of some sort, even though that didn’t really make sense. 

The letter had your name on it. 

And something – or someone – had gotten you out of your path to Stillwater. 

And now you were being asked to attend the Academy.

That was something you never thought you would do – could do – but now that the opportunity was offered? You didn’t even need to consider it.

Your life in Zaun had gone up in flames, and you were more than ready to leave all of it behind.

You didn’t have a job, you didn’t have a future, you didn’t really even have a home anymore now that everything in your lab had been taken. 

And this felt like an offer at a fresh start. A new life. A way out.

So you pack what little you had left, and you leave, holding the letter tightly, like a lifeline.

Tags: @writingmysanity

[thecollegefootballguy]

2022 Top Ten Active Coaches Power Rankings

To finish off the coaching power rankings series, we’re pitting the top coaches across the land against each other to see who’s the best of the very best.

Check out last years rankings to see who’s moved up and down.

-

10. Mike Gundy

Record at Oklahoma State: 149-69 Division Championships: 1 (2010) Conference Championships: 1 (2011)

Movement: Same

Mike Gundy holds firm to his top 10 spot in the rankings thanks to a very successful 12-2 campaign in 2021. The Cowboys recorded their second best season ever under their longtime head coach. Nobody has won in Stillwater the way Gundy has, and he seems well positioned to keep Oklahoma State advancing further as the Big 12 shifts.

-

9. Luke Fickell

Record at Cincinnati: 48-15 Overall Record: 54-22 Division Championships: 3 (2019, 2020, 2021) Conference Championships: 2 (2020, 2021)

Movement: N/A

Luke Fickell is the first G5 coach to crack the top ten rankings since Chris Petersen left Boise State for Washington. It’s no surprise, Fickell’s Cincinnati Bearcats are looking like the best non-AQ football program since those incredible Broncos squads. Cincinnati won’t even be a mid-major for long, as the Bearcats make the jump up to the Big 12 and back into a major conference in a few years.

-

8. Mack Brown

Record at North Carolina: 90-63-1 Overall Record: 265-139-1 National Championships: 1 (2005)

*with Texas

Movement: Down 1 spot

North Carolina’s lackluster performance in 2021 bumps Mack Brown down a spot. The Tar Heels took a step back last year with a 6-7 campaign. Brown still appears to be building momentum in Chapel Hill for the time being, let’s see if UNC improves in Year 4.

-

7. Kirk Ferentz

Record at Iowa: 178-110 Record Overall: 190-131 Division Championships: 2 (2015, 2021) Conference Championships: 2 (2002, 2004)

Movement: Up 2 spots

Iowa once again turned in a double-digit win season, their seventh under Ferentz. The Hawkeyes claimed the Big Ten West in a crowded race, but ultimately showed themselves to be no match to Michigan in the Championship Game. There’s still a ceiling in Iowa City, but Ferentz is keeping the Hawkeyes as competitive as possible in an increasingly competitive conference.

-

6. Jimbo Fisher

Record at Texas A&M: 34-14 Overall Record: 117-37 National Championships: 1 (2013)*

*with Florida State

Movement: Same

Texas A&M didn’t follow up on the promise of their breakout 2020 season. Jimbo stays put on the list as other SEC coaches outmaneuvered the Aggies in the national championship race.

-

5. Lincoln Riley

Overall Record: 55-10

Movement: Down 1 spot

Oklahoma’s 10-2 record without playing for the Big 12 championship was a comparative step down for Riley, who had led the Sooners to four consecutive league titles before the streak ended in 2021. Riley is now at USC, where he’ll attempt to resurrect a winning program in Los Angeles. He’s one of the top young coaches in the game, can he pull it off?

-

4. Brian Kelly

Overall Record: 284-97-2

Movement: Down 1 spot

Another top coach on the move is Brian Kelly, who left a plum gig in South Bend for a plum gig in Baton Rouge. Kelly did everything he could at Notre Dame and now wants to try his luck for a national championship at LSU. The last three guys all did it at least once, do you think Kelly can make it four in a row?

-

3. Kirby Smart

Record at Georgia: 66-15 Division Championships: 4 (2017, 2018, 2019, 2021) Conference Championships: 2 (2017, 2021) National Championships: 1 (2021)

Movement: N/A

Kirby Smart smashes into the rankings, jumping all the way to #3 following his national championship season. It’s well earned, he did exactly what he was hired to do in making in Georgia a war machine that recruits and develops players at the same level as Alabama. I wonder how many he’ll win in Athens when it’s all said and done.

-

2. Dabo Swinney

Record at Clemson: 150-36 Division Championships: 9 (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) Conference Championships: 7 (2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) National Championships: 2 (2016, 2018)

Movement: Same

Clemson didn’t impress anybody in 2021. The Tigers turned in a relatively mediocre 10-3 record and found them excluded from any meaningful Playoff talk. It was an off year. Dabo is still one of the best coaches today so he’s staying put in the rankings as Clemson attempts to rebound.

-

1. Nick Saban

Record at Alabama: 183-25 Record Overall: 274-66-1 Division Championships: 11 (2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021) Conference Championships: 7 (2009, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021) National Championships: 7 (2003*, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2020)

*at LSU

Movement: Same

He’s the best ever, he’s not moving until he gets outdone. Somehow.

[homoose]

Winning is a Habit

Hi y’all! Okay sooooooooo this is my first time writing fic??????? Like omg please be nice lmao. I don’t have a beta reader, so if you catch any mistakes pls lmk! I saw this challenge and the world is total garbage, so why not write our own realities????? Ok here goes!!!!!!!!!! Written for @veraiconcos fic challenge

Summary: The BAU gets called to investigate two high-profile murders in a college town, only to find that they are part of a much bigger, more complicated picture. No real pairings, although you could make it happen if you want lol ;) This is an idea I’ve seen floating around the fandom for a little while now, and I really wanted to see it fleshed out. Set around season 4 or 5.

Category: some angst, sort of fluff? I wouldn’t say it necessarily qualifies as an AU, but it’s outside of canon.

Warnings/Includes: some brief descriptions of violence/CM type stuff; mentions of rape (no details)

Word count: 6.1k

———

“Stillwater, Oklahoma,” JJ said, navigating the map off screen and pulling up the crime scene photos. “Two college seniors— Tyler Allen and Leon Williams, star football players for Oklahoma State University— both found dead the day before the playoff qualifier.”

“Do we know the cause of death?” Spencer asked, thumbing through the case file.

“The ME report concluded that both boys died of acute alcohol poisoning,” JJ informed them.

Emily looked up from the file. “And the locals don’t think this could just be a case of college kids having a little too much fun?”

“Before a major playoff game? I doubt it.” Derek leaned back in his chair. “Especially considering OSU’s having a record-breaking season. I’d guess the coach had players on a pretty strict lockdown.” He raised his hands and joined them in a steeple over his chest. “Showing up to a game hung-over— particularly one as important as this— would be a major conduct issue.”

“That, and there was a pretty specific message left on both victims,” JJ added, arms crossed and eyebrows lifting into her hairline.

“On them?” Rossi questioned.

JJ motioned with her hand back to the screen. Six sets of eyes moved over the photo; the words “U LOSE” scrawled in ink across the foreheads of the two men.

“Resorting to murder to win a football game?” Emily asked, eyes narrowed.

“And why use the forensic countermeasure of staged alcohol poisoning, only to backtrack and assert it as a murder?” Spencer pondered, pursing his lips.

“Whatever the reason, we’ve got two dead college students and a definite signature. Wheels up in 30,” Hotch told them, closing his case file.

⧭⧭⧭

“No sign of forced entry.” Derek walked through the entry hallway and into the living space. “Doesn’t look like there was any struggle, either.”

Rossi thumbed through the mail on the kitchen counter and peered around the small space. “Everything you’d expect in a boys’ college dorm room: dishes in the sink, generic decor, general mess. Nothing that stands out.”

“Agents, thank you so much for coming.” A tall man in a dark suit stepped across the threshold of the apartment. He stuck out his hand for Rossi to shake. “Steven Barrett, Dean of Students.”

“I’m Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi. This is SSA Derek Morgan.” Derek nodded from his place in the living room.

“I apologize for not meeting you when you arrived. We’re dealing with a grieving campus,” Barrett said, running a hand over his face. “I’m actually on my way to speak to the Board, but I wanted to check in with you before. I’m not sure I can be of much help, but I can try to answer any questions you might have.”

“These boys were seniors, but they still lived on campus. Is that typical?” Rossi asked, gesturing around the apartment.

“Uh, yes, it is for student athletes,” Barrett confirmed with a nod. “OSU teams have demanding, sometimes grueling practice schedules. Being on campus simplifies things, allows students to get to classes and practices, as well as utilize the dining halls.”

“Does this building have security cameras?” Derek raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. All of our buildings do. I’ll let Campus PD know you’ll need access to the footage.” Barrett’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He reached for it and punched the button to answer the call. “Yes. Yes, I—I’m finishing up with the FBI now. I understand. I’m on my way.” He ended the call and pocketed the phone. “I’m sorry to leave you, gentlemen. Our top priority right now is supporting our students and community through this tragedy. Part of that healing process is finding out who did this to Tyler and Leon. So anything else you need, anything at all, please don’t hesitate to let me know.” He turned on his heel and disappeared down the hall.

Derek shook his head. “I’m glad I don’t have to do that job right about now.”

Rossi gave another glance around the nondescript apartment and sighed. “Call Garcia and ask her if she’s found any other cases that could be related. And let’s hope there’s something useful on that security footage.”

⧭⧭⧭

“Based on lividity and rigor mortis, I was able to put the time of death between 8:00 and 10:00pm on Wednesday evening. The blood alcohol content for both boys was over five times the legal limit. I’ve never seen anything like it,” the medical examiner mused.

Emily looked over the bodies, her arms crossed. “Dr. Saraj, about how much would they have to drink for the level to be that high?”

“When drinking, the level of alcohol in our blood reaches a peak before it drops off after the last drink ingested,” Spencer supplied. “In a typical night of drinking, spread over the course of several hours, the average man can have 8-12 drinks without ever reaching lethal levels. But considering each victim weighed around 230 pounds, they’d have had to ingest approximately 180 ounces of beer or 18.75 ounces of liquor to reach a lethal blood alcohol content.”

Dr. Saraj glanced at Spencer before adding, “Look, this is a college town. Kids drink. But... to have had this much alcohol still detectable in their system post-mortem indicates that these boys drank at least the equivalent of a 30 rack, by themselves, in less than an hour.” She flipped up the first page of the report in her hands, eyes scanning the second. “And the toxicology screen also found trace amounts of ketamine.”

Spencer bent over the examining table and adjusted the wrist of one of the boys with a gloved hand. “Doctor, are these ligature marks?”

“Oh, yes,” Dr. Saraj agreed, nodding. “They’re relatively faint, so I almost missed them. But I found similar marks on both boys on the wrists and ankles.”

“So,” Emily said, gesturing with her hands, “the unsub doses them with ketamine to gain control, ties them up, forces them to drink lethal amounts of alcohol, and then— what?” She looked to Spencer. “Waits for them to pass out before removing the restraints and leaving the message?”

Spencer examined the marker scrawls. “Were you able to determine what the message was written with and if it was left pre- or post-mortem?”

“My guess would be it was written with some type of permanent marker, but I can’t say for sure,” Dr. Saraj said. “We’re analyzing the residue now, and I can send the report your way as soon as I have it. As for when it was written, I couldn't tell you.” She shook her head. “The one simple mercy is that these boys would have been out cold for a while before they died.”

⧭⧭⧭

“I’m so sorry. I know how difficult this is. Anything that you can tell us will be helpful in finding the person who did this,” JJ encouraged softly. “Anyone that Tyler might have had an argument with recently or who he mentioned having problems with?”

“No, no. He was—he was just your typical boy,” Mrs. Allen sniffled. “Playing football and hanging out with his friends,” she said, voice hitching. “Oh my god.” She dropped her head into her hands.

“He didn’t have time to have problems,” Mr. Allen asserted. “He spent all his free time on the field. Coach had them out there for two-a-days until classes started. He’s the quarterback. He was leading that team to the first national title since 1945.” He stood to his feet, hands clenched at his sides. “Some lunatic murdered my boy and you’re sitting around talking to us while they’re out there, walking free.”

“Sir, I promise you that we have some of the best agents in the country working on your son’s case,” JJ assured. “But in order to help them do their job, we need to know as much as we can about who Tyler was.”

Across the bullpen, Hotch sat across from Mr. and Mrs. Williams. “Leon was a good boy. Football was his life. He loved being a part of this team. It was the season of a lifetime,” Mr. Williams said.

“We taught him better than to be drinking and carrying on,” Mrs. Williams added.

“Can you think of anything or anyone he might have mentioned recently that was out of the ordinary? Anything that was bothering him or causing him distress?” Hotch questioned.

“He was feeling pressure about the season, but he’s been handling that kind of thing since he was twelve years old.” Mr. Williams shared an almost indiscernible look with his wife. “He got into—into the same kinds of trouble any college kid gets in. Nothing that could have gotten him murdered.”

⧭⧭⧭

“Yeah, baby girl, what d’ya got for me?” Derek held the phone out so that Rossi could listen in as they waited in the OSU security office.

“Well, my handsome knight, I wish I could tell you more but so far, I’m coming up empty with similar cases,” Penelope sighed. “Nothing that matches our alcohol poisoning M.O. or the signature. I just expanded the search to surrounding states, and I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

“Anything on our two victims?” Rossi asked.

“Now that’s where it gets interesting,” Penelope mused, tapping the fluffy end of her pen into the palm of her hand. “There’s nothing. Zilch, nada.”

Rossi narrowed his eyes. “And that’s interesting because...?”

“Come on, sir,” Penelope scoffed. “Two young, athletic, good-looking college football stars and there’s nothing at all? Nothing scandalous on social media. No run-ins with campus PD. Not even a write up from an RA.”

Derek tilted his head in thought. “Hotch and JJ said their conversations with the parents told a similar story.”

“Okay, but no one is this squeaky clean, particularly not at a Big 12 college. Everyone has some dirt,” Penelope insisted. “I haven’t found it yet, but there’s gotta be something out there. When I have it, you’ll know it!”

“Thanks, Garcia,” Derek drawled.

“Over and out!” Penelope jabbed the button to end the call.

The OSU officer waved them over with his hand. “I’ve got it queued up to 6:24pm. You can see the boys here,” he pointed on the screen at the two victims, “entering the north entrance of the dining hall.”

Derek leaned toward the monitor. “So they leave practice, come through the dining hall for dinner. When do they leave?”

The footage sped up on the screen, then stopped. “Here. 7:01.”

“Rossi, you seeing this?” Derek slid his eyes over.

Rossi nodded. “Is there any way to enhance these frames?”

The officer shrugged his shoulders. “Not on this system. Honestly, the camera quality isn’t great. I’ve been trying to get them to invest in an upgraded OS, but you know—budget woes. Your analyst might be able to do more.”

“It’s not going to matter.” Derek sighed and straightened up. “She’s careful of her angles.”

“I couldn’t find them on any grounds cameras, but they pop back up entering the dorm. Here, at 7:12.”

“All three of them,” Rossi noted. He looked at Derek. “And like you said, she’s discreet.”

“They all go upstairs to the apartment,” the officer continued, “but only the girl leaves. At 8:43.”

⧭⧭⧭

“We have a witness from the cafeteria that confirms that the boys ate with a dark-haired young woman in a red coat,” Hotch said, arms crossed. “But other than those two details, the witness couldn’t recall anything else and said they’d never seen her before.”

“So we’ve got the two victims entering their apartment with an unknown woman. They’re upstairs for an hour and a half before she leaves,” Emily recounted.

Derek stood with his hands on his hips. “And in that time, she manages to dose and gain control of two boys that are more than double her size and funnel a lethal amount of alcohol into them. Now the question is why?”  

As the team converged around the conference room table, a uniformed officer entered into the doorway. “Agent Jareau? There’s a possible witness—says she might have some new information.”

JJ nodded to the team and moved to the doorway. A petite young woman stood in the center of the bullpen, wringing her hands. When her eyes landed on JJ, she let her arms fall to her side. As JJ approached, she motioned with her hand for the girl to sit at the closest desk. “Hi, I’m Jennifer. I heard you wanted to speak to someone about this case. Can I have your name?”

The girl nodded. “Um, I’m Cassie. I saw the announcement you made. About the woman in the red coat. I heard you say that she had brown hair. Is that true?”

JJ cocked her head slightly. “Yeah, the witness and security footage we have shows a woman with dark hair walking with Tyler and Leon. Why do you ask?”

Cassie’s eyes darted around the bullpen, and she drew her arms tightly over her chest. “I just— um—well, I—”

“Would it help if we moved somewhere a little quieter?” JJ suggested. When Cassie nodded and stood, JJ placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and directed her toward an empty interview room. Cassie sat in the chair farthest from the door, and JJ sat opposite her. “Is there something you wanted to tell me about the woman? Or is it something else that’s on your mind?”

Cassie let out a long breath. “When I heard that they were dead, I— I was relieved. That sounds awful, but it’s true.”

JJ tread lightly over her next question. “You felt relieved. Why was that?”

Cassie looked directly at JJ. “I’ve been looking over my shoulder everywhere I go for the last seven months. I won’t have to do that anymore.”

“Can you tell me more about what you mean?”

Cassie took a breath and closed her eyes for a long second, before opening them and continuing. “There was a huge party in the spring. I mean, there were, like, hundreds of people there.” Cassie’s eyes went wide. “I never go to parties like that. But it was the end of the year, and my friend—well, I went with my friend. She got invited.”

“Were Tyler and Leon at this party?” JJ asked.

“Everybody was. I mean, everybody who’s somebody at OSU was there. We saw them right away. The whole team was there, but people treated those two like kings.” Cassie looked down at her hands. “We were drinking... a lot. At some point, Laney and I got separated. I tried calling her phone a bunch of times, but the party was really loud. I—I didn’t want to leave without her, but I was getting really messed up. I had a guy friend from one of my classes walk me home.” She swiped at her eye with the back of her hand. “Laney didn’t get back until the morning. Her clothes were all torn up, her hair had... blood in it, and she—she had a bruise under her eye.” She looked up at JJ, eyes shining with tears. “They raped her. I left her behind, and they raped her,” she whispered.

JJ reached across the table for Cassie’s hand. “Cassie, I’m so sorry. What happened to Laney was not your fault, or hers. Do you understand me?” JJ paused before continuing. Cassie looked down. “Do you know if she reported it?”

Cassie nodded. “I’m the one who went with her to the infirmary. They did a kit and confirmed it. When we went to Campus PD, they did nothing. Said Laney was wasted, and there was no one that could back up her story.”

JJ squeezed her hand. “So there was no official report filed?”

Cassie laughed coldly. “Oh, they wrote a report. I think if we ask them to, they have to. But they wouldn’t name Tyler or Leon in it. Said they didn’t want to ‘give legs to any gossip.’”

JJ’s mouth stretched into a thin line. “Where’s Laney now?”

“I don’t know.” Cassie shook her head. “She didn’t come back to OSU this fall. I haven’t really talked to her since—” She looked at JJ. “I can’t get the image of her out of my head. How she looked when she came through the door that morning. What they did to her… I’m not sorry that they’re dead.” Her eyes were shining with rage. “People knew what happened… and no one did anything. And those two were still the kings of campus.”

⧭⧭⧭

The team absorbed the new information quietly. “So Garcia was right. They did have something to hide.” Derek’s phone buzzed. “Speaking of. Hey mama, you’re on speaker.”

“I hope you’re all sitting down,” Penelope warned. “I expanded the parameters of my original VICAP search to include the surrounding states. No hits on suspicious deaths by alcohol poisoning. However, the U LOSE signature? Seven hits across Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas.”

“So our unsub’s been traveling across the South—” Emily started.

“Oh, I’m not done,” Penelope continued. “Just to double check, I expanded the search area to the continental US. Our unsub has been busy. Over 30 murders with this signature, all across the country, dating back to March 2007. All different M.O.s: gunshot, stabbing, strangulation, you name it. But all with U LOSE scrawled across their forehead in—get this—liquid eyeliner.”

“Anything tying the victims together, Garcia?” Hotch asked.

“All men, mostly white, but all across different ages, occupations, and marital statuses. At first glance, there’s no real connection,” Penelope answered.

“What about on second glance?” Hotch prompted.

“Way ahead of you, sir. I did a little digging.” Penelope shrugged. “Okay, a lot of digging—most of it legal. Every single one of these victims had at least one sexual assault allegation. Some are official police reports, some are HR complaints, some are sealed court records. But in every case, the victim’s cause of death is directly related to the details of the assault records. Women that were held at knifepoint, their attacker was stabbed to death. If they were choked, he was strangled. If they were held at gunpoint, he died of a gunshot wound. Et cetera, et cetera.” Penelope twirled her pen. “The differing M.O.s combined with the fact that the unsub kept crossing state lines kept local PDs and field offices from making the connection.”

“Garcia, can you search OSU PD records for an incident report?” JJ asked.

Garcia tapped rapidly across her keyboard. “Absolutely, sugar, when would it have been filed?”

“It would’ve been this year, sometime at the end of April or beginning of May,” JJ answered. “The victim would be named as Laney Collins.”

After a few moments, Garcia peered through her green cat-eye glasses at the report. “Mmm, I’ve got one incident report, filed on May 7th. And woof, this report is not much to go on. The responding officer wrote a whopping three sentences. According to him, Laney was incapacitated and thus was not a credible witness.” Garcia twirled her pen. “The alleged attackers, who are not named, denied Laney’s account of what happened. Because there were no other witnesses, Officer Thorough deemed that no further action was necessary.” She jabbed her pen in the direction of the screen. “And this, my friends, is why women don’t bother reporting.”

“Good work, Garcia,” said Hotch.

“There’s one more interesting detail from the report,” Garcia continued. “The dean of students signed off on it.”

“So Barrett knew about this the whole time,” Derek fumed.

“And again, people wonder why women don’t report,” Garcia repeated, ending the call.

“So our unsub is seeking justice for women she believes have been failed by the system. We’re looking for a vigilante, carrying out revenge killings,” Rossi concluded.

Derek nodded. “And she’s organized and efficient; she finished with Tyler and Leon in less than two hours.”

“She’s smart and she blends in, doesn’t draw too much attention to herself,” JJ added.

“She’s meticulous and has at least some knowledge of forensic countermeasures, considering there’s no physical evidence tying her to any of the scenes,” Spencer remarked.

“And she knew enough to keep her face off the security footage,” Emily finished.

“Rossi, Emily, and I will stay here and deliver the profile,” Hotch directed. “JJ, I’d like you to speak to the families again, see if they knew about the rape. Reid, Morgan, talk to Barrett and see what else he might be trying to keep quiet.”

⧭⧭⧭

“Makes you wonder just how many people knew what happened,” Derek considered, closing the car door.

“It’s estimated that twenty percent of student victims of sexual assault report it to their university, but less than one percent of assailants receive any type of disciplinary action,” Spencer cited, making his way toward the sidewalk.

Derek shook his head. “And so the victims don’t see the point in reporting it. Your attacker gets to walk around like nothing even happened. Cassie told JJ that she felt like she had a target on her back once they reported Laney’s assault.”

As they walked up the blacktop driveway to the entrance of Barrett’s home, Spencer slowed his steps as he noticed the front door. “Morgan.” He nodded at the door, slightly ajar.

Derek drew his gun and moved ahead of Spencer. He pushed the door slowly open and called out, “Mr. Barrett?” In the foyer were the remnants of a broken vase and a small trail of blood. “Call Hotch, let him know we’ve got trouble here.”

Derek and Spencer worked to quietly clear the rooms, one by one. Derek stopped at the bottom of the stairs and motioned to Spencer. As they started up the stairs, a woman’s voice called out, “Shut up! You had nothing to say before. So now, you’re just going to listen.”

Derek reached the top of the stairs and started down the hallway. He reached the open door where a woman stood, her back to the door. Behind her, Derek could see Barrett, sitting on the floor, blood dripping from a gash on his head. His hands were raised in front of his chest, palms facing out. Derek stopped, his gun trained on the woman, and murmured, “Laney?”

The woman pivoted her body, her short blonde hair whipping around. Derek saw tears in her eyes and a revolver in her hand. “Don’t,” she warned.

“Laney, my name is Derek. I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to talk. I need you to put the gun down.”

“No!” Laney screamed. “You don’t know what he’s done.” She shook the gun in Barrett’s direction, and Barrett closed his eyes.

Derek spoke softly. “I do, Laney. I do know. I know what happened to you. I know that he kept Tyler and Leon’s names off the report. I know that he didn’t help you when you needed it most. I know that he let them get away with--”

“Rape. He let them get away with rape. Because he cares more about reputation and football than what happens to women on his campus. They ruined my life.” Laney turned away from Derek and put both hands on the gun. “They ruined my life, and you did nothing. And then they walked around campus like they were invincible, because you taught them they were.”

Derek moved further into the room, into Laney’s eyesight. Spencer moved into the doorway, covering Derek. “Laney, look at me. I’m putting my gun away.” Derek held his hands up and then moved to holster his gun. “Doing this won’t make the pain go away.”

“How many others? How many other women did he do this to?” Laney let out a painful sob. “If I don’t stop him, it never ends.”

“Listen to me.” Derek took a step closer to her. “Killing him won’t change what happened, Laney. It won’t. Believe me. I know how you feel.”

“People love to say that when they’re trying to shut you up. How could you possibly know how I feel?” Laney spit out.

“Someone hurt me, just like they hurt you. And nobody was there to help me. No one was there to listen.” Laney froze, eyes shifting to meet Derek’s. “I wanted to hurt him, Laney. Wanted to make him feel the same pain I felt. I wanted him to suffer.” He moved another step closer. “I know that those men hurt you, and I know that he let them get away with it. And I am so, so sorry. But you’re stronger than anyone knows, Laney. You are the only person who has the power to help others who didn’t get justice. I have a friend who’s spent her whole life helping survivors, and I know she’d love to talk with you.” He took another step. “You are the only person who can stop it from happening to someone else. You can make sure he’s held accountable for what he’s done. But if you pull that trigger, you can never go back,” Derek warned.

Laney looked at Derek, his hand outstretched, wordlessly asking her to give him the gun. She looked at Barrett, crying and silently begging her to show him the mercy she never got. “I wish I’d been the one to kill them,” she whispered.

The gun dropped out of her hand as Derek stepped forward to catch her. He kicked the gun into the doorway, and Spencer recovered it. “I’ve got you,” Derek said, helping Laney out of the room. “Shh, it’s ok, I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

Spencer moved to lift Barrett off the ground and helped him into a chair by the window. Out of the corner of his eye, Spencer caught a flash of red below the window. He stumbled over Barrett, nose almost pressed to the glass as he stared out. The woman froze, eyes locked on Spencer’s. His mouth opened slightly as he stared at her, bewildered. By the time his brain caught up, she had already disappeared from view.

Spencer turned and raced down the stairs, clinging to the railing as he nearly missed a step. He burst out the front door into the driveway, sprinting around the side of the house. He heard Derek call his name, saw the other SUVs pulling up, but he kept running. He skidded to a stop at the edge of the backyard, and then spun in a full circle, eyes frantically scanning the perimeter.

Hotch approached from the side of the house, gun drawn. “Reid! Are you all right?”

Spencer took a last look, scanned from east to west. “Yeah, yeah. I just—I thought I saw—I thought I saw something.” He shook his head. “Barrett’s inside. He’s got a head laceration, but he’ll be fine.”

Hotch lowered his gun and nodded. “And Laney’s not our unsub. So we’re back to the beginning.”

⧭⧭⧭

“Strauss is asking us to head back to Quantico.” Hotch pocketed his phone and looked at the team. “We’ll move the cases to our watch list and flag the signature for hits in VICAP. From what we know about the unsub’s behavior, we know she’s no longer in the area.” He gestured to the evidence board. “Our best course of action is to keep the profile in our periphery for now. We can do that from the BAU. It’s late. Go to the hotel, get some rest. We’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

“I’m absolutely starving.” Emily slipped into her jacket and headed for the door. “Anybody want to hit up that 24 hour diner?”

Derek and JJ quickly agreed, following Emily from the conference room. JJ turned back, eyeing Spencer. “You coming, Spence?”

“I’m just really tired.” His voice lilted up, almost a question. “Next time, though.”

JJ gave him a look but didn’t press him. “Have a good night, Spence.”

“Yeah, thanks.” He gathered up the case files, not quite ready to put them away.

⧭⧭⧭

Spencer’s eyelids felt heavy as he walked through the lobby of the hotel. He really was tired. He blamed the exhaustion for what he thought he saw through the window at Barrett’s. His fatigued mind was seeing things that weren’t there. He practically floated into the elevator and up to his room. Sliding the room key through the slot, the door beeped open and Spencer stepped inside. He flicked on the light and dropped his bag on the floor, loosening his tie as he walked toward one of the sling back chairs sat by the window. He paused just before he reached the chair, his gaze lingering over something on the desk. A note hastily scrawled on hotel stationary.

623.

Spencer lifted the note with two careful fingers. “623?” He turned it over, looking for the rest of the message, but the paper was blank other than the number. He lowered the note, and his eyes landed on a small plastic card where the paper had rested on the table. Not just a card. A room key.

⧭⧭⧭

Spencer stared at the door of the room. Room 623. He turned his head and slowly looked up and then down the hallway. He took a breath and raised his hand to the door. He knocked in the familiar rhythm: five knocks, pause, two knocks. He pressed his ear close to the door, listening for any movement inside. When he heard nothing, he knocked again; the same pattern, but a little louder. He listened again. Nothing. Spencer felt a bead of sweat creep down the nape of his neck. He thought about turning around, about walking back down the two flights of stairs to his room and getting into bed.

Instead, he pulled the keycard from his pocket. As he lifted the card with one hand, he used his other to raise the strap on his holster. He held his breath as he swiped the card through the slot and heard the beep of the lock. Drawing his gun from the holster, Spencer slowly turned the handle of the door.

The room was mostly dark. Only the yellow glow of one of the bedside lamps illuminated the space. Spencer stepped into the room and quietly closed the door behind him. Again, his mind said to turn around. Yet his feet carried him further into the room. He could see now that the sling backs were facing toward the window. There were two glasses from the mini bar on the table between them.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” a familiar voice mused.

Spencer startled and then swallowed audibly, a cartoon character realizing he’s in serious trouble. He opened his mouth but nothing came out.

“You can put the gun away,” she continued. “Really. Come sit down, Reid.”

Hearing her say his name sucked all the air out of his lungs. He closed the remaining distance between them, staring dumbly at her perched in the armchair. She gave him a small smile, warm despite the nervous energy in the air. “Hey, Reid.”

“Elle.” Spencer sunk into the chair across from her. “I—I thought I was seeing things. Earlier. At Barrett’s.”

She studied him quietly. “This hair is a good look for you.”

“Thanks,” Spencer blushed, smoothing down the hair at the nape of his neck. He quickly dropped his hand. “It was you then.”

“What was me?” Elle asked innocuously.

“You were at Steven Barrett’s house today. In the yard.” Spencer folded his hands to keep from wringing them. “You were wearing a red coat.”

Elle lifted one of the glasses to her lips, taking a sip of the clear liquor, ice cubes rattling. She swallowed and gestured to the other glass. “Have a drink.”

“I, um, I don’t drink anymore.” Elle raised an eyebrow. “A lot has happened since… the last time I saw you.” Spencer smoothed his hands down the tops of his thighs. “You were there today. Elle, did you—are you…” He wasn’t even sure what question to ask.

Elle ran her fingertip around the rim of her glass. She was quiet for a long time. Spencer fidgeted in his seat, but stayed quiet, waiting. Elle set the glass down.

“Do you remember that night in Dayton? In the hotel room?” Spencer looked at her pointedly. Elle let out a laugh. “Sorry, I forgot who I’m talking to; of course you remember.” Their eyes met. Spencer felt she was looking right through him. “You told me that I’d won. That because Garner was dead, and I was alive, I won.”

“Elle—” Spencer started.

“You asked, Reid. This is my answer.” She screwed the cap off the bottle of gin. Pouring the remainder of the bottle into her glass, she continued, “It took time, but I started to feel safe in my own home again. I could close my eyes without seeing his face. I could take a shower without bringing my gun.” She downed the rest of her glass. “When I killed Lee, I gave that same freedom back to the women he’d raped. They could exist in the world knowing that he would never hurt them, ever again.” She smiled ruefully. “And it felt… good. It felt right. And after years of having watched people be destroyed by monsters… I don’t know. It was just something I had to do. To bring that freedom and that safety back to other women who had been hurt and broken and alone. To destroy their monsters.” Elle looked at him then, eyes shining with unshed tears. “I don’t expect you to understand or approve. But the answer to your question is yes.”

Spencer took a breath and asked, “Why’d you put the key in my room? You could have just… disappeared.”

Elle shook her head. “I chose this. I knew what I was doing and what it would mean. Most of the time, I’m fine, great even. Because being able to give these women justice is the greatest gift. But with this work, you can’t really keep anybody close. No holidays or birthdays. No dates or girls nights.” She shrugged. “I guess I just wanted to see what would happen. What the boy genius would do.”

“I don’t know what to do,” Spencer admitted.

“Well, that’s a first.” Elle smiled, but Spencer could see apprehension in the rigidness of her shoulders, in the slight bouncing of her leg.

“I should probably arrest you,” he considered.

Her leg stopped. “You probably should.”

Spencer looked down at his hands. He ran his fingers up to the crook of his elbow, ghosting over the scars there. His mind raced from memory to memory: Elle on the train car; Tobias Hankle standing over him; Elle in the hospital bed; the needle in his arm; Elle in the hotel in Dayton; the click of an empty chamber.

“Elle, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for telling you that you’d won.” She was motionless, staring at him. He continued, “I didn’t know. I didn’t know what it was like. To be consumed and overcome by a memory.” Now it was Spencer’s eyes that shone with tears. “I didn’t know that the trauma could… fester in your brain like an infection that you can’t get rid of. I don’t know if winning is even possible after something like that.” He rubbed his hand under his eye and cleared his throat. “It was an awful thing to say. And I’m sorry.”

Elle tipped her head back, trying to keep the tears from spilling over. “All’s forgiven.”

Spencer reached out and gently grabbed Elle’s hand. “I’ve been so tired recently. I thought I saw something through the window at Steven Barrett’s house. But when I did a perimeter check, I didn’t find anything.” Elle dropped her head back down and turned to look at him. “We’re headed back to Quantico in the morning. We’ll, um, be keeping tabs on VICAP hits on the signature.” Spencer gave her hand one soft squeeze before standing. He let a small, bittersweet smile move over his face.

He made it to the door before he heard her voice again.

“If I asked you to stay, would you say yes?”

Spencer swiveled back to look at her, the door just barely open. Elle’s arms were crossed over her chest. Her eyes were dark and wide and full of storms. “Just for a little while longer?”

Spencer turned and moved his eyes up the length of the doorway, considering. He heard Elle let out a breath. His own breath stuttered. He closed the door softly. He put his hands in his pockets and turned back to her. “I’ve got a little while.”

[herradhighpriestess]

Artificially Sweetened Sodomy

Chapter Three: Whores are Easier to Deal With

Kari pressed her lips together, wincing as she compressed the broken skin as she considered the weight of her situation. “What do I do?” her mind asked on a scream.

Tig nearly choked on the cloud of his exhaled smoke as he watched her pink tongue dart out and moisten her lips.

He was mesmerized by the small movement and didn’t realize at first that she was nodding slightly.

“You’re sure you’re not going to be a problem?” he asked and tried to maintain a cool façade.

Kari nodded again, a little stronger this time.

“Yeah?” he asked as he cocked an inky black eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Kari finally mumbled and rubbed her fingertips against her throbbing temples. She longed for her mostly effective rapid-release migraine medication as she was certain her skull was splitting at the seams.

She looked over when a metallic tinkling noise fell around her ears and she found her abductor holding out a dented flask towards her.

“No thanks,” she finally said and sat up straighter in the seat, thinking alcohol wouldn’t do any good for her head except make her pay less attention and notice details that might be important for later.

Tig pretended to not notice her barely suppress a flinch when he moved away from the door and pulled on the plastic handle. “Where’s the tracker?” he asked as he patted the seat between them.

“There’s no point in denying it,” she thought in the small space before she answered. “Behind the water pump,” Kari mumbled as she stared straight ahead, feeling his eyes memorizing her, practically touching her with the weight of his gaze.

She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he pulled a warm soda from the nylon bag and held it out to her.

“Thanks,” she murmured and took the brightly colored aluminum can from him, careful to avoid their fingers brushing against each other.

“We’ll get out of here in a minute,” he murmured, and she watched him slide out of the sturdy vehicle and pop the broad hood.

Kari found herself gulping the soda as Tig removed and destroyed the government-issued tracker and did a once-over the rest of the SUV before getting back behind the wheel and cranking the large engine to life.

Tig glanced over his shoulder at her as she drummed her fingers on the tops of her thighs and stared down at the floor. He felt a strange sensation slide around inside his gut and light up his central nervous as he found her fingers bare, devoid of any jewelry. “Do you belong to someone?” he thought before he spoke.

“You want to sit up here Agent Stillwater, it’s a little bit of a drive.”

Kari shook her head. “I’m okay here and please no more Agent stuff, can you just call me Kari?”

The pull of his lips into an unreadable smile both frightened and made Kari have a glut of questions.

“As long as you call me Tig,” he murmured as he turned around further in the driver’s seat and they locked eyes.

“What?” Kari finally asked as his expression remained neutral and he remained silent. She wasn’t sure if she should feel like prey on the Serengeti or a pilot fish living symbiotically with a Great White shark.

Tig shook his head. “Nothing,” he muttered as he got the bulky vehicle moving and eventually spilled back onto the interstate.

Kari kept her hands clasped together in her lap as he pushed the accelerator to a comfortable cruising speed, careful to not draw the attention of the CHP.

Tig kept nervously moving his hands around the steering wheel as he kept glancing up at her in the rearview mirror.

She shifted uncomfortably on the seat, her multiple layers and Kevlar vest making her sweat profusely, her anxiety leeched from her pores and she could smell how unpleasantly fragrant she was becoming.

Tig felt his chest tighten when his name fell from her lips.

“Tig?”

He looked up in the mirror and met her eyes. “Yes?”

Kari cleared her throat. “Can I have one of those cigarettes?”

“Yeah, here,” he said and passed her the pack and dark green lighter.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, eager to have the acrid cigarette smoke to drown out her body odor.

Tig noticed how she began shifting on the seat as she took slow, deliberate drags off the cigarette. He heard her chuckle and quickly cover her smile when she caught him looking.

“What’s funny?” he asked.

Kari shook her head and retrieved the empty soda can off the floorboard to flick her ashes into. “Just when I thought I was finally going to stop smoking.”

As Tig paid better attention to the sudden stoppage of traffic, back at the Wit Sec house, agents and local police swarmed. Doors were kicked in and windows ripped off in questioning everyone about the abducted agent.

As agents descended on Charming and looked everywhere for their missing agent, Tig continued towards the cheap motel and long-term rentals, at one point, he dumped the Yukon and stole a paneled van, nearly beige with the layer of dirt. Kari slid onto the passenger seat, not wanting to sit on the bare, metal floor of the rear of the van.

They were about half an hour from the motel, Kari had lapsed into a comfortable silence as she stared out the window at everything moving by. “Talk to her,” Tig ordered himself as he glanced over at her, he considered that she was most likely in some kind of medical shock.

“How long you been working ATF?” Tig finally asked, drawing out his words.

Kari glanced over at him and pulled one of the three remaining cigarettes from the pack and offered him one of his own. He accepted and watched her light hers before she offered her lit one in trade for his.

Tig made sure their fingers brushed and felt a static shock as he pulled hard on the filter her lips had just been touching, tasting her breath.

“Just passed the one-year mark, from what I’ve heard, the Wit Sec babysitting is a hazing of sorts,” she said as she shook her head and rolled down the window a few inches, letting the brisk, clean outside suck in her second-hand smoke.

“What was the original plan when you got there? The witness?” Kari asked while he inhaled and signaled for the off-ramp.

Tig ignored her question and looked at the directions he had jotted on a burger chain napkin.

The motel appeared on the left side and was very underwhelming. The faded blue long-term condos were set in the rear of the property and their room was apparently on the ground-floor corner.

Happy’s friends had someone’s nephew go and check-in at the motel under the false name and stolen credit card. The parking spot for the room was just out of the security camera’s entire sweep and the video was recorded over every twenty-four hours.

Tig put the van in park and looked over at Kari as she looked out the windshield at the piss poor room.

She barely suppressed a finch when his hand fell over her hand where it rested on the armrest.

“It’s a short walk to the room, I’m going to come around and open your door,” Tig murmured.

Kari nodded as he added. “There won’t be any problem getting to the door?”

“I will not be a problem,” she said in a strained voice and stared at the room door through the bug-splattered windshield.

Tig tightened his hand around hers as he spoke, “look at me.”

Kari pressed her lips together and turned her head to meet his startling blue eyes. “No problem?” he rasped musically.

“None,” she whispered and fought the urge to try and yank her hand free.

Tig nodded and released his hold on her before getting out of the van, gathering the duffle bags, and opening her door.

Kari climbed out of the van and waited until he pushed the heavy door closed before following him to the room. He slid the plastic keycard until it beeped and flashed a series of green flashes before he pushed the door open.

She followed him inside and fumbled for a light switch and flooded the room with a wan yellow light. Tig pushed the door closed and slid the extra chain lock in place, in addition to the deadbolt.

He watched Kari look around the dingy room, pale yellow carpets and faux wood paneling the single room, extra sitting space in front of an older model flatscreen tv, closet and small bathroom with a cramped tub and shower.

Tig watched her eyes move over the single queen bed in the middle of the room before she briefly met his eyes and turned her attention to looking for the remote control and the local news. “It’s really cold in here,” she remarked as she flipped though the channels.

“These rooms are generally rented at hourly rates, no one cares about the temperature,” he said and winked when she looked over at him.

Kari settled in the creaky chair and adjusted the volume when the commercial break was over.

Tig took the time to walk into the small bathroom and dial Clay.

Clay picked up at the end of the first ring.

“Brother, you okay?”

Tig leaned against the door frame so he could keep Kari in sight as he half-smiled. “It’s okay, got to the motel, thank Happy.”

“Do you have a guest with you?”

Tig chuckled, “yeah.”

“Is she alive?”

“Very.”

“Is she going to stay that way?”

“Yes.”

Clay was silent for a minute. “Good,” he finally said. “Do you need more money?”

Tig shook head as he answered, “no, I’d like to get stay here a night or two and keep north.”

“Are you coming back brother?”

Tig gave a ragged sigh and ran a hand through his dark hair. “I don’t know,” he finally admitted. “I’ve found something,” he added unhelpfully.

“You always have a home here brother, I hope to meet this something someday. Call if you need anything,” Clay added before he ended the call.

Tig pushed his phone in his back pocket as he watched Kari watch the news and casually loosen her braid until she could run her fingers through her tangled hair.

Kari looked over at him when the loud thump of his boots sounded as he kicked them off before slipping out of his jacket.

Tig stretched out on the bed and slipped one hand behind his head before he patted the empty space next to him when he caught her staring.

Kari scoffed and worked on a stubborn tangle when he patted the bed again.

“No,” she finally said and turned her attention back to the shitty tv screen and pretended to be captivated by the weather report of sunny skies the following day.

“I thought you weren’t going to be a problem,” Tig said and sat up when she turned back to him, anger etched in her tired face. “I’m not but I’m not getting into that bed with you.”

Tig’s mind tried to rapidly put together an approach. He reached for his discarded jacket and drained the flask, wincing as the alcohol burned a hot path down his throat and spread warmth throughout his chest and belly. “You need to do this right,” his mind warned and climbed to his feet.

As Tig rose from the bed, Kari also stood from the creaky chair, tension filling her, a cold trickle moved down the length of her spine.

Tig held his hands up in the air and wiggled his fingers. “I promise I’ll keep my hands wherever you tell me, but you need to get in the fucking bed.”

Kari shook her head, her blood pressure rising as she found it hard to breathe with the compression of the vest. She felt herself getting overheated despite how chilly the room was.

Tig’s eyes moved over her face, he could practically see the coiled tension inside her, electricity building and threatening to shoot from her fingers.

“You gotta keep this shit together,” he thought and kept his hands outstretched. “Get in the bed, you have to be tired. I’m not going to do anything out of line.”

Kari narrowed her eyes at him, unable to judge the veracity of his words since he was there to kill that young witness. She fought to keep her shoulders back despite the appeal of laying down and closing her eyes, especially getting out of the fucking vest.

“What if I wanted to stay in that chair instead?” she asked, her voice steady.

Tig shook his head, “it’ll be cold sitting up all night.”

“I’ll risk freezing to death.”

“I can’t have that happen; a dead ATF agent isn’t good.”

“Kidnapping and assault is fine though?” she asked on a scoff.

Tig stood up taller, every moment spent with Kari reaffirming why he liked dealing with whores, livestock and the comatose.

[therappundit]

October 2018 -*PlayLi$t of the Month*

Ooooo it is getting awfully spooky out there, folks...

Temperatures are (finally) plummeting, so for this month I have the perfect score for you. Tis the season for grimy rap music, and with new releases from the likes of Roc Marciano, Styles P,  Sheck Wes, and Westside Gunn, the chilly sound of autumn is officially in full swing here on the east coast. That being said, this month’s list also includes a diverse array of talent from Grand Rapids, New Orleans, St. Louis, Richmond, and beyond (plus an extra deep “honorable mentions” section, to further champion all of the great new tracks out there). So please enjoy some of my favorite songs from the month of October...

1. “Dolph Lundgren” - DJ Muggs & Roc Marciano

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43R-lDAhhjg

(Another month, another dope Roc Marciano project. What stands out on KAOS is the chemistry between Roc and DJ Muggs. With this special MC + producer joint album, the two underground icons joined forces to create a street soundtrack that is at once both a throwback and a breath of fresh air. Roc’s persona on records is unparalleled, he packs a 70′s hustler’s soul in the body of a modern gangster. Place those bars over Muggs’ dark soul samples, and you have yourself one helluva album.)

2. “40 Acres” - Chester Watson

https://soundcloud.com/chesterwatson/40-acres

(On first listen, Chester Watson sounds like a clone of Earl Sweatshirt. The Miami-by-way-of-St. Louis MC certainly possesses a dark, monotone delivery that is eerily reminiscent of the vibes channeled by the former Odd Future standout, but rest assured, Chester is an artist more than capable of standing on his own two. If “40 Acres” doesn’t make you want to check out his new Project O album, then that’s your loss - this track is fantastic.)

3. “Vetements Socks” - Sheck Wes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvntmsHRNa0

(Truth be told, I had very little expectations for this MUDBOY project. I didn’t even appreciate the breakout hit “Mo Bamba”, but I really do appreciate Sheck Wes’ full length debut. I always say whatever your style is, do it well, and at least provide some form of perspective. For all of Sheck’s youthful inexperience, poetic shortcomings, and scattered focus, he has released a project that captures his energy, his taste in music, and that he is a raw, talented artist with a lot on his mind. “Vetements Socks” brings to mind one of the early hits of another young Harlemite, that being “Peso” by A$AP Rocky. While far from the classic New York-centric hip-hip sound, MUDBOY is an album that successfully paints pictures of where Sheck is in his life right now, and it feels like the NYC sidewalks that I stomp around on today.)

4. “Southside Sector” -  Big Kahuna OG feat. Fly Anakin

https://schemeteamallstars.bandcamp.com/track/southside-sector-prod-ohbliv-feat-fly-anakin

(Every Mutant Academy release I have heard is pretty dope. However, certain projects really do an excellent job showcasing one specific MCs potential as a uniquely talented rapper/writer, as opposed to just bars over beats. Big Kahuna OG’s new Weapon Ox tape is possibly the best album of his catalogue thus far, and I can’t recommend it enough.)

5. “CL Smooth” - Willie The Kid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWtr3bUFNE8

(Low key, Willie The Kid has been dropping dope music since he popped up on the scene again in 2017, after a hiatus. His Things Of That Nature tape is another one of his filler-free releases, and I find this “CL Smooth” shout-out especially, well, smooth.)

6. “'94 Ghost Shit” - The Alchemist feat. Conway & Westside Gunn

https://soundcloud.com/alan-the-chemist/the-alchemist-feat-conway-westside-gunn-94-ghost-shit

(Since hearing the IG teasers many months ago, Griselda fans have ben clamoring for the release of “94 Ghost Shit”. They/we finally got that wish granted when Uncle Al unleashed the Conway and Westside Gunn helmed banger on his site. Just a loosie, or a teaser for the trios long awaited Hall & Nash 2 project??? For now, we at least have this tough as nails joint to keep in rotation for the foreseeable future...or at least until WSG drops Hitler Wears Hermes 6 on Halloween!.)

7. “Boss” - Little Simz

https://soundcloud.com/littlesimz/b-o-s-s-1

(Is this the solo debut of a UK artist on the Pundit PlayLi$t!? I believe so! Little Simz has been on my radar for a while now, but with “Boss” she finally has what feels like a smash to me. The beat is a head nodder and Simz uses it to showcase why she is a fierce MC that deserves respect from her fans and peers alike.)

8. “Life In Crooklyn” - Planit Hank & DJ Evil Dee feat. Jeru The Damaja, Buckshot & AZ - Life in Crooklyn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=korr8p6lDhk

(A simple, but effective piece of NYC nostalgia that is knocked out the park by an elite line-up of legendary New York legends. Jeru, Buckshot and AZ are no doubt some of Brooklyn’s finest to ever pick up the m-i-c, and they each lend their magic to this one.)

9. “We Got Everything” - Styles P & Dave East

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTfMYCFhzi8

(Not a lot of hype went into the release of Beloved, Styles P and Dave East’s collaboration album, but nevertheless the project is solid from top to bottom. “We Got Everything” benefits from an ear-worm of a hook, and thumping production that suits both MCs.)

10. “Uproar” - Lil Wayne feat. Swizz Beatz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WYAX6onqbM

(No, The Carter V did not live up to its’ unfairly lofty expectations...but it’s still a good album, and an even better display of how well-rounded Lil Wayne can be as a MC. “Uproar” is far from the headiest track on C5, but it’s great example of classic Weezy swagger, on top of being a fun reboot of G. Dep’s “Special Delivery”...and any time I have the chance to s/o G. Dep on my monthly playlist, I’m going to jump on it!) ����

*Bonus - Honorable Mention [extended edition]*

“Take It All” - Fatima feat. Roc Marciano

https://fatima.bandcamp.com/track/take-it-all-feat-roc-marciano

“Fuck 12” - Quavo feat. Offset

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4IjBNBCnZo

“Rap Charlamagne (Say What I Want)” - Pardison Fontaine

https://soundcloud.com/pardi/rap-charlamagne-say-what-i-want

“Magic Tricks” - Lucky Seven feat. Conway

https://soundcloud.com/luckyseven30/magic-tricks-feat-conway?in=luckyseven30/sets/53creebadluck

“Preach” - Swizz Beatz feat. Jim Jones

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRfP0S985D8

“Never Fight An African” - Styles P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5i6lv5wgKc

“Stoop Kids” - Mir Fontane feat. Fetty Wap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ik3iwCPm1E

“still water [flow water pt. 2]” - Cambank$

https://soundcloud.com/camgotthejuice/stillwater-flow-water_pt2-prod-2spvced

“The Suppliers” - 38 Spesh, Jai Black & Daniel Son

https://soundcloud.com/lil-eto/38-spesh-x-jai-black-x-daniel-son-the-suppliers

“Understood” - Mick Jenkins

https://soundcloud.com/mickjenkins/mick-jenkins-prod-kaytranada

“Hating” - J-Live

https://ambrosiaforheads.com/2018/10/j-live-hating-maga-lyric-video/

“Dotty X & The Sen” - Sadat X & El Da Sensei

https://vindig.bandcamp.com/track/dotty-x-the-sen

“Episode 11” - Mooch & Farma Beats feat. Maverick

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vWEUr7yEMI

“IScream” - Bodega Bamz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5mmVrKaV0w

“Hot” - Flu & Rigz feat. Mav Montana & Eto

https://soundcloud.com/fludust/2-hot-feat-mav-montana-eto?in=fludust/sets/rigz-a-piece-of-the-action

“Black Mags 2” - The Cool Kids

http://2dopeboyz.com/2018/10/19/the-cool-kids-black-mags-2/

HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEEEEEN  🎃🎃🎃

[ICYMI: Last month’s list below]

https://therappundit.tumblr.com/post/178500049856/september-2018-playli-t-of-the-month

[thenickelportrust]

Could you tell us who the current superheroes are and what their powers and general reputation is? Just to keep track of them. (And maybe the same for villains if that's not too much!)

You know I think I might add a codex in later in the game to help the MC keep track of this very info. But for now- I’ll give you a couple of the major players (both current and past, since sometimes even memories of people have an effect on the present)!

I didn’t give away any real spoilers since technically the MC knows most of this and the player will  learn it all rather easily and pretty quickly, but still under the cut for those who wish to keep it a secret for now!

Heroes:

Atlas (passed) - Atlas was perhaps the most powerful hero to have ever existed. Some thought they were a deity, fallen from the heavens here to reshape the world as they desired. Most of those people were, admittedly, fanatics. In truth, Atlas never did… much. And what they did do cast a shadow of doubt on whether or not they could really be considered a hero at all. But calling someone that strong a villain was a terrifying prospect all on its own. Not that anyone has to worry now, they died several years ago, and now their legacy is left to nothing more than whispers of a dead deity, an apocalypse that never came.

Their powers were… hard to pin down. They could… change things. Change them to whatever they desired, give the nonliving life or turn the breathing to stone and metal- they could make solids into liquids and vice versa seemingly without changing any other aspect of their nature. Or they could change the substances entirely- turn silver to gold, wood to metal, gas to air, dust to grain- whatever they desired.

Nymph - Nymph was one of the two who were thought to take up Atlas’ title of most powerful hero. She was beloved by most people as a fair heroine who always seemed to be there whenever anyone was in trouble. All in all, she was very well liked before she just… stopped. She didn’t stop heroing entirely, mind you, but it seemed as if Nymph started dropping off the face of the earth time and time again. Now she’s most famous for her rivalry with the minor villain Bugbite. This has soured her reputation considerably, to the point where most people don’t speak about her fondly, and usually the kindest remarks is that she’s ‘a hero from a past time, far past her prime’.

Her powers include control of all living, organic matter. However the more complex the life-form the harder it is to control, so she mostly sticks to plants. (However her most famous exploit was controlling a massive attack by a now-deceased villain who attempted to turn a deadly bacteria into a bioweapon that would’ve wiped out Nickelport if she hadn’t contained it.)

Elapine - Elapine is more often referred to as a hero of East Bay than he is a hero of Nickelport. He is extremely popular in the East Bay community, and has almost become something of a hero mascot for them. However, outside of the East Bay his popularity fades a bit, though he is still loved, there’s more tension to his praise considering he very rarely moves out of helping just the East Bay area, and some say it’s selfish for a hero to choose who to help and who to ignore. However, most everyone agrees that due to his influence, the East Bay is no longer Nickelport’s most deadly area, which has opened up a lot of trade and tourist opportunities and generally helped Nickelport’s economy greatly. He is also famous for being the one hero to work closely with Atlas, a reputation which has both bolstered as well as tainted his reputation, due to Atlas’… controversial nature.

Elapine rarely uses his power, actually, since it’s more… immediately lethal and he’s known for non-lethal tactics. However, his power is a poisonous touch, and in turn a resistance to most toxins himself.

Lady Luck* - Lady Luck’s reputation is… a bit in the air right now. She was a well-loved hero back in the day, but she retired quite a while ago and had begun to fade from the memory of most Nickelport citizens. However, she’s returned from retirement just recently, and now most people are hopefully holding their breath to see if the hero they loved so much is back once more.

Lady Luck’s power is tricky one… It’s exactly as her title implies- a control over luck. However what that means changes from context to context- and she can’t control how it’ll come into play… but most people realize when they’ve been affected by her powers.

Sentry - Sentry is just starting to make a name for themself. They’ve been around for a while as a quieter hero presence but have recently come under both scrutiny and praise for their radical ideas for change. Sentry is the leading face in an attempted to create a more organized system of heroics. They’ve been public in their wish to forge the way for a kind of heroes’ union, and have been working closely- or trying to work closely- with Nickelport’s government to make that happen. There are… mixed opinions about whether or not this could be Nickelport’s saving grace, or if it’s a disaster waiting to happen.

Sentry’s power is a bit like your basic forcefield. They create temporary solid figures, seemingly from nothing, that vary in breadth and width and can be used for a multitude of purposes- including the classic shielding, but also a platform in mid air or even as a weapon.

Lullaby - Lullaby, also known as Madeleine Briggs, is famous first and foremost for the fact that, despite still possessing a heroic alias, she has never hidden her identity- nor does she wear a mask. According to Madeleine, it’s an act of owning up to what she does as a hero- of taking responsibility for her actions. While the reaction is somewhat mixed, it’s definitely more positively leaning, and has earned Lullaby a solid reputation as one of Nickelport’s most famous heroes- even though she hardly ever speaks to the press, and most of her statements are curt, single-sentences or silent nods. Lullaby has also recently garnered a bit more fame for openly expressing an interest in aiding Sentry’s hero organization process. Which, from what little can be gathered from her silent nature, is because she believes that a systems of checks and balances could do a lot of good for the heroes, and the people they’re supposed to protect.

Lullaby’s powers are, as you might have gathered from her name, to put people to sleep. However, it’s not quite her voice that does it, but rather a mist that she can breathe out on command. A kind of knock-out gas that she can control. 

Stillwater (passed) - Stillwater was the second of the two heroes who was thought to take on Atlas’ reign. He was greatly beloved by all and often pointed to as the example of a what all heroes should strive to be. He was public and unafraid to speak with the people, even seen taking casual strolls around town or chatting with people on the street when the recognized his outfit and called out to him to talk about… well… anything! The weather, his favorite TV shows- Stillwater was most well known for bragging with great gusto about his daughter and how proud he was of her, even to villains waiting to be taken away by the police after he’d apprehended them. He always kept a tight lock on his identity, though, as he explained that he refused to put his family in the kind of harm’s way that would come to be should anyone evil had ever found out who he was. Other than that, he got about as open and public as a man with a secret identity could’ve been- even working publicly with the NPRC. That was, until he was killed in the Lotown Mining Incident, when a cave collapsed in and Stillwater rushed in to save the people inside- he managed to save most of the miners, but was ultimately trapped underneath the rubble and killed with several others.

Stillwater’s power was essentially to learn. In short, he could copy most other powers he came into contact with, albeit in a much lesser form. In his time as a hero he was able to learn flight, some enhanced strength, the ability to heat up and cool down his body temperature, enhanced durability, communication with animals, and a couple others.

Red Light - Red Light is a new hero on the scene. He hasn’t done much yet, despite this, has already garnered a rather wide and passionate following. He is well-loved by those who know him and is often referred to as ‘The Next Stillwater’ for his open, charming personality. Though he’s still new on the scene so it’s hard to say where he’ll go from here.

Red Light’s power appears to be paralysis. Though it’s hard to tell since he hasn’t been in many fights. but that seems to be the leading theory on what he can do.

Villains;

Sweet Sound - Sweet Sound is infamous and terrifying as a phantasmic figure with a multitude of rumors surrounding her. She’s become something of the boogeyman of Nickelport, with no one really knowing what’s due to her influence, and what isn’t- where she’s going to strike next, or if she’s ever going to strike at all.

Nobody knows her powers.

Likewise - Likewise is… god. What can I say about Likewise? Likewise is Nickelport’s Most Wanted- the most powerful villain alive whose track record extends all the way from minor robbery to killing a hero (or two, or three). There’s no rhythm or rhyme to what Likewise does or why Likewise does it. Only one thing is for sure- everyone, and I mean everyone, knows who they are.

And almost everybody wishes they didn’t.

Likewise’s powers have two layers to them. The first is mimicry- they can mimic any singular power of a person nearby them. The second aspect is nullification- they can nullify the powers of anyone in range. What’s important, and kind of tricky, here is that while they can mimic only one power, they can nullify… almost all powers in range. (Granted, in order to nullify or mimic, they first have to get close, but once a power is nullified, it will stay that way for quite a while, ditto with mimicry.)

Domino* (retired) - Domino was a rather infamous villain most well known for his rivalry with Lady Luck, mostly due to the similarities in their powers. However he retired about five years ago, and hasn’t been seen on the villainous scene since then. However with Lady Luck’s return to heroism there’s been some speculative whispers about whether or not this will goad him out of retirement as well.

Domino’s powers were very similar to Lady Luck’s. However, instead of simply changing luck, he has the power to change the result of any specific event. The new result is randomized, and though others will remember the previous result any of its effects will be neutralized- as if it only existed in memory.

Oppenheimer - Oppenheimer is a relatively young villain who has made a bit of an explosive entrance into the villainous world. (Pun wholly intended) Like most villains she’s not exactly well-liked. Most people fear her for the fact that her attacks seem to come without warning, and almost always target upper-class areas that should be better protected- yet she never seems to be noticed or caught until after her attack is finished.

Oppenheimer hasn’t been in enough fights to really understand what her powers are. But they most likely have something to do with explosions.

Valkyrie and Harbinger you all already know. So I’ll spare you from a rewrite of what you know, but they’re also on the well-known-villains list.

Groups/Others:

The Honeybees - They Honeybees… hmm… ok, I think I actually do gotta call some spoilers here. You’ll… meet them soon.

:D

Mambo’s Gang - Mambo’s gang is something of a hospital system for villains exclusively. They’re located somewhere on the Rusty End, but even if someone knows, they don’t dare go after Mambo or anyone who works for him out of fear for the backlash from the entire villainous community- not even the worst of the worst would dare lay a finger on someone under Mambo’s protection, either out of fear for their own health the next time they need severe medical help, or out of fear for the influence Mambo has in the villainous community.

Generally, those who actively know about Mambo’s Gang and aren’t villains dislike it, but not even heroes can deny that the neutral, no-fight territory that Mambo’s created is useful, if for no other reason than they don’t have to worry about protecting people within that area.

Ever since the disbanding of the NPRC, there’s been more tension surrounding Mambo’s hospital services. Heroes are left using the public hospitals, which while mostly works, the safety and secrecy of Mambo’s services are very tempting… But he doesn’t seem willing to extend his services any time soon.

The Nickelport Powers Research Cooperation (disbanded) - The NPRC (as they were called) was a lot of things. On one hand it was what Mambo’s Gang was for villains but for heroes- a hospital and medical facility. On the other hand, it was a research and development company- running tests with (voluntary) cooperation from heroes like Stillwater and Alchemist. It published papers on the nature of powers and discovered how they were passed down from generation to generation- and from person to person. They also had begun a series of technological developments meant either to aid heroes with their work against villains or simply to make everyday life easier and safer when the next great battle of the century could go down next door.

They were shut down quite a while ago, quietly and without explanation.

Some speculate that it had to do with the loss of Stillwater, who the NPRC often referred to as their greatest asset for his power’s flexible nature. Others think that the reason was… something else.

Alchemist (retired) - The Alchemist was… well… She was known, she was liked- perhaps even loved- and then she… stopped. She was a hero, and was perhaps going to be the most powerful hero before Atlas. She was, also, very very popular. With an almost meteoric rise to fame that fizzled out as fast as it began. She just… announced that she was retiring. She did some work with the NPRC afterwards but… never really came back to the spotlight after that. 

Her powers were to change the substance of things. She could make solids into liquid, liquids into solids, gases into liquids, and all other variations, and bend them to her will. She could even turn one kind of substance into another with ease. 

It was rumored that she was related to Atlas, considering the similarities in their powers.

After her retirement it became known that her real name is Ulla Parker, via a Rust article on Atlas while they were still active.

Igneous - Igneous is most widely known as a villain… yet it’s clear that he doesn’t think of himself as such. Often proclaiming himself a ‘protector of the innocent’ and ‘One of Nickelport’s saviors’. Still, between the mass destruction and cross-fire casualties that he causes he’s not… exactly well liked. As either a hero or a villain.

Igneous has the power to melt any part of his body into lava. This also comes with a minor regenerative/defensive aspect, as cuts or injuries that are melted will often return better than they were before, and any weapon that passes through a melted part of him does no actual physical damage so long as it didn’t touch his actual skin but the lava instead.

*A fun side fact: In the early, early, early version of Model Citizens, Lady Luck and Domino were the same person with the same personality and powers. In fact… they were a bit of a Raf and Lucy 1.0- the original choices for who you could be married to. (Only just the pronouns and appearences changed, they were still the same person back then, unlike Raf and Lucy now, who are entirely separate personalities and characters.)

[drunkbooksellers]

Ep 16: Julia & Christen, Itinerant Literate

Epigraph

Y'all. It's been a minute (or, ya know, 8 months). But we're back with a brand new episode featuring Julia Turner and Christen Thompson Lain, the founders of Itinerant Literate, a mobile bookstore in Charleston, SC.

Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, our website, or subscribe using your podcatcher of choice.

Support the show! All books in our show notes link to Indiebound, a website that connects you with your local independent bookstore. Purchases made through our affiliate links help fund Drunk Booksellers, so you can support your favorite indie bookstore and your favorite podcasting booksellers.

If you want to get our show notes delivered directly to your inbox—with all the books mentioned on the podcast and links to the books we discuss—sign up for our email newsletter.

This episode is sponsored by Books & Whatnot, the newsletter dedicated to books, bookselling, and bookish folk; check out their newsletter archive here. Follow Books & Whatnot on Twitter at @booksandwhatnot.

Chapter I

In which a local coffee shop assists in alcohol acquisition, we want more spaceships and dragons, and a book brings Emma to tears.

We’re Drinking

Christen and Julia were given some free beer from their local coffeeshop, Orange Spot Coffee: Stillwater Artisinal's Stateside Saisan and Sake-Style Saison. As our cocktail for the evening, we're drinking the Lime of the Ancient Mariner from Tim Federle's Tequila Mockingbird.

Christen's Reading

  War Storm by Victoria Aveyard

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

Shout out to Joan Didion's Slouching Towards Bethlehem

Julia's Reading

    Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka (audiobook via Libro.fm)

How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan

Monsoon Mansion by Cinelle Barnes

Daphne by Will Boast

Kim's Reading

  Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (audiobook via Libro.fm)

Amateur by Thomas Page McBee (pubs August 14, 2018)

McBee's previous book, Man Alive, is also excellent

Emma's Reading

  Circe by Madeline Miller (audiobook via Libro.fm)

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai 

Forthcoming & Newly-New Titles We're Excited About

Julia & Christen are Excited About

   The White Darkness by David Grann (pubs Oct 30, 2018)

My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (pubs Nov 20, 2018)

Cult X by Fuminori Nakamura

Kim's Excited About

  So Lucky by Nicola Griffith (audiobook via Libro.fm)

also check out her bestselling historical fantasy novel, Hild

Any Man by Amber Tamblyn

Emma's Excited About

    There There by Tommy Orange

Fight No More by Lydia Millet

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (pubs July 10, 2018)

her previous book, Uprooted, is one of Emma's faves

Half-Witch by John Schoffstall (pubs July 17, 2018)

Chapter II [23:30]

In which we discuss how bookstores work (and how you keep books on the shelves in a bookstore that moves), Julia and Christen give advice to future bookmobile owners, and the mobile bookstore finds a forever home!

Customer: So, is this a library?

Interested in breaking into publishing (then abandoning your fancy degree to become a bookseller)? Check out the University of Denver Publishing Institute. Julia and Christen met there, so that bodes well.

Shout out to Blue Bicycle (founder of YALLFest, Charleston's Young Adult Book Festival)

Fun fact: the aunt in Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson is described as itinerant. Maybe not the best role model, but not the worst!

The bookmobile is so purrrrrrrrrty:

  Books that Itinerant Literate must have in stock:

City of Thieves by David Benioff

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine 

Lunar Chronicles Series by Marissa Meyer

Replica and Ringer by Lauren Oliver

Tips for potential bookmobile owners:

What's an SAN? Ok, go to www.bowker.com

Have an accountant in the family.

Indiegogo is your friend. (Kickstarter only gives you the funds if you meet your goal, whereas Indiegogo allows you to choose to still get your funds if you don't meet your goal.)

Bungie cords are clutch.

Know your legal obligations (you need separate business licenses for every municipality!)

For the first few months, plan two hours more than you think you'll need.

Ask someone who is not in your field to walk through your store and give you feedback.

Don't take everything a customer says to heart.

Engage sometimes, but not always.

Bookstores are businesses too, y'all.

Chapter III [44:30]

In which Julia, Christen, & Emma have the same wheelhouse; we debate Christen's concept of "feel-good" books; and Christen wants to be fierce & fearsome while naked

Book Description Guaranteed to Get You Reading

Christen loves fiction containing witches, dystopias, feminism, misandry, unreliable narrators, and anachronistic elements. Also, nonfiction books about product and content marketing. Highly recommend Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller.

Emma recommends We Were Witches by Ariel Gore, cause witches + misandry = win!

Julia digs retold fairy tales and pop science/medical nonfiction (shout out to This is Your Brain on Parasites by Kathleen McAuliffe).

Desert Island Pick

Christen: Harry Potter, natch

Julia: Young Adult faves, such as Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Station Eleven Picks

Christen's practical book: Peterson's Field Guides to Medical Plants

Christen's "feel-good" books: Letters to a Young Poet, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, and The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. Or, to go more apocalyptic: The Giver by Lois Lowry (aka "The Handmaid's Tale for children")

Julia: The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

Wild Pick

Julia: Nature reading (The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery) or books about female resistance

Christen wants a guidebook about how to be Lady Godiva. #legit

Lady Godiva, the ultimate Rebel Girl

Bookseller Confession

Christen actively doesn't finish things she doesn't enjoy. Real talk, this is a necessity for all booksellers. And readers. And humans.

Neither Julia, Christen, nor Emma have read Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. For the record, Kim loves this series and owns multiple editions of the books. Because it's awesome and Kim has great taste. Seriously, look at this pretty cover:

Impossible Handsell

Julia: Getting Mother's Body by Suzan-Lori Parks

Christen: Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

Everyone: Hogarth's Shakespeare series

Book for Booksellers

Julia: Jane Unlimited by Kristin Cashore

Christen: Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller

Favorite Bookstores

Avid Bookshop in Athens, GA

Battery Book Exchange & Champagne Bar in Asheville, NC

Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, NC

Charis Books in Atlanta, GA

Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, GA

Tattered Cover (which is where Julia and Christen met! best #meetcute ever)

Favorite Literary Media

Shelf Awareness and Lit Hub

On Twitter: Maris Kreizman (author of Slaughterhouse 90210 and judge for Book of the Month Club)

Poet.org Poem of the Day

Epilogue

In which we tell you where to find Itinerant Literate on the Internets

Website: itinerantliteratebooks.com or chsbookmobile.com

Facebook: itinerantliteratebooks

Twitter: @chsbookmobile

Instagram: @chsbookmobile

Tumblr: itinerantliterate.tumblr.com

You can find us on:

Twitter: @drunkbookseller

Litsy: @drunkbooksellers

Facebook

Instagram

Email

Newsletter

Website

Emma tweets from @thebibliot and writes bookish things for Book Riot. She's also starting a newsletter called All the Books I'll Never Read, which you can subscribe to here. (Working on show notes is the first Kim has heard about this, and it sounds awesome.)

Kim tweets from @finaleofseem less frequently than Drunk Booksellers posts new episodes. #sickburn #stilltrue

Subscribe and rate us on iTunes!

Check out this episode!

[orbemnews]

Colleges That Require Virus-Screening Tech Struggle to Say Whether It Works Before the University of Idaho welcomed students back to campus last fall, it made a big bet on new virus-screening technology. The university spent $90,000 installing temperature-scanning stations, which look like airport metal detectors, in front of its dining and athletic facilities in Moscow, Idaho. When the system clocks a student walking through with an unusually high temperature, the student is asked to leave and go get tested for Covid-19. But so far the fever scanners, which detect skin temperature, have caught fewer than 10 people out of the 9,000 students living on or near campus. Even then, university administrators could not say whether the technology had been effective because they have not tracked students flagged with fevers to see if they went on to get tested for the virus. The University of Idaho is one of hundreds of colleges and universities that adopted fever scanners, symptom checkers, wearable heart-rate monitors and other new Covid-screening technologies this school year. Such tools often cost less than a more validated health intervention: frequent virus testing of all students. They also help colleges showcase their pandemic safety efforts. But the struggle at many colleges to keep the virus at bay has raised questions about the usefulness of the technologies. A New York Times effort has recorded more than 530,000 virus cases on campuses since the start of the pandemic. One problem is that temperature scanners and symptom-checking apps cannot catch the estimated 40 percent of people with the coronavirus who do not have symptoms but are still infectious. Temperature scanners can also be wildly inaccurate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has cautioned that such symptom-based screening has only “limited effectiveness.” The schools have a hard time saying whether — or how well — the new devices have worked. Many universities and colleges, including prominent research institutions, are not rigorously studying effectiveness. “So why are we bothering?” said Bruce Schneier, a prominent security technologist who has described such screening systems as “security theater” — that is, tools that make people feel better without actually improving their safety. “Why spend the money?” More than 100 schools are using a free virus symptom-checking app, called CampusClear, that can clear students to enter campus buildings. Others are asking students to wear symptom-monitoring devices that can continuously track vital signs like skin temperature. And some have adapted the ID card swiping systems they use to admit students into dorms, libraries and gyms as tools for tracing potential virus exposures. Administrators at Idaho and other universities said their schools were using the new tech, along with policies like social distancing, as part of larger campus efforts to hinder the virus. Some said it was important for their schools to deploy the screening tools even if they were only moderately useful. At the very least, they said, using services like daily symptom-checking apps may reassure students and remind them to be vigilant about other measures, like mask wearing. Some public health experts said it was understandable that colleges had not methodically assessed the technology’s effectiveness against the coronavirus. After all, they said, schools are unaccustomed to frequently screening their entire campus populations for new infectious diseases. Even so, some experts said they were troubled that universities lacked important information that might help them make more evidence-based decisions on health screening. “It’s a massive data vacuum,” said Saskia Popescu, an infectious-disease epidemiologist who is an assistant professor at George Mason University. “The moral of the story is you can’t just invest in this tech without having a validation process behind it.” Other medical experts said increased surveillance of largely healthy college students seemed unduly intrusive, given that symptom checkers have limited usefulness and the effectiveness of wearable health monitors against Covid-19 is not yet known. Updated  March 2, 2021, 3:28 p.m. ET The introduction of campus screening tools has often been bumpy. Last fall, the University of Missouri began requiring all students, faculty and staff to use CampusClear, a free app that asks users about possible symptoms, like high temperature or loss of smell. Users who say they have no symptoms then receive a “Good to Go!” notification that can clear them to enter campus buildings. The school initially did not enforce the use of CampusClear at building entrances, however, and some students used the app only infrequently, according to reporting by The Missourian, the campus newspaper. In October, the university began requiring people to show their app pass code to enter certain buildings, like the student center and library. The university has promoted the app as a tool to help educate students. But how effective it has been at hindering coronavirus outbreaks on campus is unknown. A spokesman for the University of Missouri said the school was unable to provide usage data on CampusClear — including the number of students who had reported possible symptoms through the app and later tested positive for the virus — requested by a Times reporter. Jason Fife, the marketing director at Ivy.ai, the start-up behind CampusClear, said nearly 425,000 people at about 120 colleges and universities used the app last semester, generating about 9.8 million user reports. Many schools, he noted, use data from the app not to follow individual virus cases but to look for symptom trends on their campuses. Ivy.ai, however, cannot gauge the app’s effectiveness as a virus-screening tool, he said. For privacy reasons, the company does not track individual users who report symptoms and later test positive for the infection. At some universities, administrators acknowledged that the tech they adopted this school year did not pan out the way they had hoped. Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Mass., introduced two tools last semester that recorded students’ whereabouts in case they later developed virus infections and administrators needed to trace their contacts. One system logged students’ locations every time they swiped their ID cards to enter campus buildings. The other asked students to scan printed-out QR codes posted at certain locations around campus. By the end of the semester, however, only about one-third of the 1,200 students on campus were scanning the bar codes. Ethan Child, a Bridgewater senior, said he had scanned the QR codes but also skipped them when walking by in the rain. “I think it’s reasonable to ask students to do it — whether or not they’ll actually do it is another thing,” he said. “People might just pass it by.” Class Disrupted Updated March 2, 2021 The latest on how the pandemic is reshaping education. Administrators discovered that the key to hindering coronavirus outbreaks was not technology but simply frequent testing — once a week, for on-campus students — along with contact tracing, said Chris Frazer, the executive director of the university’s wellness center. “I’m glad we didn’t spend an exorbitant amount of money” on tech tools, Dr. Frazer said. “We found what we need is tests and more tests.” The location-tracking tools ultimately proved most useful for “peace of mind,” he added, and to confirm the findings of contact tracers, who often learned much more about infected students’ activities by calling them than by examining their location logs. Other schools that discovered location tracking was not a useful pandemic safety tool decided not to deploy it at all. At Oklahoma State University, in Stillwater, administrators said they had planned to log students’ locations when they used campus Wi-Fi for possible later use in contact tracing. But the school never introduced the system, said Chris Barlow, the school’s health services director, partly because administrators realized that many students had contracted the virus off campus, in situations where public health measures like mask wearing were not followed. At the University of Idaho and other schools, administrators described devices like fever scanners as add-ons to larger campus safety efforts involving student testing and measures like social distancing. Last fall, for instance, the University of Idaho tested its students for the virus at the beginning and middle of the semester, with some random testing as well. The school also used a wastewater testing program to identify an impending virus outbreak at fraternity and sorority houses, proactively quarantining more than a dozen chapters before cases could spread widely through the community. “We got out in front of it early,” C. Scott Green, the president of the University of Idaho, said. “We were able to isolate those that were sick, and we got back under control.” Still, there were hiccups. The university required food service employees who worked at the dining hall to undergo temperature checks using hand-held scanners. But several developed virus infections anyway, and the university was forced to temporarily close the dining hall over a weekend for deep cleaning. As for the free-standing temperature-scanning stations, Mr. Green himself has experienced their limitations. He said one mistakenly stopped him from entering an athletic building right after he got out of a hot car. Source link Orbem News #Colleges #require #Struggle #Tech #VirusScreening #Works

[thecollegefootballguy]

Bizarro Football: An Alternate History of College Football in 2018

Welcome one and all to the FINAL installment of Bizarro Football! It’s the alternate reality imagining what would have happened if the 2010 realignment cycle had never happened.

Check out the previous seasons first if you’d like to catch up: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

This post is an amalgamation of the various other conference posts I’ve made throughout this (and part of last) off season. Check those out here:

ACC: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 Big East: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 Big Ten: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 Big 12: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 PAC-10: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 SEC: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018

I’ve made some adjustments for games that were never played as well as incorporating the G5 and Notre Dame, but otherwise things haven’t changed from these earlier posts.

Clearly certain things would have changed each year if each conference’s membership was altered. However, most of the Playoff era has remained remarkably consistent, with only 2014 drastically changing. Let’s see if that holds true for 2018.

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ACC

Atlantic Division

Clemson 13-0 (8-0) NC State 10-2 (6-2) Boston College 7-5 (5-3) Maryland 6-6 (3-5) Wake Forest 7-5 (3-5) Florida State 5-7 (2-6)

Coastal Division

Georgia Tech 7-6 (5-3) Virginia Tech 7-4 (5-3) Miami FL 7-5 (4-4) Virginia 7-5 (4-4) Duke 7-5 (3-5) North Carolina 1-10 (0-8)

ACC Championship Game: Clemson over Georgia Tech

Clemson towers over the ACC. The Tigers are so far ahead of the rest of the conference that there essentially was no race. NC State, technically the second best squad in the league, was a fringe top 30 program. Without Pittsburgh winning the Coastal, Georgia Tech pulls one last trick out of the bag in Paul Johnson’s final season. The Yellow Jackets earn another pummeling at the hands of Clemson as the Tigers skip on into the Playoff for the fourth straight year.

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Big East

West Virginia 11-0 (7-0) Cincinnati 11-1 (6-1) Syracuse 9-3 (5-2) Pittsburgh 7-5 (4-3) South Florida 6-6 (2-5) Louisville 4-8 (2-5) Rutgers 3-9 (2-5) Connecticut 1-11 (0-7)

West Virginia pulls off an undefeated season, securing a spot in the Playoff so long as the Committee sees fit to put the Mountaineers into the top 4. I wonder if Dana Holgorsen leaves if he had this much success in Morgantown. Cincinnati and Syracuse were both pretty good, but the rest of the league was varying shades of awful. Conference stalwart Louisville cratered in a bad way after losing Lamar Jackson and Connecticut had one of the worst defenses ever seen in FBS football.

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Big Ten

Michigan 10-2 (7-1) Northwestern 8-4 (7-1) Ohio State 10-2 (6-2) Iowa 9-3 (5-3) Michigan State 8-4 (5-3) Penn State 8-4 (4-4) Minnesota 6-6 (3-5) Wisconsin 6-6 (3-5) Purdue 4-8 (3-5) Indiana 5-7 (1-7) Illinois 3-9 (1-7)

Michigan again almost made the Playoff, but were again thwarted by Ohio State in The Game. The Buckeyes were again the best team in the conference, and again they blew a few games they should have won to fall out of the Playoff race. Northwestern managed to tie for the league championship by missing both UM and OSU, so that’s nice for them. Iowa was actually really good but they’re relegated to being an afterthought for losing too many games. Penn State and Wisconsin suffered some serious bad luck in this universe.

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Big 12

North

Iowa State 8-5 (5-3) Missouri 9-3 (5-3) Colorado 6-6 (3-5) Kansas State 6-6 (3-5) Nebraska 4-8 (2-6) Kansas 5-7 (2-6)

South

Texas 12-1 (8-0) Oklahoma 10-2 (6-2) Oklahoma State 9-3 (5-3) Texas A&M 8-4 (5-3) Baylor 6-6 (3-5) Texas Tech 4-8 (1-7)

Big 12 Championship Game: Texas over Iowa State

Texas is unironically back in Bizarro Football. The Longhorns manage to somehow lose to Maryland and still make a strong case for the College Football Playoff. I didn’t think that was possible. Oklahoma, the best team in the conference in actuality, loses in Red River and to Oklahoma State in Stillwater. The Big 12 schedule played right into Texas’ hands, getting to host the Cowboys as well as A&M. I’m not sure I trust them to win this many big games, but hey, stranger things have happened.

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PAC-10

Washington 9-3 (7-2) Washington State 10-2 (7-2) Stanford 9-3 (7-2) Arizona State 8-4 (6-3) Oregon 7-5 (4-5) UCLA 4-8 (4-5) California 7-5 (4-5) USC 4-8 (3-6) Arizona 4-8 (3-6) Oregon State 1-11 (0-9)

The PAC-10 once again didn’t even get close to the College Football Playoff. Washington was once again the league’s strongest team, but the Huskies just could not act like it for more than a few games in a row before losing some kind of upset. Washington State once again reached for the stars, but a loss in the Apple Cup keeps the Cougars on the outside once again. A three-way tie between UW, WSU, and Stanford mucks up the top of the league, but Washington holds tiebreaking wins over both teams to earn their trip to Pasadena.

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SEC

East

Georgia 11-2 (7-1) Florida 10-2 (6-2) Kentucky 9-3 (5-3) South Carolina 7-5 (4-4) Tennessee 5-7 (2-6) Vanderbilt 4-8 (1-7)

West

Alabama 12-1 (7-1) LSU 10-2 (6-2) Mississippi State 9-3 (5-3) Auburn 7-5 (3-5) Ole Miss 6-6 (2-6) Arkansas 2-10 (0-8)

SEC Championship Game: Alabama over Georgia

The SEC more or less looks the same as it did in real life. Alabama and Georgia were two of best teams in the conference and in the country. The Crimson Tide lost in Athens in the regular season but paid the Bulldogs back in Atlanta with a win in the SEC Championship Game. The SEC East showed life for the first time in a long while thanks to a rebound from Florida and a feel-good season coming from Kentucky. LSU and Mississippi State also turned in very good campaigns out in the West. Poor Auburn was overshadowed by a brutal schedule.

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Notable non-BCS Conference Teams

UCF 12-0 (8-0)* Utah 12-0 (8-0)* Boise State 11-1 (8-0)* Army 10-2 Notre Dame 11-1

*conference champions

UCF and Utah both go undefeated in the C-USA and Mountain West respectively. Boise State also turned in a great season but the Broncos are gonna have to sit the NY6 out with better options on the table. Notre Dame does not run the table in Bizarro Football, the Irish lose early on in East Lansing to blemish their otherwise perfect resume. That’ll make the Playoff section much more interesting.

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Projected CFP Rankings

#1. Clemson 13-0 (8-0) #2. Alabama 12-1 (7-1) #3. Texas 12-1 (8-0) #4. Notre Dame 11-1 #5. Georgia 11-2 (7-1) #6. West Virginia 11-0 (7-0) #7. LSU 10-2 (6-2) #8. Ohio State 10-2 (6-2) #9. Florida 10-2 (6-2) #10. Michigan 10-2 (7-1) #11. Oklahoma 10-2 (6-2) #12. Utah 12-0 (8-0) #13. Washington State 10-2 (7-2) #14. Cincinnati 11-1 (6-1) #15. UCF 12-0 (8-0)

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and assume that the Committee treats the Big East like the glorified G5 that they are. West Virginia just should not be anywhere near the Playoff despite the undefeated record and it would have been the right thing to do to keep the Mountaineers out of the top four. I’m not positive it would have played out this way, but I think Alabama and Texas have slam dunk cases, and Notre Dame probably make it over WVU, so I’m running with it.

With the Rose and Sugar not hosting semifinals, there are not very many at-large bids this year.

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Projected NY6 Games

Peach Bowl: #6 West Virginia vs #7 LSU

LSU pulls one of the two at-large bids and gives West Virginia the real top fifteen opponent they were missing in the Big East. Both of these teams were probably overrated, so I’m not gonna go ahead and declare the Tigers the winner outright. If the Mountaineers manage to win this one, the Committee is gonna take some flak for their decision to stonewall unbeaten WVU.

Fiesta Bowl: #8 Ohio State vs #12 Utah

I'm actually not sure Utah would get ranked ahead of UCF if the Knights had a two year win streak, but that C-USA bias is hard to wash off compared to a Mountain West that still has BYU and TCU. The Utes were about as good as Central Florida in 2018 anyway, so either one can show up to take a beating from Ohio State. The Buckeyes have missed the last few Playoffs despite being the best team in the Big Ten each year, so I assume they’re gonna smack around whichever upstart they can and send Urban Meyer off right.

Rose Bowl: #10 Michigan vs #16 Washington

I’ll say this: the game might be unwatchable, but I’m sure the stadium is packed because Michigan and Washington fans would show up to this even if both teams were 8-4. I’d favor the Wolverines, but not with too much confidence.

Sugar Bowl: #5 Georgia vs #11 Oklahoma 

The best game in the non-Playoff slate. Maybe. I mean, did you see what Texas did to Georgia in real life? Then sub in Oklahoma, the real best team in the Big 12, for the Longhorns. This is an even matchup on paper, maybe even favoring the Bulldogs, but they really must have been gutted by losing to Alabama again cause they laid down a stinker.

Cotton Bowl (semifinal): #2 Alabama vs #3 Texas

Aren’t you a little curious what would have happened if this game gets played? An overachieving Texas team probably gets slammed to the mat by a far better Alabama. I’m not sure it’d be a 30-0 type deal, but I’m not seeing any kind of Longhorn win here. The computers put UT somewhere between 10th and 20th in most projections. I know they beat Georgia, but come on, only one team in the Playoff can beat Bama here.

Orange Bowl (semifinal): #1 Clemson vs #4 Notre Dame

Notre Dame gets exposed, again. At least they weren’t undefeated going into the game, so it probably doesn’t sting as much as 2012.

So uhhhh, Clemson wins the national championship! I was at the real life National Championship Game so I’m definitely not gonna entertain any kind of scenario that doesn’t give Dabo Swinney’s Tigers a second ring.

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So that’s it for Bizzarro Football, it actually wasn’t that different most years. I’m not sure what that says about the system or conference realignment, but we’re doing a decent job crowning champions. Clearly it’s not perfect, but a good football team will win in any conference.

[junker-town]

What to know about Mason Rudolph, the Steelers’ new quarterback

Mason Rudolph is taking over for veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who suffered a season-ending injury.

Before arriving in Pittsburgh, the Steelers’ third-round draft pick put up some big numbers at Oklahoma State.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will have to play the rest of their 2019 season without veteran Ben Roethlisberger under center due to an elbow injury he suffered in Week 2. Now, the Steelers’ immediate future lies in the hands of second-year quarterback Mason Rudolph.

The Steelers drafted Rudolph in the third round in 2018. Although Rudolph hadn’t played in the regular season before, he had a strong debut coming in for the injured Roethlisberger, throwing for 112 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception (one that dropped out of his receiver’s hands) in a 28-26 loss to the Seahawks.

2️⃣➡️8️��9️⃣ pic.twitter.com/sbyMHGWuPJ

�� Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 15, 2019

With the Steelers trading third-string quarterback Joshua Dobbs to Jacksonville, Rudolph is Pittsburgh’s quarterback for the remainder of the 2019 season.

Rudolph might be a new name to NFL fans, but the Steelers drafted a player who put up monster numbers at Oklahoma State for three seasons.

He finished as Oklahoma State’s winningest quarterback in school history, compiling a 32-9 record as a starter and leading the Cowboys to three 10-win seasons. Rudolph also set 54 school records, both single-season and career marks for passing yards, touchdowns, and pass efficiency.

Even though Rudolph worked in a spread offense under Mike Gundy, there were pro-style elements involved. Via Ian Boyd:

The Oklahoma State offense often worked in a “pro-style” fashion, in that Rudolph would approach the line of scrimmage with a menu of options, based on the look the defense was giving. Then he might check the play to one of a few alternatives if he saw an opportunity to hit a big play or smelled a negative play coming.

In his final season in Stillwater in 2017, he led the country with 4,904 yards through the air, a full 277 yards ahead of some guy named Baker Mayfield. As my colleague Christian D’Andrea points out, Rudolph didn’t have as much hype as the likes of Mayfield, Patrick Mahomes, and Kyler Murray coming out of college, but Big 12 quarterbacks have found success recently in the NFL.

Before he entered the league, Rudolph was optimistic his game would translate to the next level.

“I think you’ve seen spread quarterbacks come to the league the last five years and they’ve ended up being pretty successful at the next level,” Rudolph said during the 2018 combine. “And I think you’re definitely starting to see a lot more of those concepts, and the high-tempo type offenses, NFL teams adopting more of that philosophy.”

Later that year, Rudolph was the sixth quarterback off the board in the draft. The five before him were all selected in the first round. But here’s something pretty cool: Rudolph will get to go up against all five of the quarterbacks drafted ahead of him this season. The Steelers will face Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, and Sam Darnold during the regular season.

In particular, the Steelers-Browns games on Nov. 14 and Dec. 1 might have some added juice with Rudolph and Mayfield, who by the way played for bitter rival teams in college, too.

Rudolph may not be as interesting off the field as fellow new QB starter Gardner Minshew, but a few fun facts:

One of Rudolph’s best Oklahoma State highlights was him throwing a perfect pass to this dude on a jet-ski, joining the trend of aquatic trick shots by college QBs during the summer of 2017:

#okstate QB Mason Rudolph, ladies and gentlemen! He's consistent in any environment. (Video courtesy @Rudolph2Mason) pic.twitter.com/z7PQHqkNft

— Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) May 29, 2016

He also did yoga, which he incorporated into his workout routine in Stillwater, with ESPN’s Jeannine Edwards:

He also once met Backstreet Boys members Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson in Israel! He has smartly since-deleted old tweets, including the photo he tweeted of the three — likely a good idea since he @’ed Paris Hilton in it, too. Good thinking, Rudolph!

2018’s loaded quarterback class put Rudolph as a projected second- or third-rounder, which is right where Pittsburgh drafted him.

But Rudolph didn’t win the backup job right away — he was beaten out by Dobbs for the position in 2018. Rudolph said that being the third-string QB motivated him during the offseason and preseason camp.

“It was a change, but I think I will be better for it down the road,” Rudolph said in March. “It was a year I could focus on helping our team, being a guy behind the scenes, trying to raise my football IQ. I met with Coach [Mike] Tomlin once a week to find out his keys to the game and his insight onto what we need to attack on their defense. That really helped.”

During the preseason, Rudolph showed a lot of growth from Year 1 to 2, which allowed him to win the No. 2 job pretty handily:

Getting thrown into the fire isn’t easy, but there were a lot of bright spots in Rudolph’s debut.

After entering in the third quarter against the Seahawks, Rudolph’s first three passes, including the interception, were off the mark. He then found his stride under center and finished with a 92.4 passer rating. Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner even dialed up some trickeration for Rudolph with this 45-yard flea-flicker to JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Who doesn't like a good flea flicker? Could this be the future look of the Pittsburgh Steelers? #SEAvsPIT cc: @NFL pic.twitter.com/QIjjSiK4oP

— DraftZar (@draftzar) September 16, 2019

It certainly helps that Rudolph’s college teammate, James Washington, is with him in Pittsburgh, too. Throughout their years playing together at OSU, the Cowboys’ offense relied on Washington being able to slip past cornerbacks on post routes:

Rudolph found his college go-to receiver on a screen last Sunday, and there will likely be more where that came from. Pittsburgh’s offense will look different with Rudolph instead of Roethlisberger under center, and he should open up the Steelers’ play-action pass game, like he did with this touchdown to tight end Vance McDonald:

From All-22: Rudolph off play action touchdown pass to McDonald. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/W8Lq5JInSn

— SteelVideos (@SteelBlitzburgh) September 19, 2019

Even if Rudolph wasn’t expected to be pressed into duty, he impressed his teammates with his poise.

“He handled himself really well,” Steelers guard David DeCastro said via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “Really proud of him, how he came in ready to go. He knew the playbook, had a big command, and he mixed some of the cadences, too.”

“He’s thrown the ball and made his reads, and he’s very deliberate about that,” McDonald added. “It’s something we can look forward to on offense. I think him and (offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner) have a great connection. He’s come a long way since last year. If he’s our guy, he’s our guy. We’ve got to move forward with him.”

The moment wasn’t too big for Rudolph, who Steelers guard Ramon Foster said prepares “like a mad man” before games.

“He steps in and does what he is told,” Washington told reporters. “He puts in film work. When his number is called, he is ready to go. What he does in practice he takes to the game. He watches film and studies and studies. What he sees from that week of preparation you see him doing that in the game.”

While the loss at home dropped the Steelers to 0-2, Rudolph still received overwhelming support from his teammates.

Rudolph has a chance to set himself up as Roethlisberger’s successor down the road, too.

After this season, the 37-year-old Roethlisberger has two more years remaining on his current contract with the Steelers. No one knows how he’ll come back from this injury, but he’s made it clear he still wants to keep playing.

The Steelers appear to be confident in both Rudolph and Roethlisberger, too — they traded next year’s first-round pick to Miami for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, which means they likely won’t be taking a quarterback high in next year’s draft, if at all.

The Steelers haven’t had to look for a franchise quarterback in 15 years. With his performance this season, Rudolph is hoping to prove their next one is already here.

[naturecoaster]

Helping Veterans and Homeless Dogs

With a national suicide rate for American Veterans of twenty per day, and twenty-two daily for vets with PTSD, there needs to be an intervention. In addition, thousands of homeless dogs are euthanized at shelters each month. Could one help the other? “I’ve had such a passion for dogs from the time I could say “dawg,” Mary Peters of K9 Partners for Patriots shared, “I met a gentleman when I was working at a dental office that was a professional trainer and trained in Germany. He did police dogs in obedience and he took me under his wing. I apprenticed for a year and worked for him for another year. Then I went on to start my own business and graduated from National Canine in Columbus Ohio, which is a college accredited school for dog trainers. I stayed there and got certified as a Master Dog Trainer.”

How it Began

Mary had the Stillwater Dog Training school in Brooksville. She worked with dog owners of all types but noticed how veterans would come to her classes because they were told to get a dog to help with their PTSD, but then the vet would not complete the classes. “I began contacting the veterans to encourage their return to class. Inevitably, they had missed class because they were having trouble getting out of their home and connecting with civilians in the lesson. I began to see that there was a need for a program targeting these heroes,” Mary explained. At one point, Dr. Diane Scotland-Coogan, of Saint Leo University contacted Mary about a veteran she was working with who had severe PTSD to ask if a dog might help him. Diane came to visit and ended up assisting in creating the nonprofit. K9 Partners for Patriots received its official 501c3 designation in November 2014. Stillwater Dog Training was closed, and Mary committed her God-given talents and drive to helping our Veterans recover from post-traumatic stress (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and military sexual trauma (MST) through the experience of training and caring for their own service dog. Mary closed her Stillwater facility to concentrate solely on helping military veterans and their families.

Training the Trainer is Key

There are approximately 14 facilities that train dogs to help veterans cope with their service-induced disabilities throughout the United States, but K9 Partners for Patriots trains the serviceman to train his or her own dog. “As far as we know,” Greg Laskoski, Communications Director, states, “we are the only facility that is working with the Veteran in this way.” As a military wife, Mary was sensitive to the needs of these veterans to achieve and compete. “I was seeing brave men and women returning home from war with a life that's shattered. Brave men and women, I'm talking about Army Rangers, Special Ops, and Green Berets; Colonels to infantry.”

They were isolated in their homes, or in a room in their home. Trapped by PTSD and needing help to regain their dignity. These are high-achieving people. And then there were all these dogs in shelters and rescues throughout the area who needed someone to advocate for them. The dogs K9 Partners for Patriots recruits for their service dog training program for veterans are procured from area shelters, rescues, private donors, and breeders. “Pasco County Animal Services has placed more than 15 dogs with K9P4P and is proud to continue helping K9P4P find suitable canine candidates for this wonderful program,” states Michael Shumate of PCAS.

How the Program Works

The K9P4P programs run for nineteen weeks and are taught to “squads” of ten veterans, each with a chosen canine partner. The veteran is required to attend each one-hour weekly class and then spend at least 2 hours a day training their partner. The two-hour daily training must be broken into increments of 10 to 15-minutes and are conducted outside of the veteran’s home; on the sidewalk, in the park, or at the training center for example.

  We were finding that these wounded men and women were being held prisoner in their own homes by their service-connected PTSD, TBI, and MSA. They had served America honorably, but when they came home nothing the Veterans Administration was doing for them was working. Their entire families were affected, and suicide became a very real option. “Most of our 238 active program participants found that the most difficult thing to do was to get here for the first time. We have found veterans transfixed in our parking lot for hours due to their PTSD or sitting in their car unable to get in the door. We must let them take the time it takes and when they get through the door, we greet them with a hug. They can see that they are not a number here. In fact, each participant is given a badge with their name to help them know they are a part of something,” Mary explains. Each veteran must train their own dog and take that dog home to live with them. Dogs that aren’t trained are not as nice to live with. Mary watches closely at each weekly class to ensure the vet has practiced with their service animal during the week. When one vet has done exceptionally well, she watches the rest of the platoon work harder to raise the bar. As the trainer and their dog spend more time together, the healing and the bonding begins.

The Change in Lives is Profound

Throughout the five-month class, a metamorphosis occurs. To supplement the training, an in-house mental health counselor is available. A veteran liaison is on staff who is a graduate of the program. A canine massage therapist helps the dogs stay healthy and veterinary bills can be taken care of by K9 Partners for Patriots. This well-rounded approach helps veterans who apply to the program develop trust with the trainers and the facility. “Our family is welcome any time the facility is open. We have coffee available during the day and they can just bring their dog and hang out,” explains Gregg. “To help foster the family mentality of the organization, we hold quarterly events for spouses and children to attend.” For veterans to apply to the program they have to meet only four requirements: Honorably Discharged from Military Service A letter from their Physician/Counselor or VA stating the diagnosis of service-related PTSD, TBI, and/or MST and stating that the vet is medically, mentally and physically able to handle the responsibilities of owning a dog. Must have DD214 long form May not have any felony, domestic violence, sexual offense of any kind and/or any type of animal mistreatment abuse, neglect or cruelty in their records. Background checks are conducted on each application for the safety of the program and the dog. There is never any financial charge to a qualifying veteran to participate in the program.

A Proven System

"The whole thing with our program is not just dog training - it was giving them life skills. We're teaching them how to live again," Mary explains, but there is no acknowledgment by the VA that therapy dogs are effective in healing PTSD. Scientific proof was needed. K9 Partners for Patriots partnered with St. Leo University psychotherapist and master level social workers to conduct an evidence-based study of the effect of their service dog training program with veterans diagnosed with PTSD, TBI and/or MST using the Trauma Symptom Inventory-2 (TSI-2) assessment, and the results are GREAT!

Next Steps

This amazing organization can always use our help. “The nonprofit is always in need of regular financial support,” explains Mary. “Grants come and go. It costs $5,000 to sponsor a vet and a dog through the program. We could really use some local businesses to step up and provide. We also have need of supplies which can be found on our web site.” “The most rewarding thing is being able to help someone with my God-given talents. Being able to see the change in these amazing heroes makes it so worthwhile that I love coming to work every day,” Mary says. Read the full article